Gossip/Celebrity News

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Eddie Murphy & Scary Spice: Family Time

Eddie Murphy's annual family vacation in Hawaii is always the same: just a little R&R for the actor and his five children, ages 4 to 16, at his favorite $10,700-a-night luxury suite at Maui's Four Seasons Hotel.

Except this year, he brought along someone new who's been spending a lot of time with him lately: singer Melanie Brown – also known to '90s pop fans as Scary Spice of the Spice Girls – and her 7-year-old daughter Phoenix Chi, PEOPLE reports in its new issue.

During the weeklong trip in late August, the party of eight bonded while lounging poolside in private cabanas and dining out together at the island's branch of Spago.

Brown even took the entire blended brood by herself to the beach one afternoon to go body surfing and boogie boarding. Says one onlooker: "There was a lot of togetherness between the families."

Could they be one big, happy family soon? Murphy – who divorced his wife of 12 years, Nicole Mitchell, in April – met the Leeds, England-bred Brown, who split from dancer Jimmy Gulzar in 2000, at a party in June. Since then they have kept their relationship quiet, but it's no secret that they're smitten.

At a Fourth of July BBQ Murphy hosted at his Beverly Hills home, the pair "were very loving and cute together," says a source.

And Murphy, 45, recently escorted Brown, 31, to his favorite haunt, L.A.'s Laugh Factory, where "they were very cozy," says a witness. Says Brown's mother, Andrea: "They are both very happy."

And quickly getting serious. The British singer is spending more time at her L.A. house to be close to the actor. Murphy – who is earning early Oscar buzz for his turn in Dreamgirls – already has his family on board.

"(Eddie) seems very happy with her, and that's what's important to me," says Murphy's big brother Charlie. "He's in a good place. If she does that (for him), then that's great."

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Mira Sorvino Fights for Darfur

Actress Mira Sorvino helped lead an estimated 20,000 people in New York City's Central Park on Sunday to protest violence in the war-torn Darfur region of Africa's Sudan.

Afterward, the Mighty Aphrodite Oscar-winner – who attended the gathering with her 3-month-old son Johnny, daughter Mattea Angel, 1, and husband Chris Backus – spoke to PEOPLE about the mounting crisis there and what Americans can do can do about it.

Why does this crisis demand special attention?
Sorvino: It's not that Americans should care about this crisis and not another. We have all rallied behind the cry 'Never again' about the Holocaust, about Rwanda, and this is the same thing happening again.

Two years ago, when the death toll in Darfur was 50,000, you traveled to Washington, D.C., to speak to legislators. Later this week you will to speak before Congress on the same issue and the death toll has risen to more than 200,000 ...
And 95 percent of those people are civilians: mothers, children and young boys, old men. Entire villages have been destroyed. Wells stuffed with dead bodies. How can we not pay attention to this? How can we say we are good citizens but we don't have time or interest?

Is there a special message you'll be taking to Washington?
The White House has to make sure a special envoy hired by the White House must stay there.

You've urged everybody to write, call or e-mail their representatives. Is that having an effect?
Apparently, it takes surprisingly few calls to make someone vote on an issue.

What do you think about George Clooney addressing the United Nations about the genocide in Darfur?
Certainly a man of (Clooney's) stature has a voice that people will listen to. It's wonderful that he's visited Darfur (and) he's speaking out on the subject. If someone who people look up to and who has great fame cares passionately about something and is acting in good faith, I applaud it.

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Paper Apologizes for Fake Kidman Quotes

Scotland's Daily Record has issued an apology to Nicole Kidman after publishing quotes it claimed she'd made about Angelina Jolie's charity work.

"In an article published on Friday, Sept. 8, we attributed comments to Nicole Kidman in relation to Angelina Jolie. We accept that Ms. Kidman did not make those comments to us and we apologize for any upset," the paper said in a statement and in print on Monday.

Kidman was quoted as criticizing Jolie, a United Nations goodwill ambassador, for getting undue attention for her charitable work.

"It's not like Angelina is any better than a nurse working in a hospital, but she's getting the publicity for her contribution," the quotation read in part.

Kidman, who is an ambassador to UNIFEM, the United Nations Development Fund for Women, has a "tremendous admiration for Ms. Jolie and her tireless, worldwide charitable work," a rep for the Australian actress said in a statement Monday.

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Aaron Carter's Vegas Engagement

Singer Aaron Carter is engaged to Playboy Playmate Kari Ann Peniche, the bride-to-be confirms to PEOPLE.

"I'm very excited about it," Peniche tells PEOPLE. "Aaron is the most genuine person I know. He's kind, loving, and I love him so much."

Carter, 18, popped the question to Peniche (who previously dated Aaron's brother Nick) on Saturday in Las Vegas while they were onstage in front of 200 people during the Playboy Comedy Tour at the Palms Casino Resort.

