EXPECTING
Borat's Sacha Baron Cohen, 35, and his fiancé, Isla Fisher (Wedding
Crashers), 31, will greet their first child this winter.
SPLITS
Gridiron Gang's The Rock (né Dwayne Johnson), 35, and his wife, Dany
Garcia, 38, the CEO of a wealth-management firm, announced June 1 that
they will divorce after 10 years of marriage.... Larry David (Curb Your
Enthusiasm), 59, and his wife of 14 years, activist/producer Laurie
David (An Inconvenient Truth), 49, have separated.
EXEC SHUFFLE
NBC's recently hired entertainment co-chair, Ben Silverman, 36, has
promoted Katherine Pope, 34 — who helped develop Heroes — to president of
NBC Universal Television Studio. Pope replaces Angela Bromstad, 45,
who's expected to become head of NBC U's London unit.... Following the
departure of exec Chris Albrecht after his May 6 domestic-assault
arrest, HBO has named COO Bill Nelson as its new chairman and CEO.
COURTS
On May 31, book publishers Simon & Schuster and former CIA agent Valerie
Plame Wilson, 44, sued the CIA. They claim the government is trying to
block the use of pertinent information in her memoir, Fair Game, which
is due in October.... Hugh Grant, 46, will not be charged with assault
for the April 24 incident in London in which he threw a container of
beans at a photographer. ''The minimal nature of the alleged assault and
the lack of premeditation'' were key to the decision, says a police
rep.... Shemar Moore (Criminal Minds), 37, was arrested on suspicion of
DUI June 1 in L.A. The actor, who was stopped for speeding, is expected
to appear in court June 26. Moore's rep could not be reached for
comment.... In an appeal spearheaded by Fox Television, a federal
appeals court ruled against the FCC on June 4, stating that stations and
networks cannot be fined for accidental use of obscene language. The
panel, which noted that even President Bush has been heard using
expletives on television, called the FCC's crackdown ''arbitrary and
capricious.'' Said the FCC in a statement: ''If we can't restrict the use
of [expletives]...Hollywood will be able to say anything they want,
whenever they want.'' At press time, the FCC had yet to decide whether or
not they will appeal.
AILING
Stephen Baldwin, 41, broke a shoulder and rib May 31 in Stephenville,
Tex. The actor was thrown from a bull while taping the August CMT series
Ty Murray's Celebrity Bull Riding Challenge. He was released from a
hospital later that day.
DEATHS
Author Mark Harris (Bang the Drum Slowly), 84, of complications from
Alzheimer's disease, May 30, in Santa Barbara. Says actor Michael
Moriarty, who starred in Drum's 1973 film adaptation: ''He was an
extraordinary American, [and] he was profoundly humble.''... Tony
Thompson, 31, member of '90s R&B group Hi-Five, of undetermined causes,
June 1, in Waco, Tex.... Actor Harry Frazier (The Elf Who Saved
Christmas), 77, of diabetes, May 26, in Woodland Hills, Calif. — Additional reporting by Beth Johnson and Karen Leigh
Locked Up: Paris Hilton Goes to Jail
Shortly after appearing at the MTV Movie Awards, Paris Hilton, 26,
traded in her high-end labels for orange inmate garb and checked herself
into an L.A. county jail on June 3. The hotel heiress will serve at
least 23 days for violating probation after a 2006 drunk-driving charge.
Said Hilton in a statement, ''I need to
take responsibility for my actions.'' Well, there's a first time for
everything. — Lindsay Soll
By George, He's Back!
The Grey's Anatomy finale may have left fans with lots of questions, but
now at least George O'Malley champions can breathe easy: T.R. Knight is expected to return to the ABC series, silencing rumors that he
wouldn't come back for season 3. According to an insider close to the
negotiations, Knight has agreed to a new contract that would boost his
salary to roughly $125,000 per episode with a small piece of the show's
profits (pay hikes were also granted to most of his costars). At press
time, there was no word on the fate of Isaiah Washington, whose
character presumably fled in the finale. ''A cliff-hanger is meant to
keep the audience in anticipation,'' demurred an ABC Television Studio
spokeswoman.
