Gossip/Celebrity News

[Rasputin]

Maggie Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard Have a Girl

Maggie Gyllenhaal and her fiancé, Peter Sarsgaard, have welcomed their first child, a rep for the actress confirms to PEOPLE exclusively.

The baby girl, who was born Tuesday afternoon in a New York City hospital, is named Ramona.

"Everyone is healthy and happy," Gyllenhaal's rep, Amanda Silverman, tells PEOPLE.

Gyllenhaal, 28, and Sarsgaard, 35, announced their pregnancy and engagement exclusively to PEOPLE in April.

An onlooker who spotted Gyllenhaal at the Cancún airport that month told PEOPLE, "She looked really happy. Little kids would run by and she would smile and giggle. I thought, either she's the nicest person in the world or she has major baby lust!"

The couple have been together for more than four years. They costarred in 2003's In God's Hands, a low-budget feature produced by Steven Soderbergh that was never released.
Gyllenhaal made her name in the 2002 movie Secretary, and has appeared in more than 20 films, including World Trade Center, Trust the Man and Donnie Darko, which starred her brother, Jake Gyllenhaal.

Sarsgaard has also acted with Jake, in the war movie Jarhead. His breakthrough role was in the 1999 film Boys Don't Cry and he earned a Golden Globe nomination in 2004 for Shattered Glass.

[Rasputin]

Kim Basinger Pleads Not Guilty to Contempt

Actress Kim Basinger pled not guilty Thursday to 14 contempt of court charges filed against her in Los Angeles Superior Court.

The charges, which were filed on Aug. 29 by a lawyer for Basinger's ex-husband, Alec Baldwin, are all related to the couple's ongoing custody battle over their 10-year-old daughter Ireland.

In court papers Baldwin claimed that Basigner violated their child custody agreement in multiple ways over the last two years, including failing to make their daughter available for visits.

Neither Basinger or Baldwin appeared in court Wednesday before L.A. County Superior Court Judge Maren E. Nelson, who set a trail to begin early next year.

"The charges are outrageous and my client is not guilty," the actress's attorney Neal Hersh told PEOPLE. "She will be vindicated."

Hersh added: "It is a sad state of affairs when a father wants to imprison his daughter's mother and that they can't work things out among themselves."

The maximum penalty is $12,000 for all the counts or 60 days in jail.

[Rasputin]

Keith Richards Says He Fell Off Tree Stump

Keith Richards was sitting on a tree stump – not climbing a palm tree – when he hit his head while vacationing in Fiji in April, he says.

"It's embarrassing, really," the Rolling Stones guitarist, 62, tells Rolling Stone magazine in its new issue. "I was sitting on this gnarled shrub about six feet off the ground. I was wet – I'd been swimming. I hit the ground the wrong way, my head hit the trunk, and that was that."

Calling the April 27 incident "just a little stumble along the way," Richards, no stranger to hard living, added, "It's not the first brush with death I've had. I guess what I learned is, don't sit in trees anymore."

As a result of his fall, Richards suffered a concussion and was flown 1,300 miles to New Zealand, where he underwent surgery to relieve a blood clot on his brain.

He was discharged from Ascot Hospital in Auckland on May 11 and continued to receive outpatient treatment there, according to his rep. He then repaired to his home in Connecticut for further rest.

Finally, in early June, Richards posted on the Stones' Web site: "Excuse me, I fell off of my perch! … Sorry to disrupt everyone's plans but now – it's FULL STEAM AHEAD! Ouch!!"

Richards's condition had forced the postponement of the European leg of the Stones' "Bigger Bang" world tour, which began 13 months ago. The North American portion – in smaller cities, such as Wednesday's stop in Missoula, Mont. – has just been launched, Reuters reports.

The group's rep also says that the Stones will take a break from playing stadiums later this month when they perform two shows at New York City's relatively intimate Beacon Theatre, for which tickets will be only $50 and $35.

[Rasputin]

Tina Yothers: I'm Ready to Wear a Bikini

Even after losing 42 lbs., dropping five dress sizes and winning the fourth season of VH1's Celebrity Fit Club, Tina Yothers still didn’t realize how much her body had changed – until she tried to toast her victory at one of her favorite L.A. eateries, In-N-Out Burger.

At the drive-through, Yothers ordered her usual: a double-double burger, but couldn't finish it. "I took, like, three bites – that’s all I could do!” she tells PEOPLE.

Besides cutting back on portions (she follows the NutriSystem plan), Yothers, 33, continues to work out three times a week with her trainer, doing lots of cardio (jumping rope is a favorite) as well as lunges and squats, and is down to a size 8.

