TV_Paige

'Survivor' Tax Trial Set

'Survivor' winner Richard Hatch

The tribe has spoken: original "Survivor" champ Richard Hatch will stand trial next month on tax evasion charges. U.S. District Judge Ernest Torres denied three motions filed by lawyers for the clothes-eschewing reality star and ordered him back to the federal courthouse in Providence, Rhode Island, on January 10 for the start of jury selection.

Hatch's lawyers had asked Torres to delay the trial and make prosecutors put an exact dollar figure on the amount Hatch allegedly owes in unpaid taxes. Hatch, 44, was indicted in September on 10 charges, including his failure to pay taxes on the $1 million prize he received for his victory on the first season of the reality series.

Hatch faces additional charges when he has his day in court. Other charges faced by the Rhode Island native include filing a false tax return, wire fraud, bank fraud and mail fraud. Hatch has pleaded innocent across the board.

Richard Hatch

On top of neglecting to pay taxes on his "Survivor" winnings, Hatch allegedly filed false tax returns in 2000 and 2001 and failed to report $327,000 he raked in by hosting a Boston-based radio show, as well as $28,000 he earned from a rental property he owns, U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente said.

According to the indictment, Hatch had two accountants prepare tax returns including his reality winnings, but did not file them when he learned he would be on the hook for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Instead, he had one of the accountants prepare a new return in 2002 that did not include the Survivor prize and called for a $4,500 return.

Hatch also allegedly dipped into donations to his charity, Horizon Bound, spending some $36,500 of the funds supposedly allocated to the charity on his personal expenses. In one example, he allegedly used a $10,000 donation he received for appearing on an episode of "The Weakest Link" towards completing some renovations on his home.

Richard Hatch

The former "Survivor" contestant, known for his frequent displays of nudity on the show, was originally indicted for two counts of tax evasion last January. Hatch originally agreed to plead guilty to the charges, but later backed out of the agreement in March, claiming he believed CBS was responsible for taking care of the taxes on his $1 million "Survivor" prize.

The network emphatically denied the suggestion, stating that Hatch, famed for his conniving ways on the show, was well-aware that it was his responsibility to pony up the tax fees. If Hatch is found guilty on all 10 charges, he could face 75 years behind bars and millions of dollars in fines.

It's certainly not the first time Hatch has faced a run-in with the law. Apart from his tax-related misfortunes, Hatch was arrested in 2000 for allegedly abusing his then nine-year-old son. That charge was later dropped. Then, in 2002, Hatch was found guilty of assaulting his ex-boyfriend, but the charge was later overturned.

Parker Runs A-'Foul' of the Law

San Antonio Spurs Tony Parker and Eva Longoria

SAN ANTONIO, Texas - San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker was cited for impeding traffic and failing to produce a valid Texas driver's license during a traffic stop in which "Desperate Housewives" actress Eva Longoria was his passenger. The incident happened about 12:45 a.m. Saturday, December 24.

After seeing a car stopped, a bicycle officer indicated that it was impeding traffic. When the car didn't move, the officer rapped the hood with the palm of his hand, according to a police report. Parker, who was behind the wheel, questioned why the officer touched the car, and the couple "began screaming in a verbally abusive and demeaning manner," police said. Longoria called the police report "highly inaccurate."

Police say Parker then began to drive away, almost hitting a man standing nearby. After being told to stop and get out of the car, Parker showed police a French driver's license, police said. The officer who wrote the citations said Parker complained: "This is all the cops do, just mess with people," and that Longoria shouted from the car: "He's just a Mexican bike cop. He only wants your autograph."

Longoria denied making the comment. "It's a shame that one officer conducted himself in such an inappropriate and disorderly manner. I never made any sort of racial slurs, let alone made any comments about the officer being Mexican, as a Mexican myself," Longoria said through her publicist.

Actor Brad Renfro Becomes 'Client'

Brad Renfro

Actor Brad Renfro was arrested in a sting operation after he allegedly tried to buy heroin near downtown's Skid Row, police said. Renfro, 23, was booked for investigation of felony attempting to possess heroin, Detective Ron Hodges said. "He was intending to buy real heroin from an undercover officer," Hodges said.

Renfro, the star of the 1994 film "The Client," was caught during a random sting operation on Thursday, December 22, that resulted in the arrests of 14 other suspects, Hodges said. Renfro's lawyer did not immediately return a call for comment.

