Pop Stand

Morning Links: Bale denies batting mother, sister

Christian Bale denies assaulting his mother and sister, who told a British newspaper, "OK, there was an incident but police are dealing with it . It is an extremely sensitive situation." "Sources" close to Bale told TMZ.com that the contact between him and his poor old mum was not an injury -- was more like a "push" and could have even been a "brush." His people are implying it could have even been "verbal assault," which isn't a crime here, but is in England. Holy justification, Batman!

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TMZ.com spies report that Bale blew up on the set of Terminator 4 just days before the dust-up with his mother, cursing and threatening the director of cinematography.

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A friend of Bale says he is depressed over the death of Heath Ledger and over strains in his marriage to Sandra "Sibi" Blazic.

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Speaking of "The Dark Knight," Maggie Gyllenhaal says she believes Ledger deserves an Oscar for his work as the Joker.

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"The View" co-host Sherri Shepherd told a Christian women's magazine that during her days of low self-esteem, she was in a physically abusive relationship and "I had more abortions than I would like to count." She also sais she often thinks that other charismatic Christian women "could lay hands on Barbara Walters and get her saved."

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Friends Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow looked sad and grim as they strolled in the Hamptons, with Madonna pushing a double stroller occupied by their tots, Apple and David Banda.

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Britney Spears showed up at Jenny McCarthy's autism benefit Saturday night, so rumors started flying that Brit's second son, Jayden James, is autistic. Not so, says people who allege they know.

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Janice Dickinson got a ticket for talking on the cell phone while driving on the Sunset Strip, but three paparazzi who swarmed to the scene to get pics of the ex-supermodel were also cited -- one for jaywalking, two for driving without license plates.

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Estelle Getty, the irascible "Golden Girl" mom Sophia Petrillo, has died a few days short of her 85th birthday. Here's the surprise -- she was one year older than Bea Arthur, who played her daughter, and a year younger than Betty White, both of whom are still going strong!

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Miley Cyrus has spoken for the first time, calling the controversial Annie Leibovitz photos published in Vanity Fair a mistake due to her age. "I was working with a big magazine, just trying to go with what they were saying," she said, adding that it was normal to make mistakes at age 15.

-- Anne Neville

It's no joke: Christian Bale arrested for assaulting mom, sister

Christian Bale faces charges of assaulting his mother and his sister in a London hotel room on Sunday, the day before the London premiere of "The Dark Knight," in which he plays ... Batman! The hero!

British police say they took the complaint from Bale's mother, Jenny, 61, and sister Sharon, 40, Monday but waited to arrest Bale until Tuesday, after the premiere of "The Dark Knight," because they didn't think he was a flight risk. Hey, if Batman's not a flight risk, who is?

He did walk the red carpet at the movie opening, but was even more frowny-faced than usual. On the other hand, he was calm at LAX on Saturday with his wife and 3-year-old daughter. Maybe all the attention from autograph-seekers was too much?

Ronn Torossian, CEO of 5W Public Relations in New York, said, "Christian Bale being arrested shortly after [the Batman movie] being released has huge implications ... particularly given cast member Heath Ledger's earlier drug overdose death. ... What will parents say to their children ... about why Batman beat up his mother?"

TMZ recalls the time Bale said to E! Online, "If everyone really knew what a jerk I am in real life, I wouldn't be so adored in the slightest."

Christian? Now we know.

-- Anne Neville

Morning Links: Barenaked Ladies pull out of Disney's "Music Block Party"

The Barenaked Ladies have pulled out of the Disney-sponsored "Disney Music Block Party" planned for August 22-24 at Eisenhower Park in Long Island. The July 11th arrest of lead singer Steven Page on cocaine charges seems to be the reason. An announcement on the band's web site from their manager reads: "Members of the band completely support Steven Page, but we don't want to put Disney in an awkward position before issues involving Steven's arrest are resolved."

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Balthazar Getty of ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" reveals to People that he has indeed separated from his wife, Rosetta, after pictures began surfacing of him smooching actress Sienna Miller. Getty and Miller, Jude Law's ex, have been secretly dating for two months.

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Jay Leno has announced that his final Tonight Show will be May 29, 2009, making way for Conan O'Brien to switch from 12:30 to the 11:30 slot.

