Sean Penn and his wife withdraw divorce papers

Sean Penn and his wife withdraw divorce papers

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. — Sean Penn and his wife, Robin Wright Penn, have withdrawn their divorce petition. A Marin County Superior Court commissioner has dismissed the divorce proceedings between the couple, who call the community of Ross, Calif., their home.

Neither attended Tuesday’s hearing, and no comment has been released on the latest development.

The dismissal came a day after they attended an Eddie Vedder concert at the University of California at Berkeley, where the actor reportedly went on stage to dedicate a song to Wright Penn. They filed for divorce in December.

‘Secret Talents’ gets ax after one episode

NEW YORK — The secret talents of celebrities will remain hidden. CBS is axing its new reality show “Secret Talents of the Stars” after only one episode.

The first airing Wednesday had former “Star Trek” actor George Takei singing “On the Road Again.” Only 4.6 million people tuned in — and thousands tuned away as the hour continued.

The reality show also had Clint Black doing standup comedy and Mya tap-dancing. Danny Bonaduce is among the celebrities whose secret talents will be kept to himself. CBS officials say news programming is expected as a temporary replacement.

Several charges dropped in Hollywood wiretap case

LOS ANGELES — Several charges against private investigator Anthony Pellicano and a co-defendant are being dropped. A federal judge granted a prosecution request Thursday to dismiss a total of 28 charges against Pellicano and former Los Angeles police Sgt. Mark Arneson.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Dan Saunders says the government made the request because some of the alleged victims in the case weren’t available to testify and other counts were redundant. Prosecutors say Pellicano ran a criminal enterprise that used wiretaps and other clandestine tactics to dig up dirt to help his clients gain an advantage in legal and other disputes. Pellicano and four other defendants have pleaded not guilty.

Judge drops portions of Dan Rather’s lawsuit

NEW YORK — A Manhattan judge has allowed Dan Rather’s $70 million lawsuit against CBS Corp. and Viacom Inc. to go forward but has dismissed portions that named three of the companies’ executives. Judicial Hearing Officer Ira Gammerman on Thursday struck down the parts of the suit that name Viacom Chairman Sumner Redstone, CBS President Leslie Moonves and former CBS News President Andrew Heyward.

Rather’s last months at CBS were clouded by a disputed story on President Bush’s Vietnam-era military service. He says his employers made him a “scapegoat” to placate the White House after questions arose about the story. A lawyer for all of the defendants, James Quinn, says: “We are very pleased with this. The rest is what we consider a garden variety contract dispute.”

Today’s birthdays

Actor Joel Grey is 76. Actress Louise Lasser is 69. Actor Bill Irwin is 58. Country singer Steve Azar is 44. Singer Lisa Stansfield is 42. Singer Joss Stone is 21.