Gossip/Celebrity News

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Amanda Peet's Pre-Wedding Jitters

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip actress Amanda Peet, who is set to marry Troy screenwriter David Benioff this weekend, is having some pre-wedding jitters, she says.

In an appearance Wednesday night on the Late Show with David Letterman, Peet admitted, "I think I've been pretty mellow, but recently I've been having recurring nightmares about, not the ceremony, but the party. They're sort of adolescent fears of just being lame, having a lame party."

Asked to describe her nightmares, the actress told Letterman, "I go to the bathroom and I come back to the party and everyone is gone except for a few distant uncles of David's left."

Peet, who is expecting her first child with Benioff, said she's four months pregnant and that her growing figure has earned her the nickname "Fatty" on the Studio 60 set.

"See, that's not right," answered Letterman. "That's just not right."

But Peet doesn't seem to mind: "I think it's really funny," she replied.

She also said she and Benioff don't know the gender of their baby, although she added, "I do want to know."

Peet, 34, and Benioff, 36, announced their engagement in July 2005. They've been dating for four years, Peet told Letterman, and met when "a mutual friend, Peter Blake, fixed us up on a blind date."

Of their early courtship, Peet said, "I thought he was a little cocky. … He made fun of my thumbs."

"What's wrong with them?" asked Letterman.

"Don't zoom in, please!" Peet said, as she showed the talk-show host her thumb. "My dad has those hammer thumbs. The nail is a sliver and the rest is a big, fat thumb."

When Letterman told her, "There is nothing wrong with your thumb," Peet joked, "Well, maybe I should have married you!"

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WEEK AHEAD: Lost Returns!

The mystery thickens as Jack and his crew try to escape the clutches of The Others on the third season premiere of ABC's hit, Lost. PEOPLE takes a look at the return to castaway island, plus other events TV premieres to watch for in the coming week:

SUNDAY, OCT. 1 Chris Rock will yet again add his rapid-fire comedic delivery as the narrator (and producer) of another season of Everybody Hates Chris, now on The CW. This time around, Whoopi Goldberg moves onto the block as Chris (Tyler James Williams) suffers through more than his share of teen angst – and tries to navigate the waters of his hilarious family. (7 p.m. ET)

MONDAY, OCT. 2: Once he was a Backstreet Boy and now Nick Carter is entering the reality TV fray with his E! show House of Carters. The premise: The singer recruits his four siblings (brother Aaron and their three sisters) to move into a house together and help them as they pursue their goals. (9 p.m. ET)

Cue the Prince Charming quips. On The Bachelor – Rome, some lucky lady will find hers. Okay, she'll meet Italian Prince Lorenzo Borghese – this year's bachelor in question – but close enough. The cosmetics executive will have his pick of 25 ladies in romantic Rome. And if his princely pedigree doesn't impress, perhaps they'll be wowed when taking in the city's sights. (ABC, 9 p.m. ET)

TUESDAY, OCT. 3: Season 3 of Veronica Mars gets geared up as Veronica (Kristen Bell) begins college – and makes her presence known to her classmates. The super-sleuth has a formidable task as she becomes a coed: tracking down a serial rapist on campus. (9 p.m. ET).

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 4: With Jack (Matthew Fox), Kate (Evangeline Lilly) and Sawyer (Josh Holloway) at the mercy of The Others, what will happen to them? As the third season of Lost kicks off, we find out the answers to that, plus other mysteries awaiting the castaways. (ABC, 9 p.m. ET)

NEW THIS WEEK:
• Movies (now in theaters): The Guardian, starring Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher; Open Season, voiced by Ashton Kutcher, Martin Lawrence and Debra Messing; School for Scoundrels, starring Billy Bob Thornton, Jon Heder and Jacinda Barrett; The Last King of Scotland (limited), starring Forest Whitaker, James McAvoy and Gillian Anderson
•Music (in stores Tuesday): Trey Anastasio, Bar 17; Beck, The Information; Lindsay Buckingham, Under the Skin; The Decemberists, The Crane Wife; Evanescence, The Open Door; The Dears, Gang of Losers; Jet, Shine On; Killers, Sam's Town; Gladys Knight, Before Me; Diana Ross, I Love You
•DVDs (in stores Tuesday): The Little Mermaid – Two Disc Special Edition; X-Men – The Last Stand (Widescreen Edition); Thank You For Smoking; Medium – The Complete Second Season; Humphrey Bogart – The Signature Collection, Vol. 2

