California Rumor

The LA County District Attorney has confirmed that Dr Conrad Murray's case in the death of Michael Jackson will be filed on Monday.

TMZ first claimed that sources said the District Attorney will file involuntary manslaughter charges against Jackson's private doctor on Friday.

A media circus waited at the Airport Courthouse expecting Murray to surrender, with an arraignment muted for Friday afternoon.

The DA claims that information on the charges and the arraignment at Airport Court will be released after charges are filed.

It is not known if Dr Murray will be arrested or whether he will voluntarily surrender himself in court.

Nathan, Caleb and Jared Followill of the rock band Kings of Leon stepped up and staged an intervention for their father, a former Pentecostal evangelical preacher, who has had a serious drinking problem on and off for years. Their dad was put in a California rehab center with the help of his sons in December as he was literally close to death. He had been living in Oklahoma and working part-time as a house painter. He didn’t have the money for treatment and according to an insider, couldn’t bring himself to ask his sons for help. I’m glad that the rockers offered and that Ivan’s getting his life back on track.

A woman accused of being part of a gang who burgled the homes of some of Hollywood's biggest stars is facing new charges after appearing in court wearing a necklace allegedly belonging to Lindsay Lohan.

Prosecutors in Los Angeles have already charged Courtney Leigh Ames, 19, with two counts of receiving stolen property.

She is one of six people accused of being part of a gang - dubbed the 'Bling Ring' which burgled stars' homes including Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton and Orlando Bloom.

Other victims included Rachel Bilson, Megan Fox, Ashley Tisdale and The Hills celebrity Audrina Patridge.

Now an amended complaint accuses Ames of wearing a beaded necklace taken from Lohan's home to a December court hearing where she pleaded not guilty to burgling Paris Hilton's home.

Ames's lawyer, Robert Schwartz, said outside a pre-trial hearing in Los Angeles on Thursday: "She [Ames] was wearing a necklace. The issue is whether she knew it was stolen."

Ames is not charged with the August break-in at Mean Girls star Lohan's house.

And she pleaded not guilty to the new charges at a brief hearing.

She is due back in court on February 10.

A-Team star Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson was involved in a recent car crash in California.

Jackson, 31, is playing the role of B.A. Baracus in the movie version of The A-Team.

The star was not hurt in the accident in Orange County, California, but his new Audi car was damaged.

According to MTV, he said: "I am thankful and happy no-one was hurt. I tried to make sure the elderly woman that hit my car was okay... she didn't speak much English, but I could see she wasn't hurt any way.

"I am fine, the little old lady is fine, but my car got hurt, and for that I'm sad."

Charlie Sheen's lawyer filed legal papers today asking an Aspen judge to allow him to communicate with wife Brooke Mueller while she is in hospital.

In the papers, Sheen's lawyer, Richard Cummins, requested a change in Sheen's current restraining order, to allow him to speak to Mueller at her hospital bedside.

Cummins wrote: "[Sheen] is concerned and feels the necessity to assist and care for his wife."

Mueller is currently in intensive care in an LA hospital with a reported 105-degree fever, for which she is being treated with antibiotics.

It is believed that the problem relates to oral surgery that Mueller underwent earlier in the week.

The Two And A Half Men star arrived at the LA hospital this morning, despite the restraining order, which states that the parties concerned cannot have direct contact or direct communication, although it does not prohibit them being in the same room.

Mueller's lawyer, Yale Galanter, confirmed that she will be released from hospital today and that he expects the hearing on the restraining order to still go ahead as scheduled this Friday.

Sigourney Weaver will play a stripper in her next movie.

The 60-year-old actress said: "There's a project which sees me as an ageing stripper. But I can't say a lot about that one. It's going to be a surprise! I'm also playing the leading role in a film by Nicolas Roeg."

Weaver added: "I feel sexier than ever. I used to be really insecure. I hope I'll live up to 100 years. I never wanted to be like James Dean - die young and be famous afterwards."

