Naomi Campbell
Naomi Campbell was arraigned Thursday evening on second-degree assault charges for allegedly hitting her housekeeper with a phone.
At Manhattan criminal court, prosecutors charged that Campbell, 35, was preparing for an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show when she accused her housekeeper of taking a pair of jeans. Campbell then allegedly threw a cell phone at the woman's head, causing lacerations that required four stitches.
Campbell pleaded not guilty, and the housekeeper was granted an order of protection against the model. Judge Richard Weinberg denied a request that Campbell be forced to surrender her passport, since she is set to fly to South Africa tomorrow to appear at a benefit as a guest of Nelson Mandela.
Judge Weinberg also denied prosecutors' request for bail and released Campbell on her own recognizance. She will face a grand jury hearing on June 27.
Earlier on Thursday, the victim, identified only as a 41-year-old woman, named Campbell as her attacker when she spoke to police, who said the alleged incident occurred in Campbell's Park Avenue apartment around 8 a.m. on Thursday.
Campbell was taken into custody shortly after police responded to Lenox Hill Hospital to investigate what was described as an altercation, according to authorities.
She was charged after questioning at the Midtown North Precinct. Her lawyer, David Breitbart, told reporters, "When I left her at the station she was great, in a great frame of mind and thrilled at the way the NYPD had treated her."
In a statement, Campbell spokesman J.R. Johnson said, "We believe this is a case of retaliation, because Naomi had fired her housekeeper earlier this morning. We are confident the courts will see it the same way." Upon entering a New York City courthouse for her arraignment Thursday evening, Campbell told reporters, "I'm fine.
The police have been very nice. It wouldn't be the first time I've been extorted." The London-born Campbell was sued in 2003 by a former assistant who alleged that the supermodel had thrown a phone at her during a tantrum in a Beverly Hills hotel in 2001.
The aide also claimed Campbell grabbed her by the arms and threw her down on a couch. In another incident, in February 2000, Campbell pleaded guilty in Toronto to an assault charge for beating an assistant during the making of a 1998 movie.
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Russell, Kimora Lee Simmons Split
Kimora and Russell Simmons
Rap mogul Russell Simmons and his wife Kimora Lee Simmons are splitting, a rep for Kimora confirms to PEOPLE.
An announcement is expected later today. A spokesperson for Russell had no comment. Russell, 48, and Kimora, 30, married in 1998 and have two daughters: Ming Lee Simmons, 6, and Aoki Lee Simmons, 3.
Both girls model for Baby Phat Clothing, Kimora's offshoot of her husband's Phat Farm clothing line. The former Kimora Lee, whose father is African-American and mother is Japanese-American, was a model, for Chanel and others, when she began dating Simmons, a cofounder of Def Jam Records.
The pair met in November 1992 during New York City's Fashion Week. She was 17 and about to finish high school; he was 35 and a self-admitted ladies man. "I was skeptical," model Tyra Banks told PEOPLE in 2002 of her initial reaction to the relationship. But, she said: "She turned the man about town into a loving husband and papa."
The couple were married by Simmons's brother, Pentecostal minister and rapper Joey "Reverend Run" Simmons of Run DMC, on the Caribbean island of St. Bart's on Dec. 20, 1998.
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Britney Goes for Laughs on Will & Grace
Britney Spears
Britney Spears made her much-publicized appearance on Will & Grace Thursday night, spouting dialogue that may surprise her fans.
In the storyline, Out TV, the network on which series regular Sean Hayes, as Jack McFarland, hosts his talk show Jack Talk, has been bought by a right-wing conglomerate and some changes are to be made, including Jack's being given a cohost, "to widen the audience."
Enter Britney, all smiles and blonde hair in a flaming red dress. "Hi," she announces in an exaggerated Southern drawl, "I'm Amber Louise, from the great state of Alabama."
Amber ambushes Jack Talk, unfurling the Stars 'n' Stripes in front of the Rainbow Flag on the show's set. Once Jack balks that he will not compromise his principles, Amber corners and advises him.
"Jack, you're making a huge mistake," she says. "If you want to get to the top, you got to compromise, like me." When Jack asks what she's compromised, Amber responds: "Okay, I'm gonna let you in on a little secret. I'm not who you think I am.
My real name is Peg, and I'm a hardcore lesbian." Wait, there's more. Amber rattles off all the things she's into, including "leather play." She adds, “Whatever you got, I'll eat it, snort it or ride it, baby." As Jack gasps, Amber continues, "Look, go along with this, and it'll work for you. Look at me: I clear $165 a week, I moved out of my storage unit and I'm on TV.
I'm the freakin' dream!" But Jack doesn't buy into the dream. At the fade-out, Amber occupies Jack's desk as he clutches it to pull Amber toward the door – as Will (Eric McCormack) yanks Jack off the premises. Ahead for the real-life Britney: next month, her third fragrance, In Control, goes on sale, while in November she is scheduled to release a new album.
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Matt LeBlanc, Wife Melissa Seek Divorce
Melissa and Matt LeBlanc
Former Friends star Matt LeBlanc, 38, and his wife, Melissa, 41, are divorcing, the couple announced Thursday. "Melissa and Matt LeBlanc have decided to end their marriage of three years," the actor's rep, Joe Libonati, said in a statement. "The dissolution is amicable. They remain devoted parents and friends.
For the sake of their family, they ask that their privacy be respected at this time." According to legal documents filed by LeBlanc, the actor is seeking “dissolution of marriage” based on “irreconcilable differences.” He lists the couple's date of separation at Jan. 1, 2006, and requests joint legal custody of their 2-year-old daughter, Marina.
Melissa, a former model, has two other children from a previous marriage. The pair were originally introduced in 1997 by actor Lou Diamond Phillips and his wife, Kelly. After a five-year engagement, Matt and Melissa were married on May 3, 2003, in Hawaii in front of 75 guests that included former costars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox and Lisa Kudrow.
At the time of their marriage, a friend of the couple's told PEOPLE that they seemed perfectly suited. "They're really sweet together," said the friend. "He loves her and she loves him. It's very real."
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