Acting legend Robert De Niro is suffering from prostate cancer - his spokesman has announced. The Raging Bull star is now undergoing an undisclosed course of treatment to combat the disease. Spokesman Stan Rosenfield reassured fans that the cancer was "detected at an early stage" and that doctors "project a full recovery." The 60-year-old star is one of America's most respected actors and the recipient of two Oscars.

MASH star Alan Alda has been rushed into hospital in Chile for an emergency appendectomy. The veteran star went into surgery on Sunday after doctors decided an immediate operation was the best course of action. A official at the Regional Hospital, La Serena, near Santiago said the Manhattan Murder Mystery star was recovering well and had been working on a TV documentary in the country prior to his admittance. American Alda is expected to leave the hospital later today.

Dame Diana Rigg has accepted $48,000 in libel damages over newspaper reports portraying her as an embittered woman who held British men in low regard. The Avengers star attended London's High Court yesterday to hear the settlement of her libel action against Associated Newspapers, which owns The Daily Mail and the Evening Standard, which printed the stories. Rigg's solicitor Tom Amlot told Mr Justice Gray that articles appeared about her in September 2002 which stated she had attacked British men, had left Britain to live a reclusive existence in France and had announced her retirement. Amlot said that Dame Diana was upset at the portrayal of her, which incorrectly suggested she was an embittered woman and held British men in low regard. She was also concerned that her professional reputation and ability to secure work would be damaged by the statement that she was retiring, when she was not. While Dame Diana had a house in France, she regarded Britain, where she lived and worked, as her home. Matt McKenzie, for the newspapers, said they were happy to set the record straight and sincerely apologized.

Latina sensation Jennifer Lopez has been unveiled as the producer behind a new daytime television show - on which she will occasionally appear. The Maid In Manhattan star will work on the new program at an executive level and her sister Lynda Lopez will be one of four presenters fronting it. And although the Gigli beauty has promised to make a series of appearances as a guest on the show, Universal Domestic Television executives insist that she won't be a regular fixture. Vice president Lisa Hackner says, "Will she be on the show every day? No. Will she be there during the ratings (sweeps) periods? If she can, she will be there. We'll see her occasionally." Casting decisions for the other three hosts of the untitled series has begun.

Ex-Baywatch star Pamela Anderson only has "five to ten years left" to live due to her Hepatitis C disease. The Scary Movie 3 actress - who claims she contracted the condition from her rocker ex-husband Tommy Lee - told American DJ Howard Stern about the effects of the liver disease, before adding she has adopted a much healthier lifestyle in an attempt to survive long enough to see her young sons Dylan, five, and Brandon, seven, turn 21. Pamela says, "I've got a good five to 10 years left. I feel good. Pretty good. But it is deadly. I've got to make sure I'm around. Every time I have a health check my liver is getting healthier."

French police are to reopen an investigation into the death of British royal Diana, Princess Of Wales - after the publication of a letter in which the Princess wrote of a alleged plot to kill her. Diana's former butler Paul Burrell published the handwritten note in his book A Royal Duty, which chronicles his relationship with the tragic royal who was killed in 1997. According to reports in the British tabloids, the letter allegedly tells of a the Princess' fears for her own safety, and speaks of a plot to kill her in a car crash so estranged husband Prince Charles could remarry. While many close to Diana insist the new evidence merely demonstrates how paranoid she had become towards the end of her life, others believe Diana's prediction is chilling evidence that there is more to her death than meets the eye. The Princess was killed in August 1997 after a car carrying her and lover Dodi Al Fayed crashed in a tunnel in Paris, France - killing all but one of the four passengers. The British Foreign Office released a statement on behalf of secret service M16 which read, "There is not a shred of truth in allegations the accident was a conspiracy."

Movie star Peter Fonda is so delighted with sister Jane Fonda's decision to return to acting after a lengthy semi-retirement, he's looking for a family project to include her in. The Easy Rider star claims his sister is already looking at scripts, and will soon decide what role she'll choose in order to make her comeback - and now he's keen to bring the acting Fondas together for a family film. He says, "She's going up for readings and looking at parts. It's a wonderful moment. Bridget and I want to work with her, and her son Troy is a fine actor too. I'm sure I'll find a project all about the dynamic between a brother and a sister because that's what we'll have to play. We couldn't be any other thing than brother and sister." But he insists their project won't be anything like summer flop It Runs In The Family, which starred Michael Douglas, his dad Kirk Douglas, son Cameron Douglas and mother Diana Douglas. He adds, "I'd want it to go a little more serious than that."

Opera superstar Luciano Pavarotti has slammed reports he has been rushed to hospital in New York after suffering "serious health problems" as competently false. The Nessun Dorma legend, 68, had been performing in Mexico when he fell ill with a common cold - caught from baby daughter Alice - and was forced to cancel his performance in Panama. But spokeswoman Terri Robson blasted a statement made by Mexico's First Lady Ruby Moscoso's office that the tenor had been hospitalized as "completely false". She says, "He's got a common cold from his daughter, Alice. When you've got a cold and you're an opera singer, you can't sing."

Generous superstar actress Angelina Jolie donates one third of all her earnings to charity. The twice-divorced Tomb Raider star - who earns $16 million a movie - says she has too much money for her own needs, and wants her wealth to benefit those who are in need. Angelina, who is mother to adopted Cambodian son Maddox, explains, "I've taken on the responsibility of donating at least a third of what I earn to humanitarian aid. If anyone thinks the way I look in photos is more important for me than the fact a sick child has food, they are mad."

The Hollywood Wax Museum are relocating their figures of Matrix stars Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss - because they're not "current" enough. Even though the third and final installment of the sci-fi series - The Matrix Revolutions - is due for release next month, bosses at the museum are unconvinced the film will prove a hit after the lukewarm reception of May's The Matrix Reloaded. The museum's manager Tej Sundher says, "We try to stay current. The Matrix Reloaded was current. It is not now. We are looking to find a replacement. I don't know if they're not interested in the new movie. But our patrons really tell us what they want to see."