Entertainment Today: Showbiz News

LYNNE THIGPEN DEAD AT 54

Tony Award-winning actress Lynne Thigpen, a star of the CBS drama "The District," has died at her Los Angeles home.

Thigpen was 54 and had been in good health, according to a network publicist, who added she died suddenly Wednesday night of unknown causes.

The network said production was suspended Thursday on "The District," in which Thigpen played Ella Farmer -- the secretary of the Washington, D.C., police chief, played by Emmy-winning actor Craig T. Nelson.

"I'm in shock," said Nelson in a statement. "She was a wonderful actress and a friend."

Thigpen was born Lynne Richmond on Dec. 22, 1948, in Joliet, Ill. In a career of more than three decades, she demonstrated a versatility that allowed her to flourish in movies, on TV and on the stage. In 1992, Essence magazine called Thigpen "the busiest Black Actress around."

She won the Tony Award in 1997 for her performance as Dr. Judith Kaufman in "An American Daughter." She reprised the role in a 2000 TV production of Wendy Wasserstein's political comedy.

(Thanks to UPI's Pat Nason in Los Angeles.)

JURY ORDERS JACKSON TO PAY $5.3 MILLION

A California jury Thursday awarded $5.3 million to a German concert promoter suing disgraced pop star Michael Jackson.

Marcel Avram sued Jackson for $5.9 million in lost profits after the singer backed out of a series of millennium concerts, said Avram's attorney Skip Miller. The verdict was reached following nearly seven days of deliberations.

"He feels vindicated, his testimony was accepted as credible," Miller said of Avram.

BLAKE OUT ON BAIL

Robert Blake learned Thursday he will stand trial for allegedly shooting his wife but he can go home until it starts.

The actor's bail was set at $1.5 million on the final day of his preliminary hearing for the slaying of Bonny Lee Bakley.

E! Online said the 69-year-old "Baretta" star appeared to blink away tears as a Los Angeles Superior Court judge decided he should be allowed to vacate the Los Angeles jail cell he'd called home since his arrest last April 18, and live, wearing an electronic monitor, in his Southern California home.

The judge also ordered Blake and longtime bodyguard Earle Caldwell to face trial for the Bakley killing. Caldwell, charged with conspiracy, was freed on bail last year.

The judge added it was "obvious" Blake and Bakley's relationship was one of "extremely hostility" and the actor had "absolute motive" to want his wife of six months dead.

"Getting Mr. Blake bail is justice," defense attorney Thomas J. Mesereau Jr. told reporters outside the Van Nuys, Calif., courthouse. Mesereau declined to discuss details on when or where his client will be released.

HBO POSTPONES 'SOPRANOS' START DATE

Filming of the fifth season of "The Sopranos" has been halted over a contract dispute between HBO and the show's star.

The New York Daily News reported HBO executives told cast members work on the new season of the award-winning mob series will not begin March 24 as planned.

"The start of production is postponed indefinitely," an HBO spokesman told the Daily News.

The show's cast and crew, and the more than 11 million viewers who turn in every week, are officially in limbo as star James Gandolfini and HBO brass hash out a deal.

A source close to the contract negotiations told The News Gandolfini, who plays mob boss Tony Soprano, is asking for $25 million to film the show's next 13 episodes.

HBO is offering what it describes as a substantial raise over his $400,000 per-episode salary but Gandolfini still took the network to court, filing a lawsuit last week accusing HBO of breaching his contract by not informing him sooner he would be needed for a fifth season.

HBO filed a counterclaim in Los Angeles Superior Court seeking $100 million in damages from Gandolfini if he doesn't drop his suit and accept the network's offer.

"Jimmy purports to care about the other actors, his crew," an HBO source told the newspaper. "Well, he's about to put them out of work because he's a greedy pig."

Gandolfini spokesman Dan Klores said the actor only wants what he deserves.

"When you start referring to an actor who has made a network an inordinate amount of money as 'a greedy pig' and you publicly accuse him of blackmail, you make yourself look stupid," Klores said. "James Gandolfini isn't Tony Soprano. He's an actor with feelings and a strong sense of loyalty. He doesn't deserve to be treated with anything but respect."

ARNOLD PRAISES CO-STAR ANTHONY

Actor Tom Arnold says one of the best things about starring in "Cradle 2 the Grave" was working with co-star Anthony Anderson.

"Anthony is just fun," said the host of "The Best Damn Sports Show Period." "He's fun to work with. He's fun to be around. His comic timing is incredible. He's a sweet guy. He likes his mama."

Arnold recalled one late night when he was awakened by a violent ruckus coming from Anderson's trailer.

"I was like, 'Is there a fight?' so I go up to a security guard and go, 'Check out what's going on next door, it doesn't sound good,'" Arnold explained. "(And it turned out that Anderson's) mom had come over and they were wrestling. His mom looks exactly like him, except that she is a woman and they were wrestling and laughing, and it's 4 in the morning and they're laughing uncontrollably and literally wrestling on the floor of his trailer, so how could you not like the guy?"

Anderson and Arnold can now be seen in "Cradle 2 the Grave."