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People in the news

By United Press International
Actor Josh Hartnett arrives at the amfAR Cinema Against AIDS 2009 gala at the Hotel du Cap in Antibes, France on May 21, 2009. The event, held each year during the Annual Cannes Film Festival, raises funds for AIDS research. (UPI Photo/David Silpa)
Actor Josh Hartnett arrives at the amfAR Cinema Against AIDS 2009 gala at the Hotel du Cap in Antibes, France on May 21, 2009. The event, held each year during the Annual Cannes Film Festival, raises funds for AIDS research. (UPI Photo/David Silpa) | License Photo

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

WHITNEY HOUSTON: Whitney Houston left all of her money, furniture, clothing, jewelry and cars to her only child, Bobbi Kristina Brown, court documents filed in Atlanta indicate.

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Houston died Feb. 11 in Los Angeles at the age of 48. The cause of her death is under investigation, but a lethal mixture of prescription drugs and alcohol is suspected. The recording star battled substance abuse for years.

"Inside Edition" said Houston's money will be placed in a trust in keeping with her 2000 will. Her mother, Cissy, is the executor of her estate, and her brother and sister-in-law are the trustees.

Bobbi Kristina will get some of the money when she turns 21 in two years, then more when she turns 25 and the final sum at age 30.

Houston's ex-husband, singer Bobby Brown, who is Bobbi Kristina's father, is to receive nothing, "Inside Edition" said.

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JERROD NIEMANN: Firefighters in Tennessee were still trying to determine what caused a blaze on country music star Jerrod Niemann's tour bus, officials said.

Niemann, his friends, father and uncle escaped the Tuesday night fire unscathed after performing at a benefit for St. Jude Children's Hospital in downtown Chattanooga, reported WRCB-TV, Chattanooga.

"We're in there and Jon [Stone] comes over and says, 'Your bus is on fire,'" the TV station quoted Niemann as saying. "And I'm like: 'Dude, your gun's shot. Our bus is not on fire.' I thought it was the heater. So I went to the thermostat and it says 'Auto Cool.' So Lee [Brice] gets off the bus and is like: 'Dude, that's black smoke. Your bus is on fire.'"

Niemann said everyone immediately got off the bus, saving the musical instruments as they went, and backed away from the vehicle.

"And pretty soon we hear this, 'Boom!' and we think it's the fuel line, but we look and the whole front windshield was just blown out," he said.

"This is where I have to say, to anyone that does not believe in God: If we were on the road driving we would've never smelled it. The smell would've been going down the road. It would've lit up. I would've been in the back room. My own father -- I don't care if I die, but my own father and uncle, this one night on the bus, just, no. So we're so, so thankful."

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MAGGIE SMITH: Actress Maggie Smith has not signed up for the expected fourth season of the beloved British period drama "Downton Abbey," The Mirror reported.

Production on the third season of the show is under way. The series has been a huge ratings hit in the United Kingdom on ITV and in the United States on PBS.

Set in the early 20th century, the drama follows the lives of the wealthy Grantham family and the many people who keep their great house running.

Smith, 77, plays the sharp-tongued matriarch dowager countess of Grantham.

The Mirror said Smith has alarmed the show's producers by not signing a contract for the anticipated fourth and fifth seasons of "Downton Abbey," even though the show has not been officially renewed that far in advance.

Co-stars Michelle Dockery, Hugh Bonneville, Joanne Froggatt, Brendan Coyle and Elizabeth McGovern have already signed contracts for possible future seasons, the newspaper said, adding Dan Stevens, who plays Matthew Crawley, has not signed a new contract.

"'Downton Abbey' has a history of major surprises, and the producers are not opposed to changing casting within the show to add to the drama," a source told the Mirror. "But it's hard to imagine the series without Maggie Smith or Dan Stevens involved in some way. To write the dowager countess out of the series, or even kill off the character, would be 'Downton's' boldest storyline yet."

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AMANDA SEYFRIED: Amanda Seyfried and Josh Hartnett have been dating for about two months, a source close to the Hollywood couple told UsMagazine.com.

"Josh likes to keep things low-key, so they've just been hanging out," the insider said, adding the film stars were set up by a mutual friend.

Seyfried previously dated actors Ryan Phillippe and Dominic Cooper. Hartnett's former flames include actresses Scarlett Johansson and Penelope Cruz, and singer Rihanna.

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