The actor was charged in 1998 with possession of cocaine and marijuana, but avoided jail time in a plea deal. He was sentenced to two years' probation in January 2001 on charges of trying to steal a yacht in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

He was arrested in May 2001 and charged with underage drinking. The next year, he was charged with driving without a license and public intoxication. Both violated terms of his probation. Renfro was ordered into an alcohol rehabilitation program in March 2002.

His movie credits include "Ghost World," "Bully" and "Apt Pupil."

Pregnancy News

Don Johnson's Expectant Holiday

Don Johnson and Kelley Phleger

Don Johnson and his wife, Kelley Phleger, are expecting their third child. The baby is due around May, Johnson's publicist, Elliot Mintz, said Friday, December 23. "Both, needless to say, are thrilled," Mintz said. The couple married in April, 1999 and have a 5-year-old daughter, Atherton Grace, and a 3-year-old son, Jasper Breckenridge.

Johnson, 56, starred in the TV shows "Miami Vice" and "Nash Bridges." He has two other children: a son, Jesse Wayne, 23, with Patti D'Arbanville-Quinn and a daughter, Dakota Mayi, 16, with Melanie Griffith.

Wedding News

Dern and Harper's Noel Nuptials

Laura Dern and Ben Harper

Laura Dern and Ben Harper are going to have themselves a married little Christmas. After four-plus years and two children together, the indie movie queen and her genre-bending musician boyfriend tied the knot Friday, December 23, in a Yule-themed ceremony, according to Us Weekly.

According to the magazine, Dern, 38, and Harper, 36, had a sunset ceremony at a private residence in Los Angeles--the former home of acting great Gregory Peck--before some 150 family and friends. The nuptials were chockful of holiday spirit--per Us, the altar was adorned with Christmas trees and candles and ornaments were strung throughout.

"I love and admire him very much," Dern told Us last year of her betrothed. "We're very much partners." The couple became engaged in 2004, shortly before the birth of their second child, daughter Jaya. Dern and Harper hooked up in early 2001, following her split with Billy Bob Thornton. Their first child, son Ellery Walker, was born that July.

Ben Harper and Laura Dern

Harper also has two children from his first marriage, which ended about the same time as the Dern-Thornton split. This was Dern's first trip to the altar, although she was engaged twice before, to Jeff Goldblum in the 1990s and then to Thornton, who dumped Dern for his ill-fated match with Angelina Jolie.

Best known for her dino-chasing stint in the "Jurassic Park" franchise, Dern starred in this year's Sundance hit, "Happy Endings," as well as the literary adaptation, "The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio." She has three films in the can for next year, the crime drama, "Lonely Hearts," the David Lynch potboiler, "Inland Empire" and the Stephen King-based thriller, "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon."

Harper, meanwhile, won two Grammys in February for his tag-team work with the Blind Boys of Alabama on last year's "There Will Be a Light." Most recently, he contributed a version of "Michelle" for "This Bird Has Flown: A 40th Anniversary Tribute to the Beatles' Rubber Soul," which dropped in October.

I don't know why I continue to be shocked by these celebrity break-ups but, I do. This marriage seemed like one of the few that were a "keeper."

Every time I ever saw an interview with Mike Myers, his wife was nearby and he always acknowledged her. Not just introduce her but give her the credit for being his muse. He used to say he would listen for her laughter in an audience to gauge how he was doing on stage. This one does perplex me.

C'mong Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, hang in there! Yeah, for couples like Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, Dennis and Joanie Franz, George and Ann Lopez, Jeff and Kathleen Treado-Daniels (who were high school sweethearts!).

Heartbreak News

Mike Myers Loses His 'Schwing'

Mike Myers and Robin Ruzan

For Mike Myers, it could be the ultimate verklempt moment: He's getting divorced. Please talk among yourselves for a minute. Okay? Okay.

Now for the details: The Myers split from wife Robin Ruzan was announced Friday, December 23, by his publicist. No reason was given, just the promise, as expressed by rep Ina Treciokas in a statement, that the pair "remain committed and caring friends."

Myers, 42, and Ruzan, about 41, per IMDb.com, wed in 1993, one year before the comic left "Saturday Night Live" and moved onto movie fame in the "Austin Powers" and "Shrek" franchises.

Mike Myers and Robin Ruzan

Ruzan, A writer and occasional actress, is best known as the daughter of Linda Richman, who as played by Myers in drag on 'SNL,' frequently became verklempt (i.e., choked up) while hosting "Coffee Talk."

The Myers-Ruzan union was a low-profile one, attracting scant attention from the tabloids. In 2004, the New York Daily News, however, did note "whispers that their marriage [was] faltering."