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Too Thin? PEOPLE Readers Respond

This week's PEOPLE's cover story explores the salient – and controversial – topic about the increasing pressure to be thin. PEOPLE's story investigates how the fashion world and Hollywood have reacted, or contributed to, this growing problem.

On Friday, PEOPLE.com opened the discussion to readers, inviting them to share their thoughts on the "thin debate," and also to weigh in specifically on who might be responsible for creating these standards of beauty to which many women feel forced to adhere. Within several hours, there were more than 100 comments with a wide range of perspectives.

"Honestly, it's frightening," a reader, Lucy, writes in. "I am not judging anyone that is going through it. I just hope they can find some help or realize that it is not healthy. It seems they want to please others instead of themselves."

Other readers shared personal anecdotes: "I've struggled all my life to lose weight," Jo wrote. "I've probably lost over 500 lbs in my 53 years and gained back most of it. Celebrities can afford personal trainers and chefs, so I am surprised to read that drugs and cigarettes play a part in their dieting efforts." And other readers shared similarly personal stories about having children with eating disorders and how that affected their lives.

Some viewed the source of the problem as stemming from outside of Hollywood. Some felt the media was to blame for continuing to spread these expectations for women. "I really can understand this," Megan, a reader, wrote. "The media doesn't help – remember a few months back when those bikini pics of Reese were all over the web and everyone was saying she looked pregnant or maybe "just fat"? Can you even imagine what that would be like for someone?"

Meanwhile, some commented that these issues were societal and, as such, could not be blamed on solely one cause. "Society as a whole is putting the pressure to be thin on young people, especially women," Kara wrote. "I teach school in Arkansas and in the last two years numerous laws about what kids can and cannot eat in school have been passed."

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Amanda Peet Weds Screenwriter Beau

Actress Amanda Peet and screenwriter David Benioff were married in New York City on Saturday evening, PEOPLE has learned.

The bride and groom exchanged vows in a ceremony held at the actress's alma mater, Friends Seminary, a Quaker school founded in 1786.

Among the guests at the event were actor Mark Ruffalo and his wife Sunrise, actress Elizabeth Berkley and her artist husband Greg Lauren.

"It was amazing and as extraordinary as she is," Berkley told PEOPLE after the ceremony.

"It was beautiful," Ruffalo said.

Peet, 34, who appears in the new NBC drama Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, and Benioff, 36, who wrote the screenplays for 25th Hour and Troy, are expecting a child together, Peet's rep, Stephen Huvane, told PEOPLE earlier this month.

In a Sept. 27 appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman, Peet said she was four months pregnant.

The couple, who dated for four years, announced their engagement in July 2005.

This spring, Peet was on Broadway playing complaining newlywed Corie Bratter in a revival of the Neil Simon comedy "Barefoot in the Park." Asked by PEOPLE how the role might affect her approach to marriage, she said, "Maybe I'll be less of a drama queen. Now when I try to pick a fight with my fiancé, he's like, 'Corie Bratter!' It's awful."

Peet has appeared in movies including Syriana, The Whole Ten Yards and Something's Gotta Give. Benioff has four films – The Kite Runner, Alpha, Ender's Game and Wolverine – due out in the next two years.

The marriage is the first for the New York City natives.

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Elizabeth Vargas Balances Work & Motherhood

Elizabeth Vargas didn't get much rest during her maternity leave: Since giving birth August 16, she's been caring for newborn Samuel Wyatt, while trying to keep son Zachary, 3, happy as well.

"That mantra 'sleep when the baby sleeps', doesn't work when you have a three year old," Vargas, 44, tells PEOPLE. "I'm still struggling to find enough time to give Zachary all the TLC he deserves when I'm up around the clock nursing the baby."

