Inquiry People Want To Know 

  home page

We are the First Press to Announce the President of the United State is

BARACK OBAMA

Why:  He is giving back to the poor and middle class what they have never had.

He is giving the immigrants a chance and giving Universal Health Care.

For those reason's alone he will Win the Election 

Hillary's Secrets Cannot Defeat Obama Dear Fellow American: Never before in the history of our nation have we faced such a grave crisis: one of the most radical political figures ever to be nominated by a major party is just minutes away from becoming President of the United States. That man is Barack Obama. He promises to change America forever. If elected, he will do just that — but in ways you make not like. Remember Obama is the most liberal member of the United States Senate. He received a 100 percent Liberal Rating from the National Journal, making him the most left-wing Senator in Washington — more liberal than even Democratic senators like Ted Kennedy. If you look at Obama’s record, you will understand this man\. He even has terrorist friends he won’t denounce. One such man is William Ayers,  a leader in the radical terrorist group the Weatherman Underground. The group bombed several government buildings, including the Pentagon, killing civilians and police officers 40 years ago when Obama was 8 yrs old. You cannot hold that against Obama. In 2001, Ayers said he had no regrets for his actions and wished he could have done more at the time but not now.  The ties between Obama and Ayers are friendly. Both served on two non profit boards and they worked closely together. Ayers even hosted a political event at his home for Obama that does not make Obama a terrorist. Obama has acknowledged he is a friend of Ayers and defends his association by saying he, Obama, was only 8 years old at the time of the Pentagon bombing. Obama has even been endorsed by radicals such as Nation of Islam Leader Louis Farrakhan/ he was not forced to endorse Obama. Freedom of Speech No one can deny hearing about Obama’s relationship with the America-hating Rev. Jeremiah Wright.  Obama did not put words in Rev. Wright mouth. There should be little doubt that William Ayers and Louis Farrakhan and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright are rooting for Obama — because he fighting for the poor and middle class. In keeping with such friends, Obama has promised to meet with radical leaders like Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with “preconditions” even though Ahmadinejad has promised to “wipe Israel off the map” and “destroy” America. Even radical Hamas terrorists have praised him. again freedom of speech “We like Mr. Obama and we hope he will win the election,” Ahmed Yousef, senior Hamas leader was quoted by ABC radio as saying. Help the National Republican Trust PAC tell the truth about Obama — Go Here Now Dangerous Economic Plan And then there are Obama’s dangerous economic plans for America. He wants to almost double the capital gains tax. He wants to strip the FICA tax cap off every worker making more than $97,500. He wants to increase the dividend tax. He wants to let the Bush tax cuts expire — giving almost every American family an automatic tax increase. He has called for more than $800 billion in new spending programs. He is so radical he even backed driver’s licenses for illegal aliens — even though such a move would help future terrorists move freely in the United States. He is the most pro-abortion candidate in the history of the country. In 2001, as a state legislator in Illinois, he opposed a bill to protect live born children — children actually born alive!  He was the only Illinois senator to speak out against the bill. He opposes gun rights. He has long history of trying to deny ordinary citizens access to guns. He originally backed Washington D.C.’s total ban on private handguns — a ban that was overturned. The NRA rated him an “F” on gun positions and says he is one of the most dangerous anti-gun politicians in the nation. Never forget that Obama is a Harvard educated elitist. To him we Americans are simply “bitter” and he has mocked us saying “[they] cling to their guns and their religion.” Support the National Republican Trust PAC’s Campaign to Expose Obama — Go Here Now Exposing the Truth Hillary Clinton was late in recognizing the threat Obama posed to her campaign, but once she did, her strategy worked. When Hillary exposed Obama publicly, her campaign saw a major turnaround. Hillary won every major state primary in the nation with the sole exception of Obama’s home state of Illinois. And even though Obama was “anointed” by the media and Democratic elites, Hillary went on to win eight of the last 10 Democratic primaries. How did Obama beat Hillary for the nomination? Well, using a loophole in Democratic rules, he was able to rack up large majorities in caucus states where he outspent and out organized her. But in large, contested states she won almost every time. Why? Because when Democrats heard what Obama really stood for, they turned on him. Make no mistake about it: If we let Americans know the truth about Obama, John McCain can win this election! But we must employ Hillary Clinton’s strategy. We must expose Obama for the dangerous radical he is. Send a donation today to help our cause — Go Here Now You Can Make a Difference This is why the National Republican Trust Political Action Committee is moving to implement a “shock and awe” strategy against Obama in key states. We plan to take out powerful television ads, Internet ads and other communications to inform Americans about the dangers posed by Barack Obama. We plan to target key states that can make a difference — But we need your help to do it. As a political action committee, we can accept up to $5,000 in donations per contributor. A $5,000 donation can help us saturate a key market for a full day with television ads. But if you can’t do the full amount, even $2,500 or $1,000 or $500 — Any amount you can afford will help. Stop and think how much Obama may cost you and your family in new taxes over the next four years alone: $50,000, $75,000, $100,000 or even more. Your donation today may actually save you much more in the years to come. Please help today – Donate by Going Here Now It will most certainly help our great nation. Thank you. Yours for America, Scott Wheeler Executive Director

Pool / Getty Images O.J. Simpson is handcuffed after he was found guilty Friday of armed robbery and kidnapping charges at the Clark County Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas.  View related photos

                                                    A THATCHER, ROOSEVELTIAN & STAR BORN

WE HAVE WITNESS SOMETHING IN POLITICS THAT HAS NEVER BEEN DONE.  A WOMAN FOR VICE PRESIDENT IN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY AND A SPEECH THAT WILL GO DOWN IN POLITICAL HISTORY WITH OVER 39 MILLION NIELSON RATING VIEWER, JUST SHY OF OBAMA HOOP AND HOLLYWOOD STAGE PRESENTS.  WITH HER PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENTS AND HER FAMILY VOWS TO ELOQUENTLY DEMEANOR OBAMA TO JUST AN ORGANIZER OF WHAT.  SARAH PALIN HAS COME ACROSS LIKE A TRUE LEADER AND OBAMA AND BIDEN BETTER TAKE NOTICE.  SHE HAS UNITED THE REPUBLICAN PARTY AND WON THE HEARTS OF MANY INDEPENDENT VOTERS AND SOME OF CLINTON VOTERS.  YOU MUST REALIZE THE CLINTON DELEGATES VOTERS WERE UPSET WHEN THEY DID NOT FINISH THE ROLE CALL OF EACH STATE.

I
 

                      Apparently and sadly, we are...  HILARY SUPPORTER UPSET OVER BIDEN AS VP

Are we that stupid?

In just one year.  Remember the election in 2006?
Thought you might like to read the following:
A little over one year ago:


1) Consumer confidence stood at a 2 1/2 year high;
2) Regular gasoline sold for $2.19 a gallon;
3) The unemployment rate was 4.5%.


Since voting in a Democratic Congress in 2006 we have seen:


1) Consumer confidence plummet;
2) The cost of regular gasoline soar to over $3.50 a gallon;
3) Unemployment is up to 5% (a 10% increase);
4) American households have seen $2.3 trillion in equity value
evaporate (stock and mutual fund losses);
5) Americans have seen their home equity drop by $1.2 trillion dollars;
6) 1% of American homes are in foreclosure.


America voted for change in 2006, and we got it!


Remember it's Congress that makes law not the President. He has to
work with what's handed to him.



