_Anna Nicole Smith’s estate was not granted any of the $300 million she had claimed her oil tycoon husband intended to leave her after he died, a federal appeals court ruled on Friday.

Initially, the ruling sided with Smith against her husband J. Howard Marshall’s son over the $1.6 billion fortune left by the oil tycoon after his death in 1995 at age 90. Smith married J. Howard the year before when she was 26.

It was a 15-year legal fight that outlived the main combatants; E. Pierce Marshall, J. Howard’s son, died in 2006 while Smith perished of a drug overdose in 2007. However, their heirs and lawyers continued the battle that included a ruling that awarded Smith $474 million.

Smith estate’s representative, Kent Richland, said he would appeal the court’s latest decision but he hasn’t decided whether to ask for another hearing or take the case back to the US Supreme Court concerning different issues.

A lawyer for the Marshall family, Eric Brunstad, said they hoped that the legal battle was over.

The appeals court panel has ruled unanimously that a jury verdict in Houston in 2001 siding with the Marshall family must be honoured over the two federal court rulings in favour of Smith.

A federal bankruptcy court initially awarded Smith $447 million, which was later reduced to $89 million but the appeals court said the award should be ignored.

_Hollywood star Angelina Jolie performed more dangerous stunts after she became a mother, as she wants her kids to think she is cool.

Jolie, 34, raises six kids, Maddox (aged eight), Pax (six), Zahara (five), Shiloh (three), and twins Vivienne and Knox (21-month-old), with husband Brad Pitt.

The actress, well-known for taking on actions films, said that her desire to assume physically challenging roles has increased after she had children.

Jolie’s most recent action thriller ‘Salt’ is among the most physically demanding films she has ever starred on, and the star is proud to say that she did nearly all of her stunts without using a stunt double.

”I had just had two babies, and the push to be physically strong was very welcome at the time”, said Jolie in an interview with the Entertainment Weekly magazine. ”The funny thing about having children is that now I am twice as motivated to do a cool stunt because my kids will like it”.

Jolie met Pitt when they both starred in the movie Mr. & Mrs. Smith in 2005. She still thinks that her husband is one of the best actors in the industry and would like to work with him again.

“I love working with him,” said Jolie. “He’s my favourite actor to work with, and the only complicated thing is to find the right project”.

_Bouffant blonde American actress Dorothy Provine, who appeared in films like ‘It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World’ and on television’s ‘The Roaring ‘20s’, died on 25 April from emphysema at a hospital in Bremerton, Washington, at the age of 75.

Born in Deadwood, South Dakota, Provine reportedly won the role of the titular bank robber in the 1958 film ‘Bonnie Parker Story’ only three days after moving to Hollywood.

She then went on to star in television shows and movies, including the 1959 movie ‘The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock’, where she portrayed the radiation-exposed tall woman alongside Lou Costello. She also appeared as actor Jack Lemmon’s suburban wife in the 1964 film ‘Good Neighbor Sam’.

In ‘Mad Mad World’, Stanley Kramer’s madcap comedy in 1963, Provine took the role of the daughter of Ethel Merman and the wife of Milton Berle, who are among the harebrained group pursuing a stolen loot amounting to $350,000.

The actress also appeared in movies such as ‘Never a Dull Moment’ (1968) with Edward G. Robinson and Dick Van Dyke, ‘Riot in Juvenile Prison’ (1959), and ‘Live Fast, Die Young’ (1958).

On television, Provine starred as the leggy flapper Pinky Pinkham in the Chicago-set period crime drama series ‘The Roaring ‘20s’, which aired on ABC from 1950 to 1962.

She left the business in the late 1970s and transferred to Bainbridge Island, Washington.

Provine is survived by TV director Robert Day, her husband of 43 years.

_American actress Dixie Carter, best known for her role as an outspoken liberal in the 1980s TV sitcom ‘Designing Women’ and earned an Emmy nomination for her guest appearance on ‘Desperate Housewives’, has passed away at the age of 70, the ‘Entertainment Tonight’ reported.

“This has been a terrible blow to our family”, said American actor Hal Holbrook, husband of Carter since 1984. “We would appreciate everyone understanding that this is a private family tragedy”.

