Gossip/Celebrity News

[Rasputin]

Brandy Faces Second Lawsuit in Fatal Crash

A second wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against R&B singer Brandy stemming from her fatal car accident in December, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE.

It was filed on behalf of two boys whose mother, Awatef Aboudihaj, was killed in the freeway crash that police say was triggered by Brandy in Los Angeles on Dec. 30.

Paul Philips, an attorney for the boys, Mrwan Mohamed, 14, and Kareem Mohamed, 10, said they are suing for an undisclosed amount, "but this is a priceless case to these kids who've lost their mother. These boys don't even quite understand their loss yet."

Brandy's rep previously said in a statement: "The accident was a terrible tragedy and Brandy's heart goes out to Aboudihaj's family."

The L.A. City Attorney's office is still deciding whether to formally charge the singer, whose full name is Brandy Norwood, with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter, which was recommended by investigators on the case.

If charged and convicted, Brandy, 28, faces up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

On Jan. 30, Aboudihaj's parents, who reside in Morocco, filed a $50 million wrongful death lawsuit against Brandy, claiming that she was "driving recklessly."

[Rasputin]

Kim Kardashian Sues Over Sex Tape

Kim Kardashian filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Vivid Entertainment over the distribution of a sex tape she made with her former boyfriend, R&B singer Willie "Ray J" Norwood.

Kardashian, 26, a pal of Paris Hilton and daughter of O.J. Simpson attorney Robert Kardashian, is asking for unspecified damages, attorney fees and all profits from the sale of the tape, according to the L.A. Superior Court lawsuit.

"This tape, which was made three years ago, and was meant to be something private between myself and my then-boyfriend is extremely hurtful not only to me, but to my family as well," Kardashian said in a statement to PEOPLE. "I am filing legal charges against the company who is distributing this tape since it is being sold completely without my permission or consent."

The video was made during Kardashian's three-year relationship with Ray J, 26, which ended in 2005. Ray J, the brother of singer Brandy, is not named as a defendant, nor is he a plaintiff in the suit.

Vivid Entertainment, a major producer of adult films, said it had purchased the sex tape for $1 million from a third party but did not identify the person or entity. The video will be released in stores and on the Internet Feb. 28.

"We are comfortable that we have the legal right to distribute this video, despite what others may say," says Vivid cochairman Steven Hirsch. "We have been around for 20 years and if we didn't feel comfortable putting it out, we wouldn't. We would like Kim and Ray J to be a part of it and hopefully we can work that out."

[Rasputin]

A Son for Brad Paisley & Kimberly Williams

Country star Brad Paisley and his wife, actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley, welcomed a son in Nashville on Thursday, their rep tells PEOPLE.

The couple's first child was born at 5 a.m. and "mother and baby are resting comfortably," says publicist Michelle Bega.

Paisley, 34, and Williams-Paisley, 36, married in March 2003 in Los Angeles.

Williams stars on ABC's According to Jim and appeared in the movies Father of the Bride and How to Eat Fried Worms.

Paisley released his latest album, Time Well Wasted, last year and is now touring the United States.

[Rasputin]

Idol Scandal: Antonella Barba's Sexy Photos Leaked

She made it through the first round of cuts on Thursday's Idol, but Point Pleasant, N.J., native Antonella Barba has another hurdle to overcome. Scandalous photos of the 20-year-old have been leaked on the Web. Though some of them are relatively innocent, others are far more salacious. (Since we're a family publication, we're not posting these photos ourselves – but they're not difficult to find with a quick Google search.).

Ironically, best friend Amanda Coluccio, who auditioned with Barba and was cut during Hollywood week, tells PEOPLE in its new issue that Barba will "represent New Jersey in a classy way."

The question is: Could this photo scandal disqualify the doe-eyed college student from the competition a la season 2 finalist Frenchie Davis, who was ousted after topless photos of her emerged on a porn Web site? FOX declined to comment on the matter.

