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New mum ANGIE HARMON is set to make an appearance in the CHRISTINA APPLEGATE’s U.S. TV series SAMANTHA WHO?.
The former Law & Order actress will make a cameo in the comedy show, with the view to her character becoming a permanent fixture in future episodes.
Harmon will star as Gigi, the ex-wife of Samantha’s current partner, played by Billy Zane, according to Entertainment Weekly.
The ABC Network is due to announce the air date for the new series in the coming days.

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LOST director JACK BENDER was spooked by the recent Hudson river jet crash because it happened just days before the launch of the plane disaster show’s new series.
All 155 passengers and crew cheated death when a US Airways flight plunged into the water in New York last week (15Jan09) after the craft collided with a flock of geese, losing power in both engines.
The dramatic rescue of those onboard the sinking plane made headlines around the world - just six days before the fifth series of TV hit Lost, which follows the lives of plane crash survivors on a tropical island.
Bender tells the Daily Beast website, "The timing of the plane crash was really interesting. I guess on Lost only the cool people survived the initial plane crash, the ones who you would want to spend an hour of your time with each week.
"One of my mentors and friend Jim Bridges was the director of The China Syndrome with Jane Fonda and Michael Douglas. And the film was about a nuclear meltdown, where the core goes down and supposedly causes repercussions. The China Syndrome came out the week that (1979 nuclear disaster) Three Mile Island happened, which was really scary. And it had that same kind of ‘Oh my God’ feeling as this plane crash just happening. Is it coincidence or is it Memorex?" And Bender is full of admiration for US Airways Captain Chesley B. ‘Sully’ Sullenberger for successfully landing the plane on the river, adding: "The one thing about that pilot is he’s extraordinarily gifted - it was a phenomenal task and he’s brilliant at his job, which was good fortune."

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KELLY RUTHERFORD has won custody of her two-year-old son following a bitter battle with her estranged husband DANIEL GIERSCH.
The pregnant actress filed for divorce from Giersch in December (08) and the couple waged a war of words through the courts over who should be granted the right to look after their son, Hermes, while Rutherford films hit series Gossip Girl in New York.
The couple testified against each other in a hearing at a Santa Monica, California court on Thursday (22Jan09).
And now the judge overseeing the case has ruled that Hermes shall remain with his mother in Manhattan, where she will be filming until March (09).
Giersch was awarded two overnight visits per week during February (09) and three per week for March (09), according to TMZ.com.
The judge also ruled that youngster will split his time between New York and the family home in Los Angeles for the next two months while the feuding couple agree a long-term custody arrangement.

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Singer/actress HILARY DUFF has landed herself another TV role - she is set to make an appearance in GHOST WHISPERER alongside JENNIFER LOVE HEWITT.
The Lizzie Maguire star was recently handed the lead in new sitcom Barely Legal, about a hot shot teen who becomes a lawyer at 18.
And now she has scored another TV appearance with a role in Love Hewitt’s spooky drama series, according to Usmagazine.com.
Duff will appear in an episode titled Thrilled to Death, in which she plays a woman of mystery who is linked to the death of a man in a freak accident.
(LR/US/ZN) WENN - FIFTH - HOLLYWOOD, SHOWBIZ & PEOPLE NEWS - 23 JANUARY 2009

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Singing star JAMES TAYLOR has come to the rescue of a New York tourist who was forced to give away her iPod to cover a taxi fare - by sending her a new mp3 player filled with his songs.
Natalie Lenhart, 20, from California made headlines in the Big Apple this month (Jan09) when she revealed a cab driver insisted on taking her iPod as payment for a $50 ($34) journey, after his taxi credit card reader failed to recognise her card.
She told the New York Post her player contained songs by her favourite artists including The Beatles and James Taylor.
Taylor read about her plight, and has stepped in with a generous gift.
He says, "I wanted to reach out a little bit. It seems like I probably reacted to the story like everyone else. It was surprising." A stunned Lenhart tells the Post, "I can’t believe he knows who I am.".

