Gossip/Celebrity News

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Brad & Angelina Donate $100K to Daniel Pearl Foundation

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have made a $100,000 donation to the Daniel Pearl Foundation in memory of the American journalist who was kidnapped and eventually killed in Pakistan in February of 2002, PEOPLE has learned exclusively.

The gift, made through the recently formed Jolie-Pitt Foundation, was presented on Tuesday, which would have been the late Wall Street Journal reporter's 43rd birthday.

"On this day our thoughts go out to Danny's family," Pitt and Jolie said in an exclusive statement released by their political advisor, Trevor Neilson, to PEOPLE. "The Daniel Pearl Foundation is celebrating this day, his birthday, with music festivals around the world. The festivals are a great reminder of not just Danny's work as a journalist but of his life and his love of music."

Pitt and Jolie arrived last week in Pune, India, to film the Pearl biopic, A Mighty Heart, based on the book written by the journalist's widow, Mariane Pearl, whom Jolie portrays in the film.

At the time of his death, Pearl was investigating links between the terrorist group Al Qaeda and Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence.

Pitt and Jolie formed their foundation last month in order to give away $2 million, to be evenly divided between the Global Action for Children and Doctors Without Borders, to help families affected by HIV/AIDS and extreme poverty.

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Mel Gibson: I Need to Heal Myself

Speaking at length for the first time about his drunk-driving arrest and anti-Semitic comments this summer, Mel Gibson characterizes those remarks as the "stupid rambling of a drunkard."

"The last thing I want to be is that kind of monster," Gibson tells Diane Sawyer in a two-part interview for ABC's Good Morning America, set to air Thursday and Friday mornings.

Gibson also tells Sawyer he is committed to make amends, according to excerpts of the interview on the show's web site. "What I need to do (is) to heal myself and to be assuring and allay the fears of others and to heal them if they had any heart wounds from something I may have said," Gibson says.

Gibson was pulled over shortly after 2 a.m. on July 28 on the Pacific Coast Highway for speeding. He reportedly made anti-Semitic comments during his arrest, for which he later apologized, calling the remarks "despicable."

In August, he pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of driving with an elevated blood-alcohol level and was sentenced to three years probation.

Sawyer will ask Gibson about alcoholism and drunk driving in Thursday's portion of the GMA interview. On Friday, she will ask him about his anti-Semitic remarks.

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Victoria Beckham: 'I Look Awful Naked'

She may be known for her slim physique, but Victoria Beckham thinks she looks "really awful naked."

Having three children and then losing the baby weight has been tough on her body, Beckham, formerly known as Posh Spice, tells the Australian edition of Harper's Bazaar. "I've got so much saggy skin on my stomach," she says. "I might fit into jeans, but trust me, I look really awful naked."

Beckham, 32, adds that she has "no bum at all," despite her appearance in ads for her new fragrance, which she credits to the magic of retouching.

She also says she got her new, short haircut because "I got sick of those bloody hair extensions."

But these days Beckham is focused on other things besides her looks, such as fashion design and her family – her English soccer-star husband David Beckham and their three sons, Brooklyn, 7, Romeo, 4, and Cruz, 19 months.

Since giving up her music career in 2004, the former Spice Girl has designed jeans and sunglasses, and recently released a fragrance with her husband called Intimately Beckham.

And lately, she's been sharing her passion for fashion with another famous mom: Katie Holmes. The two were spotted together at last week's Chanel show in Paris.

Her family life is strong too, Beckham says, despite rumors two years ago of her husband's infidelity. "We've had a fair amount of c– thrown at us, and it can be very upsetting," she tells Bazaar. "If it doesn't kill you, it makes you stronger. I think we are a very strong family. It's easy to give up, and a lot of people do. We love each other to pieces. You work things out if you really love someone."

Still, all the scrutiny may have soured her a bit on the idea of fame. "Do I wish I could be anonymous?" she says. "Of course. I don't need to feed my ego that way anymore."

