Gossip/Celebrity News

[Rasputin]

Clay Aiken Sued by Book Author

Clay Aiken is being sued for more than a quarter of a million dollars by the author of an "unauthorized tribute" to the American Idol runner-up.

Jeannie Holleman, 50, of Raleigh, N.C., claims that Aiken defamed her and conspired to hinder sales of her 2005 book, Out of the Blue – 'Clay' it Forward, the Associated Press reports.

Holleman describes herself as a lifelong friend and neighbor of the McGhees, a Raleigh family that was close to Aiken's mother, Faye Parker. Holleman also says she took in Parker and a young Aiken when Parker left her abusive husband.

Holleman's book is a compilation of interviews with the McGhees, along with the author's personal recollections and anecdotes from Aiken's fans.

In her lawsuit, filed Friday in Wake County Superior Court, Holleman alleges that Aiken, his mother and others denied they knew her, said her stories were lies and belittled the book on Aiken fan sites in an effort to defame Holleman and depress her book sales.

She also claims that one of Aiken's bodyguards manhandled her at a Hawaii fundraiser.

Holleman is seeking at least $260,000 in damages. She also asks that the court order Aiken to retract his critical comments or to endorse Out of the Blue on his official Web site, write an introduction for the book and sell it at his concerts for at least five years.

On Monday, Aiken, 27, issued a statement through his record company, RCA (which will release his new album, A Thousand Different Ways, on Sept. 19), saying that he'd "instructed my attorneys to not only vigorously dispute the claims that have been made but to also pursue all possible remedies against those involved in the perpetration of these untruths."

The statement continues, "As a so-called 'celebrity' I have become used to scurrilous allegations and untruths being made about me and my work. I have always taken the path of not reacting to these matters and have accepted them as, somehow, coming with the 'job.' However, I cannot, and will not, stand by when these attacks are made on my family."

[Sepideh_UK]

Intresting. Thanx.

[Rasputin]

Patrick Dempsey: Living in the Fast Lane

He may not be as light-headed as Will Ferrell's Ricky Bobby in Talladega Nights, but Grey's Anatomy star Patrick Dempsey has a thing for speed.

The ABC show's "Dr. McDreamy" – who finds racing "really a really great release for me" – drives as part of the Hyper Sport team.

"I come back appreciating my day job so much more," the actor, 40, tells TV's Entertainment Tonight. "I find that I work harder and I am clear mentally going into it."

As for how his racing career got rolling, Dempsey says: "My wife (Jillian) got tired of me sitting on the couch on Sundays watching the Speed Channel and said, 'Get up and go do a Skip Barber racing program for three days.' That started the bug."

Barber, a Formula One driver who competed in the '70s, runs what is billed as the world's premier driving and racing school, in Connecticut.

Dempsey's No. 54 Ford Mustang is sponsored by the women's clothing firm New York & Company, for which he and Grey's costar Ellen Pompeo had done an ad campaign.

"It shows what a wonderful company New York & Company is to think outside the box to put their label and their belief into this race team," he says.

New York & Company is also sponsoring a contest on its Web site, in which the grand-prize winner will be flown to Virginia to watch the 2006 Grand Am Championship finale – and spend time with Dempsey. Deadline for entering is Sept. 4.

[Rasputin]

Leno Lashes Out at Landis Over Drug Tests

Tour de France winner Floyd Landis – who faces the prospect of losing his title after having twice tested positive for a high testosterone ratio during the race – has faced some tough grilling this week, including a round on the usually frothy Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Tuesday night.

"I see you on these shows," the TV host told the 30-year-old athlete, who started the week defending himself on both Today and Good Morning America, "and I do want to believe you and evidence seems – I don't know if it's overwhelming – but it seems pretty conclusive, right?"

Landis agreed, provided one goes by the tests – prompting Leno to fire back, "Why should we not go by the tests? Tell me why.'"

Landis responded that there were several possibilities, saying, "The tests and the people doing the tests would like you to believe that the only possibility is that I essentially took some drugs and that's why the test is that way."

Landis also suggested that's something he might have eaten is "also the possibility, and it's an argument that has been used by other people. At this point, I don't know if it's somehow or some way I ingested something that caused the tests to be that way."

Since the test was made public, Landis and his defense team have floated anything from cortisone shots taken for pain in his degenerating hip; drinking beer and whiskey the night before; thyroid medication; his natural metabolism; and dehydration, reports the Associated Press.

