Tom Selleck
Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Oprah Winfrey (talk-show host) is 54
Tom Selleck (actor) is 63
James Jamerson (bassist, died August 2nd, 1983) would have been 70
Tommy Ramone (drummer, The Ramones) is 56
Greg Louganis (diver, Olympic gold medalist) is 48
Nicholas Turturro (actor, "James Martinez" on NYPD Blue) is 46
Ed Burns (actor, Saving Private Ryan) is 40
Heather Graham (actress, Boogie Nights) is 38
Sharif Atkins (actor, ER) is 33
Sara Gilbert (actress, Roseanne) is 33
Andrew Keegan (actor, 10 Things I Hate About You) is 29

ON JANUARY 29th...
In 1967...Jimi Hendrix and The Who gave a tribute concert to The Beatles' late manager, Brian Epstein.
In 1979...Emerson, Lake & Palmer disbanded.
In 1983...Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac married her late best-friend's husband, Kim Anderson, at her Los Angeles home. They divorced the following year.
In 1996...Garth Brooks refused to accept his American Music Award for Favorite Overall Artist. Brooks said that Hootie and the Blowfish had done more for music that year than he did.
In 1998....Paul Simon's musical, The Capeman, premiered in New York. The show opened three weeks behind schedule and to universally poor reviews.
In 1999...Hole were among the performers at the Big Day Out festival in Adelaide, Australia. However, their set was cut short when Courtney Love howled, "An Australian bug just bit me really hard. I'm not joking. I'm gonna die. What f***ing bug was that? Oh my God, it was a bug and it was this big. What kind of bugs do you have here? I'm scared. If I die, you guys have our last show."
In 2001...A U-S district judge ruled that Funkadelic star George Clinton signed away his copyright on songs written in the late '70s and early '80s and he couldn't have it back. Clinton claimed rap stars were profiting off tunes he sold to Bridgeport Music in 1983.
In 2004...James Brown filed for an annulment from his third wife, Tommie Rae Brown, alleging she was still married to another man.
In 2004...During Australia's Big Day Out tour, The Darkness singer Justin Hawkins joined hip-hop troupe Black Eyed Peas to contribute vocals to "Retarded."
In 2006...Bryan Adams played for ten-thousand screaming fans in Karachi, Pakistan to benefit earthquake relief. It was the first major concert by a Western star in decades.

MOVIE MINUTE: THE EYE
The Eye is the new horror film starring Jessica Alba as a blind violinist who gets an eye transplant.  Soon after, she begins to see disturbing visions and her family and friends begin to question her sanity as she tries to find out whose eyes she has received and why they have come with such a heavy burden.  The film is a remake of a Chinese movie and Alba believes this version stacks up to the original.  "Sometimes the American version pays them justice and sometimes the originals are better.  Ours is definitely on par, definitely on par."  Alba explained why she feels the remake paid justice to the original.  "We didn't try to skirt away from the success or from the scariness or from what that movie was.  We definitely sort of kept in line with it but didn't do an exact replica obviously.  We did our interpretation, but it's very scary.  It's absolutely terrifying."  The Eye also stars Parker Posey and it screams into theaters on Friday. 

MILEY TAKES ILL IN NEW ORLEANS. Miley Cyrus had to run off the stage at her sold-out concert in New Orleans on Saturday. The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports Cyrus stopped singing abruptly, said she didn't feel well and raced off the stage. She returned five minutes later, electing to sit on a stool and sing, toning down her usual high-energy performance. Her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, joined her for an encore, a duet of Billy Ray's country hit "Ready, Set, Don't Go."

AMY WINEHOUSE'S HUSBAND FEARS FOR HER LIFE. According to News of the World, private letters from Amy Winehouse's husband, Blake Civil-Fielder, who is currently in prison, have been exposed. The letters written to his mother allegedly reveal that he fears that his famous wife will soon die due to her drug addiction. In the letters, Fielder-Civil, allegedly writes that he fears his wife could be dead in three months time. "I'm disappointed that Amy has been taking crack and I'm pleased she got caught because at last she is going to get the help she deserves. I want Amy to grab this opportunity in rehab so we can have a marriage and future together. Because the way she's going I really fear I will come out of prison to no wife." Amy Winehouse entered a rehabilitation center in London last week after video footage of her doing drugs hit the Internet.