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Tara Reid undergoes surgery to reverse bikini "nightmare"

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actress Tara Reid, whose botched breast surgery made her a Hollywood laughingstock two years ago, underwent additional surgery to repair the damage, according to a report in Us Weekly.

In an interview released on Wednesday, the "American Pie" actress told the magazine she had surgery last month to reduce the scarring on her breasts and to even out her stomach after cosmetic surgery in 2004.

Reid unwittingly exposed the disastrous results when she posed for pictures at a November 2004 party and her dress strap fell down.

"I was on Web sites as having the ugliest boob job in the world. I was devastated," Reid, 30, told the magazine.

Reid said the surgery hurt her professionally and personally.

"Guys I was dating would be like, 'What's wrong with them? They look really bad. You know, you should really get them fixed.' So embarrassing, I mean, you definitely had to turn off the lights. And then there was my stomach."

Reid said she had liposuction on her stomach at the same time because she wanted "a six pack."

"But it went all wrong. My stomach became the most ripply, bulgy thing."

She told Us Weekly it took her two years to regain her confidence and trust another cosmetic surgeon to sort out the problems.

"I couldn't wear a bikini. I lost a lot of work. I lost my confidence," she said. "This was a nightmare I lived through."

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"Grey's" Dempsey, Washington Get Physical

Come Emmys season, does a series win extra points if its characters engage in some off-camera drama of their own?

Grey's Anatomy docs Isaiah Washington and Patrick Dempsey--who's no stranger to the on-camera tussle--reportedly threw down Monday, resulting in a temporary halt in production while the two hunky attending physicians cooled off in separate corners.

A source told E! Online TV columnist Kristin Veitch that tensions mounted while the men-masquerading-as-boys were off on location last week shooting a camping sequence. By the time the crew returned to Los Angeles, something was apparently bothering the actors enough to cause a s***mish on the set.

It seems that Washington was prepared to shoot a particular scene Monday and was peeved that his fellow cast mates weren't ready to go. He ended up making a nasty remark to T.R. Knight and Dempsey stepped in on Knight's behalf.

According to the New York Daily News, Washington then grabbed Dempsey by his McDreamy throat and shoved him. Washington told People Wednesday that no punches were thrown.

Not confirming that two of the stars from its biggest hit were engaged in an altercation that turned physical--but not denying it either--ABC has remained mum on the subject.

But all is well now, on the surface at least, back at Seattle Grace. E! Online's source said that Washington and Dempsey both met with the big cheese, executive producer Shonda Rhimes, and proceeded to metaphorically hug it out.

"There was an argument on set," a rep for Dempsey said. "In any close-knit family, sometimes people argue. But everybody made up and went back to work."

Washington's publicist echoed the sentiment, saying in a statement to E! News: "Differences are inevitable. They were aired, resolved, and everyone has moved on."

With their bizarrely good looks intact, luckily.

And as for those outdoorsy scenes that the gentlemen were filming last week, Dempsey told E! Online Sunday (the day before the "incident") that it was good being away with the guys and nice to not have to shave for awhile.

"We have a good time together," the actor, whose wife is expecting the couple's second child, said. "We bonded a little bit, in a good way."

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Anna Nicole Gains Baby Daddy, Loses Lawyer

First, Anna Nicole Smith got committed. Now comes word that Howard K. Stern is certifiable.

The Bahamian Registrar's Office has listed Stern, Smith's longtime legal sidekick turned paramour, as the father of her month-old daughter on the girl's birth certificate.

Per the document, issued from the Nassau office and obtained by several news outlets, Dannielynn Hope Marshall Stern was born Sept. 7 in the private Doctors Hospital on the island of New Providence.

Two last names and neither one is Birkhead? Let the protestations begin.

Last week, paparazzo Larry Birkhead filed suit against the former Playboy Playmate, demanding she and Dannielynn Hope return to California and undergo paternity and drug testing.

