Reese Witherspoon hit by car during jog in Calif. (AP)

SANTA MONICA, Calif. – Actress Reese Witherspoon was struck by a car while jogging near Los Angeles on Wednesday morning and suffered minor injuries.

Santa Monica police Sgt. Richard Lewis says the Oscar-winning actress was hit by a car driven by an 84-year-old woman.

Witherspoon was running in an unmarked crosswalk in Santa Monica when the driver struck her at about 20 mph. The 35-year-old actress was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

Lewis says the driver was cited for failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk.

Witherspoon's portrayal of June Carter in the 2005 film "Walk the Line" won her a best-actress Oscar.

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Arpaio, Seagal deny dog killing claim during raid (AP)

PHOENIX – Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and actor Steven Seagal deny accusations by a Phoenix man and his lawyer that a family dog was killed during a raid for Seagal's reality TV show.

The sheriff's office said in a news release the allegation is without merit. Seagal added he's outraged.

The action movie actor was participating in the raid as a special deputy sheriff for his show "Steven Seagal Lawman" on the A&E cable channel. His movie credits include "Under Siege," "Above the Law" and "Fire Down Below."

Seagal and numerous deputies and posse members were present March 9 during a raid at the home of Jesus Llovera. In the claim, Llovera says an 11-month-old puppy was killed along with 100 roosters.

According to witnesses at the raid, a dog was present on Llovera's property when deputies and SWAT team members, including Seagal, entered the premises with a search warrant to arrest Llovera on cockfighting charges and seize all evidence pertaining to the crime.

Arpaio said there's no evidence to back up the claim that his officers killed a dog.

"If my deputies, or posse man Seagal for that matter, had done something so awful like shooting a family dog, then where are the photos to prove it?" Arpaio asked.

Llovera's attorney, Robert Campos, told The Associated Press Friday his client didn't accuse Steven Seagal of killing an animal on his property in a notice of claim filed against the sheriff's office.

"My client never accused Seagal of having anything to do with the death of his puppy," Campos said. "He (Llovera) just wanted an apology from Seagal for his role in the destruction of my client's home, property and animals."

In Llovera's claim, the sheriff's office and Seagal are accused of setting off explosives to create a distraction and confusion. The claim says Seagal was free to commandeer a tank and crash through an iron gate on the southeast corner of Llovera's property in southwest Phoenix.

Llovera is seeking $25,000 against the sheriff's office for humiliation, emotional distress and property damage.

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Cracker front man marries during university class (AP)

ATHENS, Ga. – Cracker front man David Lowery has married his band's manager, Velena Vego, during a music business class at the University of Georgia.

Lowery told The Associated Press that the pair exchanged vows Thursday in a brief ceremony on the campus in Athens. Lowery, who began teaching for UGA's music business program earlier this year, said Patterson Hood of the Drive-By Truckers was best man.

He said he and Vego were first married a year ago in California but never filed the paperwork. He said the pair wanted to make their four-year relationship official.

Lowery started Camper Van Beethoven in 1983 but grew to prominence with Cracker, which produced such hits as "Low" and "Get Off This." He also founded Sound of Music Studios in Richmond, Va.

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Jackson doctor asks to sequester jury during trial (AP)

By ANTHONY McCARTNEY, AP Entertainment Writer Anthony Mccartney, Ap Entertainment Writer – Fri Aug 19, 9:34 pm ET

LOS ANGELES – The doctor charged in Michael Jackson's death has asked a judge to sequester jurors in the physician's upcoming involuntary manslaughter trial, citing coverage of the Casey Anthony case and the threat of information leaks on social media.

The filing Thursday by attorneys for Dr. Conrad Murray said information from those sources could interfere with the right of Dr. Conrad Murray to receive a fair trial.

It cited the increased ratings for HLN and commentator Nancy Grace, who featured the Anthony case on her show on a nightly basis and believed Anthony was guilty.

It also said her show and others are likely to include discussions of Murray's case that aren't limited to testimony or evidence presented in the courtroom, along with expert commentary and information.

Jurors will be prohibited from accessing those media reports, but the defense fears the coverage will be so pervasive that exposure to some of that information is unavoidable.

"There is sincere danger that a well-meaning juror will be more impressed with an `expert' on television than one presented by the parties at trial," the filing states.

A Florida jury that was sequestered acquitted Anthony of killing her daughter.

Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor has been reluctant to sequester the jury in Murray's case, saying it is an extreme measure last used in Los Angeles during O.J. Simpson's 1995 murder trial.

District attorney's spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons declined comment, saying prosecutors would only respond to the motion in court. A hearing on the issue is scheduled Thursday.

The filing also cites the danger of jurors learning about the case through social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Both sites are blocked by the court's public wireless network inside the criminal courthouse, but the motion notes that jurors could access the sites on their phones or outside the courthouse.

"The possibilities are endless for jurors to find and communicate information from the many websites on the Internet such as Facebook, Twitter and Google," the motion states.

Murray has pleaded not guilty. He could face up to four years in prison if convicted.

The Houston-based cardiologist is accused of giving Jackson a lethal dose of the anesthetic propofol and other sedatives in the bedroom of his rented mansion in June 2009.

Jury selection in Murray's case is scheduled to begin on Sept. 8, with opening statements slated to begin on Sept. 27.

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

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During 'Elvis Week,' fans remember pivotal year (AP)

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Elvis Presley fans love an anniversary.

Every year, thousands of Elvis devotees flock to Memphis to remember the singer's death on Aug. 16, 1977. The main event of "Elvis Week" is the solemn candlelight vigil at Graceland, his longtime home, at midnight Tuesday.

This year, fans have something else to commemorate. It was 55 years ago — 1956 — when the first two Elvis albums were released, launching an international music career that brought Elvis' mix of country, rhythm and blues, and gospel to millions of fans around the world.

"It's a documentation of what I think is rock music's most incredible year," said Ernst Jorgensen, a music producer and Elvis catalog expert. "Nobody was prepared for Elvis."

To mark Elvis' breakout year, Jorgensen and his team have assembled a five-CD box set called "Young Man with the Big Beat." Jorgensen will be unveiling the RCA/Legacy box set Monday at Graceland. The collection goes on sale Sept. 27.

The set includes not only the five CDs, but also an 80-page book that provides a daily chronology of Elvis' year though photos, postcards, fan letters, magazine covers and other memorabilia. The set also includes rare photos, posters and a replica concert ticket stub.

The first two CDs in the set are packed with music from the debut LP "Elvis Presley" and the follow up "Elvis." Those seminal albums had some of Elvis' most well-known songs: "Heartbreak Hotel," "Blue Suede Shoes," "Don't Be Cruel," "Hound Dog," "Love Me Tender" and more.

Those tunes, recorded in New York, Memphis, Nashville, Tenn., and Hollywood, Calif., helped sell 10 million singles and 800,000 LPs in 1956 alone. They also brought Elvis to television on Milton Berle's show, where he gave a hip-swiveling performance that excited his young fans and shocked their parents.

Elvis' stage presence, soulful voice and love of songs he heard growing up in Memphis put him in a unique position alongside other rock pioneers of his time: Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Bill Haley, Fats Domino.

"We were fascinated about how this one man seemed to change the entire music business in America in 12 months," Jorgensen said.

But it was the first album, which included "Trying to Get to You" and Ray Charles' "I Got a Woman," that author Peter Guralnick said is the more important of the two 1956 albums.

"I would look at the first album as an American songbook. It's an homage to all the great genres of American music," said Guralnick, who wrote two Elvis biographies, "Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley" and "Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley."

The third CD in the set features rare live recordings that have been re-mastered. They include songs from a previously unreleased concert in Shreveport, La., in December 1956, and a Las Vegas concert where he bombed in front of an older audience.

Jorgensen said he is always looking for undiscovered gems like the Shreveport concert that can make Elvis' music new to longtime fans.

"You try to get all the pieces to the puzzle," Jorgensen said.

The fourth CD in the set features outtakes from the first RCA recording session in January of that year, and a February session in which Elvis does 12 takes of "Shake, Rattle And Roll."

The fifth CD includes interviews and two segments of Elvis' rare monologue, "The Truth About Me." The outtakes and interviews display a sensitive, emotional side of Elvis amid a great deal of criticism.

Guralnick said the criticism didn't start until Elvis became a national star, and it was based on class and social prejudice. It really bothered Elvis when critics put down his fans, Guralnick said.

"He was extremely outspoken that this was unfair, and that every generation needs to have its own style of music," said Guralnick, who showed a documentary of Sam Phillips, the producer man who discovered Elvis, Saturday at the University of Memphis.

