Don Roberto Fiscer, 33-year-old priest and DJ, plays disco music during a summer beach party in Arenzano, northwest Italy. The event, held each Wednesday at Arenzano's San Pietro resort since mid-June, has a solid following of parishioners. (AFP)

ARENZANO, Italy (AFP) – "Jesus Is Number One!" shouts DJ priest Don Roberto Fiscer as he lines up the latest number by Lady Gaga for parishioners gathered at a beach resort in northwestern Italy.

In Fiscer's unique way of spreading the gospels, he proclaims over throbbing disco music: "I have a message for you that comes straight from heaven: Without Jesus there is no future, without Jesus we have no love, no joy."

Fiscer's flock, ranging in age from seven to 77, goes wild in appreciation.

On this summer evening, Fiscer, 33, sports a lemon yellow T-shirt emblazoned with an image of the Virgin Mary and child and the words: "You are my river of love."

In seventh heaven himself, the priest rewards his admirers with the latest hit by Italian singer Jovanotti, "Baciami Ancora" ("Kiss Me Again"), Dorothy Norwood's "Shake the Devil Off" or Britney Spears' "123".

"I alternate the classics that you hear in nightclubs with remixed religious music," Don Roberto told AFP. "Music is what young people like the most. Through music, Jesus reaches their hearts," said the priest, who was a cruise ship entertainer before going to seminary at age 23.

The event, held each Wednesday at Arenzano's San Pietro resort since mid-June, has a solid following. Alcoholic drinks are available at a nearby bar, but the participants tend to prefer sodas and ice cream.

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Accused jailed for laughing in court

FAYETTEVILLE, North Carolina (AP) – Court is no laughing matter as far as one North Carolina judge is concerned. A Fayetteville man who was waiting for his case to be heard drew the ire of Judge Toni King after starting to laugh in a Cumberland County courtroom.

Authorities said King asked 47-year-old Johnny Montgomery why he was laughing, but the man refused to say.

King ordered Montgomery to jail on a misdemeanor charge. As deputies were preparing to take Montgomery to jail, they searched him and found more than three grams of crack cocaine.

Montgomery was charged with felony drug possession. Authorities said he was being processed Friday evening and does not yet have a court date or an attorney.

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Drop the red wine, job seekers told

DETROIT (Reuters) – Job applicants who drink alcohol are perceived as less intelligent and less hireable by American bosses, a bias dubbed the "imbibing idiot bias" in a study published last week.

In a series of six related experiments, researchers from the University of Michigan and the University of Pennsylvania found that an association with alcohol caused observers to "expect cognitive impairment" in a job seeker.

"Merely holding an alcoholic beverage may reduce the perceived intelligence of the person," Scott Rick and Maurice Schweitzer wrote.

Their study was presented to the Academy of Management, an annual meeting of business and management researchers.