Quick Takes: Rapper T.I. sent back to prison

A federal judge in Atlanta revoked rapper T.I.’s probation Friday and ordered him back to prison for 11 months, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office said.

The Atlanta native, whose real name is Clifford Harris Jr., was in federal court following his arrest last month in Los Angeles on suspicion of drug possession. He was on probation after serving 10 months behind bars on federal weapon charges.

During the hearing, T.I. begged U.S. District Judge Charles Pannell Jr. not to send him back to prison, saying he needed to get help for drug addiction. He told the judge he “screwed up” and pleaded for mercy.

The Grammy Award-winning artist walked out of court with family and friends. He will be allowed to surrender voluntarily.

—Associated Press

Dust closes Tate ‘seed’ exhibition

An art exhibition involving 100 million porcelain sunflower seeds has been closed to visitors because it is generating dust that is a potential health hazard, the Tate Modern gallery said Friday.

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei filled a giant hall at the London gallery with a 10,000-square-foot carpet of the imitation seeds, hand-crafted by thousands of artisans in China over a two-year period. Visitors were invited to walk across the surface when the show opened earlier this week.

But the gallery said Friday that the “enthusiastic interaction of visitors” was releasing a “greater than expected level” of ceramic dust. It wasn’t clear whether the seeds were breaking or simply being worn down.

The Tate said visitors could view the exhibition from a walkway above the hall.

—Associated Press

Director drops ‘Chipmunks’ job

The “Alvin and the Chipmunks” franchise has proved a reliable fan favorite, if not exactly a critics’ darling, since it was reborn on the big screen in 2007. But the planned third movie might be having some trouble.

The movie is set to go into production in about 11 weeks for a release on Dec. 16, 2011. But the filmmaker who had been expected to take the reins, Betty Thomas, has decided not to direct the project, prompting Fox to hurriedly begin the search for a new director, according to sources familiar with the project.

Thomas, best known for directing the Howard Stern biopic “Private Parts” and the Eddie Murphy movie “Doctor Dolittle,” helmed the second film in the rebooted “Chipmunks” franchise. The much-punned upon “Squeakquel” grossed an extremely rich $443 million worldwide.

—Steven Zeitchik

KCET will bow with Dudamel

With KCET set to break away from the PBS mothership at the end of the year, TV viewers in Los Angeles could have a more difficult time catching “Great Performances,” the long-running series that presents classical music and the performing arts from some of the top artistic companies around the world.

So just in the nick of time will be the Dec. 29 “Great Performances,” featuring the recent opening-night concert of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and music director Gustavo Dudamel, which was recorded earlier this month at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Actress Eva Mendes, who attended the gala evening, will host the 9 p.m. broadcast.

A DVD of the Oct. 7 concert is also in the works, but there is no release date yet.

—David Ng