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Former ABBA singers AGNETHA FALTSKOG and ANNI-FRID ‘FRIDA’ LYNGSTAD have dismissed long-standing rumours of a rift between the pair - insisting they had a good relationship while they were in the band.
The Swedish band’s 1970s hey day was marred by reports of infighting, with many reports claiming the women’s bitter rivalry eventually forced the group’s 1982 split.
But in a rare joint interview, both stars have dismissed the feud rumours.
Lyngstad tells Swedish publication Aftonbladet, "A lot has been written about how Agnetha and I fought and quarrelled with each other. There is absolutely no truth in that. Of course we competed, but to good effect." While Lyngstad adds, "No, we didn’t fight. But we have to live (through) a whole lot of such misinterpretations." The four members of the group, including Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, are rarely seen together, but reunited in 2008 for the Swedish premiere of movie-musical Mamma Mia!, which is based on their hits.

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Hip-hop star KANYE WEST has launched a scathing attack on fans who spread fake rumours about him on the internet - urging web users to stop trying to "destroy" him.
The Stronger hitmaker was recently at the centre of bizarre internet gossip, with several websites claiming he had spoken about possibly making a porn movie.
The rumour turned out to be fake, and West is furious.
He writes on his official blog, "Why won’t you let me be great! I read some s**t claiming I said I’m down to do porn and some bisexual porn! I just gave the performance of my lifetime for our new president … Then I flew to Paris and they debuted my new shoes that I designed with Louie (sic) Vuitton which was a dream come true. Please I beg you, give me a break!" And West is especially angry, because his is convinced that the ugly rumours have overshadowed his recent performance at President Barack Obama’s inauguration He adds, "That’s in poor taste! That undermines what my contribution to that event (Obama’s inauguration) was and slaps everybody who felt uplifted by that performance in the face!

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HEATH LEDGER’s family have praised the late actor’s ex-girlfriend MICHELLE WILLIAMS for her remarkable job in raising his daughter MATILDA single-handedly.
The Brokeback Mountain actor died from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs at his New York apartment last year (22Jan08).
Ledger’s relatives gathered at an Australian beach on Friday (23Jan09) to remember the star in an emotional ceremony a year after his tragic death.
And the late actor’s older sister, Kate, was quick to honour Williams - who split from Ledger four months before his death - for being such a good mother to three-year-old Matilda.
Kate says, "Michelle is doing an amazing job with our girl and together we will cherish every moment of her steps through life." And speaking of Ledger’s recent Oscar nomination for his role in The Dark Knight, Kate adds, "What an unbelievable legacy he has left for Matilda and our family."

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GWYNETH PALTROW is encouraging fans to follow in her literary footsteps - she has posted a list of her favourite books on her lifestyle website, along with a reading list from pals MADONNA and CHRISTY TURLINGTON.
The actress reveals her favourite novel is Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, because her mother, Blythe Danner, used to read it to her as a child
. She also mentions Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky and The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles, which was recommended to her by actor Ethan Hawke.
She also claims the book helped her through a very difficult period of time: "I was doing a film with Ethan Hawke in 1995 and feeling a bit in shock about what was happening with my life
. I hadn’t found grace yet with the big changes that were afoot
. Ethan correctly intuited that I needed some perspective, some grounding
. It (the book) very much set me straight at a very pivotal moment in my life." In a posting on her Goop.com site, Paltrow also displayed a list from Madonna - which included The Bad Girl by Mario Vargas Llosa, Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts, and The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger - and recommendations from her supermodel friend Turlington
.

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Actor ROBERT DOWNEY JR. loves to look himself up on the Internet - so he can see what people are saying about him.
The Tropic Thunder star was quizzed by Newsweek about his online habits, along with fellow Hollywood stars Brad Pitt and Anne Hathaway, when he made the admission.
Downey Jr. confessed to ‘Googling’ himself on the web - and finds it hilarious when he comes across chatrooms dedicated to him.
He says, "Oh, I love all that s**t, personally. Sorry. I love just it.
Because it’s a hoot. Some people overstate their support, like they know you.
"Other people are busy doing something else and just want to go on this chat site and say some despicable character assassination, which I honestly think they kind of nailed it. I do have that shortcoming. It’s really fun."