Holbrook said Carter passed away on Saturday at a hospital in Houston, Texas, from complications due to endometrial cancer, the New York Times reported.

‘Designing Women’, which aired for seven successful season on CBS from 1986, centred on the personal and working lives of four women and one man at an interior design company in Atlanta, Georgia. Julia Sugarbaker, the sharp-tongued character of Carter, was an advocate of women's rights and liberal causes.

She renewed her fame when she joined the cast of ‘Desperate Housewives’ as a guest star. In 2007, she received an Emmy Award nomination for her role as Gloria Hodge, the surly and disturbing mother-in-law of Bree Hodge, played by Marcia Cross.

The Tennessee-born actress also starred in the 1980s TV sitcom ‘Diff'rent Strokes’ as the wife of Philip Drummond, played by Conrad Bain. The role was assumed by actress Mary Ann Mobley after the sitcom transferred network.

In addition to Holbrook, she is survived by daughters from her first husband, Ginna and Mary Dixie.

_Singer-songwriter Shakira hopes to have her own family but only if she is done with her next record album and tour.

Shakira, the hitmaker of ‘She Wolf’, has been in a relationship with Antonio De La Rua for a long time now. The singer also plans to get married and have her own children, but she has decided to prioritise her commitments in relation to her career.

“Do I have any plans for children? Little wolves? Yeah, of course. I'd really like to have kids, but first I need to go on tour and release this new album - and then we can sit down and talk about it”, said the 33-year-old star.

“Maybe 15 years ago, I'd dream about wearing a white gown, a wedding cake and a room full of guests and me feeding them canapés”, the star told the magazine Big Issue, adding that she now “dream about growing old with the person I love”.

Shakira and Antonio met at one of Argentina’s restaurants nine years ago. She recently admitted she knew Antonio was the man she will spend her life with.

According to her, she already noticed him before they met that evening. She said she just acted according to her intuition and everything just worked out, even saying that meeting Antonio that evening “was like winning the lottery”.

_Famous American R&B singer Usher has soared to the top of the UK singles chart on Sunday with his worldwide hit ‘OMG’, which features Black Eyed Peas’ Will I Am.

The single snatched the number one spot from ‘This Ain’t A Love Song’ by British pop band Scouting for Girls, which had dominated the chart for two weeks. The British chart is compiled by The Official UK Charts Company.

English rapper Professor Green has entered the chart at number three with ‘I Need You Tonight’. The song, featuring Ed Drewett, samples INXS’ 1987 hit song ‘Need You Tonight’.

Plan B, another rapper from London, dropped one spot to number four with ‘She Said’, while US R&B singer Kelis was at a new entry in the fifth spot with ‘Acapella’.

Lady Gaga’s ‘Telephone’, which features Beyonce, fell two spots to number six.

American pop rock band Selena Gomez & The Scene was at the seventh spot with ‘Naturally’; and Taio Cruz’s ‘Dirty Picture’, featuring Kesha, jumped to number 12 from the 40th spot.

In the British album chart, ‘The Defamation of Strickland Banks’ of Plan B was at the top spot; while the album ‘Everybody Wants To Be On TV’ by Scouting for Girls was a new entry in number two.

Previous number one album ‘The Fame’ of Lady Gaga slipped to the third spot; while American band MGMT is at number four with ‘Congratulations’. Justin Bieber’s ‘My World’ dropped down from the third spot to number five.

_An actor who was not permitted to attend last month’s Oscars filed a lawsuit against the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for unlawfully detaining him and his wife.

Venezuelan actor Michael Avila, who is featured in the forthcoming movies ‘Straw Dogs’ and ‘Battle: Los Angeles’, claims in the suit he filed on Friday that he and Mandy, his wife, were falsely detained outside the event after they failed to show their tickets.

According to Avila, his publicist fixed everything up in order for him to attend the ceremony at the Kodak Theatre on 7 March and told him that he could get his tickets after entering the venue. However, when the couple arrived in the red carpet without the tickets, according to them, they were brought and detained to an AMPAS detention centre.

"Until approximately 10 p.m., Plaintiffs continued to be held against their will by AMPAS personnel, continued to be questioned, and continued to repeatedly request to be allowed to return to the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel", says the complaint. "At no point had Plaintiffs been arrested, been read their rights, or been allowed to contact legal representation to understand why they were being held against their will and badgered with all sorts of personal questions".