Landis additionally insisted that his body naturally caused the positive tests. On Tuesday, he also called into question the integrity of the testing monitors.

"I'm beginning to wonder about this myself after the way the situation's been handled, is that after the (sample) leaves my hands ... after I give them the sample, I don't know where it goes."

Both of Landis's "A" and "B" samples taken after Stage 17 of the race turned up a testosterone-epitestosterone ratio of 11:1 – far in excess of the 4:1 limit. Further tests also showed that the samples contained synthetic testosterone, indicating that it was from an outside source.

Landis has maintained his innocence. Should he be stripped of the championship, he would be the first rider to lose the title in the race's 103-year history.

[Rasputin]

McCartney, Mills Hire Royal Lawyers

Paul McCartney and Heather Mills have hired the same attorneys who represented Prince Charles and Diana during their 1996 royal divorce, reps for both parties have confirmed.

McCartney, 64, has hired Prince Charles's former lawyer Fiona Shackelton, while Mills, 38, has retained solicitor Anthony Julius, who acted for Diana – and won for her a reported $30 million settlement, reports the BBC.

Mills and McCartney separated in May after nearly four years of marriage. They have a two-year-old daughter, Beatrice Milly.

According to reports, Mills is believed to be seeking a settlement of $500 million from McCartney, whose wealth has been estimated to be close to $2 billion.

Mills's spokesman Phil Hall confirmed press reports that McCartney had frozen the couple's joint bank account and sent a "legal letter" to his estranged wife, complaining that three bottles of cleaning fluid were taken from his Sussex, England, home to clean her local office.

"She feels let down. Her friends feel his side is trying to crush her in the hope that she will take a low settlement when the divorce happens," a pal tells PEOPLE.

Meanwhile McCartney's camp insist the former Beatle is being made out as mean. "She paints herself as a victim but this is not true," an insider tells PEOPLE. "There's a lot of careful orchestration going on."

Meanwhile, on Monday police were called to McCartney's London residence when Mills's security guard climbed over the wall of his premises to let her in. The locks on the gates had been changed.

Although the couple initially described their separation as amicable when it was announced in May, McCartney cited her "unreasonable behavior" in divorce papers and Mills responded by vowing to file counter-claims in Britain and the United States.

[Rasputin]

Robin Williams Enters Rehab

Robin Williams is seeking treatment for alcoholism, his publicist said Wednesday.

"After 20 years of sobriety, Robin Williams found himself drinking again and has decided to take proactive measures to deal with this for his own well-being and the well-being of his family," the actor's rep, Mara Buxbaum, said in a statement.

"He asks that you respect his and his family's privacy during this time," the statement continues. "He looks forward to returning to work this fall to support his upcoming film releases."

Williams, 55, is currently starring in the thriller The Night Listener and will appear in the drama August Rush and the comedy Man of the Year, both due later this year.

The comic has battled substance abuse before. During his swift rise to fame on the 1978-1982 sitcom Mork and Mindy, Williams became addicted to alcohol and cocaine, he has admitted.

"Cocaine for me," Williams told PEOPLE in 1988, "was a place to hide. Most people get hyper on coke. It slowed me down. Sometimes it made me paranoid and impotent, but mostly it just made me withdrawn. And I was so crazy back then – working all day, partying most of the night – I needed an excuse not to talk. I needed quiet times and I used coke to get them."

Six months before his son Zachary was born in 1983, Williams quit cocaine and alcohol – cold turkey. "No visit to the Betty Ford Center, no therapeutic support," a friend told PEOPLE in 1988. "He just quit, and he hasn't touched drugs or drink since."

What made him quit? Two events: His first wife, Valerie, became pregnant with Zach and pal John Belushi died from a drug overdose just a few hours after Williams snorted a line of coke with him at a hotel.

"The Belushi tragedy was frightening,'' Williams, who is also dad to daughter Zelda, 17, and son Cody, 14, with second wife Marsha, told PEOPLE. "His death scared a whole group of show business people. It caused a big exodus from drugs. And for me there was the baby coming. I knew I couldn't be a father and live that sort of life."

[Rasputin]

Katie Couric: I'd Like to Get Married

Katie Couric, the former Today cohost who in September will take over as host of the CBS Evening News, says she's ready for a "solid" relationship.

