Clapton Arrested, Nicky Hilton's Marriage Trouble

CLAPTON ARRESTED FOR SPEEDING
October 14, 2004

Guitar legend ERIC CLAPTON has been banned from driving in France and had his British license confiscated, after being clocked driving at 134 miles-per-hour in his Porsche 911 Turbo on a French motorway.

The rocker was caught on French police radar equipment on a motorway near Paris. The 59-year-old was driving more than 50 miles per hour over the speed limit. Clapton posed for pictures with French police and paid a $922 fine. He can still drive in Britain but will have to recover his license through diplomatic channels.

A court hearing at a later date will determine how long Clapton's driving ban will be enforced for in France.

CHRIS ROCK TO HOST OSCARS
October 14, 2004

It has been announced that CHRIS ROCK will be the host of the next 77th Academy Awards® telecast in February.

The comedian is set to host the event for the first time, whose previously duties belonged to comedian BILLY CRYSTAL. Rock first gained notoriety among American audiences with his three-year stint on "Saturday Night Live."

NICKY HILTON'S MARRIAGE IN TROUBLE?
October 14, 2004

Hotel heiress NICKY HILTON's marriage to money manager TODD MEISTER is rumoured to be in trouble already. The news comes less than two months after their shocking Las Vegas wedding.

The 21-year-old socialite and 33-year-old Meister tied the knot in the Nevada city's Las Vegas Wedding Chapel in the early hours of August 15 after an 18-month courtship.

According to Us Weekly, the couple is living on opposite sides of America and "working on an annulment," before they even hit their two-month wedding anniversary, because Nicky believes at her young age "it's just not a good time to be a wife." (Specifically, she's in L.A. and he lives in New York).

Hilton has purportedly handed over her $1 million-plus kiwi-sized engagement ring, which is a Meister family heirloom.

A spokesman for the family says, "As far as I can determine, the reports are speculative, and I make it a practice not to comment on speculation or rumor." However, Us Weekly maintains the report is "beyond solid."

Despite the marriage problems, there is some good news for Nicky; she can now legally drink (she turned 21 on Oct. 5) and will reportedly celebrate that milestone with 200 of her closest friends and her hard partying sister PARIS at the Hard Rock Hotel in Vegas this weekend.

In related news, pop princess BRITNET SPEARS says she's ready to retire the maiden name Spears. "I probably will. Britney FEDERLINE, I like that," the blushing bride is quoted telling the German magazine Bunte. "Society probably won't allow me, but I would like to change it."

PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES COLLECT CELEB CASH
October 14, 2004

If the presidential election were decided on star power of the candidates' celebrity contributors, Senator JOHN KERRY would be in the oval office right now. The New York Daily News has announced star donors along their political party lines, with Kerry earning financial support from such famous names as actors PAUL NEWMAN ($50,000), ROBERT DE NIRO ($27,000), MATT DAMON ($25,000), KEVIN BACON ($17,000), MICHAEL DOUGLAS ($15,000), UMA THURMAN ($4,000), LEONARDO DiCAPRIO ($2,000), and CHARLIZE THERON ($1,000).

The GEORGE W. BUSH supporters includes such notable donors as DON KING ($44,500), KELSEY GRAMMER ($4,000), CHUCK NORRIS ($2,000), and WAYNE NEWTON ($2,000)

However, the most generous Hollywood contributor is wealthy producer STEPHEN BING, best known for his bitter paternity battle with ex-girlfriend ELIZABETH HURLEY (where DNA tests later proved he did indeed father her now two-year-old son). The paper reports he shelled out a mind-boggling $8.2 million to various pro-Kerry organizations.

MICHAEL 'DIDN'T INVENT MOONWALK' CLAIMS SISTER
October 14, 2004

Troubled pop star MICHAEL JACKSON apparently "stole" his trademark Moonwalk dance move from a dancer friend, according to his sister LA TOYA JACKSON.

Jackson dazzled fans in the 1980s with his backwards sliding dance move, which, according to LaToya, was copied off a "Soul Train" TV dancer named GEOFFREY.

LaToya, who wants to be known as simple "TOY", told British television presenter FRANK SKINNER yesterday, "It was the 'backslide' in the '60s and then he changed it to the Moonwalk.

" Sunday was the day to work out. Michael would take an hour and dance an hour straight, non-stop.

" I don't know if you had this show called the 'Soul Train,' there was this dancer Geoffrey, who was always doing the Moonwalk on that show. " He taught Michael how to do it."

DUNST LINKED WITH HILTON'S SEX TAPE CO-STAR
October 14, 2004

Movie actress KIRSTEN DUNST has recently been linked with badboy RICK SALOMON.

The actress, who split from actor JAKE GYLLENHAAL in June, has been spotted partying it up with film producer and internet gambling entrepreneur Salomon.

Salomon is also known for being the former husband of actress SHANNEN DOHERTY and hotel heiress PARIS HILTON, in which he co-starred with in their infamous Internet sex tape.

A source tells Us Weekly, "Now that she's not with Jake, Kirsten's enjoying her wild side."

Salomon maintains the pair are just friends, saying, "She's a cool chick, but we're just friends."

IS JOEY GAY? October 12, 2004

Former "Friends" star MATT LEBLANC is furious at an Enquirer cover story that quotes his chauffeur as saying that he arranged gay sex trysts in the limo for the LeBlanc.

LeBlanc issued a statement saying he's neither gay nor bisexual. He announced that that "if I were gay, I'd be the first one to say I was and not care about it." And, even though he jokes about being afraid of being considered gay on his new show (just like in "Friends,") people say the actor's rather "˜gay-friendly'.

Nevertheless, chauffeur DAMIAN PLUMLEIGH supposedly passed a lie detector test claiming that he procured male hustlers for the married star who now has a baby daughter. "I'm not bisexual. I am not gay, I have never had sex with men," LeBlanc states. The limo driver says he was hired by LeBlanc because he was "discreet". I guess good help is hard to find.