Gwinnett Daily Post

Lil Wayne sentencing postponed due to court fire

NEW YORK -- Lil Wayne's already delayed jail term in a gun case abruptly got put off again Tuesday because of a fire in the courthouse where he was due to be sentenced.

The midmorning blaze shut down a Lower Manhattan court for the day, postponing the rap star's court date among other proceedings, courts spokesman David Bookstaver said.

It wasn't immediately clear when the sentencing -- already put off two weeks because Lil Wayne needed dental surgery -- would be rescheduled. Defense lawyer Stacey Richman said the rapper was en route to New York for his 2:15 p.m. hearing when she learned of the court closing.

Having braced to start his time behind bars, he wasn't pleased to hear about the postponement, she said.

Ebert tries out new 'voice' on Winfrey's show

CHICAGO -- Film critic Roger Ebert, who lost his ability to speak after surgery for cancer, tried out a new voice on ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' on Tuesday as he made his Oscar predictions.

Ebert has been using off-the-shelf computer voices but they didn't sound like him. Now computer programmers at a Scottish company called CereProc have captured the sound of Ebert's voice from DVD movie commentary tracks.

The film critic can type what he wants to say and listeners hear his voice. On an episode of the talk show that aired Tuesday, Ebert said the beta version needs improvement, but at least it sounds like him.

Viewers welcomed Leno back

NEW YORK -- Nielsen said Jay Leno got a warm welcome from viewers with his return on Monday to ''The Tonight Show.''

Preliminary Nielsen Co. ratings from 56 metered markets across the nation give NBC's ''Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' a 5.4 rating and a 14 percent share of the viewing audience.