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People in the news

By United Press International
Michael Douglas arrives for the Children of Chernobyl's Children at Heart Gala Dinner at Pier 60, Chelsea Piers in New York on November 21, 2011. UPI /Laura Cavanaugh
Michael Douglas arrives for the Children of Chernobyl's Children at Heart Gala Dinner at Pier 60, Chelsea Piers in New York on November 21, 2011. UPI /Laura Cavanaugh | License Photo

The latest news on today's hottest celebrities ...

CAMERON DOUGLAS: A federal judge in New York sentenced Cameron Douglas to an additional 4 1/2 years in prison for attempting to obtain drugs in jail, E! News said.

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Douglas, 33, the oldest child of film star Michael Douglas, has battled an addiction to drugs for years.

He pleaded guilty in January 2010 to heroin possession and conspiracy to distribute drugs out of a Manhattan hotel.

He was originally sentenced to five years in prison, but with the additional time added to his sentence Wednesday isn't expected to be released until 2019 at the earliest.

E! News said Douglas' lawyer and his father's publicist were unavailable for comment.


ORSON WELLES: The only Oscar statuette Orson Welles won for his classic drama "Citizen Kane" was sold for $861,542 at a Los Angeles auction this week, officials said.

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The Washington Post said the piece of cinematic history was sold by the auction house Nate D. Sanders

to an anonymous buyer.

Welles wrote, directed and starred in the 1941 movie, for which he won the Best Screenplay Academy Award.

He died in 1985 at age 70. His Oscar was believed to have been lost for decades before it landed on the auction block, the Post said.

Hollywood's Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences banned winners and their heirs from selling Oscars beginning in 1950. Welles' statuette was presented to him before the rule went into effect.


RICKY GERVAIS: A second season of the travel series "An Idiot Abroad" starring Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant and Karl Pilkington is to debut in the United States next month.

In the first season, self-professed homebody Pilkington toured the Seven Wonders of the World with Gervais and Merchant, creators of "The Office" and "Extras," making the travel plans and coaxing their longtime friend out of his comfort zone for their own amusement. This time around, Pilkington attempts to accomplish the definitive list of "things to do before you die," the show's producers said.

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"An Idiot Abroad 2: The Bucket List" is to start airing on the Science channel Jan. 21.

"'An Idiot Abroad' changed the game for Science when it became our highest rated series ever," Debbie Adler Myers, the network's general manager and executive vice president, said in a statement Wednesday. "Viewers come to our network for thought-provoking content, so it's no surprise they became addicted to the brilliant, sharp humor made famous by Ricky Gervais and company. At Science we inherently question everything, and no one asks more questions than Karl Pilkington."


BETTY WHITE: Mary Tyler Moore, Ed Asner, Valerie Harper and Gavin MacLeod are to help their former co-star Betty White celebrate her 90th birthday in Los Angeles, NBC said.

White's current fellow cast members from "Hot in Cleveland" -- Valerie Bertinelli, Wendy Mallick and Jane Leeves -- will also be on hand to salute the actress during the TV special "Betty White's 90th Birthday: A Tribute to America's Golden Girl."

To be taped at the Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, the special will include musical performances, surprise appearances and comedy "featuring the irreverent tone, spirit and energy that is the hallmark of White's six-decade career in show business," NBC said. It is to air Jan. 16.

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White "will take the stage to share some memories and give thanks to those who've come to honor her," NBC said in a news release. "From her first words on radio in 1947, to her current TV series 'Hot In Cleveland,' viewers will be taken on an unprecedented journey through Betty's storied career. Her work on game shows, talk shows, 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' and 'The Golden Girls' will be featured, along with her work in movies and commercials. And most importantly, Betty will be saluted for her favorite role: making the world a better place for animals."

Immediately following the birthday special will be a sneak preview of the hidden-camera series "Betty White's Off Their Rockers," the network said.

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