Naomi Watts, Liev Schreiber Breathe Easy After Son's Health Scare

Los Angeles (E! Online) – What with all the fuss over Mel Gibson and his red-carpet arm candy, Liev Schreiber's absence at last night's X-Men Origins: Wolverine premiere almost went unnoticed.

Though not by his ailing son.

Schreiber, who plays nemesis Sabretooth in the comic book flick, was in Los Angeles to attend the screening but ended up a no-show after learning his 21-month-old son with Naomi Watts, Alexander, was hospitalized in New York for respiratory problems, according to People.

The 41-year-old actor immediately flew home and pulled bedside duty with Watts and their 4-month-old son, Samuel, though luckily not for long.

Alexander—who goes by the Russian version of his name, Sasha—was monitored by doctors for the night before being released.

"Sasha got home today and is feeling much better," said Schreiber's rep, Ina Treciokas.

Talk about a Hollywood ending.

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Sean Penn files for legal separation

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Oscar-winning actor Sean Penn has filed for a legal separation from his wife Robin Wright Penn after an attempt to reconcile apparently failed.

According to court papers filed last week in Marin County, near San Francisco, Penn asked for the legal separation from his wife of 13 years on April 23 on grounds of irreconcilable differences.

The couple started divorce proceedings in December 2007 but got back together again a few months later. The couple have two children aged 18 and 15.

Penn, 48, won his second best actor Oscar in February for his role as slain gay activist Harvey Milk in the movie "Milk". Robin Wright Penn starred in the 1999 romantic drama "Message in a Bottle" and is currently appearing in the investigative reporting thriller "State of Play."

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant)

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Rapper Rick Ross leads album chart for third time

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) – Rapper Rick Ross scored his third No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart Wednesday, while veteran synth-rockers Depeche Mode came in at No. 3 with modest sales for their first album in almost four years.

Ross' "Deeper Than Rap" sold 158,000 copies during the week ended April 26, according to Nielsen SoundScan data. His last set, 2008's "Trilla," bowed at No. 1 with 198,000 while 2006's "Port of Miami" also did the same, with 187,000.

Last week's champ, the "Hannah Montana: the Movie" soundtrack, slipped to No. 2 with 104,000 copies.

Depeche Mode sold 80,000 copies of "Sounds of the Universe." The new set gives the British band its second-best rank ever on the chart. Its highest came when "Songs of Faith and Devotion" debuted at No. 1 in 1993.

However, "Sounds of the Universe's" opening frame is actually the group's smallest debut sales week for a studio set since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking data in 1991. Depeche Mode's last four studio offerings have all had opening weeks north of 92,000, including 2005's "Playing the Angel."

Country combo Rascal Flatts' former chart-topper "Unstoppable" fell one to No. 4 with 68,000.

White rapper Asher Roth debuted at No. 5 with "Asleep in the Bread Aisle," which sold 65,000 copies. The set's lead single, "I Love College," peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 a little over a month ago.

Elsewhere, the "Twilight" soundtrack fell two places to No. 6; Lady GaGa's "The Fame" rose one to No. 7; Day26's "Forever in a Day" slid six to No. 8; the "Now 30" compilation dropped four to No. 9; and Jadakiss' "The Last Kiss" also fell four, to No. 10.

Overall album sales slipped three percent from the previous week, and were down 10 percent from the year-ago period. Year-to-date album sales are off 12 percent from the same time in 2008.

(Editing by Dean Gooodman at Reuters)

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Sarah Jessica Parker expecting twins via surrogate

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – "Sex and the City" actress Sarah Jessica Parker and her husband Matthew Broderick are expecting twin girls via a surrogate mother, their representatives said on Tuesday.

Parker, 44, and Broderick, 47, "are happily anticipating the birth of their twin daughters later this summer with the generous help of a surrogate. The entire family is overjoyed," a statement from the couple said.

The couple have a six year old son, James, and have long wanted to add to their family but had no luck, an unidentified friend was quoted as telling Entertainment Weekly magazine.

They turned to a surrogate last year, the magazine said. The surrogate's name and details have not been disclosed.

"They had a lot of unsuccessful tries," the friend was quoted as saying. "They came to the conclusion that this was going to be the best alternative for expanding their family."

Parker is expected to begin shooting a sequel later this year to the hit movie version of "Sex and the City" along with fellow stars Cynthia Nixon, Kim Cattrall and Kristin Davis.

Broderick, star of the Broadway musical and movie "The Producers", and Parker married in 1997.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

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Police to return jewelry worn by Rihanna

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Los Angeles police have agreed to return the $1.4 million worth of jewelry that pop star Rihanna was wearing the night her R&B singer boyfriend Chris Brown is accused of assaulting her, Rihanna's lawyer said on Wednesday.