Fans can pre-order "Young Man with the Big Beat" for $109.99 at Elvis1956.com, or wait until Sept. 27 and pay a suggested retail price of $139.98.

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Colin Farrell opens up during `Fright Night' panel (AP)

By SANDY COHEN, AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen, Ap Entertainment Writer – Fri Jul 22, 11:26 pm ET

SAN DIEGO – Colin Farrell plays a vampire in his latest film, but he says almost any role will do: He just loves being an actor.

The 35-year-old opened up during a panel featuring the update of "Fright Night" Friday at the Comic-Con fan convention.

When a fan asked whether he preferred his earlier starring roles or his more recent character parts, Farrell said that in the last six years, he "reconnected with the mystery of the whole thing and the imagination of the whole thing and how much fun it is to be an actor."

"I came to success really quickly in relation to most other actors," he said. "The idea of how fast the chaos around me took grip, it's insane. And I, myself personally, I lost sight of why I went to my first acting class when I was 17 in Dublin ... I lost sight of that through this good fortune I was experiencing in Hollywood. So in the last six years I reconnected with the Colin who was 17.

"It's a lot of fun to do what we do. It's such a fortunate place to find yourself," he said.

He plays the vampire-next-door Jerry Dandrige in "Fright Night," a reimagining of the 1985 horror classic that's set for release Aug. 19.

Farrell took the stage again later in the day for a panel about the reboot of "Total Recall." He plays Doug Quaid, the same role originated by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1990 original.

Farrell's description of his character's arc echoes what the actor has experienced in his own life: "I loved the idea of a man journeying from being a man in a deep, deep slumber to consciousness," he said.

He described his character's battle in the film as one between the intellectual and the emotional.

"Total Recall" director Len Wiseman said that while his version is totally different from the first film, it also draws from the original source material: Philip K. Dick's story "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale."

Besides Farrell, the film stars Jessica Biel, Bryan Cranston, Bill Nighy, John Cho and Kate Beckinsale. It is set for release next summer.

Comic-Con continues through Sunday at the San Diego Convention Center.

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AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen can be reached a www.twitter.com/APSandy.

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Rihanna escapes fire during Dallas show (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap) – Rihanna lit up Texas when a fire broke out on stage during her "Loud" tour stop in Dallas.

Sparks flew and smoke sizzled in the packed American Airlines Center on Friday night as Rihanna was ushered off stage. No injuries were reported.

The crew quickly came in to put out the fire, with Dallas firefighters following shortly thereafter to survey the scene, according to NBC in Dallas.

The accident occurred following a particularly off-night, in which the "Rude Boy" singer was reportedly an hour late to kick off her concert.

Rihanna responded on Twitter on Friday night to address her disappointed fans: "DALLAS!!! We set the stage on FYAH tonight!!! LITERALLY!!! I'm so pissed, I was having so much fun wit yall too!!! I gotta come back man!!"

She later tweeted that she would be attending a production meeting to figure out exactly what happened, although the accident seems a result of the show's elaborate pyrotechnics.

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Rihanna escapes fire during Dallas show (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap) – Rihanna lit up Texas when a fire broke out on stage during her "Loud" tour stop in Dallas.

Sparks flew and smoke sizzled in the packed American Airlines Center on Friday night as Rihanna was ushered off stage. No injuries were reported.

The crew quickly came in to put out the fire, with Dallas firefighters following shortly thereafter to survey the scene, according to NBC in Dallas.

The accident occurred following a particularly off-night, in which the "Rude Boy" singer was reportedly an hour late to kick off her concert.

Rihanna responded on Twitter on Friday night to address her disappointed fans: "DALLAS!!! We set the stage on FYAH tonight!!! LITERALLY!!! I'm so pissed, I was having so much fun wit yall too!!! I gotta come back man!!"

She later tweeted that she would be attending a production meeting to figure out exactly what happened, although the accident seems a result of the show's elaborate pyrotechnics.

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Stewart cuts wrist during taping of Weiner skit (AP)

NEW YORK – The story about U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner's use of Twitter to send a lewd photo to a woman has been awkward for comic Jon Stewart, a friend of the congressman's. On Tuesday, it proved painful.

Stewart broke a glass and gashed his wrist while taping a Weiner skit on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show." The taping was briefly stopped so a bleeding Stewart could get medical attention, then resumed after he was bandaged up. Network spokesman Steve Albani said the accident was left in Tuesday's show.

