EXPECTING
There's a Baby McDreamy on the way next spring for Grey's Anatomy doc
Patrick Dempsey, 40, and wife Jillian.... Amanda Peet (Studio 60 on the
Sunset Strip), 34, and screenwriter fiancé David Benioff (25th Hour),
35, announced that they'll become first-time parents in '07.
BIRTH
Rock trio Hanson's middle brother, Taylor Hanson (a.k.a. ''The Cute
One''), 23, and wife Natalie welcomed son River on Sept. 4 in Tulsa. This
is their third child. Yes, you're old.
ANNOUNCED
Twentieth Century Fox has launched FoxFaith, a Christian-themed imprint
that will both release DVDs and market up to a dozen big-screen films
each year.... Hannibal Rising, author Thomas Harris' fourth Hannibal
Lecter book, will hit stores Dec. 5. Rising, about the wine-swilling
killer's formative years, will come two months before its movie version
hits theaters.
AILING
Musician, actress, and onetime Mick Jagger paramour Marianne Faithfull,
59, is receiving treatment for breast cancer. According to her website,
the prognosis is ''excellent.''... Lindsay Lohan, 20, was fitted with a
soft cast at an NYC hospital after fracturing her wrist on Sept. 15,
following a slip at a Fashion Week party.
BUSTED
Country music's favorite midnight toker, Willie Nelson, 73, was cited
Sept. 18 for possession of what police say was one-fifth of a pound of
psychedelic mushrooms and one and a half pounds of marijuana found on
his tour bus. A Louisiana state trooper had pulled the bus over for a
routine inspection and then smelled a strong herbal odor.
CONTROVERSY
The mystery surrounding the Sept. 10 death of Anna Nicole Smith's
20-year-old son, Daniel, remains unsolved after two autopsies. Several
natural causes have been ruled out, and the results of toxicology tests
won't be available until an Oct. 23 inquest. The second medical examiner
reportedly determined that Smith's son had been taking mild
antidepressants.
COURTS
Duane ''Dog the Bounty Hunter'' Chapman, 53, was arrested Sept. 14 in
Hawaii for his capture of Max Factor heir — and convicted rapist — Andrew
Luster. In 2003, Chapman caught Luster in Puerto Vallarta, but the
Mexican government contends the act was illegal and wants the bounty
hunter extradited from the U.S. to face charges. Chapman's lawyer says
his client made the arrest with someone claiming to be a Mexican police
officer. Luster is currently serving a 124-year prison sentence in
California.
DEATHS
Actor Mickey Hargitay, 80, a 1955 Mr. Universe, husband to Jayne
Mansfield, and father to Mariska (Law & Order: SVU), of multiple
melanoma, Sept. 14, in L.A.... Pat Corley, 76, best known as Phil the
Bartender on Murphy Brown, of congestive heart failure, Sept. 11, in
L.A.... Actor Pablo Santos, 19, a star of the 2002 WB series Greetings
From Tucson, in a small-plane crash, Sept. 15, in Toluca, Mexico.
LEGACY
ROBERT EARL JONES 1910-2006
A Broadway and film performer, Jones died of natural causes Sept. 7 in
Englewood, N.J. The father of actor James Earl Jones, Robert worked as a boxer before
catching the acting bug. ''During WWII he got a few jobs [as] a sparring
partner of Joe Louis in USO films,'' son James recalled in 1990, ''and he
realized that in movies you don't get hit quite as hard. He thought,
'This is for me.'''
ROCK BANNED
Has Tommy Lee's supergroup already fizzled? On Sept. 12, a U.S. District Court judge ruled that his new band couldn't tour, record, or sell music under the name Supernova — one day before Lukas Rossi was crowned lead singer on CBS' Rock Star: Supernova. Turns out the moniker already belonged to a '90s pop-punk trio (best known for the song ''Chewbacca'' on 1994's Clerks soundtrack). Mark Burnett Productions' lawyer said the company ''disagreed'' with the ruling and is figuring out what to call the group on their upcoming CD (due Nov. 21) and winter tour. ''I'm sure that'll be a decision for all of us,'' says Rossi of the potential name change. Still, ''it's my honor to lead these boys on a tour, man.'' —Gary Susman
