McCready gets year for probation violation

Franklin, Tenn. – Mindy McCready was sentenced Friday to a year in prison on a probation violation after being charged in a domestic dispute in Florida.

The 31-year-old country singer has been in jail since July, when she returned to Nashville after being accused of scratching her mother in a scuffle and resisting sheriff’s deputies in her hometown of Fort Myers.

McCready received a suspended three-year sentence in 2004 for fraudulently obtaining prescription painkillers.

The singer sobbed as she asked for leniency from Circuit Judge Jeff Bivins.

“Your honor, I can honestly tell you this: This has been the longest two months of my life … not being able to hold my son … has been excruciatingly painful.

“I could only say I’m sorry. Please give me a chance to make things as right as they can possibly be.”

Bivins sentenced her to a year in the county jail with credit for 75 days of time served. After her release she will face another two years of probation.

Deputy District Attorney General Derek Smith said McCready violated probation by being charged in a new offense, not reporting those charges immediately to her probation officer and by the nature of the new assault charges.

Gifford returns as guest for ‘Live’ anniversary

New York – There were no tears – or catfights – when Kathie Lee Gifford appeared on “Live With Regis and Kelly” to celebrate the syndicated daytime talk show’s 20th anniversary.

Gifford, who left as co-host in 2000, returned to her former workplace as Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa looked back on the program’s most memorable moments. Her guest appearance aired Friday.

Before Tuesday’s taping in New York, Philbin, 76, said he wondered whether Gifford would get along with Ripa, who joined the show as co-host in 2001.

“I’m looking forward to seeing (Gifford) again,” Philbin told AP Radio. “Bringing her back on the show and seeing what happens – what sparks fly! – between the only two co-hosts I’ve had on the last 20 years.”

No sparks flew; Gifford and Ripa are friends.

“I’m a huge fan of hers,” Ripa told AP Radio. “I was a huge fan of the show before I was ever on the show, so I love the chemistry and the rapport that Regis and Kathie Lee have with each other.”

Gifford, 54, and Ripa, 36, teared up watching clips of their families growing up, but neither really cried.

‘Valkyrie’ film gets OK to shoot at execution site

Berlin – The German government will allow the makers of a movie starring Tom Cruise as the country’s most famous anti-Hitler plotter to film at the site where the hero was executed.

Shooting of “Valkyrie,” which has attracted controversy because Cruise is a prominent Scientologist, began in July. At the time, the government didn’t give permission to shoot at the so-called Bendlerblock – part of the Defense Ministry and now a memorial to the anti-Nazi resistance – citing concerns over “the dignity of the place.”

Defense Ministry spokesman Thomas Raabe said Friday that filmmakers had satisfied officials in recent talks that they were “aware of the particular significance” of the former military headquarters.

United Artists Entertainment LLC said in a statement that it was “extremely grateful to the German government for allowing us to film at the Bendlerblock.” It pledged to “take special care to respect its dignity and keep our activities there within the guidelines laid down by the government.”

The movie stars Cruise as Col. Claus Graf Schenk von Stauffenberg – the aristocratic army officer who was executed after a failed attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler in 1944.

Durst pleads no contest to misdemeanors

Los Angeles – Fred Durst pleaded no contest to seven misdemeanors, including assault, battery and reckless driving, for deliberately hitting two people with his car.

William Fred Durst, 37, entered the pleas Aug. 16 and was handed a suspended 120-day jail sentence, ordered to perform 20 hours of community service and fined $1,500, according to Superior Court documents.

The documents, first obtained by CelebTV.com, also show the Limp Bizkit lead singer was slapped with a restraining order saying he cannot “annoy, harass, strike, threaten or otherwise disturb the peace” of the two victims, whose names weren’t disclosed.

Durst must stay at least 100 yards away from the victims and he cannot possess a firearm.

A telephone message left with The Firm, the Beverly Hills representatives for Durst and Limp Bizkit, wasn’t immediately returned.

Durst allegedly hit the two Los Angeles residents with his vehicle Oct. 26, according to the documents. Misdemeanor charges filed in January included two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, three counts of battery, one count of making a criminal threat and one count of reckless driving.

Shakira takes break to study at UCLA

Los Angeles – Shakira may get high grades in singing and swiveling her hips, but what about ancient Western history?

For the past month, the Colombian pop star has been taking a class at the University of California, Los Angeles, called “Introduction to Western Civilization: Ancient Civilizations from Prehistory to Circa A.D. 843.”

“She went when she finished her tour, for the summer,” Shakira’s manager, Fifi Kurzman, told The Associated Press.

For years the 30-year-old has studied on her own, also taking tutorials on the history and languages of the countries she visits, Kurzman said.

The singer, known for last year’s “Hips Don’t Lie” and other hits, released her first album at age 14 and later took time off to finish high school.