[Rasputin]

Sharon Stone's Instinct 'Wins' 4 Razzies

Last year's stalled Sharon Stone vehicle Basic Instinct 2 ran into a brick wall on Oscar eve, with the failed follow-up to the 1992 original named worst picture by the Golden Raspberry Award Foundation.

The group, dispensing its 27th annual Razzies, also named Stone worst actress of 2006, and "honored" the movie for worst screenplay and as worst prequel or sequel.

In a strictly casual ceremony Saturday night at Hollywood's Ivar Theater, within spitting distance of the Kodak Theatre (home to the Oscars), the Wayans Brothers' comedic misstep, Little Man, won three Razzies, including worst screen couple for Shawn and Marlon Wayans.

M. Night Shyamalan was named worst director and worst supporting actor for his attempted thriller Lady in the Water.

Carmen Electra took the worst supporting actress prize for her role in Scary Movie 4, while Robin Williams inaugurated a new category: worst excuse for family entertainment.

That distinction went to the veteran comedian's vehicle RV, which Razzies creator John Wilson termed "a road apple of a road movie."

[Rasputin]

Kevin Federline Visits Britney Spears in Rehab

Kevin Federline visited his estranged wife, Britney Spears, in rehab on Friday, PEOPLE has learned.

Spears, 25, is currently being treated at Promises in Malibu. A source familiar with the situation says Federline, 28, has been involved in her stay there. "He cares a lot about her," the source said.

Federline stopped by the facility on Friday and stayed about an hour and a half.

On Thursday, Spears's father, Jamie Spears, 54, told FOX News from his home in Louisiana that his daughter is "a sick little girl. ... We're just trying to take care of her."

He added that his daughter's problems are "not about what other people think" and that he and Spears's mom, Lynne, are "concerned about our daughter."

However, reports that Spears is on "suicide watch" are false, her manager Larry Rudolph told Extra on Friday.

"The story is absolutely untrue. She is in rehab, and it is very disappointing that various media outlets are running these false stories about her, as Britney tries to get better," Rudolph said.

Meanwhile, Federline is anxious about his wife's condition – and about the couple's two sons.

"Britney scared everyone pretty bad. Kevin is worried that's for sure," a source close to Federline tells PEOPLE. "Kevin just wants her to be OK. He loves her, so however she can get better is just what we'll have to accept. [They] will make it work with the kids – it's all still for them."

One person who agrees that Federline has Spears's best interests at heart is her childhood friend and first husband, Jason Alexander, whom the pop star wed in Las Vegas in 2004 (their marriage was annulled 55 hours later).

Federline is "a good dude," Alexander, 25, told PEOPLE on Tuesday, the day before Spears checked out of the Promises rehab center after a one-day stay. "I know he takes care of those kids."

Alexander, who in November called Federline "an idiot," now thinks Spears's estranged husband "just got caught up and manipulated," he says. "Maybe getting Kevin out of her life wasn't the best thing for her."

[Rasputin]

Ellen: 'I Was Scared to Death'

Ellen DeGeneres may have told PEOPLE she was "not at all" nervous about hosting the Oscars, but when the big night rolled around, she tearfully admitted Monday, she was "scared to death."

On her talk show's post-Oscar special, DeGeneres played her video diary from Sunday night, which wrapped up with stars from Beyoncé Knowles to Kate Winslet praising her job as host.

After the montage, a teary DeGeneres told her cheering audience, "I'm crying for many reasons. I'm tired, so I'm emotional ... [but hosting the Oscars] represented so many things to me. It represented that people believed in me, they took a chance in me to hold something like that together, that people would want to see me."

She went on to say that hosting the show "was hard. It was harder than I thought and I was scared to death. I didn't know how I would do. ... You know, you have confidence at the same time as you have insecurities."

Although reviews of her performance have been mixed so far, DeGeneres said, "It was an incredible experience."

[Rasputin]

Victoria Beckham: Reality Show Star?

