Brad Pitt has been hospitalized in Los Angeles with a severe bout of influenza. The movie hunk checked himself into an undisclosed hospital on Monday night after feeling unwell following an appearance at a motorcycle speedway event in California at the weekend. Insiders claim Pitt picked up the illness on his travels - he has just returned from a whistle-stop trip to England and Africa, where he joined pal and Mr. and Mrs. Smith co-star Angelina Jolie as she adopted an Ethiopian baby. The actor is expected to make a full recovery.

Movie beauty Cameron Diaz is at the centre of a legal battle after accusing a photographer of "stealing" a set of topless shots of her before she shot to fame. Diaz, 32, insists the signature on the release form for the raunchy pictures is a forgery of her handwriting, and refuses to let photographer John Rutter sell the pictures for publication. The wrangle kicked off in 2003 when Rutter approached Diaz, offering her the fetish-inspired shots for a staggering $3.5 million. The actress claims the accused was trying to extort her, but Rutter's defense lawyer Mark Werkman insists the photographer was simply trying to "be a nice guy" by coming to her first. Rutter, 42, is charged with attempted grand theft, forgery and perjury - but Werkman has rubbished the charges, insisting Diaz is "crushing" Rutter in a desperate bid to save her reputation. Werkman says,"Cameron Diaz used her wealth, power and fame to crush John Rutter and bury those photos." The actress is expected to head for the witness box today. Rutter faces five years in jail if convicted.

A follow up to Oscar-winning blockbuster Gladiator is being planned - without Russell Crowe, who was killed off in the original movie. Crowe, who played General Maximus Decimus Meridius and Joaquin Phoenix's character Emperor Commodus both died in the first movie. But Djimon Hounsou, who starred as African slave Juba, survived and insists the sequel is in development. He says there is "definitely the desire to do a sequel. They're not happy about what they have for now, so they're still working on it." And the 41-year-old actor is convinced he will grab more of the limelight this time round, adding, "I would probably be in the centre of it as one of the leads."

Hollywood actress Maggie Gyllenhaal has vowed to keep her political opinions to herself, because she's still suffering the media backlash over a remark she made about the September 11th terrorist attacks in April. The New York native was at the premiere of her movie The Great New Wonderful, which is set in the city a year after the al-Qaeda attacks on the Big Apple, and investigates New Yorkers' feelings about the tragedy. But while describing the movie, Gyllenhaal famously suggested America was "responsible in some way" for the attacks, but was forced to retract the comment following a media uproar about her anti-American sentiments. And now she's too terrified to discuss her thoughts, in case she accidentally sparks controversy again. She says, "I was so surprised by the way it was misunderstood, and the disdain that came back at me was a real shock. I regret what I said, but I think my intentions were good. Neither the red carpet nor an interview about a movie is the right place to talk about my politics. I realize I have to be careful, because it's very easy to misunderstand a complicated thought in a complicated world."

Nicole Kidman's marriage to Tom Cruise wrecked friendships the Australian actress had kept for years because her husband was so private. The movie star was just 21 when she wed Cruise and struggled to stay in touch with pals back home because she became part of a very different world. She tells style magazine Glamour, "Part of me shut down, put up barriers and became very insular. It was very hard to keep friendships alive during that period." Since the couple split in 2001, Kidman has rediscovered her childhood friends and she's determined not to let her pals slip away again. She adds, "I've been able to keep my female friendships ongoing, which is so important. Recently, I went on a publicity tour and asked one of my oldest girlfriends to come along. Being together was like going back to when to when we were teenagers."

Troubled pop star Michael Jackson was sued on Monday by the Prescient Acquisition Group, after the singer failed to pay them $48 million in fees for recovering his stake in publishing rights for The Beatles' back catalogue. The asset acquisition company told the District Court in Manhattan, New York that the Thriller star approached them in November 2004 to secure refinancing of a staggering $272 million debt to the Bank of America. Prescient thus secured $537 million for Jackson to clear his debt and buy the half of The Beatles legacy which he didn't already own. The company claimed it was entitled to an immediate payment of $24.8 million - 9 per cent of the funds used to pay off the Bank of America debt and a $3.3 million advance to Jackson and his company MJ Publishing. Prescient accused Jackson of breach of contract, on the grounds that it had honored what was expected in a written contract, and insisting Jackson has no right to "retain the benefits of those services in equity and good conscience, without paying to Prescient an amount to be determined at trial."

Matchbox 20 frontman Rob Thomas has rubbished reports he had sex with Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise - and is even more mortified he's been labeled a fellow Scientologist. The singer is horrified by claims he was caught in bed with the War Of The Worlds star and has finally spoken out to end the rumors. But he's even more offended by reports he's joined Cruise and other followers of L. Ron Hubbard's Church Of Scientology, which has been labeled a "cult" by some critics. He says, "If I were gay, Tom wouldn't be on the top of my list...It would be Brad Pitt. I'm more offended by the rumors saying I'm Scientologist."

Pop beauty Mariah Carey accidentally flashed her breasts at stunned fans during a TV show in Germany when her dress fell apart. The star, who experienced a moment reminiscent of Janet Jackson's infamous "wardrobe malfunction" last year, was saved from further shame when floor managers cut the lights to allow the singer to recover her dignity - and clothes - in obscurity, according to MTV news. But the red-faced superstar saw the funny side, quipping, "Someone bring me a jacket or the show's off, we all know how quickly these images can spread around the world." Carey dashed backstage in the dark clutching her clothes in place before reappearing looking perfect, and bravely continuing with the show.

The Canadian publishers of the new Harry Potter novel have obtained a gag order to prevent a leak of the book's closely guarded secrets - after copies of the book went on sale in Canada a week early by mistake. Distributors, Raincoast Books Ltd sought a court injunction after a "small number" of Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince books were accidentally sold in a shop near Vancouver on July 7, a week ahead of the official release date. The injunction prevents anyone disclosing any part of the plot and ruining the eagerly-awaited adventure for other fans. Jamie Broadhurst, marketing director at Raincoast Books Ltd, says the innocent fans who bought the book would not be penalized. He explains, "We look to them to ensure that the excitement and mystery of the story is preserved for fans around the world until July 16 by co-operating with us and observing the terms of the court injunction." The company will accept returned copies until July 16 and will reward fans who sacrifice their novels with a bookplate signed by author JK Rowling and a limited edition T-shirt.

Actress Zsa Zsa Gabor was released from hospital on Saturday after suffering a stroke at her Bel Air, California, home earlier last week. The star, 88, was rushed to an undisclosed Los Angeles hospital after her stroke and underwent surgery late on Wednesday to clear a blocked artery. Her ninth husband, German royal Frederic Prinz Von Anhalt has confirmed his wife, who is partially-paralyzed due to a car crash in 2002, has returned home and is recovering well.