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Clooney, Dad Speak Out for Darfur
On Monday, George Clooney and his father, Nick, returned from a weeklong trip to Darfur, a war-torn area of Sudan. Their mission: to bring attention to the tragedy occurring there.
The idea started with a conversation, PEOPLE reports in its new issue. "We can make it a higher-profile story," Clooney told his father. "Why don't we just go over there and find out what's happening?"
With that, father and son, plus a cameraman and a Darfur expert, traveled to the African nation, where an estimated 180,000 people have been killed and 2 million displaced in three years of political unrest.
"We were freelance," says the elder Clooney, 72, of the journey, which the group documented on film.
Clooney Sr., a columnist for a Cincinnati newspaper, also plans to write about the trip. "It was difficult," he says. "It's been a long time since I've slept in a mud hut and had a tarantula over my head."
Father and son split expenses: "George paid for the transport and lodging. I paid for the cigarettes and coffee."
The actor, 44, plans to detail the trip at an April 27 press conference with Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), who support aiding humanitarian missions, and attend a Darfur rally in D.C. on April 30.
As for the trip, Obama appreciated the Clooneys' efforts. "George combines celebrity with real knowledge and commitment," he tells PEOPLE. "He does his homework and he takes this stuff seriously."
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Jessica 'Heartbroken' by Nick's Tell-All
Jessica Simpson is said to be "devastated" by a recent tell-all interview that her ex, Nick Lachey, gave to a magazine about their relationship.
In the published interview Lachey said he still loved Jessica, felt "blindsided" and "sucker punched" by her decision to divorce and that she refused to try counseling.
Jessica's reaction? "She was devastated, heartbroken," says an insider. "She didn't think he would do that."
Friends gathered at Simpson's house on the day the article came out to console her. And Lachey himself even called to check in. "He wanted her to hear it from him," says a Lachey friend. "He felt bad that she was upset. (But) Nick didn't apologize, because the things he said (in the article) only demonstrate that he loves her."Comment
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Idol Bids Adieu to Paris
Paris Bennett is out, while Chris Daughtry, Taylor Hicks, Katharine McPhee and Elliot Yamin are still standing on American Idol.
On Wednesday night's show, Ryan Seacrest told Bennett, 17, of Fayetteville, Ga., that she'd drawn the least number of votes among the nearly 46 million cast.
"I love you," Bennett told her family in the audience, including her grandmother, Grammy-winning gospel singer Ann Nesby.
The other member of the bottom two was Yamin.
On Tuesday night, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul had praised Bennett's funky rendition of Prince's 1988 hit "Kiss," though Simon Cowell considered it "screechy" and "annoying." Bennet fared better with her second performance, a cover of Mary J. Blige's "Be Without You." "I think she did rather well with that," Cowell admitted.
Of Yamin's delivery of "On Broadway" on Tuesday's show, Cowell found it "disjointed." Cowell also said he was "just a little bit concerned" following Yamin's cover of Michael Buble's "Home." "I'm not sure I would have chosen the lyrics, 'I want to go home,' " Cowell pointedly advised the 27-year-old.
In other Idol news, American Idol Season 5 Encores, a compilation CD of songs by this season's top 12, will be released May 23.
Songs on the disc will include Chris Daughtry's take on Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive," Kellie Pickler's version of Patsy Cline's "Walkin' After Midnight," Taylor Hicks's cover of the Doobie Brothers' "Takin' It to the Streets," Paris Bennett's update of Gladys Knight & the Pips' "Midnight Train to Georgia" and Kevin Covais's cover of Nat King Cole's "When I Fall in Love."
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Tiger Woods Grieves Over Dad's Death
Tiger Woods's father, Earl Woods, died at his Southern California home early Wednesday morning after a lengthy battle with cancer, the world's top golfer stated in a message on his Web site, saying he was "saddened to share the news." Earl Woods was 74.
"My dad was my best friend and greatest role model, and I will miss him deeply. I'm overwhelmed when I think of all of the great things he accomplished in his life," his son, 30, says in his posting. "He was an amazing dad, coach, mentor, soldier, husband and friend."
First diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1998, Earl Woods was said to have been in frail health in recent months as the cancer spread. He was too weak to attend the grand opening of the Tiger Woods Learning Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Feb. 10.
Woods said he spoke to his father the night before the opening, and "he kept telling me how proud he was of what I was able to do, and proud of me for thinking of this. It's hard on all of us," ESPN reported.
Just last month, Woods took a self-imposed break from the PGA tour to be with his dad, saying: "It's kind of up in the air with the situation back home, so I don't know what's going to happen."
Earl, a former Green Beret, and his son had always been close, with Tiger first learning to swing from his dad when the toddler was only 9 months old. When Tiger was 2, Earl had the youngster on TV putting with Bob Hope on The Michael Douglas Show, where Tiger scored a hole in one.
"I wouldn't be where I am today without him, and I'm honored to continue his legacy of sharing and caring," Tiger says on his Web site.
Besides his son Tiger, Earl is survived by his wife, Kutilda, whom he married in 1969.Comment
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