Woody Seeks to Block Ex, Wife Testimony in Racy Trial

Defendant American Apparel uses director's love life against him

(NEWSER) - American Apparel plans to defend a $10 million lawsuit brought by Woody Allen over the unauthorized use of his photo on billboards by arguing that the company hasn't hurt his image—because he got there first. A lawyer for the clothing company tells the AP that the director's checkered romantic history is "certainly relevant in assessing the value of an endorsement." More»

Oksana isn't the only one who got notorious this way

(NEWSER) - Before she became a household name thanks to her troubled relationship with Mel Gibson, Oksana Grigorieva had another baby with another famous guy: Timothy Dalton. She’s one of those Hollywood women who “use a series of famous partners as stepping-stones to their own notoriety,” writes Ben Widdicombe for PopEater . He lists nine more like her:

• Alana Stewart: The “queen” of these women married George Hamilton, then Rod Stewart—and was Farrah Fawcett's close friend.

Need a good beach (or bathroom) read? Try these

(NEWSER) - To understand how women have defined “celebrity” over the past century, you have to read these 20 biographies. Or maybe, writes Tracie Egan Morrissey for Jezebel , you’re just looking for a trashy bathroom read. That works, too:

• No Lifeguard on Duty, Janice Dickinson: The supermodel is “deliciously TMI about everything: when she tried to trick Sylvester Stallone into thinking he was the father of her baby when he wasn't; getting totally fucked up on coke and booze at Stephanie Seymour's bachelorette party; describing—in detail—Liam Neeson's penis size.”
• Liz, C. David Heymann: “Focuses mostly on the trashier aspects of Elizabeth Taylor’s life and career—like the pills, the booze, the marriages, and the fluctuating weight—but is mostly interesting for its account of all of her ‘firsts’ as a celebrity woman.”

'Homeland' also does well at the Golden Globes

(NEWSER) - Be honest: You tuned in to the Golden Globes tonight mostly to see what Ricky Gervais would say . But awards were handed out too, and The Artist and The Descendants were the big film winners. Both won best picture and best actor in their respective categories (comedy or musical for the former, drama for the latter), and The Artist also won best original score. In the TV categories, Homeland did well, winning best drama series and best actress in a drama series. More big winners: More»

Actress recalls romance in upcoming memoir

(NEWSER) - Diane Keaton fondly recalls her romance with Woody Allen in upcoming memoir Then Again, out next month, writing that she “was in love with him before I knew him.” Her family often watched him on TV before she first worked with him in 1968, and she loved “his manner, his way of gesturing, his hands, his coughing and looking down in a self-deprecating way while he told jokes.” More»