The ash spat out by an Icelandic volcano that has left thousands of air travelers stranded is also affecting celebrities, filmmakers, musicians and even pro wrestlers.

Organizers of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif., tweeted that some acts were forced to pull out of the weekend event, including British rockers The Cribs and Bad Lieutenant, Scottish rockers Frightened Rabbit, and British dance trio Delphic.

R&B diva Whitney Houston was forced to ditch a plane for a ferry across the Irish Sea to perform in Dublin.

The cloud situation also was causing havoc for World Wrestling Entertainment, which was nearing the end of a two-week European tour. Several wrestlers and crew members traveled for nearly 17 hours in buses and ferries to make it from Lieven, France, to Belfast, Ireland. The trip normally takes about an hour and a half in a plane.

MAN ORDERED TO PAY SINGER'S LEGAL COSTS

A federal judge said the stepfather of one of three Arkansas boys slain in 1993 must pay Dixie Chicks singer Natalie Maines' legal costs stemming from a defamation lawsuit he filed against the band.

District Judge Brian S. Miller has ordered Terry Hobbs, the stepfather of victim Stevie Branch, to pay $17,590 to Natalie Pasdar, Maines' married name.

In December, Miller dismissed a suit Hobbs filed over Maines' remarks at a 2007 Little Rock rally implying he was involved in killing his stepson. The judge said Hobbs had voluntarily injected himself into a public controversy over whether three teenagers convicted of killing the three 8-year-old boys had been wrongfully condemned.

SHEEN WANTS STATEMENTS TO POLICE TOSSED

An attorney for Charlie Sheen wants statements thrown out that were made by the actor to police investigating a Christmas Day domestic violence report in Aspen, Colo.

In a motion filed April 1, the attorney said an officer questioned Sheen without advising him of his rights. The motion does not reveal the content of Sheen's statements. A judge has not ruled on the matter.

Sheen, star of TV's "Two and a Half Men," is charged with menacing, criminal mischief and assault in the case involving his wife, Brooke Mueller Sheen. Sheen has pleaded not guilty. A jury trial is set for July 21.

PAIR EARN EARLY COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS

Things just got hotter for Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton, country music's "it" couple.

Lambert won the Academy of Country Music Award for best video of the year for "White Liar" and Shelton won event of the year with Trace Adkins for their hit song "Hillbilly Bone." The first two ACM Awards were given out last night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Lambert is up for five other awards, including album of the year for "Revolution," during tonight's televised ceremony.

— Advertiser News Services