Quote of the Day........'My friends, we live in the greatest nation in
the history of the world.  I hope you'll join with me as we try to
change it.' -- Barack Obama

 

Part 2:

Taxes...Whether Democrat or a Republican you will find these
statistics enlightening and amazing.
www.taxfoundation.org/publications/show/151.html

Taxes under Clinton 1999                   Taxes under Bush 2008
Single making 30K - tax $8,400           Single making 30K - tax $4,500
Single making 50K - tax $14,000         Single making 50K - tax $12,500
Single making 75K - tax $23,250         Single making 75K - tax $18,750
Married making 60K - tax $16,800       Married making 60K- tax $9,000
Married making 75K - tax $21,000       Married making 75K - tax $18,750
Married making 125K - tax $38,750     Married making 125K - tax $31,250



Both democratic candidates will return to the higher tax rates.
It is amazing how many people that fall into the categories above
think Bush is screwing them and Bill Clinton was the greatest
President ever. If Obama or Hillary are elected, they both say they
will repeal the Bush tax cuts and a good portion of the people that
fall into the categories above can't wait for it to happen. This is
like the movie "The Sting" with Paul Newman; you scam somebody out of
some money and they don't even know what happened.

 

PART 3:

You think the war in Iraq is costing us too much?  Read this:
Boy, am I confused.  I have been hammered with the propaganda that it
is the Iraq war and the war on terror that is bankrupting us. I now
find that to be RIDICULOUS.
I hope the following 14 reasons are forwarded over and over again
until they are read so many times that the reader gets sick of reading
them.  I have included the URL's for verification of all the following
facts.< ?/fontfamily>



1.      $11 Billion to $22 billion is spent on welfare to illegal
aliens each year by state governments.
Verify at: http://tinyurl.com/zob77




2.      $2.2 Billion dollars a year is spent on food assistance
programs such as food stamps, WIC, and free school lunches for illegal
aliens.
Verify at: http://www.cis.org/articles/2004/fiscalexechtml




3.      $2.5 Billion dollars a year is spent on Medicaid for illegal aliens.
                           Verify at:
http://www.cis.org/articles/2004/fiscalexechtml




4.     $12 Billion dollars a year is spent on primary and secondary
school education for children here illegally and they cannot speak a
word of English!
                           Verify at:
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.0.html




5.      $17 Billion dollars a year is spent for education for the
American-born children of illegal aliens, known as anchor babies.
                           Verify at
http ://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01.html




6.  $3 Million Dollars a DAY is spent to incarcerate illegal aliens.
                           Verify at:
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01.html




7.  30% percent of all Federal Prison inmates are illegal aliens.
                           Verify at:
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01.html




8.  $90 Billion Dollars a year is spent on illegal aliens for Welfare
& social services by the American taxpayers.
Verify at: http://premium.cnn.com/TRANSCIPTS/0610/29/ldt.01.html




9.  $200 Billion Dollars a year in suppressed American wages are
caused by the illegal aliens.
Verify at: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01.html




10.  The illegal aliens in the United States have a crime rate that's
two and a half times that of white non-illegal aliens.  In particular,
their children are going to make a huge additional crime problem in the US
                           Verify at:
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0606/12/ldt.01.html




11.  During the year of 2005 there were 4 to 10 MILLION illegal aliens
that crossed our Southern Border also, as many as 19,500 illegal
aliens from Terrorist Countries.  Millions of pounds of drugs,
cocaine, meth, heroin and marijuana, crossed into the U. S from the
Southern border.
                           Verify at: Homeland Security Report:
http://tinyurl.com/t9sht

< BR>

12.  The National Policy Institute, 'estimated that the total cost of
mass deportation would be between $206 and $230 BILLION or an average
cost of  between $41 and $46 BILLION annually over a five year period.'
                           Verify at:
http://www.nationalpolicyinstitute.org/pdf/deportation.pdf




13.  In 2006 illegal aliens sent home $45 BILLION in remittances back
to their countries of origin.
                           Verify at:
http://www.rense.com/general75/niht.htm




14.  'The Dark Side of Illegal Immigration: Nearly One Million Sex
Crimes Committed by Illegal Immigrants In The United States '
                           Verify at: http://www.drdsk.com/articleshtml




The total cost is a whopping $ 338.3 BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR.



Are we THAT stupid?
If this doesn't bother you then just delete the message.  If, on the
other hand, it does raise the hair on the back of your neck, I hope
you forward it to every legal resident in the country including every
representative in Washington , D.C. - five times a week for as long as
it takes to restore some semblance of intelligence in our policies and
enforcement thereof.

 

 Send this to your "representatives" in Washington.    It is more powerful than you think !

 

The shock jock in winter.Click Here

Actor Don Johnson sued for comments
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Actor Don Johnson has been sued by a woman who says the "Miami Vice" and "Nash Bridges" star grabbed her and made lewd comments at a sushi bar. Prosecutors decided in early May not to file criminal charges against Johnson based on the alleged incident. The San Francisco Superior Court suit, filed Wednesday, claims the incident occurred in January while the woman was having dinner with friends at Mas Sake restaurant in San Francisco. The woman, whose name is not included in the suit, said she decided to introduce herself because she was a fan. She claims Johnson responded with inappropriate physical behavior. Johnson's lawyers and publicist have maintained that there is no merit to any of the accusations.
 

'Millionaire' contestant sues show
LOS ANGELES (AP) - A former "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" contestant has sued producers and ABC, hoping to return to the game show after he missed what he alleges was a faulty $16,000 question. If he is not allowed to return to the show, Richard Rosner wants damages of more than $1 million in the Superior Court lawsuit filed Tuesday. No one at ABC or Valleycrest Productions, which handles the show, could be reached for comment Tuesday night. Rosner's suit claims ABC and Valleycrest had a policy in which contestants could return to the show if an error occurred. The question Rosner missed was, "What capital city is located at the highest altitude above sea level?" La Paz, Bolivia, is the world's highest capital, but Rosner said La Paz was not one of the four choices he received

Anna Nicole Smith ordered to pay stepson
HOUSTON (AP) - A judge has ordered former Playboy Playmate Anna Nicole Smith to pay $541,000 in legal fees to her stepson, whom she accused of blocking her from collecting half of her wealthy husband's estate. In a draft order Monday, Probate Judge Mike Wood also reduced to $10 million a jury's $35.2 million damage judgment against stepson E. Pierce Marshall's brother, J. Howard Marshall III, for bringing a baseless lawsuit. The judge ordered Smith and J. Howard Marshall III to pay $1.2 million to the estate for the temporary administrator's fees. The preliminary ruling supports a jury's finding that Smith and J. Howard Marshall III are not entitled to anything from the estate of oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall II. Smith and Marshall II met in 1991 while she was working as a stripper in Houston. He died at age 90 in August 1995, 14 months after they wed. Smith's attorneys say they are waiting to see the judge's final judgment.
 

Comedian Atkinson crashes at car race
LONDON (AP) - Comedian Rowan Atkinson escaped injury when his Aston Martin car crashed during a weekend race meeting, organizers said. Atkinson, better known for driving a Mini as Mr. Bean in the 1997 comedy film "Bean," was competing in the Aston Martin Owner's Club event Sunday when his V8 Zagato left the track. "I believe his brakes had failed or did not work and he went off the track and hit a barrier," said Steve Cooper, financial director of Croft Racing Circuit near Darlington, northeastern England. "It was a racing incident and he was shaken up but was not injured," Cooper said. A spokeswoman for Atkinson's agents confirmed that the 46-year-old actor-comedian was fine. It wasn't Atkinson's first crash. In 1999, he walked away unhurt after his MacLaren racing car crashed.
 

Lawyer: 'Soprano' actor unaware of crime
NEW YORK (AP) - The 16-year-old "Sopranos" actor who faces real-life criminal charges was unaware of what his friends were doing when two teens were allegedly robbed of $40, his lawyer says. Robert Iler, who plays the troubled son of mobster Tony Soprano on the hit HBO series "The Sopranos," and three other youths were arrested early Wednesday. Iler was charged with two counts of second-degree robbery and one count of marijuana possession. The four were picked up by police for allegedly robbing two teens on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Iler had a bag of marijuana and a water pipe in his pocket when he was arrested, police said. Police said the oldest of the four, Michael Cournede, 19, approached the victims and ordered them to hand over their money. The other suspects allegedly threatened the victims if they did not comply.
 

