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BEASTIE BOYS WIN SAMPLING BATTLE

Beastie Boys have won their long-running battle… BEASTIE BOYS WIN SAMPLING BATTLE

Beastie Boys have won their long-running battle over the use of a sample in their 1992 song “Pass the Mic,” reports BBC Online.

The punk-rappers used three notes of music from flutist James Newton’s “Choir” in their track from the album “Check Your Head.”

Although the group had paid a licensing fee for the sample, Newton said his copyright had been infringed.

But the U.S. Court of Appeals upheld its original decision that the group did not have to pay an additional fee to license the underlying composition.

Beastie Boys – Mike Diamond, Adam Horowitz and Adam Yauch – are considered to be one of the pioneers of sampling music.

NO GOLDEN MOMENT

Two of the year’s hottest films – “The Passion of the Christ” and “Fahrenheit 9/11” – have been ruled ineligible for the top Golden Globe prizes, reports The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which will hand out the awards Jan. 16, said Tuesday that its rules bar “Passion” from the best-drama category and “Fahrenheit” from any of the awards. The Globes are often a precursor to the Oscars.

The group said “Fahrenheit,” Michael Moore’s searing denunciation of President Bush and the Iraq war, was ineligible because it is a documentary. “Passion,” Mel Gibson’s movie about the death of Jesus filmed in Aramaic and Latin, did not qualify for the drama award because that category is limited to English-language films.

But “Passion” could be eligible for the foreign-language film award – even though no country speaks Latin and Aramaic – and its actors, screenwriter and director would be eligible for awards in their categories.

LIZA COUNTERSUES FORMER BODYGUARD

Oscar-winning singer-actress Liza Minnelli has filed a $250,000 counterclaim against a former driver and bodyguard in response to his reported allegations that she frequently beat him, reports The Associated Press.

The 58-year-old Minnelli, who also has been accused by estranged husband David Gest of assault, accuses M’Hammed Soumayah of breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty. Her court papers ask for a declaratory judgment and an injunction – without elaborating on either point – and relief of “no less than $250,000.”

The New York Post reported last month that Soumayah had sued Minnelli, alleging she had physically attacked him during alcohol-fueled tirades. The Post said his lawsuit seeks “money damages arising from personal injuries.”

Gest said in a statement Oct. 4 he wasn’t surprised by Soumayah’s lawsuit, “as I witnessed Mr. Soumayah being beaten by Ms. Minnelli on many, many occasions.”

Soumayah’s lawyer, Harvey Mars, refused to comment.

Minnelli can be seen in the Emmy-winning Fox comedy “Arrested Development,” which airs at 8:30 p.m. Sundays.

WEDDING BELLE?

Liz Hurley is planning an Indian wedding to millionaire Arun Nayer – and guess who she wants to give her away?

Yep, ex-boyfriend Hugh Grant, reports Ananova.com.

“I would like to get married in India because of its rich traditions, the color and the fun people have on their wedding day,” she said. “I recently attended Arun’s father’s marriage in Bombay and we had a great time.”

A close friend of Hurley’s says, “Liz wants Hugh to give her away because they remain really close friends.”

Hurley spent last weekend celebrating Nayer’s 40th birthday at a lavish bash in a luxury Indian hotel. She’s expected to tie the knot with him once his divorce from Italian wife Valentina Pedroni is finalized.

And it might not be long before we hear the patter of tiny feet: The 39-year-old model-turned-actress says, “I am very fond of children and would like to have one more.”

`24′ PHONES HOME

The next time your cellphone rings, don’t let it go to voice mail – it could be Jack Bauer calling.

Our favorite Fox action series, “24,” is about to become the first TV show to be spun off into its own cellphone series, reports E!Online.

The joint project between Fox and Vodaphone, titled “24: Conspiracy,” will be a series of 24 “mobisodes,” minute-long installments of video that will feature a storyline similar to Fox’s hit show starring Kiefer Sutherland.

“Conspiracy,” however, will star different characters and actors. In the series’ first mobisode (a term that Fox has already trademarked), a rogue Counter Terrorist Unit agent named Susan Walker (Beverly Bryant) kills a big-shot government official. Her fellow CTU-er Martin Kail (Dylan Bruce) is hot on her trail, but exactly who the bad guy is will be up in the air, as Kail may just be a pawn in a conspiracy that involves his CTU bosses.

With so much action packed into about 60 seconds of video, the series will proceed at the same frenetic pace as its tube ancestor. “Conspiracy,” like the TV show, will also end each mobisode with a cliffhanger, which will culminate in a “shattering” one-minute finale that Fox promises will answer all questions posed throughout the series.

As for when the action will hit a cellphone near you, fans will have to wait until next spring or summer, and subscribe to a Verizon service, to download mobisodes.

THURSDAY’S BIRTHDAYS:

Author Kurt Vonnegut Jr. is 82. Comedian Jonathan Winters is 79. Rocker Andy Partridge (XTC) is 51. Actress Demi Moore is 42. Actress Calista Flockhart is 40. Actor Leonardo DiCaprio is 30.

Compiled by Michael Hamersly from staff and wire reports.

(c) 2004, The Miami Herald.

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