Ebert plans to be at his film festival

Roger Ebert plans to attend his annual festival for overlooked movies this week, returning to public view for the first time since having cancer surgery. The 64-year-old film critic had surgery June 16 to remove a cancerous growth on his salivary gland and emergency surgery July 1 after a blood vessel burst near the site of the operation. In yesterday's Chicago Sun-Times, Ebert wrote that the cancer of the salivary gland had spread to his right lower jaw. A segment of the mandible was removed, and two operations to replace that segment were both unsuccessful. A tracheostomy, which opens an airway through an incision in the windpipe, was done, meaning Ebert cannot speak. "The doctors now plan an approach that does not involve the risk of unplanned bleeding," he wrote. "If all goes well, my speech will be restored." (AP)

George Michael must appear in court on drug charges a day before a sellout concert at London's new Wembley Stadium, a district judge ruled yesterday. The 43-year-old singer, whose real name is George Panayiotou, was arrested in October and faces charges of driving under the influence of drugs. His trial starts May 8, followed by May 30, May 31, and June 8 hearings. Michael will play the first concert at Wembley Stadium on June 9. District Judge Katherine Marshall rejected an application for Michael to be allowed to be absent throughout the trial. "He is around in the area because I believe he is appearing at Wembley Stadium," she said. "I do not think he will have any difficulty in being here on June 8." (AP)

Still recovering from the Don Imus scandal, CBS Radio suspended two New York hosts after they twice broadcast a racially charged prank call that targeted employees at a Chinese restaurant. The hosts of WFNY-FM's "The Dog House With JV and Elvis" have been suspended "until further notice" without pay, CBS Radio spokeswoman Karen Mateo said yesterday. One of the hosts, Jeff Vandergrift, apologized twice on Monday's show, she said. In the segment broadcast April 5 and again last week, a caller to a Chinese restaurant intersperses an order for takeout with lewd language and racial slurs. Vandergrift and the other host, Dan Lay, have been campaigning online and on the air in support of Imus since his firing for making sexist and racist comments about the Rutgers University women's basketball team. (AP)

A classic-car broker who swindled actor Nicolas Cage and other clients before he was caught in Spain was sentenced yesterday to five years in prison and $1.8 million in restitution. Peter Brotman, 47, of Oaks, Pa ., sold collectables such as a 1964 Rolls-Royce, a 1988 Aston Martin, and a 1954 Jaguar on consignment, then kept the money or used it to pay off debts. Cage lost $300,000 in 2004 when Brotman didn't send him the full proceeds from the sale of three Ferraris and a Cobra. (AP)

Melanie Brown has given her baby daughter the surname of ex-boyfriend Eddie Murphy, the former Spice Girl said in a statement yesterday. Brown, 31, gave birth to Angel Iris Murphy Brown on April 3 in Santa Monica, Calif. She listed Murphy's name on the birth certificate. Murphy, 46, has said he's not sure he's the father. (AP)

Kim Basinger denies she leaked a voicemail in which her ex-husband, Alec Baldwin, calls their 11-year-old daughter a "rude, thoughtless little pig." Baldwin lambasted his daughter, Ireland, for failing to answer the telephone for a prearranged call. The tape was aired by a celebrity website and made headlines around the world. Baldwin, who has been locked in a custody dispute with Basinger since their 2002 divorce, blamed her for the leak. He also apologized on his own website. (AP)

Fire broke out in a vacant post office in Chicago yesterday where a movie crew had been filming scenes for a "Batman" sequel. District Fire Chief Jose Santiago said insulation caught fire around 11:30 a.m., and had nothing to do with the filming. There were no injuries, he said. (AP)