Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe's hit new movie American Gangster is at the center of a new legal fight, after upsetting a retired Drug Enforcement agent in New York. The narcotics detectives are far from happy with the way they are depicted in the gritty new movie, which follows the fortunes of 1970s heroin kingpin Frank Lucas and the cops trying to bring him to justice. And one of the police officers, who worked the Lucas case, is now threatening to sue movie studio bosses at Universal for what he claims are "false and defamatory statements." Gregory Korniloff's attorney Dominic Amorosa has sent a cease and desist letter to the studio heads demanding a retraction of statements made in the film, according to Tmz.com. The letter alleges that several key facts in the movie are misleading. Korniloff was the case agent for the DEA and "personally participated in the search of Lucas' house... and the arrest of Lucas."

Russell Crowe is in negotiations to replace Brad Pitt in political thriller State Of Play after Hollywood strike-related issues forced the Troy star to pull out of the project last week. According to industry reports, studio executives at Universal spent the weekend meeting with Crowe in a bid to persuade him to take over the role immediately. Pitt had been onboard the film for months after agreeing to play a journalist who uncovers a murder scandal that implicates a political heavyweight he used to work for. But the movie star felt compelled to walk away from the film when executives refused to await a resolution to the ongoing writers' strike - now in its fourth week - before commencing filming. Pitt also insisted on a script rewrite, which was refused. Trade paper Daily Variety reports Pitt may face legal action from the studio bosses after walking away from a film that was stalled by a strike. As WENN went to press, Helen Mirren and Edward Norton were still attached to supporting roles in the film, which was supposed to have started filming on November 17.

Oprah Winfrey has had her first meeting with the young victim at the center of sexual assault allegations at her all-girls school in South Africa. The talk show queen made an "emotional" visit to the Henley-on-Klip Leadership Academy, which she co-founded in 2006, on Sunday to meet with the tragic 12-year-old and her parents. Former employee Virginia Mokgobo, 27, was arrested in October on numerous charges including assault, indecent assault and soliciting underage girls to perform indecent acts, after a local newspaper article brought attention to the matter earlier that month. The girl's dad tells People.com, "The meeting went well. It took about two hours, and I appreciate that Oprah took time to listen. Oprah looked beautiful and was so easy to talk to. It went very smoothly. I am very happy and pleased that Oprah heard our side of the story. We have closure." The girl had left the school complaining about incidents involving the school's staff, but her claims did not result in charges against the dorm matron. Until now, no contact had been made, and the family had not been not invited to an emergency meeting in October, at which Winfrey apologized for the controversy. Mokgobo is currently free on bail and the case has been postponed until December 13 to facilitate further investigation.

Jessica Alba is lining up a stint on the Broadway stage next year - in a bid to beat an actor's strike. Alba is in talks to star in a production of David Mamet's Speed The Plow, playing Karen - a role debuted on the New York stage in 1998 by Madonna. The actress hopes the show will coincide with a planned actor's strike - so she doesn't have to be out of work. Alba told morning TV show Live With Regis And Kelly, "I have been asked. It's perfect timing because of the strike. There might be an actor's strike in June. So if they don't resolve, I can do theatre."

Whoopi Goldberg has hit out at presidential candidates John Edwards and Barack Obama's wife Michelle Obama, for boycotting her talk show The View. The pair backed out of appearing on Monday's edition of the topical TV show, claiming an allegiance to the striking members of the Writer's Guild Of America. But Goldberg is angry at the suggestion she and co-hosts Barbara Walters, Joy Behar and Sherri Shepherd aren't supporting the strike. She told the TV audience, "It could have been handled differently. Because what they said made it look like we don't care. We support the writers strike."

Amy Adams blames herself for her foot injuries on the set of hit new Disney film Enchanted - she should have done a better job of teaching co-star Patrick Dempsey how to dance. The actress, a trained dancer, took over ballroom scenes with her onscreen Prince Charming and was left bruised and bloody by the Sweet Home Alabama star. She explains, "Patrick did take off two of my toe-nails but it was my fault because I was a trained dancer and so I thought I knew what I was doing. I was not a good partner and I had a hard time surrendering to Patrick's lead. He moved and I didn't and I refused to let him lead, so I just stood my ground and he just tore them off. So I ended up with the loss of some toe-nails and sore feet but that was the extent of my injuries." The pain and effort was worth it - the family film shot to the top of the box office at the weekend with a staggering $50 million five-day take.

The Punisher star Thomas Jane has discovered making movies is a tough business - he has to keep his cast warm. The actor is making his directorial debut with a 3-D thriller called The Dark Country, which is currently shooting on location in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Jane is also starring in the project alongside The Texas Chainsaw Massacre actress Lauren German and Hellboy's Ron Perlman. And he admits it's a challenge just keeping his castmates comfortable. He explains, "It's a lot of work. We're shooting nights and it's a challenge. It's getting a little nippy out here and it's supposed to be a summer night scene, so my poor co-star, Lauren German, is out there wearing next to nothing. She's freezing for her art. But I'm secretly having a great time; I have a great cast and a fantastic crew."

Troubled pop star Britney Spears and her ex-husband Kevin Federline are both under investigation by the Los Angeles County Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS), according to reports. The former couple are due back in court on Monday to continue child custody negotiations, and according to website Tmz.com, the DCFS will appeal to Commissioner Scott Gordon to open the files regarding the care of their young boys, Sean Preston and Jayden James. The department's concerns are said to be "frivolous" but the DCFS have a legal obligation to investigate any such claims. This is not the first time Spears has been investigated for child abuse by the DCFS - her former bodyguard Tony Barretto made an official complaint against the star in October, just one month after she was cleared of similar allegations from an anonymous tip-off.

Jessica Simpson fuelled reports she's dating Carrie Underwood's ex-boyfriend Tony Romo by introducing him to her grandparents at Thanksgiving. Football star Tony Romo missed out on the big day's festivities on Thursday because he was playing for the Dallas Cowboys, but he joined Simpson and her family on Friday at Jessica's grandparents' home in Waco, Texas. Simpson recently announced that her ideal man is a guy she could take home to meet her grandparents. She explained, "I definitely love a family man, a guy that's not afraid to pick up the babies. Somebody that wants to meet my grandparents immediately." As well as dating Underwood at the beginning of 2007, Romo was also romantically linked to Britney Spears, who recently sat on his lap during a night out at a Hollywood club.

Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea has lost his home in the latest fires to hit Los Angeles. The rocker's $5 million French-style mansion was burned down in the wildfires which began on Saturday, the second series of blazes to hit the region in less than a month. Flea - real name Michael Balzary - confirmed the loss by sending local newspaper the Los Angeles Times a text message saying his home had "burnt to a crisp." Following the weekend's fires, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has reactivated the state of emergency he declared last month and vowed to make aid available to those affected by the infernos.