Move over Demi and Madonna. Halle Berry is the new face of Versace:

Source: Made in Brazil

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The body of singer Barry Cowsill, who was reported missing last year around the time of Hurricane Katrina, was found by police at the Charles Street Wharf in New Orleans on Dec. 27. He was 51. The Cowsills were the famous family band of the '60s and '70s that inspired the Partridge Family. The cause of death has not yet been released.

Barry was believed to have been at the infamous New Orleans Convention Center after Hurricane Katrina hit. In a video of survivors posted on the CNN Web site, brother BOB says the family spotted a man who looks to be their famous sibling. "We saw him [on the video]," he said. "We're pretty sure that's him, and if it was him, it meant he was at the convention center." The last the family had heard of Barry was from a message left on his sister's answering machine asking for help: "I don't know how to get out of town except wait for a bus ... I've been so ... lonely ... I hope I get in touch with you."

Source: ET

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And in today's "WTF?" moment...

Those indomitable PETAns had a brainstorm to encourage wintertime faux fur use. Dawn Carr, PETAÂ’s director of special projects, says the group asked the National Park Service in mid-November for permission to hang a 70-foot-long pleather belt, worn low in the style of the Olsen twins, around the waist of the Statue of Liberty.

But by December, the Feds had nixed the request, responding in a letter that “while adding a ‘pleather belt’ might seem like a great idea to some,” the statue’s fans “expect to see this icon as it was originally created. Our policies do not permit an alteration of this kind, even on a temporary basis. [We] realize that this cause is very important to you and your organization and believe with your creative talents and imagination you will find other avenues to pursue.”

“We knew it was a long shot, but we're dreamers,” says Carr. “You never know how the spirit might take people during the holiday season.”

--I can see ole Lady Liberty in a Chanel suit, clutching a Fendi bag, or wearing a gorgeous strand of Mikimoto pearls, but pleather? Those folks at PETA must wear and smoke a lot of grass.

Source: New York Magazine

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Kate Moss has a new man for the New Year.

The supermodel, still reeling from revelations of her cocaine use and her doomed dalliance with druggie rocker Pete Doherty, was spotted in Aspen making out with singer/songwriter James Burke. Though Moss, 31, claims she and Burke, 20, are "just friends," sources tell British Vogue that Burke has already met Moss' mother and brother. She has Richard Branson's son, Sam, to thank for the introduction.

Source: New York Post

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The drama that is the relationship of Sienna Miller and Jude Law just keeps getting weirder. According to the Daily Mirror, Jude Law has been banned from visiting the set of Sienna Miller's new film, Factory Girl, by the movie's production bosses.

"There has already been so much attention put on this film because of Sienna's involvement. The producers want her to concentrate on her acting - not spending time working on her relationship with Jude," says a movie insider.

"It's a small, independent movie, so no one can take any risks. They've already changed the schedule to make sure they could cast Sienna - they don't want anything to go wrong. "She's an ambitious and hard-working girl, so she's unlikely to rebel against their wishes."

Source: Egotastic

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Lindsay Lohan has been hospitalized in Miami after suffering an asthma attack on Monday night, but she's fine now, according to her rep.

Lohan was in Miami to celebrate New Year's Eve by hosting a party at the nightclub Prive. But a few days later, the city's humidity got to her and she had trouble breathing, the spokesperson said. She sought help from a doctor, who suggested she get herself to the emergency room. Lohan had been diagnosed with bronchial asthma as a child, her rep said, but she hasn't had an attack in years.

"It's the first attack since I've known her," spokesperson Leslie Sloane Zelnick said. "She's had attacks before, but not that many, and not recently. She's taking it easy now, she's resting comfortably. She's just tired and not feeling too good. It took a lot out of her."

Lohan is expected to be in the hospital for at least a few days but should be back in New York soon to start shooting her next film, "Chapter 27," her rep said.

Source: MTV News

UPDATE: And she admits to being bulimic. Source: People

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Felicity Huffman has admitted that her role in new movie Transamerica was a labor of love.

The Desperate Housewives star enjoyed being constrained by low budget shooting for the acclaimed film, in which she plays a man undergoing surgery to become a woman.

"We were staying in Best Western hotels and getting dressed in rat-infested buildings in the middle of nowhere, and we were happy to be there," she told WENN.

"There's a difference between doing something for money - which I certainly try to do - and something like this, where you know there's no money and you work 24/7."

Source: Digital Spy

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Paris Hilton has reportedly admitted fabricating a story about the former girlfriend of her ex-fiance Paris Latsis, who claimed the hotel heiress made defamatory statements about her.