Weaver explained that going with the flow was the best way to tackle age. "I don't try to look young at all costs. Why should you cast a 55-year-old looking like a 35-year-old, when you can cast a 35-year-old to begin with? If you look like 55 and feel comfortable with it, you will get casted [sic]. My roles have become more interesting with time."

Colin Firth's wife Livia wore a second-hand wedding dress to the recent Golden Globes as part of an eco challenge.

Livia revealed how she received many compliments about the dress, which she wore as part of a challenge to wear only 'ethical and sustainable' dresses and make-up during the awards season.

She said: "No one here seems to get ethical fashion.

"But everyone was crazy about this dress. I don't think I've ever had so many compliments for a dress in one night."

She added: "I kissed George Clooney, which made my night frankly."

Conan O'Brien lost his Tonight Show slot but takes home a $32.5million severance deal. NBC for its part gets to keep O'Brien's comic menagerie.

Embroiled in a late night show war, NBC pushed O'Brien out of what was formerly Jay Leno's 11pm slot while Leno tanked in a primetime slot. NBC put Leno back after just a few months.

The network in the deal keeps O'Brien until September in the slot after Leno but will pay severance to Conan's Tonight Show employees in what TMZ reported was likely to be a total $40million payout. The deal is near closed, TMZ notes.

The website also claims an NBC source said O'Brien has surrendered property rights, covering such inventions as Triumph the Insult Comic Dog and the Masturbating Bear.

The hottest director in Hollywood, James Cameron, will make his next film Down Under.

Cameron, who took out the Best Drama and Best Director awards at the Golden Globes for Avatar, will make an AUD $30million psychological thriller titled Sanctum.

The movie is already filming at the Warner Roadshow Studios on the Gold Coast in sun-drenched Queensland and will be 3D - just like Avatar.

Cameron, who told the Globes his was "the best job in the world", will be Sanctum's executive producer, while Alister Grierson, an Australian, will be its director.

Cameron said: "I'm actually coming down to the set in a couple of weeks and I'm going to stay there through the underwater shoot. Alister Grierson is a really talented director. His first film was Kokoda. I'd be proud if that was my third film."

Sanctum tells the story of an underwater cave expedition gone badly wrong and takes its plot from the real life of Andrew Wight, a co-producer on Cameron's aquatic documentaries.

"He [Wight] was on an ill-fated expedition in the Nullarbor caves and a freak storm caused the cave mouth to collapse and he and a bunch of other people were trapped inside for several days," the director said.

Australian actress Toni Collette won best actress in a comedy series at the Golden Globes in Los Angeles.

"Gee, thank you so much," said Collette, who received the award for her role in the US TV series The United States Of Tara. "The last time I came here 15 years ago I was on the loo [toilet] and missed my whole category."

Collette won out over fellow nominees Courteney Cox (Cougar Town), Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie), Tina Fey (30 Rock) and Lea Michele (Glee).

Collette was also honoured amongst her own community at the G'Day USA annual dinner dance in Hollywood on Saturday Night. The Globes are under way at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

Nicolas Cage plans to pay back money he owes to the IRS.

The actor recently had a tax lien slapped on his real estate holdings that included $6.7 million from 2008. He said: "Over the course of my career I have paid at least $70 million in taxes. Unfortunately, due to a recent legal situation, another approximate $14 million is owed to the IRS."

In an exclusive statement to People, he said: "However, I am under new business management and am happy to say that I am current for 2009, all taxes will be paid including any to be determined state taxes."

Cage was last month slapped with a $13 million lawsuit from the mother of his son, Christina Fulton. She earlier blamed Cage's financial collapse on the actor's "compulsive, self-destructive spending".

He also faces at least one other lawsuit for at least $36.7 million from Red Curb Investments.

Rachel Griffiths of Brothers and Sisters was heading to Los Angeles when her bags went missing.

The Australian actress, pictured glowing in photos with her new daughter Clementine over the holiday period, was rushing to make a flight from Sydney, where she lives in the gorgeous northern suburb of Palm Beach.

But she discovered she had forgotten her last carry-on bag.

There were reports that the suitcase was handed to neighbours of Griffiths, who called to inform her.

She was reportedly "visibly distressed" when she learned of the bag's fate.

