Kim Kardashian files for divorce

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Reality TV star Kim Kardashian filed for divorce on Monday, just 72 days after marrying basketball player Kris Humphries in a lavish wedding that was billed as a "fairytale."

Kardashian, 31, star of the TV show "Keeping Up With the Kardashians", filed for divorce in Los Angeles Superior Court citing irreconcilable differences.

"After careful consideration, I have decided to end my marriage. I hope everyone understands this was not an easy decision. I had hoped this marriage was forever, but sometimes things don't work out as planned. We remain friends and wish each other the best," Kardashian said in a statement.

The court papers show Kardashian has asked the court to confirm that jewelry and other personal items, as well as earnings before and during the marriage, be considered separate property. It also notes the couple has a prenuptial agreement.

Kardashian and Humphries married on August 20 in southern California in a wedding reported to have cost $10 million, after dating for about nine months. More than three million U.S. viewers watched a two-part TV special earlier this month called "Kim's Fairytale Wedding: A Kardashian event".

But claims of tension in the marriage erupted quickly and have spread across entertainment media for the past week. Some reports have suggested Humphries, a 26-year-old New Jersey Nets basketball player, was reluctant to play his role in the Kardashian brand, and there were differences over where the newlyweds would make their home.

This is the second divorce for Kardashian, who was previously married to music producer Damon Thomas for four years, separating in 2004. Since then, the reality star has had a number of high-profile relationships including R&B singer Ray-J and American football player Reggie Bush.

Kardashian is one of the highest-paid reality stars on U.S. television with 2010 earnings estimated at $6 million from her TV show, clothing line, perfume, jewelry and tanning cream and other product endorsements and appearances.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant and Piya Sinha-Roy; editing by Chris Michaud)

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Christopher Knight files for divorce from Adrianne Curry (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – Attention, ladies; Peter Brady will officially be back on the market soon.

Former "Brady Bunch" actor Christopher Knight filed for divorce from his wife, Adrianne Curry, in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday, drawing their five-year marriage to its final chapter.

Knight, 53, cites "irreconcilable differences" in the divorce papers. The pair separated on May 30 -- the day after their fifth wedding anniversary.

Knight and "America's Next Top Model" season one winner Curry, 29, met while castmates on the fourth season of VH1's "The Surreal Life," and also had a reality series, "My Fair Brady," which ran on VH1 for three seasons from 2005-2008.

Curry took to her Twitter account Wednesday to set matters straight on the divorce, saying that Knight had filed at her request and suggesting that the split was amicable.

"Chris filed cause I TOLD him to. I even announced it the other day :P He paid the 400 fee," Curry wrote, later adding, "I feel like people can't fathom a couple divorcing nicely..we are even having our friends serve each other ... mine was on vid ... hahaha."

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Family in Palin stalker case files complaint (AP)

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The family of a 19-year-old man accused of stalking Sarah Palin is alleging harassment by a Pennsylvania state trooper in connection with the former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate.

A private criminal complaint filed this week in Tamaqua, Pa., says trooper Thomas Powell showed up at Shawn Christy's McAdoo, Pa., home last week and asked the teen if he was planning to attend a book signing featuring Palin and her daughter Bristol at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn. The complaint says Powell told Christy, "You would never go to Minnesota, would you?"

The family said the visit occurred shortly before the event was to start and after Christy called mall security, indicating he might attend. He did not go.

An Alaska state magistrate recently extended a restraining order for Palin against Christy and issued one against his father, Craig Christy, who was accused of barraging Palin's parents with antagonizing telephone messages. Under the orders, which also cover Palin family members, the Christys can attend and protest Palin events, but must stay 1,000 feet from her.

That's an order the Christys have honored, according to Shawn Christy's mother. The Christys do not have an attorney.

"I want people to stop harassing us for crimes we have not committed," Karen Christy said. "If this did not involve a person by the name of Sarah Palin, if this was an ordinary person, a Jane Doe out there, would she be getting the same type of protection?"

