Seacrest, Cowell squabble during ‘Idol’

New York – If we learned anything from Tuesday’s installment of “American Idol,” it’s that Ryan Seacrest and Simon Cowell still get on each other’s nerves. A lot.

Seacrest went off on Cowell on the Fox network’s singing competition after the acerbic judge called him “sweetheart.”

“Don’t call me sweetheart. … We don’t have that kind of relationship,” Seacrest said. “I don’t want that kind of relationship.”

“I don’t want that kind of relationship,” repeated Cowell, to which Seacrest replied: “Exactly. We’ll just work together, that’s fine with me.”

Later in the two-hour broadcast, Seacrest continued to needle Cowell, who was harshly grading the 12 male singers vying to win the “Idol” title and a record contract.

“Why are you being so negative tonight? I mean, you’ve been very, very negative,” Seacrest said.

“I’m not being negative,” Cowell replied. “Unlike you, I actually respect the audience at home and I don’t – and I don’t believe in lying to them.”

That didn’t appear to go over well with Seacrest, who closed the sing-off by thanking Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and the band – but not Cowell.

‘Housewives’ actress gives birth to twins

New York – It’s fraternal twin girls for Marcia Cross.

The “Desperate Housewives” actress, 44, gave birth to daughters Eden and Savannah in Los Angeles on Tuesday, her spokeswoman said Wednesday. The father is Cross’ stockbroker husband, Tom Mahoney.

“Mother and babies are all doing well,” publicist Heidi Slan said in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

Cross, who was expecting the twins in April, was put on bed rest in January. “This is a precautionary measure only,” Slan told the AP at the time.

2nd lawsuit filed against singer Brandy

Los Angeles – A second wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against actress-singer Brandy in a December freeway crash.

On Jan. 30, a $50 million lawsuit claimed Brandy was driving recklessly when her sport utility vehicle struck the back of a Honda driven by Awatef Aboudihaj, 38. The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on behalf of her parents, Aboudihaj Ahmed and Labridi Zohra, who reside in Morocco.

Awatef Aboudihaj was killed and her two sons, Mrwan Mohamed, 14, and Kareem Mohamed, 10, were injured in the Dec. 30 accident on the San Diego Freeway.

The latest lawsuit was filed Feb. 8 by attorney Paul N. Philips on behalf of the two boys. It said unspecified injuries to the children will likely cause some permanent disability. Damages will be determined at trial, the lawsuit said.