"We call each other from our workout sessions and we're huffing and puffing," says fellow Fit Club-er Carnie Wilson, who became good friends with the actress during the show.

Yothers – who a year ago hit 210 lbs. while pregnant with daughter Lillian Grace – now celebrates by showing off. "We've gone to the river three times this year," she says, "and I’ve worn a bikini every time!"

[Rasputin]

John Mark Karr's Child Porn Case Dismissed

John Mark Karr was officially released from the Sonoma County jail and the child pornography case against the onetime suspect in the murder of JonBenét Ramsey was dismissed on Thursday after prosecutors said they didn't have enough evidence to bring the case to trial.

"While it was known that child pornography was in Mr. Karr's computer, the people cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he possessed it within the specific timeframe required under the law," Donna Edwards, spokeswoman for the Sonoma County District Attorney, said Thursday.

Earlier in the case, Superior Court Judge Cerena Wong expressed anger that Karr's personal computer, where the child porn images were discovered in 2001, had been lost. Indeed, the missing computer evidence was critical to the case.

"Ever since Mr. Karr's recent reappearance, our efforts have been to do what's right, and in the interests of public safety," said Sonoma County Sheriff Big Cogbill, whose department was responsible for misplacing the evidence. "We do acknowledge that there were some performance issues five years ago when we worked this case. We're conducting an internal affairs investigation into these issues, and we're continuing an audit of our evidence handling procedures.”

If Karr, 41, had been found guilty, he would've faced no jail time because he served six months behind bars in 2001 while awaiting trial. However, he would have had to register as a sex offender.

Lawyers for Karr, who tried twice unsuccessfully to get the charges dismissed, expressed happiness at the outcome. "The impression that we've had all along is that the prosecution had every intention of getting this case to trial, regardless of the evidence," defense lawyer Robert Amparan told the Associated Press. "I am pleasantly surprised by them having done the right thing."

Karr, a former schoolteacher, was arrested in Thailand in August after suggesting that he was responsible for the 1996 death of Ramsey, a 6-year-old beauty queen, whose murder is still unsolved. He was returned to the U.S., but the case against him quickly collapsed after DNA failed to connect him to the crime.

[Rasputin]

Marcia Cross Is Expecting Twins

Marcia Cross and her husband, Tom Mahoney, are expecting twins in April, the actress confirmed Friday on Ellen DeGeneres's talk show.

"I was sort of blown away that I was having twins, so I just needed a minute to deal with it," the 44-year-old Desperate Housewives star told DeGeneres, about her initial reticence to disclose that she was pregnant with twins. "So, we didn't tell anybody. We just said I was pregnant. But as things happen in this town, it just got out, so everybody started congratulating me."

DeGeneres joined in the congratulations – and offered Cross two gifts: a double stroller and, as a gag, a helmet she rigged with two bottles strapped on with attachable pacifiers. "It's going to be hard to nurse both of them, so we want to help you out," DeGeneres quipped, before unveiling the helmet, as Cross laughed and accepted her gifts.

Cross and Mahoney, a 48-year-year-old stockbroker, were married in June. Cross, who plays uptight Bree Van de Kamp on the ABC show, revealed no plans to involve her real-life pregnancy in the show's plot, joking with DeGeneres, "I'll hide behind things."

Nevertheless, Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry issued his congratulations. "Everyone on the show is so happy for her," he told PEOPLE last month. "She's going to be a fabulous mom."

[Rasputin]

Farrah Fawcett Battling Cancer

Farrah Fawcett is battling cancer – and is determined to stay positive, she said in a statement Friday.

In the statement, titled "Positivity is a Necessity," Fawcett, 59, says: "Throughout the journey of my life, I have maintained a strong faith in the power of the human spirit to overcome adversity. I deeply believe in one's own positive will to overcome even the most daunting challenges.

"I am resolutely strong and I am determined to bite the bullet and fight the fight while going through the next six weeks of cutting-edge, state-of-the-art treatment. I should be able to return to my life as it was before at the end of my treatment.

"I am so grateful for the overwhelming outpouring of concern, love, prayers and compassion from all over the world. You are all a source of enduring strength."

Fawcett, who starred as Jill Munroe in the '70s hit Charlie's Angels, has served as a celebrity spokesperson for the American Cancer Society. Her older sister, Diane, died of lung cancer in 1998, and her former companion, Ryan O'Neal, successfully battled leukemia after being diagnosed with the disease in 2001.

