News in brief

by Kerry Shaw
February 18, 2006, 08:30 AM PT

DIVORCE COURT: Nick Lachey filing response to Jessica Simpson's divorce petition. Lachey contests the ex-couple's separation date, he says Dec. 13, she says Nov. 23. A judge will decide which date, which will determine value of their community property. He is asking for half.

BERRY'S BALL: Halle Berry writing "I will not make Catwoman II" on a chalkboard four times and acting out scenes from Monster's Ball in order to receive her pudding pot trophy as Harvard's Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year from Harvard's Hasty Pudding Theater. Richard Gere will be feted in the coming weeks.

ONE NIGHT WITH KID ROCK: Red Light District, the company that distributed the Paris Hilton sex tape, putting a 40-second preview online of Kid Rock and Creed singer Scott Stapp engaging in sexual relations with four female fans on a tour bus six years ago.

WEDDING BELLS, AGAIN: Lisa Marie Presley marrying guitarist and music producer Michael Lockwood in a ceremony in Kyoto, Japan, her publicist said Thursday. It's the fourth marriage for Elvis' little girl.

BONDING EXPERIENCE: Mads Mikkelsen joining the cast of Casino Royale as James Bond's nemesis le Chiffre, while French actress Eva Green will play Daniel Craig's love interest, Vesper Lynd, producers announced Wednesday.

ROYAL COMPARISON: Britney Spears telling People magazine that she rarely takes her infant son outside because she fears the advances of aggressive paparazzi. "I mean, Princess Diana got killed by one of these people. They're crossing the line," the singer said.

ONE DAY MORE: In honor of Les Miserables becoming the longest-running musical in the world, producer Cameron Mackintosh announcing Les Miserables is returning to Broadway for a special six-month engagement kicking off Oct. 21. Tickets go on sale in June.

JACKSON MAKES GOOD: Michael Jackson releasing at the end of the month his long-promised all-star charity single benefiting victims of Hurricane Katrina, according to the Bahrain Prince hosting him in the Gulf country. Guest artists on "I Have This Dream" include Snoop Dogg, R. Kelly, Ciara and Keyisha Cole.

BIDDING GOODBYE: Tom Cruise and pregnant fiance Katie Holmes joining Russell Crowe in bidding farewell to Australian media mogul Kerry Packer in a memorial service at the Sydney Opera House.

CODA: Ray Barretto, famed Latin conga drummer who helped introduce the driving percussion beat to salsa and scored a hit in the 1960s with the song "El Watusi," died in a New Jersey hospital Friday after previously undergoing heart bypass surgery in January. He was 76.

THE MUSE: Two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank signing a three-year contract to be the celebrity face of luxury purveyor Guerlain.

SKATING TO MICKEY: U.S. figure skating champion Michelle Kwan taking a new job with Disney to be a celeb spokesperson for the Mouse House after pulling out of the Torino Games due to a groin injury.

DEAD-EYE DICK: Vice President Dick Cheney's sit-down with Fox News' Brit Hume on Wednesday attracting 2.1 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media.

BACK TO THE TUBE? Alec Baldwin in talks to join Tina Fey in an untitled NBC comedy pilot following the behind-the-scenes of a sketch-comedy show. It would be the actor's first regular TV gig since doing Knots Landing in the mid-'80s.