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Roger Ebert is walking away from the show that made he and partner, the late Gene Siskel, household names. After Siskel's death, Ebert continued to the show with Richard Roeper. Now Ebert says on his blog that he and producers at Disney cannot agree on the direction of the show. Disney wants to take the show in another direction, so he is taking the show and it's signature "Thumbs Up" with him. Ebert, who has been battling cancer for years, hints he and his thumbs may be back on another show, some day.

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Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" during the halftime show of the Super Bowl in 2004 left a flood of FCC television and radio violations in its wake. The incident led to a half-million dollar fine for CBS by the FCC for the exposure of her pasty-clad breast at the hands of Justin Timberlake. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit on Monday overturned the ruling and FCC's fine.

-- Dave Valenzuela

Morning Links: Jessica Simpson fails to impress country fans

Jessica Simpson, performing at the Country Thunder festival in Wisconsin, ran into a buzzsaw of criticism (and boos) from fake-sensing country fans. One guy said, "She doesn't fit in with country, and I'll have to drink a lot of beer to sit through her concert." She was also called "an embarrassment to country music," and "crap."

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DMX has been arrested again, this time for giving a fake name and Social Security number to avoid more than $7,500 in medical bills at Scottsdale's Mayo Clinic. Earl Simmons, who said he was "Troy Jones," was arrested outside a mall and booked into Maricopa County Jail. He's also had recent arrests for outstanding warrants and drug and animal cruelty charges related to dog-fighting.

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John Graziano, the young Marine who was injured when the car driven by Hulk Hogan's son Nick crashed, will have surgery to replace the portion of his skull that was removed. A long profile in Marine Corps Times examines his life before and after the crash.

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Angelina Jolie and her twins, whose photos are worth up to $11 million for charity, left the hospital in Nice under cover of darkness at 4 a.m. to frustrate photographers who were camped outside, apparently via the kitchen. Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline now join their four siblings in the family's French mansion.

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Jerry O'Connell and Rebecca Romijn, who just celebrated their first wedding anniversary, say they are working on starting a family. "It would be amazing if it happened," O'Connell said. "I hope it does."

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Christie Brinkley, who spent July 4 with her ex-husband Billy Joel, looked happy as she attended his concert at Shea Stadium. She was applauded by the crowd as she walked to her seat a few rows back from the stage, an observer said: "Everybody was yelling good job to her." Presumably the kudos were for her victory in her divorce case against philanderer Peter Cook.

-- Anne Neville

Morning Links: Mischa says DUI was "low point"

Mischa Barton says her DUI arrest "was a low point for me," and "I was disappointed because it associated me with a group of girls that I would rather not be associated with."

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Britney Spears and Kevin Federline are in court again today for a hearing in their custody case, which is headed for trial next month, but at least one expert tells People.com the couple would do best by settling -- because Britney, in particular, could get less visitation than she has now.

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Denise Richards went to court Thursday seeking an emergency ruling that would keep her daughters from the house of their father, Charlie Sheen. Neither side is willing to say what the issue is, except that it's "psychological," says TMZ.com. Charlie's lawyer also says Denise's lawyer withdrew the request when it became clear the the judge was poised to reject her plea, and that Denise's side is "forum shopping." Look for the mystery emergency plea to be made again Monday in front of a different judge.

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Dennis Farina pleaded no contest to one charge of having a gun in a secure airport area after having a gun in his briefcase at LAX in May. Two more serious charges of carrying a loaded firearm and carrying a concealed weapon were dismissed. He got a small fine and a year of probation, during which he can't own, possess or carry a firearm in California.

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Ashley Dupre, the young woman at the center of the Eliot Spitzer prostitution scandal, used a fake name to convince the "Girls Gone Wild" folks that she was old enough to consent to being on film. Problem was that it was a real name, just somebody else's. And now that somebody else, Amber Arpaio, has sued Dupre and the Girls Gone Wild guys for identity theft, invasion of privacy, defamation and "unjust enrichment." Arpaio's attorney says Dupre got his client's driver's license, which she used to prove her identity, by accident.

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Musician Wyclif Jean has offered to -- get this! -- babysit for Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's six kids. I'm sure he's a nice guy and all, but I doubt if any one person could watch six kids age 6 and under. Even Brangelina is looking for a nanny to help out. Another of Jolie's pals, Michael Kelly, who co-stars with her in her next movie, "the Changeling, says, "she is just a wonderful mom."