According to the lawsuit, the Avilas had "sustained injury to his and her body and shock and injury to their nervous system" and have been suffering from humiliation, physical and emotional distress, and mental anguish.

_The musical adaptation on Broadway of ‘The Addam’s Family’, based on cartoons created by Charles Adams, received panned criticism Friday, as boring and bland.

The production, which started on Thursday, features actor Nathan Lane as Gomez and actress Bebe Neuwirth as Morticia.

”You'll laugh a lot, though never during the unmemorable songs, which are supposed to be funny but aren't,” The Wall Street Journal said.

According to critics, predictable jokes, boring musical numbers and generics could not be saved by an accomplished cast.

Lane has been part of several Broadway hits but is best known as for his role as Marx Bialystock in ‘The Producers’.

Neuwirth appeared in the TV series ‘Cheers’, which was aired from 1982 until 1993 and also occasionally starred on ’Frasier’, its spin-off.

”Being in this genuinely ghastly musical ... must feel like going to a Halloween party in a strait-jacket or a suit of armor,” said The New York Times. ”Why, you can barely move, and a strangled voice inside you keeps gasping, 'He-e-e-lp!

Critics also disdained the attempt of the show to create themes of acceptance and love on Wednesday Addams, instead of showing the freaky frolics of the family.

”Mostly, 'Addams' Just Festers,” the New York Daily News said, joking about Uncle Fester, who is one of the eccentric members of the family.

Neuwirth and Lane were able to escape the criticisms. According to USA Today, the performance of Lane was the best reason to watch the musical show.

Christopher Cazenove passed away on Wednesday at the age of 66 due to septicaemia.

The British actor, who was most renowned for his portrayal of Ben Carrington in the television soap ‘Dynasty’ during the 1980s, had been in the state of comatose since his collapse at his house in February after a trip to California where he had complained of his migraines.

The actor, born in Winchester and educated and Eton and Oxford, began his film career in 1970 when he had an uncredited role in the independent movie ‘Julius Caesar.’ He had made various appearances in British televisions, the most notable of which was ‘The Duchess of Duke Street.’ His most recent appearance was in ‘A Fine Romance’ and ‘Judge John Deed.’ He also portrayed the role of Henry Higgins in ‘My Fair Lady,’ a stage production by Trevor Nunn.

He married Welsh actress Angharad Rees and they separated in 1994. In 1999, his 25-year old son died in a car crash. Since 2003, the actor had been in relationship with Isabel Davis.

“Christopher died peacefully on April 7 surrounded by his loved ones having contracted septicaemia at the end of February”, his family told a statement issued by Lesley Duff, who served as his agent for the previous 12 years.

“Despite a valiant fight and the untiring efforts of the wonderful team at St Thomas’s, he was overwhelmed. All who knew and loved him will be devastated by the loss of this incredible man who touched so many lives.”

Actor Rip Torn is due to appear in court over allegations of breaking in a bank, armed with a gun inside his pocket.

The award-winning Hollywood star, who played Agent Zed along with Will Smith in the ‘Men In Black’ movie franchise, could face five charges, which include burglary in the first degree. If found guilty, the actor could be sentenced to a maximum of five-year imprisonment.

Torn, 79, who also appears in the US sitcom ’30 Rock’ that airs on NBC, was found on 29 January 2010 inside Litchfield BanCorp’s branch near his home after the bank’s alarm was activated.

Police reports claimed that he was taken into custody after a trooper named James Parker had "discovered that this individual was armed with a loaded revolver and highly intoxicated".

After a breathalyser test was carried out, police discovered that Torn was nearly three times over the allowed drink-drive limit.

Since the Oscar-nominated actor last appeared in court, he spent his time in a rehabilitation centre in New York.

According to A Thomas Waterfall, his lawyer, Torn was just perplexed and mistook the bank for his own home, which is completely different in colour and is located half a mile away.

The Dodgeball star has been known as a hellraiser, popularly attacking the late director and writer Norman Mailer with a hammer on the set of ‘Maidstone’ in 1970.

Also, Torn has been arrested quite a few times for drink-driving. He is due to appear at Litchfield Superior Court in Connecticut.