Buzz Briefs: Nicolas Cage, Shakira
Nicolas Cage: I'm No Drunken Dog Thief, Kathleen Turner
Nicolas Cage has settled a libel suit in a London court against Kathleen Turner, who falsely claimed in her autobiography that he had twice been arrested for drunken driving and had stolen a dog.
Neither of the stars attended the hearing at Britain's High Court, where Turner's lawyer, book publisher and the Daily Mail, which ran an excerpt, all apologized to Cage and offered to make a substantial donation to a charity of his choice.
Cage's lawyer Simon Smith dismissed as "utter falsity" a section of Turner's book "Send Yourself Roses," describing the actors' experience working together on the set of the movie "Peggy Sue Got Married" in 1986.
In the passage Turner, 53, said her co-star, 44, was "arrested twice for drunk-driving and, I think, for stealing a dog. He'd come across a Chihuahua he liked and stuck it in his jacket."
Turner, Headline Publishing Group and Daily Mail publisher Associated Newspapers now accept that, owing to a mistake on Turner's part and despite the other defendants' publishing in good faith, the allegations were defamatory and false, Smith said.
All three agreed to pay Cage's legal costs and make the charitable donation, Smith said.
Shakira Campaigns For Better Education
The Colombian singer, known for her "hips that don't lie" and successful bilingual albums is asking the United States Congress for more accessibility to basic education throughout the world.
Shakira will be at the Capitol on April 22 as the honorary president of the "Week of Action for Education," according to the Global Campaign for Education, an activist coalition that operates out of more than 150 countries.
The star stresses the importance of education, which in turn affects the quality of life for all. She also hopes to generate some buzz on the topic, so that students in the United States will be aware of the Education for Everyone law, which was passed last year.
New Kids On The Block Reunited
Meredith Vieira dropped a curtain and out came Jordan and Jonathan Knight, Donnie Wahlberg, Joey McIntyre and Danny Wood wearing suits.
They're all in their mid-to-late 30s, but are ready to rock again for the first time in the 20 years since they released their multi-platinum album "Hangin' Tough."
Photos: Celebrity Circuit
Wahlberg says they've been working on a new album since August and they hope to tour in the fall.
Remy Ma To Marry In Jail
"They're much in love," Fisher said. "They're very committed to each other, and they had intended to marry one way or another."
Remy Ma, whose real name is Remy Smith, was convicted last month of assault, weapon possession and attempted coercion in the July 2007 shooting after a party at a Manhattan nightclub.
The 26-year-old performer is being held without bail until her sentencing, set for April 23. She faces the possibility of up to 25 years in prison.
Photos: Stars Behind Bars
About 200 weddings are performed each year at Rikers Island, which offers chaplains and chapels, said city Department of Correction spokesman Stephen Morello. Only two guests will be permitted, and the couple won't be allowed to wear rings with protruding gems.
Remy Ma was nominated for a Grammy as part of the Terror Squad for the 2004 hit "Lean Back." She also has recorded with rap stars Busta Rhymes and Eminem.
Papoose's "Born To Win" was featured on the top-selling football video game "Madden NFL '06," and the music magazine Rolling Stone named him one of its "10 Artists to Watch" in 2006.
The Brooklyn rapper, whose real name is Shamele Mackie, also attracted attention with a track called "50 Shots," in which he vented his anger about a fatal 2006 New York City police shooting of an unarmed man who was hours away from getting married.
50 Cent Sued By His Son's Mama
The single-page notice filed by Shaniqua Tompkins accuses 50 Cent of breach of contract and unjust enrichment. Her lawyer says this means he broke a promise to give Tompkins and son Marquise a home.
"This was a house that was promised to Shaniqua up until the closing," said Tompkins' lawyer Paul Catsandonis. "Then he decided not to put it in her name. Now he's trying to put her out of the house. This would mean evicting his own son."
Catsandonis said the 32-year-old rapper, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, paid about $2.4 million for the house, one of the largest in the Long Island neighborhood of Dix Hills. He said 50 Cent, who was shot outside his grandmother's Queens home in 2000, had told Tompkins, 32, he wanted her and their son in a safe and secure place.
The rapper's lawyer, Bret Kimmel, did not immediately return calls for comment Thursday.
John Cusack's Stalker Charged
A woman who was ordered to stay away from John Cusack has been charged with a felony count of stalking.
Emily Leatherman also is charged with misdemeanor counts of disobeying a court restraining order and petty theft.
Those are in connection with her arrest outside Cusack's beachside house over the weekend.
Sheriff's deputies were called to Cusack's home Sunday after a cab driver reported that a passenger refused to pay for the ride to get there. As the deputies showed up, Cusack flagged them down. He told them he recognized the woman and that she had been stalking him.
Leatherman was taken to the local jail after her arrest. She's still there in lieu of $500,000 bail.