Celebrity News And Gossip

Daughter of Christian Singer Chapman Killed

Posted May 22nd 2008 6:40AM

The five-year-old daughter of Christian singer Steven Curtis Chapman was killed last night when a car apparently driven by one of her older brothers hit her in the Chapman family's driveway.

In what local police are calling a "terrible accident," Maria Chapman was playing in the driveway when she was struck by a Toyota Land Cruiser driven by one of Chapman's teenage sons. The police did not identify the driver, according to The Tennessean.

A statement on Chapman's website says, "Maria was rushed to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital in Nashville, transported by LifeFlight, but died of her injuries there." Maria was the youngest of the Chapman's six children.

Denise Doin' It for the Money? Yeah, Right

Posted May 22nd 2008 6:34AM by

Denise Richards is crying poor, claiming that she has to pimp her kids on a reality show for the cash –- but Charlie Sheen's camp says that's a bunch of hooey.

They're telling the New York Post that Denise is getting a whopping $52,000 per month in child support – and tax-free at that – in addition to the $60K per month she got for two years in alimony. "Most people in America can figure out how to live on that, but Denise can't," says a pal.

And then there's the $25 million some say she could end up making from Sheen's show "Two and a Half Men."

Kelly Defense Gets Pissy with Witness

Having to ID your friend and niece on a sex tape is awkward at best, but four people at the R. Kelly trial did just that yesterday.

Prosecutors put Simha Jamison on the stand, and she said that she and the girl alleged to be on the sex tape were best friends for 10 years. Jamison also said that they visited Kelly's studio and b-ball court "dozens of times" from when they were twelve years old. The defense tried every which way to corner Jamison during her testimony, but girlfriend reportedly gave as good as she got.

The alleged victim's aunt and uncle also took the stand and positively ID'd her as well.

JR Calls Britney a "Master"

There are a lot of things you might call Britney Spears. "Master" is probably not one of them.

But music producer J.R. Rotem – former paramour of and current musical collaborator with BritBrit – says that's exactly what she is. "She's a lot more experienced than most people. She just has the 'it' factor that not every artist has," he gushes to People.

This is by way of saying that Spears is "in the experimental stages of a new album ... She's trying to find the sound and direction she wants to go in," according to a source.

Clock is Tickin' for Snipes in the Slammer

Posted May 22nd 2008 6:19AM by

Unless something drastic happens in the next week or so, Wesley Snipes is going to moving into the big house by June 3. Always bet on black and white stripes.

Yesterday in a filing, Snipes' lawyers said that if he doesn't get bail to appeal his tax evasion convictions, he's going to have to check into Hotel Graybar sometime in the next couple weeks. They're trying to appeal on the grounds that the trial judge effed up in various ways the first time around.

The prosecution isn't exactly inclined to give Snipes bail -- remember that whole on-the-lam thing? And we're sure that the man can run.

Russki To Dog -- You Boned Me!

Posted May 21st 2008 4:41PM by

The guy who's played the token Russian on pretty much every show on TV (oh that guy!) says the producers of "Dog the Bounty Hunter" have bilked him out of $5 million.

Boris Krutonog -- probably most recognizable as Helmsman Lojur from "Star Trek: Voyager" -- wants A&E to pony up for money he says he's owed for co-executive-producing the show. He's listed as a co-EP on "Bounty Hunter" until 2007, when the show went off the air for a little while. ~~Igor~~ ~~Ivan~~ Boris also alleges that Dog and Mrs. Dog had a pretty mean bark, creating an "intolerable" workplace. Hey, they are felon-chasers!

A&E told us they can't comment on pending litigation.

UPDATE: The Chapman's attorney Marty Singer tells TMZ "It is unfortunate that Boris Krutonog, who was Dog Chapman's and Beth Chapman's former agent and manager, has made gratuitous, ridiculous and outrageous statements about his former clients. Mr. Krutonog was fired for cause more than two years ago after he refused to work on the series."

Is Tori Baskin' in 31 Flavors of Bacteria?

Posted May 21st 2008 4:40PM by

Why is Baskin-Robbins trotting out Tori Spelling to push its new line of soft-serve ice cream on other pregnant women when soft-serve is a known taboo for preggo women?

Several sources in the know -- including one pregnant OB/GYN -- tell TMZ that there are "definite" health risks associated with soft-serve ice cream for expectant moms because of Listeria bacteria. Softie machines can be studded with bacteria that can cause all kinds of issues for newborns -- in fact, Down Under, it's pretty much forbidden for preggo women.

B-R tells TMZ in a statement, "Our Soft Serve products are continuously monitored by our suppliers, and our pasteurization process is state inspected and certified on a regular basis. The only way Listeria, which has been found in a variety of raw foods, can be found in soft serve would be through improper pasteurization.

Steven Tyler: Dude Looks Like a Rehab

Posted May 21st 2008 2:42PM by

Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler, 60, has checked himself into Las Encinas Hospital drug rehabilitation clinic -- the place Dr. Drew practices -- in Pasadena, Calif.

It's the same facility where the reality show "Celebrity Rehab" was filmed. Tyler is getting treatment for substance abuse.