Although Vargas says her son has struggled with the new addition to the family, "he talks all the time about the things he's going to teach him – how to ride a bike and build blocks," she says. "My husband (Grammy-winning singer Marc Cohn, 47) and I have to continually remind Zachary that it takes a long time for a baby to be able to do anything fun. They're kind of blob like for awhile."

And that blob needs constant attention. "Samuel has a very sensitive tummy and a little bit of colic," says Vargas. "I know they outgrow it, but there's nothing more heartbreaking than watching your newborn cry and scream in pain."

One of the biggest hurdles though is lack of sleep – as most new parents know. "I haven't slept more than 90 minutes at a time in a month – I'm practically hallucinating," says Vargas.

Still in terms of her body, she says she's feeling better and anxious to fit into her old pre-baby clothes. "Even though (my) body still isn't back to normal – and shouldn't be if you're nursing, to be honest – I feel much more like myself. I'm looking forward to being able to squeeze back into all my old clothes at some point."

Vargas took 10 weeks leave from her job at ABC, but that's not to say she hasn't been working. "I am on the phone several times a week planning and booking stories and I start shooting some interviews in October. My first night back we have a major project airing."

The topic is something Vargas knows a thing or two about. "We have decided to address the issue of whether or not working mothers can have it all," she says. "Obviously, I'm exhibit A for: you can't. At least, not if "all" is defined as anchoring World News Tonight."

Indeed, Vargas has become an unwitting poster-woman for working moms. Though she scored the job of ABC co-anchor opposite Bob Woodruff just last August, Vargas discovered she was pregnant this February, one month after Woodruff was seriously injured on assignment in Iraq. With the anchor lineup forced to change, ABC offered Vargas the chance to anchor 20/20, and handed the World News job to Charles Gibson.

"Anchoring World News Tonight is a tremendously demanding job and there is a very little flexibility," says Vargas. "In order to do that job, you're talking 13-15 hours days, five days a week, sometimes seven days."

Though she worked on that schedule for a year and a half, Vargas didn't want try that routine with a newborn. "Zachary paid a price for that. He struggled with my absence," she says of her toddler. "When your child cries because you have to leave or you're not home, it's hard to ask him to understand that mommy's career is more important."

Despite the step back, Vargas insists she isn't stepping down. "Samuel and Zachary will get older and I fully intend to work as hard as I can to get another opportunity to anchor a daily broadcast," she says. "I hope I get that chance. I think I proved myself – I just couldn't do it now."

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Isaac Hanson Weds Longtime Girlfriend

Isaac Hanson of the pop group Hanson married his longtime girlfriend, Nicole Dufresne, on Saturday in Oklahoma, PEOPLE has learned exclusively.

The groom, 25, and bride, 22, wed in a traditional ceremony at the Philbrook Museum of Art in Hanson's hometown of Tulsa.

The music group Hanson, which includes brothers Taylor, 23, and Zac, 20, rose to fame during the summer of 1997, thanks to their hit single "MMMBop." The trio returned in 2004 for a Carnegie Hall concert that was part of a three-month international acoustic tour to support the release of their CD Underneath.

As the oldest of thr group, Isaac was the last to marry. Middle brother Taylor, who wed in 2002, welcomed a third child with his wife Natalie in September. The youngest of the group, Zac, married his longtime girlfriend, Kate Tucker, in June.

According to the band's Web site, they are now are wrapping up their fourth studio album, set to bow early next year.

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Former Rep. Mark Foley Enters Rehab

Following his abrupt resignation on Friday and a current FBI investigation into his alleged sexually explicit communications with underage Congressional pages, former Representative Mark Foley of Florida has checked himself into a rehab facility, according to his attorney, David Roth.

Roth, who would not name the treatment center but said the ex-legislator was admitted over the weekend, gave the Associated Press a statement from Foley, saying, "I strongly believe that I am an alcoholic and have accepted the need for immediate treatment for alcoholism and other behavioral problems."

