Gossip/Celebrity News

[Rasputin]

Ben & Jen Settle Into Parenthood

How do you make a big lug like Ben Affleck go all warm and fuzzy? Ask him about the new woman in his life: his 6-month-old daughter Violet.

On May 9 the Cambridge, Mass., native poked his head into Cataloni’s, a Boston neighborhood bar, while scouting locations for his directorial debut, Gone, Baby, Gone. And fan Dawn Pirone couldn't resist asking him about his first child. "His face lit up like a Christmas tree," Pirone tells PEOPLE in its new issue. "He said, 'She's beautiful.'"

He's not the only one feeling the love. Pals say Affleck, 33, and wife Jennifer Garner, 34, are reveling in raising little Violet – especially now that the family is nesting in Cambridge for the summer while Affleck shoots Gone, a detective thriller based on the 1998 novel by Dennis Lehane.

"Ben enjoys playing daddy," says a friend. "He's in love with his little girl."

And while teething is "a little uncomfortable for her," Violet "is delightful," adds a friend of Garner's. "She is just the apple of their eye – beautiful and happy."
As for her proud dad, he's not missing his swinging Hollywood bachelorhood much. "That's all behind him," says Gone producer Alan Ladd Jr. "Now he’s very serious-minded. He goes to bed early these days and gets up early."

Pal Peter Berg, who is directing Garner’s upcoming action thriller The Kingdom, says Affleck’s newfound maturity enabled him to write the script for Gone and take the director’s chair (the movie also stars his younger brother Casey). "There’s a maturity about him now," says Berg. "His life is taking him in a new direction that’s going to be really satisfying."

[Rasputin]

Conan O'Brien to Host TV's Emmy Awards

The 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards will offer a sense of déjà vu come Aug. 27, when Conan O'Brien will return to the job of emcee.

The Late Night with Conan O'Brien host, 43, last did the job four years ago, and did "a tremendous job," says Dick Askin, chairman of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. "We're thrilled that he's returning."

O'Brien is also in line to takeover hosting the Tonight Show once current star Jay Leno leaves that program in 2009. O'Brien has been the star of his own NBC show since 1993.

Emmy co-producer Ken Ehrlich calls O'Brien "a student of television" and told the Associated Press the host will bring "credibility and knowledge" to the awards show, which will be broadcast from Los Angeles's Shrine Auditorium, on NBC.

"He's funny and he really likes television," says Ehrlich. "That bodes well for what we can do this year

Meanwhile, Broadway's Tony Awards are something of an orphan. The June 11 ceremony – to be broadcast on CBS – has yet to name a host, though the name that keeps popping up in theatrical circles is Oprah Winfrey, who has produced this season's musical The Color Purple.

Usual Tonys host Hugh Jackman is said to have other commitments this year.

[Rasputin]

Chris Rock: Everybody's Back

It was the best of both worlds when the CW announced its fall lineup at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Thursday.

The net, formed by a merger of UPN and the WB, revealed that many fan favorites had made the cut – including Gilmore Girls, Veronica Mars, Smallville, Everybody Hates Chris and … 7th Heaven, which had been cancelled by the WB.

Some highlights:
• The Black Eyed Peas kicked things off on Thursday morning, performing a modified version of their hit "Let's Get It Started" – a rallying cry for the brand-new network.

• Just 10 days after its series finale on the WB, 7th Heaven is getting a new lease on life: The CW is bringing back the stalwart family drama, the longest running in TV history, for its 11th season.

• Gilmore Girls star Alexis Bledel and Veronica Mars's Kristen Bell took the stage and compared their series, which will share Tuesday nights. Both are set in small towns, they noted, and Bell pointed out, "We both date hot guys named Logan." Replied Bledel, "But my Logan is hotter!"

• America's Next Top Model host Tyra Banks walked onstage and slipped on her heel, but quickly caught herself. "I tell the girls to do as I say, not as I do," she quipped, adding, "I almost slipped and busted my butt!" Banks was followed onstage by ANTM's Cycle 2 winner, Yoanna House, who also almost slipped in the same spot.