Paula Poundstone pleads not guilty
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) - Comedian Paula Poundstone pleaded innocent Tuesday to child molestation charges and was ordered to stay away from minor children unless their guardians or independent observers are present. Two protective orders issued by the judge apply to the five alleged victims as well as "all other minors." She was specifically ordered not to threaten, harass or sexually molest children. The 41-year-old standup comic was arraigned on charges of committing a lewd act on a girl under age 14 and endangering two other girls and two boys. If convicted of all charges she could face up to 13 years and four months in prison. The arraignment was originally scheduled for late this month but a judge agreed to reschedule it for Tuesday.
 

Poundstone charges involve her kids
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) - Lewd conduct and child endangerment charges against stand-up comic Paula Poundstone concern her adopted and foster children, the director of the county's children's services agency said. Poundstone is charged with three counts of committing a lewd act on a girl under the age of 14 and endangering two other girls and two boys. Anita Bock, who heads the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, told the Los Angeles Times that the alleged victims in the case are the 41-year-old entertainer's children. Poundstone has three adopted children and two foster children. All five are now in the care of the children's services agency, Bock said. Poundstone, who was released on $200,000 bail a few hours after her arrest Wednesday, was scheduled to be arraigned July 27. She could face a maximum of 13 years in prison.
 

Lauren Hutton recovers after crash
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Lauren Hutton is on the mend after last October's motorcycle crash near Las Vegas. Hutton crashed while on a 100-mile ride with other celebrities, including Dennis Hopper and Jeremy Irons. "My friends all thought I was going to die. They all thought I was dead. You can tell by people looking at you in a way that no one's ever looked at you. I knew it was bad," the 57-year-old actress-model told The Associated Press. Her right leg was broken into pieces and is now held together by titanium rods and screws. Her right arm is also held together by metal. "If I ride again, I will never ride again if I have a bad feeling," she said. "I felt bad about it from the beginning and I knew something was off and I just shouldn't have gone. I'll listen to my instincts a little more." Hutton credits her friends, including riding buddies Irons and Laurence Fishburne, with getting her through the tough times.
 

Jerry Lee Lewis hospitalized
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Rock and roll legend Jerry Lee Lewis has been hospitalized with a recurring bout of pneumonia, his father-in-law said. The 65-year-old Lewis checked into a hospital Friday and is recovering and in good spirits, Bob McCarver said. "He's fine. He's got a little touch of pneumonia, and they are going to keep an eye on him for a day or two," McCarver said. Lewis is known for such hits as "Whole Lot of Shakin' Goin' On" and "Great Balls of Fire." He was among the first performers to be named to the International Rock and Roll Museum in 1986.
 

Sony sued over 'The Animal'
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Two parents have sued Sony Pictures, claiming the studio falsely marketed its comedy "The Animal" to youths. James and Ana Morris claim Sony failed to warn moviegoers adequately of scenes involving human and animal sexual acts that are inappropriate for children to see. The couple filed the lawsuit Thursday in Palm Beach County Circuit Court. It seeks $15,000 to $75,000 in compensatory and punitive damages. The parents said they took their twin 13-year-old sons and 10-year-old daughter to see the movie on June 3. James Morris said the movie, starring Rob Schneider as a man who receives transplanted animal organs, should have been rated R instead of PG-13. Sony spokesman Steve Hagey declined comment on the lawsuit.
 

Jane Fonda happy after divorce
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) - Jane Fonda said she's happier than ever following her divorce from CNN founder Ted Turner. The divorce was granted last month by a judge in Atlanta. "Oddly enough, this is the most wonderful period of my life," the 63-year-old actress told reporters Wednesday. "While sad, divorce doesn't necessarily mean failure. The things which cause us the most pain are also the things we learn most from," said Fonda, who won Best-Actress Oscars for 1971's "Klute" and 1978's "Coming Home." Turner, the 62-year-old billionaire founder of the Cable News Network, married Fonda in December 1991. It was the third marriage for both. The couple announced in January 2000 that they were separating.
 

Update: Bronstein recovers from attack
LOS ANGELES (AP) - San Francisco Chronicle executive editor Phil Bronstein said he hopes to be back at work this week after being attacked by a Komodo dragon at the Los Angeles Zoo. Bronstein's wife, actress Sharon Stone, arranged a private tour of the 7-foot-long Indonesian lizard's Zoo enclosure Saturday as a treat for him for Father's Day. Before entering the dragon's cage, Bronstein complied with zookeeper urgings that he take off his white sneakers because they looked like the lizard's prey: White mice and rats. The barefoot Bronstein entered the cage and the 55-pound reptile pounced, chomping on his foot. Bronstein grabbed its jaws and pried them open before escaping while a zookeeper fended off the dragon. Stone, who had accompanied her husband to the zoo, was stunned. Bronstein escaped through a tiny door and was rushed to a hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery to reattach severed tendons and rebuild his big toe.
 

Marilu Henner, husband divorcing
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Marilu Henner and her husband, director Robert Lieberman, are divorcing after more than a decade of marriage. Each filed a divorce petition in Superior Court on Thursday, citing irreconcilable differences. They married in June 1990 and have two young sons. Lieberman, who directed several films, including "Fire in the Sky," TV movies and the short-lived series, "Medicine Ball," seeks joint custody of Nicholas, 7, and Joseph, 5. He also wants spousal support. Henner is asking for full custody of the boys with visitation granted to Lieberman. She also seeks spousal support, according to her attorney, Sorrell Trope. The 49-year-old Henner played cabbie Elaine Nardo in all 112 episodes of the series "Taxi," a quirky sitcom which ran from 1978-83. She also starred opposite Burt Reynolds in the TV series "Evening Shade."

Charlie Sheen's daughter arrested
MALIBU, Calif., (AP) - The 16-year-old daughter of actor Charlie Sheen was arrested at a clothing boutique and booked for investigation of burglary, deputies said. The girl, whose name was withheld because of her age, was arrested around 3:45 p.m. Wednesday at Stella Maris on Civic Center Way, said Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Faye Bugarin. She later was booked at the Malibu/Lost Hills Station on a charge of burglary and released to the custody of her mother, with whom she lives in Malibu. Sheriff's deputies provided no further details. Sheen, a cast member on the ABC sitcom "Spin City," declined comment through a spokesman, saying the arrest was a private family matter.

Stone sues over defunct movie deal
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Sharon Stone has sued two producers claiming breach of a $14 million oral contract to reprise the murderous lead role in "Basic Instinct II," the defunct sequel to the sexy 1992 film that made her a star. She claims she turned down other film offers, even "moving to a health and fitness spa to achieve the physical effect requested by defendants." Stone's attorney, Bert Fields, filed a Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit Wednesday. The action seeks more than $100 million in damages from Andrew Vajna and Mario Kassar of C-2 Pictures, formerly Carolco Pictures. Rex Weiner, a spokesman for Vajna and Kassar, declined comment Wednesday, saying only that C-2 Pictures is not making "Basic Instinct II." Stone's lawsuit claims she was promised $14 million in advance against 15% of gross receipts, estimated at $93.3 million, along with "her customary perks, billing and approvals." The lawsuit claims she is entitled to the money from the film, "regardless of its title or who plays plaintiff's role." Stone also is seeking a court declaration indicating each party's rights and obligations.

