Minogue back for first time since cancer diagnosis

Sydney, Australia – Kylie Minogue dazzled an adoring homeland crowd Saturday in the diva’s triumphant first foray onto the stage since she discovered 18 months ago that she had breast cancer.

“Good evening, Sydney!” were the Australian’s first words as she rose on a platform from the center of the stage. “How are you feeling tonight?”

The 38-year-old Grammy winner’s performance before a sellout crowd of 10,000 was the much-anticipated comeback from her shock diagnosis in May last year, just days before the Australian leg of “The Showgirl Tour” was set to begin.

Minogue had successful surgery in her hometown of Melbourne and underwent chemotherapy in Paris, where her French actor-boyfriend, Olivier Martinez, has a home. During her recovery, she wrote a children’s book, “The Showgirl Princess” and launched her own perfume, “Darling.”

Prince unveils newhigh-energy Vegas show

Las Vegas – Prince unveiled a low-production but high-energy show as he debuted a new weekly casino gig, while giving no indication that he plans to become the next Wayne Newton.

Prince will perform shows for the next several Friday and Saturday nights in the 3121 club at The Rio casino-hotel just off the Las Vegas Strip.

The show Friday included an even mix of classics and new material, guitar solos, soulful ballads and funk. His racy hits, such as “Cream” and “Kiss,” were a contrast to the tamer songs released since the star became a Jehovah’s Witness.

“You don’t have to be dirty to be sexy,” Prince advised the audience, before launching into a sweet love song. “Let me show you.”

Andy Griffith sues man using his name during for campaign

Milwaukee – Forget the small-town belief in letting bygones be bygones.

The star of “The Andy Griffith Show,” who portrayed the sheriff of the fictional town of Mayberry, has sued a Wisconsin man who unsuccessfully ran for the Grant County post after legally changing his name to Andrew Jackson Griffith.

The lawsuit, filed Nov. 3 in U.S. District Court in Madison, alleges that William Harold Fenrick, 42, violated trademark and copyright laws, as well as the privacy of actor Andy Samuel Griffith, when he used his new name to promote his candidacy for sheriff in southwestern Wisconsin.

The former Fenrick changed his name for the “sole purpose of taking advantage of Griffith’s notoriety in an attempt to gain votes,” the lawsuit says. It asks the court to order him to go back to his original name and for him to publish disclaimers and an apology in newspapers that say he has no association with the actor. It seeks unspecified damages and court fees.

The candidate argues he did not benefit from the name change.

Lohan caught on YouTube video insulting Paris Hilton

Los Angeles – Lindsay Lohan tossed a four-letter expletive at fellow Hollywood run-around Paris Hilton earlier this week.

In a video posted Thursday on YouTube.com, Lohan was captured leaving a Los Angeles hotel inside which Hilton had reportedly been partying. The 20-year-old actress, as she was getting into the passenger side of a sport utility vehicle, used the profanity to describe Hilton after an observer asked if they’d fought earlier.

“She’s kidding,” a friend in the back seat quickly followed up Lohan’s sniping.

When asked why she used the word she did, Lohan backtracked: “I never said that. Paris is my friend … No, I love her.”

Michael J. Fox urges passage of stem cell legislation

New York – Actor Michael J. Fox on Friday urged President Bush and the newly elected Democratic Congress to work together to pass legislation backing stem cell research.

Fox, 45, also called on Bush to reconsider his policy of strict limits on federal funding for the work.

Bush “has acknowledged that the people of America want change, and he has pledged to work with new congressional leaders,” Fox said in a statement. “He could take no stronger action than signing legislation that finally expands our nation’s commitment to stem cell research.”

Fox also thanked Democratic leaders for their willingness to focus on stem cell research “as one of their first priorities.”

Fox, who has Parkinson’s disease, supports stem cell research as a possible cure for Parkinson’s, and other diseases.

Federline’s ex calls on media to give him a break

New York – Shar Jackson, a former girlfriend of Kevin Federline, says the media should stop ridiculing the aspiring rapper, who now appears to have an even bigger punch-line target on his back.

“He’s such a nice guy,” the 30-year-old actress tells “Inside Edition” in an interview. “He’s made some mistakes but everybody else doesn’t have the whole world pointing their finger at their mistakes.”

Jackson and Federline, 28, are the parents of a 4-year-old daughter, Kori, and a 2-year-old son, Kaleb. They dated before Federline became involved with Britney Spears, whom he married in 2004, while Jackson was pregnant.

Spears, 24, filed for divorce Tuesday in Los Angeles. She is seeking custody of their two sons, 1-year-old Sean Preston and 2-month-old Jayden James.

Federline, who has been making the rounds promoting his hip-hop debut, “Playing With Fire,” counter-filed court papers Wednesday seeking sole custody of his two children with Spears and spousal support.

Jackson, who starred in TV’s “Moesha” in the late ’90s, says Federline doesn’t pay child support for their son and daughter. “He does pay for their school, and they go to a very expensive private school.”