US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
Ellen finds Simon "a challenge" on "Idol"
LOS ANGELES - New "American Idol" judge Ellen DeGeneres on Tuesday hinted of fireworks between her and Simon Cowell, and said she'd prefer not to sit next to the acid-tongued Briton in future. The Emmy-award winning comedian and talk show host makes her long-awaited debut on "American Idol" on Tuesday night, replacing Paula Abdul on the four-judge panel.
Angelina Jolie visits quake-hit Haiti
PORT-AU-PRINCE - Angelina Jolie visited earthquake victims in Haiti on Tuesday in her latest trip to help survivors of conflict and natural disaster as a goodwill envoy for a United Nations agency. Jolie, 34, who has been a goodwill ambassador for the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR since early 2001, traveled to quake-shattered Port-au-Prince after visiting injured Haitian children in a hospital on Monday in neighboring Dominican Republic.
Lil Wayne sentencing postponed, says goodbye to fans
NEW YORK - Rapper Lil Wayne temporarily escaped jail on Tuesday when his sentencing for possessing a gun was postponed on the same day he bid goodbye to fans in a video he posted on the Web. Lil Wayne, 27, whose real name is Dwayne Carter, appeared in New York State Supreme Court where his sentencing was postponed until March 2 because he needed time to heal from a dental operation, his lawyer Stacey Richman told the court.
Louis Gossett Jr. fighting prostate cancer
LOS ANGELES - Actor Louis Gossett Jr, best known for his Oscar-winning role as the tough drill instructor in "An Officer and a Gentleman", said on Tuesday he was fighting prostate cancer. Gossett, 73, said his cancer was in its early stages and that he was going public to encourage African-Americans to seek early examinations and treatment for the disease.
Jackson doctor pleads not guilty in singer's death
LOS ANGELES - The doctor hired to care for Michael Jackson was charged on Monday with killing the pop star after a lengthy investigation that found a lethal cocktail of drugs in the singer's system when he died last year. Dr. Conrad Murray, who lives in Las Vegas, pleaded not guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter in the death that officials have ruled was due mainly to an overdose of the powerful anesthetic propofol, among several drugs.
Absent Polanski to dominate Berlin film festival
BERLIN - Roman Polanski may be under house arrest in a Swiss chalet, but the Polish-French director is set to dominate this year's Berlin film festival where his latest movie "The Ghost Writer" will be unveiled. Interest in the 76-year-old's film, one of 20 competition entries vying for awards at the February 11-21 event, has inevitably soared since his sensational arrest in Switzerland in September.
Sheen charged with assaulting wife; they hug in court
ASPEN, Colo - Actor Charlie Sheen was charged on Monday with assaulting and threatening his wife Brooke Mueller in a heated Christmas Day argument. But the couple left the court in the Colorado ski resort of Aspen hugging each other, hoping the charges will be dropped, and apparently planning to reconcile.
Jolie, Pitt sue British newspaper
LONDON - Hollywood couple Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are suing Britain's News of the World tabloid over allegations it published about their relationship, their London lawyers said on Monday. In a story published on January 24, the weekly newspaper reported that the couple planned to separate imminently and had agreed on how they would divide their assets and custody of their children.
Record Super Bowl telecast tops "M*A*S*H" record
LOS ANGELES - Sunday's Super Bowl TV audience set a viewing record for the annual National Football League Championship and eclipsed the 1983 benchmark set by the comedy "M*A*S*H" to become the most watched U.S. telecast, according to early ratings data on Monday. A record 106.5 million American TV viewers watched the New Orleans Saints beat the Indianapolis Colts in Sunday's game, broadcast on CBS, Nielsen media and CBS said.
"Avatar" loses box office crown to "Dear John"
LOS ANGELES - It had to happen sometime, but nobody expected the biggest film of all time to lose its North American box office crown this weekend to "Dear John," a low-budget "chick flick" with a pair of little-known stars. The romantic drama opened at No. 1 with three-day sales of $32.4 million across the United States and Canada, crushing both industry forecasts and reigning champ "Avatar," according to studio estimates issued on Sunday.