He’ll need those survival skills
Richard Hatch, who won $1 million in the first “Survivor,” has been sentenced to more than four years in prison for failing to pay taxes on his reality TV prize and other income.
U.S. District Judge Ernest Torres said he believed that Hatch repeatedly committed perjury during his trial in January.
“There’s no nice way to say it: Mr. Hatch lied,” Torres said Tuesday before sentencing him to 51 months behind bars.
“I believe I’ve been completely truthful and completely forthcoming throughout the entire process,” Hatch told the judge.
Hatch, 45 – known as “the fat naked guy” for shedding his clothes on “Survivor: Borneo” – also was convicted of evading taxes on earnings from a radio show and rental property.
He said he forgot to tell his accountants about some income and claimed he thought the show’s producers would pay his taxes.
After sentencing, he shook hands with his lawyers and called out, “See you later, Mom.”
Sale-house rock
Elvis Presley‘s original, pre-Graceland Memphis home has been scooped up for $905,100 on eBay by spoon-bending Israeli psychic Uri Geller and two partners.
Geller, who met Elvis in Las Vegas in the ‘70s, said he plans to renovate the rancher and bring in sick and needy children for tours, maybe someday turning it into a museum.
As the bidding closed, he added, “Suddenly the radio started playing an Elvis song. That was Elvis telling me we got the house!”
Sugar and spice and …
Former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, 33, gave birth to a baby girl over the weekend, London’s Sun tabloid reported.
The baby’s father, Hollywood scriptwriter Sacha Gervasi, was not present for the delivery, the newspaper said.
Drive-by looting
Paris Hilton‘s mother can only imagine what her famous daughter got her for Mother’s Day.
That’s because thieves stole the gifts before Kathy Hilton received them.
A gift bag containing nearly $10,000 worth of Christian Dior shoes, sunglasses, handbags and perfume, set down outside the gate to the Hilton family home by a delivery person, was snatched by a passenger in a passing car.
Hilton’s spokesman said she “spent three or four hours shopping to put together this wonderful collection of things for her mom.”
Wholly rail
Tom Hanks and other stars of “The Da Vinci Code” arrived at France’s Cannes Film Festival on board a train that broke the world record for the longest nonstop international rail trip.
The high-speed Eurostar train, part of a promotional blitz leading up to the movie’s world premiere today, covered the 883 miles from London to Cannes in 7 hours, 25 minutes. Eurostar said an official from Guinness World Records was on board and certified the record.
The birthday bunch
Actor-director Dennis Hopper is 70. Singer Taj Mahal is 64. Actor Bill Paxton is 51. Actor-comedian Bob Saget is 50. Singer Enya is 45. TV host Craig Ferguson (“The Late Late Show”) is 44. Musician Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) is 41. Interior designer Thom Filicia (“Queer Eye For The Straight Guy”) is 37. Singer Jordan Knight (New Kids on the Block) is 36. Actor Hill Harper (“CSI: NY”) is 33.