George Clooney has lashed out at reports he contemplated suicide at the beginning of the year, insisting his comments were misrepresented in a British newspaper. Talking about the horrific pain he experienced after suffering a brain injury while filming forthcoming movie Syriana last Christmas, Clooney allegedly told the newspaper he considered ending his life because he was in so much agony. But, in a statement released yesterday, Clooney quickly explained his comments. He said, "I think, if you listen to the piece, I certainly did not talk about wanting to kill myself. I was talking about the idea of living for years in that kind of pain." Clooney ended his brief statement with a message to all publications who embellish interviews: "Please don't use my words out of context."

Janet Jackson has a secret teenage daughter called Renee, according to the singer's former brother-in-law. Young DeBarge, whose brother James was married to Jackson from 1984 to 1985, claims Renee - now 18 - was sent away to live with the star's eldest sister Rebbie. He said during an interview on Friday with New York City urban radio station Hot 97, "James and the Jackson family kept everything real close, real tight. No one really knew how it was working out until things kind of surfaced. I think there's a little despondence. She hasn't really revealed that, but I'm sure that there's some feelings there. It's only natural that you wonder about what is and how it's come to be that way." Jackson's spokeswoman Patti Webster refused to deny the allegations, telling The New York Post newspaper the singer wouldn't comment.

Justin Timberlake is urging fans of his ex Britney Spears to be patient for photographs of her baby son Sean Preston. The pop star was horrified when he first heard that stolen photos of Britney's baby were being offered to internet sites and publications. He fumes, "I do think that's crossing the line. That's her baby and those are her baby pictures. It's a little crazy when a person like her, who's obviously a sweet person, and having her first child... it's like leave the girl alone, let her have the baby. At some point you're going to get to know about her son and get to see a picture and these magazines work week to week, so I don't understand why people can't wait (until) she's comfortable putting it out." Spears' attorneys succeeded in stopping the stolen pictures from appearing anywhere over the weekend after sending a harsh missive to agencies and publications, informing them they'd face prosecution if they took charge of the pictures.

Jessica Simpson's manager father Joe has blasted ongoing reports his daughter's marriage to Nick Lachey is heading for divorce after detailing the romance of the couple's Italian getaway. The music executive admits he's baffled by the stories that won't go away, because the reality TV couple couldn't be happier. He says, "They're still together... They just got back from Italy, where they were taking their anniversary vacation; they spent time together and they had a romantic dinner. Nick rented some museum place and had an orchestra and had an opera singer sing and they had a candlelight dinner. (It) sounds like a divorce to me."

William Shatner has disclosed that his recent hospital stint was due to A painful kidney stone. The 74-year-old actor was taken from the set of his hit TV show Boston Legal last week, suffering from what was initially reported to be chronic back pain. But Shatner now reveals he had a kidney stone, which he successfully passed after experiencing excruciating pain. He says, "I was doing a scene and I was feeling uncomfortable and then I got on my knees behind the scenes, before going on. And then I did the scene and I broke out into a cold sweat. I finished the scene and the nurse said, 'Maybe you should go to the hospital.' The purity of the pain! They had to give me morphine. It was just unbelievable pain and it made you kind of think about what pain is. It was awful."

American actor Steve Martin was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at Washington DC's Kennedy Center Concert Hall on Sunday. A galaxy of stars including Tom Hanks, Paul Simon, Eric Idle, Diane Keaton, Lily Tomlin and Claire Danes attended the gala evening to celebrate the 60-year-old's glittering career. Idle hailed Martin as "the most intelligent man I ever met," adding, "Honesty simplicity and truth are the secret to comedy." While Oscar-winner Hanks attributed Martin's comedy to "self-loathing and unhappiness". But he added, "He redefined comedy by defining the moment of our ascendancy as a generation. As did Charlie Chaplin, as did the Marx Brothers, as did Laurel And Hardy define their own times, Steve Martin defined ours." Accepting his award, Martin made mention of his previous honors, including a 1969 writing Emmy, saying, "But of course the Mark Twain Prize is more special to me - because it is more recent!" Previous winners include Richard Pryor and Whoopi Goldberg.

Celebrated actor Bill Murray was so terrified the audience at the premiere of new movie Broken Flowers would hate the independent film, he spent the entire screening in a state of panic. The Lost In Translation star was convinced his collaboration with Jim Jarmusch would ignite a hostile reaction after the acclaimed director told him how a previous film was panned by its premiere audience. Murray, 55 says, "I had been told that if they don't like what they see, the room is not just freezing, but downright nasty. Jim said that he's presented a movie a few years before to 2,500 people in the same auditorium, and after the credits ended, there was total silence. A voice from high up above said, 'Jim, that's s**t.' Then the booing started. I thought about that for every minute I sat there watching, despite the audience's laughter." Murray heaved a deep sigh of relief when the film ended to a full five minute round of applause at this year's Cannes Film Festival in France.

Superstar Madonna has hit back at Jon Bon Jovi after the rocker questioned her parenting skills. The Bon Jovi frontman criticized the Material Girl for bringing her children Lourdes, nine, and Rocco, five, to film premieres instead of shielding them from the media. Bon Jovi said, "These kids have done nothing and yet we all know what they look like. It's crazy, man, but each to their own. I've been in this industry for 22 years and no one has any idea what my four kids look like. I keep my private life private and I always have." In response, Madonna's spokeswoman Liz Rosenberg says, "Madonna has never brought her children to a movie premiere. He can rest assured (Madonna's) kids are cherished, adored, well fed, respected and are extremely loved and well protected by their parents."

American actress Chloe Sevigny is refusing to succumb to the media hysteria surrounding the bird flu virus. Since the disease emerged in southeast Asia in 2003, more than 60 people have been killed by the H5N1 strain of the disease and, in recent weeks, it has begun to spread to the western world. Despite the media's alarming news report predicting how many people will be killed by avian flu, the Boys Don't Cry star remains calm and collected, insisting she doubts she would be unlucky enough to catch the virus. She tells New York magazine, "Doesn't avian flu affect old people more? I'm young and healthy. I have a strong constitution. My mother breast-fed me for years." (A previous version of this story attributed the quote to the New York Daily News. We regret the error.)

An arrest warrant has been issued for former Village People star Victor Willis after the singer failed to appear in court last week. The Can't Stop the Music star, who played the original policeman in the disco group, was set to appear in court last Thursday to answer weapon and drug possession charges. Willis, who co-wrote "In The Navy," was arrested in July after police allegedly found a gun and crack cocaine in his car.