Rapper Shyne sentenced
NEW YORK (AP) - Jamal Shyne Barrow was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison for shooting and wounding two people during a dispute between rap impresario Sean Puffy Combs and another man in a Times Square nightclub. Barrow admitted at trial that he pulled out a gun and fired during the fracas at Club New York on Dec. 27, 1999. Before handing down the sentence, state Supreme Court Justice Charles Solomon called Barrow smart, talented and charitable but said he couldn't lose sight of the fact that Barrow had fired a gun in a nightclub "as crowded as a subway in rush hour." Barrow, 22, was charged with first-degree assault, gun possession and reckless endangerment. His co-defendants - Combs and his bodyguard, Anthony Jones - were acquitted of bribery and gun possession. While holding the hand of one of his lawyers, Barrow recited the Lord's Prayer and then apologized to the court and his victims. He told Solomon that he was not a threat to society and ask for leniency

Former 'Survivor' says votes were influenced
LOS ANGELES (Launch) - Dirk Been, one of the castaways from the first "Survivor," said in a deposition in April that he was influenced on how to vote by the CBS show's executive producer, Mark Burnett. The deposition, which was released Friday after a court battle to keep it confidential, backs up the claims made by fellow castaway Stacey Stillman that Burnett encouraged Been and another contestant to vote her off the island instead of ex-Navy SEAL Rudy Boesch. Stillman is suing CBS and Burnett, and CBS has filed a $5 million countersuit against her. E! Online reports that Been said in his testimony that Burnett pulled him aside and encouraged him to vote Stacey off, something Burnett has denied. Been testified about Burnett, "He said, 'Okay, we need Rudy around. Vote - you know, form an alliance to vote Stacey off.'" Been said Burnett then walked over to castaway Sean Kenniff and had what he believed was a similar conversation. Kenniff, however, along with the rest of the members of the Tagi tribe that Stillman belonged to, have denied any wrongdoing by Burnett.

In a press release, lawyers for CBS said Breen's testimony doesn't help Stillman's case because Been doesn't say there was "manipulation" on the show. But Stillman's lawyer, Donald Yates, said, "I think that Dirk completely backs up Stacey 100%, and they're focusing desperately on the word 'manipulation.' Been also wrote a letter to Burnett following his stint on the show, condemning Burnett's involvement in the show. According to Stillman's lawyer, the letter and deposition show that Burnett did "influence" the game, which they believe is a violation of federal game-show regulations and violates the contestants' contracts with CBS

Judge throws out Anna Nicole Smith court award
SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) - A federal judge Thursday threw out a U.S. bankruptcy court ruling that gave former Playboy Playmate Anna Nicole Smith $475 million from her late husband's estate. U.S. District Court Judge David Carter said he will conduct a full review of the case and called his ruling neither a victory nor defeat for either side. The appeal of the award was based on whether a bankruptcy court in California had jurisdiction in the case and whether Smith's claim was a bankruptcy issue. Carter told attorneys that while the case was properly in federal jurisdiction, the central claim of the Smith lawsuit that led to the judgment was not a core bankruptcy issue. Smith, 33, lost a Texas court battle in March over the fortune left behind by her husband, oil tycoon J. Howard Marshal II. He died at age 90 in August 1995, 14 months after they wed. The Texas jury found that the tycoon made no agreement to leave part of his estate to son J. Howard Marshall III or Smith.

Woman seeks new trial vs. Eastwood
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - A woman with muscular dystrophy who lost an Americans with Disabilities Act suit against Clint Eastwood last fall is seeking a new trial, claiming the jury was unfairly swayed by the actor's celebrity status. Diane zum Brunnen's motion for a new trial is scheduled to be heard in federal court in San Jose on June 4. Zum Brunnen sued Eastwood in 1997, alleging that his Mission Ranch hotel near Carmel did not have enough accommodations for her wheelchair. Eastwood said he had tried to make the hotel as accessible as possible while preserving the ranch's historic character, and he called the case an extortion attempt. A jury found Eastwood and the ranch liable for not having enough signs to a wheelchair-accessible restroom and no ramp access to the hotel office. But the jurors said zum Brunnen deserved no damages, because they believed she went to the ranch only to find grounds for a suit.

Hit man confesses on HBO
NEW YORK (AP) - An admitted Mafia hit man confessed in an HBO interview to the 1980 slaying of a New York City police detective and the killing of a Manhattan nightclub owner. Richard Kuklinski made the admissions in "The Iceman Confesses: Secrets of a Mafia Hit Man," which was shown Sunday night on HBO, just after the highly touted season finale of the Mafia drama "The Sopranos." He gave a lengthy, detailed description of how he killed Peter Calabro, 36, saying the shooting was like any other day on the job. "As he's going by, I fire," said Kuklinski, recalling the snowy night he shot Calabro in Upper Saddle River. "I never knew the man, what he looked like, or what his job was." Prosecutor William H. Schmidt, whose office was tipped off about Kuklinski's confession before the show aired, could not be reached for comment Sunday night or Monday morning. He had said his office was ready to work on the Calabro case as soon as the show aired. Kuklinski also admitted in the interview that he killed Bruno Lattini, a Manhattan nightclub owner.

During his Mafia career, Kuklinski estimated that he killed about 100 people for the Gambino crime family, earning about $1,600 for each slaying. "I'm a hardworking expert of sorts," he said. "I'm a person who did something that someone wanted done and they paid me a good price." Kuklinski, who was known as "The Iceman" because he kept some victims' bodies in a freezer, is now serving four life terms.

Brad Renfro charged for underage drinking
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Brad Renfro, on probation in Florida for trying to steal a yacht, was charged in his hometown for underage drinking. Renfro, who starred in 1994's "The Client," was arrested early Wednesday after the vehicle he was riding in was stopped for a light violation. The 18-year-old actor admitted to drinking alcohol and was taken into custody, Knox County Sheriff's Department spokesman Mike Evans said. He was released from jail Wednesday after posting a $500 bond. The driver was not charged. In January, Renfro was sentenced to two years probation and ordered to pay more than $4,000 for repairs on a yacht he tried to steal in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. It wasn't immediately clear whether the latest charge would affect his probation in Florida.

Man arrested in Niki Taylor scam
ATLANTA (AP) - A 30-year-old man is accused of a scam in which he allegedly pretended to sell photos of injured supermodel Niki Taylor in her Atlanta hospital room. Police said the photos probably never existed. William Siegelin was arrested on charges of theft by deception and obstruction of a law enforcement officer after he allegedly tried to sell the photos to Taylor's representatives, Atlanta police said Thursday. Taylor, 26, was involved in a car accident April 29 in Atlanta and suffered liver and other injuries. She is listed in critical but stable condition at Grady Memorial Hospital. Siegelin received $8,000 from a security company representing Taylor's manager last week in exchange for a disposable camera, said Lt. James Sellers, supervisor of the Atlanta Police Department Major Fraud Squad. The camera had no photos in it, he said. Siegelin told Taylor's manager that a newspaper wanted to buy the photos but he wanted to prevent them from being published, Sellers said. Sellers said he doesn't believe Siegelin or anyone else took photos of Taylor after her accident.

Bob Uecker splits with wife
WAUKESHA, Wis. (AP) - Milwaukee Brewers radio announcer and former sitcom star Bob Uecker and his wife have gotten a divorce. Uecker and his wife attended a hearing in Waukesha County Circuit Court by telephone Tuesday. Uecker, who lives in Menomonee Falls, was in Philadelphia, where the Brewers opened a series against the Phillies. Judy Uecker, 56, was in Scottsdale, Ariz., where she recently moved. They testified their marriage was irretrievably broken. The two married in 1976 in Louisiana. It was the second marriage for both of them. The couple's case was scheduled to go to trial Tuesday, but they settled a dispute over maintenance payments during the phone hearing. Judy Uecker waived her rights to the payments and instead will receive income from $4.27 million in assets expected to produce $200,000 in annual interest, attorneys said in court. Uecker, 66, played the father on the TV comedy "Mr. Belvedere" from 1985-90.