GYM CLASS FRONTMAN TALKS NEW ALBUM.  MTV News recently caught up with Gym Class Heroes frontman Travis McCoy and got some new info regarding their next album.  During the interview, McCoy mentioned that '80s soft rock, the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds, The Cars' entire discography, Trilla king Rick Ross, Daryl Hall and The Clash have been influences on their upcoming CD.  As far as production, the group has worked with Miami hitmakers Cool & Dre and Fall Out Boy frontman Patrick Stump.  The collaborations they're lining up include Daryl Hall, Busta Rhymes, will.i.am and others.  McCoy says the CD is "shaping up to be a crazy roller-coaster ride" and that, "When people hear the new stuff, they'll realize that I'm a lyrical genius." It's still too early for a title or a track list, but McCoy did mention one new song, "Drunk Text Romeo," that he felt would "probably" make it onto the disc.  McCoy said the band is still working on the disc and hope to have it in stores in the summer.

ALICIA KEYS PRE-GAME SHOW. According to the Arizona Republic, Grammy Award-winning singer and pianist Alicia Keys will be the featured performer in the Super Bowl XLII Pre-game Show. No word as of yet what she'll sing but the pre-game lineup also includes American Idol winner and Glendale, Arizona native Jordin Sparks, who will sing the National Anthem.

BRITNEY GETTING TREATMENT? Sam Lutfi - Britney Spears' manager and "good friend" - told Barbara Walters the singer is seeking help for "mental issues that are treatable." People.com reports Walters revealed the conversation on yesterday's edition of The View on ABC. Walters revealed that Spears is seeing a psychiatrist and was beginning "some sort of treatment." When questioned about the truth of the report by other panel members, Walters admitted she didn't know who was telling the truth, but that Lufti seemed "supportive" of Spears. Host Whoopi Goldberg offered the opinion that Britney was "burned out."

MICHAEL JACKSON HEADS TO THE BIG GAME. Michael Jackson will make a surprise comeback at the Super Bowl this weekend in TV advertisements to promote the 25th anniversary of Thriller. According to Contact Music, the star is to be honored in a Pepsi commercial based on the ghoulish Thriller video, which will air during the showdown game between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants on Sunday.

HANG TOUGH; WILL NKOTB MAKE A COMEBACK?  After months of speculation and rumor, will the Kids finally be coming back?  A well-placed source tells People.com exclusively that the New Kids on the Block are indeed getting back together.  The band's Web site, NKOTB.com, which had been dormant, is now back up and running in anticipation of the official announcement.  The source says it will be made in the next few weeks.  But... on the contrary, former member Danny Wood says the reunion is not happening.  He sent out a bulletin to all his MySpace friends regarding the NKOTB reunion tour, saying, "There has been no talk of this and you are getting it from source directly.  Never say never, and you can't believe everything you read."  We'll keep you posted on further details.

BEYONCE TO STAR AS ETTA JAMES. According to BlackFilm.com, Dreamgirls star Beyonce Knowles has been cast to play famed singer Etta James in the forthcoming film Cadillac Records.  The story is about Leonard Chess, the legendary founder of the South Side Chicago blues label Chess Records. The period piece follows the rise and fall of Chess Records, which launched the careers of such R&B greats as Muddy Waters, Etta James and Chuck Berry. Chess, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, scoured the South, checking out the various blues scenes and selling records from the back of his Cadillac.

FLO RIDA CONTINUES TO TOP THE CHART. Flo Rida's hit single, "Low," is spending its fifth week at number one on the Billboard chart this week.  Having a number one song can put a lot of pressure on an artist but Flo Rida is used to it.  He says he's felt pressure to succeed all his life.  "I'm the only boy. I have like seven sisters and I'm a twin. They always said it's something special about him. And they always put the pressure on me. 'You're the only boy so you got to become something.'"  Flo Rida's debut album, Mail on Sunday, will hit stores on March 18th. 

COLBIE CAILLAT WANTS A LITTLE MORE JACK. Colbie Caillat is fairly new to the music business so she is full of aspirations. She told us whose footsteps she would like to follow. "John Mayer and Jack Johnson, because they are both laid back, well John Mayer is different than Jack Johnson but Jack Johnson is just laid back and wears flip flops and board shorts to his, you know, that's so cool." Colbie will actually be spending some quality time with John Mayer when she appears on his Mayercraft Carrier Cruise starting on Friday. 