Her husband Andrew Taylor, an artist, will stay on in Australia with the couple's three children.

Jenna Fischer is in talks to star with Owen Wilson in the Farrelly brothers comedy Hall Pass.

Fischer would play Wilson's wife in the tale of a married couple where wife gives husband a "hall pass" - or ticket to open marriage.

Fischer, Peter and Bobby Farrelly will start shooting the film on February 23 in Atlanta, which will substitute for New England.

Fischer, 35, is best known as Pam Beesly on NBC's The Office. She also stars in Solitary Man with Michael Douglas and Susan Sarandon.

Cycling champion Lance Armstrong has pledged $250,000 to Haiti and urged a global response to the tragedy unfolding in the Caribbean nation.

Armstrong joined a host of top celebs who pledged substantial aid to victims of the devastating earthquake that has left up to 100,000 dead. They include Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, who echoed Haitian-born Wyclef Jean's call to help.

Scenes of the devastation flashed around the world yesterday following the 7.0-magnitude quake. Armstrong, in Adelaide to compete in the Tour Down Under, said: "Over the years with political turmoil, poverty and now the earthquake, it's devastating. On behalf of Livestrong (Armstrong's cancer charity) we'll be donating $US250,000 to several organisations that are doing a lot of work down there, one of which is the Clinton Foundation."

Hollywood actor George Clooney is to host a telethon to raise money for the tragic people of Haiti.

The Caribbean island was recently hit by an earthquake measuring a magnitude of 7, and 100,000 people are thought to have been killed.

Clooney, 48, revealed that he is planning to host the telethon to raise money for the Haitian people following the disaster.

The show will be aired on January 22 on all MTV channels and Clooney is trying to gather up his celebrity friends to get involved.

Producer Joel Gallen is already on board and he has already convinced performer Sting to participate.

Jennifer Aniston allegedly used a cell phone while driving in breach of California law.

Aniston, the star of The Bounty, was spotted holding a cell phone device up to her face while driving in a photograph that surfaced. She had her phone in one hand, while her other hand was on the wheel.

The incident repeats the 2008 flap over California First Lady Maria Shriver's cell phone driving, which caused her husband, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, considerable embarrassment. He managed to strike the right note between light humour and reprimand - while Shriver donated her "favourite old cell phone" to charity - in making an apology.

Schwarzenegger said: "Thanks for bringing her violations to my attention. There is going to be swift action."

Sylvester Sly Stallone, 63, who recently broke his neck on a film set, released X-rays in answer to the charge he faked the extent of the injury.

Stallone, who earlier said he had very serious surgery, released an X-ray showing a three-pronged metal plate with six screws that straddled three cervical verterbrae. The image was carried in the UK Sun newspaper.

Stallone injured himself in an action scene with wrestler Steve Austin on the set of the upcoming movie, The Expendables, which also starred the late Brittany Murphy.

Sly posted the images on his StalloneZone site from California's Marina Spine Center with the note: "For the doubters and the haters, a picture is worth a thousand words. You walk the walk, you pay the price."

He explained: "As bad as it was, at least we have it on film. The reason I was never seen in a neck brace is because I stayed at home for three weeks to heal."

The Expendables is set for a late summer release and also features Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Denzel Washington's character in The Book Of Eli has managed to get hold of the last remaining bible on earth following a nuclear blitz.

Washington's character, Eli, quotes from the book of Genesis but also leaves villians in shreds.

Denzel, whose father was a preacher, admits he likes to read the Bible twice a day. He said: "Faith is important, to listen to that still, small voice inside you. Not to be intimidated or discouraged by others and follow your life mission, to the degree that you can. My mother says - it's interesting - it's one thing to do good, but you must do good the right way."

Denzel wanders a post-apocalyptic landscape and eventually meets up with an overlord in the form of Gary Oldman's character, Carnegie, who challenges him to hand over the world's last remaining bible.

Despite protests, inmates at a Mexican jail have been transferred to make way for a Mel Gibson movie.

