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LA investigators probe death of actor Chris Penn
LOS ANGELES- Medical examiners conducted an autopsy on Wednesday on the body of actor Chris Penn, but said they would be unable to determine how the 40-year-old brother of Oscar winner Sean Penn died until toxicology tests were complete.
Penn, found dead on Tuesday at his oceanside home in Santa Monica, west of Los Angeles, weighed more than 300 pounds and had a history of drug abuse, said Craig Harvey, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office.
The autopsy, conducted hours before Penn's latest movie, "The Darwin Awards," premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah, revealed no signs of foul play or suicide, pointing instead to natural or accidental causes of death, Harvey said.
"He does have a history of drug use," Harvey told Reuters. "We don't know how recent, or if any drug use occurred up to the time of his death. We just need to rule it out before we close the case."
He added: "It could be a contributing factor, it could be a primary factor or it could be not a factor at all."
Harvey said Penn's health may also have been a factor. Standing more than 6 feet tall, he weighed 310 pounds (140 kg), the coroner's spokesman said. His body was found by a housekeeper in bed in the condominium where he lived alone.
A publicist for Sean Penn issued a statement on Tuesday saying the family "would appreciate the media's respect of their privacy during this difficult time."
'NOT JUST SEAN'S LITTLE BROTHER'
At the Sundance premiere of comedy "Darwin Awards," several actors in the film, including longtime friend Winona Ryder, paid tribute to Penn and called him a master character actor who would be sorely missed by his friends and colleagues.
"I really hope people go back and watch his movies. He was such a fantastic actor," Ryder said. "He's not just Sean's little brother. He was Chris Penn."
With her voice cracking in front of a packed house, Ryder, who had known Penn for 19 years, called Wednesday a "really, really sad day."
Finn Taylor, who directed "Darwin Awards," in which Penn had a small role as a Minnesota hunter who fakes the theft of his truck to collect insurance money, said Penn "gave an incredible performance in the film that's going to make a lot of people laugh for a years to come."
Penn was a character actor who specialized in blue-collar, tough-guy roles and appeared in dozens of films, including "Mulholland Falls," "Murder by Numbers" and the 2004 film "Starsky & Hutch." He also co-starred in the short-lived CBS television drama "The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire."
In one of his best-known performances, Penn played baby-faced criminal Nice Guy Eddie Cabot in director Quentin Tarantino's "Reservoir Dogs." He also co-starred with his brother in the 1986 film "At Close Range."
In 1996, Chris Penn won the best supporting actor award at the Venice Film Festival for his role as a Depression-era gangster in "The Funeral," co-starring Isabella Rossellini.
But his career was largely eclipsed by older brother Sean, who gained fame for a brief but highly publicized marriage to pop star Madonna and went on to accumulate an acclaimed body of work that included four Oscar-nominated performances. He won an Academy Award as best actor for the 2003 film "Mystic River."
In a 1996 interview with Reuters, Chris Penn said he was "very proud" of and "very close" to his older brother. Another brother, Michael, is a musician.Comment
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Stars Gear Up for SAG Awards
Awards season continues in earnest with the 12th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards set to take place Sunday at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium.
The cowboy romance Brokeback Mountain leads the list of movie contenders with four nominations, including nods for both Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, while in the TV division, the leading nominees are Boston Legal, which earned nods for best comedy ensemble and three of its actors, and Grey's Anatomy, nominated for best drama, best actor and best actress.
As was the case at the recent Golden Globes, Felicity Huffman picked up two major SAG nominations. She's in the running for best female movie actor (in TransAmerica, for which she took home the Globe) and in the same category for comedy TV series (Desperate Housewives.)
The SAG Awards, voted on by the Screen Actors Guild, are considered one of several indicators of the Oscars. (Academy Award nominations are due to be announced this coming Tuesday morning.)
The list of announced SAG presenters includes Naveen Andrews, Patricia Arquette, Benjamin Bratt, Marg Helgenberger, Eva Longoria, Ellen Pompeo, Catherine Keener, Jeremy Piven, William Shatner, David Strathairn and Hilary Swank.
As yet, there is only one shoo-in expected in Sunday's winner's circle: Shirley Temple Black. At age 77, she is still the most famous child actor on earth. Black, who started acting at 3 years old and is now working on her second autobiography, is set to receive the Guild's Life Achievement Award.
The 12th Annual SAG Awards will air on TNT and TBS on Jan. 29 at 8 p.m. PEOPLE Magazine and the Entertainment Industry Foundation are sponsors of the post-show gala.