"I don't remember it happening. It was such a blur," says Peniche about the surprise proposal. "I had no idea he was going to do this, but I'm glad he did."

The couple, who plan to wed in the next six months, hugged and kissed after Peniche accepted the proposal, Playboy tour producer and comedian Cort McCown tells PEOPLE.

"He said he was going to do it, but we thought he was kidding," said McCown. "He was really nervous."

Peniche, 22, was named Miss Teen USA in 2003, but was stripped of her title after posing for Playboy. Carter is set to appear on an E! reality show about his family, House of Carters, premiering next month.

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Former X-Files Star Annabeth Gish Pregnant

Former X-Files actress Annabeth Gish is expecting a baby with husband Wade Allen, PEOPLE confirms exclusively.

The actress, who currently stars in the Showtime series Brotherhood, is due in January, her rep tells PEOPLE.

Gish first met Allen, a martial arts expert, on the set of The X-Files. The actress, whose credits also include The West Wing and the 1996 film Beautiful Girls, married Allen in 2003 in Northern California.

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Brad Paisley & Kimberly Williams Expecting

Country star Brad Paisley and his wife, actress Kimberly Williams (Father of the Bride), are expecting their first child in February.

Paisley made the announcement during a Tuesday afternoon phone call with Country Music Television. Their reps confirmed the baby news to PEOPLE.

Paisley, 33, and Williams, 35, were married in March 2003 in Los Angeles. Williams's latest TV roles include those on ABC's According to Jim and Less Than Perfect. Meanwhile, Paisley released his latest album, Time Well Wasted, last year, and he's currently touring the U.S.

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Probe Into Daniel Smith's Death Questioned

There may not be an inquest into the death of Anna Nicole Smith's son Daniel if the cause is determined to be natural, Bahamas Chief Magistrate Roger Gomez told reporters Wednesday afternoon in Nassau.

The announcement is a radical departure from previous statements by Bahamian officials calling the 20-year-old's sudden death "not natural" and "suspicious." An inquest had been scheduled for the week of Oct. 23.

Gomez said that a final decision will be made by Chief Justice Burton Hall after toxicology reports are in from Dr. Govinda Raju, who performed the first autopsy on Daniel (Smith hired a private pathologist to do a second). If the cause of death is deemed not natural, then an inquest will take place – although the date could be moved up earlier "because of the intense media scrutiny," Gomez said.

"We don't even know if it will be the case" that an inquest will be required, Gomez said, "so I believe it was a bit premature" to call the cause of death "not natural."

Her Majesty's Coroner Linda P. Virgill said however that her call for an inquest was proper and should go forward.

"This requires a coroner's inquest. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to make certain determinations at the end of the day," Virgill told reporters Wednesday. "Certain calls may not be popular, but the buck stops with me."

Usually, Gomez said, the pathologist gives his report to police, who then go to the Attorney General – who decides whether the evidence warrants an inquest. At this point in the Daniel Smith case, the pathologist's report has not been completed, so the Attorney General has not yet been asked to make a decision regarding an inquest, he said.

Linda Virgill, however, is disputing that claim, saying that it's not necessary for the police to get the information from the pathologist, but normally conduct their own investigation.

Gomez also said death inquests will now be handled by a pool of magistrates – including Virgill – in order to speed up those cases for everyone. Since Daniel Smith's death, locals had complained that foreigners were getting special treatment.

"We are just trying to speed it up for everyone," Gomez said. "Equal justice for all."

Virgill also disputed that statement calling the question of preferential treatment "nonsense. At the end of the day, visitors are our guests and ought to be given attention because our economy floats on that."

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Brad & Angelina Start Charitable Group

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have created a new charitable foundation to aid humanitarian causes across the globe, a spokesman for the couple tells PEOPLE.

The newly formed Jolie/Pitt Foundation is giving away $ 2 million – $1 to the Global Action for Children and $1 million to Doctors Without Borders, to help families affected by HIV/AIDS and extreme poverty.

"Angelina and Brad are committed to using their resources to help the world's most vulnerable people," their spokesman, Trevor Neilson, tells PEOPLE. "These two organizations are focusing on crises that receive far too little attention and Angelina and Brad are happy to do their part to help."

Jolie and Pitt are no strangers to global activism, and they have traveled together to Pakistan, among other countries, as part of Jolie's work as a goodwill ambassador for the U.N. High Commission for Refugees.

Jennifer Delaney, the U.S. director for Global Action for Children, expressed gratitude for the donation, and told the Associated Press: "Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt not only care, but more important, are taking concrete action to address the fact that there will be 20 million children orphaned by AIDS by 2010, and millions more orphaned by tuberculosis, malaria and conflict or whose parents are sick and dying."