BONO HAILS BILL GATES.  During a press conference at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Bono hailed Bill Gates on Friday when the Microsoft chairman announced that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will spend 306-million dollars on environmentally friendly technology and farming techniques to help aid millions of impoverished Africans.  According to the Associated Press, Bono said, "It's a very special moment in time, I think, for Davos, and people here.  This is Bill Gates' last trip to Davos as Microsoft leader, and I think it is an extraordinary thing that this man has not just changed the world once, but has now set aside the next act of his life to change the world again, and I think we should just mark this moment."

CLAY AIKEN LACKS THE DRIVE. It looks like Clay Aiken is currently living a solitary life. The singer tells New York magazine that he's not dating, doesn't plan on dating and that he doesn't even have any urges. He said, "Ah think maybe I don't... I mean, not really. I've just kind of shut it off, maybe. Is that bad?" The former American Idol now stars on Broadway in Spamalot, but is he enjoying the city that never sleeps? He revealed to the periodical that he's not that much of a nighttime person and that his only real loves are his dogs.

SHERYL CROW MAKING OF VIDEO. Sheryl Crow's new album, Detours, hits shelves a week from today, but she's already hard at work making videos for the record's tracks. One such tune is "God Bless This Mess," and fans can check out the making of the clip for the song. It features Sheryl singing in front of various monuments in Washington, D.C.

LUDACRIS SUED? Three producers from Chester, Pennsylvania have filed a lawsuit against Ludacris that claims the superstar MC swiped one their ideas for a song. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Anthony Turner, Damon Mayfield and Markus Vick - known as the Boogii Men Entertainment Group - filed the suit in U-S District Court in Philly last week. The suit attests that the Boogii Men sent a beat CD called Boogii Men Beats Volume 1 to Luda's Disturbing Tha Peace label back in 2004, but were brushed off when they reached out to see if there was any interest in any of their tracks. The trio claims that when the rapper dropped his next album six months later, The Red Light District, they noticed similarities between one of their tracks and the song "Get Back." It is unclear whether or not the men are asking for an injunction against sales of the CD, nor is the amount of any punitive or compensatory damages sought known. Their attorney declined to comment on the case to the Inquirer.

EMINEM ISN'T THAT HEAVY. Detroit native Trick Trick is preparing for the release of his upcoming sophomore solo LP, The Villain, which features a special guest appearance by his friend, Eminem. Trick recently sat down with MTV News to discuss the project and dispel rumors that Em's weight had ballooned to over 250 pounds. The rapper assures readers that while Slim Shady has put on a few pounds, he's still in good shape both physically and lyrically.

CLAPTON AND POLICE TO HEADLINE FESTIVAL.  The audience at London's Hyde Park Calling Festival will be in for a treat this year.  Organizers just announced that Eric Clapton and the Police will headline the event.  It gets underway on June 28th and 29th.

DAVE GROHL SAYS SORRY FOR HAVING THE FLU. The Foo Fighters were forced to postpone some shows this week after singer Dave Grohl fell ill. Grohl's feeling bad about missing the shows and shared the sentiment on the band's Web site, "Yours truly is down for the count. Big time. The last thing in the world I want to do is jump up on stage and give you guys some half-ass version of what a Foo's show is all about. That's just not fair. And, it would break my heart. Unfortunately, in my current (crappy flu) condition, you wouldn't be getting the show you guys deserve. And, that's the most important thing to me." Grohl promises to make it up to their fans. We'll keep you posted on any further cancellations.

KANYE SUPRISES FANS. The New York Times reports Kanye West gave a surprise performance at a party at the American Museum of Natural History in New York on Friday night. West did a guest verse during indie rapper Kid Sister's set and then performed some of his own songs.

KEYSHIA COLE SPEAKS UP ABOUT NE-YO. This past November, two days after he began performing on R. Kelly's Double Up tour, Ne-Yo was cut from the line up by Kelly.  Fellow tour mate Keyshia Cole, weighted in on the situation. (Actuality #1) "I enjoyed Ne-Yo's performance every night actually. Didn't know it until the week after, because I was kind of in and out. But I spoke with Ne-Yo and he was good with it and everything. He was in good spirits about it. It didn't really do anything to him or affect him in kind of way." Cole is currently making a cameo in the new movie How She Move in theaters now.

