Names and faces

CHAPPAQUA, N.Y. (AP) -- Former President Clinton revealed in Northern Ireland that his new dog will have an Irish name.

At the opening Wednesday of a peace center named for him, Clinton encountered a chocolate Labrador retriever and told the crowd that his own chocolate Lab will be called Seamus, spokeswoman Julia Payne said.

Seamus, pronounced Shay'-muss, is the Gaelic form of James. The dog is still being trained at the Maryland kennel where he was born in February.

Clinton's White House dog, Buddy, was killed by a car in Chappaqua in January, an event the ex-president said was "by far the worst thing" to happen to him after leaving office.

Seamus was sired by Buddy's nephew, and breeder Linda Renfro said he seemed much like Buddy, "except that I think he's probably a bigger eater. From what I have seen of him, his sole ambition 24 hours a day is to eat."

Drug charges against Warwick dropped

MIAMI (AP) -- Drug charges against Dionne Warwick were dropped after a Miami-Dade County judge agreed to a plea bargain deal, which included a drug treatment program.

The singer, who was not in court Wednesday, was arrested May 12 at Miami International Airport after baggage screeners said they found 11 suspected marijuana cigarettes inside her lipstick container.

Warwick, 61, a five-time Grammy winner, became famous in the 1960s for songs such as "Walk on By" and "I Say a Little Prayer." More recently she has been a spokeswoman for the Psychic Friends Network.

Michael Jackson takes on Sony

Los Angeles Times

NEW YORK -- Michael Jackson on Wednesday became the latest pop star to jump on the artist rights band wagon, accusing his record company, Sony Music, of questionable accounting practices.

Jackson turned up the pressure Wednesday by recruiting activist the Rev. Al Sharpton and lawyer Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. to launch an initiative to "emancipate" him and other recording artists from unfair contracts.

Cochran, who helped Jackson resolve a child molestation lawsuit for an estimated $20 million settlement, said: "This is a problem the record companies should be ashamed of. Artists have made billions for them."