Victoria Beckham is in talks to appear in her own reality TV show, sources close to the former Posh Spice have confirmed to PEOPLE.

"No decision has been made yet but it will be coming very soon," says the source, who is close to Victoria and her husband, soccer star David Beckham.

Though the details of the program have not been finalized, the source says Victoria is discussing starring in a primetime show about her life and work on NBC.

NBC had no comment when reached by PEOPLE.

According to the source close to Victoria, the show, rumors of which have been circulating for weeks, "is more about Victoria and her work rather than her children or husband. David is busy with his team in Spain and ongoing work on his soccer academy."

The program would primarily revolve around Victoria's fashion business, DVBStyle and her impending move to America with her husband and children.

"It's not going to be like The Osbournes," adds the source. "But everyone will be pretty amazed at the TV show. It will be so different."

Both Victoria, 32, and husband David, 31, are heavily involved in launching their respective careers in the U.S this year. The couple is expected to move from their home in Madrid to Los Angeles in mid-July – with sons Brooklyn, 7, Romeo, 4 and Cruz, 2 – prior to David hitting the soccer field for the L.A. Galaxy team. (Beckham's five-year team contract with the team was announced in January.)

Although Victoria is more commonly known for her silent pout than comedy routines, a family friend insists viewers will be stunned by her non-Posh personality.

"She has a fantastic sense of humor," says the friend. "It is pretty dry, she isn't into practical jokes but what most people probably don't realize is that Victoria laughs at herself and doesn't take herself seriously."

[Rasputin]

Nick Cannon & Selita Ebanks: So In Love

Nick Cannon has been touched by an angel – Victoria's Secret Angel Selita Ebanks, that is.

"Selita's amazing," the Roll Bounce star told PEOPLE at the Vanity Fair Oscar party on Sunday. "She changed me – I'm no longer a player. She changed everything."

Cannon, 26, and Ebanks, 24 (and a PEOPLE.com video diarist!), met "a while back," Ebanks says, but a source close to Cannon says things only heated up between them in late January, when they ran into each other at a Super Bowl pre-party in Miami.

Though Ebanks jokes that she had to "clean up" Cannon's act, he's "made me the happiest I've ever been," she told PEOPLE at the launch of the Secret Embrace bra in New York City on Wednesday.

Still, she's quick to clear up rumors that they got married in a quickie Las Vegas ceremony last month.

"I'm not married," she said. "We're just two young people and we're happy. I laugh a lot and he laughs a lot and I think that's what's important. I support him and he supports me."

He may soon be able to offer support in the form of acting advice: Ebanks is in talks to star in the HBO comedy pilot Whitney, about a clique of female friends in Miami.

[Rasputin]

EXCLUSIVE: Chris Rock, Wife Say Their Marriage Is Solid

Despite a recent story in the New York Daily News that their marriage was in trouble, Chris Rock and wife Malaak are fine, they tell PEOPLE in an exclusive statement.

"Though we have tried in the past to take the high road and not comment on the tabloid media, we find it necessary to express on record how unfortunate it is that the Daily News, specifically, and other tabloid outlets have chosen to print untrue rumors and lies about our family and marriage," the comic, 42, and his wife, 37, said in a statement.

"It is extremely hurtful to us, our children, and our extended family. We remain, as always, very happy and committed to our marriage and the beautiful family that we have built."

In November, TMZ.com reported that Rock had begun divorce proceedings. And on Thursday, the Daily News claimed that some sources were saying Rock's upcoming movie, I Think I Love My Wife, hit close to home: In it, Rock plays a married man tempted by a beautiful woman (Ray star Kerry Washington).

Rock's rep told the paper, "Everything is fine at home for the Rocks."

Rock and the former Malaak Compton wed on Nov. 23, 1996. They have two daughters: Lola Simone, 4, and Zahra Savannah, 2. The family appeared on Wednesday's episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show, and Rock told Winfrey: "Now that I have children, I realize taking care of my children is more fun than anything in the whole world."