"I would love to be married or in a really solid, committed relationship," Couric, 49, tells Parade in its upcoming issue. "I'd love that now. But he just hasn't materialized."

Couric, who lost her husband, Jay Monahan, to colon cancer in 1998, has since dated Boston Red Sox co-owner Tom Werner and had a brief romance with jazz trumpeter Chris Botti.

Since Monahan's death, Couric has been raising daughters Ellie, 15, and Carrie, 10, alone – and she still has pangs of grief for Monahan.

"I'm doing great. My kids are thriving, but when I see a father walking down the street with a little girl and holding her hand, my feeling of loss is palpable," she says.

Any potential partner, Couric says, "would have to be someone capable of loving my girls – maybe not as much as their biological father, because that tie is so primal. But I'd have to think long and hard before I let anyone spend extended periods of time with them."

Although she's protective of her daughters, Couric says, "You don't want to be so cautions that your heart isn't open. I've started to think it's important for my girls to realize there are some really nice, wonderful men out there."

Not that she's sitting around waiting for Mr. Right. "I'm not going to spend all my time yearning. If you do that – it might sound too Zen – but you miss the here and now," she says.

Couric's "now" is all about doing the things with her daughters that she missed out on during her 15 years on Today. "For years, I never made them breakfast or walked them to school," she says. "You realize how great it is, just being a mother."

[img][/img]

[Rasputin]

How Gwyneth Paltrow Lost Her Baby Weight

Even Gwyneth Paltrow worries about losing her post-pregnancy weight, although she says she's been less stressed since giving birth to son Moses in April than she was after she had daughter Apple, 2.

"The first time, you are horrified," she tells Harper's Bazaar in its September issue. "It's all lovely when you are pregnant; but when you are not pregnant and you haven't been for a couple of months and you are still carrying tons of extra weight and everything's all hanging and sagging, you think, How is this ever going to go back? But it does. If you do a lot of working out."

Both times she was expecting, Paltrow, 33, says she gained 40 lbs., and lost 20 by the time she came out of the hospital.

"With Apple I kept the extra 20 pounds on until she was three months old, and then it came off," she says. "And that's exactly what's happening now." She's been working out, "but not dieting, because I am a milk machine."

But should anyone think her figure is perfect again, Paltrow says, "They should see the cellulite on my thighs right now."
Still, the woman once known for her alcohol-free macrobiotic diet has loosened up. Her vices, she says, are "California and New Zealand pinot noirs." Once the kids are in bed, "I come downstairs, pour myself a glass of red wine and sit in the garden" of the London home she shares with husband Chris Martin.

Any beauty secrets she'll pass on to Apple? "Drink tons of water, and wear sunscreen," she says. "And I really do think that if you eat fresh, organic, good food, you look like it."

[Rasputin]

Carmen Files for Divorce from Dave

Carmen Electra filed for divorce Thursday from her husband of less than three years, rocker Dave Navarro.

Legal papers filed in Los Angeles Superior Court state that petitioner "Tara Patrick, a.k.a. Carmen Electra," 34, and Navarro, 39, wed on Nov. 22, 2003, and separated on July 18, 2006 – the day after they announced they were "amicably separating."

Citing irreconcilable differences, Electra requests that their assets be divided as specified in their prenuptial agreement and that the court not award spousal support to either party. They have no children.

By all accounts, the breakup has, in fact, been amicable. Last month Electra told PEOPLE that she was still living with Navarro, who said in a statement, "Carmen is my best friend and I love her more than anything."

A source told PEOPLE that hectic schedules were to blame for the breakup: Navarro plays guitar in the band Camp Freddy and hosts Rock Star: Supernova and Electra has been shooting the movie I Want Candy.

Electra recently denied a report that she'd gone on a date with Jamie Foxx; Navarro has been spending time with adult film star Jenna Jameson, PEOPLE reports in its new issue.

[Rasputin]

Jack Black to Host MTV's Video Music Awards

Nacho Libre star Jack Black will host the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards, MTV announced Thursday.

"Prepare yourself for a rip-snortin' humdinger," Black, 34, said in a statement, adding, "I am Jables, hear me roar." (Jables is Black's nickname when he performs with his two-man band, Tenacious D.)

MTV president Christina Norman called Black the "perfect mix of comedy, rock, irreverence and star power."

