Reynolds sues for blackmail

West Palm Beach, Fla. — Burt Reynolds sued a former girlfriend, alleging she was threatening to falsely accuse him of abuse if he didn’t pay millions of dollars in extortion.

The lawsuit, filed Monday, says Pamela Seals falsely accused Reynolds of yelling at her and stomping on her toes. Seals told the actor she would publicize her allegations if he didn’t agree to a hefty settlement that included support for Seals and her mother, half of Reynolds’ Jupiter home and other compensation.

Reynolds’ lawyer, Bob Montgomery, called Seals’ threats blackmail. He said because Reynolds and Seals were never married, she is entitled to nothing under Florida law.

‘Live’ now on DVD

London — After almost two decades of refusing to rebroadcast the Live Aid famine-relief concert, organizer Bob Geldof said he changed his mind because of the large number of bootleg recordings available.

“I couldn’t believe the number of bootleg copies being sold — they are quite literally taking food from the hungry. This has to be stopped,” said Geldof, who attended a launch party Sunday for the 10-hour, four-disc set.

The mammoth concert, staged in London and Philadelphia on July 13, 1985, featured performances by David Bowie, Queen, U2, Elton John, Eric Clapton and dozens of others. Viewed on television by some 1.5 billion people, it raised $140 million for the victims of Ethiopia’s famine.

Second-generation fans

Denver — Barry Manilow is a little freaked out to see tens of thousands of people singing along with him.

“Most of the nights I look up, and there are between 10,000 and 15,000 people out there,” the entertainer, 57, told The Denver Post in Sunday’s editions. “They can’t all be fans from the ’70s.”

“I’m sure many of them are, and I’m very grateful that they’ve stuck with me that long. But between 10,000 and 15,000 people a night? I just have to believe there’s another generation that has either been brainwashed by their parents or have discovered this catalog of music on their own.”

On late, up early

New York — David Letterman cracked a few jokes, showed some baby pictures and, yes, was a little cranky about going on television so early in the morning.

But, as Regis Philbin said, Letterman “did the right thing” and appeared on “Live with Regis and Kelly” Monday after being one of the CBS late-night host’s favorite foils for many years.

By a “Late Show” count, Philbin has appeared 83 times on Letterman’s show since it moved to CBS in 1993. He was a guest host when Letterman underwent heart bypass surgery in 2000 and recovered from an eye infection last year.

Letterman, who’s rarely seen on TV outside of his own show, had visited “Live” twice before, most recently in February 1997.

As for a return engagement, don’t hold you’re breath. Philbin asked when Letterman would be back. “None of us will live that long,” he replied.