Powell's visit to the Christy home was done at the request of Bloomington police, who wanted Pennsylvania authorities to see whether Shawn Christy was there, according to Pennsylvania trooper David Beohm, an agency spokesman. He said the teen was home, but Craig Christy became upset by the visit, and later called Powell's station in Frackville to complain.

"The father was not happy that we were looking for Shawn," Beohm said. He declined to address the allegations in the complaint, which was filed in Craig Christy's name.

Palin — a possible presidential candidate — and her friend, Kristan Cole, originally obtained restraining orders against Shawn Christy last year, stating in court documents that he threatened them, sent a receipt for a gun purchase and said he was buying a one-way ticket to Alaska. This year, Christy flew to Alaska on Palin's February birthday, spending just one day in Anchorage — about 40 miles from Palin's hometown of Wasilla — before returning to Pennsylvania. Authorities monitored the visit.

Palin also has said she feared Christy's parents because of their contentions that she had a sexting relationship with the teen in 2009.

The protective order for Cole was not extended, although she is covered by the restraining orders against Shawn and Craig Christy.

Shawn Christy recently filed a request to dissolve his restraining order. His father also plans to file a request, Karen Christy said.

Palin's attorney, John Tiemessen, declined to comment on the request.

Shawn Christy has said the threats were "stupid pranks" and that he deals with complications from Lyme disease.

He also has acknowledged sending threatening messages in 2009 to President Barack Obama, and to Republican Sen. John McCain, who chose Palin as his running mate in the presidential race the previous year. Christy was apprehended by authorities in Washington, D.C., two years ago. At the request of the Secret Service, he underwent a psychiatric evaluation, which concluded Christy had a sense of grandiosity that "could turn somewhat paranoid," according to court papers.

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Shriver files papers to divorce Schwarzenegger (AP)

By ANTHONY McCARTNEY, AP Entertainment Writer Anthony Mccartney, Ap Entertainment Writer – Fri Jul 1, 11:48 pm ET

LOS ANGELES – Six weeks after Arnold Schwarzenegger revealed he had fathered a child out of wedlock, wife Maria Shriver filed divorce papers Friday to end their marriage of 25 years.

The former television journalist and Kennedy family heiress cited irreconcilable differences but offered no additional details about the breakup.

She also did not list a date when the couple separated, although they announced they had done so on May 9.

A week later, the former California governor and one-time action star admitted he fathered a child with a member of his household staff years ago.

The filing, which Shriver signed nearly two weeks ago, signals an end to a union that began with a storybook wedding on a spring day in 1986 in Cape Cod and brought together a bodybuilder and rising action star and a princess of the Kennedy clan, herself an up-and-coming network newscaster.

They apparently entered marriage with no plans that it would end. Shriver's filing does not indicate the couple had a premarital agreement.

That means Schwarzenegger's earnings from a career as a Hollywood megastar, which allowed him to forgo a salary as governor and commute by private jet to Sacramento, likely will be evenly divided with his estranged wife.

Shriver is seeking spousal support but any amount would be determined later, either through a settlement agreement or by a judge. The divorce is expected to be handled mostly behind closed doors.

Several of Schwarzenegger's biggest hits, including "Predator," "True Lies" and the blockbuster sequel "Terminator 2" were made during his marriage to Shriver.

Shriver became an award-winning television journalist but put her career on hold when Schwarzenegger ran for governor.

Economic disclosure forms filed when Schwarzenegger left as California governor in January show he has interests in at least eight entities each worth $1 million or more. An exact tally of his wealth is impossible to calculate.

The forms also show he still retains rights to intellectual property from his days as a fitness guru and movie star.

Shriver's holdings are more modest but are listed in the disclosure as being worth more than $1 million. She is a member of the Kennedy family and a beneficiary of some of its assets in addition to owning rights and royalties from her work as an author, the filings show.