The earring and three rings that Rihanna was wearing were on loan to the "Umbrella" singer, who had attended a pre-Grammy party with Brown hours before the Feb 8 incident. They were taken by police as evidence in the case.

The designers asked for the bling to be returned and lawyer Donald Etra told a Los Angeles judge at a hearing on the assault case that police will first photograph them before handing them back.

Brown is charged with attacking Rihanna in their rented car on their way home from the party. He was not in court on Wednesday. He is free on bail pending a possible trial next month when he could be given probation or up to five years prison if convicted.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

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Applegate on People's `Most Beautiful' cover

NEW YORK – A smiling Christina Applegate graces the cover of People magazine's "Most Beautiful" issue.

The 37-year-old actress, who recently battled breast cancer, certainly has much to celebrate: She says she's finally found her "perfect type" in her new beau, Dutch musician Martyn Lenoble (Mar-TAN Luh-NOBLE).

Applegate had a double mastectomy last July and reconstructive surgery months later. The star of ABC's "Samantha Who?" calls Lenoble an "angel" who loves her "from head to toe."

According to Applegate, Lenoble has been her "rock" and gave her reason to live — and smile.

The annual "Most Beautiful" issue features 100 famous faces, including Michelle Obama, Zac Efron and Cindy Crawford posing without makeup. It hits stands Friday.

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Shanna Moakler Mouths Off for Gay Marriage

Los Angeles (E! Online) – Former Miss USA Shanna Moakler has been pretty vocal about what she thinks of Miss California Carrie Prejean's views on gay marriage.

But now, Moakler, who is executive director of the Miss California USA pageant, is showing how she feels by keeping her mouth shut.

Moakler, along with Miss USA 2006 first runner-up Tamiko Nash and last year's titleholder Raquel Beezley were in a photo studio last night being shot by Adam Bouska for NOH8, a campaign to support efforts to overturn Proposition 8...

The three women were shot together with duct tape over their mouths, a symbol of their voices not being heard, and "NOH8" painted on their cheeks.

The project was started by Bouska, 25, and his partner, Jeff Parshley, 28, in November after the passage of Prop 8 outlawed same-sex unions in the state.

"We never expected to have so many beauty queens participate. The whole campaign, obviously, is not a direct message to Miss California, but now she happened to have put herself in the line of fire," Bouska says about his newest pic of the Moakler et al.

"If Carrie is going to go out there with her message, then we have to go out there and make sure the voices of these girls are heard," he adds. "And that they are what Miss USA should stand for, too."

Another portrait shows 1997's Miss Universe Brook Lee, originally from Hawaii, wearing a white wedding dress and a sash that reads "Miss Equality." With or without duct tape, these beauties are sending the message.

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O.J. Simpson witness and Dr. Phil settle case

LOS ANGELES – There's a settlement in the defamation lawsuit filed against Dr. Phil by a witness in O.J. Simpson's robbery case.

Attorneys for Phil McGraw and memorabilia dealer Thomas Riccio filed a statement Monday, saying an agreement had been reached.

Riccio sued McGraw and Stage 29 Media Productions in October. He claimed an interview with McGraw was edited to remove his denials to certain accusations, including that he set Simpson up and told Simpson to bring guns to a Las Vegas robbery.

A judge gutted the case last month, removing defamation, false light and infliction of emotional distress claims.

The interview aired days after Simpson was convicted of robbing and kidnapping two sports memorabilia dealers at gunpoint.

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Jackman: Size matters for `Wolverine' and Oscars

LOS ANGELES – Hugh Jackman relied on his Wolverine alter ego to pack on muscle for the "X-Men" role, and he turned to the Oscars to slim back down.

The 40-year-old actor trained for a year to achieve his character's look.

"My goal was to make him look like an animal," a much leaner Jackman said recently. "I wanted people to be unnerved when they saw him."

Among the first to be unnerved? "Australia" director Baz Luhrmann.

Jackman was co-starring with Nicole Kidman in the epic love story when he started bulking up for "X-Men Origins: Wolverine."

"Baz said, `Mate, whatever you're eating, can you slow down a bit because I'm going to struggle to edit this together,'" Jackman recalled, adding that there are a few scenes in "Australia" where he's "beefier" than he ought to be.

The director had issues with Jackman's size again when the two collaborated on the opening song-and-dance number for the Academy Awards.

"Baz was like, `You've got to lose weight ... You're too bulky,'" Jackman said.

