May 16, 2008 1:02 pm US/Eastern
Ellen Marrying Portia, Britney Hangs With Mel
Plus, Hollywood P.I. found guilty, and Angelina talks about giving birth
By TARA LIPINSKY, WCBSTV.COM
NEW YORK (AP) ―
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Kevin Winter/Getty Images
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DeGeneres, de Rossi plan to marry,
LOS ANGELES (AP) Ellen DeGeneres is putting the California Supreme Court ruling in favor of gay marriage into action -- she and Portia de Rossi plan to wed, DeGeneres announced during a taping of her talk show.
DeGeneres was taping the episode of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" on Thursday, the day the state's high court struck down California laws against gay marriage, and it was to air Friday, a person close to the production said.
The person, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.
Citing the court's ruling, DeGeneres said she and girlfriend de Rossi ("Ally McBeal," "Nip/Tuck") would be getting married.
De Rossi, 35, who was in the studio, and DeGeneres, 50, were applauded by audience members, the person close to the production said.
Calls and e-mails late Thursday to DeGeneres' publicist were not immediately returned.
The court ruling means same-sex couples could tie the knot in as little as a month. However, religious and social conservatives are seeking to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot in November that would undo the Supreme Court ruling and ban gay marriage.
DeGeneres has boldly used TV before to make a stand for gay rights.
In 1997, she brought her character on the ABC sitcom "Ellen" out of the closet, making the show the first on prime-time network TV to have an openly gay lead. The move drew cheers from gay civil rights organizations but was condemned by some religious groups.
A month before, DeGeneres had proclaimed from the cover of Time magazine that she was a lesbian.
DeGeneres and the glamorous de Rossi have been a familiar couple at Hollywood events, including the Academy Awards. Previously, DeGeneres had a high-profile relationship with actress Anne Heche.
In a 2005 interview with Allure magazine, the comedian said she hoped she and de Rossi are "together the rest of our lives."
"I never would have thought my life would have turned out this way," DeGeneres told the magazine. "To have money. Or to have a gorgeous girlfriend. I just feel so lucky with everything in my life right now."
Spears' and Gibson Weekend Together
Two stars with troubled pasts are reportedly hanging out together this weekend. Britney Spears is reportedly headed to Mel Gibson's home in Costa Rica. But, it's not what you think. Spears' Father and Gibson's wife will also be there.
Gibson and Spears were neighbors in Malibu. They started spending time together following Spears' public meltdown and hospital stay in February.
No Decision on Brangie Twins Birthplace
Angelina Jolie says she and partner Brad Pitt have not decided yet where she will give birth to the couple's twins.
While answering questions during the Cannes Film Festival, the actress told a reporter that no decision had been made, but the pair is definitely considering France.
The couple's first biological child, Shiloh, was born in Namibia.
Hollywood P.I. Found Guilty
The nine-week trial of Hollywood private investigator Anthony Pellicano often had seamy plot lines and suspense worthy of a movie: death threats, offers of murder and extramarital affairs.
But for those who believe they were targets of Pellicano's ruthless tactics, reality could be terrifying. Their cars were vandalized, their homes broken into and, worst of all, they say, their private conversations were wiretapped.
On Thursday, they welcomed the 64-year-old private investigator's conviction on racketeering and wiretapping charges.
"We are certainly relieved," said actor Keith Carradine, whose phones prosecutors say were wiretapped by Pellicano in May 2001. "We're grateful the jury came to the right conclusion."
Carradine and others who spoke to The Associated Press recounted how they were harassed and intimidated by Pellicano and his cohorts to help his clients gain a tactical advantage in legal and other disputes.
Erin Finn said she was involved with a Pellicano client, former Hollywood Records president Robert Pfeifer, who testified that he paid the private eye $225,000 to eavesdrop on her. Finn had been deposed in a wrongful-termination lawsuit filed by Pfeifer in 2000 against a former employer, and her testimony threatened to undermine his chances of winning.
Finn said she was followed, her car was vandalized and she believed her phone was wiretapped. As a countermeasure, she played talk radio into her receiver and used pay phones instead.
"I think that scared them a little bit," said Finn, who has filed a lawsuit against Pellicano and others.
Carradine, who also has filed a civil suit, testified that his trailer was broken into and threats were made against family members of his then-girlfriend Hayley Dumond in 2001. Carradine was involved in a child custody dispute with his ex-wife, Sandra Will Carradine, who has pleaded guilty to two counts of perjury in the case.
Carradine said he has gone to great lengths since the Pellicano incident to make sure his family is secure, including installing security cameras. Dumond, now Carradine's wife, said she still looks over her shoulder to see if she's being followed.
"We had our lives broken into," Carradine said. "The feeling of violation is so profound it gives me shivers to think about it today. The depth of which they invaded our privacy is appalling."
Representatives for Sylvester Stallone and Garry Shandling, who prosecutors said also were Pellicano targets, declined to comment on the verdict.
A number of subplots played out during the trial.
Jurors watched as an uncomfortable Chris Rock testified about a model he believed was trying to shake him down. They saw a confounded Shandling study his name on a police records audit and a stoic, one-time superagent Michael Ovitz recount how he had hired Pellicano to find the source of negative news stories about a company he was selling.
But the biggest power brokers with links to Pellicano, such as famed entertainment attorney Bert Fields, Paramount studio head Brad Grey and Ovitz, insisted they didn't know about his methods and weren't charged.
The jury convicted Pellicano of racketeering and racketeering conspiracy, along with wiretapping, wire fraud, identity theft and manufacture or possession of a wiretapping device. He was acquitted of a charge of unauthorized computer access.
The racketeering counts each carry a maximum of 20 years in prison, while most of the other counts have five-year maximum sentences. Sentencing was set for Sept. 24, and U.S. District Judge Dale Fischer ordered Pellicano to remain in custody.
The jury also found four co-defendants guilty of a variety of charges.
Mark Arneson, a former Los Angeles police sergeant, and former telephone company worker Rayford Earl Turner were convicted of racketeering and racketeering conspiracy. Abner Nicherie, a Pellicano client, was convicted of aiding and abetting a wiretap.
Kevin Kachikian, a software designer who created a wiretapping program, was convicted of conspiracy to wiretap and manufacturing or possession of a wiretap device. He was acquitted of nine wiretapping counts.
The indictment charging Pellicano and his supporting cast in February 2006 had Hollywood buzzing with speculation about who might be snared in the investigation and what secrets might be revealed.
Fourteen people were charged and seven, including film director John McTiernan and Pfeifer, have pleaded guilty to charges including perjury and conspiracy.
Former reporter Anita Busch was in court Thursday when the verdict was read, nodding her head as the judge ticked off the "guiltys" against the defendants. It was Busch who reported finding a dead fish with a rose in its mouth on her car in June 2002 that led to the federal investigation.
She testified during the trial that she was terrorized for months after co-writing a series of unflattering articles about alleged financial troubles at Ovitz's Artists Management Group. Ovitz testified that he hired Pellicano to find out who was behind the stories.
Busch, who filed her own lawsuit, said she was grateful to the jury, judge and law enforcement officers who helped in the investigation but believes there's more that might be revealed during a civil trial.
"The full story of Pellicano's reach has yet to be told," she said in a statement. "To Pellicano and his wealthy clients 'winning' meant completely obliterating someone's life and livelihood."
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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