The VMAs will air live on Aug. 31 from New York City's Radio City Music Hall. Sha***a and the Red Hot Chili Peppers top the list of nominees.

Black, who recently welcomed a son with wife Tanya Haden, starred in the movies King Kong and School of Rock. Next up, he'll appear with his Tenacious D bandmate Kyle Gass in Tenacious D in 'The Pick of Destiny,' due Nov. 17.

[Rasputin]

Ivanka Trump: Dad Wants Me to Date a Jock

As the Trump Organization's vice president of real-estate development, Ivanka Trump has to follow the advice of the head of the company, Donald Trump.

But her dad's advice on her love life is a another matter. "He has very strong opinions – which I try not to listen to," Trump, 24, who costarred with The Donald on the most recent season of The Apprentice, tells Stuff magazine in its September issue.

The type of guy her father would have her date? "He loves the athletes because he's always wanted to be an athlete," Trump says. "He's into guys' guys. But when he starts talking about it, I stop listening."

Given her father's tough-guy reputation, she likes to take "as long as possible" before introducing him to a beau, although she insists her dad is nothing like his TV persona.

"He's really a laid-back, mellow guy, but people have a level of anxiety prior to meeting him," she says. "I don't think he's much different from any other father. He's protective, but I'm sure there are fathers who are much worse. He hasn't threatened bodily harm to any of the people I've dated. Well, as far as I know."

Trump has some celebrity crushes she wouldn't mind bringing home to Dad. "I love Joaquin Phoenix," she says. "He has a very sexy thing going. I don't go for the typically handsome guy. Although I love Christian Bale; I think he's sort of an Adonis."
For now, though, she's happy with her social life. "I like to have fun with my friends and go out at night, but you're not going to find me dancing on top of tables or see me trashed outside of Bungalow 8."

Finally, asked if The Donald has ever gone to his daughter for advice on his love life, she says, "God, no! I've certainly tried to give it to him, but he's never solicited it."

[Rasputin]

McConaughey Sells Car for Storm Victims

One lucky eBay bidder paid $61,600 to buy Matthew McConaughey's 1971 Corvette Stingray, the Associated Press reports.

But the real winners of the auction are the victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, who will benefit from the proceeds of the sale.

McConaughey, 36, agreed to donate the money to Oprah Winfrey's Angel Network for Katrina and Rita recovery efforts. The Texas native – and PEOPLE's reigning Sexiest Man Alive – called the Corvette "a luxury that I'm willing to relinquish (to) help so many with the necessities in life."

He said the car, which he had dubbed Mako (like the mako shark), had carried him across his home state and down to Mexico many times.

Hurricane Katrina tore through the Gulf Coast on Aug. 29, and Rita touched down in southeast Texas on Sept. 24.

Bidding on the car ended on July 27 with 72 bids total. The winner of the auction wasn't named.

[Rasputin]

Lou Diamond Phillips Arrested

Law & Order: SVU actor Lou Diamond Phillips was arrested Friday for alleged domestic violence.

Police confirmed to PEOPLE that Phillips, 44, was arrested Friday morning at his home in Los Angeles following an alleged dispute with his girlfriend, makeup artist Yvonne Boismier.

After police were called at about 1:30 a.m., investigators arrived on the scene, gathered evidence and arrested Phillips for assault with a deadly weapon (the deadly weapon, police said, was bodily force).

Phillips was taken to the local police precinct and held on $50,000 bond. However, he was released on his own recognizance without posting bail at about 11:45 a.m.

A rep for the actor tells PEOPLE no charges are being pressed by the police or Boismier, but police say the L.A. city attorney has scheduled a hearing in the matter.
Boismier was the makeup artist for the 2006 sci-fi movie Bloodines, in which Phillips starred.

Phillips was married to director Julie Cypher, who later entered a long-term relationship with Melissa Etheridge, from 1986 to 1990 and to makeup artist Kelly Preston (who changed her last name to Phillips) from 1994 to 2005. He and Kelly have three children, twins Grace and Isabella, 8, and daughter Lili, 6.

[Rasputin]

WEEK AHEAD: Christina Gets 'Back to Basics'

Christina Aguilera belts her way through her new double CD, which hits stores on Tuesday. PEOPLE takes a peek at the singer's new effort, plus other events to look for in the coming week:

SUNDAY, AUG. 13: The fact that they weren't speaking to each other didn't stop Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie from filming a third installment of their reality series The Simple Life, which wraps up with a season finale airing on E! at 10 p.m. ET. But it's not over yet: The feuding former BFFs have agreed to yet another season. Stay tuned to see how the producers pull it off again.