Luckily, Jackman discovered the ideal weight-loss plan: "Singing and dancing is the greatest diet in the history of the planet," he said. "Well, that and performing in front of a billion people."

Despite the pressures of the Oscar performance, the gregarious actor said he'd take on the hosting task again without hesitation.

"I'd do it again if I was asked," Jackman said. "I loved every second of it."

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Olympic hero Bolt escapes serious injury in crash

KINGSTON (AFP) – Olympic athletics sensation Usain Bolt suffered only minor injuries when his BMW skidded off the road and overturned in a ditch.

"I am good," Bolt told fans as he limped away from hospital with small bandages on his feet.

Bolt's manager Norman Peart said the athlete's feet were pricked by thorns when he exited the vehicle.

"He was taken to the Spanish Town Public Hospital, where he was treated. He has been sent home for recovery," Peart said.

Bolt, 22, won gold medals in the 100m, the 200m and the 4x100m relay at the Beijing Games last August, setting world records in all three events.

His exploits made him a superstar in his homeland, and his accident sent a brief shockwave through the country.

The leader of Jamaica's parliament, Andrew Holness, said Wednesday that the country could breathe a sigh of relief following Bolt's close brush with serious injury.

"The reports that we have received is that he is not seriously injured and therefore Jamaica can collectively breathe a sigh of relief," Holness, who is also the country's education minister, said in Parliament on a motion of adjournment.

The government member's statement was accompanied by thunderous applause. He was supported by the leader of the Opposition, Portia Simpson Miller, who expressed "joy that nothing happened to Usain".

"We hope that they would be able to get over this kind of shock," Simpson Miller said.

Sergeant David Shepherd of Old Harbour police in St. Catherine said the accident occurred on Highway 2000, one of Jamaica's newest highways, at about 1:30 in the afternoon.

Police said the vehicle was extensively damaged, after apparently skidding on the rain-slick road, but neither Bolt nor the unidentified woman traveling with him was seriously hurt.

Bolt had just returned to Jamaica from a promotional event for Puma in Boston last weekend.

The Jamaican star was scheduled to compete in an IAAF Area permit meet in Kingston this weekend, and Peart said Bolt's team would continue to monitor his health.

"He will do further tests in the next 48 hours before we can determine that," Peart said of Bolt's status for Saturday's meeting.

"We are keeping a close watch on Usain and will update the public as necessary," Peart said. "We also want to use the opportunity to thank the public for all the calls of concern and the show of affection for Usain."

Bolt was slated to compete in a street race over 150m at the Great CityGames in Manchester, England, on May 17 and in a meeting in New York on May 20.

Earlier Wednesday, organizers of a June 17 meeting in Ostrava, Czech Republic, said Bolt would race the 100m there as he builds up for the World Athletics Championships in Berlin in August.

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New Crash Details: Casey Aldridge "Fortunate That It Wasn't Worse"

Los Angeles (E! Online) – Casey Aldridge did not appear to have been drinking before he rolled his pickup truck on a rural Louisiana road early Sunday morning. But authorities can't say whether his buddies were.

Dustin Havard, 23, and Cody Jenkins, 21, neither of whom were wearing seatbelts, have been identified as the guys who were thrown out of the truck along with Aldridge when his Ford F-250 flipped over.

According to the crash report released today, Aldridge drove about 250 feet in a ditch alongside the road before he "overcorrected and lost control of the truck," which rolled over at least once and went another 160 feet before coming to a stop.

The reason why Jamie Lynn Spears' fiancé was going off-road in the first place remains unknown, Louisana State Police spokesman Mark Dennis told E! News Wednesday. There were no witnesses to the crash.

"These guys were very fortunate that it wasn't worse than it was," he said.

The other two passengers in the truck have been identified as Charles Knapp, 22, and Eric Estes, 19.

Dennis said it is still unknown where the group was coming from at 1:20 a.m.

Some reports have pegged the guys as returning home from a fishing trip, while others have said that they were coming back from a bachelor party.

Cody Jenkins' sister, Carly, told E! News that neither she nor her brother had any comment on the matter.

When asked what sort of punishment Aldridge was facing for a charge of careless operation of a motor vehicle, Dennis said it would most likely be nothing more than a monetary fine.

Aldridge was transferred out of the intensive care unit at University of Mississippi Medical Center, where he was being treated for a head injury, on Tuesday. He was the only one who required hospitalization after the accident.

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Britney Spears extends "Circus" tour to Europe

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Singer Britney Spears has extended her "Circus" concert tour to include a dozen European shows taking her from London to Russia, the pop star's representatives said on her Web site on Wednesday.