• Flanked by castmates Sophia Bush, Hilarie Burton and James Lafferty, newly engaged One Tree Hill star Chad Michael Murray told the audience, "We are honored to be on the CW and we want to thank our fans, who have been wonderful – they've done everything for us." Ex-spouses Murray and Bush stood well apart from each other.

• The crowd cheered for Supernatural stars Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki, who appeared alongside Smallville's teen Superman, Tom Welling. Ackles couldn't help but tease Welling: "I think you look amazing in tights," he joked. "Tommy Tights is all I'm saying."

• Everybody Hates Chris creator Chris Rock yelled at the audience of advertisers, "Spend some money on the new CW! We are not going to change our name ever again! We do have a slogan, too. It's 'We Aren't Bulls–. That's right. We've got good shows!" Rock then joked, "This season, Chris is now going to be played by a white girl. As a matter of fact, you are going to see more white people on the CW than ever. Sometimes they are going to just walk by."

[Rasputin]

WEEK AHEAD: The Final Idol Battle

Katharine McPhee and Taylor Hicks try to sing their way to the Idol crown on FOX on Wednesday. PEOPLE looks at the big night, plus other events to watch for in the coming week:

SUNDAY, MAY 21: If Madonna has her way, she's "going to turn the world into one big dance floor." She's already got a solid start: The Material Mom is taking her Confessions tour – which kicks off in Los Angeles's Forum – across the universe through the fall.

TUESDAY, MAY 23: The country world is hitting Sin City: Reba McEntire hosts The Academy of Country Music Awards, broadcast live on CBS from Las Vegas' MGM Grand at 8 p.m. ET. American Idol champ Carrie Underwood (whose "Jesus, Take the Wheel" is nominated for song of the year), Kenny Chesney, Big & Rich and Rascal Flatts will take the stage at the gala event.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 24: America will have its final say about who's the next American Idol – Katharine McPhee or Taylor Hicks. After Tuesday's final performance show, both finalists will be keeping their fingers crossed that they'll get the chance to be the next Kelly, Carrie, Fantasia or Ruben in the two-hour finale (FOX at 8 p.m. ET).

FRIDAY, MAY 26: Katie Couric will bid good-bye to her Today show pals when she makes her final appearance on the morning show (NBC at 7 a.m. ET). "I know it's going to be really tough and really surreal," she tells PEOPLE.

TV FINALES: Go back to the beginning as we learn how the women of Wisteria Lane became pals in the two-hour season finale of Desperate Housewives (ABC at 9 p.m. ET). Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner) and her gang of spies will have their final mission when Alias has its show finale (ABC at 8 p.m. ET). And Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) will end another harrowing day in the season finale of 24 (FOX at 8 p.m.).

[Rasputin]

Beyonce: 'I Lost 20 Lbs.' for Dreamgirls

At a Cannes Film Festival preview of the upcoming movie Dreamgirls on Friday, stars Beyonce Knowles and Jennifer Hudson admitted they'd dealt with some weighty issues for their roles.

Knowles, 24, told reporters that she lost 20 lbs. to play the super-svelte Deena Jones, the lead singer of the Dreamettes – a '60s-style group loosely modeled on Diana Ross and the Supremes.

"At the beginning (of filming), I was my normal weight," she said. "I actually gained a little bit, but then I lost 20 lbs. when I went from young Deena to old Deena. I wanted it to be something more than just make-up and hair. I wanted to see the change."

Asked whether Hollywood executives pressured her to drop the weight, Knowles, in a blue halter dress designed by her mother Tina, said, "Oh no, that was my idea.

"The director (Bill Condon) actually kept telling me to 'eat, eat, eat' for continuity, but I really wanted to go all the way. I was inspired by Tom Hanks. He did it all the way (in Castaway), so I said, I can do it all the way!"