She recently reunited with her Angels costars Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith for a tribute to the show's producer, the late Aaron Spelling, at the Aug. 27 Emmys.

[Rasputin]

EXCLUSIVE: Candy Spelling Is 'Thrilled' Tori's Pregnant

Tori Spelling's mother, Candy, has commented for the first time about her daughter's pregnancy – and she sounds like any proud grandmother-to-be.

"I'm thrilled and ecstatic," she tells PEOPLE, "and if Aaron were here, I know how thrilled he would also be to share in such a happy occasion."

Aaron Spelling – Candy's husband and Tori's father – died in June at age 83. On Tuesday, sources confirmed to PEOPLE that Tori is 14 weeks pregnant with her first child with husband Dean McDermott.

Candy Spelling's comment could signal a thawing in what has been a tense relationship between mother and daughter. In June, Tori, 33, told PEOPLE she was upset that she first heard of her father's death from a friend: "I was devastated. I thought I had some time (to see him). And I was saddened that the news had not come from my mother."

Candy quickly responded with a statement reading, "We are deeply saddened that, during our time of loss and grief, we are forced to respond to the media frenzy caused by the mean-spirited and surprising comments made by Tori to the press."

[Rasputin]

WEEK AHEAD: Kevin Makes His Acting Debut

Britney's other half gives acting a try with a guest spot on C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation on Thursday. PEOPLE takes an inside look at his stint, plus other events to watch out for in the coming week:

MONDAY, OCT. 9: Fresh from last week's tour launch in Philadelphia, Barbra Streisand – a New York City native – comes home to perform at Madison Square Garden for a two-night stand. Expect her to revisit nostalgic moments in a hit-studded set that's destined to be a crowd pleaser. And with tickets going as high as $750 a pop, fans deserve to hear "Evergreen" (Love Theme from A Star is Born) more than once. The socially conscious singer pledges to donate proceeds to a range of charitable causes. Her tour continues through Nov. 20.

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 11: Project Runway fans biting their nails to find out who'll triumph as top designer will have to wait one more week for that announcement. But Part 1 of the finale offers plenty of juicy stuff, namely Tim Gunn's visit to the remaining four designers' homes, where he'll offer his endearing constructive criticism. One thing's for sure: Michael, Laura, Uli and Jeffrey had better "Make it work."(Bravo, 10 p.m. ET)

Tina Fey left Saturday Night Live to write a show about, well, an SNL-esque show. The funny lady's new sitcom, 30 Rock, takes place behind the scenes of a sketch-comedy program and features SNL alum Tracy Morgan as a kooky comedian and Alec Baldwin as an obnoxious network exec (NBC, 8 p.m. ET).

BOLD "THURSDAY, OCT. 12:"] Kevin Federline connects with his inner thespian on an episode of C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS, 9 p.m. ET) called – wait for it – Fannysmackin.' Britney's husband plays a thuggish teen who hassles the investigators as they work – and, no, not by playing them his song "PopoZao." "It was pretty easy," he tells PEOPLE about his acting debut. "The words just fit in your mouth, you could just run with it." 'Nuff said.

NEW THIS WEEK:
• Movies (now in theaters): Employee of the Month, starring Jessica Simpson, Dane Cook and Dax Shepard; The Departed, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson; The Queen (limited), starring Helen Mirren, Michael Sheen and James Cromwell; The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, starring Jordana Brewster, Matthew Bomer and Diora Baird
•Music (in stores Tuesday): Lloyd Banks, Rotten Apple; Jimmy Buffett, Take the Weather With You; Lloyd Cole, Antidepressant; Albert Hammond Jr., Yours To Keep; Ali Lohan, Lohan Holiday; Bette Midler, Cool Yule; Rod Stewart, Still the Same ... Great Rock Classics of Our Time; Sting, Songs From the Labyrinth
•DVDs (in stores Tuesday): Scrubs – The Complete Fourth Season; Click; A Prairie Home Companion; Numb3rs – The Complete Second Season; Batman Begins

[Rasputin]

Mark Wahlberg Tones Down His Bad-Boy Image

These days Mark Wahlberg, the tough guy who once went to prison for assault and whose real-life entourage inspired some of the antics fictionalized in the HBO hit Entourage (he's an executive producer), is more likely to hit the links than to hit somebody.

"Ten or 15 years ago, if you'd have told me that I'd be waking up at 5 in the morning to play golf instead of staying up till 5 (partying), I'd have laughed at you," the 35-year-old actor tells PEOPLE. "I'd have bet everything I had that you didn't know what you were talking about."