A total 214 detainees were taken to Villa Aldama penitentiary, 50 kilometres from the eastern state of Veracruz. Some had fought with warders just before the transfer, AFP reported.

Ignacio Allende prison chief Victor Gerardo Hernandez said 1100 detainees remained. Hundreds of relatives of prisoners had protested against the move.

Governor Fidel Herrera Beltran earlier said Gibson slated several scenes to be shot at the prison after scouting the location in April. Gibson shot his 2006 Apocalypto in eastern Mexico. He donated $US1 million toward hurricane relief in the Gulf of Mexico region in 2005.

Clothing giant Hanesbrands has dropped actor Charlie Sheen from its ads as he prepares to face charges following an alleged domestic violence incident over Christmas.

Hanesbrands spokesman Matt Hall said the seriousness of the allegations forced the decision to suspend the ads while the case plays out.

He said:"It's a pretty standard, straightforward call when somebody who's in your commercials is arrested on suspicion of something of this magnitude. And we would suspend the ads both for the company and, really, for Mr Sheen and his family as well. Given the publicity, it makes sense to not air those ads during that time."

The ads show Sheen with basketball great Michael Jordan. Sheen, star of Two and a Half Men, is expected to be charged next month over an incident with his wife Brooke Mueller.

Sheen has denied the allegation and he and Mueller requested that a restraining order separating them be lifted. A judge, however, upheld it.

Tragic heiress Casey Johnson will be laid to rest later this week.

She was found dead at her home in Los Angeles yesterday. She was 30.

Her family in a statement said the funeral will be private and attended by family. "The Johnson family wishes to thank everyone who has expressed condolences and support during this trying time. Your thoughts and prayers are deeply appreciated," the family said.

Radar Online reported Johnson's body would be flown "back East" to what was described as her final resting place.

Johnson leaves behind an adopted daughter, Ava-Monroe, her parents and two sisters. She is an heiress to the Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical fortune.

In an acknowledgement of her diabetes, the family asked for donations to be made to the Casey Johnson Memorial at the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. A family spokesman said: "Casey struggled throughout her life fighting this disease and she would want to see all of us continue that fight on her behalf."

Johnson was to undergo an autopsy, the results of which would be pending for some weeks.

In a surprise move, Sean Penn appears to be returning to work on a movie - The Three Stooges.

Penn bowed out of several film commitments in recent months as his marriage to Robin Wright Penn crumbled. At the time he said he needed to focus on his family but the couple has since filed for divorce.

Penn has taken up talks to co-star in the Farrelly Brothers' Three Stooges after earlier pulling out of the movie. Penn's stooge is reportedly Larry, said Bobby Farrelly.

Farrelly said: "We got him back. He always said he wanted to do it after, you know, taking care of his family."

Roman Polanski's criminal case will be exhumed in a Los Angeles court this week.

A court spokesman said a hearing would be convened on Wednesday following a failed attempt by lawyers for Polanski to seek dismissal of the case involving charges the director had unlawful sex with a minor in 1977.

Polanski remains under house arrest in Switzerland, where he convinced authorities he was not a flight risk on the provision of a $4.5million cash bail. The Swiss have yet to decide on an extradition request from the US.

But the California state appeals court has already ruled out any argument on Polanski's behalf in his absence.

Polanski's attorney, Chad Hummel, was not immediately available for comment. The Oscar-winning director fled to France on the eve of sentencing on a score of felonies in 1978 after spending 42 days at a California prison for a psychiatric evaluation.

Three of Angelina Jolie's children were each left $100,000 in their grandmother's will, according to a US report.

Court documents apparently show that Maddox, Zahara and Shiloh were left the money in trust funds.

The cash was left to the kids by Marcheline Bertrand, Jolie's mother. But they cannot touch it until they are 25.

According to reports, the divvying up of Ms Bertrand's estate was revealed in documents filed last week at Los Angeles Superior Court.

The actress died in January 2007 aged 57, following a seven-and-a-half year battle with ovarian cancer.

Jolie has been dating actor Brad Pitt for four years. The couple also have an adopted son, Pax, and twins Knox and Vivienne.

Bertrand died before Jolie and Pitt had their last three children.

