Buzz Briefs: Nicole Kidman, Rapper T.I.
Kidman Credits "Fertile" Water Down Under For Her Pregnancy
Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman said swimming in Australian Outback waterfalls may promote fertility and might have contributed to her unexpected pregnancy.
The 41-year-old Aussie, who gave birth to daughter Sunday Rose in July, said she and six other women who swam in the waters of a small Outback town during production of the epic romance "Australia" became pregnant.
"I never thought that I would get pregnant and give birth to a child, but it happened on this movie," Kidman told The Australian Women's Weekly in an exclusive interview for the magazine's 75th anniversary edition, released Wednesday.
"Seven babies were conceived out of this film and only one was a boy. There is something up there in the Kununurra water because we all went swimming in the waterfalls, so we can call it the fertility waters now."
Photos: Baby Bumps
Rapper T.I. Pleased With Child Support Outcome
A lawyer for T.I. said the rapper is happy with a judge's decision in a child support case brought by the mother of two of his children.
Superior Court Judge Bensonetta Tipton Lane on Tuesday ordered the two-time Grammy winner, whose real name is Clifford Harris, to pay just over $3,000 a month to LaShon Dixon. He had been paying about $2,000 per month.
The judge also said the 27-year-old performer must continue to pay for the boys to attend private school, uninsured medical bills and expenses related to the children's extracurricular activities.
Tipton Lane also on Tuesday awarded the couple joint custody of the boys, ages 7 and 8. Dixon, 28, was granted primary physical custody. The children previously spent about 40 percent of their time with the rapper.
T.I. also has two sons with his fiancée, Tameka "Tiny" Cottle, of the defunct R&B group Xscape.
VH1 Crowns "Fight The Power" As Best Hip-Hop Song
Let the debates begin: VH1 has compiled its list of the 100 greatest hip-hop songs, and Public Enemy's black power anthem "Fight the Power" tops the list.
The cable channel will count down its list in series of shows starting Monday. At No. 2 is the Sugar Hill Gang's groundbreaking song, "Rapper's Delight," followed by Dr. Dre's "Nuthin but a 'G' Thang" at No. 3. Run-D.M.C.'s "Walk This Way" with Aerosmith and Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five's "The Message" round out the top five.
Salt 'N Pepa was the only female act in the top 10, with their early hit "Push It." Two of rap's biggest names - Jay-Z and Eminem - didn't make the top 10, though they are in the top 20.
Other acts on the list include Notorious B.I.G., Tupac, Snoop Dogg, Biz Markie, Black Sheep and J.J. Fad.
The list comes as VH1 prepares to honor the pioneers in rap once again as part of its annual Hip-Hop Honors show, which this year celebrates Slick Rick, De La Soul, Cypress Hill, Naughty by Nature and Too Short. That show airs Oct. 6.
Fired Philly TV Anchor Sues Colleague, Station
A fired Philadelphia newscaster has filed a lawsuit accusing her former co-anchor of invading her privacy and leaking personal information to the media.
Alycia Lane's lawsuit was filed Tuesday.
Her former co-anchor, Larry Mendte, has pleaded guilty to illegally accessing Lane's e-mail and is awaiting sentencing. He admitted reading thousands of Lane's e-mails from 2006 to 2008.
Lane's lawsuit also names KYW-TV, the station that employed the two. She accuses the station of defaming her before and after she was fired after being arrested in December following a scuffle with New York police.
Tuesday's lawsuit expands on one Lane filed against the station over the summer by adding accusations and defendants, including Mendte.
Film Based On Naples' Criminal Underworld To Represent Italy At Oscars
Italy's film board has chosen "Gomorra," director Matteo Garrone's study of the criminal underworld in Naples, as the country's hopeful for best foreign language film at the Academy Awards.
"Gomorra" won second place at the Cannes Film Festival this spring. It is based on a book by Roberto Saviano, whose expose on the Naples-based Camorra crime syndicate forced him to go under police protection.
The book, denouncing the group's hold on everything from fashion to waste disposal, was a best-seller in Italy and has been published worldwide.
The film board's unanimous choice was announced Wednesday. The U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences jury will make its nominations public on Jan. 22, with the Oscars to be announced on Feb. 22.
Judge Pulls The Plug On Lawsuit By Tim Burton's Ex
A judge has ended a long-running dispute between Tim Burton and his ex-girlfriend over whether the acclaimed director owes her more of his earnings.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Teresa Sanchez-Gordon signed an order Sept. 16 finding in Burton's favor and stating that his ex, Lisa Marie, did not present a valid case.
Earlier, an appeals court had halted a trial and ordered the judge to grant a motion by Burton's attorney to dismiss the case.
Marie sued Burton in December 2006. She claimed she was cheated out of money that Burton had promised her during their relationship. The pair dated for nearly a decade and the director included her in several of his projects before their relationship ended in 2001.
Burton met Marie, a former Calvin Klein model, at a club in 1991. He cast her in several of his films, including "Ed Wood," "Mars Attacks" and a "Planet of the Apes" remake.
Burton met Helena Bonham Carter, whom he is currently dating, while filming "Planet of the Apes." He and Carter have two children.