BIRTH
Keisha Castle-Hughes (The Nativity Story), 17, and her boyfriend,
Bradley Hull, 20, greeted their first child, daughter Felicity-Amore, on
April 25.
EXPECTING
It'll be baby No. 2 in November for The View's Elisabeth Hasselbeck, 29,
and her husband, New York Giants quarterback Tim, 29.
MARRIED
Chef Anthony Bourdain, 50, host of Travel Channel's No Reservations, wed
Ottavia Busia on April 20. The couple welcomed daughter Ariane on April
9.... Survivor producer Mark Burnett, 46, tied the knot with ex-Touched
by an Angel star Roma Downey, 47, on April 28. Officiating the ceremony:
Downey's Angel costar, ordained minister Della Reese, 75.
FOR SALE
On April 30, Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings), 45, began shopping
his adaptation of the best-seller The Lovely Bones to studios. (Jackson,
who co-wrote the script, will also direct.) New Line is the only major
outlet not on the list of potential bidders. Jackson's Wingnut Films is
still in dispute with the company over Rings royalties.
COURTS
Eve (née Eve Jeffers), 27, was arrested April 26 on suspicion of DUI
after she crashed her Maserati into a center divider on an L.A. street.
The rapper-actress posted $30,000 in bail and is expected to appear in
court May 17. Her lawyer did not return calls for comment.... A
45-year-old woman was arrested April 23 in L.A. for allegedly trying to
run over Jesse James (Monster Garage), 38 — husband to Sandra Bullock,
42 — with her car, following a confrontation with him. The couple claim
that the woman, who was released from jail after posting $25,000 bail,
is stalking them. A court hearing is scheduled for May 22.... On April
27, Will & Grace creators David Kohan, 43, and Max Mutchnick, 41,
settled their $65 million suit with NBC Studios for an undisclosed
amount. The scribes sued the company (which produced W&G) in December
2003, contending that it cheated them out of larger profits by selling
the show at a cheaper price to the NBC network.... Jessica Sierra, 21, a
season 4 contestant on American Idol, was charged with aggravated
battery and cocaine possession after she allegedly hit a man on the head
with a cocktail glass April 29 at a Tampa club. She was released on
$11,500 bail. No court date has been set.
DEATHS
Saxophonist Tommy Newsom, 78, the backup bandleader on The Tonight Show nicknamed ''Mr. Excitement'' by Johnny Carson, of cancer, April 28, in
Portsmouth, Va.... Dabbs Greer, 90, best known as Rev. Robert Alden on
Little House on the Prairie, of kidney and heart disease, April 28, in
Pasadena.... French actor and tap dancer Jean-Pierre Cassel (Vincent &
Theo), 74, of cancer, April 19, in Paris.... Bobby Pickett, 69, who
co-wrote and sang ''Monster Mash,'' of leukemia, April 25, in L.A....
Actor Gordon Scott, 80, who played Tarzan in five films, of heart
failure, April 30, in Baltimore.... Platters singer Zola Taylor, 69, of
pneumonia, April 30, in Riverside, Calif. — Additional reporting by Beth Johnson
Tom Poston (1921-2007)
An Emmy-winning comedic actor best known for his role as dopey sidekick
George Utley on '80s sitcom Newhart, Poston died on April 30 at his home
in L.A. after a brief illness. Husband of actress Suzanne Pleshette, the
Mork & Mindy regular — he played crabby neighbor Mr. Bickley — was ''a
versatile and veteran performer and a kindhearted individual,'' said
longtime friend Bob Newhart in a statement. — Lindsay Soll
David Halberstam (1934-2007)
Whether covering the civil rights struggle in Mississippi or traipsing
through the jungles of Southeast Asia, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist
and author David Halberstam — who was killed on April 23 in a Bay Area car
crash at age 73 — liked to be at the center of the action (even at the
time of his death, he was en route to an interview). The genial man with
the trademark basso profundo wrote more than 20 books during his 52-year
career, including the best-selling 1972 Vietnam War exposé whose title,
The Best and the Brightest, would enter the American lexicon. Says NPR
weekend host and good friend Scott Simon: ''He was an encouraging mentor,
a generous friend, and an intrepid reporter.'' — Karen Leigh
