Oprah Winfrey has been ordered by a US judge to defend a defamation case filed against her by the former headmistress of the $40m girls’ school she started in South Africa.
The former headmistress, Nomvuho Mzamane, succeeded in convincing Judge Eduardo Robreno that she had enough evidence to pursue her claim against the queen of daytime TV.
She claims Oprah made defamatory remarks about her in 2007 after sex abuse complaints arose at the school.
Digital Spy reports the former matron accused Winfrey of suggesting that she was not trustworthy through comments such as those that allegedly questioned her commitment to the girls of South Africa.
The judge said: “The implication that [Mzamane] was aware of abuse by the dorm parents and did not react accordingly is capable of defamatory meaning as it ascribes conduct which would render her unfit for her profession as an educator.”
The trial is now set for March 29 in Philadelphia.
Stars flocked to the Laureus Sports Awards in ritzy Abu Dhabi to see Usain Bolt (pictured) named World Sportsman of the Year, and Serena Williams Sportswoman of the Year.
Gwyneth Paltrow donned a Hollywood gown to help Hugh Grant hand awards to the winning sportspeople. Other stars in attendance included host Kevin Spacey, Mika, Dame Kelly Holmes and Andrew Flintoff, the UK Mirror reports.
Britain’s Jenson Button won the Laureus Breakthrough of the Year Award for scoring his first driver’s championship. Bolt was recognised for the three gold medals he trawled at last year’s track world championships and world records he set in the 100- and 200-metre races.
Williams, ranked No.1 in women’s tennis for 2009, won the Australian Open and Wimbledon titles. Popular comeback queen Kim Clijsters earned the award for the Comeback of the Year.
The three-time world surfing champion Stephanie Gilmore of Australia was selected to win the World Action Sportsperson of the Year, the AP reports.
Tiger Woods will return to the golf course for the Masters Tournament, he announced today.
It will be the shamed pro-golfer’s first golf tournament since the bizarre November car crash that triggered his high-profile sex scandal.
Last month, Woods emerged from hiding to publicly apologise to his wife and sponsors for his extra-marital affairs.
Woods said in today’s statement: “The Masters is where I won my first major and I view this tournament with great respect.”
“After a long and necessary time away from the game, I feel like I’m ready to start my season at Augusta.
“The major championships have always been a special focus in my career and, as a professional, I think Augusta is where I need to be, even though it’s been a while since I last played.”
He added: “I have undergone almost two months of in-patient therapy and I am continuing my treatment. Although I’m returning to competition, I still have a lot of work to do in my personal life.
“When I finally got into a position to think about competitive golf again, it became apparent to me that the Masters would be the earliest I could play.”
The 2010 Masters takes place in Augusta, Georgia, between 8 April and 11 April.
It looks like the Take That singer who recently confessed to having cheated on his wife Emma Ferguson with at least ten other women is in luck that the two have two children together and that his wife is big enough to overlook Mark Owen’s string of affairs for the children’s sake. A source said the following on the matter: Emma will do absolutely anything for her beautiful children. Mark has been a complete idiot – which he openly admits – but it doesn’t stop him being a brilliant dad. He dotes over those kids and Emma knows it. It’s a long road ahead. But for the sake of their children, she will forgive him.” Hopefully Mark Owen will realize how lucky he is for this happening and not try to brake Tiger Woods’ affair record anymore.
Hollywood stars Sylvester Stallone and Denise Richards have won awards at Bollywood’s equivalent of the Razzies, the Golden Kela Awards, according to reports.
Stallone, 63, and Richards, 39, both won the Have You Gone Crazy Award for their performances in romantic movie Kambakkht Ishq, (aka Unfortunate Love), which also won two other awards, including Worst Film, at the ceremony held in New Delhi on Friday.
Stallone and Richards did not attend the event to pick up their gongs.
Indo-American statesman Rajan Zed has said in a statement today that both actors should have been brave enough to attend the gala and acknowledge what the awards mean as a learning experience.
Academy award-winner Mo’Nique wasted no time getting back to work after hauling home her gold statuette.
Mo’Nique, 42, who won the Best Supporting Actress category for her role in Precious, will host Taraji P. Henson, Tony winner Anika Noni Rose, and Academy award-winning rappers Three 6 Mafia on her first show following Sunday night’s Oscars.
Mo’Nique’s late-night chat show, aptly titled The Mo’Nique Show, was set to air on Thursday night.
The actress made a dramatic Oscars speech that praised those artists who dared to be different.
She said: “To my amazing husband, Sidney – thank you for showing me that sometimes you have to forego doing what’s popular, in order to do what’s right. And, baby, you were so right.”
She is the fourth black woman to win Best Supporting Actress.
The others have been Hattie McDaniel (1939 – Gone With The Wind), Whoopi Goldberg (1990 – Ghost), and Jennifer Hudson (2006 – Dreamgirls).
Days before he died, Corey Haim was turning down Dr Drew’s Celebrity Rehab.
Dr Drew, aka Dr Drew Pinksy, said he had given Haim his phone number in the past but never received a call. Haim died from a suspected overdose on Wednesday at the age of 38.
