Britney Spears is suing America's Us Weekly magazine for printing what she says is an "outrageous fabrication" and claiming a sex tape featuring the singer and her husband exists. In a $10 million lawsuit, obtained by website Tmz.com, Spears claims an article which ran in an October issue of the magazine featured details of a supposed meeting with her. She maintains the meeting never took place and the article headline "Brit & Kev: Secret Sex Tape?" was misleading. Spears' lawyer, Marty Singer, blasted Us Weekly for "maliciously standing by the bogus story."

Colleagues of late The West Wing star John Spencer have paid tribute to the actor who died of a heart attack on Friday. He was 58. Spencer played the President's chief of staff Leo McGarry in the Emmy award-winning show. Co-star Richard Schiff says of Spencer, "(He was) one of those rare combinations of divinely gifted and incredibly generous." The West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin adds in a statement, "John was an uncommonly good man, an exceptional role model and a brilliant actor. We feel privileged to have known him and worked with him. He'll be missed and remembered every day by his many, many friends." Spencer was nominated as Best Supporting Actor at the Emmy awards each year from 1999 to 2004. He won the award in 2002 Writers and producers on the show are expected to meet this week to discuss what will happen to Spencer's character. He has already appeared in seven of the 14 episodes of season seven. Filming is due to resume after Christmas.

First Daughter and Pieces of April star Katie Holmes celebrated her 27th birthday with fiance Tom Cruise and pals Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith in Miami Beach, Florida on Friday night. The celebrity foursome partied at a club before taking a late-night sightseeing drive along the city's Ocean Drive. War of the Worlds actor Cruise and Holmes stayed in Florida for Holmes' official birthday on Sunday. Cruise also threw a surprise party for his pregnant fiancee last Thursday at New York toy store FAO Schwartz.

Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett returned to her native Australia on Sunday to appeal for calm following the recent race riots in Sydney. Lebanese-Australians have been clashing with white-Australians on the beaches of the New South Wales city, leading to a heavy police presence in the suburbs over the past two weeks. Speaking at Sydney's Coogee Beach on Sunday, The Aviator beauty spoke out against the riots and urged unity amongst the divided communities. Blanchett said, "It's actually very clear and simple. Violence and racism are bad. Whenever they occur they are to be condemned (and) we should not turn a blind eye to them. It's about respect. Respect for others, respect for the rights of others and respect of the rights of everyone to go about their lives in a peaceful way."

Steven Spielberg has recruited one of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's advisers to help him promote his movie about the 1972 Munich Olympics terrorist attack. Spielberg's film, Munich, follows an Israeli hit squad's hunt for Palestinian terrorists who held Jewish athletes hostage. Eleven of the athletes were killed when a German rescue attempt went wrong. Although still to be released, the movie has attracted criticism and been accused of historical inaccuracy. So Spielberg hopes Eyal Arad - who helped plan the recent Israeli withdrawal from Gaza - will help soften its release in Israel. Arad, who has arranged a screening in Tel Aviv for widows of the murdered Israeli athletes, "We are talking about a film that has generated a lot of interest. Naturally that sort of interest can entail some negative reactions as well as positive reactions."

Actress Felicity Huffman has been selected to receive the breakthrough performance award at California's 17th annual Palm Springs Film Festival for her turn in sex-change movie Transamerica. Jake Gyllenhaal, Terrence Howard, Charlize Theron, Shirley MacLaine, David Cronenberg and Michael London will also be feted at the January 7 Awards gala. Emmy-winning Desperate Housewives star Huffman has already received the National Board of Review's actress prize and a Golden Globe nomination for her role in the film.

Former couple Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey enjoyed a romantic final get-together last week on the evening before the Dukes Of Hazzard star filed for divorce. According to news show Extra, the couple met up at the home owned by Simpson's parents in Encino, California for a 'last supper.' Simpson officially filed for divorce on Friday. At the meeting, the couple both agreed Jessica would file divorce papers the following day. Sources close to the split couple claim both Lachey and Simpson are keen to remain friends as they divide up their assets. The news show's reports claim Simpson is prepared to give the former 98 Degrees star half of their marital assets, but is refusing to pay Spousal support.

Former Baywatch babe Brooke Burns owes her life to a quick-thinking paramedic pal, who happened to be using her bathroom when she broke her neck in a freak swimming accident. The former girlfriend of Bruce Willis dived into her pool on 10 November and was left with a chin-to-chest crack after smashing her head against a wayward surfboard. The 27-year-old is convinced she'd be dead if it wasn't her friend, who knew exactly what to do. Speaking exclusively to news show Access Hollywood, she recalls, "I had a friend there who literally was supposed to drop me off and decided to come in and use the restroom and he happened to be, and is, the only paramedic fireman that I know. He saw me dive in and he wrapped a wet towel around my neck and he basically immobilized me and floated me in the pool until the paramedics came, so he saved my life. If I had been with anyone else, who tried to move me, I would definitely be at least half-paralyzed if not completely quadriplegic." Burns reveals her problems didn't end when paramedics took her to Los Angeles' Cedars Sinai hospital: "I had a couple of allergic reactions, I was throwing up profusely with a broken neck, which wasn't fun. I had seizure like symptoms when I found out I was allergic to another kind of medication."

Actor Paul Giamatti remains pessimistic of his chances of picking up a Golden Globe next month, despite his Best Supporting Actor nomination for his performance in Cinderella Man. The Sideways star, 38, is set to fight George Clooney (Syriana), Matt Dillon (Crash), Will Ferrell (The Producers) and Bob Hoskins (Mrs. Henderson Presents) at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's annual award ceremony in Los Angeles. Giamatti says, "What do I think of my chances? Oh God, I mean, I don't see it happening, so I would say my chances would be - I wouldn't give myself any chances. I don't see myself actually winning anything."

Boy George's first court appearance on drugs charges has been postponed until next year by a New York City judge. Police arrested the former Culture Club star in October after allegedly finding 13 bags of cocaine at his Little Italy residence when they were called to investigate a burglary. The singer, real name George O'Dowd, is now scheduled to appear before the Manhattan court on February 1. Judge Patricia Nunez granted the adjournment to allow the eighties pop star to complete literary and recording projects in his native England. The 44-year-old could face up to 15 years imprisonment if found guilty of falsely reporting a burglary and being in possession of cocaine. He denies all charges.