Her costar, former American Idol contestant Jennifer Hudson, makes her big-screen debut as Effie White, the powerful singer criticized by the Dreamettes' manager (Jamie Foxx) for her full figure.

Hudson told reporters she wasn't trying to lose weight: "Why fix something that isn't broke? Someone has to represent the average girl. Not everyone is a size 2."

Still, she added, "I've been trying to work out, to make sure my curves don't get too much curvy. I enjoy my jelly where it is."

The movie, based on the Tony-winning 1981 Broadway musical, is due in theaters in December.

[Rasputin]

Madonna Aims to Shock in New Tour

Madonna launched her first world tour in two years Sunday with a Los Angeles concert in which she hanged herself on a cross, dressed in S&M gear and screened images of President Bush juxtaposed with Adolf Hitler, among others.

The enthusiastic crowd at the Los Angeles Forum included Nicole Richie, Rosie O'Donnell and Madonna's Kabbalah guru, Rabbi Yehuda Berg.

During the two-hour concert – which began 50 minutes late – Madonna, 47, performed songs from her new album, Confessions on a Dancefloor, as well as such old hits as "Like a Virgin," "Ray of Light" and "Lucky Star," Reuters reports.

The "Confessions" tour will continue for two months in North America, then resume on July 30 in Wales for a five-week stadium swing through eight European cities. Shows in Japan are also scheduled for mid-September.

On Sunday, Madonna made her entrance lowered from the ceiling in a giant disco ball. Outfitted in dominatrix-like riding gear, she sang her new song "Future Lovers" accompanied by shirtless male dancers with ball gags in their mouths.

During "Live to Tell," she wore a crown of thorns and hung from a giant mirrored cross as video screens showed scenes of third-world poverty.

Another video montage mixed images of Bush and Tony Blair with footage of Adolf Hitler and Osama bin Laden. Midway through the new song "I Love New York," she cracked a joke about Bush and oral sex.

There was no encore.

[Rasputin]

Dixie Chicks Regret Bush Apology

Back in 2003, Dixie Chicks singer Natalie Maines created an uproar when she told a London concert audience, "Just so you know, we're ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas."

Though the group received death threats and was banned by many country-music radio stations, Maines says in the new issue of Time magazine that she has just one regret: saying she was sorry. "I apologized for disrespecting the office of the President," Maines says. "But I don't feel that way anymore. I don't feel he is owed any respect whatsoever."

Maines and bandmates Martie Maguire and Emily Robison are back with a new album, Taking the Long Way, in stores Tuesday, and a new, no-apologies attitude. The CD's first single, aptly titled "Not Ready to Make Nice," is selling well on iTunes but has been picked up by few country stations.

"I guess if we really cared, we wouldn't have released that single first," Maguire tells Time. "That was just making people mad. But I don't think it was a mistake."

After a decade together and more than 20 million albums sold, the Chicks have earned the right to be called Dixie Women. All are married with children – Maines, 31, is mom to sons Jackson, 5, and Beckett, 22 months, with actor husband Adrian Pasdar; Maguire, 36, and husband Gareth have 2-year-old twins Kathleen and Eva; and Robison, 33, and husband Charlie are parents to Charles, 3, and 1-year-old twins Henry and Julianna.

But time and family have not mellowed them. Says Maines of the controversy she caused in 2003, "It was awesome … to be angry, to be sure that you're right and that the things you do matter. You don't realize that you're not feeling those feelings until you do. And then you realize how much more interesting life is."

[Rasputin]

Michelle Rodriguez Gets 60 Days in Jail

Lost actress Michelle Rodriguez was sentenced to 60 days in Los Angeles County jail Monday for violating her probation.

Judge Rex Heeseman, without fanfare, read off Rodriguez's other sanctions, including a 30-day alcohol rehabilitation program and an extension of her probation by two years. Her sentence is to start no later than May 31.

A solemn-looking Rodriguez and her attorneys left without making comment, but in New York City late last week, the actress told PEOPLE, "I'm a gypsy. I can see beauty in a jail cell."

