Editors at American magazine In Touch Weekly are standing by their Britney Spears pregnancy story, offering photos of the BlackBerry text correspondence they had with the reported father-to-be.

Music producer JR Rotem has since denied the reports, but initially confirmed them when In Touch Weekly reporters contacted him for a comment.

New York mayor Michael Bloomberg dreams of a career in the movies, and used Tuesday’s Gotham awards to lobby Hollywood film makers.

As a guest at the New York ceremony, Bloomberg promoted his cameo in the forthcoming Sex and the City movie - and insisted he could be a big star.

He told the crowd: “If you need a rugged-type mayor, I know just the guy. I can dance, I can speak Spanish and I can drive a stick.”

Amy Winehouse’s father has apologised to fans on behalf of his troubled daughter for cancelling the remainder of her UK tour, insisting the decision “is in her best interests”.

The Rehab hitmaker pulled the rest of her promotional appearances for the rest of 2007 on the advice of her doctors earlier this week, and dad Mitch is adamant a good rest is just what the singer needs.

Scarlett Johansson was so insecure about having her bum on show in the opening sequence to hit film Lost In Translation, she resorted to bribing the artistic director to make it look flattering.

The award-winning actress, who plays a Lolita-type temptress in the 2004 production, told the man in charge of the slow, lingering sequence panning over her semi-transparent knickers, to make her bum look pretty - or he’d lose his job.

Barbra Streisand will be going head to head with Oprah Winfrey as the campaign to find a new US Democratic presidential candidate heats up - the singer is backing the media mogul’s rival.

Just a day after Winfrey announced she’d be joining Barak Obama on the campaign trail next month, Streisand has opted to back former U.S. First Lady Hillary Clinton.

Troubled songstress Amy Winehouse has been forced to cancel the remainder of her UK tour by doctors - because the strain of her husband Blake Fielder-Civil’s incarceration has rendered the volatile singer unable to perform.

The Back To Black star - whose performances have been plagued by reports of fans storming out over her incoherent singing and delayed start times - abandoned her tour crew on Monday night after her gig in Brighton, England, and headed back to London in a taxi. She was due to play a concert in Bournemouth on the south coast of Britain on Tuesday night.

Troubled songstress Amy Winehouse has an unusual way of taking her mind off her problems - she is obsessed with watching American wrestling.

The Back To Black star has been a fan of the sport’s World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) franchise for many years and lists her favourite fighters as Rob Van Dam and Chris Jericho.

Winehouse was even afforded the opportunity to meet her idol Van Dam a few years ago.

A New York chef has invented a luxury version of one of the city’s staple foods - the $1,000 bagel (£500).

While many bagel bakeries in London charge no more than 50p for their version, you can now splash out over £500 for the world’s most expensive bagel.

Natalie Portman created her stage name when she became famous, so she could lead a normal childhood.

On screen and in the press, she was actress Natalie Portman, but back home she was Natalie Hershlag - and the trick worked.

The 26-year-old Israeli-born actress - who found fame at 12 in 1994 film Leon - says: “It was like having an alter ego. I was able to keep my public persona controlled and let the messiness be in private. I could be a human being.”

Troubled songstress Amy Winehouse has agreed to go into rehab if she fails to quit drugs over the Christmas period, according to reports.

The Back To Black singer was pictured with the residue of a white substance in her nose on the way to a gig last week - sparking rumours she was back on drugs despite claims by pal Pete Doherty she had cleaned up her wild ways.

Filmmaking siblings The Coen Brothers were forced to spend a small fortune shipping specially-designed fake blood from England to their No Country For Old Men set in New Mexico - to keep predators at bay.

The brothers balked when they saw the costs for the blood the costume experts insisted on, but quickly realised the goo had to be something special.

Dustin Hoffman is pining for his wife Lisa Gottsegen - because their successful careers are keeping them apart.

While Hoffman travels the world shooting and promoting movies, Gottsegen is doing the same on behalf of her burgeoning beauty business.

Hoffman says: “I used to kiss her in bed and we’d turn our backs to each other and I would feel her backside. Now I feel a computer.”

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld has returned to Israel for the first time in 37 years, to promote his new animated film Bee Movie there.

The 53-year-old was granted an audience with President Shimon Peres after arriving on Friday.

Seinfeld visited Jerusalem’s old city and Holocaust museum - and later recounted volunteering on a Kibbutz in northern Israel in 1970.

Actor Dustin Hoffman has vowed to work well into old age - unless his body refuses to let him do so.

The 70-year-old Rainman star is in no hurry to retire from acting and credits his good looks for his career longevity thus far.

“I like the fact that I’m ageing so well and unless my face or ass hit the floor, I’d like to go on working for as long as my body can hack it,” he says.