Irwin’s friend appalled at people cashing in on death

Sydney, Australia – A close friend of the late “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin said Saturday that he was appalled at reports of people illegally cashing in on the exuberant entertainer’s legacy.

A 20-year-old woman was arrested and accused of selling fake Steve Irwin stickers she said were to raise money for his Wildlife Warriors fund, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported Saturday.

The woman, whose identity was not immediately released, appeared in court Saturday and was fined, the ABC said.

Irwin’s close friend and manager, John Stainton, said he was devastated by reports that some people were using the entertainer’s profile to turn a profit.

“Steve would be absolutely appalled by this,” Stainton told ABC radio.

Irwin was killed Sept. 4 when he was pierced in the chest by a stingray’s barb while filming a new TV show off Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

British stars ask government to help stop Darfur fighting

London – Leading British film and music stars urged the British government Saturday to help end fighting in the violence-wracked Sudanese region of Darfur.

Musicians Elton John and Annie Lennox, musician-campaigner Bob Geldof and actress Emma Thompson were among those who signed a letter accusing the international community of failing to act.

“We call on our government to move Darfur to the top of its priority list until a U.N. force is deployed and the people of Darfur are protected,” they wrote.

The conflict in Darfur began in early 2003 when ethnic African tribes revolted against the Khartoum government. The Arab-dominated Sudanese government has been accused of unleashing Arab militiamen known as Janjaweed, who have been blamed for widespread atrocities, including rapes and killings.

U.N. officials have estimated the death toll at between 180,000 and 200,000. More than 2 million people have been driven from their homes.

The mandate of an underfunded 7,000-strong African Union force in Darfur expires at the end of the month, and the Sudanese government has resisted the deployment of a multinational force authorized by the U.N. Security Council.

Streep film ‘Evening’ to be filmed in Newport, R.I.

Newport, R.I. – In coming weeks, Newport residents and visitors may spot Vanessa Redgrave, Meryl Streep or Glenn Close around town.

The stars are in Rhode Island to film “Evening,” a movie about a woman who remembers her romantic past in flashback as she lies on her deathbed.

Steven Feinberg, director of the Rhode Island Film and Television Office, said the stars would film in locations around Newport and Tiverton for eight weeks.

In “Evening,” Redgrave plays Ann Grant, the dying woman, while Claire Danes plays Grant in her younger years. Streep plays one of Grant’s college friends at an older age.

Toni Collette and Redgrave’s real-life daughter, Natasha Richardson, play Ann Grant’s daughters. Close, and Streep’s real-life daughter, Mamie Gummer, also are in the cast.

‘Napoleon’ actor Jon Heder, wife expecting first child

Los Angeles – The star of the cult hit film “Napoleon Dynamite” and his wife are expecting their first child, his publicist said.

Jon Heder, 28, spilled the news, first reported by People magazine, during a Hollywood Foreign Press news conference on Thursday, said publicist Nicole Chabot on Friday.

Heder appears in the upcoming film “School for Scoundrels.”

Heder and wife Kirsten married in 2002. He made his film breakthrough playing Napoleon, a memorable oddball, in the 2004 film.