Martha Stewart
She's done the time, but Martha Stewart is still dealing with the crime. By Thursday, she must respond to civil charges against her by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over insider trading of ImClone Systems stock.
After a highly publicized criminal case, Stewart spent five months in prison from 2004 to 2005 and another five and a half months under house arrest for lying to prosecutors about selling 4,000 shares of ImClone in late 2001.
The civil lawsuit against her was stayed during the criminal trial and was only lifted last month, prosecutors told the New York Times.
If Stewart, 64, pleads not guilty by the end of Thursday, she will be required to appear for a deposition, which the Times says would place her in a "precarious"' legal position.
Stewart may negotiate a settlement at any time over the next few months as the trial looms, says the Times. Stewart's attorney, Dennis J. Block, did not return calls by the Times seeking comment.
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Howard Stern, 'Bully' Boss Settle Lawsuit
Howard Stern
Howard Stern and his former employer, CBS, have settled their breach-of-contract lawsuit, the Associated Press reports.
CBS had sued Stern, 50, in February, claiming he improperly used CBS air time to promote his new show on Sirius Satellite Radio, which began in January.
According to the AP, CBS also said Stern made plans with Sirius without disclosing them to CBS, as his contract required.
In recent months, the suit grew especially acrimonious – and, as might be expected, colorful.
In March, Stern went on CBS's Late Show with David Letterman and blasted network head Les Moonves. "I believe you are working for one of the biggest jerks on the planet," Stern, wearing an "I Hate Less Moonves" T-shirt, told Letterman. "Les Moonves is a bully."
In reference to Moonves's early acting career, Stern added, "CBS took a C-list actor from The Love Boat and made him CEO." But now lawyers on both sides say they've reached a settlement.
A woman in the office of Stern's lawyer, Peter Parcher, confirmed that the sides have agreed to a settlement, but said the agreement has not yet been signed. Parcher was not available to comment. CBS lawyer Irving Nathan did not return a call by the AP for comment.
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Victoria Principal Files for Divorce
Victoria Principal
Dallas actress Victoria Principal has filed for divorce from her husband of nearly 21 years, prominent Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Harry A. Glassman, M.D., according to papers filed Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court.
Principal, 60, is citing irreconcilable differences. The couple have no children and separated on March 25, according to the papers, which were obtained by PEOPLE.
Principal's petition states that the couple have a pre-nuptial agreement, which lists all the couple's assets and debts. Principal also requests that the court determine property rights and "terminate the court's jurisdiction" to award spousal support to Glassman.
It is unclear whether the divorce has anything to do with a domestic violence incident three years ago that led to Principal's brief hospitalization and Glassman's arrest. At the time, a spokesman for the Los Angeles District Attorney said, "Our office declined to file any charges, and as far as we are concerned, that is the end of the matter."
Meanwhile, Principal stated in a press release: "We have had a loving relationship for over 20 years. We've been and remain happily married. It is outrageous to believe we would inflict injury on one another or harm each other in any way."
On Wednesday, Principal's publicist, Alan Nierob, said, "We have no further comment at this time, other than what is in the court file." Principal's previous marriage, to writer-producer Christopher Skinner, lasted from 1978 to 1980 and ended in divorce. She and Glassman wed on June 23, 1985, when Principal was seven years into her role as Pamela Barnes Ewing on the CBS evening soap about the backstabbing Texas oil dynasty.
She stayed with the show until 1987 (it went off the air in 1991). Glassman's professional Web site describes him as a 20-year practitioner of plastic surgery in Beverly Hills. "He has used his talents to enhance the appearance of some of the most famous people in the world and to reconstruct birth defects, damage from injuries and defects caused by cancer," his online bio says.
Today, Principal sells her Principal Secret skin-care products on QVC and has authored three books: 1983's The Body Principal, 1984's The Beauty Principal and 1987's The Diet Principal.
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Namibian Governor Dashes Brangelina Rumors
Brad and Angelina Jolie
Plenty of rumors have been floated about Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, who are in Namibia awaiting the birth of their first child. And now, a few more have been refuted.
For one thing, Samuel Nuuyoma, the governor of the Namibian province where Pitt, 42, Jolie, 30, and kids Maddox, 4, and Zahara, 1, are staying, will not be visiting the hospital and naming the new arrival, despite tabloid reports.
Britain's Daily Mirror had quoted Nuuyoma as saying, "When she goes to the hospital, as the father of the region, I will be informed and I will go there.
I will announce the good news and I will be naming the baby." But Nuuyoma, who has met the couple, told the Associated Press on Wednesday, "No. No. That's absolutely not true. I never said such a thing. Never in history."
And those reports that the baby's birthday will be declared a Namibian national holiday? A DJ for local station Radio Wave did ask listeners whether the Pitt-Jolie infant should be given the honor, which is usually reserved for royals and national heroes.
"We have a tie: it's 50-50," the DJ said Tuesday, although voting continues. However, no official government action seems to have taken place. One thing, however, is certain: Foreign journalists wishing to cover the birth must have written permission from Pitt and Jolie to enter the country and obtain a work permit, the Namibian government has said.
The order follows the arrest of John Liebenberg, a South African magazine photographer, who was apprehended Wednesday for the second time in less than a week while trying to take pictures of the couple at a restaurant, according to the South African Press Association.
The Jolie-Pitt family arrived in the sleepy coastal town of Walvis Bay last month and have been shielded by their own bodyguards and Namibian police at a luxury resort hotel.