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Matt LeBlanc's Divorce Finalized

Former Friends star Matt LeBlanc and his wife of three years, Melissa McKnight, finalized their divorce Wednesday, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE.

LeBlanc and McKnight will share joint and legal custody over their 2-year-old daughter, Marina (who has suffered from a brain disorder). He will provide $15,000 a month for child support until she turns 18. LeBlanc will also cover 100 percent of Marina's medical and nanny costs and school tuition.

Both LeBlanc and McKnight waive all claims for spousal support.

The couple separated last January, when LeBlanc, 39, unexpectedly announced he was moving out of the Encino, Calif., home he shared with McKnight, 41, their daughter and McKnight's two children from a previous marriage.

"It was very sudden," McKnight's longtime friend Kelly Phillips told PEOPLE at the time. "She was absolutely blindsided by what transpired."

Citing "irreconcilable differences," LeBlanc filed for divorce in March. "The dissolution is amicable," his publicist Joe Libonati said in a statement. "They remain devoted parents and friends."

Shortly thereafter, PEOPLE reported that LeBlanc had been involved with Joey costar Andrea Anders, 31. Although the new couple are still together, the show didn't fare as well; it was cancelled in May.

LeBlanc and McKnight, a former model, were originally introduced in 1997 by actor Lou Diamond Phillips and his wife, Kelly. After a five-year engagement, they were married on May 3, 2003, in Hawaii in front of 75 guests that included former costars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox and Lisa Kudrow.

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Kate & Owen (Sort Of) Go Public

It's no longer a secret: Kate Hudson and Owen Wilson are definitely out and about and having a fun time together.

Hudson, who separated from Chris Robinson in August, and Wilson are keeping a relatively low profile – but are spending more time together in the public eye, PEOPLE reports in its new issue.

On Sunday, Wilson visited Hudson and pals at her Pacific Palisades, Calif. house. Then, later that evening, the two shared a patio booth at the Polo Lounge in the Beverly Hills Hotel, where they ordered drinks and, at one point, requested that a bamboo divider be placed around their table for privacy.

The You, Me and Dupree costars had also been spotted the week before in Hawaii, where Hudson, 27, was vacationing with son Ryder, 2. Wilson, 37, stayed at a home nearby, and the pair shared a dinner on Sept. 7 with friends at Longhi’s restaurant.

"The chemistry between (Hudson and Wilson), the electricity, was palpable," an onlooker tells PEOPLE. "They really looked into each other, despite the fact that they were among other people."

Wilson’s rep, who previously denied reports of a romance, now has "no comment on his personal life."

But, says a witness at the Polo Lounge, their enjoyment of each other is perfectly clear: Hudson couldn't stop smiling at Wilson all night.

Hudson and Wilson's willingness to be seen out together is a change from last month, when the actress skipped the Aug. 22 London premiere of Dupree and Wilson ended up promoting the film without his costar.

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Mira Sorvino Speaks to Congress on Darfur

Mira Sorvino urged Congress on Wednesday to back sending United Nations peacekeepers into Darfur and establish a no-fly zone banning Sudanese military flights over the war-torn province.

Sorvino, who has spent two years crusading to end the violence in the African region, told a House subcommittee examining the issue, "we stand at a crucial crossroads in the Darfur crisis.

"The U.N. peacekeeping troops must be allowed to take over the mission as planned in October," said Sorvino, a good will ambassador for Amnesty International. "Until that point, the African Union troops must remain and the U.S. should take a leadership role in supplying them and supporting their infrastructure."

Sorvino, a Harvard graduate, said "pregnant women have been slashed in the stomach and killed because they carry 'the child of the enemy.' Children themselves are not immune to extremely cruel forms of killing."

Hundreds of thousands have died and more than two million have been displaced since conflict began in Darfur three years ago. Sorvino said "the situation on the ground worsens every day," with the World Food Program warning that 350,000 people in Northern Darfur will be cut off from food supplies because of the fighting.

"We must stop closing a blind eye to their behavior," Sorvino said of the Sudanese government. "By forgiving them their monstrosities because of their help in the war on terror, we wash our hands in the blood of the innocent.

"We have all chanted, 'Never Again' in response to various mass atrocities that have occurred in the past century," she said. "Unfortunately, 'again' is now."

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Anna's Son: Drug Overdose Not Likely

Authorities in the Bahamas issued a death certificate Wednesday for Anna Nicole Smith's son Daniel, although the cause of death is listed as "pending chemical analysis," Chief Magistrate Roger Gomez said.

Anna Nicole's attorney, Michael Scott, tells the Associated Press that the document will finally allow her to bury her son, who died in his mother's hospital room Sept. 10 while visiting her three days after she gave birth to a baby girl.