JILL SCOTT PREVIEWS NEW SONG AND DIANA ROSS GETS BOOED AT JAZZ FEST. The annual Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues festival took place over the weekend in Montego Bay, Jamaica.  This year featured a diva-filled line-up with Anita Baker starting things out on Thursday. Although she didn't perform her standout song "I Apologize" the soul singer brought the crowd to its feet with some of her classics like "Fairy Tales," "Caught Up In The Rapture," and "Giving You The Best That I Got."  On Friday night the crowd was told that headliner Lou Gramm was too ill to perform.  Lucky for them Philly native and GRAMMY sensation Jill Scott agreed to perform an extended set.  She ran through songs from her new album The Real Thing, as well as old songs like "A Long Walk," "Getting In The Way," and "He Loves Me" before closing with an new inspirational song called "And I Heard."  Saturday night gospel duo Mary Mary took the stage as the eager Jamaicans waited for Motown legend Diana Ross to perform.  The sold-out crowd had no problem showing how upset they were with Ms. Ross request to have the television monitors turned off during her performance. They let out boos visibly upsetting her children Evan, Tracee Ellis and Chutney who were sitting on the side of the stage.  Ever the professional, Ross sang her solo and Motown songs while running through a number of costume changes.  Billy Ocean closed the festival.

CONSEQUENCE HEADS BACK TO TRIBE. Consequence has appeared on A Tribe Called Quest's 1996 album Beats, Rhymes and Life. And hip hop artist would be up for more Tribe in the future. "I'm definitely gonna probably do something with my cousin and Phife hopefully. We gonna do a Tribe record for my next record. I'm forcing the issue fellas!" The Queens native is currently wrapping up his forthcoming albumYou Win Some, You Lose Some.  It will be released within the next few months.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD TO OPEN FOR IRON MAIDEN. California band Avenged Sevenfold will be fulfilling a dream this summer. The guys will be opening for Iron Maiden this July in London and Paris, as well as a string of dates in Finland and Scandinavia. Frontman M.Shadows says they are honored to be sharing the stage with the rock legends.

MODEST MOUSE AND THE NATIONAL OPEN FOR R.E.M. According to Pitchfork, Modest Mouse and The National will be opening for R.E.M. on their upcoming tour. The dates have yet to be announced, but R.E.M.'s new album, Accelerate, comes out on April 1st, and the band will be heading down to Austin on March 12th for a show at the annual South By Southwest festival.

WHAT INFLUENCES RADIOHEAD? In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Radiohead revealed some music and books that have influenced them. The guys cite M.I.A., Fleetwood Mac, The Pixies, The Liars and more as big influences, as well as books like Heat by George Monbiot, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein. Radiohead plan to tour their latest album, In Rainbows, in the States this summer, but dates have yet to be revealed.

MORRISSEY LOSES HIS VOICE. Morrissey was forced to cancel shows in London over the weekend due to health problems. According to NME.com, the former Smiths man lost his voice five songs into his show this past Friday. He left the stage and after a 15-minute delay, there was an announcement that the show would not go on. A few British comedians took the stage to placate the crowd, but when the gig was canceled, some fans pelted them with objects. Doctors have since recommended that the singer rest for four days.

PLAIN WHITE DREAMS. Chicago band Plain White T's are up for two GRAMMY awards this year. How are they feeling about the nominations? Singer Tom Higgenson says, "I kind of think it's cool. Like I've always watched the GRAMMYs and the VMAs growing up. And always kind of dreamed of being there. One of my lifetime goals is definitely to get a GRAMMY." To see if the guys win a GRAMMY, tune into the annual awards show on February 10th at 8PM on CBS.

ATREYU TAKE THE CHALLENGE. How do Atreyu make music? Singer Alex Varkatzas says they strive to make the process challenging. "We challenge ourselves to write them, we challenge ourselves to get the performance right on the record. They were challenging in practice and now in more of a mental aspect. It's fun to play it's more exciting."

WHO WANTS TO CARPOOL WITH JERRY O'CONNELL?  Jerry O' Connell has appeared in such films as Jerry Maguire, Can't Hardly Wait and Kangaroo Jack.  He's also had roles on TV shows like Crossing Jordan, Ugly Betty and Las Vegas.  His new show is called Carpoolers and if you haven't seen it yet, O' Connell told us what it's all about.  "It's about four guys who carpool to work everyday.  They have this commute.  They sort of come from different areas of suburban life.  One guy's married and has ten kids.  One guy's recently married, has a new baby and loves life and we sort of hate him.  One guy's a 30-year-old kid who won't leave his house and I play the dentist who's recently divorced and sort of very angry at the world."  O'Connell compares Carpoolers to two other critically acclaimed shows. "It's a lot of fun.  It's from the guys who brought you Arrested Development so it's sort of along that sort of vein of The Office and Arrested Development, except it's in a car commuting to work." 