In the statement, Foley said that recent events had "crystallized recognition of my long-standing and significant alcoholism and emotional difficulties. I deeply regret and accept full responsibility for the harm I have caused."

The FBI "is conducting an assessment to see if there's been a violation of federal law" regarding Foley's alleged exchanges with minors, says bureau spokesman Richard Kolko. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is also conducting its own probe as "a precursor to a possible criminal investigation," said spokesman Tom Berlinger.

Among the exchanges between Foley (who was identified as using his initials and birth year of 1954 in his Maf54 screen name) and a 16-year-old page was Maf54's advise that the teen "strip down," reports ABC News.

In another, Maf54 responds that he'd "love to slip them off of you" when told the teen is wearing a T-shirt and shorts.

Foley, a Republican, represented the largely GOP West Palm Beach district.

Another looming issue in the scandal is how widespread was knowledge of Foley's behavior. In a Monday briefing with reporters, White House spokesman Tony Snow said, "The House has to clean up the mess, to the extent there is a mess."

Democrats have questioned whether the GOP leadership, including House Speaker Dennis Hastert, tried to protect Foley's House seat during an election year at the expense of the well-being of teenage pages.

On Monday Hastert issued a statement, saying he's "outraged and disgusted with Congressman Mark Foley's actions."

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Bobby Brown Warned Over Child Support

A judge in Massachusetts added to Bobby Brown's troubles on Monday, ordering him arrested if he steps foot in the state, after Brown skipped a court hearing over delinquent child-support payments to Kim Ward, the mother of two of his children.

In explaining his absence in court, Brown's lawyer, Phaedra Parks, told the judge it was a "very difficult time" for Brown, whose wife, Whitney Houston, is divorcing him – but the judge said that was no excuse, the Associated Press reports.

"The media is very aware of this very public divorce that's going on right now," Parks told Judge Paula Carey, who shot back: "Whether or not he's going through a divorce doesn't negate the fact that he still owes child support relative to his two children that he had prior to his marriage," she said.

Ward claims that Brown currently owes two months' support, or $11,000.

Brown, 37, has a history of legal problems involving child-support payments to Ward. In June 2005 and June 2004 he faced arrest after missing payments; in both cases he finally paid up. He was jailed for a day in March 2004 after missing several payments, which he also eventually made.

Houston, 43, filed for legal separation from Brown last month. They were married for 14 years and have one daughter, Bobbi Kristina, 13. Brown told PEOPLE last month, "I'm really saddened by the whole situation."

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Jennie Garth, Peter Facinelli Welcome Baby Girl

Former 90210 star Jennie Garth and husband actor Peter Facinelli have welcomed their third child, a baby girl, their rep tells PEOPLE.

Fiona Eve Facinelli was born Saturday at 6:30 a.m. and weighed in at 7 lbs. 8 oz. The girl, who measured 19 inches long, joins sisters Luca Bella, 9, and Lola Ray, 3.

Garth, 34, and Facinelli, 32, married in 2001 in Santa Barbara, Calif.

Facinelli, who starred in the FOX series Fastlane, has already fully embraced his role as dad, telling PEOPLE in 2002, "I can't imagine my life without my daughter. Whenever I have a bad day, I look in Luca's eyes, and it makes it all go away."

[mehdiostad]

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i need it

some of them know as i took them about some datesd

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Katie Couric Slips to No. 3 in Ratings

CBS is putting a brave face on Katie Couric's ratings as the CBS Evening News slipped to third place last week.

The broadcast drew 7.5 million viewers last week, according to Nielsen's preliminary numbers, trailing NBC Nightly News With Brian Williams (8.2 million) for the second straight week and falling behind ABC's World News With Charles Gibson (7.6 million) for the first time since Couric took the CBS anchor chair on Sept. 5, USA Today reports.

Still, on Monday CBS pointed out that Couric's ratings are robust compared with last year, with viewership up some 22 percent.

The former Today show co-anchor made a huge splash in September. Her opening-night broadcast drew an estimated 13.6 million viewers, the show's largest audience in more than eight years, and she led in the ratings among the big three networks for two solid weeks before falling to second place in the third week.