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Former THE BIONIC WOMAN star MICHELLE RYAN has landed another sci-fi role - she is to appear in an episode of iconic British TV show DOCTOR WHO.
The actress, who lost her role in the U.S. series after it was axed last summer (08), will make a cameo appearance in Doctor Who alongside current Time Lord David Tennant.
And the part could reportedly lead to a full-time job on the show when new Doctor, Matt Smith, takes over from Tennant in 2010.
Ryan says, "I’m a huge fan of Doctor Who and very excited to be joining David Tennant and the Doctor Who team.
"It is such a fantastic show and I can’t wait to get started." Executive producer and writer Russell T Davies adds: "Michelle is one of the most sought after young actors in the country and we are delighted to announce that she will be joining the team."

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Oscar-nominated actor MICHAEL SHANNON is glad he chose to sign on to new movie REVOLUTIONARY ROAD - because he nearly gave up the role to perform a play in Chicago, Illinois.
The Kentucky-born star received a Best Supporting Actor nod from the Academy Awards board on Thursday (22Jan09) for his role in the Sam Mendes-directed drama.
But Shannon came close to turning down the part when he was offered the chance to star in Tracy Letts’ Tony Award winning play, August: Osage County, in Chicago, Illinois at the same time.
Shannon tells the Chicago Sun Times, "When given the choice between a film role and doing a play, very rarely do I pick the movie. Nine times out of 10, I go with the play.
"But these two projects totally overlapped, and I’m such a huge fan of the Richard Yates book (which inspired Revolutionary Road). So I had to go with the film. Plus, when I read the book, that character (former mental patient John Givings) stuck out for me, as it does for a lot of people." And Shannon knows he made the right choice - because he is delighted with his Oscar nomination.
He adds, "I really was shocked. I felt a little punch-drunk when I got the call (about the nomination) at about 6am. But it didn’t take long for me to feel pretty good." Shannon will compete against Robert Downey Jr., Philip Seymour Hoffman, Heath Ledger and Josh Brolin at the Academy Awards in Los Angeles on February 22.

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Actor JOSH BROLIN was initially convinced he had missed out in this year’s (09) Oscar nominations - because he slept through the announcements.
The star won a best Supporting Actor nod for his turn in Milk opposite Sean Penn on Thursday (22Jan09).
But Brolin was in Utah for the Sundance Film Festival when the honours were revealed early in the morning in California.
And after forgetting about the time difference between the two states, Brolin woke up to disappointment - thinking he had been omitted from the coveted awards list.
He tells the Chicago Sun Times, "When I woke up, looked at the clock and read 5:55am, I figured I hadn’t been nominated for anything. I went back to sleep and then got a call about 40 minutes later and learned I got it.'’ Brolin will compete against Robert Downey Jr., Philip Seymour Hoffman, Heath Ledger and Michael Shannon at the Academy Awards in Los Angeles on 22 February.

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Rocker NOEL GALLAGHER hates visiting Amsterdam - because the place is full of drunken Englishmen.
The Oasis guitarist spent two days in the famed Dutch city this week (begs19Jan09) when the band had to cancel a show in neighbouring Germany because of singer Liam Gallagher’s throat infection.
The elder of the two brothers is adamant the tourist hotspot - known for its legal sex and drugs trade - has gone downhill in recent years.
But he admitted he planned to smoke cannabis in one of the city’s notorious coffeeshops during his latest visit.
Gallagher writes on the official Oasis tour blog, "Had to blow the show out in Dusseldorf yesterday. Romeo’s lost his voice and can’t sing. Think it’s already been re-scheduled for sometime in the next week or so.
"It does mean we get 2 days off in Amsterdam though (every cloud’n'all that, eh?). I’m not a massive fan of the ‘dam. It used to be pretty laid back and serene in the 80s. It just seems to be full of c***s these days. They all seem to be English.
"Ended up in some Irish bar last night (what would the world be without Irish bars?). Playing pool and getting p**sed.
"Dunno what to do today. Go for a walk and get high, I suppose. Or get high and go for a walk? Decisions, decisions…" (ZN/WNWCB/LR) WENN - FOURTH - HOLLYWOOD, SHOWBIZ & PEOPLE NEWS - 23 JANUARY 2009