$1 mln. motion against Anna Nicole Smith
HOUSTON (AP) - Two accountants for Anna Nicole Smith's multimillionaire late husband are seeking more than $1 million, claiming she frivolously sued them in her aborted attempt to win part of his estate. Attorneys for accountants Finley Hilliard and Ken Farrar filed the motion in probate court on Thursday. The motion refers to the former stripper and Playboy centerfold by her legal name, Vickie Marshall. "Vickie and her lawyers launched off into a never-never land of imagination, filled with fabricated conspiracies," the motion states. The accountants' motion did not specify an amount, but it asked for triple their attorneys' fees, an amount said to exceed $1 million. Smith's attorney during the Texas trial, Tom Cunningham, said Friday he would not comment until he read the motion. Hilliard and Farrar were defendants in a trial earlier this year in which Smith, 33, and stepson J. Howard Marshall III sued for a share of the estate of J. Howard Marshall II, who died in 1995 at age 90. Smith dropped out of the Texas trial in January when a California federal bankruptcy judge ruled she was owed $475 million from the estate. The oilman's other son, named heir E. Pierce Marshall, is appealing that award. The Houston jury decided Pierce Marshall was the lawful heir and that Howard Marshall III must pay $35.3 million for interfering with their father's will. The jury also determined Smith didn't deserve any of the fortune

Lopez request to block tape denied
LOS ANGELES (AP) - A Superior Court judge refused Friday to issue a temporary restraining order barring rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight from marketing a purported sex videotape of singer-actress Jennifer Lopez. Knight's lawyer said his client doesn't have a sex videotape of Lopez, however, but that one of his companies is producing a video on the singer-actress titled, "J-Lo Uncut: The Real Story." Lopez sued Knight and his Death Row Records for invasion of privacy after the Star tabloid reported this week that Knight was planning to market a videotape titled "Jennifer Lopez: Da Real Story." Knight "does not possess a so-called `sex tape' involving Ms. Lopez and an ex-boyfriend," the rap mogul's attorney, Jeffrey Lowy, said in a letter to Lopez' lawyer, Stanton L. Stein. In her lawsuit, Lopez said she is unaware that such a video exists but that if it does she wants the sale of it blocked. "If the tape is, in fact, publicly displayed and disseminated, plaintiff will suffer greatly in her occupation," the lawsuit states. A call placed to Stein's office after business hours Friday was not immediately returned. Knight was released from a California prison last month after serving half of a nine-year term for violating probation on assault charges

Family: Niki Taylor's recovering
ATLANTA (AP) = Relatives of supermodel Niki Taylor say they are encouraged by her progress following a car accident last month that left her in critical condition. "I talked to my sister (Barbara, Niki's mother) last night and she said Niki's doing great," Taylor's aunt, Mary Eaton, told The Atlanta Journal Constitution Saturday. Taylor remains on a respirator and can't speak, "but she's able to point to a sign board to communicate with the family," the aunt said. "She told them she wants to go home." A spokeswoman for Grady Memorial Hospital said Taylor, 26, remains in critical but stable condition, and may be in intensive care several more weeks. Taylor sustained liver and other injuries in the April 29 accident in Atlanta. The driver of the car she was riding in lost control when he reached to pick up a cellular telephone. Taylor, the mother of twin 6-year-old boys, landed on the cover of Seventeen magazine when she was barely 14. She has appeared in ads for Cover Girl cosmetics and Liz Claiborne fashions and has been in Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue. In a 1995 Forbes magazine survey ranking the world's top models, Taylor ranked sixth with estimated 1994 earnings of $2.4 million

Kate Moss gets libel damages
LONDON (AP) - Supermodel Kate Moss accepted libel damages Friday from a tabloid newspaper that accused her of turning up for a photo shoot incapacitated with drugs or alcohol. The allegations published in the Daily Mail in July 1999 were "false and completely unfounded," Moss' lawyer, Gerrard Tyrrell, told London's High Court. Moss did not even attend the photo shoot in question, he said. The newspaper's lawyer, Rebecca Jackson, said the Daily Mail accepted that the allegations were false and apologized unreservedly for any distress and injury caused to Moss. Moss accepted an undisclosed sum in damages from Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Daily Mail. The 27-year-old model has long had a reputation for wild party-going. Last year she was briefly hospitalized with a kidney infection. In 1999, she checked herself into prominent west London psychiatric hospital The Priory for six weeks, saying she was suffering from exhaustion.

Supermodel still struggles for life
ATLANTA (AP) - Supermodel Niki Taylor thought she was unharmed in the seconds after her car crashed into a utility pole a week ago. It was only after she stepped outside that she felt crippling abdominal pain. Now doctors in Atlanta are working to save her life. The 26-year-old Taylor suffered severe damage to the liver, which has remarkable power to heal itself but also demands huge amounts of blood to keep the body working. Taylor's doctors, family and publicist have provided few details about her injuries - only that she suffered extreme blood loss and life-threatening liver damage. Dr. David Feliciano, chief surgeon at Grady Memorial Hospital, where Taylor has been in critical condition since the April 29 crash, declined to speak specifically about Taylor. But he said brief periods without pain - as Taylor experienced immediately after the crash, according to her publicist - are not uncommon in trauma patients.

Schell was behind swastika protest
NEW YORK (AP) - Someone has spray-painted Stars of David over the swastikas on the theater marquee for "Judgment at Nuremberg." The culprit? None other than the show's star, Maximilian Schell. "Max was the one who did it," confirmed Joe Trentacosta, the show's publicist. "Basically, he was tired of looking at the swastika every day." Schell owned up a few days after the six-pointed stars appeared last week on the marquee of the Longacre Theatre on 48th Street and Broadway. Before Schell's admission, Trentacosta climbed up to get a photo of the graffiti and found that "it wasn't easy" to get up there. "You have to go up to the second-floor mezzanine, unlock the window, climb up on a chair, hop on the ledge, drop down three feet and get on another ladder to paint anything up there," he said.

It's unknown whether the 70-year-old Schell did the graffiti himself or delegated the job. The show, an adaptation of the 1961 film, closes Sunday after 56 performances. Schell won a best-actor Academy Award for his performance in the film as a young German defense lawyer. In the play, he portrays an aging minister of justice on trial in 1948 for sentences he handed down under Hitler

Harrelson fined for running stop sign
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Actor Woody Harrelson was back in San Francisco, barefoot and promoting his eco-activism agenda. But instead of fining him for scaling the Golden Gate Bridge, police stopped him for running a stop sign on his bicycle. "It was so silly," the former "Cheers" co-star said Monday. "The only thing that interfered with us was the cop." Harrelson and about eight friends have been riding their bicycles from Seattle to Santa Barbara spreading the message of Simple Organic Living, otherwise known as the SOL Tour. The 1,500-mile trek started April 12 and is expected to end May 18. The 39-year-old actor said police tried to ticket him for running the stop sign, but he gave his name as William Poindexter and told the officer to arrest him or let him go. He and his friend then pedaled away. In November 1996, Harrelson and several other activists climbed the Golden Gate's north tower to hang a banner, demanding the government protect the 60,000-acre Headwaters redwood grove. The protest caused a five-hour traffic jam, and Harrelson was fined $1,000 and forced to perform 25 hours of community service to settle the misdemeanor.

More surgery for model in accident
ATLANTA (AP) - Supermodel Niki Taylor underwent more surgery Thursday as doctors struggled to repair internal injuries caused by a car accident that left her in critical condition. The surgery for Taylor, 26, was expected to last several hours, said her publicist, Lou Taylor, who is no relation. Niki Taylor has been in critical condition in Atlanta's Grady Memorial Hospital since the Nissan Maxima in which she was riding hit a utility pole early Sunday. She suffered severe liver damage and possible lung damage. The driver, Chad Renegar, and another passenger suffered only minor injuries. Renegar said he looked down to answer his cell phone and ran off the road. "For just a moment, I was distracted by something that was not part of what I should've been doing at the moment, which was driving, and the result of that has changed the lives of three people and their families," Renegar, 27, told ABC's "Good Morning America" Thursday. Taylor's family is hoping she will stabilize after the surgery, her publicist said. Her parents and older sister have been with her at the hospital.

'West Wing' creator pleads innocent
BURBANK, Calif. (AP) - Aaron Sorkin, creator of the Emmy-winning show "The West Wing," pleaded innocent to drug charges Wednesday and issued a statement saying he hopes his actions will not reflect poorly on his colleagues. Sorkin, 39, was arrested at Burbank Airport on April 15 after security officers found what they said was a bag of drugs in his luggage. Prosecutors charged him with two felony counts of drug possession - one for hallucinogenic mushrooms and one for cocaine - along with one misdemeanor count for marijuana. "It is his sincere hope that his actions do not affect or reflect upon those with whom he works, cares for and respects," said defense attorney Steve Sitkoff. In court Wednesday, Sitkoff entered a plea of innocent for Sorkin. Sorkin spoke only once during the hearing, acknowledging he must return to court on June 4. He remains free on $10,000 bail.