PARIS HILTON GOES BLACK FOR NEW FLICK. It looks like Paris Hilton may be looking forward to a long career in Hollywood. Not only is Hilton starring in the upcoming flick, The Hottie and the Nottie, she also landed a role in the rock musicalRepo! The Genetic Opera. Tre Armstrong, who co-stars alongside Paris in the film, describes the socialite's role to be much like her real lifestyle. "She plays the daughter of the head of the company. So not much out of her genre, she's still the rich daughter, but she plays it well. She's not bright and blonde, she's dark, black hair, black makeup, and bright white eyes. I'm telling you the movie is crazy, crazy fun!" The Hottie and the Nottie hits theaters on February 8th, while Repo! The Genetic Opera comes out in theaters this spring.

JIMMY AND JUDY OUT ON DVD. Edward Furlong and Rachael Bella star in the film Jimmy and Judy, which is out now on DVD. The film follows a young couple on a "Bonnie & Clyde" type adventure. We spoke to Furlong, who ended up marrying his co-star Rachael. The pair now has a child together and he told us what it was like on set. "A lot of nakedness on that set, I got down and basically now I have a wife and a beautiful kid and it's awesome." Jimmy and Judy is on DVD now.

LEDGER MAY MAKE CUT OF FINAL FILM. People.com is reporting the director of the movie Heath Ledger was working on when he died is trying to find a way to keep the actor in the film. Ledger was still involved in filming The Imagination of Doctor Parnassus at the time of his death. In fact, he had just finished filming on location in Britain the week before and was scheduled to be in Canada next week to shoot more scenes. Co-star Christopher Plummer says director Terry Gilliam is working "feverishly" to keep Ledger's scenes in the film. The story deals with magic and that may give the director options he might not have had under normal circumstances.

LEDGER MASSEUSE MAY FACE QUESTIONS. Diane Wolozin - the masseuse who was scheduled to treat Heath Ledger the day he died - may face questions in the case. The Associated Press is reporting that New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly says a decision on questioning Wolozin will be made when the toxicology reports on the cause of Ledger's death are completed. Results of those tests are expected next week. Kelly says police have no questions for actress Mary-Kate Olsen. Wolozin called Olsen - who was in California - three times before finally calling 911 after discovering the actor's body last week in his New York apartment. Police may charge Wolozin for practicing without a license.

LINDSAY LOHAN'S DAD WANTS TO EXPOSE DRUG DEALERS. According to the New York Daily News, Lindsay Lohan's father, Michael, wants to track down the person who used to supply Lilo with the hard drugs she was taking. Michael told reporters, "Come hell or high water, one day I'm going to find these guys and I'm going to expose them." Papa Lohan is a recovering addict himself. Lindsay is reportedly drug-free right now after her stint in a Utah rehab center last year.

BRODY JENNER SAYS NO LINDSAY LOHAN HOOKUP. According to E! Online, Brody Jenner has denied reports that he canoodled with Lindsay Lohan this past weekend in New York City. The Hills reality star said he and Lindsay are just friends and that nothing happened. The pair was seen gallivanting around New York City until the wee hours of Sunday morning. Jenner is currently dating model Cora Skinner.

COEN BROTHERS TAKE LEAD IN OSCAR RACE. The Coen brothers appear headed for an Academy Award for Best Director(s) for their work on No Country for Old Men. Joel and Ethan Coen won the Directors Guild Award Saturday night in Los Angeles. E! Online reports that since 1949, only six winners of the Directors Guild trophy have failed to go on to a victory at the Academy Awards. The last DGA winner that failed at the Oscars was Rob Marshall with Chicago in 2003.

HAYDEN PANETTIERE STILL LOVES THE WHALES. According to Splash News Online, actress Hayden Panettiere was in Washington, D.C. this past weekend to continue her support of the Save the Whales Again campaign. She got interviewed by CNN and then participated in a rally to show her support. To see more of Hayden's efforts, log on to the Web site SaveTheWhalesAgain.com, where you can find videos, stories and ways to help.

