Names and faces

LITTLE ROCK — Platinum-selling rapper Ja Rule left an upstate New York prison Thursday morning after serving most of his two year sentence for illegal gun possession and headed straight into federal custody in a tax case. U.S. marshals escorted the 36-year-old musician out of Mid-State Correctional Facility at 9:30 a.m. He was being held at the Oneida County jail in central New York as he awaited word from the Federal Bureau of Prisons about where he’ll serve time in the tax case. The rapper, who had been in protective custody because of his celebrity, has some time remaining on a 28-month sentence for tax evasion that ran concurrently. Ja Rule, whose real name is Jeffrey Atkins, may have less than six months left and may be eligible to go to a halfway house, defense attorney Stacey Richman said. Back-taxes are one of the main reasons he wants to get back to work, she said. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Mack said Atkins owed the Internal Revenue Service $1.1 million and didn’t immediately know what if any had been paid. Once out of custody, Atkins also faces a year of supervised release, he said. Ja Rule scored a Grammy Award nomination in 2002 for the best rap album with Pain is Love. He also has appeared in movies, including The Fast and the Furious in 2001 and Scary Movie 3 in 2003. Ja Rule, who went to the prison in Marcy, N.Y., in June 2011, got out at his earliest release date, state correction spokesman Linda Foglia said. He had two misbehavior reports for unauthorized phone calls in February 2012 and had work assignments on lawn and grounds crews, and participated in education programs, she said.

Sesame Street’s Big Bird is helping Michelle Obama encourage kids to eat more healthfully and be more active. They’re starring in a pair of public-service announcements that will be distributed to more than 300 Public Broadcasting Service stations. One ad features the first lady and Big Bird in the White House kitchen showing how easy it is to eat healthful snacks like fruits and vegetables. In the other spot, Big Bird jogs, jumps and dances as Mrs. Obama explains that daily exercise is important for good health. The announcements are part of the third anniversary celebration of “Let’s Move,” the first lady’s childhood anti-obesity program.