Hilton denies cocaine found in purse hers
LAS VEGAS, Aug. 31 (UPI) -- U.S. socialite Paris Hilton has denied ownership of cocaine found in a purse she was carrying when she was arrested during the weekend in Las Vegas.
A search of the purse revealed 0.8 gram of cocaine, along with papers suitable for rolling marijuana cigarettes, asthma medication, credit cards and $1,300 in cash.
Hilton told police she borrowed the purse and that the cocaine found in the handbag wasn't hers, although other items were, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday.
Hilton is expected to be charged with felony drug possession.
She was arrested Saturday with her boyfriend, Las Vegas nightclub operator Cy Waits, who was driving the vehicle stopped by police late Friday after they smelled marijuana coming from the vehicle, the police report indicated.
Hilton attorney David Chesnoff urged people not to judge his client quickly, the Times said.
"This matter will be dealt with in the courts, not in the media, and I encourage people not to rush to judgment until all of the facts have been dealt with in a court of law," Chesnoff said in a statement
Rowling donates $15.5M for MS research
EDINBURGH, Scotland, Aug. 31 (UPI) -- British author J.K. Rowling said she donated $15.5 million to the University of Edinburgh to establish a multiple sclerosis research clinic.
The creator of the wildly popular "Harry Potter" series said the funds were to help attract top researchers to find a cure for the disease, the BBC reported Tuesday.
Potter's mother Anne had MS and died at age 45.
A goal of the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic will be to put patients at the core of the research, she said. Work at the new clinic also will focus on other degenerative neurological conditions, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease.
"I cannot think of anything more important, or of more lasting value, than to help the university attract world-class minds in the field of neuro-regeneration, to build on its long and illustrious history of medical research and, ultimately, to seek a cure for a very Scottish disease," Rowling said in a statement.
Scotland has one of the highest MS rates globally, with about 10,500 people with the condition, the BBC said.
The author said she knows her mother would prefer her name attached to an MS research clinic, "so this donation is on her behalf, too, and in gratitude for everything she gave me in her far-too-short life."
GNR's Slash seeks divorce
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 31 (UPI) -- Former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash has filed for divorce from his wife of nearly nine years, documents in Los Angeles Superior Court indicate.
Irreconcilable differences were cited in the papers filed by Slash, real name Saul Hudson, as the reason he is divorcing his wife, Perla Ferrar, MTV News reported Monday.
The couple, who married in October 2001, have two boys, ages 6 and 8. Slash said he was seeking joint custody and was willing to pay Ferrar spousal support, TMZ.com reported.
The couple reportedly did not sign a prenuptial agreement, MTV News said.
In March, Slash released his first solo album, which featured appearances from three of the members of Guns N' Roses, as well as Fergie, Ozzy Osbourne, U.S. metal rocker Chris Cornell, Motorhead founding member Ian Fraser "Lemmy" Kilmister and Foo Fighters founder and frontman Dave Grohl.
This past weekend, Slash was honored at the Sunset Strip Music Festival in West Hollywood, Calif., where he also performed.
Lohan assigns blame for troubles
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 31 (UPI) -- Troubled U.S. actress Lindsay Lohan says her career isn't finished and blames bad company and her dad for some of her woes.
"I think everyone has their own addictions and hopefully learns how to get past them," Lohan told Vanity Fair for its October issue. "I think my biggest focus for myself is learning how to continue to get through the trauma that my father has caused in my life."
Among other things, Lohan's estranged father, Michael, said the actress abused prescription drugs. She said she felt conflicted about seeing her dad in the gallery during a recent court appearance.
"The worst part of it is you turn around and you see your dad crying and normally you'd be, like, happy that your father's there," Lohan said. " But then he has to go and do an interview right after."
The 24-year-old star of "Freaky Friday," "A Prairie Home Companion" and "Mean Girls" spent nearly two weeks in a solitary jail cell for violating probation in a 2007 driving-under-the-influence case. Lohan had been at a drug treatment facility since her Aug. 2 release from jail until last week.
Lohan said her career hasn't tanked yet.
"I know that I'm a damn good actress," Lohan said. "And I know that in my past I was young and irresponsible, but that's what growing up is. You learn from your mistakes."
Lohan also partially blames her troubles on hanging with the wrong crowd.
"So many people around me would say they cared for the wrong reasons," Lohan told Vanity Fair. "I had a lot of people that were there for me for, you know, the party."
The October issue of Vanity Fair hits the newsstands in New York and Los Angeles Thursday, and nationally Sept. 7.
