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By Wire services
Published October 24, 2006

King-sized comedy Smith dodges paternity meeting 

Anna Nicole Smith was a no-show Monday for a meeting in the Bahamas requested by the lawyer for her ex-boyfriend, Larry Birkhead, who claims he is the father of the former reality TV star's 6-week-old daughter. Birkhead has gone to court in Los Angeles to get the baby to California for a paternity test. Her attorneys have argued that Smith is living in the Bahamas and the U.S. court doesn't have jurisdiction. Smith has said that the father of Dannielynn Hope Marshall Stern is her companion, lawyer Howard K. Stern.

Madonna to spill details to Oprah

Like an urchin, Madonna's having trouble, so she's turning to the queen of all media, Oprah Winfrey, to talk about her decision to adopt a 13-month-old Malawian boy. It will be the pop star's first TV interview since the adoption became an international controversy. The interview will be done today and air Wednesday on Winfrey's show, according to the show's Web site.

Warrant not taxing Snipes' schedule

Despite that pesky warrant from Tampa for his arrest on tax fraud charges, actor Wesley Snipes will continue filming as planned in Namibia, the producer of the film Gallowwalker said Monday. Joanne Reay said Snipes, the lead actor in the movie, was on location in the desert and had traveled to Namibia to shoot the film, not to flee U.S. justice. She said the plan was to stay until the third week in December. "We are aware of the issue around the tax charges, but we are not discussing it," she told the Associated Press.

'Crazy' coincidence for Urban's album

Ironic? Prophetic? Coincidence? Keith Urban decided to call his new CD Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing well before he checked himself into a rehabilitation treatment center for alcohol abuse last week. With Nicole Kidman, his wife of less than four months, by his side, Urban on Thursday voluntarily entered the facility, which his publicist would not identify to the Associated Press. "One can never let one's guard down on recovery, and I'm afraid that I have," Urban, who turns 39 Thursday, said in a media statement. He has publicly acknowledged that he once was addicted to cocaine. On a statement on his Web site, Urban said, "I deeply regret the hurt this has caused Nicole and the ones that love and support me. I am so fortunate to have that support and the unwavering strength of my wife, family and friends." Urban's CD still will be released Nov. 7, but he has postponed promotional appearances, including an appearance at next month's Country Music Association Awards, where he is up for four prizes.

'The Jungle Girl' not ready for debut

Not so fast on that Bindi Irwin wildlife documentary series. The 26-part series for the Discovery Kids network, Bindi, The Jungle Girl, scheduled to debut in January, has been put on hold for a year. John Stainton, the Irwin family's manager, told Reuters that production has been halted so he can finish a yearlong holiday after the Sept. 4 death of his friend and Bindi's father, "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin, who was killed by a stingray barb while filming another show. He also insisted that the delay was not a reaction to criticism that Bindi Irwin, 8, was being exploited by ratings-hungry TV producers.

Dog gets his day, court freezes case

TV bounty hunter Duane "Dog" Chapman grabbed a legal victory in Mexico on Friday, the Associated Press reports. The Mexican federal court granted an order that halts the criminal case against him until further evidence and witness testimony are gathered. U.S. marshals arrested Chapman, his son Leland and another associate on Sept. 14 after Mexico issued a warrant over their capture of fugitive convicted rapist Andrew Luster, the Max Factor heir, in Puerto Vallarta in 2003. Bounty hunting is considered a crime in Mexico. Chapman's possible extradition has ignited an uproar among members of Congress and fans of his A&E show, Dog the Bounty Hunter, who consider him a hero for capturing a rapist and doing a job the government could not.

For the first time in more than three years - which means he'll have a lot of ground to cover for us in person - Jon Stewart returns to the bay area, for two shows at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center on Jan. 20. Stewart's last appearance around here was on March 1, 2003, at TBPAC. Since then, he has become Oprah Winfrey's better half, the king of all media to her queen. Stewart will do two shows, at 7 and 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $68.50 and $78.50, and they go on sale at noon Dec. 1 through TBPAC at the box office, by phone at (813) 229-7827 and online at www.tpbac.org.

[Last modified October 24, 2006, 01:46:18]