Myers and Ruzan met at a Chicago Blackhawks-Toronto Maple Leafs hockey game in 1987. At the time, he was a Canadian-born "Second City" performer. She was a Windy City resident--and errant-puck victim.

Robin Ruzan and Mike Myers

Sometime after the game, Myers informed the Toronto "Second City" troupe that he wanted to move to Chicago. "'Why do you want to work [there]? You're doing so well in Toronto,'" Joyce Sloane, "Second City" producer emeritus, told Myers, she once recounted for CNN. "He said because I'm desperately in love."

Myers joined 'SNL' in 1989, becoming a household name with recurring skits such as "Coffee Talk," "Sprockets," and "Wayne's World." The skit, "Coffee Talk," got so big that the real Linda Richman parlayed her name into a book deal. "Wayne's World" got so big that Myers milked two movies out of the heavy metal-loving Wayne Campbell.

In the first "Wayne's World," Myers' alter ego offers an observation on the notion of wedded bliss. "Garth," the philosophical Wayne shared his wisdom, "marriage is punishment for shoplifting in some countries."

Heartbreak News

Mike Myers Goes Solo

Mike Myers and Robin Ruzan

"Austin Powers" star Mike Myers and his wife, Robin Ruzan, are ending their 12-year marriage, a spokeswoman said Friday, December 23. The 42-year-old actor-comedian and Ruzan, a writer and actress, were married in May 1993. They have no children.

"They remain committed and caring friends," publicist Ina Treciokas said in a statement. Sadly, one of Myers' famous characters is based on his soon-to-be-ex mother-in-law. Ruzan's mother was the primary basis for Myers' 'Cawfee Tawk' hostess, Linda Richman.

Myers, an alum of NBC's "Saturday Night Live," starred in the "Austin Powers" and "Wayne's World" films, 2003's "Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat" and voiced the giant green ogre in the "Shrek" movies.

Pregnancy News

Gwen Stefani: Holla! Love.Angel.Music.Baby.

Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale

The "Hollaback Girl" is pregnant with her very own "Love.Angel.Music baby." Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale are expecting their first child together in June, Us Weekly reported Tuesday, December 20, citing members of the couple's family.

"We are delighted," the magazine quotes Rossdale's father, Douglas, as saying. Stefani's mother, Patti, also reportedly confirmed the pregnancy to the magazine, but declined to comment. The couple has yet to issue a statement on the report.

The No Doubt singer, 36, and the Bush frontman, 38, tied the knot three years ago after dating for six years. Stefani has made no secret over the years of her desire to be a mom, alluding to her maternal instinct both in her song lyrics and in interviews.

Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale

In No Doubt's hit song, "Simple Kind of Life," she sang, "I always thought I'd be a mom/Sometimes I wish for a mistake." Meanwhile, it's reportedly owing to a mistake that Rossdale already has some experience in the paternal field.

Stefani was said to be shaken and angry last year after a DNA test revealed that Rossdale was the father of a 16-year-old daughter with longtime friend Pearl Lowe. Daisy Lowe, the product of Rossdale and Lowe's dalliance, is a teen model in London and reportedly has no contact with her biological father, or her unwitting stepmother, for that matter.

Before she tackles parenthood, Stefani has a few other major blips on her radar--perhaps most notably the 48th Annual Grammy Awards on February 8, where she's up for awards in five categories. Her solo debut effort, Love.Angel.Music.Baby, is nominated for Album of the Year and her pop anthem, "Hollaback Girl" is up for Record of the Year.

Gwen Stefani

Stefani is also up for Best Female Pop Performance, Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Rich Girl," featuring Eve. Things have been slightly quieter on the music front for Rossdale as far as Bush is concerned, though the band released a greatest-hits album in November.

Bush's last studio album, "Golden State," was released in 2001. Rossdale's new band, Institute, released its debut album, "Distort Yourself," to tepid reviews and lackluster sales in September. The band has recently been supporting U2 on the Vertigo Tour.

CNN Host Sues Alleged Stalker

Nancy Grace

NEW YORK, New York - CNN talk show host Nancy Grace has obtained a court order that directs a mental patient she accused of stalking her to leave her alone. The man is "apparently obsessed with Ms. Grace, believes that he loves her, insists that she can solve all of his problems and will help him to meet with Osama bin Laden," Grace's court papers say.

Grace got the temporary restraining order Wednesday, December 14, a day after she filed a request for a permanent injunction against the alleged stalker, Joseph Raymond Loegering, who, court papers say, has been confined in a Manhattan hospital's psychiatric ward since December 2.

