Liza's ex-hubby-to-be claims she beat him
NEW YORK, Oct. 22 (UPI) -- Liza Minnelli's soon-to-be ex-husband has accused the entertainer in a New York lawsuit of flying into alcohol-induced rages and beating him severely.
David Gest claims Minnelli gained physical strength through drinking vodka and routinely would turn that strength against him, beating him with her fists so badly that he "suffers from virtually constant, unrelenting pain" in his head.
Gest's complaint, filed in State Supreme Court in New York, detailed several instances in which he says he was beaten, the New York Times reported. The couple separated in July, and Gest's lawyer, Raoul L. Felder, expects formal divorce papers to be will be filed within a week or so.
Minnelli and Gest were married with much ado in March 2002 before 1,100 guests at Marble Collegiate Church in Manhattan. At the reception, Carol Channing, a guest, compared the whole thing "to when they opened the World's Fair."
Ailing actress expects die in a decade
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 22 (UPI) -- Pamela Anderson, diagnosed with hepatitis C two years ago, says she expects to die within a decade.
"I think I've got a good 10 years left in me, which is sad, too. Maybe 15, if I'm lucky," Anderson tells Us Weekly magazine in the Nov. 3 issue. "It's scary, but lately I've been feeling great. For some reason, my liver keeps getting healthier."
Hepatitis C causes inflammation of the liver, which can lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer and liver failure. Anti-viral drugs are a standard treatment, and therapy is successful about half the time.
But, Anderson isn't taking interferon, the injectable drug hepatitis patients often use. Instead she is using an alternative remedy prepared by her homeopathic doctor, Wendy Hewland.
"I really just need to be with my (two) kids and work on their relationship with their father," the 36-year-old actress says, referring to former husband and Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee, with whom she resolved an ugly custody battle in January.
Bionic Man is back
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 22 (UPI) -- Dimension Films is reworking 1970s TV series "The Six Million Dollar Man" into a comic production featuring Jim Carrey, Daily Variety reported Wednesday.
Director Todd Phillips will team with "Old School" writing partner Scot Armstrong to script a show in which Carrey would play the bionic man.
Dimension owns the Martin Caidin novel "Cyborg" that was turned into the Lee Majors ABC drama series, and Universal owns rights to the television series.
Dimension is taking the creative lead, and Universal has the option to become co-production partner.
The proposal became a fast-tracked comedy after Carrey and his managers Jim Miller and Eric Gold had the idea to marry an exaggerated sendup of an action film to the "Six Million Dollar Man" title.
Elliott Smith dead
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 22 (UPI) -- Singer/songwriter Elliott Smith has died of an apparent suicide at his Los Angeles apartment, a coroner's office spokesperson said.
Smith, 34, was pronounced dead Tuesday at Los Angeles County University of Southern California Medical Center, Billboard magazine reported Wednesday.
An apparent self-inflicted knife wound was found on the body, which will be examined by the coroner's office.
Smith battled drug addiction for several years and frequently sang about the subject through a series of acclaimed albums for the Kill Rock Stars and DreamWorks labels.
"Miss Misery," his contribution to the 1997 film "Good Will Hunting," was nominated for the best song Oscar.
