Random House is offering refunds to readers who bought James Frey's drug and alcohol memoir "A Million Little Pieces" directly from the publisher, following accusations the author exaggerated his story.

Readers calling Random House's customer service line to complain on Wednesday were told that if the book was bought directly from the publisher it could be returned for a full refund. Those who bought the book at a bookstore were told to try and return it to the store where it was bought.

"If the book was bought directly from us we will refund the purchase price in full," one Random House customer service told Reuters, adding that readers would have to return the book with the original invoice. "If you bought it at a book store, we ask that you return the book to the book store."

Only a small portion of consumers buy books directly from publishers. However, the agent said Random House normally sells books to consumers as nonrefundable but is offering refunds on Frey's book "because of the controversy surrounding it."

Source: Yahoo

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Melissa Joan Hart, best known as the star of TV's Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and her musician husband, Mark Wilkerson, welcomed their first child, a baby boy, on Wednesday.

Mason Walter Wilkerson was born at 4:19 p.m. in Los Angeles, and weighed in at 9 lbs. exactly. "He was a little stubborn, but all is well," the actress said. "Everyone is well and we are all relieved."

Source: People

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Denim giant Levi Strauss said on Tuesday it had designed jeans compatible with the iPod music player, featuring a joystick in the watch pocket to operate the device. Obviously, this was designed to compete with the iBoxer - iPod-ready underwear.

The Levi's RedWire DLX Jeans for men and women, which will be available this fall, also have a built-in docking cradle for the iPod and retractable headphones. Pricing was not immediately available.

Haute couture fashion houses began featuring pricey iPod carrying cases after the device's 2001 launch, while outdoor company Burton Snowboards unveiled what it called the first iPod-compatible waterproof snowboarding jacket in 2003.

Last fall, Los Angeles-based manufacturer Kenpo launched men's jackets selling at Macy's for between $275 and $350, featuring iPod controls on the sleeve.

If you're keeping track of iPod-ready clothing, Play Underwear also introduced the iBoxer - iPod-ready underwear. The Play iBoxer is a cotton/spandex blend button fly boxer, with a discreet front pocket which is perfect for holding an iPod, other mp3 players or your cell phone. The Boxer is available in solid colors and the solid waistband features a racing stripe and the Play logos. If you buy 2 pairs of the Play iBox Boxer, youÂ’ll receive 3 free iTunes.

Source: Impact Lab

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Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vowed to update his driver's license after police determined he had been riding his Harley Davidson illegally when he got into a minor accident last weekend.

Police did not cite the governor because they arrived after the accident. Officers referred their findings to the city attorney's office, which will determine whether Schwarzenegger should be cited for an infraction.

Schwarzenegger "will move forward to get the appropriate endorsement," the governor's spokeswoman, Margita Thompson, said Tuesday, two days after the accident that left him with 15 stitches in his upper lip.

Source: CNN

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Mideast Barbie:

Move over Barbie, veiled is beautiful. The physical ideal of Muslim girls increasingly includes the hijab, as evidenced by toy shops' best-selling doll "Fulla" and the string of showbiz stars opting to cover up.

The dark-eyed and olive-skinned Fulla has replaced her American rival's skimpy skirts with more modest "outdoor fashion" and Barbie's luxuriant blonde mane with an Islamic veil.

"Fulla sells better because it is closer to our Arab values: she never reveals a leg or an arm," says Tarek Mohammed, chief salesman at a Toys'R'Us branch in Mohandessin, one of Cairo's more upmarket neighborhoods.

The Arab answer to Barbie has been selling like hot cakes for Eid Al-Adha, the most important holiday in the Muslim calendar, not least because it is cheaper than its American rival, although both are made in China. Fulla is not the first Islamic doll but none of her predecessors have taken the regional market by storm like she has, selling some two million since its creation two years ago by the Emirates-based NewBoy Design Studio.

Source: Yahoo

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Like we didn't already know, but now it's OFFICIAL:

Angelina Jolie is expecting a baby this summer with Brad Pitt. "Yes, I'm pregnant," Jolie told a charity aid worker in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Monday. The pregnancy has since been confirmed by representatives of both stars.

