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Man charged with distributing Oscar film 'screener' copies

CHICAGO - A man arrested on suspicion of helping illegally post Oscar screeners on the Internet was charged Friday with violating Hollywood studios' copyrights.

FBI agents arrested Russell Sprague, 51, on Thursday night at his suburban Chicago home. He appeared briefly Friday afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Martin C. Ashman.

This is the first time anyone has been arrested in the pirating of so-called "screener" copies of films supplied in advance to Academy Award voters, according to the FBI.

The Motion Picture Association of America, which represents studios, last year banned the distribution of so-called screener DVDs and videotapes over concerns about bootlegging, but partly lifted the ban after complaints from filmmakers, producers and independent production companies.

Sprague denied the government's claim that he was part of a plot to violate Hollywood copyrights.

OAK PARK, Mich. - A 16-year-old dragged Eminem's mother from her car on the street the rapper's movie 8 Mile is named for, according to police.

The teen was arrested shortly after the carjacking Thursday night as he tried to flee from police on foot in this northern Detroit suburb, and the car was recovered.

Police said Debbie Nelson, 49, was sitting in her Honda Accord at a gas station on Eight Mile Road about 11:30 p.m. when a person approached her window with a silver handgun and demanded she get out.

Nelson said the attacker grabbed her by the hair and arm.

LONDON - The former drummer for heavy metal band Judas Priest was convicted Friday of attempting to rape a teenager whom he was giving drum lessons.

David Holland had denied assaulting the 17-year-old boy, who has learning difficulties, at the drummer's rural English home in 2002.

A jury at Northampton Crown Court found Holland guilty of one charge of attempted rape and five counts of indecent assault.

Spiros Laouitaris, 22, who also had been accused in the case, was cleared of four counts of indecent assault.

Holland, 55, wept as the verdicts were read out.

Prosecutors said the teenager, who had sometimes stayed overnight at Holland's house while taking lessons, wrote a letter to his parents in December 2002 describing the abuse.