The couple met in 1994 when Rock and two friends crashed a New York City awards show. "She's changed me," Rock told Ebony in 1997. "She's really calmed me down and centered my life."

Malaak Rock is founder and executive director of styleWORKS, a non-profit organization that provides grooming services and image consulting for women moving from welfare to work. She was previously manager of special events and celebrity relations for UNICEF.

[Rasputin]

Brooke Shields Willing to Help Britney Spears

Brooke Shields is reaching out to Britney Spears, who is currently in rehab.

"I hope she's fine," Shields, 41, tells TV's Access Hollywood in an interview to air Monday. "I believe she's going to be fine, and she just needs the support and her kids. She's their only mom, and she'll earn that back in her own mind."

Shields, who suffered postpartum depression after the birth of her first child, says that if Spears – mom to Sean Preston, 18 months, and Jayden James, 6 months – is suffering from the condition as some have speculated, "then it really needs to be reckoned with, and it's very common, and she'll get through it."

Shields, the mother of two daughters, Rowan, 3, and 10-month-old Grier, wrote the book Down Came the Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression detailing her experience and how she overcame it.

"If [Britney] is reading my book," Shields adds, "I hope it's helping her. If it's not, and she wants to talk to someone, I'm available."

Shields, who like Spears has been a public figure since she was a child, says the constant pressure of being in the media spotlight may have contributed to the singer's trouble. "[She is] followed every moment of her life, and she's documented every minute of her life."

[Rasputin]

Nicole Richie Treated for Dehydration

Nicole Richie was briefly hospitalized for dehydration Friday after falling ill while filming The Simple Life.

According to E! Online, Richie, 25, was examined by a doctor on the set of the E! reality series and then taken to a nearby hospital.

She was given intravenous fluids for 15 minutes and then released.

"Nicole is home resting and will return to work this evening," her rep said in a statement. "We are proud of the weight that Nicole is gaining and her focus on her health."

Richie announced in October that she seeking treatment for what her rep described as an inability to put on weight.

"She is working with a team of doctors and specialists whose focus is nutrition," her rep told PEOPLE in a statement. "It is important to Nicole that she achieves this goal in a healthy way as this is not a treatment for an eating disorder."

A month later, friends said they saw an improvement, with one source close to Richie telling PEOPLE, "She has [put on] at least 5 lbs. She wants to prove she's trying to change."

The upcoming season of The Simple Life, the show's fifth, features Richie and Paris Hilton working as camp counselors, according to E!

[Rasputin]

Gwyneth Paltrow Reveals Her Kids' Famous Friends

Gwyneth Paltrow says she and her fellow celeb moms often get together for what are surely the world's most stylish play dates.

"I have friends like Stella McCartney or Madonna, and very often our children get together to play," Paltrow, 34, tells Spanish Vogue. "Although usually we leave them in bed and stay to drink a glass of wine."

The actress and husband Chris Martin are parents to Apple, who turns 3 in May, and 11-month-old Moses.

Madonna and Guy Ritchie have Lourdes, 10, and Rocco, 6, and are in the process of adopting David, 17 months; and McCartney and husband Alasdhair Willis have a son, Miller, 2, and a 3-month-old daughter, Bailey.

Paltrow took the last few years off of making movies to focus on raising her kids, and recently called being a housewife "amazing."

And she still has a sense of awe when it comes to her children. "When I look at my daughter's skin, it's the most beautiful and perfect in the world," she tells the magazine.

"You lose that with age, of course. But as you grow older you gain character, wisdom and beauty in your soul. A mature woman knows herself, and that is sexy."

Although she's said she's looking forward to going back to work, she'll always enjoy being at home with her kids and her Coldplay frontman husband. "The house is always full of music," she says, "whether it is Chris playing or not, and the children love it."

[Rasputin]

Official: Angelina Jolie Files to Adopt in Vietnam

Angelina Jolie has filed papers to adopt a child in Vietnam, the country's top adoption official said Friday.

