Top Story: Wynonna Judd Charged With Drunk Driving
Country singer Wynonna Judd was arrested early Thursday for drunk driving following a traffic stop near downtown Nashville, Tenn. Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron told Reuters the 39-year-old singer had bloodshot eyes and appeared confused when her 2002 Land Rover was pulled over. After consenting to a Breathalyzer, Judd, who was driving 47 miles per hour in a 30 mile per hour zone, blew a .175–more than twice the state’s legal limit of 0.08 percent. The arresting officer, who said he smelled alcohol on her breath, described the singer’s behavior as “cooperative and pleasant.” Judd‘s vehicle was charged with drunk driving and released on $500 bond. Judd went solo in 1990 when her mother, Naomi, retired from their duo, The Judds, after being diagnosed with hepatitis. Her album, What the World Needs Now Is Love, which was released in August, topped Billboard’s country charts.
Hilton’s Ex-Boyfriend Sues Over Sex Tape
Video entrepreneur Rick Solomon, the man seen having sex with Paris Hilton on a home videotape that has surfaced on the Internet, filed a $10 million slander lawsuit Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court against the 22-year-old socialite, her parents and her publicist, Siri Garber, claiming they have sought to portray him as a criminal, Reuters reports. The Hiltons have threatened to sue anyone who releases the tape, which was made in 2001 when Paris Hilton was 19 and before Solomon, then 30, married actress Shannen Doherty.
Jennifer Lopez To Launch Underwear Line
Just when you thought there was nothing left for Jennifer Lopez to conquer, here comes J.Lo lingerie. According to The Associated Press, Lopez has signed an exclusive global deal with Warnaco to manufacture and sell the lingerie collection, which will include bras, underwear and shapewear. Lopez, 33, will also make a line of sleepwear and loungewear. The JLO by Jennifer Lopez collection will be launched in fall 2004.
Sean Combs Donates $1 Million to NYC Schools
Hip-hop mogul Sean “P. Diddy” Combs has donated the $1 million he raised by running the New York City Marathon Nov. 2 to the city’s public schools. The money will be used to support school libraries and technology, the AP reports. Combs, who ran the race in just over four hours, raised $2 million overall. The other $1 million will go to children’s advocate groups including the Children’s Hope Foundation and Daddy’s House Social Programs.
CBS To Air Michael Jackson Special
CBS has scheduled a one-hour special chronicling the career of pop oddity Michael Jackson for Nov. 26–the final night of the November sweeps. Reuters reports that the special will consist of mostly archival footage from Jackson‘s Motown days as the lead singer of the Jackson 5 through his emergence as one of the music industry’s biggest pop stars. A spokesman for Jackson told the Reuters the singer will not make an appearance on the show but will showcase the new video for his latest single, “One More Chance.”
Teen’s Lawsuit Against Maury Goes Forward
A Manhattan judge ruled Thursday that a 14-year-old girl who says she was raped after an appearance on Maury Povich‘s television talk show can go ahead with a $25 million lawsuit against the show and its host, the AP reports. The girl came to New York from Texas to appear on an episode themed “out of control teens.” The lawsuit says the show’s producers promised to provide the girl with psychological counseling, time at a teen boot camp and transportation and hotel expenses. According to court papers, a man saying he was “Maury’s limo driver” approached the girl after the Dec. 6, 2001 taping, drove her to a secluded area and raped her.
Frasier Hasn’t Left the Building Yet
Kelsey Grammer suggested in an interview Monday on CBS’s The Late Show With Craig Kilborn that he would be willing to return as Dr. Frasier Crane for a 12th season of the hit NBC sitcom Frasier, the AP reports. “If someone called and said, ‘We really want you back for another year,’ I’d probably figure out some way to make that happen,” Grammer said. “But that call hasn’t come.” NBC hasn’t officially deemed this the final year for Frasier, the network’s interest may be enhanced by the recent cancellation of Coupling and the final season of Friends wrapping.
Kelly Clarkson in World Idol
Kelly Clarkson, the first season winner of Fox’s talent show American Idol, will get to compete on World Idol in London with winners from 10 other countries, including Lebanon, South Africa and Poland. Viewers from around the world will then have the chance to vote after a panel of judges, made up of one representative from each country, comment on the performances. A Fox spokeswoman told the AP details on the voting process will be released later and said she was unaware of a prize for the international champ. World Idol will air at 8 p.m. EST on Dec. 25, and at 9 p.m. EST on Jan. 1.
Role Call: MGM ventures Into Spoofdom
MGM has made a preemptive buy of Henry Bates and the Sorcerer’s Balls–a spoof of the Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings franchises. Scribe David Morgasen told Variety the storyline involves a good wizard named Gandolfini who goes against the evil wizard Enron. The quest, meanwhile, involves Henry Bates, the rightful king of the land of Middlefinger.