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Reports say Orlando Bloom's relationship with Victoria's Secret model Miranda Kerr is over. She is said to be back with oil her Brandon Davis, her former boyfriend.

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Teen Disney star Zac Efron wowed photographers with his muscular arms as he left a California gym.

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Jeff Probst is in the jungle filming "Survivor: Gabon," so he was suprised to hear that when Kristen Chenoweth announced his nomination as "best reality show host," she mentioned that they dated once -- but that he is now preparing to marry. "Considering that I'm not even in a serious relationship, that was a shock to me," Probst said. So that must mean his relationship with Vanauatu Survivor contestant Julie Berry has cooled. Also nominated in that category: Ryan Seacrest, Tom Bergeron, Howie Mandel and Heidi Klum.

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Shreveport police say a review of in-car audio has shown no racial slurs or other misbehavior in the weekend arrest of actors Josh Brolin and Jeffrey Wright, although witnesses say otherwise.

-- Anne Neville

Morning Links: Oprah to be sued by the T-Birds

Oprah Winfrey and her Harpo Studios production company are about to be sued by one of the cast members of "Grease" for failing to negotiate residuals before airing a clip of the musical on the show "Oprah's Big Give."  Barry Pearl, who played T-Bird "Doody," says that Oprah is treating him and his fellow ensemble cast memebers poorly, telling them that they should be happy for the "found money" the studio is offering.

The clip of "Summer Nights" was used during the episode, which featured John Travolta, who, of course, starred as Danny Zuko in the 1978 film adaptation.

Pearl, who largely lives on the residuals of "Grease," contacted Harpo officials on behalf of himself and other cast members after the airing and asked for $7,500 each for the use of their performance in the clip. Harpo countered with $5,000 and when Pearl's attorney countered again, it is said to have gotten ugly. Harpo's reps withdrew their offer and low-balled the group with a Screen Actors Guild-endorsed offer of 3 times the weekly wage from 1977, when it was filmed.

Harpo's rep told TMZ: "We have made a settlement offer that is in accordance with SAG guidelines, with appropriate penalties, which should bring this matter to a swift and satisfactory resolution."

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TMZ reports that actors Josh Brolin and Jeffrey Wright were subdued with tasers and pepper spray during their altercation at a bar in Shreveport, La., during the wrap party for the Oliver Stone film "W," based on the life of President George W. Bush. Witnesses and sources say Wright was also repeatedly referred to with racial slurs by arresting officers, while Brolin was sprayed while trying to calm the scene.

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Actress Mena Suvari, who captured the eyes of Hollywood as the temping teen in "American Beauty," has found a man to marry. Music producer Simone Sestito proposed to Suvari, now 29, while the couple vacationed in Jamaica.

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Rolling Stones guitarist Ron Wood has checked himself into rehab, according to his rep. "Following Ronnie's continued battle with alcohol, he has entered a period of rehab. His close family and friends say he is seeking help and look forward to his recovery."

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Rapper Nate Dogg pleaded innocent from a wheelchair to charges that he threatened his estranged wife. Nate Dogg, the cousin of rapper Snoop Dogg, suffered a stroke six months ago that has left him partially paralyzed.

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Comedian Andy Dick was arrested Wednesday on drug and sexual battery charges. Dick allegedly pulled down the top of a 17-year-old female outside the club exposing her chest, and was later found to be in possession of Xanax and marijuana. He was charged with felony possession of narcotics, misdemeanor possession of marijuana and misdemeanor sexual battery.

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Singer Natalie Cole says she has Hepatitis C, discovered during a routine check-up. Cole says that it is likely the result of her drug use in the past and says: "I am committed to my belief in myself and in my abiding faith to meet this challenge with a heartfelt optimism and determination."

-- Dave Valenzuela

The most shocking thing in Madonna's brother's new book

No, it wasn't that Madonna kissed Gwyneth Paltrow on the lips during a wild New Year's party at Donatella Versace's place, or that she briefly entertained thoughts of having a baby with Dennis Rodman, perhaps the only male in the world whose flamboyance outshined her own.

The most interesting revelation in Christopher Ciccone's book about his older sister Madonna is a huge conflict with her libidinous, uninhibited personality: "Although Madonna is notorious for her lack of inhibition, for posing nude for art students, modeling topless for Gaultier … in private, she is far too shy and prudish to allow herself to be seen naked at close quarters by a stranger."

