Beanie Sigel sentenced to 2 years in jail
PHILADELPHIA, July 13 (UPI) -- A U.S District Court judge in Philadelphia has sentenced rapper Beanie Sigel to two years in prison for failing to pay more than $700,000 in back taxes.
TMZ said Sigel was told at Thursday's sentencing he has until Sept 12 to surrender.
Sigel previously pleaded guilty to not filing federal tax returns for the years 2003, 2004 and 2005.
Canada's high court rules on Web music
OTTAWA, July 13 (UPI) -- Canada's Supreme Court ruled Thursday legal Internet music downloads don't entitle artists and songwriters additional royalties under copyright law.
The nine judges were unanimous in ruling that such sites as iTunes that charge per download are acting legally and already paying royalties, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported.
The judges were also unanimous in overturning appeals that online music previews should generate royalties under copyright provisions for research purposes.
However, the court upheld collecting tariffs from streaming music sites under the "communication to the public" right, the report said.
Similarly, in a 5-4 decision, the judges said a video game sold legally over the Internet should not incur additional royalties for music or other artist performances, as it's direct and not communicating with the public.
In another copyright ruling, the judges ruled music embedded in online movies and TV is no longer considered to be separate from royalties on the shows themselves, the report said.
Cuccioli joins 'Spider-Man' musical cast
NEW YORK, July 13 (UPI) -- Robert Cuccioli is taking over the role of Norman Osborn/The Green Goblin in Broadway's "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark," producers said.
The actor is best known for his Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle-winning and Tony-nominated performance in another dual, the title characters in "Jekyll and Hyde."
He is to join the cast of "Turn Off the Dark" Aug. 7 at the Foxwoods Theatre.
Patrick Page, who originated the role of Norman Osborn/The Green Goblin, will play his final performance Aug. 5. He is leaving to star in the Roundabout Theatre Company's upcoming production of "Cyrano De Bergerac."
"There aren't a lot of actors out there who can pull off utterly likable and totally terrifying at the same time, and so we feel extremely lucky that the great Robert Cuccioli has agreed to take on this role," "Turn Off the Dark" producers Michael Cohl and Jeremiah J. Harris said in a statement Wednesday. "Of course, this announcement is bittersweet for all of us, because throughout the extraordinary history of 'Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark,' Patrick Page has been there every step of the way -- as a mentor, cheerleader, spokesperson, company leader and consummate performer. We are, of course, sorry to see him go, but will all be cheering him on in 'Cyrano.'"
NBC offers Olympic streaming apps
NEW YORK, July 13 (UPI) -- NBC Sports and Adobe Systems have announced two apps that will stream the Olympics live on mobile devices and record footage for playback and sharing.
The apps -- a live-streaming app for the more than 3,500 hours of expected Olympics content and a companion app loaded with additional content -- are on Apple's App Store and on Google Play, CNET.com reported Thursday.
The NBC Olympics Live Extra app will stream all 32 athletic competitions and the awarding of all 302 medals, while the NBC Olympics app will provide interviews, news stories, highlight videos and live results.
"NBC Olympics Live Extra puts the London Olympic Games into the hands of America's tablet and smartphone user, enabling us to once again use advances in technology to provide the broadest possible access to the thousands of hours of Olympic competition," NBC Olympics President Gary Zenkel said in a statement.
The apps, which will carry some ads in addition to the Olympic content, can be customized based on interests, Adobe's Jeremy Helfland said, so instead of viewing a single feed that moves from event to event, a user can watch a stream dedicated to a specific event.
Mobile device owners looking to stream the Olympics coverage with the apps must be pay-TV subscribers, as only customers who have a cable or satellite subscription will get full access, NBC said.
Users will be asked to sign in with their cable or satellite login to watch.
