-- Lionel Batiste, the vocalist, bass drummer and assistant leader of the Treme Brass Band, has died. He was 81. Fans of the HBO series "Treme" may not have known Batiste by name, but they often saw him close up. He was the skinny guy with the big drum in the band, one of the acts regularly featured on the show. Family and others close to Batiste were with him when he died Sunday at the Ochsner Health System's hospital just outside New Orleans, said Batiste's daughter, Karen Williams. Batiste, known as "Uncle Lionel," had been ill for about a month, said band leader Benny Jones Sr. He said Batiste had been with the band since it was formed in 1995, but had played bass drum since childhood. Batiste used his drum to stay afloat in the floods after Hurricane Katrina, Clarinetist Michael White said. "The water kept rising," White said. "He couldn't swim. The water was too high for him to walk out. He saved himself by floating out on top of his bass drum."
Usher's Stepson in Accident
R&B star Usher's stepson has been hospitalized and is reportedly brain dead after he was struck by a Jet Ski in Georgia. Kyle Glover, the 11-year-old son of Usher's ex-wife Tameka Foster, was sitting in an inflatable raft on Lake Lanier when he was hit in the head. Usher chartered a plane for Foster, who was out of town, to be by her son's side.
Sienna Miller Gives Birth
Sienna Miller and her fiancé Tom Sturridge welcomed their first child over the weekend in London. Details on the baby's gender, name and weight were not available. The British duo have been dating for over a year and debuted signs of their engagement -- Miller's dazzling diamond engagement ring -- in mid-February.
Barney Frank weds longtime partner; first congressman in same-sex marriage
Democratic Rep. Barney Frank wed his longtime partner, James Ready, on Saturday, becoming the first sitting congressman to enter into a same-sex marriage. Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick officiated the ceremony and added some levity by saying Frank, 72, and Ready, 42, had vowed to love each other through Democratic and Republican administrations alike, and even through appearances on Fox News, according to Al Green, a Democratic congressman from Texas. "Barney was beaming," said Green, who attended the ceremony. He added that Frank, a champion of gay rights and the sweeping reform of Wall Street, shed a tear during the ceremony. Frank, a Massachusetts Democrat and a former chairman of the powerful House Financial Services Committee, has been an openly gay congressman since the late 1980s. He is well known for his legislative acumen, including as an architect of the reforms in the Dodd-Frank bill, which U.S. President Barack Obama signed into law in 2010 in the wake of the financial crisis following the collapse of the sub-prime mortgage market.Frank's office in January announced he would marry Ready, whom he met at a political fundraiser in Ready's home state of Maine. Ready lives in Ogunquit, where he does carpentry, painting and welding work. Frank and Ready have been involved since 2007.
NFL star Adrian Peterson arrested after allegedly shoving off-duty cop
Minnesota Vikings star Adrian Peterson was arrested early Saturday in Houston after allegedly shoving an off-duty police officer at a club. The NFL running back was charged with resisting arrest, a misdemeanor, and spent a few hours in jail before being released on $1,000 bond. Peterson was with a group of people at a club in downtown Houston when an off-duty cop who was working security for the club asked him to leave at closing time. The group didn't move, so when the officer asked them again to leave, Peterson turned around, said he heard the officer the first time and shoved the man in the shoulder. The officer then told Peterson he was under arrest, police say, but Peterson started yelling and resisted when the officer tried to handcuff him. Two other off-duty cops eventually subdued Peterson and took him to jail. He complained of shortness of breath there but was deemed OK after medical personnel examined him. A Vikings spokesman says the team is "aware of the situation and working to gather more information. We'll have no further comment at this time."Peterson is scheduled to appear in court on the charge Friday. The Vikings open training camp on July 26.
'Amazing Spider-Man' weaves box-office bounty
"The Amazing Spider-Man" is spinning box-office gold in the U.S. and abroad, rolling up an estimated $341.2 million worldwide since opening. "Spider-Man" took in $65 million over the weekend, giving it $140 million for the 6-day holiday frame in North America and relaunching the franchise with a bang. The movie cost $230 million to produce and had to ensnare audiences with a fresh approach to a familiar franchise.
The Weekend Top Ten"The Amazing Spider-Man," $65 million
""Ted," $32.5 million
"Brave," $20.1 million
"Savages," $16.1 million
"Magic Mike," $15.6 million
"Tyler Perry's Madea's Witness Protection," $10.2 million
"Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted," $7.7 million
"Kat Perry: Part of Me," $7.1 million
"Moonrise Kingdom," $4.6 million
"To Rome With Love," $3.5 million
Lily Allen Is Pregnant with Second Child
Another reason to smile: Lily Allen is expecting her second child with husband Sam Cooper. The couple, who wed in Gloucestershire, England, last summer while the pop star, 27, was pregnant with daughter Ethel Mary, now almost 8 months, are "over the moon," a source said. Due in December, Allen, who has since taken her artist husband's last name, "has started telling her friends, and everybody in her close circle is so excited for her," a friend adds, according to the report. Without outright confirming, Allen has made what seems like a sly reference to the pregnancy on Twitter, saying: "Thank you for all your congratulations today. I honestly couldn't be happier. such an honour to be on the list!#Timestop50tweeters." She was more vocal when it came to congratulating another British pop star on her pregnancy: Adele. "Wow," Allen Tweeted. "Adeles preggers!"Tom Cruise & Katie Holmes Divorce
For much of the past few days, lawyers for Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes have been working behind closed doors to iron out an agreement between the two stars that would avoid a long, public divorce fight. Cruise "doesn't want his family dragged through the mud," says one source. "They both love their daughter." One crucial issue: where Suri, 6, will live and who will raise her. Holmes, 33, who filed for sole legal custody, would like to bring up her daughter in New York City. Cruise, 50, lives primarily in Los Angeles, although he owns properties in Manhattan. Sources around Cruise and Holmes are optimistic that the couple and their legal teams could reach a deal as discussions continue. For the second day in a row, Holmes was spotted at her lawyers Allan Mayefsky and Michael Mosberg's offices on Saturday. As for Holmes's bid for custody, Cruise may be open to Suri living primarily with Holmes, according to a source. But any agreement would have to include generous visitation for Cruise: "There's no world where Tom won't be seeing Suri." "Don't be surprised if Katie quietly retracts her divorce filing and they eventually agree to an amicable divorce and settlement."
Justin Bieber files complaint against paparazzo
Justin Bieber has filed a harassment complaint against a photographer after he was ticketed for speeding in Los Angeles on Friday. Bieber was clocked at more than 80 miles per hour in his luxury Fisker Karma sports car and cops pulled over his vehicle on the 101 Freeway. Bieber's representative Scooter Braun alleges the star was trying to shake off members of the paparazzi who were following him closely -- and now the 18-year-old has taken action. Bieber has filed a complaint and given a statement against a photographer who was tailing him. An investigation has reportedly been launched.
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