The maximum penalty for either of the felony drug counts could be three years in prison. But district attorney's spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said Sorkin, as a first-time offender, probably will be eligible for a diversion program under which he would not go to prison. "Mr. Sorkin is genuinely humbled by the situation he is facing," Sitkoff said. "He and his family are taking all necessary steps to ensure that he deals with the legal and personal matters at hand appropriately." Sorkin has acknowledged a freebase cocaine habit that led him to check into the Hazelden Institute in Minnesota for treatment in 1995. He has written scripts for "The West Wing" that dealt with drug abuse and portrayed the president's chief of staff as a recovering addict.

Update: Supermodel Niki Taylor injured
ATLANTA (AP) - Model Niki Taylor's doctor said Wednesday it will be weeks before he knows whether she will fully recover from extensive liver damage suffered in a car accident. Dr. Jeffrey Nichols, appearing on ABC's "Good Morning America," said Taylor, 26, "lost extensive amounts of blood," and was still in intensive care. He said her injuries "were life-threatening and remain that way." Taylor, one of the top supermodels since the early 1990s, remained in critical condition Wednesday at Grady Memorial Hospital. She was riding in a friend's car early Sunday when the driver ran off the road and hit a utility pole, apparently because he looked down to answer his cell phone, police said. Taylor's older sister, Joelle Bolline, said Taylor has opened her eyes, but is not yet able to speak. "She knows we're all here for her," Bolline told ABC. The model's parents, Barbara and Ken Taylor, also were with her at the hospital.

Taylor, who was wearing a seat belt, was not thrown from the car and initially appeared to be unhurt, but then experienced severe abdominal pain, publicist Lou Taylor said. She had no head or facial injuries. Driver James Renegar, 27, told police he lost control of the 1993 Nissan Maxima near downtown Atlanta. Police ticketed him but said they did not suspect drugs or alcohol contributed to the accident. Renegar and another passenger were treated and released. Taylor landed on the cover of Seventeen magazine when she was barely 14. She has appeared on hundreds of magazine covers and in ads for Cover Girl cosmetics and Liz Claiborne fashions. She also has been in Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue.

Shannen Doherty pleads guilty to DWI
VENTURA, Calif. (AP) - Shannen Doherty, the star of "Charmed," has pleaded no contest to charges of drunken driving and driving with a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit. Doherty, 30, also has admitted to a special circumstance of refusing to submit to a chemical test. She is to be sentenced June 12. The former "Beverly Hills, 90210" star was arrested in December after California Highway Patrol officers said they saw her Ford pickup truck weaving. Prosecutors said her blood-alcohol level was .13%, well above the legal limit of .08%. As a first-time offender, Doherty will likely face 48 hours in jail or five days in a work-release program, Deputy District Attorney Ian Morse said. Because of the special circumstance Doherty will also be given some additional punishment at the discretion of the judge, possibly more time in custody or a longer work-release term, Morse said. Doherty stars in The WB series "Charmed," about three sisters who are witches

'West Wing' creator charged
BURBANK, Calif. (AP) - Aaron Sorkin, creator of the Emmy-winning drama "The West Wing," was charged Monday with possession of illegal hallucinogenic mushrooms, rock cocaine and marijuana. Sorkin, 39, was arrested at Burbank Airport on April 15 after security officers found a small bag suspected of containing drugs in his carry-on luggage. Prosecutors charged him with two felony counts of drug possession - one for hallucinogenic mushrooms and one for cocaine - along with one misdemeanor count for marijuana, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office said in a statement. Sorkin, scheduled for arraignment Wednesday, remains free on $10,000 bail. Sorkin, who has acknowledged seeking treatment in 1995 for cocaine addiction, wrote the Broadway and film versions of the military drama "A Few Good Men" and the screenplay for "The American President." "The West Wing," starring Martin Sheen as the president, won a record nine Emmys last year, including one for Sorkin for best writing.

Supermodel Niki Taylor injured
ATLANTA (AP) - Supermodel Niki Taylor was in critical condition Tuesday after a Georgia car crash, her publicist said. The 26-year-old Taylor was a passenger in a vehicle that crashed Sunday in the Atlanta area after its driver lost control, said publicist Scott DeMunn. The driver also was critically injured, he said. DeMunn would not say where the accident took place or identify the driver. He gave few details on Taylor's condition except to say she suffered severe internal injuries. Taylor is a native of south Florida and the mother of twin 5-year-old boys, Jake and Hunter. She landed on the cover of Seventeen magazine when she was barely 14. She has appeared in ads for Cover Girl cosmetics and Liz Claiborne fashions and has been in Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue

Madonna bra auctioned for $21,150
LONDON (AP) - One of Madonna's eye-popping conical bras sold for $21,150 on Thursday at a pop memorabilia auction, snapped up by a Chilean fashion museum. The memorable fashion statement, a fixture of the pop diva's 1990 Blond Ambition Tour, rivaled a page of handwritten lyrics by Beatles legend Paul McCartney, which was bought by an unidentified private collector for $29,960, Christie's auction house said. The auction featured more than 200 pieces of memorabilia, including an autographed letter sent by John Lennon to a fan and a suit worn on stage by Eric Clapton. The Museum of Fashion and Textiles in Santiago, Chile, emerged the winner of unexpectedly high bidding for Madonna's black and fuchsia Jean-Paul Gaultier bra. A Christie's spokeswoman said the bra was expected to fetch only $4,500. The seller, who was not identified, won the bra in a British radio contest, the spokeswoman said on customary condition of anonymity.

Halle Berry, husband sue over Star story
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Actress Halle Berry and her musician husband, Eric Benet, have sued the Star tabloid for libel for describing their marriage as "on the rocks." The couple, who wed in January, also accused the tabloid of invasion of privacy and infliction of emotional distress in the lawsuit filed in Superior Court on Wednesday. It seeks $5 million in damages. In a statement, the couple said the article published last week was "offensive and baseless" and that falsehoods contained in it included statements that Benet had "moved out of Halle's house for a few days" with their child and "was looking for a condo of his own." Officials with the Lantana, Fla.-based Star did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment. Berry, who won an Emmy and a Golden Globe last year for her performance in HBO's "Introducing Dorothy Dandridge," also has appeared in such films as "X-men," "Bulworth," "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" and "Boomerang."

Toni Braxton, Keri Lewis get married
ATLANTA (AP) - R&B singer Toni Braxton wed Mint Condition keyboardist Keri Lewis in a private outdoor ceremony. Braxton, 32, and Lewis, 28, exchanged vows Saturday in front 250 guests outside the 60-acre Dean Gardens estate. Former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young officiated at the ceremony. A 16-piece orchestra played Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" as well as a funky version of "So Fresh, So Clean," a current single by the Atlanta hip-hop duo OutKast. The guest list included Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell, singer Monica, rapper Mack 10, and LaFace Records label mates Usher Raymond, Donell Jones, Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas. The bride wore an ivory satin gown with a notched and beaded bodice, and a beaded train and matching veil designed by Vera Wang. She wore diamond-crusted gems designed by Stephen Russell. Braxton, who won her sixth Grammy Award this year, met her husband four years ago. The Minneapolis-based Mint Condition served as her accompaniment when she opened for contemporary jazz saxophonist Kenny G on a nationwide tour.

