Matt Damon engaged
Matt Damon engaged
NEW YORK -- Matt Damon and his girlfriend, Luciana Barroso, are engaged, Us Weekly reported Monday. A publicist for the "Bourne Identity" actor told the magazine that after dating for two years, Damon popped the question "shortly before Labor Day." Damon's publicist, Jennifer Allen, didn't immediately return a call from The Associated Press late Monday. The couple haven't set a wedding date, Us Weekly said. It would be Damon's first marriage. Barroso has a daughter, Alexa, from a previous relationship. Damon's screen credits also include "The Brothers Grimm," "Ocean's Eleven" and "The Talented Mr. Ripley." He shared a screenplay Academy Award with his friend Ben Affleck for 1997's "Good Will Hunting."
Hatcher hides the gray
NEW YORK -- Teri Hatcher is hiding her gray hair -- and she's not shy about talking about it. Hatcher, one of the stars of ABC's "Desperate Housewives," is the new spokeswoman for Clairol's Nice 'n Easy hair color. The actress says she's had a spot of gray since she was 25. She will star in both print and TV ads for the at-home product. "In all my career, in my ups and downs, I've never had a beauty campaign. This was meaningful that at almost 41 years old, I could be getting my first beauty campaign," Hatcher told The Associated Press in a recent phone interview. "It made me feel really great." On the day she shot the TV spot in Los Angeles, more attention was paid to her hair in a few hours than she does during the rest of the year, Hatcher said with a laugh. "Every last strand was in place -- and it looked good. But I came home with my perfect hair and took a shower," she said. Clairol has worked with other actresses, including Linda Evans ("Dynasty") in the 1980s and Julia Louis-Dreyfus ("Seinfeld") in the '90s. Hatcher said the product fits her personality and lifestyle. "My daughter is much more important to me than how I look that day," she said.
Suspect in Lettermancase is sent to prison
CHOTEAU, Mont. -- A man who once was accused of plotting to kidnap David Letterman's young son was sentenced Monday to 10 years in prison for overcharging the talk show host for painting work at his ranch. The sentence was part of a plea agreement in which prosecutors dismissed more serious charges accusing Kelly Frank of planning to abduct the boy and his nanny for ransom. Reading from a statement, Frank apologized in court Monday "for the grief that this has caused," but again denied he ever intended to carry out a kidnapping. "In no way, shape or form was [the allegation] true, but nevertheless, it was devastating," he said. Frank, 43, was arrested in March after investigators said he told an acquaintance of a plan to abduct Letterman's then 16-month-old son, Harry Joseph, and the nanny. The acquaintance told authorities that Frank said he believed he could extort $5 million from Letterman by holding the two for 48 hours. Under an agreement reached with prosecutors in July, Frank pleaded guilty to felony theft for overcharging Letterman for painting, and a misdemeanor charge of obstruction for lying to investigators who initially questioned him about the alleged kidnapping plot. Frank also pleaded guilty to an unrelated felony charge of possessing illegally killed wildlife. In exchange for the guilty pleas, prosecutors dropped charges of solicitation to kidnap.
Notable death
SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- Patricia McQueeney, the manager and behind-the-scenes force whom Harrison Ford credited with helping transform him from a struggling actor to a Hollywood superstar, died after a brief illness. She was 77. McQueeney died Sept. 4 at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica, according to her family. McQueeney's stable of young actors also included Teri Garr and Ford's "American Graffiti" co-stars Cindy Williams, Candy Clark, Mackenzie Phillips and Charles Martin Smith. She managed Ford's career for 35 years -- an anomaly in modern Hollywood. In 1986, McQueeney began working exclusively for Ford, a partnership that continued until her death.
Today's birthdays
Actress Zoe Caldwell is 72. Actor Harve Presnell is 72. Feminist author Kate Millett is 71. Actor Walter Koenig is 69. Actor Nicol Williamson is 67. Singer-actress Joey Heatherton is 61. Actor Sam Neill is 58. Singer Jon "Bowser" Bauman (Sha Na Na) is 58. Singer Barry Cowsill is 51. Rock musician Steve Berlin (Los Lobos) is 50. Country singer-songwriter Beth Nielsen Chapman is 49. Actress Mary Crosby is 46. Singer Morten Harket (a-ha) is 46. Country singer John Berry is 46. Actress Faith Ford is 41. Actor Dan Cortese is 37. Rock musician Craig Montoya (Tri Polar) is 35. Actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley is 34. Rapper Nas is 32. Actor Adam Lamberg is 21.