So she hires her brother as her dresser, to assist her with quick costume changes between acts of her tours, in which she strips down to the skin and he towels the sweat off her body, generally, he claims, cursing him the whole time for minor things. He's admitted it was an odd task for a brother to perform, but more important to Christopher, it was demeaning. He won't tell his friends that he's her dresser, but now he's telling the world.

Can you believe him?

Ciccone is free with accusations, from using coke with Courtney Love and Jack Nicholson to clashing with Lauren Hutton over artwork, but in Madonna's case he often backs off at crucial moments. He dishes about her famous and long-lasting friendship with Ingrid Casares (who was photographed at Alex Rodriguez's side over the weekend, sparking rumors that she was carrying messages to and from Madonna) but at the last moment writes this: "Madonna never confirms or denies" that the pair are having "intimate relations."

And rather than being happy for Madonna's success and pleased with the generosity she does exhibit -- sending him to rehab (which he says he doesn't need) and then therapy (which he says he benefits from) -- Ciccone carps about her "stinginess" to everybody from their grandmother to her employees.

If Ciccone's goal was to aggrandize himself at the expense of his sister, who accomplished her status as a superstar with a potent combination of ambition, discipline and ego, he's fallen far short of the mark. For a man of 47 who has always lived in his sister's shadow, this latest failure must sting most of all.

Read my full review of Ciccone's book: "Life With My Sister Madonna" in Thursday's Life & Arts section.

-- Anne Neville 

Morning Links: Barenaked Ladies' Page faces drug charges

The Toronto Star reports that Barenaked Ladies frontman Steven Page faces drug charges after being arrested last week in Manilius, east of Syracuse. Page faces counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance after police investigating a car with its doors open spotted him in an apartment with cocaine and marijuana. He and a woman were arrested last week. Page is out on bail and his manager says he's sure Page will be cleared.

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In other Canadian news, the Hamilton Spectator tracked down the nut-allergic guy who was impersonating David Lee Roth in Ontario. He's David Kuntz of Cambridge, Ont., who doesn't look much like Roth in side-by-side photos, but it was plausible enough to get him out of the speeding ticket. Friends say he played drums in a rock band in the 1980s.

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Susan Atkins, a member of the Manson Family who is serving life in prison for her part in the murders of Sharon Tate and others, failed to win release even though she has brain cancer and may have as little as six months to live.

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Brian Bonsall, adorable little Andy Keaton from "Family Ties," is all grown up and in all kinds of trouble. He's due in court today in Colorado, where he has failed to complete terms of his sentence of probation on a domestic violence charge.

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Paris Hilton has almost 200,000 friends on her MySpace page (open with caution -- has sound, and it's Paris "singing!"), which she started to combat rumors and false stories, she says.

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After attending the New York premiere of "The Dark Knight," Heath Ledger's father released a statement saying the movie was "everything we hoped it would be and more ... We are so proud of our boy." The audience cheered when Ledger's name appeared on screen.

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Miley Cyrus says she "would love to make a younger, cleaner version of 'Sex and the City.'" She told TV Guide, "I like to think of myself as the girl no one can get, that no one can keep in their hand."

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Hayden Panettiere is releasing her first album, which she says has been in the works for four years, since she was 14. She says the songs on it are diverse and eclectic, and admitted that playing the first single on Ryan Seacrest's radio show was "scary" and "terrifying."

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Bjorn Ulvaeus of ABBA has revealed that he's suffering from long-term memory loss. The 58-year-old says he can't recall winning the Eurovision song contest in 1974 with "Waterloo," which launched the band to stardom.

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A strange-looking bump has people buzzing about whether Uma Thurman -- who has changed her mind after vowing never to marry again -- could possibly be pregnant with the child of her fiance, Arpad "Arki" Busson.

-- Anne Neville

Morning Links: Jimmy Kimmel splits from Sarah Silverman

Comedians Jimmy Kimmel and Sarah Silverman have split up after 5 years of dating. The couple frequently joked on talk shows that they would marry when gays were allowed to be legally married. Now that gay marriage is allowed in California, maybe the pressure was too much. Kimmel's rep says, however, "Jimmy and Sarah have and will have no further comment." The host of "Jimmy Kimmel Live" and his comedienne girlfriend caught big buzz in 2007 with their hilarious YouTube videos featuring actors Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.