Khloe Kardashian has said 2009 was a year she will "never ever forget".

The 25-year-old star married LA Lakers star Lamar Odom in September after meeting just a month before.

Her nephew Mason was also born last year after her sister Kourtney, 30, gave birth last month.

She said on her blog: "Happy New Year's everyone! I hope you all had a fun-filled (and SAFE) evening with your friends and families. 2009 was without a doubt the craziest and most incredible year of my life!

"I was blessed with so many wonderful gifts - from the opening of DASH in Miami, to the birth of my beautiful nephew Mason, and of course meeting Lamar, the love of my life... it was a year I will never ever forget!"

Renee Zellweger and Bradley Cooper have reportedly spent £2.5 million on their first home together.

The loved-up couple have only been dating for a few months, but, according to a US publication, the actors have settled on a four-bedroom property in the Pacific Palisades community in California.

And Cooper is so happy with their new home, The Hangover star even gave his parents a mini-tour of the place when they visited at Christmas.

A source told the tabloid: "Bradley and Renee were proud to be sharing their new house with his parents. They looked happy together and very much in love."

The insider added: "They have already lots of plans for the renovations. They're both homebodies, and they can't wait to have a place to entertain friends and just be together."

Fugitive director Roman Polanski has been swamped with letters of support. In his public first statement since his arrest in September, Polanski, who is legally confined to his home in Switzerland, said: "In the darkest moments, each of their notes has been a source of comfort and hope, and they continue to be so in my current situation."

Polanski 76, is wanted in the US on 30-year-old child sex charges, while a Swiss decision on his extradition to the US is pending.

He continued:"I have been overwhelmed by the number of messages of support and sympathy I have received in Winterthur prison, and that I continue to receive here, in my chalet in Gstaad, where I am spending the holidays with my wife and my children. These messages have come from my neighbours, from people all over Switzerland, and from beyond Switzerland - from across the world."

Polanski, a French Pole, was said to have been indirectly assisted by the interest in the case of French Prime Minister Nicolas Sarkozy.

Polanski thanked his supporters. "I would like every one of them to know how heartening it is, when one is locked up in a cell, to hear this murmur of human voices and of solidarity in the morning mail. I would like to be able to answer all of them. But it is impossible: there are too many."

Hollywood actor Mel Gibson has signed up to star in a new action drama How I Spent My Summer Vacation.

The 53-year-old will topline the drama, which is based on a screenplay he wrote, but will not be directing the movie.

The story centres around a career criminal who gets caught by Mexican authorities and sent to a drug- and crime-filled prison where a nine-year-old boy helps him to survive.

Gibson's two previous screenplays that he wrote included Apocalypto and The Passion of the Christ, both of which he also directed.

However, Gibson is not directing Summer Vacation and has given the job to his protege Adrian Grunberg.

Kourtney Kardashian has given birth to a boy, Mason Dash Disick.

The child is the son of Scott Disick, Kardashian's boyfriend of two years. "Kourtney just delivered a healthy baby boy about an hour ago," her representative told E! News and Life & Style magazine.

The reality TV star, whose sisters, Khloe and Kim, are also celebrities, earlier said: "A boy is definitely needed in this family! Scott and I are thrilled to add a little boy to the bunch."

Khloe and Kim earlier said Kourtney's comments on motherhood were a little quirky. She reportedly said she thought she could get by without having to cook by breastfeeding for five years.

Disick, for his part, said earlier: "We're home every night looking at baby books and baby magazines. I just want to stay home with (Kourtney), enjoy her company, look at her stomach and be with her."

The couple who are probably surprising everyone that they don’t get divorced given Josh Duhamel’s recent imprudence have surprised everyone even more by appearing at the debut of Fergie’s new movie, “Nine”. It seems that the two look like they have reconciled to some sort of degree… either that or Fergie’s new booze seems to be working better than expected. Or maybe they just didn’t want to ruin the premiere. Oh for the good old days of the Roman Empire when one could prance about with his wife on public occasions while maintaining a host of mistresses… or even medieval Japan, for that matter.