Pinsky said friends of the child actor revealed he was a revolving-door rehab patient who tried many facilities over the years.
He said Haim suffered the problem of many addicts who substitute prescription drugs for illicit substances, mixing them into dangerous combinations.
Pinsky said: “It’s mostly that people don’t really understand addiction and how pernicious and progressive it is. Abstinence is their only solution. If they want to return to a flourishing existence, they have to find their way to abstinence.”
Tiffany Shepis, who was briefly engaged to Haim in 2008-9, said: “His problem was with prescription drugs – painkillers and Valium. His addictions are common knowledge.
“And the longer [you] are addicted to something, the harder it is for you to quit. And that’s what he was facing.”
Haim’s agent, Mark Heaslip, meanwhile, said he did not believe he died of an overdose.
Demi Moore gave daughter Rumer Willis a bizarre public pole-dancing lesson – with her husband Ashton Kutcher cheering along – according to US reports.
Moore, who starred in movie bomb Striptease, was partying with her family at LA’s famed Chateau Marmont, when she decided to give Rumer the lesson, according to a US magazine.
Moore reportedly got so into her performance that she “even spun around the pole upside down” – and then got her 21-year-old daughter to give it a whirl, as Ashton and other celeb revellers including Jennifer Aniston and Leonardo DiCaprio, cheered her on, according to a source.
The source said: “Everyone was cheering, and Leo gave Ashton a high-five.”
Victoria Beckham was “shocked and upset” last night after her ex-boyfriend Corey Haim died from a suspected accidental drug overdose, according to a UK report.
Haim, a star of The Lost Boys, was discovered in a collapsed state by his mother at her Oakwood apartment near Burbank, California.
Corey Haim and Victoria Beckham, aka former Spice Girl “Posh”, went out together in 1995 before her girl band rose to fame.
The UK Sun newspaper reports a source said last night: “Victoria hadn’t had any contact with Corey Haim for years but she was still shocked to learn of his death in such circumstances.”
Corey Haim had a long-running substance abuse problem. The Sun notes he was reportedly approached to appear on the Dr Drew show Celebrity Rehab just days before he died but said that he had been “clean” for a while and that “I don’t need help”.
OMG blogsite reports a 2008 interview on British television where Corey Haim talked about his relationship with Posh. “I absolutely did date Victoria Beckham, yes,” he said.
He recalled meeting her at a recording studio, saying: “A car pulls up, this tiny little car, and five girls in these crazy outfits pile out … and are like these punk rock chicks, Sid Vicious chicks. [They] walk into the studio and me and Vic lock on. Sniper eyes. So I had to hang out with her. It’s my obligation as a man to do that.”
Beckham in her autobiography Learning To Fly claimed she split up with Corey Haim after he became jealous of her adoration for Take That. She wrote that she tossed him out at his hotel.
Hit reality show Dancing With The Stars (DWTS) has hired a new co-host after Samantha Harris recently quit.
According to a report in Star magazine, Season 7 champ Brooke Burke beat out the competition, including former Spice Girl Mel B, for the job.
She will replace Harris when the new series begins on March 22.
Brooke posted a message on her Twitter account on February 16, saying: “Btw, the news about me hosting DWTS is true. I am screen testing next week for the job, fingers crossed! It would be amazing 2 be back!”
Michael Lohan was released from a Massachusetts hospital on the weekend.
Lohan, who was admitted with chest pains that set in while he was preparing for a celebrity boxing match, said: “I’ve got either a blood clot or a blockage. They told me, ‘This is a stroke waiting to happen.’ They wanted to put stents in my heart three years ago, but I never did anything about it. At the hospital they wanted to do it right there but my cardiologist in New York said it was too invasive. I used to be on medication for this problem. I never told anyone. And then I stopped taking it, frankly because it made me gain weight and I’m such an a**hole about being in shape and exercising.”
Lohan, meanwhile, was reported by Bang Showbiz to be bonding with his ex-spouse Dina since the brief hospitalisation. Dina is the mother of Lindsay and Michael has been warring with both mother and daughter since he went public last year with their voicemail recordings and claims Lindsay was destroying herself with prescription drugs. He said: “I just got off the phone with Dina and we were crying to each other.”
Sandra Bullock may have just scooped an Oscar but all she could think about was wolfing down a cheeseburger.
The star told Oprah Winfrey that after being cut out of her dress by husband Jesse James she intends eating a cheeseburger, fries and ice cream.
“My husband had to cut me out of the dress,” she told Oprah. “I am going to go and have lunch with the husband. I am going to have the burger I have been wanting for three months; a juicy burger with fries and soft-serve ice cream.”
Modern-day matinee idol George Clooney looked unimpressed when Ryan Seacrest suggested he’s a “lonely guy” as he walked the Oscars red carpet with stunning girlfriend Elisabetta Canalis.
Seacrest suggested George Clooney seems “empathetical” with his “lonely guy” character from Up In The Air.