In the lawsuit, Birkhead claimed, among other particularly damning accusations, that he was the father of the baby girl, that Smith (whose legal name is Vicky Lynn Marshall) has a methadone addiction facilitated by Stern, that Stern is claiming to be the father for reasons of financial gain, and that the mourning mother fled to the Bahamas to give birth to avoid routine drug testing for her and her daughter.

Birkhead's challenge came in response to Stern's declaration on Larry King Live that he was the "proud father" of Dannielynn.

Two days after the CNN appearance, Stern and Smith held a so-called "commitment ceremony" aboard a private yacht in the Bahamas--though, apparently, it wasn't that private. The couple exchanged vows, but because there was no officiant present, the union was not legal.

The paternity squabble has played out against the backdrop of the death of Smith's 20-year-old son, Daniel. He died Sept. 10 while visiting his mother and newborn sister in the hospital.

Earlier, Michael Scott, another member of Smith's legal entourage who had been her de facto spokesman in the wake of her son's death, announced he had withdrawn as her counsel.

"A disagreement on a commercial transaction made it difficult for us to remain as counsel," Scott told the Associated Press. He was apparently referring to Smith having sold photos of her commitment ceremony to People magazine and the fact that the ceremony was held prior to her making funeral arrangements for Daniel. (Billy Smith, Anna Nicole's ex-husband and Daniel's father, held a memorial service for his son in Texas over the weekend. Anna Nicole did not attend.)

"It was not an amicable parting," Scott told the wire service, adding that there were "strong differences of opinion between myself and Howard over strategies."

Scott said that he notified Smith of his decision to withdraw as her lawyer on Tuesday.

While authorities have yet to officially confirm the cause of Daniel's death, a private pathologist hired by Smith announced last month that the young man died from a lethal combination of methadone and the antidepressants Lexapro and Zoloft.

The Royal Bahamas Police Force is expected to wrap up its international investigation into the death later this week, at which point the findings will be submitted to coroner's officials, who will determine whether a full inquest is necessary.

In the meantime, Smith and Stern remain in the Bahamas, where Daniel's body is currently being held embalmed at a funeral home awaiting burial.

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Katie Holmes: I Have My Wedding Dress

Katie Holmes did a lot of shopping on her recent jaunt around Paris, but there's one item she has crossed off her list – a wedding gown.

"I already have my dress," Holmes, who is engaged to Tom Cruise, told PEOPLE while touring the City of Light.

That didn't stop her from finding plenty of other items to indulge in. The actress, along with pal Victoria Beckham, hit three fashion week shows and did some serious damage at the city's famous shops. "I've been shopping all day," Holmes told PEOPLE on Friday. "They have beautiful things for babies here."

Indeed, the new mom scooped up pink finery at Baby Tuileries – and for Mom, eight pairs of Roger Vivier shoes, which start at $650.

Paris is a special place for Holmes, 27, who accepted Cruise's marriage proposal atop the Eiffel Tower in June 2005. This time, though, she left her fiancé and baby daughter Suri at home in Los Angeles and flew to Paris for a rendezvous with Beckham, who had "suggested a girls' break," according to a friend.

While there she also attended a party for Chanel's Karl Lagerfeld and joined Beckham to visit the showroom of designer Giambattista Valli, where Holmes chose a dress to wear to his show. "She's so tall, but very thin," said a source at Valli. "She fit into the sample size perfectly."

On Saturday, Holmes headed to Lake Como, Italy, perhaps to scout out wedding destinations. A date for the wedding is still unknown.

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Yankees Pitcher Dies in Plane Crash

New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle died after a small aircraft he owned crashed into a high-rise building on the east side of Manhattan on Wednesday afternoon.

George Steinbrenner, who owns the baseball club, confirmed Lidle's death and offered condolences the player's family.

"This is a terrible and shocking tragedy that has stunned the entire Yankees organization. I offer my deepest condolences and prayers to his wife Melanie, and son Christopher, on their enormous loss," Steinbrenner said in a statement issued through his publicity officer.

Lidle's passport was found in the street below the crash. Federal Aviation Administration records also show that the plane was registered to the athlete, who got his pilot's license earlier this year during the off-season.