J.LO, MARC ANTHONY, WHOOPI GOLDBERG & JESSICA BIEL GO DISNEY.  Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, Whoopi Goldberg and Jessica Biel are among the celebrities captured in a new Disney installment of work by esteemed Vanity Fair photographer Annie Leibovitz.  In the images, MTV News reports that Lopez is portrayed as "Jasmine" and Anthony as "Aladdin" in a "Whole New World" scene, while Biel is dressed as "Pocahontas," running through a forest.  In a statement, Biel said, "I was a huge Disney fan growing up as a kid, and 'Cinderella,' 'Snow White,' 'Pocahontas,' 'Ariel' - all those characters were huge for me."  The Disney Dream Portrait Series will be featured throughout the year at Disneyland in California and Disney World in Florida.

STALLONE: HGH GOOD. Sylvester Stallone says "...anyone over 40 would be wise..." to investigate taking testosterone and Human Growth Hormone. Stallone, who was fined close to three-thousand dollars for taking 48 vials of HGH with him into Australia, says anyone who calls the hormone a steroid is "grossly misinformed." The 61-year old-Stallone admits to taking testosterone and HGH to get ready for his role in the new Rambo film. He told the judge in Australia who sentenced him to the fine that he took the substances because "doing Rambo is hard work." Stallone told the Sunday Mail in Australia that taking testosterone and HGH was "...important for a sense of well-being when you get older."

PROBST HANDICAPS SURVIVOR. With the new round of Survivor set to kick off next week, host Jeff Probst is handicapping the field. Probst thinks 45-year-old Kathleen Sleckman will be the first to be voted out of the "fans versus favorites" competition. Sleckman, a fan, is a golf course vendor from Illinois. Probst says she shouldn't even be on the show. "Some casting choices are beyond my understanding," he tells TV Guide. The host has a better feeling for 24-year-old Alexis Jones, a motivational speaker from Beverly Hills. He warns viewers not to be "taken in" by her apparent "sweet" disposition. He says she told him she was ready to "...pull her claws and pull people to shreds."  Among the favorites, Probst appears to like 34-year-old Ami Cusack from the season on Vanuatu. "Ami will change the game," he says. Survivor premieres next Thursday on CBS.

KENNEDY DAUGHTER PICKS OBAMA. The daughter of President John Kennedy has endorsed Barack Obama for the job her father once held. Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg was six when her father was assassinated in Dallas on November 22nd, 1963. She has kept a low profile in politics all of her life, but in a New York Times op-ed on Sunday, she issued a ringing endorsement of the Illinois Senator, saying, "...I've never had a President who inspired me the way people tell me my father inspired them. But for the first time, I believe I have found that man..." Schlossberg joined her uncle, Senator Ted Kennedy, at a formal endorsement of Obama yesterday at American University in Washington.

BRANDO SON DIES. Christian Brando, the son of celebrated actor Marlon Brando, died over the weekend in Hollywood. He was 49. The Associated Press reports Brando died of pneumonia at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, where he was taken on January 11th. The younger Brando struggled as an actor following in his father's footsteps and was best known for his trouble with the law. He spent five years in jail for killing the boyfriend of his sister in 1990 and was sued for domestic violence in 2005. At his son's trial in 1991, his famous father pleaded for leniency, telling the judge, "I think I failed as a father."

SKATING CHAMPS TO MARRY. After finishing the skating routine that would bring them second place at the U-S Figure Skating Championships Saturday, John Baldwin skated his partner, Rene Inoue, to center ice, got down on one knee and proposed. When the capacity crowd at the Xcel Center in St. Paul, Minnesota realized what was happening, they began chanting for the bride-to-be to say "yes." People magazine reports that after a few dumbfounded seconds, Inoue agreed. The 34-year-old Baldwin and the 31-year-old Inoue have been skating together since 2000. They finished seventh at the Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy in 2006. Baldwin skated singles for the United States before teaming up with Inoue, who skated singles for her native country, Japan.

DAVID BECKHAM'S HELP DUDES KICK IT. According to the World Entertainment News Network, a Chinese condom company is using David Beckham's name to promote their new brand of condom. The firm does not have permission from the soccer star to use his name, but is claiming that men who use these condoms "will score in bed like the L.A. Galaxy star does on the field." Apparently, Beckham's contraceptives have become the best selling condoms in China.

SNIPES RESTS CASE. The Associated Press reports lawyers for actor Wesley Snipes abruptly rested their defense yesterday in Ocala, Florida. Snipes is on trial for failing to pay income tax for the last nine years. He is facing 16 years in prison if convicted on all counts. His defense is that he was misled by unscrupulous tax advisers. Closing arguments in the case are scheduled for today.