'Idol' departure: No one loses this week

NEW YORK - Charity was the "American Idol" theme Wednesday night, and the generosity flowed to the contestants, too — no one was voted off the show. After a parade of pop stars, including Kelly Clarkson and Celine Dion, Ryan Seacrest announced the non-result: "All your favorites are still in the competition. How could we let anyone go on a charity night?"

Seacrest said the more than 70 million calls and text messages counted this week will be added to next week's tallies. That means two contestants will be shown the door next Wednesday.

And the six finalists are (still) Melinda Doolittle, Blake Lewis, Phil Stacey, LaKisha Jones, Chris Richardson and Jordin Sparks. The winner will be chosen in May.

The hit Fox show departed from its usual format this week with "Idol Gives Back," a star-filled fundraising effort. The goal was to raise awareness and money for the newly formed Charity Projects Entertainment Fund and other organizations that fund relief programs for children and young people in extreme poverty in America and Africa.

Wednesday's two-hour show — broadcast from the "American Idol" stage and Walt Disney Concert Hall, where Ellen DeGeneres was host — featured performances by Clarkson, Dion, Earth, Wind & Fire, Il Divo, Josh Groban with the African Children's Choir and Annie Lennox.

Jack Black took the stage to croon some verses from Seal's "Kiss From A Rose." That performance was panned by Paula Abdul, who said "the School of Rock called, they want their diploma back." Stars including Ben Stiller and Madonna appeared in taped segments

DNA shows Larry Birkhead is baby's dad

NASSAU, Bahamas - DNA tests prove it: Larry Birkhead is the father of Anna Nicole Smith's million-dollar baby.


"I told you so!" the late Playboy Playmate's former boyfriend said Tuesday upon emerging from a closed court hearing. He added: "My baby's going to be coming home pretty soon."

Birkhead, a 34-year-old California photographer, then hugged his rival, Howard K. Stern, who has been caring for baby Dannielynn since Smith's sudden death in February.

The hearing was a pivotal moment in the battle over who gets custody of the girl, who could inherit a fortune from the estate of Smith's late husband, J. Howard Marshall II. Although Birkhead is the father, Stern's name is on the birth certificate. Another custody hearing was scheduled for Friday.

Stern, who was Smith's lawyer and later became her companion, said he wouldn't fight for custody, but a lawyer for Smith's mother, Virgie Arthur, indicated she might. The judge scheduled another hearing for Friday in the pink colonial courthouse to discuss who will raise the girl, who could inherit hundreds of millions of dollars.

Stern said he loved the baby despite the DNA results and would support Birkhead.

"I'm obviously very disappointed, but my feelings for Dannielynn have not changed," he said, adding of Birkhead: "I'm going to do whatever I can to make sure he gets sole custody."

Birkhead had been fighting for custody of Dannielynn even before Smith's death.

"Nothing's been determined except parentage and I'm the father," Birkhead said. "It's been a long road and I'm just happy to have this behind me."

A crowd of about 250 people, many of them tourists, cheered from behind police barricades when Birkhead, clutching a piece of paper, announced the DNA test results. The court's DNA expert, Dr. Michael Baird, confirmed it.

"Essentially, he's the biological father," Baird said.

This tropical capital has been transfixed by the Anna Nicole saga since she moved here last year. Smith gave birth to Dannielynn in September, only to see her 20-year-old son Daniel die days later at her bedside from a lethal combination of drugs. Smith died in February at age 39 in Florida.

Many in the crowd took pictures of the impromptu news conference with cameras and cell phones. One man in the crowd wore a T-shirt emblazoned with the handwritten message: "I'm the baby's daddy."

Arthur, who had been estranged from Smith for years, said she wanted to be present in her granddaughter's life, but seemed appeased by the DNA results.

"I'm happy that Dannielynn will know who her real father is," she said.

The baby, whose full name is Dannielynn Hope Marshall Stern, could inherit millions from Marshall's estate. Smith, a former model, had been fighting the Texas oil tycoon's family over his estimated $500 million fortune since his death in 1995.

The question of who inherits Smith's estate remains unresolved. A 2001 will released after her death in February said her fortune should be held in trust for her son, who died last year. The 19-page will named Stern as her executor but did not say how much Smith was worth. It remains a mystery how much her daughter might get.

Your Ad Here

Federline’s Worth 1 Million Bucks to Britney

Britney’s separation from Kevin Federline is finally official. She gets the kids; he reportedly gets a measly $1 million.

It seems that now that she’s out of rehab, Britney’s ready to deal with what need to be dealt with in her life. Like the impending divorce settlement with K-fed.

The pair has reportedly reached an agreement after a five-hour meeting in Los Angeles on Thursday. The agreement is said to be based upon a prenuptial agreement signed before they married in September 2004.

Of the estimated $100 million fortune Brit-Brit is supposed to have, her wannabe rapper ex-husband will only receive 1 %. The couple is also said to have reached an agreement over custody of their two sons, 18-month-old Sean Preston and six-month-old Jayden James. Mom has custody while dad has been granted full visiting rights.

A spokesman for Kevin's attorney said: “The parties signed a global agreement on all issues of their marriage and custody of their children.” He offered no further details but revealed they had reached an agreement on financial matters.

The meeting took place in Britney's attorney Laura Wasser's office in California's Century City. The couple’s current agreement must be approved by a Los Angeles judge before the divorce is finalized.

The 25-year-old singer married dancer Kevin Federline in 2004. They quickly had two kids, and then Britney filed for divorce in November 2006. This was just two months after giving birth to their youngest child Jayden James. She cited “irreconcilable differences.

In the divorce papers, Britney was seeking legal and physical custody of Jayden James and Sean Preston, while Kevin, 29, also asked for custody of the children, as well as requesting spousal support.

The divorce agreement comes nine days after Spears checked out of Promises Rehab Center in Malibu, Calif., for a month-long treatment for unspecified problems. The singer ignited a media frenzy with an over-the-top bizarre week in which she shaved her head and got a tattoo.

Her stay at the Promises clinic was no quieter, as there were reports of a rehab romance with another resident, rumors of a suicide attempt on her part and talk of bulimia, post-partum depression and giving a hard time to the personnel.

It was especially interesting where ‘friends’ of Britney’s reportedly shared their perspective on her situation, saying that she missed Kevin and that she wanted to be with him once more and have another child.

It doesn’t look like they’ll be having any more children now together.