Mary-Louise Parker has broken off her engagement to Weeds co-star Jeffrey Dean Morgan, according to reports. The couple - who both appeared on the hit TV series - got engaged in February this year after they began dating in 2006. They briefly split in June, but later reconciled their relationship. The pair's split has been blamed on their "differing lifestyles," reports the Associated Press, but Parker hopes to remain friends with Morgan.

Hollywood actor and humanitarian Richard Gere joined protestors in California on Tuesday to voice his support for Tibetan independence. The Chicago star - who is chairman of the International Campaign for Tibet - attended a candlelight vigil in San Francisco late on Tuesday, where he gave a speech to the 2,000-strong crowd condemning the Chinese government's treatment of Tibetans. The protest came less than 24 hours before the Californian leg of the Beijing Olympic torch relay. Speaking to the campaigners, Gere said: "This torch is going through China and the world co-opting the idea of harmony to push a political position. The harmonious society (Chinese president) Hu Jintao talks about is a fraud. There can be no harmony without freedom of religion and culture." Gere also read out a message from the Dalai Lama, reminding the protestors to steer clear of any violence during the torch relay: "It is the legitimate right of every Tibetan to struggle for their freedoms and right. On the other hand, it would be futile and not helpful to anyone if we do something that would create hatred in the minds of the Chinese people." And Gere - who has branded China "one of the greatest human rights abusers on the planet" - went on to reveal his vision for the future of the troubled region: "I have a dream that Chinese leaders wake up one day, blink their eyes as if coming out of a daze and say 'Oh my god, what have we done?', then look at each other at the same time and say, 'let's go talk to the Dalai Lama." The Olympic flame was lit in Greece last week and will travel through 20 countries before it's carried into the Beijing Olympic Games opening ceremony on August 8.

Actor Rob Lowe has opted not to file a criminal complaint against a former employee who has allegedly tried to blackmail him - because he wants to deal with the issue in a "civil" manner. The Brothers And Sisters star claims his ex-nanny Jessica Gibson - who has worked for the Lowe family several times in the last seven years - demanded he and his wife Sheryl pay her $1.5 million by the end of this week, or she will go to the press with allegations of harassment. Lowe subsequently went public with the alleged extortion, calling it "an attempt to damage and humiliate not only my wife and me, but our two young sons as well". According to legal papers filed by Lowe at Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday, Gibson told friends she had "a personal and intimate relationship (with Lowe) and, in effect, accusing Rob Lowe of infidelity." The 44-year-old is now suing Gibson for violating a confidentiality agreement, defamation and infliction of emotional distress. However, it has been revealed that Lowe declined police intervention in the bribery claims, and wanted to deal with it on his own. Deputy Alex Tipolt, from California's Santa Barbara Sheriff's Department, told E! News on Tuesday, "We spoke to Mr. Lowe and his attorney yesterday and they told us, at this time, they are going to handle this as a civil matter." Tipolt added the police will not be looking to launch their own investigation either: "Without the co-operation of the victim, it makes that a little difficult. And we don't even know the exact facts of what transpired." Meanwhile, Lowe has filed a similar suit against another ex-nanny, Laura Boyce, as well as his former chef - who he has accused of inviting "third parties" back to his home and having sex in his bed.

The hospital employee who allegedly snooped into the medical records of 60 patients, including Farrah Fawcett and Arnold Schwarzenegger's wife Maria Shriver, insists she was "just being nosy". UCLA Medical Center employee Lawanda J. Jackson, 49, who had worked at the Los Angeles hospital since she was 16, claims she never leaked the celebrities' personal information to the press, as has been suggested. Jackson resigned from her job last July after UCLA bosses learned she had been improperly accessing medical records, and now tells the Los Angeles Times newspaper, "Clearly I made a mistake, let's put it like that. I didn't leak anything or anything like that. It wasn't for money or anything. It was just looking." Jackson was reportedly caught out last year when actress Fawcett read a story containing detailed information about her cancer battle in U.S. tabloid the National Enquirer. Doctors had only just told the TV icon the news, and Fawcett had yet to tell her family and friends, so she reported her suspicions to UCLA officials, who launched an internal investigation. Earlier this year, UCLA Medical Center bosses fired 12 people and suspended six others after discovering as many as 20 staff members had attempted to defy medical centre rules and obtain confidential information about Spears.

