Birkhead has nice words for former adversary

Birkhead has nice wordsfor former adversary
NEW YORK -- Larry Birkhead has only kind words to say about Howard K. Stern, his former adversary in the Anna Nicole Smith paternity case. "People blame him a lot, but Anna had her own mind too," Birkhead, the father of Smith's baby daughter, tells OK! magazine. "She had a choice and we were arguing and that's what happens. I'm thankful that everyone can get along for Dannielynn. How could you not?" Birkhead, 34, a Los Angeles photographer and ex-boyfriend of the late Playboy Playmate, had feuded with Stern, her longtime lawyer-companion, over the paternity of now 7-month-old Dannielynn. A court in the Bahamas ruled last week that DNA tests proved Birkhead is the father. Stern said he would not fight to retain custody of the baby. Father and daughter are featured on the cover and inside the magazine's latest issue, on newsstands Friday. A representative for OK! -- which pays for its exclusive interviews -- wouldn't disclose the terms of its deal with Birkhead to The Associated Press. Stern has been helpful, Birkhead says. "It seems unlikely, but he's been a great help. He's been with Dannielynn the last several months. He knows her likes and dislikes and things that could help me. He gives me credit when I'm doing good things and gives me tips on things I should do a little different." Birkhead isn't as generous with his comments on Smith's mother, Virgie Arthur, who is seeking visitation rights. "It's puzzling for her to display affection to me and then for the attorneys to say she's going for custody and Larry was just a sperm donor and a one-night stand," he says.
Romance will kill show,says 'Ugly Betty' star
LOS ANGELES -- Eric Mabius wants to break the "Ugly Betty" chain. In the original version of the international hit -- known as "Yo Soy Betty, La Fea," a telenovela sensation in Columbia -- ugly duckling Betty Suarez and her dashing millionaire boss ended up as couple at the end. Mabius, who plays Betty's playboy tycoon boss Daniel Meade on the ABC version that airs Thursday nights, wants to avoid that. "That's what killed the original series," he says. "It doesn't work for this show. Unrequited love is the strongest kind of love. "The audience is rooting for that, and [a pairing] is what they think they want. But once you give them that, people feel cheated because the anticipation is far better than the reality." He sees Daniel as loving Betty, but not sexually.
School acquires papersof playwright Mamet
AUSTIN, Texas -- The papers of playwright, writer and film director David Mamet -- from handwritten journals to correspondence with actors -- has been acquired by the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center at the University of Texas. Mamet, author of more than 50 plays and 25 screenplays, has won a Pulitzer Prize, a Tony Award and Oscar nominations. The collection spans from 1966 to 2001 and includes more than 100 boxes of material, with multiple drafts of acclaimed plays "American Buffalo" and "Glengarry Glen Ross," as well as screenplays for "The Untouchables" and "Wag the Dog." Mamet also has agreed to participate in a series of short residencies at the university in which he may be a guest lecturer, assist on play production and give readings. "I look forward to interactions with students and otherwise interested people at the university in the coming years as, A) I love to teach, and B) anybody who is interest in my work is OK with me," Mamet said in a statement released Wednesday by the university. The collection includes 175 journals ranging from 150 to 200 pages each, offering a peek into Mamet's notes, ideas and experimental writings. It also includes correspondence from Joe Mantegna, Steve Martin and Jude Law. The Ransom Center cultural archive houses the collections of several playwrights of the 20th century, including Tennessee Williams, Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller.
Today's birthdays
Actor Hugh O'Brian is 82. Actor Tim Curry is 61. Pop singer Mark "Flo" Volman (The Turtles; Flo and Eddie) is 60. Recording executive Suge Knight is 42. Actress Ashley Judd is 39. Latin pop singer Luis Miguel is 37. Actor James Franco is 29. Actress Kate Hudson is 28. Actor Hayden Christensen is 26.