Paris Hilton Defamation Lawsuit Settled

Paris Hilton can scratch her next court date from her calendar.

A settlement in a $10 million defamation lawsuit was reached Wednesday between the hotel heiress-reality TV star and diamond heiress-actress Zeta Graff.

The trial was set to start Monday.

In the suit, Graff claimed that Hilton spread "vicious lies" about her to the media in 2005.

Both sides reached an "amicable resolution," but the details were kept confidential, according to a statement released by Graff's attorney, Bruce Broillet.

"Both parties are glad that the matter could be resolved without the time and expense of a trial," the statement read.

Attorneys for both Graff and Hilton declined further comment. Hilton spokesman Elliot Mintz did not return telephone calls Wednesday.

In the suit, Graff claimed that Hilton spread the lies about her to the New York Post.

The paper reported that Graff -- who once dated Hilton's then-fiance, Greek shipping heir Paris Latsis -- went "berserk" at a nightclub, tried to strangle Hilton and attempted to steal her diamond necklace.

Graff denied the report and claimed that Hilton said, "I'm going to destroy you" after trying to oust her from the club, according to the suit.

Hilton denied that she was behind the report.

But former Hilton publicist Rob Shuter said in a deposition that Hilton asked him to help plant the story and that he gave the paper comments, dictated by Hilton, that he attributed to himself, Hilton and anonymous sources.

Britney Shaved Her Head 'Because of Drug Test'

Britney Spears shaved her head because she was convinced her hair would be tested for drugs, according to a friend.

The singer stunned fans in January when she cut off her own hair in a Los Angeles salon in front of paparazzi photographers.

She has never explained the gesture - but a friend claims she was worried she would be drug tested as part of her custody battle with ex-husband Kevin Federline over their two children.

The friend tells British newspaper The Sun, "Kevin taunted Britney that even his smoking marijuana near her would leave traces that could be picked up by drug testing.

"He threatened to use that against her in a custody battle." The pair are still battling over custody of Sean Preston, 23 months and 11-month-old Jayden James.

Lindsay Lohan to serve 1 day in jail in plea bargain

Lindsay Lohan reached a plea deal Thursday on misdemeanor drunken driving and cocaine charges that calls for her to spend one day in jail, serve 10 days of community service and complete a drug treatment program.

"I broke the law and today I took responsibility by pleading guilty," Lohan said Thursday in a statement.

She was also placed on 36 months probation, is required to complete an 18-month alcohol education program, pay hundreds of dollars in fines and must complete a three-day county coroner program in which she'll visit a morgue and talk to victims of drunken drivers.

"It is clear to me that my life has become completely unmanageable because I am addicted to alcohol and drugs," Lohan said in a statement released by publicist Leslie Sloane Zelnik.

She said she did things she was ashamed of. "I broke the law and today I took responsibility by pleading guilty to the charges in my case."

"She's getting what everyone else would get," Deputy District Attorney Danette Meyers said after an hourlong hearing in Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge H. Chester Horn Jr.'s courtroom. Terms of the plea bargain were worked out in chambers.



If Lohan were to be convicted of another DUI, she would receive a mandatory 120-day jail sentence, Meyers said.

"No matter what I said when I was under the influence on the day I was arrested, I am not blaming anyone else for my conduct other than myself. I thank God I did not injure others. I easily could have," Lohan's statement went on.

Lohan was charged earlier in the day with seven misdemeanors stemming from two drunken-driving arrests in the last four months. More serious felony drug charges were not filed, prosecutors said, because tests showed there wasn't enough cocaine on her to warrant them.

Attorney Blair Berk entered pleas on Lohan's behalf: she pleaded guilty to two counts of being under the influence of cocaine; no contest to two counts of driving with a blood-alcohol level above .08 percent and one count of reckless driving. Two counts of driving under the influence were dropped.

Lohan was arrested on May 26 in Beverly Hills, California, and on July 24 in Santa Monica, California. In each incident, the amount of cocaine tested was below the .05 grams required for felony charges, according to the district attorney's office.

Each of Lohan's arrests were followed by trips to rehab.

Lohan's legal problems come on the heels of two other high-profile celebrity DUI cases that resulted in jail time. Paris Hilton served 23 days behind bars after she was found guilty of driving on a suspended license while on probation for an alcohol-related reckless-driving case. Nicole Richie was ordered to serve four days in jail stemming from a December DUI arrest.

Lohan crashed her Mercedes-Benz into a tree on Sunset Boulevard in May and fled the scene to seek medical treatment. Police tests revealed that a white powder found in Lohan's purse was .04 grams of cocaine.

Lohan checked into the posh Promises rehabilitation facility in Malibu, California, after the incident. She left the facility July 13 after six weeks of treatment. She was photographed wearing an alcohol-monitoring ankle bracelet after her release.

Lohan was arrested again on July 24 following a 911 call by Michelle Peck, the mother of Lohan's former personal assistant. Peck told police she was being chased by an SUV. Police later said Lohan was the driver.

