He did not pay anyone to threaten reporter Anita Busch and pretty much loathes PI Anthony Pellicano, says the actor whose name was prominently mentioned when the feds first began going after Pellicano. "False FBI accusations fueled thousands of articles saying that I terrorize journalists and associate with the Mafia," Seagal says in a Times story tomorrow. "These kinds of inflammatory allegations scare studio heads and independent producers -- and kill careers." His was flaming out anyway, but he makes a good point.

Also in Friday's LAT: Jamie Foxx has signed to play Nathaniel Ayers, the Skid Row musician who was featured in a whole bunch of Steve Lopez columns. Lopez's book on Ayers, tentatively retitled The Soloist, is due out in the spring. A screenplay has been written by Susannah Grant, and Joe Wright will direct the film. The part of Lopez has not yet been cast.