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Johnny Depp's stunt double in the Pirates of the Caribbean films has sued Walt Disney Co. and producer Jerry Bruckheimer for negligence, claiming that faulty equipment resulted in him severely injuring himself on the set of the sequel Dead Man's Chest in 2005. During a practice stunt for which he was attached to a harness and was supposed to fall 40 feet while executing five "roll-out turns," Tony Angelotti says that he suffered a fractured pelvis, internal bleeding and injuries to his bladder, femoral artery, and legs. He's seeking unspecified damages.

"Eddie Murphy always has and will continue to honor his responsibilities as a father. Mr. Murphy and Ms. Brown dated very briefly and never made any plans of ANY sort. He acknowledges paternity of the child Angel, and has paid child support to Ms. Brown as well as covering the expenses of her pregnancy."—A statement released by Murphy's publicist, Arnold Robinson, in response to the paternity suit filed Wednesday by Melanie Brown and her statement that the child "was planned and wanted by both of us." DNA has already established that Murphy is the father of four-month-old Angel Iris Murphy Brown.

Two dogs belonging to Ving Rhames reportedly attacked and killed a man working as a caretaker at the actor's home in Los Angeles Friday, police said. Authorities took four dogs into custody pending further investigation, but believe only two...both mastiffs, weighing about 200 pounds...were involved in the mauling. A spokesperson for the actor said he had no comment.

Brad Renfro, who pled guilty last year to attempted heroin possession and is currently enrolled in a court-ordered drug rehab program, told a judge he was "really doing my best" to remain clean. Judge Dorothy Reyes told the actor she wanted "more than your best" and ordered him to return to court Sept. 18 for another progress report hearing.

Michelle Rodriguez and Stephen Lang have joined the cast of James Cameron's Avatar, Variety reports. Rodriguez plays an ex-Marine pilot, while Lang plays a seasoned Marine Corps colonel who travels to the faraway planet Pandora to take charge of its army. The film...a $190 million live-action/animation hybrid...is due to premiere May 22, 2009. Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Wes Studi, and CCH Pounder are also attached to star.

Jennifer Aniston has signed on to star opposite Steve Zahn in the romantic comedy Management, per Variety. The former "Friends" star plays a traveling saleswoman who has a one-night stand with an underachieving motel manager (Zahn) who then pursues her all over the country.

Katherine Heigl and her mother-manager, Nancy, have formed a new production company and have set up an untitled action-comedy with 20th Century Fox that will serve as an acting vehicle for the "Grey's Anatomy" star, per the Hollywood Reporter. So far, plot details are being kept confidential.

Simon Cowell is bound for the big screen. The "American Idol" judge will produce the music-themed project Star Struck, a film inspired by 1980's Fame, per the Hollywood Reporter. The story will be set behind the scenes of an "Idol"-esque singing competition and will be told through the eyes of the 10 contestants on the fictional show. To add a sense of authenticity to the project, Cowell plans to hold nationwide auditions for the leads sometime next year.

DreamWorks and Paramount will release the fourth installment of Shrek on May 10, 2010, per Variety. Currently, the animated flick has that weekend to itself, with no other films due for release.

Michael Imperioli has joined the cast of Peter Jackson's adaptation of Alice Sebold's best-selling novel The Lovely Bones, per the Hollywood Reporter. Rachel Weisz, Ryan Gosling, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci, and Saoirse Ronan are already attached to star in the film, which is told from the perspective of a murdered girl looking down from heaven.

Melanie Brown filed a paternity suit against Eddie Murphy Wednesday, calling him a "poor role model" for their four-month-old daughter, Angel. The former Spice Girl claims Murphy has not visited the infant or paid any child support, despite having confirmed he was the father via paternity testing.

China is taking a pass on Rush Hour 3. A spokesperson for the state-run China Film Group's import and export division said there wasn't much of a market for the Jackie Chan action comedy. The film is due to open in the U.S. on Aug. 10.

Troubled actress Lindsay Lohan's latest movie deal, Dare to Love Me, is still on track, the film's producer confirmed to People. Lohan began taking tango lessons in preparation for the role just days before her latest arrest; shooting is due to begin Oct. 1. Meanwhile, the starlet's most recent film, I Know Who Killed Me, tanked at the box office last weekend, grossing a paltry $3.5 million.

Hairspray star Nikki Blonsky has joined the cast of the teen comedy Harold, per the Hollywood Reporter. The curvaceous thesp plays Rhonda, the nerdy best friend of balding teen Harold (Spencer Breslin.) Ally Sheedy plays Maureen, a mother who helps her prematurely aging son deal with constant teasing, and Cuba Gooding Jr. plays a janitor and is also one of the film's producers. Filming recently began in Blonsky's hometown of Great Neck, New York, with the middle school she attended serving as the set.

Ryan Reynolds is in final negotiations to star opposite Sandra Bullock in the Disney romantic comedy The Proposal, per the Hollywood Reporter. Bullock plays a demanding boss who faces deportation to Canada and makes a deal with her young assistant (Reynolds) to agree to a sham engagement and marriage.

Swedish director Ingmar Bergman, the legendary filmmaker widely regarded as one of the great masters of modern cinema, died Monday at his home in Faro, Sweden, his daughter said. He was 89. The cause of death was not immediately revealed.

Steve Martin married his girlfriend Anne Stringfield at his Los Angeles home Saturday in a surprise ceremony attended by Tom Hanks, Diane Keaton, Eugene Levy, and Carl Reiner, among others. Lorne Michaels served as best man. It's the second marriage for Martin, 61, and the first for Stringfield, 35. The pair had been dating for about three years.

Looks like that Spice paternity case didn't cause any friction between Tracey Edmonds and Eddie Murphy. The pair got engaged last week after the Shrek star popped the question with a sizable yellow diamond sparkler. "Tracey and Eddie are both very much in love and are excited about spending the rest of their lives together," Edmonds' rep told People.

Johnny Depp is moving closer to bringing Hunter S. Thompson's autobiographical novel, The Rum Diary, to the big screen, seven years after the project was announced. Per the Hollywood Reporter, Oscar-winning producer Graham King (The Departed) has acquired all rights to the property and intends to produce with Depp for Warner Independent Pictures. Production on the film is anticipated to begin after Depp wraps his next project, the crime drama Shantaram.

As first reported by E! Online Planet Gossip columnist Marc Malkin, Paris Hilton will star in Repo! The Genetic Opera, a big-screen musical thriller about a futuristic plague that descends upon the human race, with the ability to finance a pricey organ transplant representing the only hope for survival. The movie is the brainchild of Saw director Darren Lynn Bousman, and is, according to Hilton, a "very cool and unique project." Paul Sorvino and Alexa Vega also star.

Cameron Diaz will star in My Sister's Keeper, the Nick Cassavetes-directed adaptation of Jodi Picoult's novel by the same name, per Variety. Diaz will play a former defense attorney who returns to the courtroom to defend herself and her husband after their 13-year-old daughter sues them for medical emancipation in order to avoid donating a kidney to her older sister, who's suffering from leukemia. Shooting is due to begin early next year.

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