The crash also killed another person who has yet to be named, according to reports.

Lidle, who had been a major league pitcher for nine years, recently bought a four-seat airplane for $187,000, the New York Times reported in September.

During an interview with the paper, the baseball player brushed off safety concerns about his new hobby. "The whole plane has a parachute on it," Lidle said. "Ninety-nine percent of pilots that go up never have engine failure, and the 1 percent that do usually land it. But if you're up in the air and something goes wrong, you pull that parachute, and the whole plane goes down slowly."

A law enforcement official told the Associated Press that the plane had issued a distress call before the crash. The official said it was unknown whether Lidle was at the controls.

The small private plane took off at 2:30 p.m. and circled the Statue of Liberty, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at a press conference Wednesday evening. He said air traffic controllers lost contact with the plane as it neared the 59th Street Bridge. The plane crashed into the 20th floor of The Belaire, a residential building on 72nd street, around 2:42 p.m.

This is not the first time a New York Yankee has died in a private plane crash. In 1979 Thurman Munson, who was the team's captain, was killed in the crash of a plane he was flying.

Current Yankees captain, Derek Jeter, issued a statement of sympathy to his teammate's family on Wednesday. "I am shocked by this devastating news. Spending the last few months as Cory’s teammate, I came to know him as a great man.”

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Anna Nicole Smith's Bahamas Lawyer Quits

Anna Nicole Smith's attorney in the Bahamas, Michael R. Scott, is no longer representing Smith, he confirms to PEOPLE.

Scott, an attorney at Callenders & Co. in Nassau, says: "We have in fact terminated representation of Anna Nicole Smith because of differences that have arisen in relation to strategy and matters arising out of the death of Daniel Smith."

Scott was also the lawyer for the estate of Smith's son but has relinquished that role as well.

Scott represented Smith during a turbulent six weeks: On Sept. 7, Smith gave birth to a baby girl, Dannielynn. Three days later, her 20-year-old son Daniel died in her hospital room. (A private pathologist hired by the Smith family to investigate Daniel's death says Daniel was killed by cardiac dysrhythmia caused by a lethal combination of methadone, Zoloft and Lexapro.)

Then, on Sept. 26, Smith's lawyer and confidant, Howard K. Stern, told Larry King that he is Dannielynn's father. And two days later, he and Smith held a commitment ceremony in the Bahamas.

Photographer Larry Birkhead, who alleges he had a relationship with Smith in California, also claims to be the father of the newborn, and has filed papers in a California court to establish paternity of the child.

Meanwhile, police in the Bahamas say their investigation into Daniel's death could be completed by the weekend. Once it's finished, a report will be forwarded to the country's attorney general, who will decide whether to have an inquest.

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Kevin Federline: My Children Come First

As Kevin Federline's music career gears up – with the release of his album and a tour both coming up – he says his family is still his priority.

"Children come first," he tells Extra, in an interview scheduled to air Thursday.

Federline and his wife, Britney Spears, have two sons together: Sean Preston, 1, and Sutton Pierce, who was born on Sept. 12. Federline also has two other children – Kori, 4, and Kaleb, 2 – with actress Shar Jackson.

The aspiring rapper will release his debut album, Playing With Fire, on Halloween. Noting that he's not the first musician in the family, he calls Spears his musical mentor. "She gave me comments about the music," he says. "She's helped me on the business side of it."

And, Federline says, his wife's jaw "about dropped" when she heard the finished version of his album.

More immediately, though, Federline will appear on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Thursday. On the episode, titled "Fannysmackin,'" he'll play a thuggish teen who hassles the investigators, hampering their work.

Following the release of Playing With Fire, Federline will test out his material in a series of live, club shows, beginning Nov. 4 in New York and running through a Nov. 12 stop in Norfolk, Va.