Matthew Perry in car accident
LOS ANGELES (AP) - A car driven by a woman who ran a stop sign collided with "Friends" co-star Matthew Perry's silver BMW at a West Side intersection, police said. Neither Perry nor the 75-year-old woman, whose name was not released, was injured. The actor's BMW, so new that it still had dealer plates on it, was badly damaged, however. Officer La Donna Cissell said Thursday that drugs and alcohol weren't involved in the Wednesday morning crash. The NBC sitcom actor has acknowledged being treated in 1997 for what his publicist called the "early stages of chemical dependency." Earlier this year, he entered a rehabilitation clinic for treatment of an undisclosed condition. Perry, 31, crashed his Porsche into the front porch of a house in the Hollywood Hills last May. He was not injured in that crash either, and investigators said there was no evidence of drug or alcohol use.

Fonda files for divorce from Turner
ATLANTA (AP) - Jane Fonda filed for divorce from CNN founder Ted Turner, who said recently that their marriage broke up partly because of her decision to become a practicing Christian. Fonda's divorce petition was filed Monday in Fulton County Superior Court. It says the marriage is "irretrievably broken" and there is "no hope of reconciliation," standard language under Georgia's divorce laws. The divorce petition indicates Fonda, 63, and her billionaire husband, 62, have reached an agreement on the division of assets, but the agreement was not filed in court. Fonda's attorney John Mayoue declined to comment Wednesday. "This is a private matter between Mr. Turner and Jane Fonda and any terms between them are confidential," he said. Turner's publicist did not immediately return a phone call.

Drug arrest for 'West Wing' creator
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Aaron Sorkin, creator of the Emmy-winning drama "The West Wing," was arrested for investigation of drug possession, officials said Monday. Sorkin, 39, was arrested Sunday at Burbank Airport when a search allegedly found "illicit mushrooms" in a carry-on suitcase, airport spokesman Victor Gill said. He said details on the type of mushrooms were unavailable; some mushrooms are hallucinogens. Sorkin, who has admitted past problems with substance abuse, was taken to Burbank city jail for booking and released on $10,000 bond. "He was going through a screening checkpoint and personnel managing the checkpoint decided something was suspicious," Gill said. Sorkin was en route to Las Vegas. Gill said Sorkin, who cooperated with authorities, fainted briefly but declined medical help. A playwright turned movie and TV writer, Sorkin wrote "A Few Good Men," the screenplay to "The American President," and the TV comedy "Sports Night."

Todd Bridges saves paraplegic
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Todd Bridges, the once-troubled actor who played Willis on the TV sitcom "Diff'rent Strokes," was credited Friday with saving the life of a paraplegic woman whose wheelchair rolled into a lake. Stella Kline said the electric wheelchair lurched into the Balboa Park Lake in the San Fernando Valley on Thursday after her fishing line caught on the chair's controls. When it tipped over in 3 feet of water, she was trapped underneath. Bridges, whose run-ins with the law made him a tabloid favorite in the mid-'80s and '90s, was fishing a few feet away with his brother James, 40. Both jumped in to help. "I was thanking God that he was there," said Kline, 50. "And you know, everybody's been saying nothing but bad stuff about Todd Bridges on the news and in the papers...He has a heart of gold." Bridges, 35, who starred with Gary Coleman in the sitcom, 1978-1986, was nonchalant. "We felt God put us there at the right time to save this lady's life, because there was no one else around," he said.

CNN's China tactics create conflict
NEW YORK (AP) - CNN's aggressive efforts to cover the release of the U.S. spy plane's crew led to a reporter being detained by Chinese authorities and some bad blood with other networks. CNN used new videophone technology to get exclusive live pictures Wednesday of the 24 American crew members leaving Hainan, China, on a chartered flight to Guam. Front-page photos in the New York Times and the Washington Post both credited the cable network. CNN reporter Lisa Rose Weaver and a two-person crew transmitted the pictures after rigging their videophone to a car battery for power, said Eason Jordan, CNN's president of newsgathering. During a live transmission, the videophone showed a carload of Chinese authorities pulling up and stopping the crew from taking pictures. Jordan said the authorities accused CNN of reporting in an illegal manner and using unauthorized equipment. Weaver and her crew were held for questioning for four hours and the videophone was confiscated, he said.

Actors get into barroom brawl
WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) - Actors Steve Buscemi and Vince Vaughn, in town filming a movie called "Domestic Disturbance," got into a barroom brawl with locals that left Buscemi bloody and Vaughn in jail. Police say Buscemi was stabbed in the throat, head and arm in the fight at the Firebelly Lounge around 2 a.m. Thursday. He was treated at a hospital and released. Buscemi, who has starred in such films as "Fargo" and "28 Days," flew to New York to recover. Timothy Fogerty of Wilmington was charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill. Vaughn, screenwriter Scott Rosenberg and two other Wilmington men were charged with misdemeanor assault. All four men posted bond and were released Thursday, police said.

Green confirms marriage to Barrymore
LOS ANGELES (Launch) - Comedian Tom Green confirmed that he and actress-producer Drew Barrymore are, in fact, married. Reports of the marriage surfaced last week while Green was promoting his new movie "Freddy Got Fingered." Green, 29, explains why he and Barrymore played with the subject for the public and the press. "We did sort of fake it a few times...we told people we were getting married in Cleveland on 'Saturday Night Live,' and wanted to have a little bit of fun with it...'cause we just thought it would be fun," Green said.

'Ali' crew rescues boy during shoot
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) - A film crew working on "Ali," a movie based on the life of Muhammad Ali, rescued an 8-year-old boy whose foot got stuck under a hotel escalator rail. Nicolas Potolsky was on an upward escalator in the Fontainebleau Hilton late Wednesday when his rubber beach shoe got sucked under the rail of the top step, hotel spokeswoman Lisa Cole said. Crew members filming a victory scene in a nearby ballroom heard the boy scream and ran over to help. A hotel worker who also heard Nicolas' cry quickly shut off the escalator, officials said. About a dozen movie workers used crowbars to pry the rail open and free the child after they tried unsuccessfully to pull back the rubber handrail. Nicolas, who was staying at the resort with his mother, was taken to Mount Sinai Medical Center for X-rays, investigators said. Fernandez said the boy suffered bruises and cuts.

Aniston finds marriage hard
LOS ANGELES (AP) - You'd think being married to Brad Pitt, and being a big celeb in her own right, that Jennifer Aniston's life would be fabulous. But the "Friends" co-star says the time since her July wedding to Pitt has been the hardest year of her life. "There's been a real intense overhaul - about family, work, everything," Aniston tells Vanity Fair in its May issue. "Marriage brings up all the things I pushed to the back burner - the fears, the mistrust, the doubts, the insecurities." Aniston is trying to turn this difficult time into something positive with an Internet chat session for young girls called Jen XX on the Web site Voxxy.com. Aniston says she can relate to her online audience because she's gone through many of the same experiences. "I feel, half the time, like I'm one of those teen-age girls," she says. "Feeling stupid, feeling good enough, feeling adequate, asking, 'What am I doing?' - it doesn't go away."

Pepper laughs off Raspberry award
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Barry Pepper can laugh about winning a Golden Raspberry award as worst supporting actor in "Battlefield Earth." Based on a novel by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, the film starring John Travolta was a box office bomb. It earned seven Razzies, including worst picture and worst actor for Travolta. "I was hoping somebody would invite me. I would've gone and accepted it," Pepper said. "That would've been so much fun. My agent probably would have told me not to." The Razzie trophy is a gaudy, gold-painted, golf ball-sized plastic raspberry atop a film canister. It's worth $4.29. Pepper said the movie failed because of a weak script and poor production values. "When I saw it, I just about wept," he said. "I heard John say the other night, you're always one movie away from a hit or disaster. We just fell short on that one."

Despite the attempt to woo, gamers had a mixed reaction. "It's clear they're putting a lot of effort into it," said a company worker who only gave his surname Yamada. "But the graphics weren't any different from what I see in the Japanese game consoles." Sega's contribution to the Xbox, set for release this fall, will include the latest versions of "Panzer Dragoon" and "Sega GT," the companies said in a joint statement released in Tokyo. Microsoft expects to have 100 software designers on its Japanese team. It hopes to have 12 to 18 titles ready for the Xbox's debut and gave a sneak preview of some of its games.

