Comedian Joey Bishop, the last surviving male member of Frank Sinatra's legendary "Rat Pack" who appeared in such films as Ocean's Eleven and Sergeant's 3, died Wednesday night of multiple causes at his home in Newport Beach, CA; he was 89. The Bronx-born Bishop pursued a career in stand-up comedy both before and after World War II, and caught the attention of Sinatra during a Manhattan gig in 1952. Soon after, Bishop was opening for Sinatra's concerts nationwide, and also began appearing in films and on numerous talk shows. He also became a famed member of Sinatra's Rat Pack, which also consisted of Sammy Davis, Jr., Peter Lawford and Dean Martin (Shirley MacLaine is also considered something of an honorary member). The male quintet appeared in the 1960 crime caper Ocean's Eleven, and performed nightly at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas during filming; the next year, Bishop was asked to be the emcee for President John F. Kennedy's inaugural ball (produced by Sinatra). Away from the Rat Pack, Bishop starred for four years in the sitcom The Joey Bishop Show, which ran from 1961-65. He was also a frequent guest, and guest host, for such TV talk show kings as Jack Paar and Johnny Carson, and briefly had his own talk show in the late 60s. Bishop made fewer and fewer appearances throughout the 70s, occasionally popping up on a variety of television shows ranging from Match Game to Murder, She Wrote, and in a few films, the last two being Betsy's Wedding (1990) and Mad Dog Time (1996). Bishop is survived by his son, Larry.

The animal rescue group at the center of the Ellen DeGeneres dog drama have received death threats after the TV presenter mentioned the incident on her show. The talk show host and her partner Portia de Rossi came under fire by the Mutts and Moms agency after handing over custody of her Brussels Griffon mix Iggy to Ellen's hairdresser after it fought with her cats. The agency claims the switch violated an agreement it had with DeGeneres when she agreed to house the pet - and reclaimed the pooch from the hairdresser and her young daughters. On Tuesday, DeGeneres issued a tearful statement on her show to explain why she gave her pet away - but the plea has sparked anger amongst her viewers, with some sending vicious threats to the agency. Keith A. Fink, a representative for rescue group owner Marina Batkis, says, "She (Batkis) is adamant that she is not going to be bullied around by the Ellen DeGenereses of the world. They are using their power, position and wealth to try to get what it is they want." But DeGeneres' publicist Kelly Bush insists the host was stunned by the threats, and maintains she has the dog's best interests at heart. She says, "It's very upsetting to hear that someone is getting those kind of calls. Ellen just wants the dog reunited with the family."

Lindsay Lohan has sparked rumors her romance with snowboarder Riley Giles is deadly serious after stepping out with a subtle ring on her wedding finger. Lohan sported the sparkler as she hit the Hollywood party scene on Tuesday night in an all-black mini-dress and beret combo. The Georgia Rule star met Giles at the Cirque lodge rehab center in Utah, where she spent much of the summer tackling substance abuse issues. The couple has since been spotted out and about in Los Angeles, where Lohan is shooting a new film - and the actress has even started cooing publicly about her new love. She tells the new issue of In Touch Weekly magazine, "We started out as friends. We met about two months ago while doing activities at Cirque. We both enjoyed rock climbing." She adds that she "loves" the fact her new guy is totally unimpressed by Hollywood: "He finds it all very funny. That's what I love about him. He has a good sense of humor." And now it seems Lohan is wearing his ring. An insider says, "Lindsay and Riley are very serious about each other." Giles, 25, broke off a serious relationship with ex-girlfriend Bree Tierney just before he started dating Lohan in rehab. He insists the split had nothing to do with his new love: "I broke up with Bree a week before I started dating Lindsay. We had dated for almost two years, but it's not like we were engaged or anything." That doesn't sit well with heartbroken Tierney's mom, Tess - she insists her daughter was engaged to the snowboarding lothario. She says, "Riley just stopped calling Bree and never told her about Lindsay. She found out by seeing photos. It destroyed her."