According to the Associated Press, the director of Vietnam's International Adoption Agency said an American adoption agency representing Jolie had submitted the paperwork.

"She just filed the papers this week," Vu Duc Long said.

However, a source close to the actress tells PEOPLE, "The process began shortly after Shiloh was born."

The source adds: "It has been a long process and she is now simply waiting for further information."

Vietnam has one of the most complex and thorough processes in the world, the source explains, as a large number of reports must be created by Vietnamese authorities, background checks are undertaken, interviews are conducted and many meetings need to occur.

"That process could take a long time to unfold," says the source, "and while it is wonderful that people are excited about it, the news that papers have been filed is only the beginning of a very comprehensive and detailed process."

In addition to 9-month-old Shiloh, Jolie, 31, and Brad Pitt, 43, are parents to son Maddox, 5, and daughters Zahara, 2.

Jolie said in December that she wanted more kids. "I'd like to add many more children and many more obstacles and many more things to my life," she told reporters while promoting her movie The Good Shepherd.

And Pitt told PEOPLE in January that he and Jolie were hoping to expand their family. "Always, of course," he said. "We'll let you know when we get there."

The globe-trotting couple spent Thanksgiving in Vietnam, taking a self-guided tour of Ho Chi Minh City, dining at a popular local restaurant converted from an old temple and later cruising around the former Saigon on a motorcycle.

Asked by a local newspaper how he felt about traveling the busy streets, Pitt replied, "There will be no problem," adding, "We had a wonderful day in Vietnam."

Jolie traveled to Vietnam again in January for a meeting about the Maddox Jolie-Pitt Project, her charity aiding her son's native country of Cambodia.

[Rasputin]

Elizabeth Hurley, Arun Nayar Wed

Elizabeth Hurley and Arun Nayar tied the knot Friday in a civil ceremony at a castle in England, and on Saturday said their vows in a religious service at the same castle.

The actress and swimwear-company boss, 41, and the Indian businessman, 42, officially wed Friday at Sudeley Castle in Winchcombe, 125 miles west of London, Gloucestershire County Council confirmed to the Associated Press.

At the religious service on Saturday, guests included Elton John (who arrived by helicopter, stepping out in a blue-and-white tracksuit) and husband David Furnish, Elle Macpherson, Eva Herzigova, Yasmin Le Bon, designer Valentino, Prince Pavlos of Greece, shoe designer Patrick Cox, style guru Trinny Woodhall, Jimmy Choo president Tamara Mellon and actress Patsy Kensit.

Hurley's 4-year-old son, Damian, was chauffered to the castle in a Bentley.

A guest tells PEOPLE that John gave Hurley away at the service, which was to open with the hymn "Praise My Soul." Bride and groom and the entire bridal party were outfitted in Versace, and the rings were by Chopard.

The Rev. John Partington, who conducted the religious service, told PEOPLE early Saturday that, like many modern brides, Hurley would not promise to obey Nayar. Instead, she would likely vow to "love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health."

"They had a choice of using contemporary language or old-fashioned language and they have chosen the old-fashioned language," Partington said.

Today's festivities will be followed by a week of celebrations and a ceremony in India, according to reports in the British press.

Hurley and Nayar, an England-raised textile heir and CEO of a software company, have dated since 2003. Nayar was previously married to Italian model Valentina Pedroni; Hurley, who dated Hugh Grant for 10 years, had Damian with film producer Steve Bing.

Hurley recently told German Vanity Fair that she and Nayar met through mutual friends, a couple who were worried about her after her split from Bing. "They said they had a very nice friend, very good-looking, who just separated from his wife."

They been together ever since, she said, and Damian calls him Papa.

When the couple are in England they are mainly based at the 400-acre farm in Gloucestershire that Hurley bought in 2003. Country life, Nayar told PEOPLE in 2005, agrees with them: "I'll take Damian out on the tractor while Elizabeth cooks," he said. "It's a bit like the Waltons."