George Clooney is fuming about comments attributed to him that appeared on socialite/politician Arianna Huffington's blog. Clooney agreed to let Huffington use his thoughts and criticisms about America's Democratic party for her Huffington Post site, but had no idea his comments would be misrepresented. The angry actor says, "What she (Huffington) most certainly did not get my permission to do is to combine only my answers in a blog. That misleads the reader into thinking that I wrote this piece. These are not my writings. They are answers to questions and there is a huge difference... I stand by my statements but I did not write this blog." In the blog, Clooney says, "The fear of (being) criticized can be paralyzing. Just look at the way so many Democrats caved in the run up to the (Iraq) war. In 2003, a lot of us were saying, 'Where is the link between Saddam (Hussein) and (Osama) Bin Laden? What does Iraq have to do with 9/11?' We have to agree that it's not unpatriotic to hold our leaders accountable and to speak out."

Funnyman Will Ferrell has laughed off a hoax report he died in a freak paragliding accident, insisting he's alive and well. A prank press release - featuring glaring grammatical and spelling errors - announcing the Anchorman star's demise in a San Diego, California, accident was posted on website iNewswire.com on Tuesday. The actor's publicist Matthew Labov says, "Not much to say other than we heard and read about it this morning and reacted accordingly. There was no point in trying to track (the source) down as it was obviously a hoax." Josh Meyers, owner of the paragliding company that was named in Ferrell's "death" story, adds, "I have no knowledge of Will Ferrell paragliding."

Traffic Oscar-winner Benicio Del Toro is set to play a classic movie monster in the big screen remake of The Wolf Man. The Sin City actor will star in and co-produce the new version of the horror film. Like the original film, which starred Lon Chaney Jr., the remake will be set in Victorian England. Se7en writer Andrew Kevin Walker has started working on the script for the film. Shooting is scheduled to begin early next year, once Del Toro completes work on the Che Guevara biopic Guerrilla. The film will be released in 2008.

Actress Melanie Griffith has slammed US supermarket tabloid National Enquirer for publishing photographs of her attending Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings. The Working Girl star has made no secret of her past battle with drink and drugs, but is disgusted by the Enquirer's latest front page story, which quotes the actress as saying, "It's true - I did have a drug relapse. I would go to the ends of the earth to buy cocaine and my drugs." Griffith's publicist Robin Baum tells the New York Daily News, "Every single day that she goes to an AA meeting, there are paparazzi outside. (It is) violating her privacy. They chase her for the remainder of the day. They put her in danger."

US comic Jay Leno has been forced to apologize for a joke he told on his The Tonight Show. The comedian compared US Vice President Dick Cheney's recent hunting accident - where he shot a pal - to lawyer Gerald Curry's harrowing 2003 ordeal at the hands of a gun-happy foe outside a Los Angeles courthouse. To hammer home the gag, Leno showed videotaped news footage of Curry hiding behind a tree to avoid being fatally wounded. Not everyone found the joke funny, and Leno personally phoned to apologize to Wendy Brogin, a friend of Curry's after she wrote to the comedian to complain. Brogin tells the Los Angeles Daily News, "He said, 'Hello, Wendy, this is Jay Leno, I'm calling about the letter you wrote and I want to apologize. I just want to let you know we make mistakes sometimes and we don't mean to hurt people.'" Meanwhile, Curry insists that although he appreciates his friend standing up for him, he wasn't offended by Leno's joke. The lawyer says, "I don't take it personally, so I wasn't upset with him. He's just making fun, but I think this says a lot about him, that he'd take the time to apologize."

Harrison Ford has confirmed shooting on the forthcoming Indiana Jones sequel is nearing a start date now that he and director Steven Spielberg have approved the script. Ford, Spielberg and producer George Lucas have been waiting for the perfect script before they start filming the long-gestating follow-up to 1989's Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade. Ford tells German magazine Fit For Fun, "Steven Spielberg and I now have a script in hand that we both like. I believe that we can start with the filming soon."

Janet Jackson's infamous wardrobe malfunction at the 2004 Super Bowl will see 20 CBS television stations fined $550,000, US regulators have confirmed. The penalty was upheld yesterday by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which has also cited Nicole Richie's profanity-laden Billboard Music Awards speech in 2003 as violating broadcasting decency rules. Strict federal regulations bar television and radio stations from broadcasting indecent material, such as swearing and sexually explicit content, until the late evening, when children are less likely to be viewing. But Jackson's half-time nipple exposure at the football extravaganza was ruled a violation of these measures. The FCC said CBS "consciously and willfully failed to take actions to prevent the broadcast of the material." The Commission also slammed Fox Television Network for Richie's outburst, in which she repeatedly used two profanities, but failed to impose a fine. A spokesman said, "Each of these words is among the most offensive words in the English language."

Former Genesis star Phil Collins has separated from his wife of six years, insisting it is in the best interest of their two young children. Collins, who split from the progressive rock group in 1996 to concentrate on his burgeoning solo career, was married two times before settling down with Orianne. His publicist Mara Buxbaum reveals the pair have been living apart since the beginning of the year, and maintains news of their separation yesterday didn't come as a shock. In a statement she says, "They have decided in the interests of their two children that it is better to separate. They are both very sad that it should come to this, but have as their priority the welfare and happiness of their children and are determined to remain friends and be loving parents to them." The hitmaker, 55, has three other children from his previous marriages. He will continue to live in Switzerland to be near to his two young children with Orianne, Nicholas and Mathew.

Pop superstar Michael Jackson has escaped the threat of court action by agreeing to pay the thousands of dollars in overdue wages owed to staff at his closed Neverland ranch. State officials confirmed the Thriller hitmaker will pay his workers today. They have demanded $306,000, after complaining they hadn't received a pay packet since December 19. However, acting Labor Commissioner Robert Jones warns this figure could rise, as the singer's payroll records were still being scrutinized. Official figures will be released next week, he claimed. The Labor Department also revealed Jackson has agreed to obtain workers compensation insurance for 69 ranch employees. The fine for this breach has been estimated at $69,000. Jackson's spokeswoman, Raymone Bain, said she "never doubted (the matter) would be resolved."

Madonna was forced to release an edited version of the video to her current single "Sorry," because the original was considered too rude to be broadcast. The promo, directed by Jamie King, sees the "Hung Up" star making an obscene gesture at viewers - something record company bosses deemed to explicit to put on general release. And the action is in stark contrast to the 47-year-old's role as a mother and her devotion to Kabbalah. An insider tells website The Scoop, "I guess it was too vulgar for general audiences. Besides, it is a rather unseemly gesture for a mother-of-two who, when she's not making obscene gestures, is singing the praises of Kabbalah and writing inspirational children's books."