Ryan Gosling has confirmed he has split up with his girlfriend Rachel McAdams - and some fans are so upset they're berating the actor in the street for letting her go. Gosling and McAdams, who met on the set of 2004 romance movie The Notebook, were first reported to have split several months ago. And nothing could prepare Gosling for the reaction of some strangers. The Lars and the Real Girl star tells American magazine GQ, "Women are mad at me. A girl came up to me on the street and she almost smacked me. (She was) like, How could you? How could you let a girl like that go?' I feel like I want to give people hugs, they seem so sad. Rachel and I should be the ones getting hugs! Instead, we're consoling everybody else."

Filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola has accused Jack Nicholson of putting his love of money before his career. The Godfather director is disappointed Nicholson has halted his acting career in favour of enjoying a luxury lifestyle with a string of beautiful women - because he believes it is a waste of talent. Coppola says, "I think if there was a role that Robert De Niro was hungry for, he would come after it. I don't think Jack would. Jack has money and influence and girls, and I think he's a little bit like Marlon Brando, except Brando went through some tough times. I guess they don't want to do it anymore."

Spider-Man is returning for a fourth installment of the superhero franchise, but without director Sam Raimi in the director's chair. Raimi directed the first three movies and co-wrote 2007's Spider-Man 3 - but the filmmaker is stepping back to let someone else create their own vision for the web-slinging adventure. He tells MTV.com, "Right now, a writer is being sought to write the next installment. We're in the very early stages. I won't be working on the story. It'll be a brand-new writer coming in with a brand-new story - a fresh take on the Spider-Man series. We're hearing different versions right now and really enjoying the different stories. Hopefully, we'll hear one that sounds right for the fourth installment." When asked if would produce the movie, rather than direct, Raimi replies, "Yes, that's right. In this case, it's more in the writer's hands. I'm going to let the writer envision where Peter Parker would go to next."

The corgis who played Dame Helen Mirren's companions in 2006's The Queen have been tipped to win the film yet another accolade - a Fido award. The five pups have been nominated for the Historical Hound category of this month's Fidos, a British award ceremony recognizing outstanding canine acting. The competition, held as part of the London Film Festival, sees the corgis go head-to-head with fellow movie mutts including the collie-mix owned by Samantha Morton's character in Control, and the brown hunting dog from French picture Moliere. Mirren says, "I loved those corgis because they were funny. I can understand why the Queen has them. Forget winning an Oscar, I'd be more proud of an award for dog handling."

Sir Anthony Hopkins is taking Merchant Ivory to court in a bid to claim $750,000 he claims the film production company owes him for a new movie. The actor alleges Merchant Ivory has yet to pay him for starring in City Of Your Final Destination, so has filed court papers to take the firm to an arbitrator. Hopkins claims the company, who he has made four films with, including the Academy Award-winning Howard's End, was due to pay him his $750,000 salary by January. Earlier this year, Merchant Ivory disputed Hopkins' version of events.

The Hills star Heidi Montag is adamant she has been targeted by an internet hacker - after a post appeared on her website claiming responsibility for starting a rumor about co-star Lauren Conrad's involvement in a sex tape scandal. Montag insists a confession claiming she and fiance Spencer Pratt were responsible for fueling rumors Conrad had made a secret sex tape was fake. The post titled 'The Truth' went live on Montag's site on Monday night, saying: "Me and Spencer did spread the false rumors about Lauren's sex tape." But Pratt tells People.com, "I don't think (Heidi) would even know how to log in to her website. I don't even know how to run that. They're trying to track down whose IP (address) it was. We got Jack Bauer on it." Conrad is at the centre of a sex tape scandal involving ex-boyfriend Laguna Beach star Jason Wahler. She has always denied the tape exists.

Britney Spears knew 'N Sync star Lance Bass was gay before anyone else - because he came out to her first. Bass admits he told his pal about his gay secret shortly after she wed Jason Alexander in 2004 - more than two years before he went public. Bass reveals, "I felt bad for her. I knew she was about to go through a lot of crap. I felt the need to share something. So I sat her on my bed, and I'm like, 'Well, I'm gay!'"

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Norman Mailer is recovering after surgery to remove scar tissue around his lung. The 84-year-old literary giant was admitted to Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan, New York last week, and the operation took place earlier this week. Mailer won Pulitzer Prizes for his books The Armies Of The Night and The Executioner's Song.