LEGAL BRIEF Sean ''Puffy'' Combs is back in trouble for an alleged altercation. Roger Mills, a syndicated television host from Detroit, is suing Combs, his record label, and members of his entourage. Mills, who filed his suit Thursday in Detroit's Wayne County Circuit Court, claims Puffy's pals attacked him after a 1999 interview with the rap mogul. During the interview, the Associated Press reports, Mills asked Combs to comment on allegations that he was involved in the 1997 murder of rapper Notorious B.I.G..
According to Mills' attorney, Hugh Davis, ''Combs took immediate and extreme umbrage and terminated the interview.'' When a Puffy associate then asked if she could buy the video of the interview, Mills refused, leading to a confrontation with Combs' posse. Puffy's friends reportedly charged Mills and physically removed the tape from him, destroying his video camera in the process and injuring his shoulder and neck. Detroit police investigated the case in 1999, but made no arrests. ''There was an incident, but we could not identify the perpetrators,'' Detroit Police Commander Arnold Wicker told the AP. Combs was acquitted March 16 of gun possession and bribery charges stemming from another 1999 incident.
AWARDS ALERT One day before the Academy Awards, Hollywood gathered for the 16th Annual Independent Spirit Awards. Director John Waters hosted the beachside event, which honored ''Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'' with three awards: best film, best director for Ang Lee, and best supporting actress for Zhang Ziyi. Other winners included lead actress Ellen Burstyn (''Requiem for a Dream''), lead actor Javier Bardem (''Before Night Falls''), supporting actor Willem Dafoe (''Shadow of the Vampire''), and best debut performance Michelle Rodriguez (''Girlfight'').
''You Can Count on Me'' won two awards for writer - director Kenneth Lonergan: best screenplay and best first feature. The digitally shot comedy ''Chuck & Buck'' won best feature under $500,000. Lars von Trier's musical ''Dancer in the Dark'' won the best foreign film award, and Gina Prince-Bythewood snagged the trophy for best first screenplay for the romantic drama ''Love & Basketball,'' which she also directed.
WORST OF THE WORST One movie didn't dominate the Oscars, but ''Battlefield Earth'' almost swept at the Golden Raspberry awards (''Razzies''). ''Battlefield,'' starring John Travolta, won seven Razzies, including worst movie of the year, worst actor, worst screen couple (for Travolta and ''anyone who appeared with him''), worst supporting actor (Barry Pepper), supporting actress (Kelly Preston), director (Roger Christian), and screenplay (Corey Mandel and J.D. Shapiro). The Scientologist inspired sci fi flop did escape the worst actress Razzie, which went to Madonna for her leading role as a single mom in ''The Next Best Thing.'' The ''honor'' for worst remake or sequel went to ''Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2.''. ''Battlefield'' is now tied with ''Showgirls'' for the most Razzies in any given year. According to Reuters, ''Battlefield'' producer Elie Samaha issued a statement saying he was pleased with the accolades: ''I welcome the free publicity. The more the critics hit 'Battlefield Earth,' the more DVDs it sells.''
MORE MUSIC AOL Time Warner (EW.com's parent company) is planning to launch a cable TV music channel to compete with MTV and VH1. The music project is reportedly the brainchild of AOL TW co- chief operating officer Bob Pittman, who was also one of MTV's founders. Trying to challenge MTV's dominance is formidable, considering that the channel is available in 78 million homes. In 1984, Turner Broadcasting formed the Cable Music Channel, which quickly failed to generate an audience. Rainbow Media's MuchMusic Channel was launched in 1994, but is only in 18 million homes. AOL TW reps have declined to comment, Variety reports.
OSCAR LOSERS There are two Susan Luccis of the Academy Awards: songwriter - composer Randy Newman and sound expert Kevin O'Connell, who each lost their 14th straight Oscar Sunday night. One more loss apiece, and they will tie the late art director Roland Anderson and the late composer Alex North as the biggest losers in Academy history (15 nods without a win). Newman was nominated this year for the song ''A Fool in Love'' from ''Meet the Parents.'' Rock legend Bob Dylan won for ''Things Have Changed'' from ''Wonder Boys.'' O'Connell, a rerecording sound mixer, was nominated for ''The Patriot'' but lost to ''Gladiator.''
POSTHUMOUS PROPS After his death, Tupac Shakur is becoming the Elvis Presley of rap, creating a loyal fan base that continues to buy his compilations and previously unreleased work, SonicNet.com reports. The late rapper's fourth posthumous album, the double disc ''Until the End of Time,'' hits music stores on Tuesday. Shakur's first three albums since his death in 1996 have sold more than 7 million copies, just 2 million less than the four albums he released while he was alive, which have sold 9 million. Sure, other late rappers, like Notorious B.I.G., Big Punisher, and Big L, have had albums released posthumously, but none has sold as well as Tupac's albums.And his devoted fans can't seem to get enough of him: Another two disc Tupac CD is already scheduled for release this November.
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