The complete list of SAG nominees is as follows:
MOVIES
Actor: Russell Crowe, Cinderella Man; Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote; Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain; Joaquin Phoenix, Walk the Line; David Strathairn, Good Night, and Good Luck.
Actress: Judi Dench, Mrs. Henderson Presents; Felicity Huffman, Transamerica; Charlize Theron, North Country; Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line; Ziyi Zhang, Memoirs of a Geisha.
Supporting Actor: Don Cheadle, Crash; George Clooney, Syriana; Matt Dillon, Crash; Paul Giamatti, Cinderella Man; Jake Gyllenhaal, Brokeback Mountain.
Supporting Actress: Amy Adams, Junebug; Catherine Keener, Capote; Frances McDormand, North Country; Rachel Weisz, The Constant Gardener; Michelle Williams, Brokeback Mountain.
Ensemble Cast: Brokeback Mountain, Capote, Crash, Good Night, and Good Luck, Hustle & Flow.
TV
Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries: Kenneth Branagh, Warm Springs; Ted Danson, Knights of the South Bronx; Ed Harris, Empire Falls; Paul Newman, Empire Falls; Christopher Plummer, Our Fathers.
Actress in a TV Movie or Miniseries: Tonantzin Carmelo, Into the West; S. Epatha Merkerson, Lackawanna Blues; Cynthia Nixon, Warm Springs; Joanne Woodward, Empire Falls; Robin Wright Penn, Empire Falls.
Actor in a Drama Series: Alan Alda, The West Wing; Patrick Dempsey, Grey's Anatomy; Hugh Laurie, House; Ian McShane, Deadwood; Kiefer Sutherland, 24.
Actress in a Drama Series: Patricia Arquette, Medium; Geena Davis, Commander in Chief; Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit; Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy; Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer.
Actor in a Comedy Series: Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm; Sean Hayes, Will & Grace; Jason Lee, My Name Is Earl; William Shatner, Boston Legal; James Spader, Boston Legal.
Actress in a Comedy Series: Candice Bergen, Boston Legal; Patricia Heaton, Everybody Loves Raymond; Felicity Huffman, Desperate Housewives; Megan Mullally, Will & Grace; Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds.
Drama Ensemble: The Closer, Grey's Anatomy, Lost, Six Feet Under, The West Wing.
Comedy Ensemble: Arrested Development, Boston Legal, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Desperate Housewives, Everybody Loves Raymond, My Name Is Earl.Comment
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American Men's Perfect Mate: Jessica Alba
Jessica Alba is this year's No.-1 choice among American men looking for "long-term relationship material," according to a poll conducted by AskMen.com.
The 24-year-old Fantastic Four star was followed by No. 2-ranked Sienna Miller and third-ranked Angelina Jolie.
New mom Britney Spears, who usually heads the 99-woman list, was a no-show this year.
The rest of the Top 10, in order: Brazilian model Adriana Lima (No. 1 last year), Access Hollywood correspondent Maria Menounos, Charlize Theron, Jessica Biel, singer Amerie, Natalie Portman and Eva Longoria.
James Bassil, editor-in-chief of AskMen.com, tells the Associated Press that the rankings were determined by 2.5 million readers and by the site's staff.
"We encouraged readers not to go on looks alone," Bassil says. "I don't believe it's an entirely accurate reflection of what a reader strives for in their long-term relationships, but at the same time, it's not a sheerly surface appreciation."Comment
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Coretta Scott King Dies at 78
Coretta Scott King, widow of American Civil Rights icon the Rev. Martin Luther King, died Monday night. She was 78.
Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Andrew Young, a longtime friend of the King family, said on Tuesday morning's Today show via phone from Atlanta: "I was not expecting it, but she has been rather ill for the past few months. My first reaction was, she was ready to cross on over."
Young said Mrs. King did not stir when her daughter went in her bedroom to awaken her, and that Mrs. King had slipped away in her sleep. "Yet her spirit will remain with us," he added.
After suffering a stroke and heart attack last August, Mrs. King made a surprise appearance at a Jan. 14 event to honor her late husband. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the King family matriarch joined two of her four children, Dexter and Yolanda King, who served as emcees for the annual Salute to Greatness dinner at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta.
Born and raised in Marion, Ala., Coretta Scott received a B.A. in music and education from Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, and then went on to study concert singing at Boston's New England Conservatory of Music, where she earned a degree in voice and violin. While in Boston she met Martin Luther King, Jr. who was then studying for his doctorate in systematic theology at Boston University, according to her official biography at Atlanta's King Center. (The center was established by Mrs. King in 1968, the year her husband was assassinated. It is dedicated to the advancement of the legacy of her husband's nonviolent movement for justice, equality and peace.)