This is the first biological child for Jolie, 30, who is already the mother of son Maddox, 4, whom she adopted from Cambodia, and daughter Zahara, 1, adopted from Ethiopia in July.

Source: People

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Lindsay Lohan is "appalled" by the Vanity Fair article released last week in which she confessed to dabbling in drug and battling bulimia.

The Vanity Fair story, which hit newsstands nationally Tuesday and was widely reported last week, made headlines for the 19-year-old actress' acknowledgment that she dabbled in drugs "a little."

The magazine also quoted Lohan on her drastic weight loss last year: "I was making myself sick," she said. The article, written by Evgenia Peretz, noted Lohan was "referring to bulimic episodes." Lohan also said, "I knew I had a problem and I couldn't admit it."

However, in a statement released Tuesday to Teen People magazine, Lohan denied having bulimia and said, "The words that I gave to the writer for Vanity Fair were misused and misconstrued, and I'm appalled with the way it was done." An editor for Teen People said Lohan's denial was regarding Vanity Fair's reporting of her alleged bulimia, not drug use.

"Aside from (the writer's) lies and changing of my words, I am blessed to have this job and wonderful family that I do," Lohan's statement read. Vanity Fair, in a statement of its own, stood by its story. "Evgenia Peretz is one of our most reliable reporters," the magazine said. "Every word Lindsay Lohan told her is on tape. Vanity Fair stands by the story.

Source: AZ Central

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Calling her a victim of "Couture Chaos," fashion guru Mr. Blackwell on Tuesday named Britney Spears the worst dressed star of 2005. "From the 'Princess of Pop' to the ultimate 'Fashion Flop,'" sneers Blackwell of Spears, claiming the new mom "looks like an over-the-hill Lolita."

But Spears isn't the only celeb to be skewered by Blackwell, the former designer whose scathing "Worst Dressed" lists have been tweaking the noses of Hollywood goddesses for the past 46 years. (Paris Hilton's great-aunt, Zsa Zsa Gabor, got so tired of making Blackwell's list that she once broke down and hired him to design a gown for her).

Also receiving his disapproval, in rankings from 2 to 10, accompanied by his usual sarcasm, often set to rhyme are:

• Mary Kate Olsen: "In bag lady rags that look depressingly decayed – forget the 'accessories' and buy some Raid."
• Jessica Simpson: "It's time to sack the stylist and divorce the designer … she resembles a cut-rate Rapunzel slingin' hash in a Vegas diner."
• Eva Longoria: "Gorgeous face, garish taste ... what a waste."
• Mariah Carey: "The world applauds your musical emancipation ... but please – leave that body to our imagination."
• Paris Hilton: The Burger Queen Sensation may be very rich – but she still looks like yesterday's cheesecake ... with a side of kitsch."
• Anna Nicole Smith: "Queen Kong."
• Shakira: "Coiffure by Medusa ... clothes by the Marquis De Sade."
• Lindsay Lohan: "The Teen Scream defines 'Fashion Fright' – looks like she's aged 30 years overnight."
• Renee Zellweger: "Runs the gamut from Kewpi Doll Dreck to Red Carpet Wreck … she looks like a painted pumpkin – on a pogo stick."

Hollywood's best dressed have not gone unnoticed by Blackwell. Among those anointed his Fabulous Fashion Independents of 2005: Reese Witherspoon, Kirsten Dunst, Kathy Hilton, Dionne Warwick, Nicole Kidman, Carolina Herrera, Scarlett Johansson, Kate Moss, Natalie Portman and even the widow of "Moon River" composer Henry Mancini, Ginny Mancini.

Source: People

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Gennifer Flowers is steamed: A federal appeals court has dismissed a defamation lawsuit she filed against Sen. Hillary Clinton and former Bill Clinton advisers James Carville and George Stephanopoulos.