Back then, most people would have bet that the Calvin Klein underwear model and '90s dance-rapper known as Marky Mark could never hold his own on the big screen with Martin Sheen and Jack Nicholson. But that's what critics say he's doing as a brash, foul-mouthed Boston cop in Martin Scorsese's new film The Departed (which costars Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio).

"You do a Marty movie, it's gotta be real," says Departed producer Graham King. "Mark is from there, so the accent was perfect, and he fit that character perfectly."

As crass as he is onscreen, offscreen Wahlberg can be soothing. He's thankful for compliments and looks you in the eye as he talks about why his priorities have changed: his children, Ella Rae, 3, and Michael, 6 months, with girlfriend Rhea Durham, 28, a model.

"I've been worrying about me and my career," he says. "That's going to take a backseat at some point. I want to do some great work now, some interesting movies, and then be going to school plays and soccer games – far from a camera."

Wahlberg earned as many raves for August's football flick Invincible as he has for The Departed. "But I don't want to raise my kids in Hollywood," he insists. He has a house there now, but is looking for something a little more tranquil for the future.

So could he toss acting aside in the next few years? "In a perfect world I'd make a movie a year for maybe a couple more years and then ..." Then what? "I want to play professional golf. I ain't Tiger Woods, you know? But I like the game a lot."

He actually seems serious. And he's managed to accomplish surprising goals before. But really? "I'm just starting to figure out (my life) now," Wahlberg says, "so who knows where I'll be in five years? Who knows?"
For more on Mark Wahlberg, pick up PEOPLE, on newsstands now.

[Rasputin]

Angelina Thanks People of India for Warm Welcome

Angelina Jolie says she and Brad Pitt have gotten a positive reception from locals in the Indian city where they're filming their new movie, A Mighty Heart.

"We deeply appreciate the warm welcome we have received from the people of Pune, India, where we are filming A Mighty Heart," Jolie tells PEOPLE in a statement. "We are excited to have this chance for our children to learn about India's wonderful culture and history."

As Pitt first confirmed to PEOPLE in July, Jolie is playing Mariane Pearl, the widow of slain Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, in the film version of Mariane Pearl's book, A Mighty Heart: The Brave Life and Death of My Husband Danny Pearl. The movie is being produced by Pitt's Plan B production company.

Daniel Pearl was abducted and murdered by Islamic extremists in Pakistan in early 2002.

Jolie says she and Pitt were unable to film the movie in that country due to security concerns. "I had hoped to make this film in Pakistan, but after discussions with Pakistani officials it became clear that they would be more comfortable for us to film in India," she says in her statement.

"I am disappointed that we could not shoot the film in Pakistan, a country that I love and have visited three times. We look forward to visiting Pakistan soon. A Mighty Heart is a film about cross-cultural understanding and the values that people of all faiths share. This is not a film about terrorism or conflict, it is a story of people of all faiths working together to find the truth."

Jolie and Pitt spent Thanksgiving 2005 in Pakistan helping deliver supplies to survivors of the earthquake that hit the country that October.

The actress visited Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan shortly before she was named a United Nations goodwill ambassador in 2001.

[Rasputin]

EXCLUSIVE: Scrubs Star Christa Miller Has a Boy

Scrubs star Christa Miller and her husband, Bill Lawrence, welcomed their third child, a boy, on Sunday, their rep tells PEOPLE exclusively.

Henry Vanduzer Lawrence arrived at 12:05 a.m. in Los Angeles. "Everyone is doing great," their publicist tells PEOPLE.

Miller, 42, plays Jordan Sullivan, the tough-as-nails wife of Dr. Perry Cox (John C. McGinley) on the NBC sitcom, which Lawrence created. A former model, she also played Kate O'Brien on ABC's The Drew Carey Show from 1995-2002.

The couple are also parents to daughter Charlotte, 6, and son William, 3.

[Rasputin]

Bahamas Cops Went to U.S. to Investigate Smith Death

Although a private pathologist has said the death of Anna Nicole Smith's son Daniel was caused by a lethal – but probably accidental – drug interaction, Bahamian police are still investigating the 20-year-old's death.

Reginald Ferguson, assistant commissioner of the Royal Bahamas Police, tells PEOPLE exclusively that four officers from the island nation were in California last week, where they interviewed "doctors and others" as part of their ongoing investigation.

