David Letterman made a shocking personal confession on his CBS Late Show Thursday, admitting he was the victim of a $2 million extortion attempt and that he had had sexual relations with female members of staff. Three weeks ago, according to a press release from reps of the TV host to PEOPLE and other news organizations, Letterman received a package whose sender claimed to have information about alleged sexual activity between the 62-year-old star and employees of his program. Threatening to go public with the news, the individual reportedly sought ...

It looks like that Target deal paid off, as Pearl Jam have found their way to the top of the Billboard 200. The band moved 190,000 copies of their latest album Backspacer, which was available exclusively at Target stores (as well as on iTunes and via the band’s Web site), in its first sales week. It marks the first time since the band has been at the top of the album chart since 1996, when the band released No Code to strong initial sales but mixed reviews. No Code remains both the band’s most experimental and maligned album, as the ...

Dennis Hopper was supposed to be talking about the second season of his TV series, “Crash,” but instead he was carted away in an ambulance Wednesday morning with “flu-like symptoms.” Numerous media outlets, including “Today,” “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” and ABC News Now’s “What’s the Buzz,” were left scrambling for guest replacements after all of his media appearances for the day were cancelled. Source

Conan O’Brien is expected to be back on the job Monday after hitting his head during a “Tonight Show” stunt. NBC said in a statement Saturday that O’Brien was resting comfortably at home. The network says the accident Friday halted production of “Tonight.” The network did not say what the stunt entailed. O’Brien was examined at a hospital and released. A “Tonight” rerun with guest Jeremy Piven aired Friday. According to NBC’s Web site, the scheduled show was supposed to include Teri Hatcher ...

John Travolta frantically tried to save his son by performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, the actor told a Bahamian court on Wednesday in the trial of two people accused of attempting to extort $25 million from him. Former senator Pleasant Bridgewater, 49, and former paramedic Tarino Lightbourne, 47, are accused of conspiring and attempting to extort money from Travolta by means of threats. Bridgewater is also accused of abetment to extortion. Travolta, with actress wife Kelly Preston looking on, told the court how the couple raced downstairs ...

It is being said the man accused of raping Katie is a high-profile Scottish celebrity. Cops yesterday confirmed they had quizzed Katie -a.k.a Jordan – about the alleged attack. The Record says they know the the identity of the man, who denies the sex attack claims and cannot be named for legal reasons. He told reporters: “It has nothing to do with me.” Jordan blurted out the name of the alleged rapist during the filming of her ITV2 reality show, What Katie Did Next. Last night, police said they had yet to receive an official complaint ...

David Hasselhoff’s reported hospitalization for a dangerous level of alcohol in his bloodstream, if confirmed, means that he needs a long period of inpatient rehabilitation, followed by more aggressive outpatient treatment, in order to stay sober and stay alive his doctor says. According to Fox News, Hasselhoff apparently at home with his 17-year-old daughter Hayley and had been drinking for more than a day when she called 911, worried that he wouldn’t survive the binge. He’d been hospitalized with a high blood alcohol level back in May, ...

It’s been about a month since Khloe Kardashian and L.A. Lakers forward Lamar Odom began dating, and the couple are currently planning their wedding, two sources confirm to PEOPLE. Earlier this month, The Kourtney & Khloe Take Miami star’s older sister Kim told PEOPLE of the couple, “They’re very, very happy. They’ve been together a few weeks, and are literally inseparable. Khloe thinks he’s amazing and makes her laugh and smile constantly.” Source

If you didn’t see it Kanye West seriously dissed Taylor Swift at the VMA awards, yet some think it was just a ploy to get people to watch Jay Leno’s new show. Here is Taylor’s and some other celebrity responses: Taylor says: “Well, I was standing on stage because I was really excited because I had just won the award. And then I was really excited because Kanye West was on stage. And then I wasn’t so excited anymore after that.” On the celeb and fan support: “I’ve been getting so many text messages and everybody’s been ...

Actor Patrick Swayze died yesterday of pancreatic cancer. Swayze, 57, died “peacefully” with his family at his side, Swayze’s publicist, Annett Wolf, said in a statement published by the Associated Press. Although Swayze’s memorable movie roles in Dirty Dancing and Ghost ingratiated him into the hearts and minds of legions of fans, he will also be remembered for the awareness he helped raise about pancreatic cancer — a rare, but stealthy disease. Swayze was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in March 2008. He is survived ...

Angelina Jolie was overcome with emotion during a trip to a refugee settlement in Africa on Saturday (12Sep09). The Hollywood actress, a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador, spent a day at the Dadaab Refugee camp on the Kenyan border to see the conditions that 285,000 starving Somali refugees live in. The camp, built to house just 90,000, was set up to aid people who have escaped the terror of their own country and fled into Kenya. Jolie, who hopes to bring the plight of the Somali people to the public’s attention, met a number of families ...