February 24, 2007 in Features

He’s not yet a-mouldering

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Associated Press photo

James Brown
(Full-size photo)

While Anna Nicole Smith‘s body is decomposing so rapidly that an open-casket funeral may not be possible, the still-unburied corpse of James Brown is looking good.

Charles Reid, director of the Columbia, S.C., funeral home which handled The Godfather of Soul’s services, says he has checked the body almost daily in the two months since as a legal fight continues over where to bury Brown.

The reason for the difference in their condition, experts say, is that Brown was embalmed within a few hours of his death, while Smith’s body was refrigerated for more than a week before being embalmed.

Refrigeration creates moisture that contributes to decomposition.

Following a judge’s ruling Thursday, the court-appointed lawyer for Smith’s baby daughter said the former centerfold would be buried in the Bahamas next to her son, but he did not say when.

Smith’s mother, who wants her buried in her native Texas, is challenging that decision.

Paisley blue

Country star Brad Paisley and his actress wife, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, are the proud parents of a baby boy.

The couple’s first child was born Thursday in a Nashville-area hospital.

Paisley, 34, is in the studio working on his next album and will launch a tour in April. Williams-Paisley, 35, stars on the ABC sitcom “According to Jim.”

More Rhymes crimes

It’s more legal trouble for Busta Rhymes, who was charged Thursday with driving with a suspended license after police stopped him for running a red light.

The 34-year-old rapper already is accused of assault in two cases – involving a dispute with his former driver over back pay, and a fan who spit on his car – and is considering a plea bargain that would allow him to perform community service instead of going to jail.

Where’s the boor at?

Sacha Baron Cohen – aka Borat Sagdiyev, star of the faux documentary “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan” – declined an invitation to be a presenter at Sunday’s Academy Awards, though he still could end up onstage if the film wins for adapted screenplay.

Baron Cohen’s acceptance speech when he won an acting award at the Golden Globes was an homage to co-star Ken Davitian‘s backside.

Fore all time

He’s a New York native, but the Garden State might own “The Donald” for eternity.

Real-estate mogul Donald Trump has filed paperwork to build a wedding chapel on his 525-acre golf course in Bedminster, N.J., and says he wants to later convert the building into a mausoleum for himself and his family.

The birthday bunch

Actor Abe Vigoda is 86. Actor Steven Hill (“Law and Order”) is 85. Actor Dominic Chianese (“The Sopranos”) is 76. Movie composer Michel Legrand is 75. Actor James Farentino is 69. Actor Edward James Olmos is 60. Actress Debra Jo Rupp (“That ‘70s Show”) is 56. Actress Helen Shaver is 56. News correspondent Paula Zahn is 51. Country singer Sammy Kershaw is 49. Singer Michelle Shocked is 45. Actor Billy Zane is 41. Actress Bonnie Somerville (“NYPD Blue”) is 33.

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