BIRTHS
White Stripes rocker Jack White, 32, and his wife, model Karen Elson,
28, greeted their second child, son Henry Lee, on Aug. 7.... Sara
Gilbert, 32, and her partner, Allison Adler, welcomed their second
child, daughter Sawyer, on Aug. 2.... More baby talk for Emma Bunton,
31: The once and future Baby Spice and her boyfriend, musician Jade
Jones, 27, are the new parents to son Beau, born Aug. 10 in London.
EXPECTING
Helena Bonham Carter (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix), 41,
and her boyfriend, director Tim Burton (Charlie and the Chocolate
Factory), 48, are expecting their second child this December.
MARRIED
In other Spice Girl news: Melanie ''Scary Spice'' Brown confirmed on Aug.
8 that she and movie producer Stephen Belafonte, both 32, were privately
wed in Las Vegas on June 6. Brown has a 4-month-old daughter with
ex-boyfriend Eddie Murphy.
SETTLED
On Aug. 14, it was announced that ousted radio host Don Imus, 66, has
reached a settlement with CBS Radio over his five-year, $40 million
contract. Imus was dismissed in April for making offensive racial
comments on air. A month later, his lawyer, Martin Garbus, threatened to
file a $120 million lawsuit against CBS for breach of contract.
AILING
''Rehab'' crooner Amy Winehouse, 23, was hospitalized and treated for
exhaustion in London on Aug. 8, and has been ordered to ''take complete
rest.''... Famed tenor Luciano Pavarotti, 71, was hospitalized with a
fever on Aug. 7 in Modena, Italy. Pavarotti, who underwent surgery for
pancreatic cancer last year, is in stable condition and is expected to
be released ''imminently.''
SIGNED
On Aug. 14, Beaufort Books announced it made a deal with the family of
Ronald Goldman to repackage and release If I Did It, O.J. Simpson's
canceled book about the murders of Goldman and Simpson's ex-wife Nicole
Brown Simpson. Last month, a federal judge awarded rights to the book to
Goldman's family to help satisfy a $33.5 million wrongful-death judgment
against the former football star. Portions of the proceeds will go to
the Ron Goldman Foundation for Justice charity.
COURTS
Kevin Federline, 29, filed for primary physical custody of his two
children with ex-wife Britney Spears, 25, on Aug. 8 in L.A. This comes
less than two weeks after the couple's divorce was finalized, with both
Spears and Federline agreeing to joint custody of sons Sean Preston, 23
months, and Jayden James, 11 months. Four days later, Spears' longtime
pal Alli Sims, 26, was served with a subpoena by Federline's lawyer, in
which she was reportedly asked to testify about Spears' parenting
skills. Spears' bodyguard Daimon Shippen was also served with a
deposition subpoena in L.A. on Aug. 13. Spears' lawyer did not return
calls for comment.... On Aug. 6, court papers filed by Jennifer Lopez,
38, revealed that an arbitrator ordered ex-husband Ojani Noa, 33, to pay
the singer-actress about $545,000 after Noa tried to publish an alleged
tell-all book about their relationship. Lopez sued Noa in 2006 for
allegedly breaching a confidentiality agreement as part of a 2005
settlement, which prevents him from disclosing information about the El
Cantante star. According to the papers, Lopez was also granted a
permanent injunction that bars Noa from divulging intimate or negative
details about their relationship, which ended in 1998. Noa could not be
reached for comment.
DEATHS
Writer-director Melville Shavelson (The Seven Little Foys, Houseboat),
90, of natural causes, Aug. 8, in Studio City, Calif.... Actor James
Callahan, 76, best known for his role in the '80s sitcom Charles in
Charge, of esophageal cancer, Aug. 3, in Fallbrook, Calif. ...
Comic-book artist Mike Wieringo, 44, who worked on Fantastic Four and
Spider-Man, of an apparent heart attack, Aug. 12, in Durham, N.C....
Former WWE wrestler Brian Adams (a.k.a. Crush), 44, of undisclosed
causes, Aug. 13, in Tampa.... Comedian Stanley Myron Handelman, 77, who
appeared regularly on The Tonight Show and Ed Sullivan in the 1960s and
'70s, of undetermined causes, Aug. 5, in L.A. — Additional reporting by Alice Lee Tebo
Van Halen and Roth: Together Again
''This is the press conference you probably never thought you would see,''
a giddy David Lee Roth, 52, told reporters Aug. 13 in L.A. For the first
time since 1985, Roth will hit the road with Van Halen for a 25-date
North American tour on Sept. 27. (Eddie Van Halen's teenage son,
Wolfgang, will replace bassist Michael Anthony.) ''This is not a reunion.
This is a new band,'' said Roth, who added that the group will play from
a song list ''as familiar as the roof of your own mouth.'' — Leah Greenblatt
Tony Wilson (1950-2007)
The indie impresario who nurtured iconic bands like Joy Divi sion, New
Order, and Happy Mondays, Wilson died after a battle with kidney cancer
Aug. 10 in Manchester, England, the city he helped make a musical mecca.
Wilson's experiences as head of Factory Records from 1978 to 1992 went
on to inspire the 2002 film 24 Hour Party People. ''Tony wasn't actually
interested in whether records sold,'' says graphic artist and Factory
partner Peter Saville. ''He was interested in whether they mattered.'' New
Order's American manager, Tom Atencio, recalls Wilson's warmth: ''He'd
been through many successes and an equal amount of heartbreak, but I
never saw him bitter or petty.'' — Simon Vozick-Levinson
Party On, Garth!
Is Garth Brooks pulling a Jay-Z and returning to the music scene? After
going into semiretirement in 2000, it seems Brooks is gearing up to step
back into the spotlight. First, reports say that in November, the
country-music superstar will release The Ultimate Garth Brooks, a
three-disc boxed set featuring four new songs. (At press time, Brooks'
reps were mum on the details, though a press conference has been
scheduled for Aug. 18.) But unlike his arrangement for the last two
years, Brooks won't be selling his wares exclusively at Wal-Mart: The
retailing giant confirmed to EW that its distribution deal with the
singer has ended. Brooks is also reportedly planning to rerelease his
back catalogue, including some albums that haven't been on shelves since
1998. Considering the country star's cred — he's sold more than 100
million albums worldwide — the sluggish music industry could definitely
use his help moving product. Says David Card of media-research firm
Jupiter Research, ''Does the industry need him? Yeah, if he's going to be
a star again...and he's proven very, very capable of doing that in the
past.'' — Vanessa Juarez