Model/actress/producer Zeta Graff filed a $10 million lawsuit last summer, alleging Hilton made up stories about Graff's jealous and criminal behavior and supplied them to the New York Post newspaper.

A source tells the publication, "Hilton made a deposition in the slander lawsuit, and admitted she planted a false story in the press in which she claimed Graff attacked her in a London nightclub." In a statement, Graff says, "Hilton will learn a valuable lesson about what happens when you try to ruin another person's reputation. She made a number of false statements about me, and she repeatedly lied under oath during her recent deposition. I look forward to her explaining all of this to a jury." Hilton's publicist Elliot Mintz says, "In view of the fact that it's an ongoing matter, I'm not in a position to make any comment."

Source: IMDB

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Though he still has to pen a best-selling book to qualify, Ryan Seacrest is leaping closer to becoming the new King of All Media.

The American Idol host, who turned 31 on Christmas Eve, and his Ryan Seacrest Productions have signed a $21-million contract with the E! cable network to develop, produce and host a variety of programs that, in some cases, are scheduled to run simultaneous with his duties on Idol.

The new deal, which is said to cover approximately three years, calls for Seacrest to executive produce the network's Live from the Red Carpet awards-show coverage, starting with the Jan. 16 Golden Globes Awards. In addition, he will serve as managing editor of E! News; will produce and host celebrity interview specials; act as tower host of red-carpet shows; and start – in March – as lead anchor E! News.

--Could he be a bigger douchebag?

Source: People

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Socialite Nicky Hilton and her actor boyfriend Kevin Connolly got 2006 off to an expensive start at midnight on Saturday when they cracked open a $100,000 bottle of champagne.

The couple were hosting a New Year's Eve party at Caesar's Palace nightclub Pure and couldn't resist uncorking one of Sin City's most expensive bottles of bubbly.

Meanwhile, Hilton's sister Paris staged her own Las Vegas party at new club Tao, housed at the Venetian hotel and casino.

Source: Teen Hollywood

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Fred Savage was thinking about devoting himself to directing and producing when he was offered "Crumbs." So he's back acting.

Savage's cute-little-boy-next-door mien brought him success as wide-eyed Kevin Arnold, growing up amid '60s morals and mores on the ABC series "The Wonder Years" (1988-93).

Since then, his focus has been behind the camera, including producing and directing the kid-oriented comedy series "Phil of the Future" on the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon's "Drake & Josh." "Other acting opportunities had come along, but nothing that was tantalizing enough to me to step away from what I found most interesting," says Savage, who at 29 still retains his boyish charm.

The ABC sitcom about a dysfunctional family premieres 9:30 p.m. EST Jan. 12, following the second installment of a new run of the summer smash "Dancing with the Stars." Savage says "Crumbs" appealed to him because it didn't have "that set-up/set-up/joke pattern that has come to define sitcom. I liked that it was about the characters, about the family ... and was brave enough not to have a laugh for a few pages."

As the name implies, the Crumbs are a crumbled family, who nevertheless retain affection for each other. The mother (Jane Curtin) has just been discharged from a psychiatric facility. The father (William Devane) is expecting a baby with his new girlfriend. They have suffered the death of one of their three sons, and many unspoken memories linger. Jody, the son who stayed home running the family restaurant, is played by Eddie McClintock. Savage portrays Mitch, the gay prodigal son, who returns home from a failed Hollywood career.

Source: New York Daily News

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Jackie Chan and Danny DeVito are in talks to star in action comedy 90 Mins.

The film tells the story of two football teams trying to win some money for their schools. Film bosses reportedly want the movie in cinemas in time for the World Cup in July. The film is due to start shooting in February reports Moviehole.net.

--That's a very vertically challenged cast.

Source: Ananova

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Starz Entertainment Group is launching a movie download service that allows consumers to view full-length studio films, concerts and TV shows on portable devices powered by Microsoft Corp. software.

The service will provide the content critical for the success of a number of devices that will be introduced at the annual Consumer Electronics Show, which kicks off in Las Vegas this week. Video delivered over the Internet will be a key theme at this year's show.

The service, dubbed "Vongo," is available for a monthly subscription of $9.99 and will eventually include more than 1,000 movies, short films and other programs. The films will be available at the same time they are offered on the Starz premium movie cable channel, about five to six months after they are released on DVD.

Users will be able to download as many films as they want each month to up to three devices, including Windows-based computers and portable devices running Microsoft's Portable Media Center software.