A spokeswoman for Grace, Janine Iamunno, issued a statement Wednesday, December 14, confirming the temporary restraining order was sought and was granted, but she had no further comment.

Grace's complaint asks the court to bar Loegering from contacting her, from approaching her, her home or her workplace and from harassing, menacing, stalking or committing any other offense against her. It also asks for unspecified punitive monetary damages and attorney's fees.

Nancy Grace

Grace, a former prosecutor whose eponymous CNN show deals with law-related subjects, says in court papers filed Tuesday that since November 18, Loegering, whom she has never met, "has engaged in a continuous pattern of harassment and stalking of plaintiff by e-mail and telephone and by attempting to enter her place of employment."

On November 18, court papers say, Loegering sent Grace an e-mail telling her he was coming to New York to see her. "I would like to talk to you as soon as posible [(sic)] so that we can work things out," court papers quote the e-mail message as saying. Loegering allegedly asked Grace to call him at a telephone number with a Missouri area code.

Security staff at CNN's New York office and Grace's staff were alerted, court papers say, and around 9 p.m. on December 2 Loegering arrived at the TV network's headquarters and asked to see her. Security staff refused to let him in.

Outside, Loegering was approached by two police officers who believed he was emotionally disturbed, court papers say. Police called Emergency Medical Service technicians, who took him to St. Lukes-Roosevelt Hospital Center. There are no known criminal charges pending against Loegering. It could not be determined whether he had a lawyer.

Wedding News

Country Music Stars Brooks, Yearwood Wed

Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood

Country music stars Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood said "I do" on Saturday, December 10 in a private ceremony at their Oklahoma home. Brooks, an Oklahoma native, and Yearwood exchanged vows before family members, said Nancy Seltzer, a publicist for the couple.

The marriage is the second for Brooks, who has three children, and the third for Yearwood. "They said it is the perfect Christmas gift to each other and they couldn't be happier," Seltzer said. She declined to provide any other details.

Brooks, 43, got down on one knee and proposed to Yearwood, 41, in May in front of 7,000 fans at the "Legends in Bronze" event at Buck Owens' Crystal Palace in Bakersfield, California. Ten larger-than-life bronze statues honoring country stars were unveiled during that event, including one of Brooks.

Brooks is credited with widening the genre's appeal in the 1990s by merging traditional country with honky tonk, pop, folk and rock. His "Ropin' the Wind" album was the first such country recording to debut at the top of the pop music charts.

Brooks' latest album, "Scarecrow," went triple platinum. Yearwood was named the Country Music Awards female vocalist of the year in 1997 and 1998. Her latest album is "Jasper County."

Wedding News

Marrying Matt Damon

At the 'The Bourne Supremacy' Premiere are (L-R) Ben Affleck, Luciana Bozan,

Matt Damon, Rumer Willis and Bruce Willis.

Childhood pals Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have increasingly more in common than just a shared Oscar and a deep appreciation for the Boston Red Sox. As of Friday morning, Damon, like Affleck, is a married man, having swapped vows with fiancee Luciana Bozan in a private ceremony in Manhattan on Friday, December 9.

The actor's representative, Jennifer Allen, confirmed the nuptials to E! but declined to provide any details beyond the fact that Bozan's seven-year-old daughter, from a previous relationship, was in attendance. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's office said the ceremony took place at City Hall. News of the insta-nuptials was first reported by Us Weekly.

Unfortunately, Affleck was apparently too busy tending to his week-old daughter Violet to make it to the festivities.

Matt Damon and Luciana Bozan

Damon and Bozan, a former bartender who now works as an interior designer, met two years ago at the Miami club Crobar, where Bozan was employed at the time. The Argentine-born beauty soon became a fixture at Damon's side, accompanying him to the European shoot for 2004's "Ocean's Twelve."

Next, Damon took her home to Boston to meet his family and friends. Last spring, they purchased a home together in Florida. Damon, 35, took the relationship to the next level a few months ago, when he popped the question to Bozan shortly before Labor Day weekend. "The engagement isn't, like, anything new," Damon said in an interview.

"We know we're together," Damon told the Boston Herald. It's the first marriage for the actor, who has previously been linked to Minnie Driver, Winona Ryder and Affleck's former assistant, Odessa Whitmire, and it's the second for Bozan (who formerly used her married name of Barroso). "I am thrilled.

Matt Damon and Luciana Bozan at Miami Beach's

Crobar with Bozan's 7-year-old daughter.

"I like Luci a lot," Damon's brother Kyle told People magazine. "They make a fantastic couple." On Thursday, December 8, Access Hollywood reported that Damon and Bozan were expecting their first child together, but Allen refused to confirm the report.

