Where's the beef? Usher says there isn't any

Where's the beef? Ushersays there isn't any
BOSTON -- R & amp;B crooner Usher swears he has no beef with Justin Timberlake.
"I'm not in competition with Justin. I'm not in competition with anyone but myself," he told The Boston Globe in Friday's editions. "I'm not looking for that bad-boy image, I'm not a person who goes out looking for trouble."
It's been suggested that the two singers are less-than-friendly rivals, especially after Timberlake, the former *NSync leader, was anointed by Rolling Stone magazine as "the new King of Pop" over Usher.
Usher's latest album, "Confessions," has sold more than 5 million copies. Its singles include the infectious dance hit "Yeah!," "Burn" and "Confessions Part II."
"It's not just about a hit record; it's not just the marketing behind an album. It's about the talent, and I go out there and I work hard," he said. "No one can just take your spot. If you really work hard, no one can take your spot."
Stamos files for divorce
LOS ANGELES -- "Full House" actor John Stamos has filed for divorce from "X-Men" actress Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, reports The Associated Press.
The couple announced in April they were separating after five years of marriage. At the time, publicist Lewis Kay said the split was amicable. Court papers were filed Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
Stamos, 41, and Romijn, 31, met in 1994 at a Victoria's Secret fashion show where she was a model; they began dating two months later and married in September 1998. They have no children.
Romijn-Stamos appeared this year in the movies "The Punisher" and "Godsend." She played the blue shape-shifter Mystique in 2000's X-Men and last year's sequel.
Stamos, best-known for his role as Jesse in "Full House" from 1987 to 1995, played John Sears in last year's cable TV movie "The Reagans." He also has done stage work recently.
Romano studies a profor meat salesman role
LOS ANGELES -- Actor Ray Romano learned about meat then took the heat.
The "Everybody Loves Raymond" star plays a meat salesman in the San Fernando Valley in his next film, "Grilled."
"There's a great guy named Sonny who is the best salesman in California," Romano said. "We had a meat-ology class with him, and I kind of took things from him for my character."
In the movie, due out next summer, Romano and co-star Kevin James of CBS' "The King of Queens" are desperately trying to meet a sales quota on the hottest day of the year.
The shooting schedule runs just 30 days in one of the region's steamiest locations.
"In Encino, where I live, it's supposed to be 15 degrees hotter than over the hill," Romano said, referring to West Los Angeles. "I thought it couldn't get any hotter than where I live. Here in Chatsworth, you can bump it up 10 more degrees. But it's good for what we're doing."
Today's birthdays
Movie director Robert Mulligan is 79. Actress Vera Miles is 74. Political satirist Mark Russell is 72. Actress Barbara Eden is 70. Actor Richard Sanders is 64. Ballet dancer Patricia McBride is 62. Former Surgeon General Antonia Novello is 60. Country singer Rex Allen Jr. is 57. Singer Linda Thompson is 57. Actress Shelley Long is 55. Actor-singer Rick Springfield is 55. Country singer-musician Woody Paul (Riders in the Sky) is 55. Queen Noor of Jordan is 53. Actor-producer Mark Hudson is 53. Rock musician Dean DeLeo (Stone Temple Pilots) is 43. Country musician Ira Dean (Trick Pony) is 35. Actor Jay Mohr is 34. Rock singer Julian Casablancas (The Strokes) is 26.