MONDAY, AUG. 14: He's beaten them down and made them cry – and now vitriolic chef Gordon Ramsay will pick his next protégé on the two-hour season finale of Hell's Kitchen. Heather and Virginia go ladle-to-ladle as they design their own restaurants and hope to be the final chef standing. (FOX at 8 p.m. ET)

TUESDAY, AUG. 15: Her single "Ain't No Other Man" is already burning up the charts, and now Christina Aguilera is releasing her new double disc, Back to Basics, which showcases her formidable pipes on pop, R&B, funk and jazz-inspired tracks – including "The Right Man," a tribute to husband Jordan Bratman.

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 16: There's a new crop of pretty faces and teenage dramas on the third season of the MTV "reality" show Laguna Beach. Now that Kristin Cavallari, Stephen Colletti and Lauren "LC" Conrad have moved on to The Hills and other projects, meet the photogenic new kids in town, including LC's little sister Breanna and water-polo-playing heartbreaker Cameron. (MTV at 10 p.m.)

Now that the final four hoofers – Benji, Donyelle, Heidi and Travis – have boogied their way into America's hearts on So You Think You Can Dance, the winning pair will be selected on the show's season finale (FOX at 8 p.m. ET). Special guests Fergie and Ciara perform on the two-hour special.

NEW THIS WEEK:
• Movies (now in theaters): World Trade Center, starring Nicolas Cage, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michael Peña and Maria Bello; Zoom, starring Courteney Cox and Tim Allen; Half Nelson, starring Ryan Gosling; Step Up, starring Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan; Pulse, starring Kristen Bell and Christina Milian; Conversations with Other Women, starring Aaron Eckhart and Helena Bonham Carter
• Music (in stores Tuesday): Trace Adkins, Dangeous Man; Snakes on a Plane soundtrack; Obie Trice, Second Round's on Me; Maria Muldaur, Heart of Mine: Love Songs of Bob Dylan; Reel Big Fish, Our Live Album Is Better Than Your Live Album; The Panic Channel, One; The Monkees, The Monkees and More of the Monkees
• DVDs (in stores Tuesday): Apocalypse Now: The Complete Dossier; Rome: The Complete First Season; Hoot; RV; The Jeffersons: The Complete Fifth Season; Scary Movie 4; James Stewart: The Signature Collection; The Simpsons: The Complete Eighth Season

[Rasputin]

Dr. Phil's Son Jay McGraw Gets Married

Bestselling author – and Dr. Phil's son – Jay McGraw married actress and Playboy model Erica Dahm on Saturday, PEOPLE has confirmed exclusively.

The couple wed in a non-denominational ceremony before 70 guests inside Dr. Phil and wife Robin's Tuscan-style home in Beverly Hills.

Event designer Edgardo Zamora of Revelry Event Design transformed the house's center room into an all-white chapel, with 30-ft. sheer fabric panels covered in crystals hanging from the cathedral ceiling.

The bride wore a custom-made gown by Chado Ralph Rucci and walked down the aisle to Pachelbel's Canon in D Major. Dahm, who is one of triplets, had her sisters Jocelyn and Nicole as bridesmaids; Dr. Phil served as best man. "They wrote the entire ceremony and their vows themselves," wedding planner Michael Gapinski of Along Came Mary tells PEOPLE. "It was a very intimate and beautiful ceremony."

A reception for 400 guests followed at the Beverly Hills Hotel, where the ballroom was decorated as "a high-styled supper club," Gapinski says. The newlyweds' first dance was to Kenny Chesney's "Me & You."

The couple met on FOX's 2004 reality show Renovate My Family, which McGraw, 26, hosted and which featured Dahm, 28, and her sisters as construction experts. In August 2005, McGraw proposed with a five-carat diamond, emerald-and-platinum engagement ring he designed.

McGraw is the author of self-help books for teenagers including Daily Life Strategies for Teens and The Ultimate Weight Solution for Teens.

Dahm has been in films including Pauly Shore Is Dead and Juwanna Man. She appeared with her sisters in the December 1998 issue of Playboy. This is the first marriage for both.