Source: AZ Central

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IN what's surely the scariest development of the young new year, allhiphop.com reports that "Dirty Dancing" star Patrick Swayze wants to release a rap single.

The actor, who had a massive hit in 1987 with "She's Like the Wind," told the site he's working on a new tune which will show that "rap rhythms [are] an emotional undercurrent for ballads." Swayze is no stranger to keepin' it real - he starred in Ja Rule's video for "Reign" - but didn't have a "timeline" for when his foray into hip-hop would be released.

Source: New York Post

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An SPF sighting:

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Much like Tori Spelling, the not-yet-divorced Christina Applegate has already moved on to another man. His name is Lee Grivas and heÂ’s a fisherman and aspiring photographer.

Source: Popsugar

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Starting Jan. 1, 2006, a new California law went into effect that increases penalties against overly aggressive photographers.

They may be hated, but their work — candid pictures of celebs in unguarded moments — is coveted. They are the paparazzi, purveyors of pix that are the lifeblood of the weekly star-tracking mags and tabs. Their photos demand huge sums of money and are circulated worldwide. And as the public hunger for such glossy grist has grown they've become ever more relentless and ruthless. But starting Jan. 1, there'll be some new reins on the paparazzi parade.

That's when a new California law goes into effect that increases penalties against overly aggressive photographers — dubbed "stalkerazzi" — who forcefully thrust their cameras into famous faces or crash their car into a celebrity's vehicle. They'll now be liable for three times the damages they inflict, plus lose any payments their published photos might earn. Publishers can also be held liable.

"Now the paparazzi are going to have to think twice about chasing down a celebrity anywhere in California," said Assemblywoman Cindy Montanez, who drafted the bill, which was signed into law in October by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. (The former actor had an infamous paparazzi moment in 1998 when they used their cars to surround his SUV as he and wife Maria Shriver picked up their child from school.)

"This law now gives (celebrities) the ability to quash a photograph, and potentially a story (resulting from the photograph), with a frivolous lawsuit in an attempt to keep the public from being informed," he said. "The constitution demands a little bit higher standard before the government puts the kibosh on a newspaper's ability to publish that story."

Source: USA Today

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Bad news for all you readers who expressed interest in contacting Sean Lennon.

Ever since Page Six ran an item last week in which Lennon half-seriously complained he needs a girlfriend, they've been inundated with e-mails and phone calls from women desperate to date the singer/songwriter son of John Lennon.

But while Sean tells Page Six he's very flattered, he says it's unlikely he'll be answering any of the dozens of e-mails we have forwarded to him.

Source: New York Post

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Patrick Cranshaw, who achieved cult-like status as fraternity brother "Blue" in the 2003 comedy "Old School," has died. He was 86.

The veteran character actor died of natural causes Wednesday at his home in Fort Worth, Texas, his personal manager, Jeff Ross, told the Los Angeles Times.

Throughout his career spanning nearly 50 years, Cranshaw had dozens of roles, including a bank teller in "Bonnie and Clyde" and a demolition derby owner in "Herbie: Fully Loaded" (2005). Other credits included "Bandolero" (196 , "Best in Show" (2000) and "The Hudsucker Proxy" (1994), as well as television series "Mork & Mindy" and "The Dukes of Hazzard."

But he was probably best known for his role as elderly frat boy Joseph "Blue" Palasky in "Old School," starring Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell and Vince Vaughn. In the hit comedy, he was about to wrestle two topless girls but dies of an apparent heart attack from overexcitment. After singing "Dust in the Wind" at Blue's funeral, Ferrell's character calls out in agony: "You're my boy, Blue!"

Source: CNN (Thanks for the tip, Brian).

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Actor Macaulay Culkin has signed up to be a contestant on the new series of British reality show Celebrity Big Brother - and TV bosses are hoping he will reveal all about his friendship with Michael Jackson.

The Home Alone star, 25, was reportedly picked because of his troubled childhood and his relationship with pop star Jackson who was acquitted of child abuse charges last year. A source at network Channel 4 tells British newspaper the Daily Star, "This is a great coup for us. And because of his friendship with Michael Jackson, you're almost getting two for the price of one. We were desperate to bag Macaulay because we want some big name Americans who will be controversial and have a troubled history. And he fits the bill nicely because so much has happened to him in his young life. But more importantly he has been privy to Jacko's private world at Neverland."

Culkin will reportedly join basketball star Dennis Rodman and Anna Nicole Smith on the show.

Source: IMDB

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