Versace Mourned in Milan

Celebrity friends, clients and colleagues of Gianni Versace joined family members in Milan yesterday at a memorial service for the slain Italian fashion designer. During the hour-long service in Milan's cavernous Roman Catholic cathedral, singers Elton John and Sting sang a simple, unaccompanied duet. Included among the starstudded congregation were Britain's Princess Diana, supermodel Naomi Campbell, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and designers Giorgio Armani, Karl Lagerfeld and Valentino. The 50-year-old Versace was shot and killed on the steps of his mansion in Miami Beach a week ago.

Designer Movie to Film

With the murder of Gianni Versace just over a week old, multiple plans are being fashioned for films and documentaries. Variety columnist Army Archerd reports there is also an HBO project in the works called "A Gucci Knockoff." It details the bizarre murder of Maurizio Gucci on March 27, 1995, as well as stories of that designing family's fortunes and foibles.

The Artist Announces Tour

The artist formerly known as Prince -- who now calls himself simply "the Artist" -- is kicking off a new world tour. But he warns this time his show will be a little less flashy. He told reporters in New York yesterday he wants to do a tour "that basically featured me." Still, some of the biggest names in the pop world will perform with him on various stops of the tour including George Clinton, Carlos Santana and No Doubt. The Artist says dates and locations will be available later, but his publicist says he'll perform at New York's Jones Beach tonight, Boston on Friday and Philadelphia on Saturday.

Pavarotti Denies Reports

Tenor Luciano Pavarotti, one of the world's best paid musicians, has denied media reports that he cannot read music. "It's all rubbish. Inventions to get a scoop," Pavarotti told reporters in Pesaro, Italy, referring to weekend news reports that the tenor relied on ear and his own rudimentary sign system to learn operatic scores. The question mark over Pavarotti's musical ability came when Vittorio Gassman, an Italian actor, said he discovered the tenor was not referring to the musical score as they prepared for a duet last weekend. Pavarotti admits he prefers using his own notes to a traditional score but says newspapers had taken this out of context.

Cosby Jury Set to Get Case

The jury in the trial of a woman accused of trying to extort $40 million out of Bill Cosby is expected to get the case today. Autumn Jackson allegedly threatened to go public with a story that Cosby is her father unless he paid her. Yesterday prosecutors told the New York court that Jackson was driven by greed to target Cosby's most valuable asset -- his good name. But the defense portrayed Jackson as a naive girl whose love was manipulated by Cosby to hide his sin of adultery. Cosby admits having a brief affair with Jackson's mother but denies he is the young woman's father. Two alleged Jackson accomplices, Jose Medina, 51, and Boris Sabas, 42, are also defendants in the case.

Jamiroquai Leads MTV Nominations

British acid-jazz group Jamiroquai has reaped the most nominations for the annual MTV Video Music Awards, gathering 10 nominations for its video "Virtual Insanity." Experimental pop group Beck, hard-rocking Nine Inch Nails and the alternative rock band Smashing Pumpkins also collected multiple nominations. "Virtual Insanity" was nominated for best video, along with Beck's "The New Pollution," Alaskan vocalist Jewel's "You Were Meant for Me," Nine Inch Nails' "The Perfect Drug" and "Don't Speak" by No Doubt, a California-based band led by singer Gwen Stefani. The nominations were announced at MTV's studio headquarters in New York. The 14th annual awards show will be broadcast Sept. 4 from Radio City Music Hall.

Ticket Sales Up From Last Year

Solid holds by Sony's "Men in Black," Warner Bros.' "Contact" and Paramount's "Face/Off," as well as the surprisingly strong $16.5 million debut of Disney's "George of the Jungle," led the overall weekend box office to a hefty $104 million total. That's according to Variety. Ticket sales were up 19 percent from the equivalent period last year. Variety said "George of the Jungle" caught most box office watchers off guard, as its pre-release tracking indicated little interest in the film.

Model Discusses Blackmail Case

Elle MacPherson is speaking out for the first time about two men accused of blackmailing her and threatening to put stolen nude photos of her on the Internet. The model said she'd never met either of the men who have been charged with extortion and denied she had a relationship with one. She said there was a burglary at her Los Angeles home June 12, when $100,000 worth of jewelry, some cash and some photos of her were stolen. She said the burglar contacted her and threatened to release the nude pictures onto the Internet if she did not pay $60,000.

McCartney Writes Symphony

Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney has written a 75-minute symphony that will be performed for the first time at London's Royal Albert Hall in October. The symphonic poem "Standing Stone" will premiere on Oct. 14, according to McCartney's office. McCartney's first experiment with classical music resulted in the 1991 Liverpool Oratorio. That piece was composed under the eye of British conductor Carl Davis, but slammed by most critics. "Standing Stone" -- McCartney's first solo classical project -- was commissioned to mark the centenary of his EMI record company.

Robbins to Rock the Cradle

Tim Robbins, who received an Oscar nomination for his directing efforts in "Dead Man Walking," is zeroing in on his next project, according to Variety. Robbins is writing and planning to direct "The Cradle Will Rock," which focuses on the controversy surrounding the 1937 musical drama of the same title by Marc Blitzstein. The show was nixed by the WPA Theater in the 1930s because its plotline was viewed as an attack on capitalism. The play is about a greedy industrialist brought down by the little man.

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