Film legend Harrison Ford has agreed to star in Hollywood's first movie about November's second Iraq conflict, The Battle Of Falluja. US General Jim Mattis - who halted the first assault on the city by American marines in April - will be played by Ford in the controversial film, which goes into production next year. It will be based on war correspondent Bing West's unfinished book No True Glory: The Battle For Falluja. West explains, "If America needs a hard job done, the marines will do it, and they won't lose their humanity in the process or any sleep over pulling the trigger. Yes, they are 'the world's most lethal killing machine'. That's what America needs in battle."

Denise Richards has announced that she and her husband Charlie Sheen are expecting a baby - just 10 months after the birth of their daughter Sam. The child, due in June, will be the second for the couple, who welcomed Sam into the world on March 9 in Los Angeles. Richards' agent, Chuck James, tells People magazine, "They are incredibly thrilled and I couldn't think of a better Christmas present for the both of them and for little Sam." Sheen also has a daughter, Cassandra, 20, from a previous relationship. Richards, 33, and Sheen, 39, married in June 2002. They first met while shooting the movie Good Advice in 2000. But it wasn't until Richards guest starred on Sheen's former sitcom Spin City in autumn of 2001 that a romance began to blossom.

Michael Jackson gave his young fans a thrill Friday, when he made a surprise appearance at a party thrown for them at his Neverland Ranch. In his brief appearance, Jackson smiled, waved and at one point looked as if he would come back and play with the 200 children, but instead got into a vehicle which took him off the California property. The pop superstar shouted from the driveway of his estate, "I hope you have a wonderful day. Merry Christmas. I love you." Jackson's spokeswoman Raymone K. Bain says charitable and civic groups take children to Neverland at least three times a month to play in its extensive grounds and visit the animals. Bain notes, "Generally Mr Jackson is not here all the time. There are events here daily. He wanted to surprise the kids. He has given his whole life to children and charities." Santa Barbara County authorities have charged Jackson, 46, with molesting a boy, conspiracy and administering an intoxicating agent, alcohol, to his alleged victim. His trial is set to begin next month.

Courtney Love is planning to cover her mounting debts by telling her life story in a forthcoming book. The troubled singer has had an eventful year, during which she has battled a heroin addiction, lost custody of her 12 year-old daughter Frances Bean, been arrested for allegedly attacking a fan and been found guilty of illegally possessing prescription drugs. The widow of tragic Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain promises, "It's all going to come spewing out - every last dirty little secret. If it puts someone's nose out of joint that's tough luck." Love is expected to receive a $540,000 advance, but the family of her late husband are concerned about her plans. A source close to Cobain says, "It's painful to think that Kurt and Courtney's secrets will come out."

Redhead actress Lindsay Lohan has expressed her horror at reports she considered gracing the pages of men's magazine Playboy. While the 18-year-old Freaky Friday star admits she was approached by the adult publication, she insists it was never to do a nude spread. She explains, "I'm not doing Playboy, no. Never. They contacted my publicist and they asked if I would do their 20 questions spread, which is not a nude photo that they do with it. It's a regular photo. But I do have a Disney movie coming out and a young fan base and I'm not interested in doing Playboy right now in my life. So we said no and then now they've put it in Star magazine that I turned down Playboy (and) that I approached them and asked them if I could do a nude spread or something, which is not true. Now when people ask, that's the most ridiculous rumor - that I asked if I could do Playboy."

A number of Oprah Winfrey's fans are so shocked at her new svelte figure, they're convinced she's undergone surgery. The talk show host, who has struggled a great deal with her weight over the years, shows off her slender body on the cover of her magazine O - even flashing her taut abdominal muscles - and her pal Gayle King assures her figure was achieved naturally. King, editor-in-chief of Winfrey's publication, says, "It never occurred to me that people would not know that this is Oprah. Those are her actual abs, (that's) her waist, those are her legs. People have actually asked me, 'Gayle, tell the truth, she's had surgery, right?' I go, 'Absolutely not!' You know what's so funny about that is? If she'd had surgery she would tell you and you'd probably see it on The Oprah Winfrey Show." After years of battling the bulge, Winfrey recently decided it was time to take control of her health. King adds, "She reached a point where her weight was so much that she started having heart palpitations. It really clicked for her when she turned 50. She turned 50 and she decided, 'I'm gonna be healthy.'"

Oscar-winning actor Sir Ben Kingsley is fighting off reports his wife Alexandra has dumped him after just a year of marriage for being a "snob". According to America's Star magazine, the British actor - who was knighted in 2001 - had demanded that one of Alexandra's friends address him as "Sir Ben" prompting his wife to give up on their life in the English countryside and move back to her native Germany. But the Sexy Beast star's publicist has hit out at the reports, insisting the actor is too "humble" to make such demands. She says, "If anything, the people around him are insistent on it."

Actress Brittany Murphy is so impressed with Britney Spears' style, she has kept all the furnishings in the Hollywood Hills home she bought from the singer last year. Murphy spent a staggering $4 million on the pop princess's lavish apartment and refuses to replace the mementos from Spears' high-profile romance with pop hunk Justin Timberlake, reports website Pagesix.Com. An insider says, "When Britney and Justin had the house built, they furnished it themselves. When they split up and moved out, they left everything as it was. Brittany didn't change anything. There's still Justin Black's baby grand piano, which Brittany has been using. She likes living with Britney's and Justin's old stuff. She doesn't think this is strange at all."

House Of Flying Daggers star Zhang Ziyi refuses to reveal details about her personal life - even if it means the press write negative stories about her. The Chinese actress, 25, prefers to keep quiet because she believes the media will print whatever they want regardless of how much information she divulges about herself. Ziyi says, "Why do I have to tell them? My life is my life. Things I feel like sharing, I will share, but the rest I can keep personal. If they ask personal questions and I keep a cold front, and don't tell them anything, the next day they will say, 'She had this silly smile.' You just can't win. Either way, they are going to make up their stories." She singles out the Chinese media for further criticism, adding, "Another thing is that, in Hong Kong, they are very snobbish. Hong Kong people often have this derogatory view of mainlanders, 'How can you be an international movie star? You are only from China.' For them, China is like the countryside."

Actor Billy Crudup has allegedly begged Mary-Louise Parker to let him visit their 11-month-old son, because he wants his child to see his dying father Thomas. Parker is still furious Crudup left her when she was seven months pregnant, to date his Stage Beauty co-star Claire Danes, but she's reportedly considering accompanying Crudup on a trip to South America so their child William can visit his sick grandfather, website NYDailyNews.Com reports. An insider explains, "Mary-Louise refuses to let Billy take him out of state for fear that Billy will take Claire. She doesn't want Claire to see William, ever. But she offered to take the baby down herself because she feels for Billy and she wants his father to see his grandson." Parker's representative adds, "Mary-Louise Parker and Billy Crudup are working hard together on all matters for the sake of the baby."