Actor Stanley Kamel has been found dead of a suspected heart attack. The 65-year-old was reportedly discovered by his longtime agents in his Hollywood Hills home on Tuesday afternoon. Los Angeles emergency services responded to a 911 call made at Kamel's home shortly before 4pm. Kamel is best known for starring in numerous TV shows like The West Wing, Six Feet Under and Beverly Hills, 90210. In recent years he became known as eccentric detective Adrian Monk's psychiatrist in hit show Monk. In a statement from the USA network, which airs Monk, executives say: "USA is deeply saddened by the news of Stanley Kamel's passing. Stanley was an amazingly talented and extremely kind man, and an important member of the USA family. He will be sorely missed." Born in New Jersey, Kamel enjoyed almost 40 years as a TV regular, landing his first roles on shows like Mission Impossible and The Mod Squad in the late 1960s. He went on to feature in beloved shows like Kojak, Charlies Angels, Mork And Mindy, Lou Grant, Hill Street Blues, Knight Rider and Barney Miller.

The production company behind hit TV series Entourage has issued a warning about a man posing as show creator Doug Ellin. The unknown man is reported to have assumed Ellin's name in a bid to seduce aspiring actresses by tempting them with a role in the series. U.S. website Tmz.com reports that the hoaxer is very convincing and has been contacting the women through their agents. A source tells the site, "The guy knew more than enough about the show, and Mark Wahlberg, and particular members of the crew to convince me. He also knew the name of Ellin's assistant, casting peeps and future storylines." The website has also published documents released by the show's production company warning prospective victims of the scam. The letter reads, "It has been brought to our attention that a man claiming to be Doug Ellin is calling agents and actors alike about auditioning opportunities for Entourage. Please be aware that this IS NOT DOUG ELLIN. Our producers will never call you directly unless it has been facilitated through the casting office first. We are sorry for any inconvenience caused and are making a string effort to resolve this issue ASAP."

Beyonce Knowles has finally flashed a wedding ring to fans, four days after marrying Jay-Z in secret. The couple has refused to speak about their wedding ceremony, which took place in Westchester, New York on Friday, followed by a reception at the rapper's downtown New York apartment. Jay-Z added to the confusion on Monday when he was photographed without a wedding ring. But concertgoers at the rapper's concert in Atlanta, Georgia on Tuesday night spotted an impressive gem on Knowles' left ring finger, as she partied with pal Usher in the V.I.P. area.

Lost images of Elvis Presley performing at New York's Madison Square Garden have been unearthed by the venue's former photographer. George Kalinsky discovered nearly 100 never-before-seen snaps of the King of Rock 'n' Roll, after being asked to raid his collection for an exhibition. He says, "I thought I had eight or 10 good photos, but I found four rolls of film. It was mind-boggling. I'd totally forgotten that I'd taken that many." Presley's estate has dubbed several of the shots "iconic" and the collection is heading to his former Graceland home, to be exhibited there. Kevin Kern, a spokesperson for Elvis Presley Enterprises, tells the New York Daily News, "This is an incredible and rare find. It is as if George found a treasure chest of never before seen Elvis photos."

Magazine bosses at over-50s publication AARP have hit back at reports Jamie Lee Curtis was unhappy with her "topless" cover shot for the new issue of the publication, insisting comments the actress made on Oprah Winfrey's talk show have been misconstrued. The Freaky Friday star appeared on the TV show on Monday and appeared to be shocked by the publicity generated by the magazine cover shot. Holding up a copy of the issue, the actress said, "Isn't it fascinating that this constitutes being naked. What the 'f' are we talking about? In my world, this is called strapless." She then went on to discuss her regrets at posing topless in films like Trading Places. The cover shot features Curtis, poolside, baring the top of her chest upwards. AARP bosses insist Curtis was topless for the cover shot and she was merely trying to make a point with her "strapless" comment. And they're adamant they didn't promote the cover shot as the actress "being naked or nude," as has been reported. A spokesman for the magazine says, "We can confirm Jamie Lee Curtis did pose topless for the cover shot but in no way did AARP promote it as a naked or nude shot. Jamie Lee Curtis was intimately involved in the concept of the magazine photo shoot." Curtis' publicist, Heidi Schaeffer, adds, "It was important for Jamie Lee Curtis to address topics that she felt are relevant and important to her generation... She was very pleased with the way it turned out."

Singer Toni Braxton has been forced to cancel another four show as she battles a mystery illness. The singer was hospitalized at the beginning of the week after experiencing chest pains. Braxton, 40, was released on Tuesday and is recuperating at home in Las Vegas. But doctors have told her to scrap appearances on her long-running Vegas show Toni Braxton: Revealed until the middle of next week. The full details surrounding Braxton's hospital visit and illness are currently unclear, but she is known to suffer from heart condition pericarditis.