Monitor

BIRTHS
Actress Kelly Preston, 37, and hubby John Travolta, 46, welcomed a nine-pound girl, Ella Bleu, April 3 in L.A. The couple have a son, Jett, 8.

PREGNANT
Club owner and Madonna gal pal Ingrid Casares, 35, is expecting her first child in October with boyfriend, model Dennis Schaller, 25.

COUPLES
MTV host Carson Daly, 27, and American Pie actress Tara Reid, 24, reportedly began dating after meeting last month in Cancun, Mexico, during MTV's Spring Break blitzkrieg. Daly's publicist confirms the two are ''hanging out''; Reid's declines to comment.... A spokeswoman for actor Nicolas Cage, 35, confirms he has withdrawn divorce papers filed in February against his wife, actress Patricia Arquette, 32. The couple separated nine months after they wed in '95, but continued to appear together at public events.

ENGAGED
TLC's Tionne ''T-Boz'' Watkins, 29, confirmed her plans to marry rapper Mack 10 (Dedrick Rolison), 29. They met last August on the set of TLC's ''Unpretty'' video. It will be the first marriage for both.

DEALS
After quietly compiling material for six years, George Harrison, 57, Paul McCartney, 57, and Ringo Starr, 59, plan a fall release of The Beatles Anthology (Chronicle Books), a 360-page book following the Fab Four's rise through their '70 breakup. For consulting, John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono, 67, will share a quarter of the profits.

RECOVERING
''Oops'' is right. Teen queen Britney Spears, 18, received four stitches in March after a camera fell on her forehead during an L.A. shoot for her new video, ''Oops!...I Did It Again.'' Her publicist says she was back on tour the next day.... Pop diva Mariah Carey, 30, checked into a Boston hospital April 3 for dehydration and food poisoning. A Carey spokeswoman says the singer — who postponed a Beantown gig — fell ill after eating raw oysters. At press time, she was in fair condition.... Ex-sitcom star Tim Allen, 46, had surgery in February at an L.A. hospital, reportedly to remove part of his intestine in a follow-up to his emergency appendectomy last fall. His publicist says the actor ''is doing great'' and is set to shoot the film Cletis Tout with Christian Slater this spring.

CHARGED
Former money manager to the stars Dana Giacchetto, 37, was charged April 3 with securities fraud for allegedly misappropriating more than $6 million from his A-list clients. His party-hardy style won him a following among rockers, artists, and actors like Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz. But in a criminal complaint by federal prosecutors and a civil suit by the Securities and Exchange Commission, Giacchetto was accused of siphoning funds to pay for pricey office space, personal expenses, and settling up with clients who complained about unauthorized activity in their accounts. Reports say he allegedly mishandled the investments of the band Phish and actors Ben Stiller and Matt Damon. Released April 4 on $1 million bond, Giacchetto could face 20 years in prison and $1.5 million in fines if convicted. His attorney couldn't be reached for comment.... Actress Halle Berry, 33, was charged March 31 with a misdemeanor for allegedly leaving the scene of a Feb. 23 car accident in L.A. Berry could receive a year in jail and fines of $10,000. She still faces a civil suit from motorist Hetal Raythatha, who claims she was injured in the accident. Berry's lawyer said she is ''pleased'' by the D.A.'s decision not to press felony hit-and-run charges.