People talk 12/03/02

Oasis band members detained after fight

MUNICH, Germany -- Singer Liam Gallagher and several other members of the British rock band Oasis and its entourage were held for questioning after a fight that left Gallagher with several broken teeth.

Gallagher's injuries over the weekend forced the band to cancel concerts in Munich on Sunday and Hamburg on Monday.

Munich police said they'd detained three members of the group, including Gallagher and drummer Alan White, and two of their bodyguards on suspicion of assault, resisting arrest and damage to property.

All were released Sunday afternoon after posting bail. Munich prosecutor Anton Winkler said his office would decide before the end of the year whether to press charges.

Witnesses told police the clash began early Sunday in the disco of the Muenchner Hof hotel, where the band was staying, when the band members were drunk and started pushing each other.

One of them fell against a table where five Italians were seated, police said witnesses told them. When the Italians tried to remove the musician, the rest of the band reportedly pounced on them.

Hotel security separated the two sides and asked them to leave, then called police when the fight resumed outside.

Police spokesman Christoph Reichenbach said Gallagher kicked an officer who was kneeling down "in the chest with full force," and the officer was slightly injured.

A statement on the band's Web site Monday said "several members of Oasis and their entourage were the victims of an unprovoked attack by a group of youths in a Munich club."

Oasis became hugely popular in the mid-1990s. Their 1995 album "(What's the Story) Morning Glory?" debuted at No. 1 in the U.K. and became the second-best selling album in British history.

Mullally and band release second album

LOS ANGELES -- Megan Mullally, the helium-voiced Park Avenue socialite-turned-office assistant on NBC's "Will & Grace," said the role of Karen Walker doesn't strain her vocal cords.

Mullally said she wouldn't allow it, since her real love is singing.

"Singing isn't an attempt to branch out, but who I really am," said the Oklahoma City native who recently released her second album, "Big as a Berry" -- an eclectic mix of standards, rock, country and blues.

The 44-year-old formed her band, the Supreme Music Program, about five years ago, but it took only 2 1/2 days to record the album.

"Albums can be flat-lined when you overproduce them, spending six months in the studio," said Mullally. "I never took singing lessons. When I was 4, I began singing songs from the radio and my parents' albums. As an only child, I had a desperate need for self-expression."

Hamilton helps others find chemo information

CLEVELAND -- Olympic figure skater Scott Hamilton has started an Internet site to help newly diagnosed cancer patients find information about chemotherapy.

Chemocare.com features information about how the treatment works, how long it lasts and how it affects different parts of the body. The site also includes inspirational stories about Hamilton and other cancer survivors.

Hamilton -- a four-time U.S. National Champion and four-time World Champion from Bowling Green -- is now a television commentator and skating show producer. Diagnosed with testicular cancer five years ago, he underwent chemotherapy and surgery and says he's now cured.

"We need to really let people know what it is, to give people the information they need in a language they understand," the 44-year-old said.

To determine what information was included on the site, developers asked current and former cancer patients at the clinic what questions they had when they were first diagnosed.

-- From wire reports