However, Damon has made no secret of his desire to be a dad. After playing a paternal figure for the first time in his current release, "Syriana," Damon told the Boston Herald last week that "fatherhood is definitely appealing." "I've longed for it in real life, anyway," he added.

When he's not getting hitched in impromptu wedding ceremonies, Damon has been busy shooting "The Good Shepherd," a government thriller in which he stars opposite Robert De Niro and Angelina Jolie. Damon is also slated to star in the upcoming drama, "Margaret," with Matthew Broderick and Anna Paquin, and "The Bourne Ultimatum," the third film in the 'Bourne' franchise.

Wedding News

Matt Damon Marries Girlfriend in New York

Luciana Bozan, George Clooney and Matt Damon share a moment together

at the Amstel Hotel in Amsterdam during the filming of 'Ocean's Twelve.'

Matt Damon married girlfriend Luciana Bozan in a private ceremony on Friday, December 9 in New York City, his publicist said. Damon, 35, and his bride exchanged wedding vows during a small ceremony at an undisclosed location, spokeswoman Jennifer Allen said. Bozan's 7-year-old daughter witnessed the ceremony. In a previous marriage, Bozan went by the name Luciana Barroso.

The wedding took place in New York's City Hall, according to Ed Skyler, a spokesman for Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Skyler and Damon's publicist provided no further details. It was the first marriage for Damon, the second for Bozan. They will split their time between homes in New York and Florida.

Damon's publicist wouldn't discuss an "Access Hollywood" report that Damon's bride is pregnant. Asked if Damon's friend and "Good Will Hunting" co-star Ben Affleck witnessed the wedding, Allen said no. Damon and Affleck won a best screenwriting Oscar for 1997's "Good Will Hunting."

Damon's screen credits also include roles in "Saving Private Ryan," "The Talented Mr. Ripley," "Ocean's Eleven" and "Syriana." He met Bozan while she was working as a bartender in Florida, Allen said. Damon is in New York shooting the Robert De Niro-directed film "The Good Shepherd" with Angelina Jolie.

Pregnancy News

Matt Damon Has New 'Born Identity'

Matt Damon and Luciana Barroso

First Ben. Now Matt. Matt Damon and fiance

Heartbreak News

Nicole Richie Calls Off Engagement

Adam Goldstein and Nicole Richie

NEW YORK, New York - Nicole Richie and her fiance, Adam Goldstein, have called off their nine-month engagement. Richie's publicist, Cindy Guagenti, confirmed to The Associated Press that the couple have split. She said the breakup had been in the works for several days, but would not give any further details.

The split was first reported by "Access Hollywood" and Us Weekly magazine. Richie, co-star of the reality series "The Simple Life," and Goldstein, a professional club DJ who goes by the name DJ AM, had dated for a year before becoming engaged last February.

Richie, the 24-year-old daughter of R&B crooner Lionel Richie, will begin shooting the fourth season of "Simple Life" early next year. The new format of "The Simple Life" will air on E!

Reconciliation News

Eminem's Reconciliation Rap

Eminem and Kimberly Mathers

Rap superstar Eminem told a radio show on Tuesday, December 6 that he is back together with his ex-wife and may remarry. Eminem went through an ugly divorce and custody battle over his young daughter with Kimberly Mathers. They married in 1999, and their divorce was finalized in 2001.

"We have reconciled and are probably going to remarry," Eminem told Detroit radio station WKQI-FM's "Mojo in the Morning" show. During the interview, he referred to Kimberly Mathers, 30, as "my wife Kim."

Eminem's label Interscope Records said the interview was the only one that Eminem had planned for now. The rapper's greatest-hits album titled "Curtain Call" was released Tuesday, December 6. Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers III, also discussed his stay earlier this year at a hospital to undergo treatment for sleep medication dependency.

Eminem

Word of Eminem's hospitalization came in August after he canceled his European tour. "When I went into rehab, I kind of went into it . . . with the notion of 'I'm gonna get clean, I'm gonna get off this stuff before it gets too out of hand,'" he said. In July, Eminem denied an impending retirement but hinted at taking a breather.

On Tuesday, December 6, the 33-year-old, who lives in suburban Detroit, spoke more about his uncertain future. "I'm at a point in my life right now where I feel like I don't know where my career is going," he said. "This is the reason that we called it 'Curtain Call,' because this could be the final thing. We don't know."

