Thursday, February 8, 2007

Anna Nicole Smith Dead


Anna Nicole Smith, the former Playboy model whose flamboyant made-for-reality-TV life featured paternity and inheritence battles, drug and weight struggles, and her son's mysterious death, died Thursday in Florida. She was 39.

Smith was rushed to Memorial Regional Hospital after being found unresponsive in her hotel room at the nearby Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, where she was staying with her companion, Howard K. Stern.

"At 2:49 this afternoon we were advised by hospital personnel that Anna Nicole Smith died," Seminole, Fla., police Chief Charlie Tiger told reporters. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family." (Click here for CNN video of the police press conference.)

An autopsy was scheduled to determine the cause of death. Smith's bodyguard attempted CPR before she was taken to the hospital, police said. Also, a nurse was in Smith's room who made the call for help. It was not known why the nurse was there.

The tumult surrounding Smith's life now intensifies in death. (For more on Anna Nicole's life, click here.) Plunged into turmoil are efforts to determine her baby daughter's paternity and the question of who will inherit her late husband's estate, estimated at more than $1 billion.

Smith died five months after her 20-year-old son, Daniel, died in his mother's Bahamas hospital room. Daniel's death came just three days after Smith gave birth to daughter Dannielynn Hope.

"I'm just so sorry for her because I know she's been in heavy depression over the loss of Daniel and nobody should have to endure what she's endured," Smith's lawyer Ron Rale said Thursday. "She was a loving mother. I hope Anna is reunited with Daniel. To leave Danielynn in this world is just the most sorrowful thing I can think of."

Dannielynn was not with her mother and Stern at the hotel, sources say, but was being cared for in the Bahamas by the mother of Shane Gibson, a high-ranking Bahamian official who is a close friend of Smith's.

Stern, with whom she exchanged vows in a commitment ceremony on Sept. 28, "is just devastated," Rale says. "He can't speak."

Before learning of Smith's death, Rale told PEOPLE, "She hasn't been well the past few days, she's had cold and flu symptoms."

On Wednesday, a Los Angeles judge had ordered Smith and Dannielynn to submit to a DNA test by Feb. 21. The test is tied to a paternity lawsuit filed by photographer Larry Birkhead, who claims he is Dannielynn's father. Smith's companion, Howard K. Stern, is listed as the infant's father on her birth certificate.

After the news of Smith's death, an emergency hearing was scheduled to occur in Los Angeles on Friday regarding the paternity of Dannielynn, PEOPLE reports. Birkhead's attorney, Deborah Opri, wants to take a DNA swab from Smith's corpse, which Rale calls "the lowest form of behavior I've ever heard of."

Smith had been enjoying a vacation weekend at the Hard Rock Hotel. According to Julianne Carelli, the public relations and advertising manager at the hotel, Smith checked in on Monday night and was due to check out Friday.

Carelli says Smith was a "frequent guest," celebrating her last birthday at the hotel and filming a TrimSpa video there.

"We're shocked," Kathleen Hart, who is married to Donald Hart, Smith's stepfather "during her growing-up years," tells PEOPLE. "We're just in shock. On the heels of Danny's death, it is hard to deal with."

Smith's cousin, Melinda Hudson, tells PEOPLE: "She was a great person – she had a great spirit. We used to do a lot of things together, we used to go get our nails done and our hair done. She was just a very spirited person."

And Playboy founder Hugh Hefner said in a statement to CNN: "I'm very saddened to learn about Anna Nicole's passing. She was a dear friend who meant a great deal to the Playboy family and to me personally. My thoughts and prayers are with her friends and loved ones during this difficult time." Smith was a Playboy Pet of the Month in 1992 and a year later was the magazine's Playmate of the Year.

Smith also rose to fame modeling for Guess jeans. "This is a very tragic and sad day," the company's CEO, Paul Marciano, said in a statement. "Personally I feel she did not recover from the loss of her son Daniel who was the love of her life." And in an interview with CNN, he said "she had something magic."

Wednesday, February 7, 2007

Charlize Theron Sued for Wearing the Wrong Watch


Swiss watchmaker Raymond Weil is suing Charlize Theron for wearing a Christian Dior timepiece when she was supposed to wear only Weil watches, the Associated Press reports.

According to court papers filed Monday, Theron, 31, was paid “substantial funds” to model in the company’s ad campaign and wear its watches exclusively from October 2005 to December 2006.

Meanwhile, she was also the face of a Dior perfume, and “was actually photographed wearing a watch from the Christian Dior line” at a press event in Austin, Texas, on March 14, 2006, the suit claims. (A photo of Theron wearing the offending watch is included as an exhibit.)