Spears kicks off the European leg of her tour with a June 19 show in Dublin, Ireland, with later stops in France, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Poland and a final European stop July 26 in Berlin.

She began her "Circus" tour March 3 in her home state of Louisiana, and the tour features 39 North American dates.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis: Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

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Closing arguments in Tyra Banks' NYC stalker trial

NEW YORK – Closing arguments will begin Thursday in the trial of a Georgia man accused of stalking supermodel-turned-TV host Tyra Banks.

Brady Green, 39, has been accused of repeatedly calling Banks' studio, showing up there and sending her flowers and letters. He faces as many as 90 days in jail if convicted by Judge James Burke, who is hearing the case without a jury in Manhattan Criminal Court.

Green was arrested March 18, 2008, at a McDonald's near Banks' studio in Chelsea. He told officers he and Banks "had a thing together," police said.

Banks said she was about to leave the studio that day when her staff warned her about Green. She said they had previously shown her Green's photograph, told her he had threatened one of her employees and was "somebody I should watch out for."

The former Sports Illustrated cover girl said she told officers that arrived on the scene that she was scared.

"I didn't know what to do. How do I live my life when I leave this building? I had never experienced anything like this before," she said.

The Dublin, Ga., man has been charged with stalking, harassment and criminal trespass, all misdemeanors.

Calm and smiling frequently as she testified, Banks said security "has changed significantly" around her and her workplaces because of Green.

She said that her company has hired more security staff and that her studio audiences are vetted more thoroughly.

Banks said she is now followed everywhere by security guards, even when she runs and exercises outdoors. Even though she is a public person, "I don't live that kind of sheltered, protected life," she said. "I like to walk around."

Assistant District Attorney Sean McMahon asked Banks whether Green's behavior made her fearful.

"I don't fear for my life," Banks said. "I fear for my safety. I fear for the safety of my staff and for my family. And I fear for the safety of people in my vicinity, who I'm with."

Green testified that Banks' shows on racism and homelessness had moved him and he wanted to contact her. He said his attempts to get tickets for her show had been misunderstood.

Questioned by his lawyer, Jeffrey Berman, Green testified that he never threatened Banks, never intended to scare her and never tried to date her.

On cross-examination, McMahon got Green to admit he rode a bus for four days from Los Angeles and to New York where he had no friends, relatives and no job, and the first he thing he did was go to the building that houses Banks' studio.

Banks is executive producer and host of two popular TV shows, "America's Next Top Model" and "The Tyra Banks Show."

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Matt Giraud thrown off of 'American Idol'

LOS ANGELES – There was no saving Matt Giraud this time on "American Idol."

The 23-year-old dueling piano player from Kalamazoo, Mich., was rescued by the show's judges two weeks ago. But on Wednesday it was revealed that he received the fewest viewer votes on the Fox singing competition — just beneath this season's most formidable front-runner.

"I'll definitely remember being the cat with nine lives up here," Giraud said after his dismissal.

At the start of the show, host Ryan Seacrest split the finalists: Giraud and Kris Allen on one side, Danny Gokey and Allison Iraheta on the other. Seacrest then allowed seemingly unstoppable Adam Lambert to choose which group he belonged in. Lambert picked Gokey and Iraheta, but Seacrest dropped a bomb: Lambert was in the bottom three with Giraud and Allen.

"My mouth went open again," said judge Kara DioGuardi. "That's what happens with Adam."

The drama was extended after Seacrest sent Allen to safety, leaving Lambert and Giraud as the bottom two vote-getters. While the judges were split on Tuesday's "Rat Pack"-themed show over Giraud's "My Funny Valentine" rendition, they all agreed that 27-year-old theater actor Lambert's "Feeling Good" performance left them feeling, well, really good.

The Lambert alarm was all for naught, though. Giraud was sent packing.

Gokey and Iraheta, who both recently celebrated birthdays, were safe from elimination, but the 29-year-old church music director from Milwaukee and the 17-year-old high school student from Los Angeles weren't totally out of harm's way. Video was shown of them tangling in a cake-making brawl that left their kitchen a mess.

Gokey was served with the cleaning bill.

"You mean `American Idol' doesn't pay for this?" Gokey asked.

"Maybe we'll take care of it if you win," Seacrest responded.

The four remaining finalists — Allen, Gokey, Iraheta and Lambert — will perform rock 'n' roll songs next week, two weeks before the two-part finale.

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Obama, Madoff, Twitter founders in Time's 'most influential'

NEW YORK (AFP) – What do Barack Obama, Bernard Madoff, Zac Efron and the founders of Twitter have in common? A lot of influence, Time magazine says.

