Hollywood stars Brad Pitt and Matt Damon were evacuated from an exclusive London hotel Thursday when a fire broke out. Four fire engines rushed to Claridges in Mayfair, where the pair were scheduled to give a press conference in the ballroom, to promote new movie Ocean's Twelve. A London Fire Brigade spokesman says, "Four fire engines were sent to the scene after a call at 11am. They are still there. I believe there was a small fire on the ground floor, probably in the kitchen area." Claridges restaurant is run by flamboyant celebrity chef and holder of three Michelin stars Gordon Ramsay. Damon and Pitt aren't the only famous guests currently at Claridges - Jim Carrey, who is promoting new movie Lemony Snicket's A Series Of Unfortunate Events, and Sir Mick Jagger, who is living in a suite at the hotel, were both also seen fleeing the scene.

Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria fears she was refused a Golden Globe nomination because she missed the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's (HFPA) lunch to visit her dying aunt. The actress, who plays Gabrielle Solis in the hit ABC drama, complains she was snubbed by the HFPA because seeing her beloved aunt for the last time was more important to her than improving her profile abroad. While Longoria's acting talents weren't recognized this year, her four of her co-stars - Marcia Cross, Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman and Nicolette Sheridan - all up on for awards at the January ceremony. She explains, "I didn't go to the Hollywood Foreign Press luncheon. I had a very sick aunt in Texas, and that was the last time I was going to see her. They were giving her last rites, and she was like a grandmother to me. I think that not going to the lunch contributes to the fact that the foreign press doesn't know me. I'm brand new, and I didn't meet them - and they were upset that I didn't go. It's always a disappointment whenever you don't get an accolade from the industry."

Singer Whitney Houston has walked away unscathed after crashing her sports car into a bus near her home in Georgia. Houston clipped a bus while pulling out of a shopping centre parking lot in Alpharetta at 5pm Wednesday after misjudging how much room she had. The bus was left with barely a scratch, but the right bumper of Houston's Porsche was damaged. Officers cited the 41-year-old singer for the minor offense of failure to yield while entering a roadway.

Singer Lisa Marie Presley has sold of the bulk of her father Elvis' estate in a deal worth $100 million. Impresario Robert F.X. Sillerman has agreed to buy 85 per cent of Elvis Presley Enterprises, including rights to the singer's name and the management of his Graceland mansion in Tennessee. As well as running Graceland, Elvis' home in Memphis, Sillerman will own his name and likeness, the rights to his photographs and revenue from his music, TV shows and films. The title to Graceland and its surrounding property, including most of Elvis' personal effects, will remain with Lisa Marie. Graceland's visitor complex and Heartbreak Hotel across the street will be sold. Elvis, who died at Graceland in 1977, starred in 31 films and has sold over a billion records. His estate generated $45 million in revenue in 2003 and $38 million in the first three quarters of this year. Lisa Marie says, "My greatest responsibility to my father is to preserve and protect his legacy, and this is an exciting new structure that opens up an incredible array of opportunities." Priscilla Presley, Lisa Marie's mother and Elvis' former wife, will remain executive consultant to the business.

Michael Jackson is opening the gates of his Neverland Ranch - the place where he is accused of molesting a young boy - to dozens of children for a holiday party today. Representatives for the 46-year-old singer say he's invited groups of children to enjoy a day at the California ranch in what has become an annual tradition over the holiday season. It is not clear whether Jackson will be attending the party himself. The superstar is free on bail ahead of his trial scheduled for late January on a 10-count indictment of child molestation. Jackson has pleaded innocent. Another pre-trial hearing in the case is set for Monday when Jackson's defense team will seek again to have the charges dismissed.

Singing legend Barbra Streisand has confirmed reports she underwent surgery earlier this month to remove a polyp in her colon. On Wednesday American tabloid The National Enquirer reported the 62-year-old singer and actress had the operation in Los Angeles' Cedars Sinai Hospital. Her representative says, "During a routine colonoscopy earlier this year, Barbra Streisand's doctor discovered a benign polyp. The removal of the single polyp was done earlier this month, and its benign nature was reaffirmed. It did not delay her scheduled promotional activities for Meet The Fockers." Polyps can be an early sign of colorectal cancer, which affects 150,000 Americans a year.

Billionaire Donald Trump is having huge doubts about televising his wedding to Melania Knauss on January 22 - because he believes it's a "terrible" idea. With a celebrity guest list including Oprah Winfrey, Usher, Clint Eastwood, Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Naomi Campbell, the businessman-turned-reality TV star of The Apprentice has been approached by major American networks for the rights to screen his Palm Beach, Florida nuptials live. But twice-divorced Trump is having huge doubts. He says, "The last live wedding that I remember was Prince Charles and Lady Di's. Did that work out, folks? I don't think so. That was not one of the great marriages. A couple of the networks really wanna do it big-league live. I don't think it's something that I'm considering but they've been offering a lot of money to do the wedding live. It's very cheap sounding. Doesn't it sound terrible? There's something very not nice about it, so I don't think it's gonna happen. But they really are putting a lot of pressure on me. Melania would like it to be a very small and personal thing."

Hollywood heart-throb Brad Pitt has reportedly cancelled his Ocean's Twelve promotional activities in Britain to support his wife Jennifer Aniston as she mourns her close friend's death. The actress is taking a break from filming new movie Derailed in London to fly to New York with Pitt to attend her late pal's funeral this weekend, reports British newspaper The Sun. A source says, "Jennifer is devastated when she heard her friend had died. Brad just wants to help her through this really tough time. Jennifer is Brad's number one priority. He didn't think twice about dropping everything for her. His career is important, but Jennifer comes first. Despite constant rumors their marriage is in trouble, they are stronger than ever." Pitt and Aniston were set to join celebrity pals Madonna, Guy Ritchie and chef Jamie Oliver at the actor's 41st birthday party on Saturday at London's The Penthouse nightspot, but the party has now been canceled.

Supermodel Claudia Schiffer is facing a possible health scare after undergoing a brain scan in a London hospital. Only five weeks after giving birth to her second child, a daughter Clementine, the German beauty attended the British capital's National Hospital to pick up results of an MRI scan. Schiffer and husband, film-maker Matthew Vaughn spent 30 minutes in consultation with a doctor at the clinic. An onlooker says, "She didn't look massively worried but if she's having a scan then the doctors could be looking for something."

Lord Of The Rings beauty Liv Tyler has announced the name of her newborn baby boy - Milo William Langdon. Tyler and her husband, Royston Langdon, welcomed Milo in the early hours of Tuesday morning at a New York hospital. The baby weighed in at 8 pounds. This is the first child for Tyler, 27, and her English rocker husband, 32. Tyler and Langdon married on 25 March 2003, in Barbados after a two-year engagement.