The daily dish... a spicy serving of celebrity news
Guilty plea …
Temperamental model Naomi Campbell was sentenced to 200 hours of community service Friday after pleading guilty to assaulting two police officers after an “air rage” incident at Heathrow Airport.
She was also ordered to pay $400 to each of the police officers she attacked and $300 to Miles Sutherland, the captain of the British Airways plane she
disrupted, in addition to a $4,600 fine. She could have received six months in jail and a heavy fine for the six offenses stemming from a violent spat in April with a British Airways cabin crew and police who removed her from a flight in handcuffs while waiting on the tarmac at Heathrow.
Prosecutors said Campbell used foul language, kicked and spat at police, accused airline personnel of racism and threatened to sue them after she was told that one of her bags had not been placed on the flight to Los Angeles in April.
Campbell was traveling in first class and became abusive to the captain after he left the cockpit to personally explain to her why her bag — and those of many other travelers — had not been placed on the flight.
Benefit screening …
Steve Carell stepped out of “The Office” to join the fight against cancer at a benefit that featured a screening of his new movie, “Get Smart.”
The screening was held to benefit The Zachary Carson Brain Tumor Fund, named after a teenager Carell met on the set of his NBC comedy in February 2007 through the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
It was the second time Carell has used his celebrity to raise money to fight the type of pediatric cancer that killed Carson.
In June 2007, he helped orchestrate a Boston premiere of his movie “Evan Almighty” to fund research into the cancer, which causes an inoperable malignant tumor in the brain stem. Carson died three months later at the age of 19.
Battling depression …
Funny man and former talk show host Dick Cavett came home to Lincoln, Neb., to talk about depression, what he called “the worst agony devised for man.”
The 71-year-old Cavett struggled with depression for years, even when he was one of the most well-known figures in television.
He spoke on Thursday at NET Television Studios to a group of mental health professionals participating in a statewide summit on depression. He was also back in Nebraska to participate in the first Great American Comedy Festival, which is being held this week in Norfolk.
Cavett’s first pangs of depression came during his freshman year at Yale University when, during a mild, three-week bout, he considered coming home to Nebraska even though he was enjoying his Ivy League experiences.
Celebrity birthdays …
Sunday: Meryl Streep is 59. Cyndi Lauper is 55. Carson Daly is 35. Chris Traynor is 35.
Monday: Randy Jackson is 52. Frances McDormand is 51. Jason Mraz is 31. Duffy is 24.
Tuesday: Jeff Beck is 64. Mick Fleetwood is 61. Mindy Kaling is 29.
Wednesday: Carly Simon is 63. George Michael is 45. Angela Kinsey is 37.
Thursday: Chris Isaak is 52. Gretchen Wilson is 34. Jason Schwartzman is 28.
Friday: Bruce Johnston is 66. Tobey Maguire is 33. Drake Bell is 22.
Next Saturday: Mel Brooks is 82. Kathy Bates is 60. John Cusack is 42.
