Oprah Winfrey has officially thrown her support behind U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama, after joining the Democrat senator at a campaign rally in Iowa on Saturday. The talk show queen recently revealed her plans to back Obama as her choice to replace President George W. Bush when America goes to the polls next November. Winfrey told the crowd at Saturday's rally at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines: "This is very, very personal. I'm here because of my personal conviction about Barack Obama and what I know he can do for America. For the very first time in my life, I feel compelled to stand up and speak out for the man who I believe has a new vision for America. I believe that Barack Obama will bring statesmanship to the White House. I believe that he will lead with strength, conviction, honor and compassion."

Actress Katherine Heigl has defended labeling her smash hit movie Knocked Up "sexist," insisting the comedy was the "best filming experience of my career". The film, in which Heigl plays a TV journalist who becomes pregnant after a one-night stand with Seth Rogen's unemployed slob, was a massive hit earlier this year and helped Heigl's earnings jump from $300,000 to $6 million per picture. But in a recent interview with Vanity Fair magazine, Heigl said, "It's a little sexist. It paints the women as shrews, as humorless and uptight and it paints the men as lovable, goofy, fun-loving guys. It was hard for me to love the movie." And Heigl has now come forward to clarify the context in which she was quoted. She tells website People.com, "It's important to me to take a minute and clarify the quote about Knocked Up in Vanity Fair. I was responding to previous reviews about the movie the interviewer brought to my attention. My motive was to encourage other women like myself to not take that element of the movie too seriously and to remember that it's a broad comedy. Although I stand behind my opinion, I'm disheartened that it has become the focus of my experience with the movie. The truth is, it was the best filming experience of my career. Every person that was a part of making Knocked Up helped to encourage, support and inspire me. I never intended for anyone to think otherwise."

Brad Pitt has called for stricter laws to protect celebrity children from the paparazzi - because he worries about the effect the snappers have on his children. The star has three adopted children with his partner Angelina Jolie - Maddox, six, Pax, three, Zahara, two, as well as the couple's own biological daughter 17-month-old Shiloh. And Pitt admits he is concerned the constant press attention will taint the kids' perception of the world around them. He tells talk show host Larry King, "Truthfully, I worry about that. I am very concerned about that. Call out my kids names and shove cameras in their faces and I really believe there should be laws against that. I mean, my kids believe that any time you go outside the house there is just a wall of photographers and people that take their picture. That is their view of the world and I worry about the effect it will have on them but we'll do our best."

A judge has issued a warrant for Daniel Baldwin's arrest after the actor failed to appear at a court hearing on Friday. The 47-year-old was due to be at Los Angeles County Superior Court at 10am to discuss his probation progress after he was found guilty of having a cocaine ingesting device on his person and of being under the influence last year. When Baldwin failed to show up, Judge Scott Millington issued a no bail bench warrant for his arrest and revoked the actor's probation. Baldwin's probation officer also submitted a report claiming the star has missed several drug-rehabilitation meetings, reports website Tmz.com.

24 actor Kiefer Sutherland is proving to be a "model prisoner", three days after beginning his jail sentence for a drink-driving conviction. The star turned himself into Los Angeles police on Wednesday - two weeks prior to his scheduled booking date of December 21 - and started serving his 48 days behind bars at the private Glendale City Jail. Sutherland was handed the sentence after he was caught driving under the influence in September. And the 40-year-old has been on his best behavior ever since. Prison spokesman Officer John Balian says, "He's not happy to be here, but you can tell from his demeanour that he's sorry and takes responsibility for what he's done." Sutherland has been given his own accommodation - which is standard procedure for "long term" inmates - and is helping out in the kitchen, serving meals to up to 10 other inmates. But the actor will not come into contact with his fellow prisoners - one of which was jailed for the attempted murder of four people - because he will only slide the food trays through slots in the cell doors. Sutherland was also sentenced to five years probation on Wednesday by L.A. Judge Stuart M. Rice, who insisted the star must complete an 18-month alcohol education program and attend weekly therapy sessions for six months.

