Judge dismisses Gest’s $10M suit against ex-wife Minnelli

New York – A judge threw out a $10 million civil assault lawsuit Monday filed against Liza Minnelli by her estranged husband, David Gest, who claimed she beat him so badly during alcoholic rages he had to be hospitalized.

State Supreme Court Justice Jane Solomon granted Minnelli’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit on the ground that Gest’s doctor had failed to rebut the 60-year-old actress-singer’s medical expert, who said Gest’s headaches were caused by a strain of herpes that causes shingles and not by beatings.

Gest’s attorney, Lorraine Nadel, said she would appeal the ruling. She said that although Minnelli’s physician diagnosed Gest’s headaches as being caused by herpes zoster, Gest’s doctor said he tested negative for the virus.

“He said it was the beatings,” Nadel said Gest’s doctor reported.

Winfrey says her attorneys overreacted to K.C. man

New York – Oprah Winfrey says her attorneys shouldn’t have gone after the man who is trying to promote her as a candidate for president.

Not because she’s running, mind you.

“I feel flattered by it,” the 52-year-old talk-show host told The Associated Press on Monday. “My lawyers overreacted, I think, by sending him a cease-and-desist order because it really is a flattering thing.”

It should have been handled in a phone call, said Winfrey, who said she’s thinking of calling Patrick Crowe, of Kansas City, Mo., herself.

Crowe has been campaigning to urge Winfrey to run for president for years, setting up a Web site that has its own campaign song. A month ago, Winfrey’s attorneys sent Crowe a letter demanding that he remove her picture from his Web site.

Winfrey’s smiling face remained on www.oprah08.net Monday.

Aaron Carter breaks off engagement to brother’s ex

Los Angeles – Aaron Carter has broken off his engagement to his older brother’s ex-girlfriend.

The 18-year-old pop singer called off his engagement to 22-year-old actress Kari Ann Peniche just a week after he proposed onstage in Las Vegas, Us Weekly reported Sunday on its Web site.

Peniche is an ex-girlfriend of Carter’s 26-year-old brother, Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter. She’s also a former Miss Teen USA and former Playboy Playmate.

“I got caught up in the moment and proposed,” the younger Carter told the magazine. “I then realized it was a hasty thing to do, and I am not ready for marriage quite yet.”

Attempts by The Associated Press to reach a representative for Carter were not immediately successful Monday.

Paris Hilton’s outfit blends in at Munich’s Oktoberfest

Munich, Germany – Paris Hilton knows a fetching outfit when she sees one – even if it’s something more likely to be found on Bavarian women heading toward church on a crisp Sunday morning in the Alps.

The 25-year-old American socialite, TV reality star and aspiring songstress showed off a golden dirndl-inspired creation in this Bavarian city famous for its beer drinking and its annual Oktoberfest.

“I’ve found four of them and bought them,” she told photographers Monday before heading to one of the massive beer tents where the libation flows freely.

For once, Hilton was following a trend instead of setting one, as many other women also attended the festival in their best dirndls, a traditional alpine outfit consisting of a snug bodice with a low neck wrapped around a lacy blouse, along with a full skirt and apron.

Hilton, who is on a promotional tour for a regional wine producer, said she was enjoying herself and loved being in southern Germany.

Elizabeth Edwards: Life would be same at White House

New York – With her husband considering another run for the Democratic presidential nomination, Elizabeth Edwards says her lifestyle might not change much if the family finally makes it to the White House.

“I shop at Target. We eat at Wendy’s,” she tells Time magazine in its Oct. 2 edition. “Even though we have a lot and I feel very blessed, we are basically the same people we were when we first started out and made, between us, $28,000 a year.”

Edwards, 57, has stayed mostly out of the public eye since her husband, former Sen. John Edwards, and Sen. John Kerry, of Massachusetts, the presidential candidate, lost to the Bush-Cheney ticket in 2004.

But is the electorate ready for her to be first lady?

“I think there’s part of the American public that wants there to be a queen,” she said. “The public would have to tell you whether they’re ready for somebody who sits on the floor playing Monopoly with the kids.”