Actor Crowe, wife reveal a second kid's on the way

Actor Crowe, wife reveala second kid's on the way
PARIS -- Oscar-winning actor Russell Crowe and his wife are reportedly expecting their second child -- and the mayor of a small French town wants to make the baby an honorary citizen. The mayor of Bonnieux, a hilltop village in southern France where Crowe shot parts of "A Good Year" last fall, was delighted to hear reports that the baby was conceived in France. "I think that ... the very pleasant and warm atmosphere in the south of France might have helped give them the necessary inspiration," Mayor Roger Fenelon said Thursday. The Crowe family is welcome in Bonnieux anytime, Fenelon said in a telephone interview.
Garrett pleads innocentin drug-possession case
LOS ANGELES -- Former teen idol Leif Garrett pleaded innocent Wednesday to drug possession charges. He was arrested after being accused of trying to ride the subway without a ticket. Garrett, 44, was charged with felony possession of heroin and fare evasion. He was held without bail after reportedly violating terms of his probation for a previous drug offense. He pleaded guilty in March to attempted possession of cocaine-based narcotics and was placed on probation. An e-mail seeking comment from a spokeswoman listed on Garrett's Web site wasn't immediately returned. Garrett was arrested by Los Angeles County deputy sheriffs Saturday evening on the platform of the Pershing Square Red Line station downtown where he apparently didn't have a ticket to ride the train. Deputies then found suspected narcotics on the musician-actor, officials said. If convicted, Garrett probably would avoid jail time under a law that sends some convicted drug users to treatment, authorities said.
Actress Hunter has twins
LOS ANGELES -- Holly Hunter, who voiced the role of superhero mom Helen Parr in "The Incredibles," will have maternal experience to draw on if there's a sequel. The Oscar-winning actress has given birth to twins, People magazine reported Tuesday, citing Hunter's publicist. Telephone messages left Wednesday for publicist Nicole Caruso were not immediately returned. People magazine reported the children are the first for Hunter and her partner, actor Gordon MacDonald. The 47-year-old Hunter won a lead actress Oscar for her role in 1993's "The Piano."
Notable death
RESTON, Va. -- Wilson Pickett, the soul pioneer best known for the fiery hits "Mustang Sally" and "In The Midnight Hour," died of a heart attack Thursday, according to his management company. He was 64.
Chris Tuthill of the management company Talent Source said Pickett had been suffering from health problems for the past year.
A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Pickett -- known as the "Wicked Pickett" -- became a star with his soulful hits in the 1960s.
An award for puppeteer
NEW YORK -- Caroll Spinney, the puppeteer who plays "Sesame Street" icons Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch, will receive the lifetime achievement award at this year's Daytime Emmy Awards. Spinney was chosen for his work entertaining and educating children for nearly four decades, the National Academy of Television Arts & amp; Sciences announced Wednesday. "I am elated and amazed to receive this honor from those who are committed to the best of what television and media have to offer, for doing what I've always wanted to do," Spinney, a puppeteer since he was 8, said in a statement. Spinney has played the 8-foot-2 lemon-feathered Big Bird and garbage-can dweller Oscar the Grouch since the children's public television series debuted in 1969. The 33rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards will air April 28 from the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles on ABC.
Today's birthdays
Country singer Slim Whitman is 82. Actress Patricia Neal is 80. Comedian Arte Johnson is 77. Former astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin is 76. Actress Dorothy Provine is 69. Singer Eric Stewart is 61. Movie director David Lynch is 60. Actor Daniel Benzali is 56. Rock musician Paul Stanley (KISS) is 54. Rock musician Ian Hill (Judas Priest) is 54. Comedian Bill Maher (MAR) is 50. Actor Lorenzo Lamas is 48. Actor James Denton ("Desperate Housewives") is 43. Country singer John Michael Montgomery is 41. Actress Stacey Dash is 39. TV personality Melissa Rivers is 38. Singer Xavier is 38. Singer Edwin McCain is 36. Actor Skeet Ulrich is 36. Rap musician ?uestlove (The Roots) is 35.