Stewart and Weiner briefly roomed together when they were younger, a point "The Daily Show" host noted over the past week. That hasn't stopped Stewart from making fun of his friend, who admitted Monday to inappropriate online contact with women he met on social networks.

Tuesday's skit featured Stewart in a mock news conference designed to resemble Weiner's from the day earlier. Stewart broke the glass when the script called for him to make a margarita.

The show posted a picture of Stewart's bandaged wrist and a bloodstained cuff of his shirt.

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Oprah Winfrey focuses on fans during finale (AP)

CHICAGO – In the end, it was just Oprah.

For the final episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" taped Tuesday, the talk show queen appeared alone on her Chicago stage, talking to viewers about what they've meant to her during the show's 25-year run. The finale will air on Wednesday.

Fans leaving Tuesday's taping said Winfrey had tears in her eyes as the television icon said a final thank you.

"She said, `This isn't goodbye. This is until we meet again," said Amy Korin, 32, of Chicago, who was in the audience.

Winfrey then kissed and hugged her longtime partner, Stedman Graham, and made her way through the halls of Harpo Studios, saying goodbye to her staff, audience members said. She kept saying, "We did it! We did it!," Korin said, and giving employees high-fives.

There was a single chair on the stage, but Winfrey stood most of the time, audience members said.

"A lot of crying and hugs, crying and hugs," Korin said.

Audience members described a simply produced series finale filled with a sense of gratitude.

"It was just her the whole time, a recap of what she believed in, what we've given her as viewers and what she hopes she has given us," said Nancy Evankoe, 60, Hoffman Estates, who went to the taping with her daughter.

Winfrey announced in November 2009 that she would end her popular talk show after 25 years. Tuesday's taping comes a week after Hollywood's A-list and 13,000 fans bid Winfrey farewell during a double-episode extravaganza at Chicago's United Center. The shows that aired Monday and Tuesday included Aretha Franklin, Tom Cruise, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jordan and Madonna, among other stars of television, music and movies.

The bare-bones final taping had its share of celebrities in the audience including Tyler Perry, Maria Shriver, Suze Orman and Cicely Tyson, but none of them joined Winfrey on stage.

Hundreds of giddy fans struck by their luck at getting tickets for the final show had gathered outside Winfrey's television studio in Chicago Tuesday morning.

Sarah Cranley, 32, of Chicago waited in line with her mother, who traveled in from Pittsburgh for the taping. Cranley said she felt very lucky to snag tickets to the last show and the prospect of seeing Winfrey live didn't yet feel real.

"You think about how many billions of people around the world watch her and want to be here," Cranley said. "What are the odds?"

Cranley's mother, Sally Mowrey, 59, said Winfrey was a constant in her life when her husband's job transfers had her family move 17 times.

"That was something I could count one, watching Oprah," Mowrey said. "That was one thing that didn't change."

Fans said they went through the normal ticketing process for the final taping by submitting their names online. Some said they wrote letters explaining why they were Winfrey fans.

Winfrey's best friend Gayle King mixed with the waiting fans and interviewed several with a camera phone. For her, the show's end is bittersweet.

"I have such mixed feelings about it," King told fans.

The finale of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" has remained a secret, even as Harpo Studios hyped it as a television event.

In a promotional video posted online May 16, clips of famous television finales plays over a sad song with the lyrics "It's hard to say goodbye." It includes Mary Tyler Moore, Walter Cronkite, Johnny Carson, "M.A.S.H," `'The Cosby Show," and "Cheers."

The video asks viewers "Where were you?" and "Where will you be?" Another promotional video for the final three episodes prompts viewers to "Say farewell."

When Winfrey announced her show would end she promised her viewers she would use the final season to "knock your socks off." On her 25th and final season premiere she danced onstage with John Travolta and told everyone in the audience they were going to Australia.

Other season highlights included interviews with President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, former President George W. Bush and Michael Jackson's family. Winfrey also revealed she found a sister who her mother gave up for adoption.

Already a television journalist, Winfrey came to Chicago in 1984 to WLS-TV's morning talk show, "A.M. Chicago." A month later the show was No. 1 in the market. A year later it was renamed "The Oprah Winfrey Show."

Winfrey opened Harpo Studios on Chicago's West Loop neighborhood in 1990. On Jan. 1 of this year she launched the Oprah Winfrey Network, which is based in Los Angeles.

