Christie Brinkley settles divorce case

Central Islip, N.Y. – Christie Brinkley’s fiercely combative divorce trial ended Thursday following a week of salacious testimony about her fourth husband’s affair with a teenager and his Internet porn proclivities.

The settlement gives her custody of their two children and some property. The husband, Peter Cook, gets $2.1 million.

“I’m really glad that today we found some peace,” said Brinkley, beaming as her silver peace-sign earrings glistened off a galaxy of camera flashes.

They were married for a decade before the 49-year-old Cook met Diana Bianchi while she was working at a Southampton toy store. Cook later hired the then teenager and testified he gave Bianchi a $300,000 payoff after having about a dozen sexual encounters with her in his office and at Brinkley’s Hamptons homes for several months in 2005.

Cook also admitted spending thousands of dollars a month on interactive Internet pornography, but insisted that he stopped the habit after his breakup with Brinkley.

Brinkley and her lawyers had contended that Cook’s admitted adultery and pornographic proclivities made him an unsuitable candidate for custody.

Spike Lee criticizes Jackson’s comments

Beverly Hills, Calif. – Spike Lee says the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s crudely phrased criticism of Barack Obama won’t affect the Democrat’s campaign, which the filmmaker expects to succeed at bringing “seismic” change to the world.

“I don’t think his (Jackson’s) comments help anybody. It’s just unfortunate,” Lee said after taking part in a Television Critics Association panel.

Lee predicted Obama would be elected in November.

“When that happens, it will change everything. : You’ll have to measure time by ‘Before Obama’ and ‘After Obama,”‘ Lee said during the panel. “It’s an exciting time to be alive now.”

The presidency of the first African-American will ripple throughout arts, sports and more, said Lee, whose films include “Malcolm X” and “Do the Right Thing.”

“Everything’s going to be affected by this seismic change in the universe,” he said.

Lee attended the TV group’s annual summer session to discuss documentaries he’s making for ESPN Films, including one about Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Jackson’s comment about Obama came last Sunday during a break in Jackson’s appearance on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends.” Unaware his microphone was on, Jackson told a fellow guest that Obama was “talking down” to blacks in speeches on morality at black churches; he also used a slang reference for wanting to sever Obama’s testicles.

Jackson apologized Wednesday for “hurtful and wrong” remarks. Obama’s campaign offered a low-key response, accepting the apology and defending against the notion that he neglected issues important to blacks.

Olivia Newton-John marries businessman

Los Angeles – He’s the one that she wants.

Olivia Newton-John, who starred in the hit movie version of the musical “Grease,” has married, it was announced Thursday.

Newton-John wed John Easterling on June 21 in Cuzco, Peru, said a statement from the Reno, Nev., office of attorney John Mason. Other details were not released.

A statement on Newton-John’s official Web site Thursday said the couple had a private ceremony, followed by a second ceremony on Jupiter Island in Florida the following week.

The announcement said it was the second marriage for both.

Easterling, 56, who has been nicknamed “Amazon John,” is the founder and chief executive officer of Amazon Herb Co., which sells botanical supplements from the rainforest. The business is based in Jupiter, Fla.

Newton-John, 59, has been involved with Amazon preservation efforts. She has a daughter by Matt Lattanzi, whom she married in 1984 and divorced in 1995.

Newton-John’s boyfriend of nine years, Patrick McDermott, 48, vanished in June 2005. He failed to return from a fishing trip off the California coast.

Lennon lyrics auctioned for $833K in London

London – Christie’s auction house has sold John Lennon’s handwritten lyrics to “Give Peace a Chance” for $833,654.

The lyrics were written during Lennon’s 1969 Bed-in protest for peace at the Queens Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal.

Christie’s spokeswoman Zoe Schoon said Lennon gave the sheet to 16-year-old Gail Renard during the eight-day Bed-in.

Lennon wrote the lyrics and recorded the song in the hotel room with about 50 guests, who included singer Petula Clark and beat poet Allen Ginsberg.

Bruce Lee museum in old home proposed

Hong Kong – A developer who owns Bruce Lee’s old home in Hong Kong lobbied the government Thursday to turn the property into a museum.

Yu Pang-lin met Thursday with Hong Kong’s commerce and economic development secretary about his plans for the two-story house, currently used as an hourly motel.

The 86-year-old developer-turned-philanthropist had put the property on sale to raise money for victims of the recent earthquake in China, but changed his mind after fans of the late martial-arts star expressed worries about the building’s possible destruction.

He’s willing to donate the property, where Lee lived in 1972 and ’73, and wants the Hong Kong government to set up a trust that will hold the property and lead efforts to plan and raise funds for the museum.