Heartbreak News

Applegate Soon 'Divorced . . . Without Children'

Jonathan Schaech and Christina Applegate

Looks like Christina Applegate will soon be divorced . . . without children. The actress' husband, Johnathon Schaech, got the ball rolling by filing for divorce Monday, December 5 in Los Angeles Superior Court, citing irreconcilable differences.

The couple's publicists, Ame Van Iden and Chuck James, issued a joint statement confirming that the split was underway. "After four years of marriage, actors Johnathon Schaech and Christina Applegate have filed for divorce," the statement read. "The decision is mutual. We have no further comment at this time."

Schaech, 36, who appeared alongside Tom Hanks in 1996's "That Thing You Do!," traded vows with the erstwhile "Married . . . with Children" star during a small ceremony in Palm Springs on October 20, 2001. The couple dated for four years before taking the matrimonial plunge. "We're best friends," Applegate once said of her beau in happier days. "And that spark is always there. I can't wait to see him, even though I saw him a few hours ago."

Jonathan Schaech and Christina Applegate

Since shedding her ditzy alter ego, Kelly Bundy, whom she portrayed from 1987 to 1997, Applegate, 34, has gone on to forge a successful career both on the big screen, and more recently, the stage. After her post-'Married' television series, "Jesse," was canceled in 2000, Applegate's career opportunities skyrocketed.

Applegate has proven her comic mettle with starring roles in films including "The Sweetest Thing," opposite Cameron Diaz and Selma Blair and "Anchorman" with Will Ferrell. She also earned the Emmy for Best Guest Actress in a Comedy in 2003 for her turn as Jennifer Aniston's wacky sister on "Friends" in the episode "The One Where Rachel's Sister Babysits."

Over the past several months, Applegate has shown she's good for more than just a laugh with her leading role in the Broadway musical "Sweet Charity," which required her to sing and dance, and even garnered her a Tony nomination for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical. This was no small feat due to a broken foot while on stage during the rehearsal process.

Christina Applegate in 'Sweet Charity'

As Applegate's Broadway run winds down, Britney Spears was rumored to be in consideration to take her place as Charity Hope Valentine, a dance hall hostess on a seemingly hopeless quest for love and self-improvement. However, the pop queen and new mom has since reportedly passed on the offer.

Meanwhile, Schaech, who starred alongside Applegate in the television adaptation of "Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas" in March, is next slated to appear in the action film "Road House 2: Last Call." The project is currently in preproduction, per IMDb.com, and is expected to be released sometime next year.

In preparation for his upcoming courtroom drama, Schaech has reportedly hired high-powered divorce attorney Laura Wasser to represent him, according to TMZ.com. Insiders report a jealous Schaech became suspicious of his wife's behavior and made a surprise appearance backstage at Applegate's theatre to quiz her fellow thespians.

Heartbreak News

Bertinelli and Rocker Eddie Van Halen Divorce

Eddie Van Halen, Valerie Bertinelli and their son Wolfgang

Valerie Bertinelli and her rock star husband, Eddie Van Halen, are divorcing after 24 years of marriage, Bertinelli's publicist confirmed recently. "Yes, that's true. They have been separated for four years and it's amicable," Bertinelli spokeswoman Heidi Schaeffer told The Associated Press. She said the actress would have no further comment.

A divorce petition that Bertinelli, 45, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court pn Tuesday, December 6 cited irreconcilable differences. The couple wed on April 11, 1981, and have one son, 14-year-old Wolfgang Van Halen. According to the petition, they separated on October 15, 2001.

Bertinelli shot to fame as the sexy 15-year-old daughter of Bonnie Franklin on the hit television show "One Day at a Time," which aired from 1975 to 1984. She rejoined Franklin and Mackenzie Phillips, who played her sister, for a reunion show earlier this year. She was also a regular on television's "Touched by an Angel" from 2001 to 2003.

Van Halen, 50, is one of the most celebrated lead guitarists in rock music. He rose to fame in the late 1970s, along with his brother, drummer Alex Van Halen, vocalist David Lee Roth and bassist Michael Anthony as members of Van Halen. The group was known for wild excess both on and offstage in its early years, and Van Halen, once a heavy smoker, was treated for cancer in 2000 and 2001.

Baby News

Chris Cornell Rocks Fatherhood

Chris Cornell and daughter, Toni

Papa's not a rolling stone, but he is an Audioslave. Hard rock frontman Chris Cornell and wife Vicky welcomed a son Monday, December 5, his publicist has announced. Christopher Nicholas Cornell was born in Los Angeles at 7:08 p.m., tipping the scales at 8 pounds, 6 ounces, and measuring 21 inches.

