People talk 8B

Ozzy Osbourne returns to OZZfest tour early

LOS ANGELES -- Ozzy Osbourne is returning to his rock tour OZZfest sooner than expected after promising to take time off to support his wife, Sharon, during her chemotherapy treatments.

Osbourne left the tour after Sunday's show in Atlanta and planned to return Aug. 22 in Denver. However, he was so disturbed by his wife's first treatment that she urged him to return sooner, according to a message on his official Internet site.

Osbourne now plans to be back on stage Aug. 7 in Clarkston, Mich. He will miss two dates of OZZfest -- Aug. 3 in Columbus, Ohio, and Aug. 4 in Cleveland.

The couple co-stars in the hit MTV reality series "The Osbournes," which also features two of their three children.

A second season of the popular television show is set to begin shooting in a few weeks. It is expected to chronicle Sharon Osbourne's treatment for cancer that she recently learned had spread beyond her colon.

Zhang makes his first martial arts film

HONG KONG -- Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou is aiming for a wider audience with his first martial arts movie, but insists he's not drifting away from his artistic tendencies.

"I will carry on with my usual style, with the emotions and spirit of the Chinese culture," Zhang told reporters Friday. "It's not just about beauty -- it has to have substance to it and it has to evoke feelings in people."

His new film, "Hero," starring Jet Li, is expected to be in limited release in the United States in December. It was filmed in various Chinese locations including Inner Mongolia and Sichuan and Zhejiang provinces.

Zang said increased interest in martial arts since Ang Lee's Oscar-winning "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" helped motivate him. The film won four Oscars in 2001, including best foreign language film.-- From wire reports

"It's a very successful story -- the most important thing about it is that it has established a martial arts frenzy in the international market," said Zhang, who directed 1992's "Raise the Red Lantern."

"I have always like reading martial arts novels, but this is the first time I've tried to make a movie on it," he said.

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EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. (AP) -- Former St. Louis Ram defensive end James Harris has been released from federal custody on $100,000 bond after being charged with failing to pay child support, according to court documents.

The former athlete and now housing developer was arrested this week in a national crackdown on parents in 23 states who have failed to pay court-ordered child support.

Harris, 34, used his mother's East St. Louis home to secure his release, according to the records.

He will have to travel to Philadelphia to face federal charges he neglected to pay $106,000 over the past five years to former wife Bonnie White-Harris, who is raising the couple's son, Shane, authorities said.

A hearing date has not been set.

Harris could not be reached by The Associated Press Friday. His telephone number is not publicly listed.

Harris played in the NFL from 1993 until 1999, with a one-year break in 1997, when he was acquitted of federal drug charges. That year, a Philadelphia judge ordered him to pay $2,400 a month to White-Harris.

He has not made a payment since January 2000, according to court papers.

He has helped develop housing projects in East St. Louis, including in the Olivette Park neighborhood.

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KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) -- Hong Kong-born cinematographer Peter Pau says winning an Oscar has made little difference in his life.

"It seems there is nothing changed," said Pau, who won a cinematography Oscar in 2001 for Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." The film also won Oscars for best foreign language film, original score and art direction.

But even though winning the Oscar has had few lasting effects, Pau said he would love to be nominated again.

"The Oscar is a very wonderful award for filmmakers," he said. "I just enjoyed it, loved the process of it."

Pau is making his directorial debut with "The Touch," which opened throughout Asia on Thursday. He was on a promotional tour this week for the film, starring and co-produced by Michelle Yeoh, which is expected to be released in the United States later this year.

"The Touch" is the story of a trapeze acrobat, played by Yeoh, who searches for a mystical Buddhist artifact.

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) -- Daniel Wallace, a native of Birmingham, says he's thrilled that a movie based on his novel, "Big Fish," will be shot in his home state.

"All of my books take place in Alabama," Wallace said from his home in Chapel Hill, N.C. "It's gratifying that the film will create the same background that I've always had in my own mind."

Wallace's book, "Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions," centers on a father-son relationship. The son is a reporter who returns to his Alabama home to be with his father before he dies.

The film, starring Albert Finney and Ewan McGregor, will be directed by Tim Burton, The Birmingham News reported.

Filmmakers will be in Alabama for six to eight months, and plan to start shooting in January, Brian Kurlander, director of the Alabama Film Office, said Thursday. They'll use several locations around the state.

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Alabama Film Office Web site: http://www.alabamafilm.org/

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