Coretta and Martin were married on June 18, 1953, and in September 1954 took up residence in Montgomery, Ala., with Coretta Scott King assuming the many functions of pastor's wife at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. During Dr. King's career, Mrs. King devoted most of her time to raising their four children: Yolanda Denise (born in 1955), Martin Luther, III (1957), Dexter Scott (1961), and Bernice Albertine (1963).
In 1957, she and Dr. King traveled to Ghana to mark that country's independence. A year later, they spent a belated honeymoon in Mexico, where they observed firsthand the immense gulf between extreme wealth and extreme poverty. One year after that, Dr. and Mrs. King spent nearly a month in India on a pilgrimage to see disciples and sites associated with Mahatma Gandhi. And in 1964, she accompanied him to Oslo, Norway, where he received the Nobel Peace Prize.
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Heather Locklear Files for Divorce
Heather Locklear and her rock-star husband Richie Sambora are splitting up, the actress's rep, Cece Yorke, tells PEOPLE.
"After 11 years of marriage Heather Locklear has filed for divorce from Richie Sambora," says the rep. "This is a private matter and there will be no further comment at this time."
In paperwork filed Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, Locklear requests physical custody of the couple's 8-year-old daughter, Ava Elizabeth, with visitation rights for Sambora. The actress cites "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for the split. According to the divorce petition, the couple signed a prenuptial agreement that determines how their assets will be divided.
The couple, who were married Dec. 17, 1994 in Paris, were introduced by Locklear's friend, makeup artist Lisa Christy. Seven months later, Sambora, the guitarist for Bon Jovi, popped the question.
The day after the proposal, Locklear, who was then starring on Melrose Place, proudly flashed her pear-shaped diamond engagement ring from Cartier while attending the Emmys. They soon set up house in Locklear's airy, four-bedroom home in L.A.Comment
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Paris Hilton seeks return of diaries, photos up for sale
LOS ANGELES - Lawyers for Paris Hilton are in talks with a broker of celebrity porn in a bid to recover private diaries and photos of the celebrity heiress that were put up for sale for $20 million, both sides said on Friday.
The broker, David Hans Schmidt of Phoenix, Arizona, told Reuters he was seeking $20 million for material he claims includes 18 personal diaries recounting sexual escapades of Hilton.
Schmidt said the items were sold for $2,775 last November by the owner of a storage facility where they had been kept. The items also include computers, clothes and furniture.
A spokesman for Hilton, Elliot Mintz, said the items "may have been illegally seized," but said he was not sure exactly how they found their way to Schmidt.
"The possibility that many people would be reading her journal is really disquieting," Mintz told Reuters. "She's feeling a combination of anger, certainly confusion, and just tremendous sadness."
Mintz said he had not seen the items and could not confirm what they were, but Hilton's attorneys have approached Schmidt about getting the items back.Comment
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Britney: 'I Love My Child'
On Monday, photos surfaced of Britney Spears driving her SUV in Malibu with her son, Sean Preston, sitting on her lap behind the wheel. The pictures raised obvious questions because her young son was not in a car seat.
A source close to Spears explains that the singer drove to Starbucks with her bodyguard in the passenger seat and son Sean in his car seat in the back. When the bodyguard went into the store to get the drinks, Spears took Sean out of his car seat and held him in her lap while she waited. Photographers approached the car, says the source, and became aggressive. Once her bodyguard climbed back into the car, Spears drove away while still holding her son.
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Scarlett and Keira get naked for Vanity Fair
LOS ANGELES - Rising film stars Scarlett Johansson and Keira Knightley, better known for their work with their clothes on, have bared all for Vanity Fair.
"Lost in Translation" actress Johansson, 21, and Britain's Knightley, 20, who is Oscar-nominated for her role in "Pride and Prejudice" stripped naked for the cover photo of the magazine's annual Hollywood issue.
Fashion designer Tom Ford, guest artistic director for the Hollywood portfolio which hits newsstands on Wednesday, said the pair had few qualms about the shoot.
"We didn't have to convince them. And you know, in today's world everything is vetted through a publicist, so they all knew right before they got to the set," Ford told ABC's "Good Morning America" on Tuesday.
But Ford said Rachel McAdams, who starred in "The Notebook" and appeared in "Mean Girls," got cold feet at the last minute.
"She did want to do it, and then when she was on set, I think she felt uncomfortable, and I didn't want to make anybody feel uncomfortable," he said.Comment
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