In recent months, she has appeared in videos posted on YouTube in which she talks about stress in her life, the weight of expectations and the search for faith in a troubled world.

Shriver and Schwarzenegger have four children together, including two sons who are still minors. Shriver's petition seeks joint custody of the teens, who are 17 and 13.

Schwarzenegger's spokesman Adam Mendelsohn declined comment in an email. Shriver's attorney Laura Wasser did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment. Her spokesman Matthew DiGirolamo declined comment.

Shriver stood by her husband's side as he ran for California's governorship in 2003, even after the Los Angeles Times reported accusations by several women that they had been groped by the movie star.

Schwarzenegger later said he "behaved badly sometimes" and was twice elected to the governorship.

He failed to fix the state's chronic budget problems and left office in January with an eye toward environmental projects and a return to the big screen.

One of his projects was an animated collaboration with comic book legend Stan Lee titled "The Governator," but the project was shelved after Schwarzenegger admitted fathering the child out of wedlock. He has disappeared from the public eye in recent weeks and has not announced any plans to resume acting.

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Anthony McCartney can be reached at http://twitter.com/celebritydocket

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Shriver files to divorce Schwarzenegger (AP)

By ANTHONY McCARTNEY, AP Entertainment Writer Anthony Mccartney, Ap Entertainment Writer – 14 mins ago

LOS ANGELES – Maria Shriver filed for divorce Friday from Arnold Schwarzenegger in Los Angeles Superior Court.

The former television journalist and Kennedy family heir filed for divorce in Los Angeles, citing irreconcilable differences. She did not list a date that the couple separated.

The filing comes six weeks after the action star and former governor admitted fathering a child out of wedlock with a member of his household staff.

Shriver's petition seeks joint custody of the couple's sons, ages, 17 and 13.

Schwarzenegger's spokesman Adam Mendelsohn declined comment in an email. Shriver's attorney Laura Wasser did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment.

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R&B diva LaBelle files countersuit in beating case (AP)

By JUAN A. LOZANO, Associated Press Juan A. Lozano, Associated Press – Wed Jun 29, 6:31 am ET

HOUSTON – Veteran R&B diva Patti LaBelle says in a countersuit filed against a West Point cadet who claims she ordered her bodyguards to beat him up outside a Houston airport terminal that the altercation began after the cadet hurled racial insults at her.

But an attorney for the cadet, Richard King, denied his client ever said any racial slurs to LaBelle.

King's attorneys say he was waiting to be picked up by family outside one of the terminals at Bush Intercontinental Airport on March 11 when three of LaBelle's bodyguards attacked him without provocation.

King, who was in his hometown of Houston while on spring break from West Point, filed his lawsuit earlier this month, naming LaBelle, the three bodyguards, one of whom is the singer's son, and two others as defendants.

King's lawyers say the alleged attacked resulted in a concussion and lingering dizziness and headaches for the cadet. A surveillance video from the airport that was previously released by King's attorneys shows the 23-year-old cadet being pushed and punched by two men and a woman, all alleged to be LaBelle's bodyguards.

LaBelle filed a countersuit last week, accusing the cadet of attacking her bodyguards after he directed profane and racial slurs toward the singer.

In the countersuit, LaBelle's lawyers accuse King of being intoxicated, staggering around outside the terminal, screaming obscenities and trying to enter the singer's limousine. King was politely asked to walk away from the vehicle, according to the countersuit. King's attorneys have said the cadet had a few drinks on the flight to Houston but denied he was intoxicated.

"King directed profane and racial slurs towards LaBelle. When LaBelle's son (Zuri Edwards) heard the profanity and racial epithets, he informed King that the woman in the limousine was his mother," the suit said. "Without warning or provocation, King violently and deliberately punched Edwards in the face."

The surveillance video, which has no audio, shows King talking on a cell phone when one of LaBelle's bodyguards appeared to push up against him. It appeared that King then pushed him back. King's attorneys have said King did not push back but was protecting himself from a punch.

