SPLITS
Actor Matt LeBlanc (Joey), 39, and Melissa McKnight, 41, ended their
three-year marriage on Sept. 20.... Kiddie pop star Aaron Carter, 18,
called off a whirlwind engagement to his fiancée of six days, Kari Anne
Peniche, 22. The Playboy model also dated Aaron's big brother,
Backstreet Boys' Nick Carter.
RECOVERING
Aerosmith's Steven Tyler, 58, recently revealed he was diagnosed with
hepatitis C three years ago. He claims that after a year of treatment,
the illness has been cured.
COURTS
Paris Hilton, 25, was charged on Sept. 26 with DUI, stemming from her
Sept. 7 arrest in L.A. California's maximum penalty for first-time
offenders is a $1,000 fine and six months in jail.... Lawyers for
dethroned View star Star Jones Reynolds, 44, are demanding that the
National Enquirer print a front-page retraction of a recent story which
they say claims her husband, Al Reynolds, 37, is gay. Says an Enquirerrep: ''The story...never says that Al Reynolds is gay.''... On Sept. 25,
an NYC judge threw out a $10 million assault suit filed by David Gest,
53, against estranged wife Liza Minnelli, 60. Minnelli's medical expert
contends that the headaches suffered by Gest were caused by herpes
zoster (shingles) — and not the alleged beatings — a claim Gest's doctor
unsuccessfully refuted. Gest's lawyer says they will appeal.... Lou
Diamond Phillips (La Bamba), 44, was charged with domestic battery on
Sept. 21 in L.A. This comes after an incident on Aug. 11 during which
his girlfriend called the LAPD, claiming he abused her. The charge
carries up to $2,000 in fines and a year in jail.... On Sept. 15, Dr.
Phil McGraw, 56, and CSA Nutraceuticals agreed to pay $10.5 million to
settle a class-action suit. The customers, who claimed the doc falsely
advertised that Shape Up! products would help them lose weight, are
individually entitled to a whopping $12.50 in cash or free
multivitamins. Both McGraw and CSA deny any wrongdoing.... Cameron Diaz,
34, filed a police report on Sept. 19 in L.A. claiming a photographer
attempted to hit her and boyfriend Justin Timberlake, 25, with his car.
Says the lensman's agency: ''The pictures show at least two people
verbally and physically assaulting him. Reports that [he] tried to run
her over are completely false.'' An investigation is currently under way.
DEATHS
Female blues guitarist Etta Baker, 93, an influence on Bob Dylan, among
many others, of natural causes, Sept. 23, in Fairfax, Va.... Saxophone
player Danny Flores, 77, who intoned the title word in the 1958 song
''Tequila,'' of pneumonia, Sept. 19, in Huntington Beach, Calif.... Joseph
Hayes, 88, best known for his book The Desperate Hours, which he turned
into a Tony-winning play and then a 1955 movie, of complications from
Alzheimer's, Sept. 11, in St. Augustine, Fla.... Oscar-winning British
composer Malcolm Arnold, 84, whose credits include The Bridge on the
River Kwai, reportedly of a chest infection, Sept. 23, in Norwich,
England.
LEGACY
SVEN NYKVIST 1922 — 2006
A two-time Oscar-winning cinematographer best known for his many
collaborations with director Ingmar Bergman (Fanny and Alexander),
Nykvist died Sept. 20 in Sweden after a long illness. His elegance and
impeccable eye supported the work of some of our most important
filmmakers — most notably Woody Allen. Says Nora Ephron, who worked with
Nykvist on 1993's Sleepless in Seattle, ''Everything he did was
beautiful.''
This Week in Oprah News
Oprah Winfrey bolstered her status (if that's possible) as the Queen of All Media on Sept. 25 by launching...''Oprah & Friends'' on XM Satellite Radio. ''I have friends who help me disseminate information on ways to live your best life,'' says Winfrey of her station, which will give pals like Maya Angelou weekly shows. Oprah herself hosts a segment during which she and Gayle King gab about, well, way too much. ''We talk about everybody,'' Winfrey laughs. ''So we keep being edited!'' Speaking of edited: Oprah's camp has issued cease-and-desist letters to a fan waging an unsolicited campaign for her presidency. The fan hasn't complied; still, Winfrey called her lawyers' actions ''overzealous.'' So true. Why run for office when you're already Queen?
