Gordon Parks, who became a pioneering and influential force in African-American cinema with the films The Learning Tree and Shaft, died on Tuesday in New York; he was 93. Born in Kansas, Parks was orphaned at 15 and grew up homeless, taking jobs wherever he could before becoming interested in photography in the 1930s, working several government jobs during World War II. He ultimately joined Life magazine in the late 40s as the publication's first African-American photographer, and his worked ranged from celebrity shoots to photo essays chronicling the effects of poverty, segregation, and crime. In the 60s, his work covering the Black Power movement and a poverty-stricken family in Rio de Janiero became some of his most notable, with a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age novel, The Learning Tree, also published early in the decade. With encouragement from John Cassavettes, Parks became the first African-American filmmaker to helm a major studio film with his 1969 adaptation of The Learning Tree, which was among the first 25 films to be preserved in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. His second film, the groundbreaking cult classic Shaft (1971), was a resounding commercial success, and despite Parks' protestations that the movie was not meant to be exploitative, helped launch the "blaxploitation" movement of the 70s. Parks went on to direct Shaft's Big Score, The Super Cops, and Leadbelly in the 70s; his son, Gordon Parks Jr. (who died in a plane crash in 1979), directed another cult classic, Superfly. Photography and filmmaking were just two of Parks' accomplishments, as he also wrote novels, memoirs, poetry and music, receiving a National Medal of Arts, and was the co-founder of Essence magazine. Married and divorced three times, Parks is survived by a son, two daughters, and several grandchildren. --Prepared by IMDb staff

Teri Hatcher considered killing herself because of the sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of her depraved uncle from the ages of five to eight. The Desperate Housewives star revealed her ordeal after helping police jail pedophile Richard Hayes Stone when she heard his abuse had caused a 14-year-old girl to take her own life. The actress, now 41, has been continually haunted by the horrific experiences, which only ended when she went "ballistic" because her mother had invited Stone for dinner. The actress tells Vanity Fair magazine, "I was just blown over by this girl's pain. I thought, 'Boy, that's really close to being me.' Any day of the week, I could feel that sort of pain. I haven't tried to kill myself, but I've certainly thought about it, and then I felt guilty about thinking about it, because what's so terrible about my life?" Stone, who was married to Hatcher's mother's sister, pleaded guilty to four counts of child molestation in December 2002 and was sentenced to 14 years in prison after Hatcher agreed to testify against him. In the Vanity Fair interview, Hatcher recalls in chilling detail how she was sexually molested when she and her parents lived in Sunnyvale, California. She says, "The most horrible thing, that has stuck with me all my life, is that he was touching me and doing things to me, and he said, 'Doesn't that feel good?' I said, 'No, it doesn't. He said, 'Well someday you'll know what I'm talking about.'" The star said that before going to prosecutors four years ago, she had never told anyone of her own ordeal, not even her parents. Hatcher kept her involvement in the trial a closely guarded secret, and has not included the incident in her upcoming autobiography, Burned Toast, fearing the revelation might harm her career. The actress recently decided to go public saying, "I'm-41-years-old, and it's time for me to stop hiding."

Acclaimed pianist Yanni is facing a domestic battery charge after he was arrested at his Florida home in the early hours of Friday. The star, whose full name is John Yanni Christopher, denies hurting his 33-year-old girlfriend Silvia Barthes during the dispute at his Manalapan house. Barthes, who is sporting a cut lip, told police officers the musician shook her, before throwing her on the bed and jumping on top of her. The 51-year-old has released a statement saying, "I want everyone to know that I am completely innocent of any allegations made with respect to the events at my home on the night of March 2. These allegations are cruel, false, without merit and baseless. At a more appropriate time and place, I hope and pray I will have an opportunity to address my fans and colleagues all over the world."

David Hasselhoff's estranged wife Pamela Bach has pleaded with a Los Angeles Superior Court judge to grant a temporary restraining order against the star. The former Baywatch creator and his spouse of 16 years are locked in a bitter divorce battle, but according to entertainment news website TMZ.com the restraining order was not requested on grounds of domestic violence. The pair, who have children Taylor-Ann, 15, and Hayley, 13, together, have reportedly been ordered to keep apart, and granted custody of one child each. The court papers are confidential, because they contain detailed "mental health" papers.