Prosecutors had charged that the actress's arrest last year in Oahu, Hawaii, for drunken driving violated a probation term she was already serving for other driving-related charges in L.A.

Last month, Rodriguez, 27, was sentenced to five days in an Oahu jail for her December 1, 2005, DUI arrest on the island. She was released April 28 after serving just 65 hours, because the time she'd spent in custody after her arrest counted toward her sentence.

In June 2004, she had been placed on three years' probation after pleading no contest to charges, including DUI and driving with a suspended license, stemming from two separate incidents in the Hollywood area in 2003.

She was also sentenced to 48 hours in jail, community service and a 30-day alcohol program.

As for her Hawaii arrest last year, Rodriguez and Lost castmate Cynthia Watros were both charged with drunken driving after they were pulled over in separate cars within 15 minutes of each other.

Watros pleaded guilty in January. She was fined and ordered to undergo an alcohol assessment and counseling. Rodriguez pleaded guilty in April and chose jail time over performing 240 hours of community service. She was also fined $500.

Both Rodriguez's and Watros's characters were recently killed off on Lost.

[Rasputin]

It's Over – Again – for Nicole Richie and DJ AM

On-again, off-again couple Nicole Richie and Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein are off again.

"We are confirming that we have amicably separated," the pair said in a statement released by Richie's publicist, Cindy Guagenti.

Richie, 24, and Goldstein, 33, began dating in 2004 and announced their engagement a year later in February 2005. But in early December, Richie's rep confirmed that the wedding was off.

But by March of this year, the pair were an item again, holding hands all over Los Angeles and even vacationing together at the Las Ventanas resort in Los Cabos, Mexico.

"They decided to try again," a friend told PEOPLE at the time. "They never stopped caring about each other." Although Richie hadn't put her engagement ring back on, the friend said, "they really are so happy together. ... It was only a matter of time before they got back together."

Richie even threw Goldstein a surprise 33rd birthday party at Pure Nightclub in Las Vegas recently, where she toasted him by saying, "This is (Adam's) eighth year of sobriety. I'm so proud of you. You've come so far and I love you so much."

On Wednesday, Goldstein was in New York City to DJ at the Entertainment Weekly Upfronts Party in New York. Said an observer: "He was keeping to himself at the party … but he was working. He didn't look particularly happy, but he could have just been concentrating."

Richie, meanwhile, is said to be at home in L.A. gearing up for a press tour promoting the new season of The Simple Life and working on her first album and a follow-up to her novel The Truth About Diamonds.

Richie recently blamed her dramatic weight loss on, in part, her December breakup with Goldstein. "I get really stressed out, and I do lose my appetite," she told Vanity Fair, adding that she's since sought professional help.

[Rasputin]

With Baby 'Imminent,' Brad Skips Cannes

Brad Pitt sent his regrets for failing to make it to the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday – though he had a good reason: "imminent" fatherhood.

The star was due to join costars Cate Blanchett and Gael Garcia Bernal for Tuesday morning's screening of their movie Babel, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu.

Instead, Pitt sent an e-mail that was read aloud at a press conference after the screening: "With the imminent arrival of the newest addition to our family, I am unable to join Alejandro, Cate, Gael and the rest of the cast and crew introducing the film."

He went on to say, "I am tremendously proud of Babel and want to congratulate everyone involved for this great achievement."
The ensemble drama tells several interweaving stories set in Mexico, Japan and Morocco – where Pitt shot scenes with Blanchett last year as speculation about his romance with Angelina Jolie reached a fever pitch.

Babel's gala world premiere is scheduled to take place at the Cannes Palais du Festival on Tuesday night.

Pitt has been vacationing in Namibia with the pregnant Jolie and their kids Maddox, 4, and Zahara, 1.

[Rasputin]

Geri Halliwell Names Daughter Bluebell

Inspired by the springtime flower, former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell has named her baby daughter, born May 14, Bluebell Madonna.