The bodyguards told Houston police King attacked them.

King's attorney, John Raley, said LaBelle's claim that the cadet hurled racial slurs at her is part of her "attack" on "an innocent man by telling the same false story they told the police."

"Several eyewitnesses saw and clearly heard the incident. The counter-claim is completely without merit," Raley said in a statement.

The case, which was originally filed in Houston state civil court, has been moved to federal court by LaBelle's attorneys, Raley said.

The initial police investigation named King as the suspect in the case. But since the lawsuit was filed, the Houston police department reopened its investigation and it is also looking into the actions of two officers who were seen on the surveillance video taking photos with LaBelle after the alleged beating.

Raley said the incident was reported to West Point, which suspended the cadet for at least one year and ordered him to go on active duty.

King's lawsuit and LaBelle's countersuit are asking for unspecified damages.

LaBelle's singing career has spanned more than four decades and includes several hit records and two Grammy Awards.

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US astronaut Aldrin files for divorce from third wife (AFP)

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Former US astronaut Buzz Aldrin, 81, has filed for divorce from his third wife after 23 years of marriage, his publicist said Friday.

Aldrin, the second man to set foot on the moon, cited "irreconcilable differences" when filing for divorce from his wife Lois in Los Angeles on Wednesday, media reports said.

The publicist said in a statement that Aldrin "asks that their privacy be respected during this difficult time."

The second human being on the moon after Neil Armstrong on July 20, 1969, Aldrin married his third wife in a huge ceremony on Valentine's Day 1988, when they kissed to "Fly Me to the Moon."

The former fighter pilot, who flew combat missions during the Korean War before his time with NASA, founded a rocket design company in later life and also battled alcoholism and depression.

Aldrin has also written children's books on space, is an avid Twitter user and recorded a song with hip hop artist Snoop Dogg called "Rocket Experience," seeking to inspire a new generation with the desire to conquer space.

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APNewsBreak: Gibson's ex files appeal over lawyer (AP)

By ANTHONY McCARTNEY, AP Entertainment Writer Anthony Mccartney, Ap Entertainment Writer – Wed Jun 8, 10:30 pm ET

LOS ANGELES – Mel Gibson's ex-girlfriend has asked an appeals court to disqualify the Oscar winner's attorneys handling a bitter custody dispute because she consulted with one of their partners in a paternity dispute with another actor.

Attorneys for Oksana Grigorieva asked the California 2nd District Court of Appeal to intervene in the case on Monday. They sought to either disqualify Gibson's attorneys or require a judge hearing the case to review records of the Russian musician's dealings with the firm.

Grigorieva met with a partner in the firm of Kolodny and Anteau in 2008 at Gibson's suggestion, while she was dealing with custody issues involving her son with British actor Timothy Dalton, according to court filings.

The appeal said Gibson's attorneys sought records of the dispute with Dalton, including emails, text messages and other correspondence between the former couple. Dalton played James Bond in two films in the late 1980s.

Stephen Kolodny, one of the Gibson's attorneys handling his dispute with Grigorieva over their infant daughter, said in an email that he would not comment on Grigorieva's appeal.

His partner, Ronald Anteau, has not appeared in the case, but Grigorieva's filing named her discussion with him as important to her current fight with Gibson.

"The matters discussed with Mr. Anteau concerned the same subject matter that has been inquired into in the present case by Stephen Kolodny both in open court and at deposition," her filing said.

Grigorieva asked the court to issue a ruling before a key hearing this month.

Last month, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Scott Gordon ruled that Grigorieva waited too long to raise the issue of a potential conflict with Kolodny's representation of Gibson. She claimed she did not make the connection between her consultation with Anteau and Gibson's attorneys until recently.

Grigorieva wants the appellate court to require the judge to review Anteau's notes of his meeting with her and reconsider the ruling or disqualify Kolodny and Anteau's firm outright.