Cornell's representative says both mother and son are doing very well. It's the couple's second child together: The 41-year-old rocker and his 27-year-old PR exec wife also have a 14-month-old daughter, Toni. Last month, the "Doesn't Remind Me" singer said in an interview with Launch Radio Networks that his burgeoning family has made life as a rock star much easier.

"I'm so supported that I'm not having to find a balance between career and family," Cornell said. "We have managed to figure out a way to do it and figure out a way to just kind of include it as being who we are as a couple, who we are as a family, and it's all part of one thing."

Cornell also has another daughter, five-year-old Lily, from his previous 12-year marriage to ex-Soundgarden manager and object of his current legal ire, Susan Silver. The multiple Grammy winner filed suit against his ex in Los Angeles court last week.

Cornell claims Silver mishandled the band's royalty checks, "conspired to divert monies owed to [Cornell] and to other Soundgarden members" and is currently holding hostage several personal items, including demo tapes, Grammys, personal recordings, lyrics and journals, all due to "personal animus."

He's seeking more than $1 million in damages, and is backed in the suit by his three other former band members. "She's acknowledged she has them, she just won't return them," Cornell's lawyer, Martin Singer, told E! Online. "As his ex-manager, she has no right to keep all of these original materials." For her part, Silver has denied all allegations.

In a statement, Silver said, "Much as I would have preferred not to engage in a response to the baseless, absurd allegations leveled at me by my ex-husband, father of my child, and former client Chris Cornell, I find it necessary to state that at no time have there been any wrongdoings on my part, nor any withholding of his property."

Audioslave recently wrapped a headlining tour of North America in support of their second multiplatinum album, Out of Exile. The group is expected to begin recording tracks for their third effort early next year.

Pregnancy News

Adam Sandler To Become 'Big Daddy'

Jackie and Adam Sandler

He's played one on the big screen. Now Adam Sandler's poised to become a "Big Daddy" in real life. The funnyman got an early Hanukkah present after learning that he and his actress-model wife, Jackie, are expecting their first child next spring, sources have confirmed.

The Sandlers turned up at the "Wedding Singer" star's annual holiday bash at a Burbank recreation center, where, a source close to the couple told People magazine, Jackie "looked radiant." No word on the exact due date. Sandler's representative was unavailable for comment.

Sandler, 39, and the former Jackie Titone, 31, tied the knot in June 2003 in a Jewish ceremony at Dick Clark's oceanfront estate in Malibu before some 400 guests, including his "Anger Management" costar Jack Nicholson, Dustin Hoffman and Rodney Dangerfield. Also in attendance was the comedian's late bulldog, Meatball, who served as ringbearer, marching down the aisle in a tuxedo and white yarmulke.

It was the first marriage for both bride and groom, who started dating in January 1999. That same year, Titone had a scene opposite her future hubby in "Big Daddy," playing a waitress who takes his order for root beer in a sports bar.

Titone, who reportedly converted to Judaism in 2000, went on to make an appearance in 2002's "Little Nicky," had a bit part in "Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo," starring frequent Sandler collaborator Rob Schneider, and lent her voice to Sandler's 2002 animated holiday film, "Eight Crazy Nights."

Former 'Idol' Arrested for DUI

Julia DeMato

BROOKFIELD, Connecticut - Former "American Idol" contestant Julia DeMato was arrested and charged with alleged drug possession and drunken driving in her hometown over the weekend. Police said the 26-year-old singer was arrested in the early morning of Saturday, December 3.

DeMato was taken into custody after police got suspicious when they saw a dark sport utility vehicle drive into the parking lot of a restaurant that had been closed for more than an hour. DeMato, who made the top 10 in season two of "American Idol," failed field sobriety tests, police said.

After failing her sobriety test, the police searched DeMato's vehicle. They said a search of her SUV found two marijuana pipes, a small quantity of marijuana and a baggie with a small amount of white powder that tested positive for cocaine.

She told the News-Times of Danbury that it was just a misunderstanding. "I am not a drug user," she told the newspaper in a phone interview from her home. "It's going to be taken care of in court and that's that." DeMato, who was released on $10,000 bond, is due in court on December 16.

Wedding News

Athina Onassis Weds Brazilian Horseman

by Stephen M. Silverman

Alvaro Alfonso de Miranda and Athina

Roussel Onassis

Greek billionaire Athina Roussel Onassis, 20, granddaughter and sole heiress of the late shipping magnate (and onetime husband of Jacqueline Kennedy) Aristotle Onassis, and Brazilian equestrian star Alvaro Alfonso de Miranda, the 32-year-old son of an insurance company owner, were married in an evening ceremony in Brazil on Saturday, December 3.