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Sara Evans Quits Dancing with the Stars

Country star Sara Evans has decided to pull out of the Dancing with the Stars competition due to personal reasons, an ABC spokesperson confirms to PEOPLE. In a statement released by her personal rep, it was revealed that Evans had filed for divorce from husband Craig Schelske on Thursday.

Evans, 35, who's the mother of three young children (ranging in age from 2 to 7), made the decision to leave the show "to give her family her full attention at this difficult time," it said in the statement. "Ms. Evans hopes her fans and TV viewers ... will respect and understand her need for privacy in the face of these recent events."

The singer, who was partnered with professional dancer Tony Dovolani, will make her final appearance on the show on October 17. "This has really taken me by surprise," Dovolani told PEOPLE about her departure.

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Hilary Duff Seeks Restraining Order Against Stalkers

Hilary Duff has been aggressively stalked by two men over the last six weeks and fears for her life, according to court documents filed today on behalf of the singer-actress in L.A. Superior Court.

Duff, 19, claims the two perpetrators are a 19-year-old immigrant from Russia, known only by the first name Max, and his roommate, David Joseph Klein, a 50-year-old self-proclaimed celebrity photographer.

According to the documents, the two men have made repeated contact with Duff's manager, showed up at Duff's mother's house, a Hollywood venue where her boyfriend Joel Madden, 26, of the band Good Charlotte performed last month, and even an L.A. market the couple frequents.

Disturbingly, Max allegedly has made claims that he intends to purchase a weapon and "has threatened to kill himself and to engage in dramatic actions" to get Duff's attention because he "believes they belong together."

The documents also state that Max emigrated to the U.S. two years ago with the sole intention of entering into a romantic relationship with Duff and that he would "remove enemies" who may stand in his way, namely her boyfriend, Madden.

Duff, claiming "substantial emotional distress," and her boyfriend are requesting that both Max and Klein stay 100 feet away from the couple and their family members.

A hearing on the matter is set for Nov. 15.

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Jennifer Aniston Tells Oprah She and Vince Haven't Split

Jennifer Aniston, taping The Oprah Winfrey Show on Wednesday, said she has not broken up with Vince Vaughn, audience members tell PEOPLE.

Aniston, 37, who showed Room 10, the short film she co-directed as part of Glamour magazine's "Reel Moments" series, said that contrary to rumor, she and Vaughn, 36, have not split (and are not engaged), audience member Rochelle Alfaro tells PEOPLE.

According to audience member Margaret Stent, Aniston also said that she hadn't gotten breast implants, as one tabloid recently reported, explaining that when she gains weight, it goes to her chest. Aniston rolled her eyes when asked about Vaughn, adds Stent.

But the actress made it clear that she and Vaughn are "still on," says Suzanne Hartigan, who traveled from Georgia to Chicago for the taping and adds that Aniston is "just as beautiful as she is in pictures."
Hartigan's pal Debi Musgrave, who says Aniston wore a black tiered s***t and tank top, seconds that the actress was "more beautiful in person, and very real."

But Aniston was really there to talk about Room 10, about a nurse who gains perspective on her marital problems while caring for a dying patient. Patty Zutt, 49, says the film sends the message that there are "good and bad times in relationships and sometimes you have to just stay in the room – that's all you can do during those hard times. It touched Jennifer, too."

Adds Margaret Stent, "(The film) said that relationships aren't luck, they're hard work, and I think that was really meaningful to people – Jen got a little teary-eyed when she was talking about it, too. It was personally meaningful to her."

The films in Glamour's "Reel Moments" series are based on true stories from readers. "It was very empowering for women – seeing that a real story can be made in film," says audience member and aspiring filmmaker Amy Ferguson.

On Tuesday before the taping, Winfrey and Aniston had dinner at the upscale French and Asian restaurant Japonais – which Aniston and Vaughn frequented while they were in Chicago filming The Break-Up in summer 2005. Their party of six chose to sit in a booth at the back of the main dining room rather than in a private area.

Both Winfrey and Aniston were very upbeat and friendly, sources tells PEOPLE, even though their fellow diners could not resist staring and trying to talk to them – at one point they were even joined by a group of Chicago Bears players.

