Jackson tribute set for London

VIENNA — A global Michael Jackson tribute in front of an Austrian palace has been scrapped and moved to London, organizers announced Friday, saying they needed more time to put together a show fit for the King of Pop.

Event promoter Georg Kindel and Jackson’s brother Jermaine told reporters that too many top performers had scheduling conflicts, and they blamed the media for stirring up a negative atmosphere.

Friday’s announcement came at the end of a turbulent week of reports that supposedly confirmed that artists including Mary J. Blige, Chris Brown and Natalie Cole couldn’t make the event. Many invited artists had scheduling issues, and “maybe we underestimated these issues,” Kindel said.

“The purpose for this show is to give something back to the fans ... we have to do this right,” Jermaine Jackson said.

The original plan had been to stage the tribute Sept. 26 outside a 17th-century palace in Vienna. Instead, Kindel said, it will be held at London’s Wembley Stadium sometime in the first half of June 2010.

Warhol artwork stolen

LOS ANGELES — A multimillion dollar collection of Andy Warhol portraits of Muhammad Ali and other sports superstars was stolen from a Los Angeles home, police said Friday.

The 11 color screenprints, each 40 inches square, were taken from businessman Richard Weisman’s home sometime between Sept. 2 and 3, said Detective Mark Sommer of the Los Angeles Police Department’s art theft detail.

Ten of the portraits featured famous athletes of the 1970s. The other was of Weisman. Some of the other sporting greats included golfer Jack Nicklaus and soccer star Pelé.

A $1 million reward was being offered for information leading to the return of the artwork.

The editioned prints were on display in Weisman’s dining room and his house was locked up. It wasn’t clear exactly when the silk screen paintings were taken or how the thieves got into the home.

Officers put on leave in Rihanna photo probe

LOS ANGELES — Two police officers have been placed on leave as part of a probe into who leaked a photo of pop singer Rihanna’s battered face after she was assaulted by her former boyfriend Chris Brown, the officers’ attorneys said Friday.

Rebecca Reyes and Blanca Lopez were “assigned to home” with pay, pending the outcome of criminal and administrative investigations into how celebrity Web site TMZ.com obtained the graphic photograph, which showed Rihanna’s face and mouth with multiple bruises.

Reyes’ attorney Ira Salzman confirmed his client was assigned to the Los Angeles Police Department’s division that handled Rihanna’s beating but said she had not sold the picture.

“My client did nothing criminal or anything for financial gain,” he said. “Her record is quite exemplary.”

Lopez’ attorney Robert Rico said his client, who’s been with the department about 18 months, had nothing to do with the photo’s leak. He said Lopez and Reyes had been roommates and that Lopez was assigned to a different part of the city and was not involved in Rihanna’s domestic violence case.