Saying she found the blooms inspiring during her pregnancy, the artist formerly known as Ginger Spice, 33, tells Britain's Hello! magazine, "What really clinched it for me was my mother telling me that the bluebell is increasingly rare – so it's a precious flower, which seems just right for my daughter."

As for the child's middle name, Halliwell says singer Madonna is one of her heroines.

"As she came out of my tummy, Bluebell had both arms flung wide in the air as if announcing to the world, 'Hi! I'm here!' " she tells Hello! "She was screaming her head off, as though she was shouting, `Hello, Wembley!' No one else has that name, apart from the Virgin Madonna and the singer, whom I love."

The baby weighed 5 lbs., 12 oz. when she was born at London's Portland Hospital.

In the magazine interview, Halliwell does not mention the child's father, who is reportedly The Terminal screenwriter Sacha Gervasi, 40.

[Sepideh_UK]

I just read that in the newspaper lolz

[Rasputin]

Taylor Hicks Wins American Idol

Taylor Hicks has been crowned the new American Idol.

Asked if he had anything to say to America, Hicks gave a shout-out to his most dedicated fans, yelling "Soul Patrol!"

Runner-up Katharine McPhee embraced Hicks and thanked her fans for an Idol experience she called "a dream come true." Then Hicks launched into his first single, "Do I Make You Proud?"

Announcing the results, Ryan Seacrest noted that "an astounding 63.4 million votes" were cast, "more than any President in this country has ever received."

After his win, Hicks told FOX news reporters, "It's an exhilarating feeling. I am flabbergasted. I can't believe I'm the next American Idol." He admitted that when his name was called he had to tell himself, "Don't just fall to the floor. Don't let your knees buckle."

The two-hour finale episode, which Seacrest said was being watched by 200 million people around the world, kicked off with Hicks, McPhee and the 10 booted finalists belting Barry Manilow's "I Made It Through the Rain."
In the many other musical numbers, Idol finalists dueted with established stars: Hicks with Toni Braxton, McPhee with Meat Loaf, Chris Daughtry with Live, Paris Bennett with Al Jarreau, Elliott Yamin with Mary J. Blige and, toward the end, all 12 finalists performed with Burt Bacharach and Dionne Warwick.

But the biggest show-stoppers were Clay Aiken, who debuted a jaw-dropping new hipster hairdo, and Prince, who performed two songs solo before an ecstatic audience.
Hicks's prize includes a $1 million recording contract and a Ford Mustang convertible, which McPhee also received.

Hicks's win was largely expected. At the end of Tuesday night's episode, Simon Cowell told the 29-year-old Alabama native: "Assuming that I was right and the show was tied, then you have just won American Idol."

Going into Wednesday, after Cowell's pronouncement, betting on McPhee dropped considerably, with 90 percent of all monies going toward Hicks – the odds-on favorite by 2:13, according to PinnacleSports.com.

Even McPhee had praise for her rival. In an interview late last week, the 22-year-old from Los Angeles said, "I think Taylor's main advantage is that he's really free on stage. I get nervous and clench up. That's something Taylor is really, really great at. We're both so different."

Hicks started in the music biz by fronting an eponymous blues band in Alabama. At his Idol audition in Las Vegas, Hicks told the judges, "I want my voice to be heard, because I believe that I've got one." (Still, as Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul delighted in telling Cowell on Tuesday's show, Cowell gave him a thumbs-down.)

On a May 12 trip home to Birmingham, Hicks received a hero's welcome, complete with a parade, a meeting with Gov. Bob Riley and some down-home Southern cooking. "You take grits for granted," he said.

His mother, however, never took her son's talents for granted. "I knew this would happen," Pam Dickinson told PEOPLE. "I knew he was going to become a star."

As for the future, Hicks says he'll record an album that will be "a really good representation of who I am as an artist. There are things that I want to do creatively that I've never been able to get to do before American Idol – possibly (something) a little bit cutting-edge."