"I'm extremely disappointed," Flowers said. "It's been a David and Goliath story, and unfortunately Goliath has gotten the upper hand." Flowers sued the trio in 1999 after they suggested on a talk show that the audiotapes she used to try to prove her affair with the former horndog-in-chief were doctored. The former lounge singer, who held a press conference during the 1992 presidential campaign to announce that she had a 12-year affair with the then-Arkansas governor, was represented for free by conservative group Judicial Watch before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which unanimously dismissed the case on Monday.

Source: New York Post

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Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey have sold their Calabasas, CA home. The 5-bedroom, 6,500 square-foot Mediterranean-style house, featured in the couple's MTV reality series "Newlyweds," was listed at $3.75 million and was sold for an undisclosed amount to "Malcolm in the Middle" actor Justin Berfield, who has been a long-time family friend of the Simpsons.

Berfield also has his 1930s Spanish-style Studio City, CA, house up for sale -- which included former past celeb owners such as George Clooney and Jaime Pressly.

Source: ET

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Pop superstar Britney Spears is smarting after the value of her New York apartment plummeted by more than $1 million in just three months.

The singer's luxury penthouse abode was first put on the market at $6 million, but is now being offered for $4.95 million, according to New York Magazine.

Spears has owned the three-bedroom apartment for several years, but first decided to put it on the market when she became pregnant and opted to move to the US west coast with husband Kevin Federline.

Source: Teen Hollywood

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Steve-O has got Paris Hilton into trouble by implying he may have given her drugs before her recent car crash.

The ex-Jackass star appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Thursday and told the eponymous host that he spent a night with Hilton and boyfriend Stavros Niarchos III.

He said: "I walked into this nightclub to go and meet her and her billionaire boyfriend. I was just clinking and clanking with little nitrous (oxide) cartridges and filling up balloons - I probably shouldn't say that, but whoops! It's funny (but) half an hour before Paris Hilton had that car crash I might have given her some mind-altering substances."

Source: Digital Spy

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Naomi Campbell conquered her fear of death by literally looking it straight in the face.

The supermodel's adopted "mother," Mary Blackwell, wife of Island Records founder Chris Blackwell, passed away last year and "the funeral home had done this makeup for her, it was awful," Campbell said. "I wiped it off her, redid everything, fixed her hair. I've never spent so much time with a body before," she told the London Observer. "It was a big learning experience because it made me not afraid of death anymore."

Source: New York Post

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Budding acting talent including former Dawson's Creek actress Michelle Williams and Mexican hunk Gael Garcia Bernal have been tipped for the new Orange Rising Star award at this year's Baftas.

They are joined on the glittering shortlist by Mean Girls star Rachel Mcadams as well as British actors James Mcavoy, who starred as Mr. Tumnus in the movie adaptation of The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe, and Love Actually's Chiwetel Ejiofor.

The five nominees were whittled down from a host of aspiring stars by a panel including Cate Blanchett and Sir Alan Parker, with the winner set to be announced at the London award ceremony next month.

Source: Teen Hollywood

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Jonathan Rhys-Meyers says he couldn't help sneaking a peek at Scarlett Johansson's breasts while filming Match Point.

Jonathan revealed that Scarlett, 21, banned him from looking at her breasts during love scenes - but he did anyway. The 28-year-old Irish actor told Unscripted: "I remember (Scarlett) telling me not to look at her t**s. And I was trying to be a gentleman and sort of asking for a glimpse. "But I did sneak a peek - I couldn't help it, they were in my face."

Jonathan said he had no problem "acting" his part as Scarlett's lover in the Woody Allen film. "It was easy work doing the sex scenes, I'd be lying if I said it wasn't," he added. "She has lovely lips and she's a great kisser. Being able to maul her for 30 seconds, I was able to embrace that side of me and the film became easier."

Source: Ananova

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On January 9 (Monday), Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera became the longest-running show in the history of Broadway.

It was performance No. 7,486, surpassing producer Cameron Mackintosh and Lloyd Webber's Cats by one performance.

Source: Yahoo

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According to court documents, Nick Lachey has sued estranged spouse Jessica Simpson for ending their marriage three months before the pair contractually agreed to stay together.

