Ringo Starr demands stop to fan mail

London – Ringo Starr doesn’t want to hear from you.

If you do write, your letter will end up in the trash.

That’s the message from Richard Starkey, aka Ringo Starr. After 45 years of stardom, he doesn’t want to spend any more time answering mail or sending signed photos back to fans.

The fan fatigue led the former Beatles drummer to post a sometimes angry sounding short video clip on his Web site telling fans that any mail sent to him after Oct. 20 will not be read or answered. British television stations broadcast the video on Tuesday.

“It’s going to be tossed,” he says on the video. “I’m warning you with peace and love, I have too much to do. So no more fan mail. Thank you, thank you. And no objects to be signed. Nothing. Anyway, peace and love, peace and love.”

The 68-year-old drummer and singer did not elaborate on the reason behind his decision.

DeGeneres opposes gay marriage ban in video

Los Angeles – Ellen DeGeneres has made a public service announcement urging California voters to oppose a ballot initiative that would ban same-sex marriage.

DeGeneres married actress Portia de Rossi on Aug. 16, two months after the California Supreme Court ruling that legalized gay marriage took effect. In recent days, the popular talk show host has been criticized in the gay press for not giving money to the campaign to defeat Proposition 8 or otherwise lending her star presence to the cause.

She still hasn’t made a campaign contribution, but on Tuesday she posted a video on her show’s Web site. She said when she got married it was the happiest day of her life.

Presley names newborn twins Finley, Harper

New York – Lisa Marie Presley has named her newborn twin daughters Finley and Harper.

Cindy Guagenti, a publicist for the 40-year-old singer, confirmed the names Tuesday, a week after Presley, who lives in the Los Angeles area, gave birth by Caesarean section.

Presley is the daughter of Elvis Presley and is married to music producer Michael Lockwood. She has a 19-year-old daughter, Riley, and a 15-year-old son, Benjamin, from her marriage to musician Danny Keough, which ended in 1994. She was briefly married to Michael Jackson and to Nicolas Cage.

She married Lockwood in January 2006.

Coleman pleads not guilty to misdemeanors

Salt Lake City – Gary Coleman pleaded not guilty to charges of disorderly conduct and reckless driving Tuesday, his lawyer said.

Both charges are misdemeanors and stem from a September incident at a bowling alley in Payson, about 60 miles south of Salt Lake City. Coleman lives in nearby Santaquin.

According to court documents, Coleman, his wife and his bodyguard were bowling in early September when Colt Rushton took a few photos of Coleman with his cell-phone camera and took a few more of Coleman’s truck in the parking lot.

Rushton’s lawyer, Dustin Lance, said Coleman’s wife took Rushton’s cell phone, a scuffle ensued and then Coleman ran into Rushton with his truck as he was backing out of the parking lot.

Maggie Q: Good roles rare for Asians

Hong Kong – Despite landing roles alongside Tom Cruise and Bruce Willis, Maggie Q says Asian actors still have a hard time getting good roles in Hollywood movies.

The 29-year-old actress, whose full name is Maggie Quigley, told The Associated Press in an interview Tuesday that 90 percent of the scripts she receives are written for Caucasian female characters.

“The first part of it is going into a room (for an audition) and trying to quell this stigma that people have about Asians only doing certain kinds of roles and Asians only being looked at a certain way,” Quigley said. “You run into these stereotypes a lot.”

She was speaking after a press conference in Hong Kong to promote the video game “Need for Speed Undercover,” which features a character she portrayed.

Quigley said American filmmakers are confused by her biracial background. Born in Hawaii to an American father of Polish-Irish descent and a Vietnamese mother, the actress first made her name in the Hong Kong film industry.

Jonas Brothers to play at Thanksgiving game

Irving, Texas – The Jonas Brothers will perform during halftime of the Dallas Cowboys’ nationally televised Thanksgiving Day game against the Seattle Seahawks.

The band will officially kick off the 2008 Salvation Army Red Kettle Christmas campaign at the Nov. 27 contest. The fundraising drive continues through Christmas Eve.

Since its partnership with the Cowboys, which began in 1997, the annual Red Kettle campaign has raised more than $1 billion, helping the Salvation Army serve 30 million people each year nationwide. Last year, the campaign raised a record $118 million.

Previous halftime performers include Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Sheryl Crow, Destiny’s Child, Toby Keith, LeAnn Rimes and Jessica Simpson.