Friday, April 26, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.
As Tom Jones once famously sang, it's not unusual to be loved by someone -- and it's not unusual for that someone to demand payment if a child results. Thus, Jones' adventures in child-support adjustment: The Welsh hepcat has lost a court battle to keep his payments from rising for a 7-year-old Florida boy whose mom claims he sprang from Jones' notoriously swiveling loins. In 1989, Jones agreed in New York to pay Katherine Berkery about $2,800 a month. But that was before his popular 1995 album, "The Lead and How to Swing It," improved his cash flow. Now she wants a bigger cut. A Florida judge decided this week that the New York agreement doesn't hold legal water in Florida, meaning Berkery can petition for more money. Her lawyer hasn't decided how much to seek yet. Jones has said he didn't father the boy, but DNA tests show a 99 percent likelihood that it was indeed his.
Truth is stranger than fiction, and William Shatner is apparently stranger than both. The better to ponder his career highlights during the most contemplative parts of his day, the "Star Trek" star is reportedly having the bathroom of his Los Angeles home remodeled to look like the bridge of the starship Enterprise. Complete, one hopes, with Mr. Scott shouting, "I'm givin' her all she's got, Cap'n!" There's more: Buzz magazine says Captain Quirk is having the toilet "custom-made in the shape of the fabled vessel." Talk about boldly going.
Coolio is finding that Australia is no gangsta's paradise. The promoter of the a Down Under tour by the rapper has received neo-Nazi death threats. In Australia, home of the gentle koala? Well, tie me kangaroo down, sport! Promoter Rodney Overby says the show will go on. "Our security will be tight," he says. "We're not taking any chances." Another show going on Down Under is Fox's "The Simpsons." Now a Sydney brewer is marketing Duff Beer, the same name as the fictional brand guzzled by Homer Simpson. The company says it got the name through research -- perhaps by asking "Simpsons" fans. But those pouch potatoes better get off their Aussies and buy Duff now -- Fox is suing the brewer. "Simpsons" creator Matt Groening says Duff Beer has "been with us from the first or second episode," and they're just not taking any chances.
Compiled by Scott Dickensheets
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