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Prosecutors in the Winona Ryder shoplifting case filed a motion Monday to admit evidence of alleged previous misdeeds by the actress. Details of the motion, such as what evidence the prosecution sought to admit, were filed under seal and not disclosed, Reuters reports. According to court records, Ryder has never been charged or convicted of such a crime in the past. The 30-year-old Girl, Interrupted star is accused of stealing $4,800 worth of clothes and accessories in a Saks Fifth Avenue store last Dec. 12. She is charged with grand theft, second-degree burglary and vandalism, but has pleaded innocent to all the charges. Her lawyer, Mark Geragos, has claimed Ryder was the victim of selective prosecution because of her celebrity status. Ryder is due back in court Thursday, at which time a judge is scheduled to set a trial date, although the court date still could be delayed because of Geragos’ involvement in another case.
Celebs
Superman star Christopher Reeve, who was paralyzed seven years ago after falling off a horse, has regained movement and sensation in his arms and legs, a spokeswoman for the actor said Tuesday. Although experts previously thought recovery was only possible within six months to two years, Reeve did not regain any of his motor functions below his shoulders until five years after his injury. His doctor holds out hope that Reeve, 49, will walk again someday.
English actress Katrin Cartlidge, who recently appeared in No Man’s Land and From Hell, died Saturday of septicemia resulting from pneumonia, The Associated Press reports. The 41-year-old actress was admitted to the Royal Free Hospital for treatment of flu-like symptoms. She is survived by her parents, a brother and a sister.
Whitney Houston was issued a summons for violating New Jersey’s water-use restrictions after police received a complaint that the sprinkler system was on at night. According to the AP, police went to the singer’s 10-acre estate and found the sprinklers were running and–gasp!–puddles had formed in the property’s curbs. Houston and hubby Bobby Brown were not home at the time, since the singer is busy working on her next album Just Whitney. So far, Medham Township, NJ, officers have ticketed 15 people, with violators facing fines up to $1,000.
Movies
New Line Cinema is in final negotiations to sign hip-hop stars Redman and Method Man for the urban comedy Ghetto, Inc., Variety reports. The film is the tale of three best friends who form a rap label as their ticket out of the ‘hood. Redman and Method Man, who recently starred in the Universal Picture’s comedy How High, will also serve as producers.
Tube
The producers of ABC’s new show Push, Nevada, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Sean Bailey and Chris Moore, are offering $1 million to the viewer who can solve the mystery written into the drama, People.com reports. The show, which debuts Sept. 17, is about an IRS agent who receives a strange fax that leads him to the town of Push. The mystery will be solved in 13 episodes and viewers will be provided with clues that will guide them to various Web sites to solve the puzzle.
A new version of the popular wildlife TV show of the 1960s and 1970s, Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, will debut on the Animal Planet cable channel Sept. 17, Reuters reports. Alec Baldwin will narrate the shows. The show first premiered on NBC in 1963 and was hosted by Marlin Perkins, who died in 1986. Maybe ABC’s Wild World of Sports will be next.
Jimmy Neutron, the 10-year-old boy genius, is getting his own TV show. He may have been a virtual unknown two years ago, but a movie (Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius), an Oscar nomination and a couple of coveted cereal boxes later, he’s a star. The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius will air Fridays at 8:30 EDT on the Nickelodeon cable channel.