Jackass: The Movie star Bam Margera was arrested for unlawful possession of a dangerous weapon on Friday, after trying to pass through a security check-point at LAX airport in Los Angeles with brass knuckles. Margera, who has previously been romantically linked with singer Jessica Simpson, was released the next morning after posting $20,000 bond. The star, who admits to being "blatantly drunk" during the incident, says, "I met up with some people from Island Def Jam (Records) and went to a party at the Roosevelt Hotel. At some point they ended up giving me a pair of brass knuckles as a gift. I just tossed them in my bag and then showed up drunk at the airport to catch a flight home." The Jackass star was stopped by security, caused a scene and was subsequently arrested. He tells MTV News, "They booked me and took me to this small-a** cell with this glue-huffing Mexican and some 50-year-old homeless guy. I'm mad at myself because I think that if I wasn't drunk at the airport I could've weaseled my way out of this whole thing, but I was slurring my words. Sometimes I'm an idiot."

James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli has laughed off reports Daniel Craig is struggling in his new role as 007, insisting he is the perfect actor to play the superspy. Broccoli insists rumors of the new Bond knocking out his teeth and not being able to drive a manual car are ridiculous - but she's used to the backlash when a new 007 is announced. She says, "His teeth are fine, his driving is fine, he doesn't have heat rash and he's not afraid of the water. We're aware of it (negative press), but it doesn't mean anything to us. There's always a heightened interest in Bond, and every time we recast the role, there's even more. It's just in keeping with what we've been experiencing."

Bobby Brown is in legal trouble again after being arrested over the weekend on an outstanding warrant stemming from a motor vehicle violation in 1992. The warrants were issued in Webster, Massachusetts, where Brown was attending 13-year-old daughter Bobbi Kristina's cheerleading tournament. Webster police chief Timothy Bent described Brown as "very cooperative" and authorities even allowed the singer and his bodyguard to drive to the police station after the cheerleading event was over. Brown was held for an hour before being freed on $40 bond. The singer currently lives in Georgia with his singer wife Whitney Houston.

Sharon Stone attacked Basic Instinct director Paul Verhoeven the first time she saw the racy sex thriller - after she saw herself exposed on the big screen. The actress admits she was horrified with the scene because she had no idea the movie-maker would actually show her bare genitals in the famous leg-crossing interrogation scene. She recalls, "I knew that we were going to do this leg crossing thing and I knew that we were going to allude to the concept that I was nude, but I did not think that you would see my vagina in the scene. Later, when I saw it in the screening I was shocked. I think seeing it in a room full of strangers was so disrespectful (to me) and so shocking, so I went into the booth and slapped him (Verhoeven) and left." Stone insists her role as killer Catherine Trammell became iconic because she performed the part well, not because she flashed her genitals. She adds, "I don't think that it (the film) moved my career because you could see up my dress. I think that it moved my career because I'm good in the movie."

US reality TV star Kristin Cavalleri has rubbished reports she is dating singer Nick Lachey after the couple were spotted together twice, insisting the they are "just friends." The buzz about the pair started when the newly single Lachey was seen with Laguna Beach star Cavallari at the Palomino restaurant in Los Angeles. The couple was spotted again a few days later at Los Angeles hot spot Koi. The 19-year-old star says the two have been in the same restaurants and at the same parties but insists, "There's nothing to talk about, there's nothing going on. He's a nice guy, but I'd have to say we're just friends." A friend of Lachey's confirms, "Whatever happened (between the two) was extremely casual. Nick is not looking for a girlfriend or anything serious. He is a single guy now."

Johnny Depp, Sean Penn, Bill Murray, John Cusack and Benicio Del Toro have come together for a documentary on the life and death of gonzo journalist and author Hunter S. Thompson. The documentary, called Buy The Ticket, Take The Ride: Hunter S. Thompson On Film is currently wrapping up production. Depp played the author in Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas, the big screen adaptation of Thompson's book, along with Benicio Del Toro as his lawyer, Dr Gonzo. Writer/director Tom Thurman plans to have the documentary completed by August and will decided then whether to release it theatrically in order to be able to qualify for an Academy Award nomination. Thompson committed suicide last February at the age of 67 at his home in Colorado.

Designer Valentino was left as red-faced as the Oscars red carpet on Sunday when the three superstars he boasted would be wearing his gowns, chose other outfits. Valentino issued a press release to the media the day before the Academy Awards, claiming Keira Knightley, Jennifer Lopez and Uma Thurman would hit the red carpet wearing his dresses - but the three lovely ladies opted for Vera Wang, vintage and Versace, respectively.