The impending birth of their first biological child prevented Pitt from joining costars Cate Blanchett and Gael Garcia Bernal and director Alejandro González Iñárritu at the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday to promote the new movie Babel. I
nstead, he sent his regrets in an e-mail, saying, "With the imminent arrival of the newest addition to our family, I am unable to join Alejandro, Cate, Gael and the rest of the cast and crew introducing the film."
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American Idol: What You Didn't See
Heather Locklear and Ava
Celebrities populated the stage during Wednesday's finale episode – but there was plenty of star power in the audience as well. Some highlights:
• More than an hour before the start of the show, Bucky Covington's twin brother, Rocky, signs autographs and takes photos with fans – some of whom mistake him for Bucky – in front of the Kodak Theater.
• In the ladies' room, Camryn Manheim explains to a friend what it was like to walk through the throng of fans in the lobby: "They screamed at me so I screamed back!"
• Heather Locklear is in the audience with daughter Ava, 8. "Ava's a huge fan," a friend of Locklear's tells PEOPLE. "She was so excited all day." Apparently, Ava's a McPhee fan while her mom is rooting for Hicks.
• Primping in the ladies' room before showtime, Katharine McPhee's mom Peisha and sister Adriana gasp when Lisa Rinna walks in. The Dancing with the Stars runner-up tells them, "I'm a Katharine fan," and reassures Peisha: "Take it from someone who knows, sometimes losing is better than winning. … Tonight is about just having fun and celebrating."
• Later, Rinna greets actress Lori Loughlin with hugs and kisses as young girls scramble for Rinna's autograph, ignoring her husband, Harry Hamlin, who's standing nearby with their kids.
• David Hasselhoff tells PEOPLE, "I'm voting for Katharine because she's from Sherman Oaks and that's where I live. Taylor's good too." He later tears up when Taylor Hicks is named the winner.
• BFFs Chris Daughtry and Ace Young share a long, warm hug during the commercial break after performing in the all-male medley.
• After Hicks performs a duet with Toni Braxton, the two walk offstage together hand in hand.
• Just before the results are announced, McPhee waves cheerfully to her fans while Hicks stands stiff. After Hicks is named the winner, McPhee's parents blow kisses to her while Hicks sings his final song.
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Soul singer Taylor Hicks wins "American Idol"
Katharine McPhee (L) of Los Angeles lifts the arm of Taylor Hicks of Birmingham, Alabama after he was named the new 'American Idol' during the show's finale at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood, May 24, 2006. Soul singer Hicks won the 2006 'American Idol' contest on Wednesday, beating ballad singer McPhee in votes cast by fans of the most watched TV show in the United States.
Taylor Hicks of Birmingham, Alabama performs after being named the new 'American Idol' during the show's finale at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood, May 24, 2006. Soul singer Hicks won the 2006 'American Idol' contest on Wednesday, beating ballad singer Katharine McPhee in votes cast by fans of of the most watched TV show in the United States.
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Gray-haired soul singer Taylor Hicks won the 2006 "American Idol" contest on Wednesday, capturing the hearts and votes of millions of viewers in the fifth edition of America's top-rated TV show.
Hicks, 29, who was told in auditions that he was too gray to be a pop star, beat balladeer Katharine McPhee in the climax of a nationwide contest that attracted tens of thousands of wannabe performers.
"Thank you America! I'm living the American Dream," screamed Hicks at the end of the show.
The winner was announced at the end of a star-studded finale at Hollywood's Kodak Theater featuring performances by Prince, Dionne Warwick, Mary J. Blige, Burt Bacharach, Toni Braxton and Meat Loaf.
Alabama native Hicks, beloved for his manic dancing, is the oldest "American Idol" winner in the reality TV series that has become a ratings juggernaut attracting some 30 million viewers a week since January.
Once derided as a cheesy talent show, "Idol" has steadily gained credibility in the industry, turning out a Grammy winning performer in Kelly Clarkson while past winners and runners-up have sold more than 33 million records.
At the Country Music Awards on Tuesday, former "American Idol" champ Carrie Underwood was named top new female vocalist, and also won the single record of the year honor for "Jesus Take the Wheel."
The fifth season of "American Idol" saw the wannabe stars collaborating with icons like
Stevie Wonder and Rod Stewart while Prince gave a surprise performance.
Harmonica playing Hicks, who spent years singing in local nightclubs, wins a coveted recording contract and will release his first single in the next few days.
"I didn't have any idea that Americans would embrace gray hair as much as they have," Hicks said backstage, thanking his fans. He said he planned to make "an album with soul. It's going to have a lot of feeling."
McPhee, 22, a sultry Los Angeles musical theater performer, was deemed by the three-person judging panel to have one of the best vocal talents in "American Idol" history.
But viewers chose the charismatic Hicks, whose fans call themselves the "Soul Patrol." Program officials said more than 63 million votes were sent in by phone or text but they did not give a breakdown.
Backstage McPhee said she had not expected to win but would be releasing a single anyway. "I don't need sad faces or anyone to feel bad for me. I have got a record deal, pretty much. It wasn't about winning the title, I just wanted to give the best performance I could," she said.
With a style that mixes Joe Cocker with Ray Charles, Hicks was a consistent favorite with viewers despite some acerbic comments from judge Simon Cowell, who said one of his performances was like "a drunken father singing at a wedding."
The fifth season of "American Idol" proved the most successful ever, forcing rival TV networks to reschedule their programs to avoid competition. The show returns for a sixth series in January.
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