“Mr. Lachey signed over to Ms. Simpson all royalties from ’98 Degrees’ songs, his appearance on an MTV reality show to promote her albums and perfume line, and his soul in exchange for 41 months of marriage that would keep him in the public spotlight,” wrote Lachey’s attorney. “The couple has been married only 38 months and Ms. Simpson is in violation of the contract, ending the union early.”

In a written response, SimpsonÂ’s lawyers argued that since Lachey would continue to receive publicity until the divorce is official in several months, she is still fulfilling her contractual obligations.

“I hope Katie Holmes is paying attention to this,” said one source close to Lachey. “These Hollywood stars feel free to play fast and loose with marriage contracts and they think they have so much power you can’t do anything about it. The lack of morals sickens me.”

--Not sure I'm buying this, but I thought I'd bring it to your attention anyway.

Source: Dateline Hollywood

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1 Sounds like someone is trying to enforce a personal services contract. Kind of makes it look like the marriage was a public relations sham from the get go, doesn't it? Assuming, of course, that any of it is true.

Posted by: RP at January 10, 2006 10:40 AM (LlPKh)

2 How romantic.

Posted by: Kelly at January 10, 2006 11:08 AM (6vP9X)

3 i'm hoping that thius is untrue, because it makes my head hurt. "contractually stay together"? what happened to good ol' "i love you, and want to spend the rest of my life with you"?

Posted by: marie b. at January 10, 2006 12:45 PM (SLhGX)

4 Um, does offering up your "soul" constitute adequate consideration? What a load of crap.

Posted by: Amanda at January 10, 2006 04:14 PM (h/JAR)

5 it makes me feel betrayed - the hox on us - was it for real? i think the simpson family should be ashamed - their daughters could be more than just pretty singers - what kind of message does that send? how unfair that these 2 get everything in the world for not really doing much while so many people suffer

Posted by: k at January 27, 2006 10:20 PM (h/k15)

6 it's sad that they divorced but if anything I thik that they should get back together they were a really cute couple! As of Jessica and her sister they do work hard. If they didn't then they wouldn't be where they are today and Nick he will do great on his own. He did it before he could do it again!

Posted by: Lu Lu at March 20, 2006 11:12 AM (osUaX)

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After starring in the ABC sitcom “Freddie,” Freddie Prinze Jr. has started teaching a sitcom writing class at the UCLA Extension School. The show is built around Prinze’s eagerness to please where he plays Freddie Moreno, a bachelor living with a house full of women.

“After starring in this show for half a season, I thought I’d share my talents with aspiring comedy writers,” says Freddie. “The writers on my show come up with the funniest lines on television every week, and I’ve learned so much about being naturally funny with those lines they write for me.”

“I’m trying to break into sitcom writing,” says 43 year old Martin Vanison. “Then I saw in the course book that Freddie Prinze, Jr. was teaching a sitcom writing course this semester, and I signed up right away. If anyone knows anything about comedy, it’s Freddie Prinze, Jr.”

--Has anyone watched his show? It looks terrible.

Source: Dateline Hollywood

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Usher has a new squeeze: his stylist, Tameka Foster. They frolicked in the waves off St. Barts recently and were close while visiting Aspen.

Foster has three children and is separated from her husband, Ryan Glover. A flack for Foster said she and Usher were just friends. Usher's reps said he was vacationing "with friends and members of his entourage, which included Tameka."

Source: New York Post

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'Surreal Life' star Adrianne Curry lashed out at Tyra Banks in an interview in the February issue of skin mag Playboy, reports New York Daily News.

"She's really mean. She's Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde," said Curry. Curry continued, "She can be the sweetest person in the world, but once that camera is off, she's Naomi Campbell, in your face."

The 23-year-old was the original winner on Banks' 'America's Next Top Model' reality series. Since the show ended, Curry hasn't been shy about complaining that Banks and the show's producers didn't help her win modeling contracts.

--Idiot move.

Source: AZ Central

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