Meanwhile, PEOPLE has learned that the preliminary toxicology report performed on Daniel Smith shows only "therapeutic levels" of the antidepressant Lexapro.

The dosage is "nowhere near a toxic range," Cyril Wecht, the pathologist hired by Anna Nicole to perform a second autopsy on her son, tells PEOPLE exclusively.
Still, Wecht said he has not yet ruled out an accidental fatal overdose of drugs because more tests have to be done. The findings are from the initial blood tests taken from Smith in the hospital, not from the coroner's autopsy in the Bahamas or Wecht's own tests – the results of which are expected next week.

Additional tests are also being conducted to check for the sleeping pill Ambien, Wecht told PEOPLE in a telephone interview Thursday.

According to Wecht, Daniel Smith's Los Angeles-based doctor had given him a sample of Ambien, but it is not clear if Smith took the drug. Further tests need to be done to determine if Ambien was in Smith's system.

"There's no reason to believe there's going to be a significant level of Ambien in him," said Wecht. "It is not a powerful drug. You'd have to take a lot of it. It's not the best drug if you want to drive, but putting you to sleep is one thing – killing you is another."

Wecht is also waiting for the results of tests on tissue samples from Smith.

"Everything was ruled out in the major category of drugs," Wecht said of the tests that have already been done. "They tested for tranquilizers, barbiturates, opiates. It would cover almost all the anti-depression, anti-anxiety drugs."

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Ashlee Simpson Preps for Chicago

As she prepares for her West End debut in the musical Chicago, Ashlee Simpson is working out the songs and the steps – but says she doesn't need help getting into her character, Roxie Hart, who lives the highs and lows of celebrity life.

"The play is absolutely all about celebrity and wanting to be famous and having your name in the papers and your picture in the papers," Simpson, 21, tells AP Radio. "And, in that sense, it's been kind of cool, because I've really got to connect to that, because I've seen that world and been in that world."

Roxie, the character Renee Zellweger portrayed in the 2002 Oscar-winning film, is the up-and-coming 1920s performer who dreams of a life on the Vaudeville stage but who ends up on death row for murder. Simpson calls the role "humbling" and says she relates to the notion of having to struggle for success.

"You are not a celebrity when you come here. Everyone is equal, everyone has to work together, so this has been amazing," she says of being part of an ensemble cast. "But, as far as tabloids and whatnot go, I really try to keep my head out of them and try not to read the stories or anything like that, because they are never really true."

Simpson began rehearsals in New York in August. The show opens Monday in London's West End and is scheduled for a five-week engagement, closing Oct. 28.

Ashlee's sister, Jessica, plans to be at the London debut, but don't expect Ashlee to gloat if she gets good reviews. "We're sisters. We've got to be there for each other," she says. "We can have (that with) the other people we're competitive with, but not each other."

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Edward Furlong, Wife Welcome a Son

Terminator 2 actor Edward Furlong and his wife, actress Rachael Bella, welcomed their first child, a boy, in the evening of Sept. 21, their rep, RJ Rousso, confirms exclusively to PEOPLE.

Ethan Page Furlong weighed 7 lbs. 7 oz.

"My baby boy is amazing," Furlong tells PEOPLE.

THe actor, 29, and Bella, 22, married earlier this year. They met while starring in the independent film Jimmy and Judy, now in theatres in select markets.

Next up for Furlong, who made his acting debut in 1991's Terminator 2: Judgment Day and also starred in 1998's American History X: his first television role, on CBS's CSI: NY. Beginning with the Oct. 11 episode, he'll play Shane Casey, a man involved in a case where a serial killer uses the codes and stories found on a series of trendy T-shirts as inspiration for murders.

Bella has appeared on shows including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Boston Public.

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Britney's Bodyguard Watching Over Jude

Recent photos show Jude Law being shadowed by a very familiar bodyguard – Perry Taylor, the very same U.S. Naval Academy graduate who just months ago was a frequent protector to Britney Spears and her son, Sean Preston.

So has Law hired Spears's former bodyguard to protect him? Not exactly.

"While Perry Taylor is a great guy and a thorough professional, he is not working for Jude," a rep for the British star tells PEOPLE exclusively. "He was hired by the studio to work with Jude during the Toronto Film Festival and the New Orleans premiere of All the King's Men.

Taylor was first noticed over the summer when he was spotted multiple times with Spears: He was photographed carrying then 9-month-old Sean Preston and pushing his stroller, as well as picking up groceries and bouquets of flowers.
Rumors spread that the onetime bar bouncer and ski instructor was a "manny" for the pop singer's son, though a source close Spears told PEOPLE in June that wasn't true.

Asked why he was frequently holding the baby, the source said: "He's not her nanny. He's protecting Britney and he's protecting the child."

An officer and a gentleman. Jude Law's in good hands.