Quick Takes: Richard Hatch might be sent back to jail

Reality TV star Richard Hatch, who spent more than three years behind bars for tax evasion, should go to jail for violating the conditions of his supervised release, federal prosecutors in Providence, R.I., recommended Monday.

Hatch was convicted in 2006 of failing to pay taxes on the $1-million prize he won on the debut season of “Survivor,” the CBS reality TV show. He was released from prison in 2009 and began serving a three-year term of supervised release.

He was ordered to file amended tax returns for 2000 and 2001 as a condition of his release, which Hatch has failed to do. A judge this month found Hatch in violation of his supervised release but postponed a punishment until he could hear more arguments from both sides.

Hatch, who owes about $1.7 million in back taxes, has said he didn’t refile his taxes because he has an appeal pending with the U.S. Tax Court.

—Associated Press

Etheridge adjusts to her new role

Melissa Etheridge says she’s having a blast getting in touch with her punk side.

Beginning Tuesday night, the Grammy- and Oscar-winning singer-songwriter will play drug dealer St. Jimmy for eight performances in the Broadway musical based on Green Day’s “American Idiot.”

While Etheridge, 49, says singing the new songs, including “Know Your Enemy” and “Last Night on Earth,” isn’t too much of a stretch — “It’s all up in my rockin’ screaming range,” she says — the physical work of performing has been an adjustment.

“To get up there on stage without a guitar in front of me is the first sort of fear barrier I had to get through,” she says.

Learning the show’s choreography, she acknowledges, was next and it was probably the hardest part: “I never had to use that part of my brain — singing and then moving at the same time with a lot of other people. If you mess up, you’re gonna get trampled.”

—Associated Press

News anchors head to Egypt

Two of the three U.S. network evening newscasts have sent their anchors to Egypt to base their programs at the scene of the political unrest there.

NBC’s Brian Williams anchored the top-rated “Nightly News” from Egypt on Monday and Katie Couric was en route to Cairo for the “CBS Evening News” beginning Tuesday.

ABC said it had no immediate plans to send “World News” anchor Diane Sawyer to Egypt.

—Associated Press

Kings of Leon postpone shows

Rock band Kings of Leon has been forced to postpone several international tour dates because their drummer is injured.

A news release from the band said that Nathan Followill’s surgery for a torn right bicep and labrum will force postponements of March concerts in South Africa and Australia until October and November.

The band will still play a few scheduled dates, including an appearance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 15.

Spokesman Ken Weinstein said that Followill hurt himself while working out. The surgery will require several months of rehabilitation.

—Associated Press

Finally

Book deal: Robert Hilburn, The Times’ former pop music critic, is writing “In Search of Johnny Cash,” a biography of the late country music star, for Little, Brown and Co.