Paul McCartney tells the tabloids, ‘Let her be’
Paul McCartney wants to set the record straight: His wife doesn’t make decisions for him, didn’t tell him to dye his graying hair, and gets along just fine with his kids. The former Beatle posted a message on Heather Mills McCartney‘s Web site rebutting some of the “scurrilous reports” about the former model he married in 2002.
British tabloids have reported animosity between her and McCartney’s children from his marriage to Linda McCartney, who died of cancer in 1998, but he said they “get on great.”
On his use of hair dye, the 62-year-old McCartney wrote: “I was engaged in this devilish practice years before I met her.”
He also denied rumors he has had plastic surgery, and said it was “an insult to my intelligence” to suggest his wife coerced him into making charity TV appearances.
Mills McCartney, 37, has worked to help children disabled in war since losing a leg in a 1993 traffic accident.
Brad and Jen again?
Barely a month after announcing their separation, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston are still sporting their wedding rings and sharing an $18 million Beverly Hills mansion, and were seen snuggling up during a three-hour candlelit dinner at an L.A. restaurant.
Aniston’s spokesman says they simply shared a meal and “nothing has changed” regarding their separation.
But Pitt’s grandmother says: “The whole family is praying that Brad and Jen can work out what they need to. … They are both precious and have too much love to throw it all away.”
And speaking of friends …
After 2 1/2 years together, former “Law & Order” star Elisabeth Rohm has split with her fiance, MSNBC legal expert Dan Abrams.
A rep for the German-born blonde, who’ll next be seen in “Miss Congeniality 2,” said the two were still “friends.”
Meanwhile, “The Sopranos” star James Gandolfini‘s lover, Lora Somoza, has called off their engagement. They started dating in 2000 after he split from his wife, Marcy.
“There was no vicious bust-up,” Somoza said. “Of course there were tears, but we are still friends.”
Things go sour again for Suge
Rap mogul Marion “Suge” Knight was booked on suspicion of violating his parole after police found marijuana in his truck during a traffic stop Sunday.
Knight, 39, co-founder of the pioneering Death Row Records, was released from prison in 2001 after serving time for assault and weapons violations. He recently served an additional 10-month sentence for violating his parole and striking a Hollywood nightclub valet.
Whole new ballgame for Rodman
Former NBA star Dennis Rodman poses nude, in profile, in a new celebrity anti-fur ad for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
His 6-foot-8, heavily tattooed presence appears with the slogan, “Think Ink, Not Mink: Be Comfortable in Your Own Skin and Let Animals Keep Theirs.”
Rodman is the first man to pose for PETA’s “Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur” series, which has featured Pamela Anderson, Kim Basinger and Christy Turlington.
The birthday bunch
Composer-conductor John Williams is 73. ABC News anchor Ted Koppel is 65. Actor Nick Nolte is 64. Actress Mary Steenburgen is 52. Author John Grisham is 50. Singer Vince Neil (Motley Crue) is 44. Actor Gary Coleman is 37. Actress Mary McCormack is 36. Actor Seth Green (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) is 31. Actress Karle Warren (“Judging Amy”) is 13.