Friday, July 23, 2004
Timberlake to tabloid:Retract story or be sued
LONDON -- Justin Timberlake is still in love with Cameron Diaz and he's willing to go to court to prove it, reports E!Online. Timberlake is demanding an apology from London's News of the World after the tabloid published a report from a model who claims she and Timberlake had a sexual liaison overseas while Diaz was in Los Angeles.
Timberlake's lawyer, Marty Singer, tells "Celebrity Justice" he is demanding a retraction from the Rupert Murdoch-owned paper. If the tabloid refuses, the "Rock Your Body" singer is prepared to sue, Singer says.
For now, Diaz, who is embroiled in her own sex scandal, is standing by her man. "Celebrity Justice" says Diaz took a shot at the British model, Lucy Clarkson, who went public with her reported sex romp at London's Landmark hotel via her tabloid confession. Diaz opined that the model "just wanted publicity" from the affair.
The published account of said affair, appearing in Sunday's News of the World in an article headlined "Trousersnake Did Dirty on Diaz," was racy indeed -- including the 22-year-old Clarkson's assertion that Timberlake, 23, was "obsessed with my boobs." But she "didn't really like kissing him because his lips were too small."
Singer Badu has a girl,her publicist confirms
NEW YORK -- Grammy-winning singer Erykah Badu gave birth to a daughter, Puma, earlier this month at her home in Dallas, with friends and family present, People magazine reported Thursday. The baby was born July 5, Badu's publicist confirmed to the magazine. Badu, 33, has declined to name the father. "She is a big baby," Badu's representative was quoted as saying.
Puma joins brother, Seven, 6, whose father is Andre Benjamin (Andre 3000 of OutKast). Badu's publicist told People that Puma isn't named for the athletic shoe: "Erykah is more down to earth than that. It's more likely that the name has meaning, that it's something natural."
Benjamin who? Surprisefor fan surprises Bratt
CHICAGO -- Benjamin Bratt suffered the ultimate embarrassment for an actor when he agreed to surprise a fan on Oprah Winfrey's talk show -- and she had no idea who he was, reports IMDB.com.
Bratt was initially happy to go along with making his supposed admirer's day, but once the two met he quickly learned a big mistake had been made somewhere along the line.
"There was the story of an aunt who had written in to the show saying that her niece is a huge Benjamin Bratt fan and she was disappointed because she couldn't get tickets for the show," he said. "So the producers of the show wanted to surprise her. They called her down to a spa in downtown Chicago and they told her that she was going to be the recipient of a massage and a facial, etc. Well, the gag was for me to show up with a bouquet of flowers and walk out to the lobby where she was sitting and say, as I did, 'Hi, I'm Benjamin Bratt, I'm going to be your masseur for the day!' She just looked up at me and went, 'OK ... .' She had no idea who I was."
Notable death
Illinois Jacquet, a legendary tenor saxophonist who played with nearly every jazz and blues luminary of his time and whose standout solo on Lionel Hampton's "Flying Home" became a rhythm and blues standard, has died. He was 81. Jacquet died of a heart attack Thursday at his New York City home, said longtime friend and collaborator Dan Frank.
Today's birthdays
Actress Gloria DeHaven is 79. Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy is 68. Actor Ronny Cox is 66. Radio personality Don Imus is 64. Actress Belinda Montgomery is 54. Rock musician Blair Thornton (Bachman Turner Overdrive) is 54. Actor Woody Harrelson is 43. Actor Eriq Lasalle is 42. Rock musician Slash is 39. Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman is 37. Model-actress Stephanie Seymour is 36. Actress Charisma Carpenter is 34. Rhythm and blues singer Sam Watters is 34. Country singer Alison Krauss is 33. Rhythm and blues singer Dalvin DeGrate is 33. Rock musician Chad Gracey (Live) is 33. Actor-comedian Marlon Wayans is 32. Actor Omar Epps is 31. Baseball player Nomar Garciaparra is 31. Actress Stephanie March is 30. Country musician David Pichette (Emerson Drive) is 27. Rhythm and blues singer Michelle Williams (Destiny's Child) is 24. Actor Daniel Radcliffe is 15.