The officers, who were assisted by local law enforcement in California, were Chief Superintendent Marvin Dames, Assistant Superintendent Anthony Ferguson, Sgt. Frederick Taylor and Inspector Cleophus Cooper.
The police ventured into the States to investigate Daniel's background, Ferguson says, because he died roughly eight hours after he arrived in Nassau after traveling cross-country from California through Texas to Florida, where he boarded a flight in Miami for Nassau. Police know Daniel traveled from California to Florida next to the same seatmate, Ferguson said, but did not know the name of that person or whether he or she had any relationship with Daniel.

Although a final report is still in the works, Ferguson says, "Nothing that our investigators have found indicates any sort of criminality."

According to Ferguson, a final police report could be turned over as soon as this week to the Bahamas attorney general, who must decide whether to hold a public inquest into the Sept. 10 death of Anna Nicole Smith's son.

Daniel's body, released from police custody to his mother, is currently in a Nassau funeral home awaiting burial.

[Rasputin]

Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie: Friends Again?

The two-year feud between former best friends Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie appears to be over.

The Simple Life stars were spotted dining together on Caesar salads and penne pasta at the West Hollywood restaurant Dan Tana's on Sunday night.

"They looked like best friends to me," a fellow diner tells PEOPLE. "It seemed as if they had never gotten into a fight. They were laughing really loud and seemed more than happy to be together. There wasn't a slow moment in their conversation – they chatted non-stop. They left hand-in-hand, smiling."

Richie's rep could not be reached for comment, but Hilton's publicist, Elliot Mintz, tells PEOPLE: "They had a meal last night. It's not my place to say what was discussed or the nature of the meal. But it's a good thing when people have a meal together."

When asked if they're best friends again, Mintz said: "I wouldn't characterize it that way because I don't know if it was a business or personal discussion. Let's just watch it unfold."

Hilton and Richie have known each other since childhood. Neither has ever revealed the exact cause of their falling-out, which dates to early 2005. In April of that year, Hilton said in a statement, "Nicole knows what she did, and that's all I'm ever going to say about it."

At the time, a source close to Hilton told PEOPLE that Richie was jealous of the attention her friend was getting – including Hilton's hosting gig on Saturday Night Live in February 2005.

Richie's friends countered that Richie had simply outgrown her wild ways. In November 2005, Richie told PEOPLE that she and Hilton "just grew apart, we're not friends."

Whatever the cause, the feud introduced all sorts of logistical problems for two stars, whose professional and personal lives tend to overlap. They also endured awkward moments when out socially: In early August, both showed up at Hyde Lounge in L.A., and proceeded to ignore each other. Later that month, they bumped into each other in the green room at MTV's Video Music Awards, with similar results.

And last year, The Simple Life producers were left scrambling to determine what, if anything, could be done with the show, given that its stars refused to work together. In the end, a fourth season was filmed, although Hilton and Richie shared little screen time in it.

But their reconciliation couldn't have come at a better time: The two are set to begin filming the fifth season of The Simple Life in late fall, and FOX studios and the E! network have required they shoot this season together.

A source at E! denies speculation that the make-up was encouraged by the network or studio. The new season of the show is tentatively scheduled to air in March 2007.

[Rasputin]

Bo Bice Has Emergency Intestinal Surgery

Former American Idol star Bo Bice underwent emergency intestinal surgery in Nashville last Thursday, the latest in a string of stomach troubles that have plagued the singer since last summer.

The procedure was described as neither easy nor routine, but Bice, 30, is expected to make a full recovery, his label said in a statement. He is currently recovering at the hospital in Nashville.

Doctors diagnosed his ailment as intussusception, an intestinal condition found mostly in young children and which Bice may have had since he was born. The doctors hope this latest surgery will resolve his intestinal problems for good, his reps said.

"Bo is still in the hospital, and he's stable," his publicist, Roger Widynowski, tells PEOPLE. "He had tests in the morning and after review of said tests it was determined that surgery should be performed immediately.

"Everyone is hopeful that this surgery will correct the condition, but there is no way to know for certain. He already has changed his diet (and) lifestyle over the last few months."

The Alabama native, who finished second to Carrie Underwood in the fourth season of American Idol, underwent emergency surgery in August 2005 to remove an intestinal blockage. That hospitalization in Las Vegas came just hours before a scheduled performance on the "American Idols Live" tour, which Bice subsequently left.

He was hospitalized again in December 2005 after coughing up blood.

Several upcoming engagements on Bice's current tour – Cumming, Ga., Panama City, Fla., and Anaheim, Calif. – have been cancelled. Prospects for the rest of the tour remain unclear.

Bice's health problems haven't been limited to stomach troubles. In July 2005 he suffered a broken foot during a performance in Manchester, N.H.