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The daughter of late gospel singer-songwriter JOYCE ‘DOTTIE’ RAMBO is taking legal action against the bus driver involved in the fatal road crash which killed the star in May (08).
Rambo, who was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2007, died on 11 May (08) when the bus she was travelling in ran off a road in southwest Missouri and struck an embankment.
Seven other people were injured in the accident, which happened in the early hours of the morning while Rambo was on her way to a Mother’s Day performance in Texas.
And now the late star’s daughter, Reba Rambo-McGuire, has filed a lawsuit against the driver of the bus and the company which leased the vehicle to the entertainer.
Papers filed on Thursday (22Jan09) in a Nashville, Tennessee, circuit court name bus driver, James Meadows, Nashville-based Pyramid Coach Inc., and DC Investments Leasing, a subsidiary of Pyramid Coach.
The suit claims Meadows was negligent and speeding, and that both companies are liable for his behaviour.
McGuire is seeking a jury trial and damages in excess of $25,000 (£18,115) over her mother’s death.

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An artist formerly signed to SEAN ‘DIDDY’ COMBS’ record label has slammed the star in a tell-all book about his time spent with the rapper’s company.
Mark Curry is set to publish Dancing With The Devil, a memoir that details his years at Combs’ Bad Boy Records, which the I’ll Be Missing You hitmaker founded in 1993.
Curry featured on various remixes and collaborations with the rapper but never released a solo album with the label before he departed in 2005. And now he is accusing the star of bad business practice.
He claims Combs would regularly feature in his artist’s songs and videos but secretly charge them for the privilege.
Rapper Curry writes, "Puff (Combs) has an annoying habit of inserting himself into the songs and videos of all the artists on his label and it’s common knowledge that many Bad Boy acts resented him for this.
"Puff charged the artists for his appearance on their records and videos, usually without (them) realising it until they receive their royalty statements. That’s when they discovered that their large sums of money had gone to fees which were doubled, tripled and even quadrupled because of Puff’s ’special appearances.’ "He charged artists, for example, for having his Bentley in his videos which he insisted upon - then took tax credit for business use of a car." The book is slated for release in February (09).

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ROLLING STONES star RONNIE WOOD has denied rumours his 20-year-old girlfriend EKATERINA IVANOVA is pregnant with his child.
The veteran guitarist parted ways with Jo, his wife of 23 years, after his affair with the Russian waitress was exposed last summer (08).
The new couple is currently at the centre of speculation they are planning to settle down together, with recent reports suggesting Ivanova is expecting a baby with the 61-year-old rocker.
But Wood has now issued a statement, dismissing the reports: "These are all ridiculous rumours and we would like to make it clear that Ekaterina is not pregnant."

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A man suspected of involvement in a jewellery raid on PARIS HILTON’s home has been arrested and charged with two burglaries.
Troy Thomas, 45, is alleged to have masterminded more than 150 thefts in three years in the Los Angeles area, targeting celebrities including Hilton, Duran Duran guitarist John Taylor, and several movie studio bosses.
The Simple Life star’s Sherwood Oaks home was hit last month (19Dec08) and an intruder made off with an estimated $2 million (£1.4 million) worth of gems.
Rocker Taylor’s L.A. property was raided in April 2007 and a safe was taken from the home.
Thomas denies two charges of burglary.

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