Gibson and Grigorieva's custody case is by law confidential, as would be any case she had involving Dalton. Her efforts to disqualify Gibson's attorneys have been heard in open court.

The case has spanned 65 hearings and the judge had issued more than 100 rulings. There were thousands of pages of pleadings in the case, and most of Gibson's filings were handled by Kolodny's firm, Gordon said.

Grigorieva's attorney Daniel Horowitz has said his client is dropping domestic violence allegations from the case and probably won't introduce racist and sexist rants made by the "Braveheart" star that were posted by the celebrity website RadarOnline.com.

That announcement nearly two months was made after Gibson pleaded no contest to misdemeanor domestic violence in a case involving a January 2010 fight. The actor was sentenced to serve 16 hours of community service, which he has performed in recent days with Mending Kids International in Guatemala.

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Anthony McCartney can be reached at http://twitter.com/celebritydocket

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APNewsBreak: Gibson's ex files appeal over lawyer (AP)

By ANTHONY McCARTNEY, AP Entertainment Writer Anthony Mccartney, Ap Entertainment Writer – Wed Jun 8, 2:53 pm ET

LOS ANGELES – Mel Gibson's ex-girlfriend has asked an appeals court to disqualify the Oscar winner's attorneys handling a bitter custody dispute because she consulted with one of their partners in a paternity dispute with another actor.

Attorneys for Oksana Grigorieva asked the California 2nd District Court of Appeal to intervene in the case on Monday. They sought to either disqualify Gibson's attorneys or require a judge hearing the case to review records of the Russian musician's dealings with the firm.

Grigorieva met with a partner in the firm of Kolodny and Anteau in 2008 at Gibson's suggestion, while she was dealing with custody issues involving her son with British actor Timothy Dalton, according to court filings.

The appeal said Gibson's attorneys sought records of the dispute with Dalton, including emails, text messages and other correspondence between the former couple. Dalton played James Bond in two films in the late 1980s.

Stephen Kolodny, one of the Gibson's attorneys handling his dispute with Grigorieva over their infant daughter, said in an email that he would not comment on Grigorieva's appeal.

His partner, Ronald Anteau, has not appeared in the case, but Grigorieva's filing named her discussion with him as important to her current fight with Gibson.

"The matters discussed with Mr. Anteau concerned the same subject matter that has been inquired into in the present case by Stephen Kolodny both in open court and at deposition," her filing said.

Grigorieva asked the court to issue a ruling before a key hearing this month.

Last month, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Scott Gordon ruled that Grigorieva waited too long to raise the issue of a potential conflict with Kolodny's representation of Gibson. She claimed she did not make the connection between her consultation with Anteau and Gibson's attorneys until recently.

Grigorieva wants the appellate court to require the judge to review Anteau's notes of his meeting with her and reconsider the ruling or disqualify Kolodny and Anteau's firm outright.

Gibson and Grigorieva's custody case is by law confidential, as would be any case she had involving Dalton. Her efforts to disqualify Gibson's attorneys have been heard in open court.

The case has spanned 65 hearings and the judge had issued more than 100 rulings. There were thousands of pages of pleadings in the case, and most of Gibson's filings were handled by Kolodny's firm, Gordon said.

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Anthony McCartney can be reached at http://twitter.com/celebritydocket

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Union files complaint to stop move of NYC Opera (AP)

NEW YORK – A union representing New York City Opera workers has filed a federal complaint saying the financially troubled company's plans to move out of Lincoln Center after 45 years are aimed at undermining performers' labor rights.

The American Guild of Musical Artists says the move to a smaller venue and a shorter schedule will mean less work for union members. It filed a complaint Thursday with the National Labor Relations Board saying the opera should have negotiated with the union.

The union represents about 200 opera workers, including about 50 choristers and 10 production workers.

An opera spokeswoman says the filing is without merit. The opera announced last week it was moving out of Lincoln Center and will do only three full-scale operas next season instead of five.

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