In the decade before Couric left the program, NBC's Today show dominated the morning-news ratings.

Final numbers for last week's evening news are due from Nielsen Tuesday.

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Bradley Cooper & Jennifer Esposito Engaged

Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Esposito are engaged, their rep tells PEOPLE exclusively.

Cooper, 31, and Esposito, 34, have kept their romance low profile. In January at the Warner Bros. and InStyle Golden Globes party, the pair greeted each other with a kiss on the lips. Asked if there was a love connection to report, Esposito told PEOPLE coyly, "I'm not answering that."

Esposito starred in the 2005-06 WB series Related and this year won, along with her costars, a Screen Actors Guild award for best cast in a motion picture for Crash. She had an eight-month romance with Benjamin Bratt from 1996-97 and later dated All My Children actor Cameron Mathison.

Cooper got his big break in 2001, when he joined the cast of Alias, and in 2005 starred in the short-lived FOX sitcom Kitchen Confidential. He also appeared in last summer's Wedding Crashers and performed opposite Julia Roberts on Broadway in Three Days of Rain.

Asked how he impresses women, Cooper, who loves to cook, told PEOPLE last year, "I like to make stuffed calamari with dried currants, prosciutto, goat cheese and leeks, with a homemade tomato sauce. The problem is, when I cook for a date, I get so maniacal, they see my obsessive side."

He's attracted to independent women, he told PEOPLE: "I love a woman who you can go out to a party with and you don't have to worry. She can take care of herself."

This will be the first marriage for both.

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Tori Spelling, Dean McDermott Expecting

Tori Spelling is expecting her first child with actor husband Dean McDermott, sources close to the couple tell PEOPLE.

"They're so excited," a friend of the couple says. "They're so happy."

This will be the Beverly Hills 90210 star's first child, though the 14-week-pregnant Spelling already is stepmom to McDermott’s son, Jack, 8, by ex-wife Mary Jo Eustace.

Spelling, 33, and McDermott, 39, wed in Fiji in May. "The feeling is overwhelming," McDermott told PEOPLE at the time. "We're soul mates."

On their nine-day honeymoon in Fiji, "we're going to make a baby," McDermott said. "We want to have nine kids!" Added Spelling, "He likes to play hockey, so we're going to make a hockey team."

The couple met in the summer of 2005 while in Canada filming the TV movie Mind Over Murder. They were both married at the time – she to actor-writer Charlie Shanian, he to Toronto TV personality Mary Jo Eustace.

This will be Spelling's first child; McDermott has a son, Jack, who turns 8 on Oct. 6, and a 1-year-old adopted daughter with Eustace.

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Rep: Madonna Has Not Adopted

Madonna is in the southern African country of Malawi, where she is launching a series of humanitarian projects to benefit orphans – but despite a statement by a government official, she has not adopted a baby there, her rep says.

"I can confirm Madonna is in Malawi on a private visit," the singer's publicist, Liz Rosenberg, tells PEOPLE. "She is building an orphanage and child care center and is involved in other initiatives geared toward helping children orphaned by AIDS through the Raising Malawi organization. She has not adopted a baby, despite reports that she has."

Malawi government spokesperson Adrina Michiela told reporters on Wednesday that Madonna had chosen a 1-year-old orphan boy to adopt.

Madonna and her husband, director Guy Ritchie, in July denied earlier rumors that they would adopt from Malawi. Their family includes Madonna's daughter Lourdes, 9, and their son Rocco, 5.

In August, Madonna announced her plans to raise at least $3 million for her Malawi projects. "For the last few years – now that I have children and now that I have what I consider to be a better perspective on life – I have felt responsible for the children of the world," she told Time. "I've been doing bits and bobs about it, and I suppose I was looking for a big, big project I could sink my teeth into."

The singer is partnering with developing-world economic guru Jeffrey Sachs in setting up programs in Malawi and has consulted with Bill Clinton about proposals to bring low-cost medicines there. She is also underwriting a documentary about the country's children.