Lohan's blood-alcohol level was between 0.12 and 0.13 percent when police found her, officials said. Police also found a white powder in her pocket that was determined to be .02 grams of cocaine.

She was enrolled in a drug rehab center in Sundance, Utah, attorneys confirmed in court Thursday.

Lohan started 2007 in rehab at the Wonderland Center in Los Angeles, California.

Lohan's latest film, "I Know Who Killed Me," opened in July to lackluster response.

"I very much want to be healthy and gain control of my life and career and have asked for medical help in doing so. I am taking these steps to improve my life," Lohan said in her statement. "Luckily, I am not alone in my daily struggle and I know that people like me have succeeded. Maybe with time it will become easier. I hope so."

Spears Cancels Timberlake Duet?

Troubled pop star Britney Spears has pulled out of recording a duet with former lover Justin Timberlake, according to reports.

The “Toxic” hitmaker was scheduled to reunite with her old flame to produce a comeback track produced by Timbaland, but ditched the idea at the last minute.

A source tells New York gossip column, PageSix, "Timbaland set aside a week out of his crazy schedule to do this - and then, just before she was supposed to fly out, Britney abruptly canceled the session and refused to do the song.

"It's crazy. She's looking for a comeback, and this would have not only been a huge hit, but something she could have opened the MTV Video Awards with and really blown everyone away."

The cancellation has now stalled Spears' comeback ambitions and has sparked rumors she might be dropped her label Jive. Another source tells PageSix, "Listen, everyone is worried. In her mind, her album is done and she's done enough work.

"People at Jive have been with Britney since album one, and have an investment in her. They have faith that once the material is there, she will become focused and step it up. She's very competitive, but at the end of the day, it's hard. She has to do the work - no one can do it for her."

Representatives for Spears, Timberlake and Jive declined to comment.

Lindsay Lohan charged in DUI cases

Lindsay Lohan was charged with seven misdemeanors Thursday stemming from two drunken-driving arrests, avoiding more serious felony drug charges because tests showed there wasn't enough cocaine on her to warrant them.

The district attorney charged the 21-year-old actress with two counts each of driving under the influence, driving with a blood-alcohol level above .08 percent and being under the influence of cocaine, along with one count of reckless driving.

Police found cocaine on Lohan during the arrests on May 26 in Beverly Hills and July 24 in Santa Monica. In each incident, the amounts tested were below the .05 grams required for felony charges, according to the district attorney's office.

Each of Lohan's arrests were followed by trips to rehab.

Lohan's arraignment was scheduled for Friday but a conference with a Los Angeles Superior Court judge in Beverly Hills was set for later Thursday. A disposition on the charges could be reached during the hearing, according to Deputy District Attorney Danette Meyers.

The maximum penalty for a single misdemeanor DUI conviction in California is 6 months in jail and a $1,000 fine. Conviction on a second DUI charge could draw a penalty of up to one year in jail.

Lohan's legal problems come on the heels of two other high-profile celebrity DUI cases in Los Angeles that resulted in jail time. Paris Hilton served 23 days behind bars after she was found guilty of driving on a suspended license while on probation for an alcohol-related reckless driving case. Nicole Richie was ordered to serve four days in jail stemming from a December DUI arrest.

Lohan's publicist did not immediately return an e-mail seeking comment about Thursday's charges.

Lohan crashed her Mercedes Benz into a tree on Sunset Boulevard in May and fled the scene to seek medical treatment. Police tests revealed that a white powder found in Lohan's purse was .04 grams of cocaine.

Lohan checked into the posh Promises rehabilitation facility in Malibu after the incident. She left the facility July 13 after six weeks of treatment. She was photographed wearing an alcohol-monitoring ankle bracelet after her release.

Lohan was arrested again on July 24 following a 911 call by Michelle Peck, the mother of Lohan's former personal assistant. Peck told police she was being chased by an SUV. Police later said Lohan was the driver.

Lohan's blood-alcohol level was between 0.12 and 0.13 percent when police found her, officials said. Police also found a white powder in her pocket that was determined to be .02 grams of cocaine.

After the incident, Lohan said in an e-mail to a host for the celebrity-news show "Access Hollywood" that she was "innocent" and the drugs found in her pocket during a pre-booking search were not hers.

She has reportedly been in a Sundance, Utah, rehab center in recent weeks.

A woman who was a passenger in Michelle Peck's vehicle sued the actress this month for assault and negligence.

Tracie Rice's suit seeks unspecified damages and payment of medical and other expenses related to emotional distress.

Lohan started 2007 in rehab at the Wonderland Center in Los Angeles.

"I was growing up and going out a lot, and I needed to have a balance," she told Elle magazine during an interview in May, just days before her first DUI arrest. "I was glad I went, because I needed to get away from everyone and I didn't know how to do that. And I learned a lot there."

Lohan's latest film, "I Know Who Killed Me," opened in July to lackluster response.