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Focus on Luisi during `Ariadne' at Met (AP)

NEW YORK – As James Levine's poor health causes more and more cancellations, Fabio Luisi has taken on increased duties at the Metropolitan Opera.

The 52-year-old Italian made his Met debut in 2005 and was hired in April 2010 as principal guest conductor. He took over two performances from Levine in Wagner's "Das Rheingold," finished a run of Verdi's "Rigoletto" that had previously been scheduled and on Friday was announced as Levine's replacement in Verdi's "Don Carlo" and Puccini's "La Boheme" during next month's tour of Japan.

On Saturday, he finally got to conduct a work he led during rehearsals, opening Strauss' "Ariadne auf Naxos" in the company's final revival of the season. With mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato adding to her already strong Met resume with a vibrant and compelling performance as the Composer, Luisi conducted Strauss' lush and entertaining score with vigor and color but without the sweep and effervescence of Levine, who led it more than three dozen times from 1976-2003.

Her rich mezzo alternating in bewilderment, anger and ardor, DiDonato commanded the stage in the trousers role. Vienna's wealthiest man has hired two sets of musicians to amuse his guests during a party: a dramatic opera company and an Italian commedia dell'arte troupe. He has his Major-Domo instruct the actors that both works must be performed simultaneously in order to ensure the evening's fireworks start promptly.

Each note and each movement by DiDonato had a genuineness that made it appear she was living the role rather than acting it. She was moving, torn between the pride of her work — the dramatic "Ariadne" — and the embarrassment of having it ruined by the simultaneous performances.

The first half of the opera portrays the backstage goings on, and the second the performance. Without DiDonato in the second half, the spark she had provided was missing.

Soprano Violeta Urmana sang the title role. While her powerful voice cut through Strauss' thick orchestration, it turned steely at times. Kathleen Kim reprised her role as Zerbinetta, the dell'arte coquette she also sang last season. Her bright coloratura won loud applause following "Grossmaechtige Prinzessin (Most Gracious Princess)" and her acting was charming.

Tenor Robert Dean Smith sounded more and more strained as the afternoon went on as Bacchus. Bass-baritone Michael Devlin had the necessary world-weary attitude as the Major-Domo, and baritone Thomas Allen added an elegant performance as the Music Master.

Elijah Moshinsky's colorful 18-year-old production, with sets and costumes by Michael Yeargan, still enthralls. Remaining performances are May 10 and 13.

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Michael Bublé's Home Robbed During Wedding

As Canadian crooner Michael Buble was tying the knot with Argentinean actress Luisana Loreley Lopilato de la Torre, burglars were invading their home, TMZ reported.

The intruders allegedly disarmed the couple's security system and covered any cameras they came across. The newlyweds were at a hotel in Maximo Paz getting ready for the wedding, and no one was hurt, according to reports.

There is still no news about what the thieves stole or how much damage was caused to the Buble-Lopilato home.

Despite the incident, the couple celebrated with more than 300 guests that day and continued the festivities through the weekend. And Lopilato didn't want anything to mess with her special day. "I will not let this ruin the happiest day of my life," she told the local media.

Buble's rep told PopEater that for the ceremony, the bride wore a multi-layered gown designed by Argentinean designer Sylvie Burstin and later at the reception, changed into a Marchesa gown. The groom wore a suit by DSquared.

The married couple's first dance was to Dean Martin's 'Everybody Loves Somebody.' Later, famous Argentinean singer Ricardo Montaner serenaded the couple, and the groom himself sang a song he wrote especially for the bride: 'Haven't Met You Yet.'

Watch Michael Buble's 'Haven't Met You Yet' video.

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Justin Bieber Accidentally Sets His Mom's Hair on Fire During Show

Justin Bieber always promises an action-packed show for his fans--but at his concert this past Saturday night in Berlin, things got really crazy!

At the end of his show, the pop star brought his mother, Pattie Mallette, up on stage and surprised her with a birthday cake for her 35th birthday. But as she leaned in to blow out the candles, her hair caught on fire, UsMagazine.com reports.

While the audience sang Happy Birthday, the 17-year-old noticed that several pieces of his mom's hair were on fire. He quickly reached over and patted the fire out. Bieber saved the day! Watch video of the incident at Extra here.

Bieber Tweeted about the event: "Sick show in Berlin... brought

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