To add insult to injury, she also “appeared wearing a necklace in an advertisement benefiting an AIDS charity,” the court papers say. “Plaintiffs were led to believe and had a right to believe by their written agreement that (Theron) would not promote jewelry or watches.”

The actress’s rep did not return calls for comment from the AP.

Christina & Jordan's Sexy Secret: Naked Sundays


Christina Aguilera and her music exec husband Jordan Bratman have a sexy secret for keeping their marriage exciting – getting naked on Sundays.

"We claim ourselves to be coziest couple ever," the 26-year-old Grammy nominee (for her Back to Basics album) tells Ellen DeGeneres on her talk show Wednesday. "We have something called naked Sundays."

"Excuse me?" DeGeneres asks. "Did you say naked Sundays?"

"You have to keep marriage alive, spice it up," says Aguilera, admitting that some added heat is required even though the two have only been married for "a big whole year."

"[In November] we just celebrated our first anniversary, and on Sundays we just do everything in the house, and we're just cozy and laid back," she says. "We don't need to go anywhere, we're just with each other." We do everything naked. We cook naked."

DeGeneres suggests there is one thing they should avoid during their nude time: "Nothing with grease – that could splatter."

But Aguilera isn't deterred, saying: "Well, unless you want the grease."

Justin Timberlake, Scarlett Johansson and Kevin Federline Party in Miami


Two of Britney Spears’s exes, Justin Timberlake and Kevin Federline, were among the star-studded crowd at Pharrell Williams’s Hennessy Game Night Party in Miami after the Super Bowl.

Timberlake – escorted by security guards and accompanied by Scarlett Johansson and former ‘N Syncer Joey Fatone – arrived when the party was already going strong at South Beach’s lounge Mokai at 1:40 a.m. on Monday. Also at the event were celebs such as Jeremy Piven, John Legend, Tara Reid and Nicky Hilton.

The “SexyBack” singer did some table-hopping in the club’s VIP area and had a brief chat with Federline, who occupied a table with Taye Diggs, Scott Storch and former football star Jamal Anderson. (Earlier in the evening Federline’s Nationwide Insurance commercial made its national television debut at the Super Bowl.)

This isn’t the first time Spear’s exes have partied in the same city. Just last month, both Timberlake and Federline were in Las Vegas at the same time. Their paths briefly crossed then when Federline, along with Alyssa Milano, David Hasselhoff and Toni Braxton, caught Timberlake’s show at the MGM Grand.

After chatting together for a while, Timberlake and Johansson, who did not appear romantic, both left after 3 a.m., while Fatone remained – even helping three girls take a photo of themselves. When one of the women posing realized who’d lent the helping hand, she gave the former ‘N Syncer a big hug.

Teri Hatcher Talks About Botox Rumors


Teri Hatcher knows what's been written about her on the Internet, and she's setting the record straight: "I don't use Botox or Restylane and I've never had any surgery, no matter what you've read."

Hatcher, 42, tells the British edition of Glamour in its March issue: "That's the one downside to fame – on any one day you can find loads of hideously mean things said about you online.

"[My friend] keeps threatening to put these computer child locks on my computer so I can't torture myself. It hurts, you know?"

The actress – who is dating director Stephen Kay, – says she's started a production company so she doesn't have to worry about her looks so much.

"I'm developing television programs and movies to produce, not star in," she says. "I'm already thinking about what's going to happen."

She says she's struggled so much over the years to like herself "that the appearance of a few more lines doesn't really worry me so much."

On her relationship with Kay, who previously dated her fellow Desperate Housewife Eva Longoria, she says they "don't play games."

"I had a date set up for a week and a half away, but he called and said, 'You know what? I really think that seems like too far; what are you doing Monday?' "

Monday, February 5, 2007

Jim Carrey: It's 'Real' with Jenny McCarthy


How can you tell Jim Carrey is in love? He was only 10 minutes into a press conference for his new movie, The Number 23, when he mentioned girlfriend Jenny McCarthy.

Referring to a large, gothic-style fake tattoo he wore for the film, Carrey, 45, proudly told reporters in Beverly Hills on Friday, "Jenny liked it! It was weird – it's amazing what a tattoo does for a girl."

Carrey, who has dated Renée Zellweger and was married to Lauren Holly, said of McCarthy, 34: "I feel that our relationship happened at a time that I am more ready than I have ever been in my life to have a relationship."

He continued, "We also encourage each other. We're both on the same path, so it's really – real."

He and McCarthy first started getting serious over the summer, when they went on dates ranging from a helicopter ride in Santa Monica to a Radiohead concert in Los Angeles.