The annual list of the top 100 influential figures has the expected names like the US president, his wife Michelle Obama, and his Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.

Plaudits also extend to the communications and entertainment leaders who might not run the economy, but change billions of people's lives in other ways.

That includes High School Musical star Efron; the creators of the increasingly ubiquitous Twitter social network, Jack Dorsey and Biz Stone; and Arianna Huffington, founder of the Huffington Post -- a leading example of the increasingly vibrant Internet-based news media.

"The Time 100 is not a list of the most powerful people in the world, it?s not a list of the smartest people in the world," said Time managing editor Rick Stengel.

It's "people who are using their ideas, their visions, their actions to transform the world and have an effect on a multitude of people."

Others on the list have been influential for the wrong reasons.

That includes Wall Street mega-swindler Madoff and Mexican drug baron Joaquin Guzman.

As the eclectic list demonstrates, influence might be a tricky thing to define.

An online poll for Time readers threw up a surprise winner -- the 21-year-old college student who founded the online community 4chan.org and who goes by the name of moot.

The shadowy web guru, identified by Time to be called Christopher Poole, received 16,794,368 votes, easily beating the likes of Obama and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

Moot started 4chan.org, a bulletin board, in 2003. The site gets 13 million page views a day.

And in the best tradition of Internet communities, his victory over the world's mightiest personalities might not be all that it seems.

"I would remind anyone who doubts the results that this is an Internet poll," time.com managing editor Josh Tyrangiel said. "Doubting the results is kind of the point."

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Funny stuff! Amy Sedaris writing new book

NEW YORK – Amy Sedaris is preparing more literary laughter.

The actress and comedian is working on a follow-up to her best seller, "I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence." The new book, currently untitled, will come out in 2010 and will again feature "her unique approach to home life through the use of fun, long-forgotten crafts," according to Grand Central Publishing, which announced the book Thursday.

Sedaris, 48, is the sister of humorist David Sedaris and plays Jerri Blank on Comedy Central's "Strangers With Candy."

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Ga. man convicted in NYC of stalking Tyra Banks

NEW YORK – A Georgia man who told police he and Tyra Banks "had a thing together" was convicted Thursday of stalking the supermodel-turned-TV host.

Brady Green, 39, of Dublin, Ga., was convicted by Manhattan Criminal Court Judge James Burke, who heard the case without a jury, of stalking, harassment, criminal trespass and attempted aggravated harassment.

Green faces as many as 90 days in jail when he is sentenced on June 18. His lawyer said an appeal is planned.

Banks testified that she feared for her safety, and for that of her staff and family.

Authorities said Green, 39, repeatedly called Banks' studio, showed up there, and sent her flowers and letters.

Green was arrested March 18, 2008, at a McDonald's restaurant near Banks' studio in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. He told officers he and Banks "had a thing together," police said.

Banks said she was about to leave the studio that day when her staff warned her about Green. She said they had previously shown her Green's photograph, told her he had threatened one of her employees and was "somebody I should watch out for."

The former Sports Illustrated cover girl said she told officers at the scene that she was scared.

"I didn't know what to do. How do I live my life when I leave this building? I had never experienced anything like this before," she said.

Calm and smiling frequently as she testified, Banks said security "has changed significantly" around her and her workplaces because of Green.

She said that her company has hired more security staff and that her studio audiences are vetted more thoroughly.

Banks said she is now followed everywhere by security guards, even when she runs and exercises outdoors. Even though she is a public person, "I don't live that kind of sheltered, protected life," she said. "I like to walk around."

Green testified that Banks' shows on racism and homelessness had moved him and he wanted to contact her. He said his attempts to get tickets for her show had been misunderstood.

He also said he never threatened Banks, never intended to scare her and never tried to date her.

Assistant District Attorney Sean McMahon got Green to admit that he rode a bus for four days from Los Angeles to New York, where he had no friends, relatives and no job, and that the first he thing he did was go to the building that houses Banks' studio.

Banks is executive producer and host of two popular TV shows, "America's Next Top Model" and "The Tyra Banks Show."

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Sean Penn files for legal separation from his wife

NEW YORK – Sean Penn and Robin Wright are separating, citing irreconcilable differences.

The double Oscar winner filed the petition on April 23 in Marin County Superior Court in San Rafael, Calif., according to court papers.

Penn and his actress wife have been married 13 years. Penn has requested joint legal and physical custody of their 18-year-old daughter, Dylan Francis, and 15-year-old son, Hopper Jack.

This isn't the first indication of marital strife. The Penns filed for divorce in December 2007 but dismissed their petition several months later.

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