Don Imus reaches settlement with CBS

New York – Don Imus overcame a major obstacle Tuesday in his widely expected comeback bid, reaching a settlement with his former employer that allows him to return to the airwaves at a new station four months after he made a sexist and racist remark about the Rutgers women’s basketball team.

Imus and CBS Radio agreed to a settlement that pre-empts the fired radio personality’s threatened $120 million breach-of-contract lawsuit against CBS, the company and Imus’ attorney said in a statement Tuesday.

Terms of the settlement were not disclosed. Just before his dismissal, Imus signed a five-year, $40 million contract with CBS.

The announcement essentially makes Imus a free agent, and broadcast industry experts say he will be back on the air soon.

Spears-Federline divorce papers may go public

Los Angeles – A court commissioner said Tuesday he would consider a motion by a magazine and a TV station to unseal documents in the Britney Spears-Kevin Federline divorce case.

“They’re appropriate participants in here,” Superior Court Commissioner Scott M. Gordon said of the request by KNBC-TV and People magazine.

Gordon scheduled another hearing for Sept. 14 to give their attorneys time to make their case for keeping the documents under seal.

After the hearing, Federline attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan said the documents contain information about the schedules of the couple’s children and other details that could put them in jeopardy.

Spears’ divorce from Federline became official July 30.

Lawyers float new theory in actress’ death

Los Angeles – The judge in Phil Spector’s murder trial cleared the jury from the courtroom Tuesday after a forensic pathologist surprised prosecutors by introducing a new theory in the death of the actress the music producer is accused of killing.

The testimony from Dr. Michael Baden, one of the nation’s foremost forensic experts, set off angry protests from prosecutors, who accused defense attorneys of withholding information from them. Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler ultimately agreed, saying the defense had violated discovery laws.

Baden testified that he recently concluded actress Lana Clarkson’s spinal cord was not completely severed when a bullet tore through her mouth at Spector’s mansion on Feb. 3, 2003. The opinion supports defense claims that Clarkson could have spewed blood onto Spector’s jacket with her dying gasps after she was shot.

Spector’s lawyers say Clarkson was depressed and shot herself. Baden’s theory offers an explanation of how Spector could have gotten specks of blood on his jacket if he didn’t shoot her, which prosecutors contend he did.

Lindsay Lohan sued in pre-dawn car chase

Los Angeles – Lindsay Lohan was sued Tuesday for assault and negligence by a woman who was a passenger in a car the actress is accused of chasing while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Lohan “put me through one of the most frightening experiences of my life,” Tracie Rice said in a statement after the lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

“What Miss Lohan did that night was extremely dangerous and reprehensible. Someone could easily have been killed or seriously hurt because of her irresponsible decisions that evening,” Rice said.

Lohan, 21, was arrested for investigation of misdemeanor driving under the influence and with a suspended license and felony cocaine possession after last month’s pre-dawn chase that ended in Santa Monica.

iTunes adds 16 solo albums by John Lennon

Los Angeles – The list of Beatles-related music available for download on iTunes expanded significantly Tuesday with the addition of 16 of John Lennon’s solo albums to the Web site’s catalog.

The titles cover all of Lennon’s EMI-Capitol albums, including his first post-Beatles album, “John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band,” plus “Imagine,” “Walls and Bridges” and “Milk and Honey,” as well as the “Anthology” and “Working Class Hero” compilations. These albums were put up for download on other download services in 2005, but for the first month, bonus video content exclusive to iTunes will be included for those who download the albums there.

The Beatles’ group recordings have not been licensed for digital downloading.

Courtney Love flaunts slimmer figure

New York – Courtney Love posed for the upcoming issue of Harper’s Bazaar wearing a hat, jewelry and shoes.

“Go check it out. All of the size 8s are gone,” the 43-year-old singer tells the magazine in its September issue, on newsstands Aug 21. “I’ve lost a lot of weight, and I have done it through being quite disciplined.”

Love says she now weighs about 139 pounds. She credits her new figure to visits to a clinic for “colonics and fasting” several times a year and eating a daily diet of two meal replacement shakes and “fish and macrobiotic food.”

“Some people think it’s about weight loss, but it’s about detoxing,” says Love, who underwent a lifestyle change after packing on 45 pounds last year.

“I hate reading magazines where the actresses are saying, ‘Broccoli and fish, broccoli and fish.’ You liars. You bulimic liars.”