Indy driver in court

Race car driver and "Dancing With the Stars" winner Helio Castroneves pleaded not guilty yesterday to federal tax evasion charges. "I'm a race car driver," the two-time Indianapolis 500 winner told reporters outside the courtroom in Miami. "This is a very difficult situation. I'll be strong and I'll win this race." Castroneves, 33, spoke after his release on $10 million bail following a court appearance in which he was in handcuffs and leg chains and was weeping. A grand jury indicted Castroneves on charges of conspiracy and six counts of tax evasion for purportedly failing to report to the IRS about $5.5 million in income between 1999 and 2004. Each count carries a maximum five-year prison sentence. (AP)

A lawsuit involving the three surviving children of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King is threatening to derail a $1.4 million deal for a book on their mother. This week, Penguin said it would terminate the contract and demand the return of a $300,000 advance if the publisher does not receive photos, personal writing, and letters within seven business days. The siblings are feuding over whether the documents should be turned over to the publisher. (AP)

Portuguese author José Saramago said yesterday that protests about a film version of his book "Blindness" are unfounded and misguided. Meanwhile, Marc Maurer, president of the National Federation of the Blind, which plans to protest the movie, said it "portrays blind people as monsters." (AP)

Natalie Cole, who suffers from hepatitis C, is resting at her Los Angeles home after being released from the hospital this week, Cole's representative said yesterday, adding that the singer "is feeling a lot better." The 58-year-old daughter of jazz legend Nat King Cole entered a New York hospital Sept. 12. (AP)

"The bailout bill -- I'm sorry, the rescue bill -- has grown to 450 pages. President Bush's copy is even thicker because they had to add pictures. You know: trucks and dragons. Spaceships."-- Jay Leno