"This is the happiest I've ever seen Jim, and we've been friends for a really long time," said The Number 23 director Joel Schumacher. Turning to Carrey, he added, "And I've seen you when you've been really suffering in love."

Carrey admitted, "The only thing that has ever consumed me is love. Feeling like, 'What is it? How do I get it?' All of those things have consumed my mind from time to time."

Ryan O'Neal Arrested After Fight With Son


Actor Ryan O'Neal was arrested in his Malibu home on assault and firearms charges after a fight with his 42-year-old son Griffin, police said Sunday.

Sheriff's deputies and paramedics went to his house at 12:30 a.m. Saturday responding to a call about a suspected battery, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff's Lt. John Benedict.

"Deputies determined that Mr. Griffin O'Neal was assaulted by his father during a family dispute," said Benedict.

No details of the dispute were released, and no injuries were immediately reported. The arrest was first reported by TMZ.com.

The fight came just a day after the family received good news: On Friday, actress Farrah Fawcett, who was the longtime girlfriend of Ryan O'Neal and the mother of Griffin's half-brother Redmond, announced she was cancer free after a fight with anal cancer.

The elder O'Neal, 65, was booked at the Malibu-Lost Hills sheriff's station on charges of assault with a deadly weapon and negligent discharge of a firearm, said Benedict.

O'Neal was released at 5:30 a.m. Saturday after posting $50,000 bond.

Tori and Dean Celebrate at Their Baby Shower


To celebrate the upcoming birth of their first child together, Tori Spelling and husband Dean McDermott welcomed around 50 guests to a coed baby shower on Saturday afternoon at Elixir Tonic & Tea in West Hollywood.

“We’re so excited to share this special time with our friends,” McDermott said. “We can’t wait to meet the little man. We feel him kicking all the time and we’re so eager to finally see him.”

The couple revealed in December that they are expecting a boy, whose middle will be Aaron after Spelling’s father, legendary TV producer Aaron Spelling, who died last year. The baby is due in April.

Guests at the event included Spelling’s Beverly Hills 90210 pal Jennie Garth and her So NotTORIous costar Loni Anderson. Spelling’s mother Candy, with whom she’s had a falling out, was not there.

Spelling, looking radiant in a blue mini-dress, happily let her friends rub her belly. “I’ve loved being pregnant, but I’m ready to give birth,” she said with a laugh. “I can’t wait to be a mom and hold this little baby in my arms.”

The blue-themed party was sponsored by Tupperware and planned by Jo Gartin of Love Luck and Angels. “They wanted the party colors to mimic their baby’s turquoise blue and chocolate brown nursery,” said Gartin, who decorated the event with white amaryllis in turquoise vases, blue glass lanterns and hundreds of votive candles.

The menu, presented on blue Etch-a-Sketch trays, featured childhood favorites such as grilled cheese sandwiches, tuna melts, miniature corn dogs and pigs in a blanket, as well as an all-blue dessert menu that included blueberry popsicles.

The shower, which was filmed for Spelling’s new Oxygen reality show Tori & Dean: Inn Love, ended around 7 p.m. when guests left with an exclusive $600 gift bag produced by The Silver Spoon, including items such as Too Faced Lip Injection, a $250 pearl bracelet from Pearl Paradise and an InphantElefant baby blanket.

Judge Shuts Down Paris Hilton Web Site


A Los Angeles federal judge ordered the Web site ParisExposed.com to be temporarily shut down on Friday.

The site, which launched on Jan. 23, let visitors view the heiress’s bank records, personal diaries and home videos for a $30.97 fee.

The judge issued the temporary shut-down “because the site violated my client’s right to privacy and was a copyright infringement,” according to Hilton’s lawyer, Howard Weitzman. “The owner of the site, (Bardia Persa), has an opportunity on Feb. 16 to contest the order. He can either do it in writing or orally in court. If he doesn’t show up, or the judge isn’t swayed, the order can turn into a permanent injunction.”

The site claimed the items were auctioned off after Hilton failed to pay the rent on a Los Angeles-area storage facility.

Last week, Hilton sued over the site, claiming that the items went into the 6,000-sq.-ft. storage unit two years ago when she and her sister, Nicky, 23, moved out of a house that had been burglarized.

Gregory Korn, a lawyer for Hilton said in the filing: “Unscrupulous individuals can use such information to steal Hilton’s identity, or even worse, to stalk and even physically harm Hilton.”

The lawsuit alleges that defendants Nabil and Nabila Haniss of Culver City, Calif., paid $2,775 for Hilton’s items and then sold them for $10 million to entrepreneur Persa, creator of Parisexposed.com.

Persa did not return calls for comment.



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