Alec Baldwin denies racial slurs claim

Plus: Jay-Z headlines first Olympic park concert; Kardashian not returning to X Factor; concert venue bans meat for Morrissey; Oscar 'losers' get $45,000 gift bags.

The actor Alec Baldwin. Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images

Alec Baldwin has denied accusations that he made racial slurs against a New York Post photographer. According to reports, the photographer GN Miller was waiting outside the actor's New York apartment on Sunday. Miller, who is black, said Baldwin called him "a crackhead", "a coon" and "a drug dealer". Baldwin told E! Online: "The claim of racist remarks is one of the most outrageous things I've heard in my life." He told the website Gothamist: "If you want to put words in my mouth, I've certainly had my moments. But this is not one of them." Baldwin claims the photographer assaulted him and that he filed a police complaint. * IANS

Jay-Z and Timberlake headline first Olympic park concert

As the London Olympics sporting complex becomes the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake were named by Live Nation as headliners for the Wireless Festival on July 12 and 13. Other acts include Snoop Lion, John Legend, Frank Ocean, Emeli Sandé, Rita Ora and Calvin Harris. Live Nation said this would be Jay-Z's only European show this year and Timberlake's sole British festival appearance. "This proves our fantastic Olympic park is now a destination of choice for world-class musical events," said the London mayor Boris Johnson. * Reuters

Kardashian not returning to X Factor

After The X Factor US earlier announced that the judges LA Reid and Britney Spears won't be returning for the show's next season, Khloé Kardashian has reportedly also not been asked to return as a co-host to Mario Lopez. Kardashian, 28, had no television hosting experience and often appeared unprepared on camera. The British singer Cheryl Cole, who was fired as a judge last year, is reportedly in talks to return to the show's judging panel. * IANS

Concert venue bans meat for Morrissey

The British singer and ex-Smiths frontman Morrissey has persuaded the venue of a forthcoming Los Angeles show to ban sales of meat by food vendors, including McDonald's. The sold-out March 1 concert will be the first time the Staples Center has agreed to go 100 per cent vegetarian, a request denied even to Sir Paul McCartney. "I don't look upon it as a victory for me, but a victory for the animals," said the 53-year-old vegetarian. The promoter Goldenvoice will donate a portion of ticket sales to Peta. * AFP

Oscar 'losers' get $45,000 gift bags

Oscar nominees who don't end up with a statuette on Sunday won't go home empty-handed. The marketing firm Distinctive Assets will be handing out its annual gift bag, valued at more than US$45,000 (Dh165,150). Among the items in the bags are trips to Australia, a water filtration system, acupuncture sessions, a one-week stay at a weight-loss retreat and appointments for cosmetic injectable fillers. The Academy stopped giving gift baskets in 2007 after the US tax authorities began to look into the practice. The Distinctive Assets gift bag is not endorsed by the Academy. * Reuters

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