American actress Brooke Shields has given birth to her first child at the age of 37. The Blue Lagoon star had a baby girl in a Manhattan hospital, according to the New York Daily News. The youngster, who has not yet been named, was born just three weeks after the death of the Hollywood actress's father, Frank. During her pregnancy, the former child star said she would not allow her baby to be "paraded" for the cameras like she was. Shields, who gave birth on Tuesday, is married to TV producer Chris Henchy.

Mariah Carey has scrapped her upcoming arena tour because she wants to be more intimate - and play in theatres. A cryptic posting on her official website Thursday revealed the change, explaining new dates for the upcoming tour will be announced soon. The posting read, "Mariah is planning something really special for her Charmbracelet 2003 tour." The site advised fans who purchased tickets to "hold onto your confirmations/receipts as we will be providing additional information shortly." A spokesperson for Carey's record company, Island Def Jam/Monarc, claims the idea for the theatre tour came from a fan posting on Carey's message board, and that the singer thought it would be exciting to share a more intimate environment with her fans. Carey's original tour was supposed to kick off in Anchorage, Alaska, on July 18. Ticket sales were not an issue as dates were selling well. Carey is still scheduled to perform in Korea and Japan next month, with venues there unchanged.

Dogville star Nicole Kidman will be having a sedate time at the Cannes Film Festival - because studio bosses can't afford to throw a party for her film. The Oscar-winner took a pay cut to appear in the latest film by acclaimed Danish director Lars Von Trier, but the cost of getting her to the French event has KO'd any chance of a glitzy bash. British tabloid The Daily Mirror reports that the cost of flying the stunning star to Cannes in a private jet and putting her up in a $3,750 a night hotel has hit company Zentropa hard. An insider reveals, "It's been a bad year for us, what with staff cutbacks and layoffs. Zentropa is renowned for wild parties, but we've had to pay Nicole's expenses for coming here."

Renee Zellweger has terrified her mother after letting it slip that she's joining the forces on a TV chat show. The pretty Chicago actress has been invited by the United Services Overseas organization to visit troops in unclassified former war zones - and she was hoping to keep the news from her worried mum. But, on Thursday night's The Late Show With David Letterman, she proudly announced her summer plans. She said, "I was invited by the USO to go. They ask you to come and you gotta go. I can't wait. We fly in the middle of June." The actress immediately regretted the hasty announcement: "My mom is going to be watching and I wasn't going to tell her. She's gonna freak out. She'll be like, 'You're going where?' She didn't love the Haiti idea a few years ago, so this one's gonna kill her."

Actress Demi Moore's lawyer has hit back at the sexual harassment charges filed against her - dismissing the claims as "nonsense." Lawrence Bass, 43, recently filed allegations with two government agencies - though not a formal lawsuit - against the 40-year-old Disclosure star, saying she dismissed him from managing her Idaho, America house last year after he resisted her advances. But Moore's lawyer Martin Singer says the accusations have been made up by a man with a troubled past. Legal documents provided by Singer show that Bass had several restraining orders issued against him in the last four years, including one from telecommunications giant Gte California after Bass allegedly made threats to the company's president and his family. In court papers filed two years ago, Bass' ex-wife Sabine La Folie-Bass said she had been granted a permanent order of protection against him in 1998. Singer says, "We're dealing with a very troubled individual. He has a track record. Had Demi known of his background, he never would have been hired."

British babe Sadie Frost is convinced her marriage to movie hunk Jude Law is still intact - even though they've been separated for three months. The actress-turned-fashion designer insists their break-up is just temporary, and that their troubles have been blown out of proportion by the media. She says, "I'm seeing Jude shortly and we're going to talk. We're just going through what lots of couples go through, but because we're in the public eye it has been turned into a soap opera. We do need, however, to sort things out. Everyone thinks I'm constantly miserable. Actually I'm very happy. Family and friends have all been very supportive."

A breach of contract lawsuit against Madonna and her film director husband Guy Ritchie could be thrown out of court - because an opposing lawyer missed a hearing. The lawsuit alleges that Madonna and Ritchie broke a contract involving their film flop Swept Away when they didn't compensate the person who claims he brought them the idea. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Soussan G. Bruguera didn't indicate on Wednesday when she would rule on the possible dismissal. The judge also considered a request that attorney Morris Getzels pay more than $1,000 to compensate opposing lawyers for the cost of appearing at a hearing on April 1 that he failed to attend. Getzels represents Vincent D'Onofrio (not the actor) who filed the lawsuit in October. The lawsuit alleges that D'Onofrio brought Madonna and Ritchie the idea of remaking Lina Wertmuller's 1974 film about a rich woman and a sailor who are stranded together on an island. The lawsuit claims he was denied credit and compensation.

Publicity-shy The Matrix Reloaded director Larry Wachowski left his wife of 15 years following an affair with a dominatrix. Larry, 37, appeared at the Cannes Festival premiere of Matrix Reloaded with 36-year-old blonde Karin Winslow last week. Wachowski - who writes and directs the hit movies with brother Andy Wachowski - is reported to have left his wife Thea after hiring Winslow's services, leaving her transsexual husband fuming. Jake Miller, estranged husband of Winslow, is now alleging in British newspaper The Mail On Sunday that Larry is a cross-dresser who ran off with his wife. He says, "He stole my wife from me and he crossed over the boundaries. I'm not saying I'm a saint, but I am telling the truth. Larry Wachowski is living a lie. He has been cross-dressing for years and everybody knows it. But in Hollywood, money talks. And if you are the director of a hit like The Matrix, you can get away with anything. I hope Larry is man enough to hear what I am saying and to come out and admit who - or what - he is. I want people to know the truth. When Larry walked down the red carpet with my wife, he was probably wearing a bra and panties under his suit."

A New York rental car agency clerk is suing Joan Rivers for a whopping $16 million after the comedienne allegedly poked her in the eye with a marker pen during a disagreement. Police were called to the Dollar Rent-A-Car offices in December when TV star Rivers allegedly attacked Griselle Santana, hitting her in the eye with a pen. The incident seemed to have blown over with no one pressing charges, but now Santana is demanding a pay-out after claiming she "sustained painful personal injuries, some of which are permanent." In her lawsuit, filed last week, Santana insists she was "intentionally, wantonly, brutally and maliciously assaulted, battered and attacked" by Rivers. The alleged victim claims Rivers was provoked by an argument about adding her name as an additional driver to a rental agreement.

Fans eagerly awaiting the arrival of Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle can now get filled in on the storyline - from an animated internet series. Premiering Tuesday, Charlie's Angels: Animated Adventures consists of six two-minute shorts revolving around a search for a missing US marshal and leave off where Full Throttle, opening on June 27, begins. The debut installment, Most Delicious Angels, will be followed a week alter by Viva Las Angels. Episodes during the following weeks are Jackpot Angels, Jet Set Angels, Angels' Flight and Falling Angels.