Quaid twins reportedly suffer medical mishap

Los Angeles – The California Department of Public Health said Tuesday that it was investigating an incident involving newborn twins at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, reportedly an accidental overdose involving the children of actor Dennis Quaid.

According to the celebrity Web site TMZ.com, Quaid’s children, Thomas Boone and Zoe Grace, were given 1,000 times the proper dosage of heparin, a blood thinner used to prevent clots. The site said the children were in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit.

Suanne Buggy, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Public Health, said she could not provide further details about the incident. A hospital spokesman did not provide an immediate comment.

Quaid’s children were born Nov. 8 to a surrogate. Quaid, 53, and his wife, Kimberly, are the biological parents.

Experts said an overdose of heparin could increase the risk of external and internal bleeding.

In a statement, Quaid’s publicist, Cara Tripicchio, said, “Dennis and Kimberly appreciate everyone’s thoughts and prayers and hope they can maintain their privacy during this difficult time.”

Chili Peppers sue Showtime over name

Los Angeles – The Red Hot Chili Peppers on Monday sued Showtime Networks over the name of the television series “Californication,” which is also the name of the band’s 1999 album and a single on it.

The lawsuit alleges unfair competition, dilution of the value of the name and unjust enrichment, claiming the title is “inherently distinctive, famous … and immediately associated in the mind of the consumer” with the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

“Californication is the signature CD, video and song of the band’s career, and for some TV show to come along and steal our identity is not right,” the band’s lead singer, Anthony Kiedis, said in a statement.

The television series stars David Duchovny as a novelist suffering from writers’ block and a mid-life crisis.

The show features a character named “Dani California,” which is also the title of a Red Hot Chili Peppers song released in 2006, the lawsuit noted.

Mary-Kate Olsen has kidney infection

New York – Mary-Kate Olsen was being treated in a Manhattan hospital Tuesday for a kidney infection.

The 21-year-old actress checked into the hospital Monday night, her publicist, Nicole Caruso, said in an e-mail Tuesday to The Associated Press. She didn’t identify the hospital where Olsen was admitted.

“She has a kidney infection,” Caruso said. “She is resting comfortably and will be released in the next day or so.”

Olsen rose to fame on TV’s “Full House” in a shared role with her twin sister, Ashley. She recently starred on Showtime’s “Weeds.”

She co-stars with Ben Kingsley in “The Wackness,” slated for release next year.

Neil Diamond reveals ‘Sweet Caroline’ identity

Los Angeles – Neil Diamond held onto the secret for decades, but he has finally revealed that President Kennedy’s daughter was the inspiration for his smash hit “Sweet Caroline.”

“I’ve never discussed it with anybody before – intentionally,” the 66-year-old singer-songwriter told The Associated Press on Monday during a break from recording. “I thought maybe I would tell it to Caroline when I met her someday.”

He got his chance last week when he performed the song via satellite at Caroline Kennedy’s 50th birthday party.

Diamond was a “young, broke songwriter” when a photo of the president’s daughter in a news magazine caught his eye.

“It was a picture of a little girl dressed to the nines in her riding gear, next to her pony,” Diamond recalled. “It was such an innocent, wonderful picture, I immediately felt there was a song in there.”

Years later, holed up in a hotel in Memphis, Tenn., he would write the words and music in less an hour.

“It was a No. 1 record and probably is the biggest, most important song of my career, and I have to thank her for the inspiration,” he said.

“I’m happy to have gotten it off my chest and to have expressed it to Caroline. I thought she might be embarrassed, but she seemed to be struck by it and really, really happy.”

Japan denies visas to Velvet Revolver

Tokyo – The rock band Velvet Revolver has canceled a tour of Japan after authorities refused to give its members visas, possibly because of previous run-ins with the law.

The band, which features former members of Guns N’ Roses and the Stone Temple Pilots, had been looking to “reconnect” with their Japanese fans during performances in Tokyo and three other Japanese cities from Nov. 26-30.

But officials just said no.

“Velvet Revolver’s request for visas has just been denied,” the band said on its Web site.

“The increasingly tough Japanese immigration officials are taking exception with the backgrounds of various band members, which have included arrests,” it said. “The band is appealing the decision.”

The site did not say why specifically the immigration officials refused to issue the visas, and the Justice Ministry does not comment publicly on individual cases.

It is rare for performers to be denied entry into Japan, although the country has relatively strict visa standards and drug laws. The band’s Web site said that although they would be canceling the Japan tour, they would be performing in Australia as scheduled starting Dec. 4.

Velvet Revolver toured Japan without incident in 2005.