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Khloe Kardashian, the youngest daughter of the Kardashian family featured on the E! Show bearing their name, was sentenced to 3 days in jail for violating her parole related to a DUI arrest in March of 2007.

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Heath Ledger's family attended the premiere of the new Batman film, The Dark Knight, last night. Ledger's father was the only one to travel the red carpet or even appear after the film. He gave a thumbs up after viewing the super hero film and told people outside that it was "very good."

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Lindsay Lohan hosted a barbecue at the DKNY House in Malibu over the weekend, and the rehabbed actress was said to be playing it straight. An original pineapple juice drink was created and served at the Jack Lalane Power Juicer stocked bar.

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Not sure if he's concerned about getting better mileage, but Hollywood's current hot young actor Shia LaBeouf was spotted cruising around town on a new Triumph motorcycle.

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E! Online has photos of Britney Spears filming her portion of a short movie to be used during Madonna's Sticky & Sweet tour.

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New York-based Global Music Group was the winning bidder for the Death Row Records label which brought us such rap acts Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur. Death Row went into bankruptcy in in 2006, and had fallen hard. The winning big was a mere $24 million for the once mighty rap label.

-- Dave Valenzuela

Morning Links: Jolie-Pitt twins hailed in France

The fifth and sixth children in the Pitt-Jolie clan were born by Cesarean section Saturday evening in Nice, France. Knox Leon, born first, weighed 5.03 pounds and Vivienne Marcheline (after Jolie's mother, Marcheline Bertrand) weighs 5 pounds. Their arrival was heralded by the mayor, who showed off their birth certificates on the steps of the hospital. Jolie's doctor said Pitt was "very emotional" at observing the birth, chatted with his partner, who had had only an epidural, and cut the babies' umbilical cords.

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Ethan Hawke has revealed that he and Ryan Shawhughes, the former nanny of his children with Uma Thurman, married last month in New York before the birth of their child. 

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Alex Rodrieguez met estranged wife Cynthia and their older daughter Natasha in a Toronto restaurant over the weekend. Everybody looked glum. Toronto fans took advantage of the Madonna scandal by taunting A-Rod with Madge photos.

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Speaking of Madonna, this week the tell-all by her brother, Christopher Ciccone, is published. In an excerpt in the Daily Mail, Ciccone says Guy Ritchie is a homophobic boor and his relationship with his sister essentially ended when they married.  He also says Madonna refused to pay him for decorating work until he attended a Kabbalah meeting, and that Madonna's closest relationship was with Sandra Bernhard's ex, Ingrid Casares.

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Yet another video has surfaced of Amy Winehouse snorting something inside a DJ booth as she played tunes at a nightclub. She also slapped the DJ who was working, and as The Sun says, "left at 2 a.m. with one of the bar's lamps and what looked like half of Colombia up her nose."

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Rapper Taboo of the Black Eyed Peas married Jaymie Dizon on Saturday in Pasadena, with bandmates wil.i.am and Apl de ap as groomsmen and Fergie, who attended with her fiance, Josh Duhamel.

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Actors Josh Brolin, Jeffrey Wright and crew members working on the Oliver Stone film "W" were arrested after a brawl with police outside a bar in Shreveport. One crew member was stopped for public intoxication, resisted arrest, and the melee started. Seven were arrested, including two women, most for interfering with police.

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A limo company secretly videotaped its celebrity clients for years, according to a report TMZ.com got from the outraged wife of a fired driver. The company, called Ready to Roll, says a light goes on during taping, but celeb riders are said to be outraged. Some who used the service (and possibly appeared on its tapes) include Britney and Kevin Spacey, who had nothing to say about the unauthorized filming.

Yes, indeed, a jury decided Dane Cook's landlord can evict him because he allowed his little dog, Beast, to poop all over the common areas of the building where he lived and didn't pick it up.

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Also, the Diamond Dave confusion has been cleared up by the revelation that there's an impostor claiming to be David Lee Roth in Canada. It was him who had an allergic reaction in May after eating nuts and was saved by Canadian police. Worst of all, the faux Dave is getting closer -- he was spotted at a lounge in Hamilton, singing and claiming to be the Van Halen singer.

-- Anne Neville