People: You must remember this …
Richard Gere apologized Friday for any offense over his kissing an Indian actress in public, a day after a judge in the conservative country issued a warrant for his arrest for violating obscenity laws.
Gere’s embrace and kiss of actress Shilpa Shetty at a recent AIDS awareness event sparked demonstrations by hard-line Hindu groups and a flurry of legal complaints.
“What is most important to me is that my intentions as an HIV/AIDS advocate be made clear, and that my friends in India understand that it has never been, nor could it ever be, my intention to offend you,” Gere said through the Heroes Project, which he co-founded to combat AIDS in India.
He was less contrite Thursday night on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” complaining about “a very small, right-wing, very conservative political party in India, and they are the moral police … and they do this kind of thing quite often.”
India’s former attorney general, Soli Sorabjee, has come to Gere’s defense, saying: “Even if this hugging and kissing was a bit vulgar, it does not amount to obscenity.”
Unsafe at any speed
A woman who authorities say is obsessed with Sandra Bullock was arrested after she allegedly tried to run over the actress’ husband, “Monster Garage” host Jesse James, in a confrontation outside the couple’s home.
A sheriff’s spokesman said the woman tried to hit James “three or four times.”
The couple say they’ve found the woman lying in front of their garage door several times.
Can’t buy him love
Paul McCartney ranks third in an annual list of Britain’s richest musical figures, with $1.4 billion – down $200 million from last year, due to his upcoming divorce from Heather Mills.
The former Beatle trails record company executive Clive Calder ($2.6 billion) and composer Andrew Lloyd Webber ($1.5 billion).
Filing, takes him away …
Singer Christopher Cross (“Sailing”) is asking for a divorce from his wife of nearly 19 years.
Cross, 55, is seeking custody of their 17-year-old son and 15-year-old daughter.
A hill of beans?
Hugh Grant has accepted undisclosed damages from the publisher of two British newspapers that claimed, among other things, that he sponsored a chimpanzee at a British zoo as a wedding gift to former flame Elizabeth Hurley and hated doing PR for his films.
Grant was in the news earlier this week over reports that he threw a container of baked beans at a photographer.
Ganja, ya!
Finally, this fun fact from the National Enquirer: “American Idol” reject Sanjaya Malakar‘s mother, sister and stepfather were arrested in 2005 after more than 300 marijuana plants were found growing in the garage of the family’s Tacoma-area home.
The birthday bunch
Actress-singer Ann-Margret is 66. “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno is 57. Rapper Too Short is 41. Actress Bridget Moynahan is 36. Actress Elisabeth Rohm (“Law and Order”) is 34. Actor Jorge Garcia (“Lost”) is 34. Actress Penelope Cruz is 33. Actress Jessica Alba is 26.