Famous Hollywood restaurant closes
LOS ANGELES (AP) - It's curtains for Spago Hollywood. The restaurant, once famed as a trendy status symbol among its celebrity guests, began a two-day gala Wednesday to mark its closing and celebrate its history. During its 19-year existence, actors and deal makers arrived in droves to be seen dining on the edge of the Sunset Strip. Until his death in 1993, agent Irving Lazar hosted his legendary post-Academy Awards parties at the restaurant. Spago also made a star out of its chef and owner, Wolfgang Puck, who later opened 10 other restaurants, including a Spago in Beverly Hills. Those eateries, however, robbed the Hollywood site of its luster, and the original Spago fell out of favor with many celebrities as the elite were replaced by stargazing tourists. Puck said in January he decided to close the restaurant rather than contend with its plummeting social status and need for costly renovations

Man fined for filming Madonna's baby
DORNOCH, Scotland (AP) - A man who secretly filmed the baptism of Madonna's baby was fined $1,440 Thursday. Robert Podesta, 51, had hidden in the organ at Dornoch Cathedral and got 24 minutes of video of the private baptism of Rocco Ritchie, son of the singer and film director Guy Ritchie, on Dec. 21. Podesta wasn't detected until tried to leave the cathedral sometime later. At an earlier hearing Podesta, of Orcop in western England, admitted conducting himself in a disorderly manner likely to cause concern. Sheriff Ian Cameron previously ordered the videotape destroyed. Defense lawyer Craig Wood said Podesta hadn't expected to succeed. "Having some knowledge of the security business, while he came up here with the intention of secreting himself in the cathedral, he also expected to be found. Had a search been properly carried out by those employed there he would have been found," Wood said. "Had they done it properly he would not have got away with it."

'Temptation Island' couple sue show
LOS ANGELES (AP) - A Los Angeles couple booted off "Temptation Island," Fox's reality show, because they have a 2-year-old child sued the show's producers, claiming defamation of character. Ytossie Patterson, 34, and Taheed Watson, 29, filed suit in Superior Court Wednesday. The two were kicked off the show - designed to tempt emotionally committed but unmarried couples into straying - when it was revealed their relationship produced a child, a fact they allegedly hid from producers. The two seek unspecified punitive and compensatory damages. Fox Television Studios and Rocket Science Laboratories, both in the Los Angeles area, were named as defendants. A spokesperson at Rocket Science declined comment Wednesday. Patterson and Watson claim producers always knew they had a child, but decided it would boost ratings for the series if that information came out during an episode.

They also claim that an episode in which producers chastised the two for the alleged revelation was "condescending and humiliating," according to the suit. "The footage was edited to exclude plaintiffs' responses to the producer's accusations, and falsely portrayed plaintiffs as mischievous and immoral, that they had in fact concealed the existence of their own child and that they had nothing to say about it in the face of this disgraceful tongue lashing," the lawsuit stated

Crowe angers students
PRINCETON, N.J. (AP) - First Russell Crowe won a Best Actor Oscar for "Gladiator." Now, he's won the support of Ron Howard after making an obscene gesture. The director defended Crowe, who stuck out his middle finger at a 21-year-old Princeton student who snapped his picture on campus as he prepared to shoot a movie scene Tuesday. "He's not a bad guy," Howard told the Trentonian Wednesday on the set of the film, "A Beautiful Mind," which co-stars Jennifer Connelly. "It was out of character for him. He was signing a lot more autographs than giving middle fingers." Crowe wouldn't confirm to a television news crew that he made the gesture to student Meredith Moroney, who took the shot from her friend's dorm room. "Well, you know whatever is printed in the newspaper is absolutely true," the actor said sarcastically. Crowe's gesture angered some Princeton students. Princeton representatives tried to downplay the incident. "The university promotes an atmosphere of civility and respect, and we hope that everyone on campus will do the same," a school spokesperson said

Somers said she felt it was "humiliating that the public would think you are fraudulent" about the reason for her liposuction procedure. She said she hadn't discussed her cancer publicly before because she didn't feel she was ready. "Each day it is like a stab in my heart," she said. "I just wanted to get far enough away from it." It's not the first time Somers has gone public about a private difficulty. Her book "Keeping Secrets" tells about her life as the child of an alcoholic and how her family changed because of treatment programs.

Billy Crystal watches Oscars at home
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Billy Crystal was like a lot of Americans on Oscar night. He watched the Academy Awards at home with a friend and ordered in dinner. Crystal turned down the chance to host the show for the eighth time. Comedian Steve Martin took over. "Steve is a good friend of mine and I was really happy he did well," Crystal said Monday. Last week, he finished directing the comedy "America's Sweethearts," with Best Actress Oscar winner Julia Roberts and John Cusack, due in theaters later this year. "I'm so tired and beat up," he said. "It felt nice not to have that (Oscar) pressure on my head the last few weeks."

Julia Roberts' dentist pays up
SMYRNA, Ga. (AP) - Twenty-six years before Julia Roberts won an Oscar, her hometown dentist made a pledge to his young patients: If any of them won such a grand prize, he would give every child in Smyrna, Ga., a tube of toothpaste. Now, it's payoff time for Dr. Ted Aspes. "I had two families waiting for me in the parking lot when I got here this morning," Aspes said Monday, the day after Roberts won the Best Actress Oscar for "Erin Brockovich." By late afternoon, Aspes had given out hundreds of tubes of mint-flavored Crest. The dentist, whose long-ago pledge also covered honors such as the Grammy, Heisman trophy and Rhodes scholarship, was not caught by surprise. He expected Roberts to win. "I ordered 10,000 tubes last week," he said. "I usually order a few hundred. My distributor called and said, 'Hey, doc, are you sure there isn't a comma in the wrong place?'"

No contest plea in Presley case
LOS ANGELES (AP) - A driver accused of hitting Priscilla Presley's sport utility vehicle and five other cars during a police chase last year has pleaded no contest. Jacek Zareba, 33, of Los Angeles, pleaded no contest Monday to driving while under the influence of alcohol, hit-and-run, and evading a police officer. Zareba will be sentenced April 4 in Van Nuys Superior Court. He had a blood-alcohol level of .20%. The state's limit is .08%. Patrol officers saw Zareba driving on the afternoon of Oct. 4 when he struck two vehicles and didn't stop. As officers chased him, Zareba drove the wrong way along such major San Fernando Valley thoroughfares as Laurel Canyon and Coldwater Canyon boulevards, hitting four other cars. He drove on the wrong side of Ventura Boulevard, which runs east-west across the length of the valley, when he clipped Presley's Land Rover. The 55-year-old actress and ex-wife of the Elvis Presley was not injured. None of the drivers was injured and their cars received minor damage.

Executive television producer John Wells, whose profile has been elevated due to his work as prexy of the Writers Guild of America West, received a double nomination for NBC's "ER" and the "The West Wing" for the PGA's Norman Felton producer of the year award for dramatic TV series. NBC's "Law and Order," HBO's "Oz" and ABC's "The Practice" were also tapped. David E. Kelley doubled for "The Practice" and for Fox's "Ally McBeal" in the Danny Thomas award for comedy series. NBC's "Frasier," "Friends" and "Will and Grace," and HBO's "Sex and the City" were tapped as well for top comedy series

Suit against Rosie O'Donnell dropped
ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) - An animal rights group dropped its defamation lawsuit against talk-show host Rosie O'Donnell after she clarified comments she made on her show about the group's opposition to leather. Norfolk-based People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sued for defamation after O'Donnell said on a show last year that certain types of leather pants sold at The Gap were PETA-approved. What O'Donnell was apparently referring to was a decision by The Gap to stop using Indian and Chinese leather after a PETA campaign highlighting alleged industry abuses in those countries. PETA opposes all use of leather. When the show refused to retract O'Donnell's statement, the group sued in Arlington County Circuit Court for $350,000. On "The Rosie O'Donnell Show" Thursday, O'Donnell clarified her earlier statement, saying "PETA feels no one needs to wear any leather apparel at all."