Update
Dreyfuss Sues Dad, Uncle for Fraud
UPDATE: Court records show that Dreyfuss dropped the suit against his presumably pretty elderly dad and uncle last month. Good for him!
________________________________
Anyone who's seen Jaws knows Richard Dreyfuss ain't afraid of sharks.
The 60-year-old Oscar winner filed a lawsuit against his father and uncle on Friday for refusing to repay an $870,000 loan from 1984.
Dreyfuss says he gave his relatives the good faith loan 24 years ago to bail them out of trouble that involved an office building in downtown Los Angeles. The star of Mr. Holland's Opus claims he hasn't received a dime from them since, and that his uncle, Gilbert Dreyfuss, is refusing to turn over financial records.
The actor, who is playing Vice President Dick Cheney in Oliver Stone's biopic W, alleges his uncle and his father, Norman Dreyfuss, have acted with "fraud" and "malice." He wants his money back—plus interest—and is also seeking punitive damages.
(Originally published Aug. 10, 2008, at 8 a.m. PT)
Update
Brooke Shields Outraged at Tabloid's Antics
Brooke Shields is accusing the National Enquirer of some dirty tricks involving her ailing mother.
The actress claims a reporter with the tabloid checked 75-year-old Teri Shields, who suffers from dementia, out of her nursing room on Thursday by posing as a friend.
"I intend to take every lawful action against all who were involved or who authorized this despicable act," Brooke Shields said in a statement to People.
Police were called to the nursing home by its staff to help look for the elder Shields, who had been allowed to leave but was gone for an "extended period of time." They found Teri unharmed chatting with a freelance journalist at a restaurant next door to the New Jersey assisted-living center.
The journalist and a photographer were questioned by police. The incident is still under investigation.
In its defense, the Enquirer insists the reporter was a longtime friend of Teri Shields and was merely honoring a request to take her out for some errands. The tabloid claims Shields' caregivers had given permission for the excursion and "no wrongdoing had been committed."
(Originally published May 16, 2009, at 11:30 a.m. PT.)
____
Follow us on Twitter @eonline and get our free iPhone app
Former Bachelorette Jen Schefft Weds
Jen Schefft is a Bachelorette no longer.
The two-time reality TV star wed Joe Waterman in an intimate ceremony Friday night at a restaurant in Chicago, according to People.
Schefft, 32, and Waterman, a 35-year-old trader, met on a blind date in February 2008 and announced their engagement in September.
Jen was previously engaged to Andrew Firestone, who popped the question during the 2003 season finale of The Bachelor. She also turned down a proposal as the star of The Bachelorette in 2005 and wrote a book called Better Single Than Sorry.
Firestone and his new bride, Ivana Bozilovic, welcomed a son, Brooks, in March 2009.
____
Follow us on Twitter @eonline and get our free iPhone app
Wanda Sykes Roasts Obama, Rips Rush
Rush Limbaugh's gonna have a mouthful to say about Wanda Sykes.
The actress/comedian roasted President Barack Obama and just about everyone else in Washington at the annual White House Correspondents Dinner last night.
Sykes, who stars in The New Adventures of Old Christine, poked fun at everything from the president's shirtless photos ("I know you're into this transparency thing, but we don't need to see your nipples") to the Obamas giving the Queen an iPod ("What's she gonna do? Download Lady Gaga?").
She also took hits at first lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, former President George W. Bush, former Vice President Dick Cheney and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.
However, the night's biggest quip was at Limbaugh's expense. In January, the conservative political commentator said he hoped "Obama fails," which Sykes called "treason."
"You might want to look into this, sir, 'cause I think maybe Rush Limbaugh was the 20th highjacker but he was just so strung out on OxyContin he missed his flight," joked Sykes. Limbaugh admitted to being addicted to prescription drugs in 2003.
On the jump, watch Obama's comedy stylings ("Dick Cheney is working on a book, tentatively titled How to Shoot Friends and Interrogate People") and see which celebs were on hand to yuck it up with our commander in chief.
Storm Nixes Amy Winehouse Comeback, Fans Thankful
Even Mother Nature couldn't handle Amy Winehouse's lackluster comeback gig.
Heavy rains forced the trouble-ridden British singer to cut short a performance at the St. Lucia Jazz Festival on Friday, her first gig in 2009.
"Amy is very disappointed as St. Lucia has been wonderful to her and its people have welcomed her with open arms, but circumstances beyond anyone's control meant that this special show did not go as planned," said her spokesman, Chris Goodman.
He said the singer and her band "tried to soldier on" despite the storm causing sound and lighting problems.
Fans, however, couldn't have been more pleased, according to the BBC.
"What a wasted talent," said a male concertgoer. "She is on a one-way road to destruction; it's such a shame."
During the hour-long set, Winehouse forgot lyrics, appeared distracted and inadvertently flashed her underwear before walking off the stage. At one point, the 25-year-old chanteuse even told the audience, "Sorry, I'm bored."
"It was disappointing," said another fan. "It is very sad to see, but she is obviously not fit to be on stage."
Last week, Winehouse collapsed in the Caribbean and was treated for dehydration at a local hospital
______
Follow us on Twitter @eonline
Update
Miss California's Fate TBD Monday
At least one Calfornia wildfire will be put out on Monday.
Shanna Moakler and Keith Lewis, codirectors of the Miss California U.S.A. pageant, are holding a press conference Monday morning to announce the fate of controversial crown holder Carrie Prejean.
Officials are in talks with the 21-year-old beauty queen's reps to determine whether she should keep the coveted tiara due to possible contract violations stemming from public appearances with same-sex marriage opponents and for failing to disclose sexy underwear ads taken as a teen.
