George Clooney meets PM to discuss Darfur

London – George Clooney took a break from promoting his latest film Tuesday to meet with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, as he continued pressing governments to speak out about China’s foreign policy in Sudan.

The two met as the Olympic torch arrived in San Francisco for the only North American stop in the Beijing Olympic torch relay, which has been dogged by human rights protesters in London, Paris and Istanbul.

The protests have been fueled by anger over China’s human rights record, its grip on Tibet and China’s support for Sudan despite years of bloodshed in the country’s western Darfur region.

“I think the protests are good. They’ve been warned for a while that there was going to be some protests,” Clooney told reporters on the red carpet for the British premiere of his new film, “Leatherheads.”

Brown praised the 46-year-old actor’s role in drawing attention to violence in Darfur.

Only 9,200 troops and police of the 26,000 authorized are on the ground in Darfur, where violent conflict since 2003 has displaced some 4.27 million civilians and left more than 200,000 people dead.

Braxton hospitalized with undisclosed illness

Las Vegas – Toni Braxton canceled her Las Vegas show after being hospitalized overnight with chest pains, hotel officials said.

The 40-year-old Grammy winner spent Monday night at a Las Vegas hospital and was expected to be released after precautionary tests, Flamingo Las Vegas hotel-casino and Harrah’s Entertainment Inc. spokeswoman Deanna Pettit said.

The cause of the chest pain was not immediately known. But Pettit said Braxton, a six-time Grammy winner for songs including “Un-break My Heart” and “Breathe Again,” has been treated in the past for pericarditis, a viral inflammation of the heart.

“We wish Toni a quick recovery and would like her to take the time she needs to regain optimal health,” said Don Marrandino, Flamingo president. “We are looking forward to her return at the end of the week.”

The hotel was offering refunds to the canceled Tuesday show. Pettit said no immediate decision was made whether Braxton’s Wednesday show would be canceled.

Braxton’s act, “Toni Braxton: Revealed,” also has shows scheduled Thursday, Friday and Saturday in the vintage 720-seat Flamingo Showroom. Her two-year run at the Flamingo began in August 2006.

Priest pleads guilty in Conan O’Brien case

New York – A priest accused of stalking Conan O’Brien and calling himself one of the talk show host’s “most dangerous fans” pleaded guilty Tuesday to disorderly conduct.

The Rev. David Ajemian, 46, admitted in Manhattan Criminal Court that he sent letters and DVDs to O’Brien’s home and office as well as sending mail to the home of O’Brien’s parents. The Boston priest said he never meant to cause anxiety or to upset anyone.

Judge Rita Mella ordered Ajemian to pay a $95 court charge and signed a two-year order of protection directing him to stay away from O’Brien.

The Roman Catholic priest was arrested in November 2007 while trying to enter the building where NBC’s “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” is taped, despite being warned to stay away by the network’s security personnel.

A judge recently found Ajemian fit to stand trial despite claims of psychiatric issues.

In a letter to security officials at O’Brien’s network, Ajemian called himself “a stalker of a very different order than the kind you are used to dealing with.”

“Is this the way you treat your most dangerous fans???” he wrote to O’Brien after trying in vain to get a spot in the host’s audience. “You owe me big-time, pal.”

Ajemian also told O’Brien he knew where he lived and wrote, “Remember (mobster) Frank Costello once dodged a bullet in your building and so can you.”

Ajemian said he planned to return to the Archdiocese of Boston and hoped to return to ministry duties.

Report: Parker ends engagement with actor

Los Angeles – Mary-Louise Parker has broken off her engagement to fellow “Weeds” actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

Parker, who plays an upscale suburban marijuana dealer on the Showtime comedy, ended the relationship with her actor fiance, according to a person close to the former couple. The person, who requested anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the relationship, said the couple had differing lifestyles, but that Parker holds Morgan in the highest regard and hopes they remain friends.

Morgan, best known for his recurring role as Denny on “Grey’s Anatomy” and the deceased husband of Parker’s character on “Weeds,” began dating Parker in 2006. The pair briefly split last June but later reconciled. Parker, 43, and Morgan, 41, announced their engagement earlier this year.

Representatives for Parker said they do not comment publicly on the personal lives of clients. A representative for Morgan said she had no comment in an e-mail to The Associated Press.