Of his immediate plans, he speculates, "I'll probably live on my tour bus. My home has been the road since even before American Idol. A tour bus with some good, cold iceberg lettuce is probably where I'm going to stay."

[Rasputin]

American Idol: What You Didn't See

Celebrities populated the stage during Wednesday's finale episode – but there was plenty of star power in the audience as well. Some highlights:

• More than an hour before the start of the show, Bucky Covington's twin brother, Rocky, signs autographs and takes photos with fans – some of whom mistake him for Bucky – in front of the Kodak Theater.

• In the ladies' room, Camryn Manheim explains to a friend what it was like to walk through the throng of fans in the lobby: "They screamed at me so I screamed back!"

• Heather Locklear is in the audience with daughter Ava, 8. "Ava's a huge fan," a friend of Locklear's tells PEOPLE. "She was so excited all day." Apparently, Ava's a McPhee fan while her mom is rooting for Hicks.

• Primping in the ladies' room before showtime, Katharine McPhee's mom Peisha and sister Adriana gasp when Lisa Rinna walks in. The Dancing with the Stars runner-up tells them, "I'm a Katharine fan," and reassures Peisha: "Take it from someone who knows, sometimes losing is better than winning. … Tonight is about just having fun and celebrating."

• Later, Rinna greets actress Lori Laughlin with hugs and kisses as young girls scramble for Rinna's autograph, ignoring her husband, Harry Hamlin, who's standing nearby with their kids.

• David Hasselhoff tells PEOPLE, "I'm voting for Katherine because she's from Sherman Oaks and that's where I live. Taylor's good too." He later tears up when Taylor Hicks is named the winner.

• BFFs Chris Daughtry and Ace Young share a long, warm hug during the commercial break after performing in the all-male medley.

• After Hicks performs a duet with Toni Braxton, the two walk offstage together hand in hand.

• Just before the results are announced, McPhee waves cheerfully to her fans while Hicks stands stiff. After Hicks is named the winner, McPhee's parents blow kisses to her while Hicks sings his final song.

[Rasputin]

Victoria Principal Files for Divorce

Dallas actress Victoria Principal has filed for divorce from her husband of nearly 21 years, prominent Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Harry A. Glassman, M.D., according to papers filed Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court.

Principal, 60, is citing irreconcilable differences. The couple have no children and separated on March 25, according to the papers, which were obtained by PEOPLE.

Principal's petition states that the couple have a pre-nuptial agreement, which lists all the couple's assets and debts.

Principal also requests that the court determine property rights and "terminate the court's jurisdiction" to award spousal support to Glassman.

It is unclear whether the divorce has anything to do with a domestic violence incident three years ago that led to Principal's brief hospitalization and Glassman's arrest.

At the time, a spokesman for the Los Angeles District Attorney said, "Our office declined to file any charges, and as far as we are concerned, that is the end of the matter."

Meanwhile, Principal stated in a press release: "We have had a loving relationship for over 20 years. We've been and remain happily married. It is outrageous to believe we would inflict injury on one another or harm each other in any way."

On Wednesday, Principal's publicist, Alan Nierob, said, "We have no further comment at this time, other than what is in the court file."

Principal's previous marriage, to writer-producer Christopher Skinner, lasted from 1978 to 1980 and ended in divorce.

She and Glassman wed on June 23, 1985, when Principal was seven years into her role as Pamela Barnes Ewing on the CBS evening soap about the backstabbing Texas oil dynasty. She stayed with the show until 1987 (it went off the air in 1991).

Glassman's professional Web site describes him as a 20-year practitioner of plastic surgery in Beverly Hills. "He has used his talents to enhance the appearance of some of the most famous people in the world and to reconstruct birth defects, damage from injuries and defects caused by cancer," his online bio says.

Today, Principal sells her Principal Secret skin-care products on QVC and has authored three books: 1983's The Body Principal, 1984's The Beauty Principal and 1987's The Diet Principal.