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Singer Sara Evans Accuses Husband of Adultery

Country star Sara Evans, who on Thursday announced she is quitting ABC's Dancing with the Stars after filing for divorce from Craig Schelske, has accused her husband of adultery and inappropriate conduct, court papers reveal.

In divorce papers filed Thursday in Williamson County, Tenn., and obtained by TV's Extra, Evans, 35, cites adultery as the grounds for divorce, along with irreconcilable differences and inappropriate marital conduct.

She and Schelske, 43, married in 1993 and have three children ranging in age from 2 to 7.

In the papers, Evans alleges that Schelske, among other things, cheated on her, drank and smoked cigarettes in the presence of their children and frequently threatened her and told her that she is crazy.

She also requests, and is granted, a temporary restraining order.

The singer's attorney, Nashville-based John Hollins Sr., told PEOPLE on Friday, "My son has spoken to her. He's working with me on this case and she seems to be doing very well." As for why Evans decided to file such a detailed divorce complaint, he said, "There was (a reason), but I really can't discuss it with you. She felt like under the circumstances she had no alternative."

Schelske could not immediately be reached for comment.

On Thursday Evans's rep released a statement saying the singer had decided to leave Dancing with the Stars "to give her family her full attention at this difficult time."

She will address her departure to Dancing with the Stars fans on the Oct. 17 live telecast, which will likely be her final appearance on the show. ABC has no comment at this time on how Evans's departure will affect the rest of the competition or future broadcasts.

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EXCLUSIVE: Jessica Lynch Expecting a Baby Girl

Former prisoner of war Jessica Lynch is tickled pink: Her first baby with beau Wes Robinson will be a girl, she tells PEOPLE exclusively.

"We are ecstatic it's a little girl," Lynch says, adding that she's eager to go shopping for tiny camouflage outfits for the infant, who is due in January.

The almost six-months pregnant Lynch, who says she's gained about 10 to 15 lbs. so far, learned the baby's gender about a month ago. Lynch, 23, and Robinson, 25, already have picked out a name for their daughter – but are keeping that a secret for now.

Baby's first ultrasound photos are "adorable," says Lynch. "She's a definite thumb-sucker and she loves to lay her head on her hands."

While she is continuing physical therapy for injuries she suffered in Iraq in March 2003 when her convey was ambushed and she was taken prisoner, she says she has gone off her pain medications because of the pregnancy.
"I have to suck it up and take a little pain," says Lynch, who because of her back, leg and nerve injuries is considered a high-risk pregnancy. "Mostly it's nerve pain where the nerves are trying to re-grow, just weird tingling and pain sensations up and down my legs."

Several of her fellow soldiers were killed in the attack, but on April 1, 2003 Lynch became the first American POW to be rescued successfully since WWII. Still, she suffered extensive, injuries including fractures in her spine, a shattered arm, crushed foot and broken leg.

She plans to have the baby via C-section because doctors are worried the contractions and a natural delivery could put too much strain on her injured back. "I told them I'll take another scar, another surgery," Lynch says. "I'm kind of used to scars by now. One more isn't going to hurt. I just want to make sure it's – she's – healthy."

Robinson, who Lynch met through family friends, "will be a great dad," says Lynch. "He loves kids. He comes to all my appointments with me. I don't force him."

The pair have bought some land outside Elizabeth, W.Va., not far from where Lynch grew up, and plan to put a house on it. The couple don't have any immediate plans to get married.

As for life after the baby is born, Lynch says she'll likely take a semester off from West Virginia University, where she is studying to become a pre-K or elementary school teacher.

"We are trying to take things one step at a time," says Lynch. "I know it's kind of backwards but, you know, it's how things worked out. It really is just a blessing to find out I actually could have kids with my back and legs and nerve damage. It was really just exciting to know, oh wow, I can carry the baby and still go on with my regular life without having to be hurting too much. It's a blessing. It's going to be so much fun."