In what could point to which way they're leaning, Tami Farrell, first runner-up in the Miss California contest, will also attend Monday's press conference.
On Tuesday, Donald Trump, co-owner of the Miss Universe Organization, will hold a press conference in New York to discuss the scandal. He will reportedly decide if Prejean will be stripped of her title as first runner-up in the 2009 Miss USA pageant, which was held April 19.
As for those racy pics, Carrie's lawyer has sent a cease-and-desist letter to the website posting the topless photos, according to TMZ.
In the letter, her lawyer says one of the photos was taken illegally under false pretenses when Prejean was a minor; the other was Photoshopped with the beauty queen's face and someone else's body.
(Originally published May 9, 2009, at 8 a.m.)
______
Follow us on Twitter @eonline
Update
Bio-dad to Madonna: (Don't) Have Mercy
UPDATE: Madonna was MIA when the Malawi Supreme Court began hearing closed-door arguments Monday from her lawyer appealing the adoption decision. It could be several days before there's a ruling.
_____________
Oh father, indeed.
In an interview airing Monday on CBS' The Early Show, 15-year-old James Kambewa is once again voicing his opposition to Madonna's adoption bid for his 3-year-old daughter, Chifundo "Mercy" James.
"I want to take care of her and I'm capable to take care of my baby," he says. "Mercy, she is a Malawian—so [I] need her to grow as a Malawian, as well with our culture."
In the interview, Kambewa is wearing a necklace he made bearing his daughter’s name but says has never held or even met her in person. The little girl's birth mother died shortly after childbirth.
Lucy Chekechiwa, Mercy’s maternal grandmother, says she, too, was initially opposed to the adoption but eventually gave in.
“I did not want my granddaughter to be adopted,” she says, “but because they have been persistent enough, I have been forced to let my granddaughter go."
On Monday, Team Madonna will make her appeal before Malawi's Chief Justice Lovemore Munlo. In April, a judge rejected the 50-year-old superstar's adoption request because she doesn't meet the minimum 18-month residency requirement.
(Originally published May 2, 2009, at 1:45 p.m. PT)
Update
David Cook's Idol Dies
The older brother of American Idol champ David Cook has lost his battle with brain cancer, according to the singer's official website.
Adam Cook, 36, a lawyer, died early Sunday morning after an 11-year struggle with the disease, which had spread to his spine. He leaves behind his wife, Kendra, and their children.
David made the announcement Sunday morning at the 12th Annual Race for Hope 5K run/walk in Washington, D.C., benefiting finding a cure for brain cancer. The "Light On" rocker was the event's honorary chairman and his team raised more the $97,000 for the cause.
The brothers had one of A.I.'s most memorable, tear-worthy moments ever, when Adam sat in the audience in April 2008 and watched David perform his rendition of Mariah Carey's "Always Be My Baby."
Residents of their hometown in Terre Haute, Ind., raised $45,000 so that Adam could be flown in with the proper medical care.
(Originally published May 3, 2009, at 10:45 a.m. PT)
____
Follow us on Twitter @eonline
Britney Fan Busted for Making a Move Onstage
When your tour is called Circus, anything can happen.
An overzealous fan stormed the stage at Britney Spears' concert last night at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut and attempted to dance with the 27-year-old pop star.
Britney was performing her hit "Womanizer" as an encore when 20-year-old Kyle King from Orlando, Fla., snuck past security barriers and got thisclose to her.
Backup dancers and security were able to pull him away before he made contact, but Brit-Brit was visibly shaken.
A detective with the Connecticut State Police confirms to E! News that King was arrested for breach of peace and release on $250 cash bond. He is expected at Norwich Superior Court on June 18.
(Originally published May 3, 2009, at 12:30 p.m. PT)
____
Follow us on Twitter @eonline
Amy Winehouse Wins vs. Paps, Faints in St. Lucia
U.K. shutterbugs are gonna have to pull out the long lenses if they want a shot of Amy Winehouse from now on.
The 25-year-old "Rehab" singer has won a court order preventing paparazzi from snapping pics outside her north London home, her spokesman confirms to the BBC.
Photographers are now banned from following or approaching Winehouse within 100 yards of the house. The antiharassment injunction is now hanging outside her home in Enfield.
However, all is never well in Winehouse's world.
Boyfriend out of Hospital; Jamie Lynn Spears Now Has "Two Babies to Care For"
Casey Aldridge is reportedly back home with girlfriend Jamie Lynn Spears less than one week after flipping over his truck driving home from a bachelor party.
"They're both at the house in Liberty [Miss.]... Now Jamie Lynn will have two babies to care for," a family source told People.
Aldridge, father to Jamie Lynn's 10-month-old daughter, Maddie, was released from a Mississippi hospital on Friday where he had been recovering from a head injury suffered in last Sunday's single-car accident.
No surgery was required and he didn't suffer any permanent damage.
"He'll have to have some rest for the next few weeks. He's still got a headache, but everything looks good," says the source.
Aldridge, 20, was cited for the accident, but police say he did not appear to have been driving drunk.
Comedian Robert Schimmel Busted for Domestic Violence
There's nothing funny about a domestic dispute.
Sheriff's deputies in Los Angeles have confirmed that stand-up comic Robert Schimmel was booked for spousal assault after a late-night argument with his wife.
Police arrested the X-rated comedian (and frequent Howard Stern guest) after being called to the couple's Calabasas home at 12:30 a.m Saturday. He was being held on $50,000 bail and will appear in court on Tuesday.
Schimmel, 59, and his wife, Melissa, 35, have two children together.