But George Clooney, standing next to Elisabetta and Queen Latifah, turned the tables by telling him: “I am not a lonely guy. Look, I am surrounded by stunning women in long dresses. I am in fact looking now at you as the lonely guy, by yourself with a bunch of guys in tuxes.”
Clooney also said he was so sure Jeff Bridges would beat him to the best actor award he would bet his house on it. Bridges, a five-time Oscar nominee, is seen by many as a shoo-in for his role as a broken-down country singer in Crazy Heart.
He said: “I even voted for Jeff Bridges. Jeff is the dude, man. If you were saying to me: ‘Put all of your property on one thing’, I would put all of it on that.”
Hollywood director Chris Weitz has revealed that he is looking forward to seeing the third Twilight film – because it’s so “steamy”.
Weitz took the helm for New Moon, the second movie in the franchise, but told People magazine that he has read the script for Eclipse, which is being directed by David Slade.
Weitz has revealed he is a huge fan of the Twilight saga and is particularly excited about seeing the “steamy” tent scene, in which Bella climbs into a sleeping bag with Jacob while Edward looks on.
Weitz told People: “I’m looking forward to the sleeping bag scene, I gotta say. That’s going to be very steamy.”
He added that he is also anticipating seeing Elizabeth Reaser and Peter Facinelli play Edward’s parents in the movie.
Weitz said: “I have a special interest in seeing Peter and Elizabeth tear people’s heads off. Knowing them, and knowing how kooky and delightful they are, I’m going to find seeing them being ultra-violent very interesting indeed.”
Helen Mirren and Christopher Plummer joked about their old age as they appeared on the Oscars red carpet.
The Last Station stars were both nominated for their roles in the film – Mirren, 64, for best leading actress and Plummer, 80, for best supporting actor.
The pair said they were enjoying their time at the Academy Awards but couldn’t help feeling old.
“He can laugh at my bad back and I can laugh at his bad knees,” Mirren said.
Plummer added: “We’re over 14 and you can still have fun over 14.
Celebs are taking to i-Phones like wrinkles to Botox. Many are reportedly “app-ing” themselves to sell wares ranging from music, to perfume, to diets, to DVDs.
The apps keep fans up to date with all things to do with the celeb, including tweets, photos, YouTube videos and UStream files. Among celebs to grab on are Heidi Montag, Spencer Pratt and Kim Kardashian.
Montag and Pratt, who are married, promise fans on their SpeidiWeb app can gain “exclusive access to unseen photos, candids and videos unavailable to fans until now. New photos, YouTube videos, and UStream files will be constantly uploaded, to keep your experience ‘fresh’ ”.
According to News.com.au, Montag’s single flopped, with just 1000 copies sold in the US, making SpeidiWeb a good fallback.
The website provides a list of some of the iPhone apps celebs are flogging. Diddy’s official iPhone app ($0.99) uses GPS to find your location and direct you to the nearest restaurants, hotels, bars and clubs in more than 50 American cities. It’s Britney ($1.99) allows fans to upload their faces onto photos of Britney Spears’s dancers and be onstage with her. Plus, every time users shake their phone Spears declares, “It’s Britney, bitch!”
Oscar nominees such as Jeff Bridges, Sandra Bullock and Matt Damon will all be presenting at the upcoming ceremony.
The show’s producers, Bill Mechanic and Adam Shankman, have revealed that its nominees, who also include Anna Kendrick, Carey Mulligan and Quentin Tarantino, will present gongs at the 82nd Academy Awards.
Bridges is being tipped as the frontrunner for the Best Actor at the event for his role in Crazy Heart.
Bullock, Mulligan and Kendrick all received their first Oscar nominations this year, with Bullock and Mulligan up for Best Actress for their performances in The Blind Side and An Education respectively.
Kendrick is in the running for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Up in the Air, while Damon has been nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his part in Invictus.
Tarantino is nominated for writing and directing the movie Inglourious Basterds.
And it is not a very good one, as most might expect. It seems that Lindsay Lohan believes her father should be in rehab. This is what she said on the matter: “I’m not really speaking to him. Him saying those things is the last thing that’s going to get me to speak to him and I’ve told him that. He’s nuts. He is someone who is crying out for help and attention. He is the one who should be in rehab. He has been on and off like this my whole life.” Right… well maybe Lindsay Lohan and her father can camp out there for a while. It would be a real family bonding moment and Michael Lohan could personally see to his daughter’s good upbringing. A little late, granted, but as the old saying goes: it is never too late.
Up in the Air star Vera Farmiga said it ‘wasn’t an option’ not to return to work two weeks after the birth of her son Fynn.
The actress, 36, gave birth to her little boy, who is now one, just a fortnight before shooting started on the hit movie, which also stars George Clooney.
Her role in the film earned her a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the Oscars, which will be held later this month.
She told USA Today: “I could never reclaim these first precious moments of maternity.
“[But] I needed to pay my mortgage. It wasn’t an option. I had to do the role.”
Farmiga added that seducing Clooney in the movie was difficult as she didn’t feel remotely sexy.
She said: “It was strange having to portray that frank sexuality when I did not feel sexy in the least bit.”