This was no ordinary ceremony, held at the Maria Luiza and Oscar Americano Foundation, an 18.5-acre spread that includes a museum, a tea house and a cultural center. The wedding was to be a "family affair" attended by some 1000 guests, according to the groom's father, Ricardo Miranda.

The bride, who was raised in Switzerland by her French-born father, Thierry Roussel, and inherited an estimated $2.7 billion from her grandfather on her 18th birthday, was to wear a dress by Valentino, the elder Miranda said. The marriage was planned as an ecumenical ceremony, because Onassis is Greek Orthodox and the groom is a divorced Roman Catholic.

Alvaro Alfonso de Miranda and Athina Roussel Onassis

The couple

Wedding News

Marilyn Manson Weds in Ireland

Marilyn Manson and Dita Von Teese

Rocker Marilyn Manson married his longtime girlfriend, burlesque dancer Dita Von Teese, on Saturday, December 3 in front of some 60 guests as fans and well wishers gathered outside, People has learned. The ceremony took place in Kilsheelan, County Tipperary, Ireland, at Castle Gurteen, the home of the couple's friend, artist Gottfried Helnwein.

Contrary to rumors that the pair would exchange their blood during the ceremony, they actually traded vows they wrote for each other. The shock rocker gave his new bride a wedding band from William Harold Jewelers in Newport Beach, California, where he also got her 7-carat, antique, European round-cut diamond engagement ring. The groom's wedding band is a custom-made platinum ring with onyx inlay from Dana Schneider.

The rocker wore a John Galliano black silk taffeta tuxedo with velvet trim and a Stephen Jones hat, while Von Teese donned a royal purple silk taffeta Vivienne Westwood gown complete with train and petticoats worn over a Mr. Pearl couture corset. Her outfit was accessorized with a tri-corn hat by Stephen Jones and shoes by Christian Louboutin.

Dita Von Teese and Marilyn Manson

Art film director Alejandro Jodorowsky, a longtime friend of the groom, married Manson (real name Brian Warner), 36, and Von Teese (real name: Heather Sweet), 33, in the non-denominational ceremony. German singer and bandleader Max Raabe provided the music. The guests included "C.S.I.'s" Eric Szmanda.

"Everyone expected Manson and Dita to have some sort of crazy vampire wedding, but anyone who knows the couple knew it would be the classy, stylish affair that it was," a wedding guest tells People magazine. "They are totally in love."

The wedding celebration began on Friday, December 2 with a 9 p.m. supper in the Conservatory of the Kilshane House, the Regency country home where many of the wedding guests stayed. Manson and Von Teese began dating on his 32nd birthday

Adoption News

Brad Pitt Files Adoption Paperwork

Actor Brad Pitt holds Zahara Marley Jolie, the adopted

daughter of Angelina Jolie, upon arriving in Tokyo.

LOS ANGELES, California -- Brad Pitt is seeking to become the adoptive father of Angelina Jolie's children, the actor's publicist announced recently. A legal petition seeking to change the names of the children to Zahara Jolie-Pitt and Maddox Jolie-Pitt was filed Friday, December 2 in Los Angeles, publicist Cindy Guagenti said.

In a written statement to The Associated Press, Guagenti commented, "We are confirming that Brad Pitt is in the process of becoming the adoptive father of both children." The press release continued, "No further comment is being made at the present time." The couple has been romantically linked since the filming of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith."

Angelina Jolie holds her son, Maddox with

Brad Pitt who is seeking to adopt him.

For months, rumors have been circulating about the extent of Jolie's off-screen relationship with Pitt. Photos published in the July 11 issue of People show Jolie standing near her England estate while Pitt rides a dirt bike with Maddox, 4. Other photos show Pitt, Jolie and Maddox at Luton Airport outside London. Both children were adopted by Jolie. Zahara is just under a year old.

Pitt and Jennifer Aniston announced their separation in January, and Aniston filed for divorce in March, citing irreconcilable differences. The divorce became final in October. Pitt, 41, has denied Jolie, 30, was the reason for the split. Aniston has been making couple headlines of her own recently.

Earlier this week, Aniston and actor Vince Vaughn were pulled over in Scottsdale, Ariz., police said. Vaughn passed a sobriety test and was not cited for any violation, police said. For months, reports have swirled that Vaughn, 35, and Aniston, 36, are dating. Last month, People magazine published photos showing the couple kissing in Chicago, possibly confirming that their relationship has grown romantic.