EXPECTING
Baby Spice is becoming a Baby Mama. Emma Bunton, 31, and her musician
boyfriend, Jade Jones, 27, will welcome their first child this summer.
BIRTH
Kevin Nealon (Weeds), 53, and his wife, actress Susan Yeagley (Almost
Famous), 35, greeted their first child together, son Gable Ness, on Jan.
29.
SPLITS
Anne Heche (Men in Trees), 37, and her cameraman husband of five years,
Coley Laffoon, 33, separated Jan. 22. The couple has a son, 4-year-old
Homer.... Former 'N Syncer Lance Bass, 27, and The Amazing Race contestant Reichen Lehmkuhl, 33, have ended their relationship.
RECOVERING
On Jan. 25, B.B. King, 81, was admitted to a Galveston, Tex., hospital
for two days. The blues legend, who was forced to cancel four shows, was
treated for flu-like symptoms. His rep says King is now ''back to his old
self.''... Jennifer Aniston, 37, had surgery on Jan. 20 to fix a deviated
septum. Her publicist says the procedure was intended to correct an
operation she underwent more than 12 years ago.
CONTROVERSY
On Jan. 25, Paramount Pictures chairman and CEO Brad Grey, 49, was
denied Oscar eligibility as a producer on The Departed by the Academy of
Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The exec has argued that he was
integral in developing the Warner Bros. film, a Best Picture nominee,
before taking his current post.
COMMENDED
In a surprising move, the Special Olympics has lauded American Idol's
judges for not giving preferential treatment to their former athlete
Jonathan Jayne, 21, during his audition. Simon Cowell, 47, who didn't
realize Jayne was disabled, ignited controversy after joking about his
weight. In a statement, the Special Olympics said, ''People with
intellectual disabilities don't want to be pitied.''
CONFIRMED
The Police will reunite for a performance at the Grammy Awards on CBS
Feb. 11. Despite rampant speculation, no tour dates have been announced.
COURTS
A YouTube user who uploaded the first four episodes of 24's season 6 is
wanted by someone just as powerful as Jack Bauer: Rupert Murdoch. On
Jan. 19, Fox (which is owned by Murdoch's News Corp.) subpoenaed the
file-sharing site to reveal the identity of the subscriber, who also
posted entire episodes of Fox's The Simpsons. A YouTube rep said they've
removed the copyrighted material and ''will comply with U.S. legal
process.''... Rapper Snoop Dogg (né Calvin Broadus), 35, pleaded not
guilty Jan. 24 to a charge of possessing a deadly weapon. The rapper was
apprehended in September 2006 after security screeners at a Santa Ana,
Calif., airport said they found a collapsible police baton in his
carry-on bag.... Model Niki Taylor, 31, filed a slander suit Jan. 26,
demanding that E! Entertainment Television pay her $1 million for
emotional distress. The model claims she agreed to an interview with the
network about her current life and business endeavors, only to see that
footage used in an episode of Blvd. of Broken Dreams, a series about down-on-their-luck celebrities.
NEW DEAL
Law & Order: SVU stars Mariska Hargitay, 43, and Christopher Meloni, 45,
have signed on for two more seasons of the NBC drama. The new deals are
said to each be worth more than $6.5 million a year, making Hargitay one
of television's highest-paid actresses.
DEATHS
David ''Disco D'' Shayman, 26, a hip-hop producer who worked with 50 Cent
and Trick Daddy, of an apparent suicide, Jan. 22, in Washington, D.C....
Bob Carroll Jr., 88, a writer for I Love Lucy, of undisclosed causes,
Jan. 27, in L.A.... Doug Blasdell, 44, a trainer on Bravo's Work Out, of
kidney failure, Jan. 22, in L.A.... Set dresser David Ritchie, 56, who
was fatally injured on the set of the Samuel L. Jackson action movie
Jumper, Jan. 25, in Toronto. (Another worker was treated for a head
injury and is expected to recover fully.)... Model-actress Marcheline
Bertrand, 56, mother to Angelina Jolie and ex-wife of Jon Voight, of
cancer, Jan. 27, in L.A.
LEGACY
Sidney Sheldon 1917-2007
A best-selling author who also won a Tony (Redhead) and an Oscar (The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer), and was nominated for an Emmy (I Dream of Jeannie), Sheldon, 89, died from complications of pneumonia on Jan. 30. The novelist, whose books included Rage of Angels and If Tomorrow Comes, once said, ''I write about beautiful, resourceful women and handsome, strong men set in glamorous locales so that my readers can...live
vicariously through my characters.'' — Tim Stack
As Seattle Grace Turns...
Last week on Grey's Anatomy (or at least in the drama surrounding the
ABC hit), publicists did more damage control, smacking down rumors that
T.R. Knight — the target of costar Isaiah Washington's on-set
antigay epithet — was considering leaving the show. ABC insists that's
''irrefutably untrue''; Knight's rep called it ''the silliest nonstory.'' As
for Washington (or ''the other one over in rehab,'' as castmate Chandra
Wilson referred to him in her SAG award acceptance speech)? His
publicist would not comment on the status of his treatment, but an ABC
rep said he was slated to appear in February sweeps episodes, which
began shooting this week. — Jennifer Armstrong
Brandy's Car Crash
As if being in a deadly automobile accident weren't bad enough, now R&B
songstress Brandy, 27, could be facing a criminal charge and jail time.
On Dec. 30, the former Moesha star was traveling 65 mph on the 405
freeway in Los Angeles when her Land Rover struck the back of a 2005
Toyota, setting off a chain-reaction collision that killed the Toyota's
driver, 38-year-old Awatef Aboudihaj. After conducting an investigation,
the California Highway Patrol recommended Jan. 29 that the Grammy winner
and America's Got Talent judge be charged with misdemeanor vehicular
manslaughter without gross negligence, which could result in up to a
year in jail. (The case is currently sitting with the Los Angeles City
Attorney's office for review.) In a statement issued Jan. 24, a rep for
Brandy said: ''She wishes to publicly express her condolences to the
family of the deceased.'' Aboudihaj's family filed a civil suit Jan. 30
asking for up to $50 million in damages. — Tim Stack