Actor Kevin Spacey has stepped in to replace Tommy Lee Jones as host of next week's Nobel Peace Prize concert - after the Men In Black star pulled out. Spacey will now co-host the concert - to be aired across 100 countries worldwide - with actress Uma Thurman in honor of recipients Al Gore and the United Nation's climate change panel. Jones, who was former U.S. vice-president Gore's roommate at Harvard University, pulled out "for personal reasons." Kylie Minogue, Alicia Keys and Annie Lennox are due to perform at the show, which will be held in Oslo, Norway, on December 11 - the day after the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony. Also on the bill are British pop star Kt Tunstall, Earth Wind & Fire, A-ha singer Morten Harket and Junoon, one of Pakistan's most popular rock bands.

Actress Nicole Kidman has been issued an apology from a British newspaper after it claimed she had jeopardized her position as the face of Chanel. The Daily Telegraph published a retraction on Friday offering "sincere apologies" for embarrassment caused to the actress by claiming she preferred Jo Malone's White Jasmine & Mint scent to Chanel No 5, which she endorses under a multi-million-dollar contract. Top libel firm Schillings began legal proceedings against the newspaper after it stated the Bewitched star had been "dabbing it on whenever she had a moment" while in the U.K. to promote her new film The Golden Compass. The newspaper adds, "We now accept that it was entirely untrue to allege that Nicole Kidman had been openly using and promoting a competitor's product."

Actress Vivica A. Fox has been sentenced to three years' probation and fined $400 after pleading guilty to drunk-driving on Friday. Judge Stephen Pfaler also ordered Fox to enter a 90-day alcohol education program during a hearing in a Van Nuys, California court. The Kill Bill star was not in court and entered her plea of no contest through her lawyer. Fox was arrested in March after police stopped her for traveling at around 80 miles per hour in a 65 mile per hour zone on a Los Angeles freeway. She was then charged with driving under the influence.

Ang Lee's controversial Lust, Caution dominated the Golden Horse Awards in his native Taiwan on Saturday, taking home seven trophies including Best Film and Best Director. The erotic World War II drama also won prizes including Best Actor for Tony Leung, Best Newcomer for Tang Wei and Outstanding Taiwanese Filmmaker Of The Year for Lee. Elsewhere, Lust, Caution star Joan Chen won Best Actress for her role in another movie, The Home Song Stories, and Tony Cheung collected Best Supporting Actor for his performance in The Drummer. Lust, Caution is ineligible to enter the 2008 Academy Awards race for Best Foreign Film after Oscar bosses decided too few people from Taiwan were involved in making the movie.

Madonna has dismissed reports her final Warner Bros studio album will be called Licorice. The pop superstar's broadcaster friend Larry Lick played two new tracks, "Candy Shop" and "The Beat Goes On," from her upcoming disc on his Sirius Satellite Radio show OutQ on Thursday. Lick then went on to claim the new disc is called Licorice and will be released in spring 2008. But in an email to Reuters, Madonna's publicist Liz Rosenberg writes: "Sirius does not know what they are talking about. Wrong title. Release date wrong etc." Madonna will part company with Warner Bros once the album is released and embark on a new initiative with concert promoter Live Nation. The 10-year deal encompasses all of Madonna's future music and music-related businesses.

Former Happy Days star Scott Baio has married his longtime girlfriend Renee Sloan in a ceremony in Los Angeles on Saturday. The small religious gathering took place on the rooftop of a luxury high-rise building, with guests including Sloan's 18-year-old daughter Kalyn - from a previous relationship - and the couple's newborn baby girl, who was delivered last month. The 46-year-old actor has been dating model-turned-actress Sloan, 45, since 2005 and agreed to have the wedding filmed for the second season of his reality TV show - Scott Baio Is 45... And Single - which premieres in the U.S. next month.