HOLLYWOOD - Diaz's S&M video makes Internet rounds
A 12-year-old, soft-core video of a topless Cameron Diaz engaging in S&M play has sprung up on the Internet in Europe, Agence France Presse reports. Titled She's No Angel: Cameron Diaz, the 30-minute video, which features the fishnet stocking-clad actress vamping it up with another woman and a man, is being offered for $40 by a Russian-registered Web site, www.scandal-inc.com. Los Angeles photographer John Rutter, who reportedly shot the video in 1992 with a then 19-year-old Diaz, sold the video to the company. Last year, the Charlie's Angel star accused Rutter of seeking to extort money from her by threatening to release some topless photos of her. He was charged with attempting to extort $3.3 million from the actress, attempted grand theft and perjury and two counts of forgery. He has since been arrested and charged with extortion, and is currently free on bail. According to Diaz's spokesperson, a cease-and-desist letter has reportedly been sent to the Web site.
Brando's estate valued at $21.6 million
Hollywood legend Marlon Brando left an estate valued at $21.6 million, according to court papers filed Friday, putting to rest widespread speculation that he had died broke, Reuters reports. The petition for probate--the process by which a court distributes assets of the deceased--was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday and bequeaths his estate to a living trust, the terms of which were not disclosed. The will lists 10 surviving children, ages 10 to 46, but does not provide for Tuki Brando, the son of his deceased daughter, Cheyenne, who killed herself in 1995. In the will Brando also threatened to cut off any heir who challenged the distribution of his assets. The probate petition lists private property worth $3 million and real estate valued at $18.6 million, which includes his Mulholland Drive home and a Tahitian atoll he purchased in 1966 for about $200,000, Reuters reports.
McG exits WB's Super-Man project
Super-Man's curse continues. A Warner Bros. spokesperson has confirmed with Reuters that the studio and Charlie's Angels director McG, who was attached to shoot the next Superman movie, have amicably parted ways. Issues in negotiations included the project's budget, reportedly hovering at the $200 million mark, and the shooting location--McG favored New York while the studio preferred Australia. "It was clear to me that this was Metropolis. As a filmmaker, I felt it was inappropriate to try to capture the heart of America on another continent. I look at Superman as a character that embodies all that is beautiful about America," McG said in a statement. McG is the third director to exit the project, following Tim Burton and Brett Ratner.
Bobby Brown out on bail
R&B singer Bobby Brown turned himself in to jail officials Sunday night and was released after posting a $2,000 bond on charges he hit his wife, singer Whitney Houston, The Associated Press reports. In May, a judge had ordered there was enough evidence for Brown to stand trial on misdemeanor battery charges for allegedly hitting Houston in the face at their home near Alpharetta, a suburb north of Atlanta and had given Brown until midnight Sunday to turn himself in. AP reports the singer showed up with less than four hours to spare. Simple battery is punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine, but AP reports on a first offense in domestic-violence cases, the charge is usually dismissed if the defendant undergoes counseling.
Jackson gets warning from judge
A judge Friday scolded Michael Jackson for violating a gag order by publicly responding to revelations about the 1993 child molestation allegations against him, Reuters reports. The singer issued a statement last month after details of the reported $23 million settlement of the 11-year-old case were leaked to the media. California Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville told Reuters on Friday he had not yet ruled on whether evidence from the 1993 case would be admitted at the new trial, set to start in September, in which Jackson has been charged again with child molestation as well as plying a minor with alcohol. "There is a thin line here," Melville said. "I don't want to prevent someone from speaking out and saying they are innocent, but the district attorney was right to bring this (issue) forward. From now on, follow the gag order."
Rosie's gay cruise heads to Key West
Rosie O'Donnell's new R Family Vacations cruise line, which caters to gay and lesbian families, is getting a warm welcome in the island port of Key West, Fla., where it is set to stop Wednesday for its inaugural voyage. The AP reports O'Donnell will receive the key to the city when the Norwegian Dawn's seven-day trip cruise arrives, while a street fair will provide entertainment for children on the tour. Key West has long fostered a reputation as a tolerant vacation community that is especially friendly to gays and lesbians. O'Donnell married Kelli Carpenter O'Donnell in a civil ceremony Feb. 26 in San Francisco. The couple is raising four children.
Near-millionaire Jeopardy! contestant becomes celebrity
Ken Jennings, a 30-year-old software engineer from Utah, will make an unprecedented 29th appearance on the syndicated quiz show Jeopardy! tonight. And now that his winnings are approaching the $1 million mark, Jennings has become somewhat of a celebrity, with appearances scheduled on ABC's Good Morning America and CBS' Late Show with David Letterman. To mark the start of its 20th season last September, Jeopardy! lifted its five-game limit for winners and allowed them to return until they lose. Jennings' winnings so far top a record $920,960. The previous record-holder was Tom Walsh, 39, of Washington, D.C., who won $184,900 in his seven-day run on the show in January.
Jadakiss' anti-Bush single "Why?" gets edited
Rapper Jadakiss' new single "Why?" that questions President Bush's involvement in the events of Sept. 11, 2001, and includes the line, "Why did Bush knock down the Towers?" is creating a stir. One program director who asked to remain anonymous told Reuters the uncensored version of that line is his favorite in the song, but added, "Since they can hear us in D.C., and I don't want Secret Service knocking down my door in the middle of the night … I'll stick to the clean version." But other stations, including WGCI Chicago and WWPR New York, have opted to play the unedited track. "Freedom of speech gives him the right to say what he does. No one edited "Get Low" by Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz," WWPR program director Michael Saunders. "Why?," from Jadakiss' second album Kiss of Death, debuted at No. 71 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart but climbed to No. 16 this week.
Shaq leaves Lakers
Will Jack, Dyan, Leo, Dustin, Penny and Denzel still be lounging courtside at the Los Angeles Lakers' games now that the team has agreed in principle to trade Shaquille O'Neal to the Miami Heat? Since joining the Lakers in 1996, O'Neal has been part of an eight-year run in which the team won three NBA championships. But the wunderkind pairing of Shaq with guard Kobe Bryant didn't fare as well off court, as their ongoing feud (usually over control of the team)--as well as felony rape charges against Bryant--helped contribute to the disastrous performance during finals last season. According to the Los Angeles Times, the Shaq trade and the team's replacement of coach Phil Jackson is being seen as a move to placate Bryant, now a free agent. O'Neal has suggested that Laker owner Jerry Buss chose Bryant over the good of the team as a means of luring him away from free-agent offers.
Guylaine Cadorette contributed to this report.