Lawsuit against Barker, ‘Price is Right’ tossed

Los Angeles — A judge on Friday threw out a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by a former “The Price is Right” employee against CBS and former host Bob Barker.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Malcolm Mackey dismissed the case after finding there were no issues for a trial to resolve, attorneys handling the case said.

Deborah Curling sued Barker and the network in October 2007, alleging she was improperly fired from the show and forced to endure a hostile work environment.

Several claims against Barker were thrown out last year, leaving only a “hostile work environment” allegation against the show’s longtime host.

Curling claimed she was dismissed because she testified in a former co-worker’s wrongful termination case. She also accused Barker of making racist and anti-Semitic jokes, but Mackey determined she hadn’t proven that claim.

Curling’s attorney, Nick Alden, vowed to appeal the ruling.

Redmond O’Neal to leave jail, enter rehab

Los Angeles — Prosecutors say Redmond O’Neal has pleaded no contest to bringing drugs to a jail facility and will be sent to a yearlong rehab program.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office says the son of actors Ryan O’Neal and Farrah Fawcett entered his plea Friday. He will be released from jail and allowed to enter a residential treatment program.

The younger O’Neal has been held since his April arrest for carrying drugs onto the property of a jail north of Los Angeles. It was the latest in a string of drug-related arrests for the 24-year-old.

O’Neal also received three years of probation but faces six years in prison if he gets in trouble again.

He was briefly released to see Fawcett before she died and to attend her funeral in June.

Lawsuit filed by ex of Caruso dismissed

Los Angeles — Court records show David Caruso’s ex-girlfriend has agreed to the dismissal of a lawsuit against the actor claiming intentional infliction of emotional distress.

An attorney for Caruso filed for dismissal last week in Los Angeles.

Liza Marquez sued the “CSI: Miami” star in April, claiming he was emotionally abusive during their relationship and had promised to pay her $1.2 million. The couple have two children together.

Records show that Marquez and Caruso will each pay their own lawyers’ costs and neither is receiving anything of value as a result of the dismissal. No other details were given.

Elizabeth Taylor raises HIV funds with fashion

Los Angeles — Elizabeth Taylor is lending her timeless style to a fashion show that raises money and awareness for HIV and AIDS.

The 77-year-old actress says she plans to attend the Macy’s Passport fundraiser Thursday in Santa Monica to show support for the event she helped establish 27 years ago.

Though she makes few public appearances, Taylor says she wants to remind people not to become complacent about HIV and AIDS because the virus is “still in the foreground and very much in our consciousness.”

The event, which is open to the public, has raised more than $28 million for HIV/AIDS research, treatment and prevention.

‘Guiding Light’ dims for good after final show

New York — Friday marked the final flicker of CBS’ “Guiding Light” as that venerable daytime drama logged its farewell hour after 72 years on the air.

The last episode took an upbeat, life-affirming tone, complete with a scene that gathered many of the characters at a picnic in the park on a beautiful day.

And the closing moments sealed the future of the show’s signature on-and-off-again supercouple: Reva (Kim Zimmer, who created the role in 1983) and Josh (Robert Newman, who started on the show in 1981).

They rendezvoused, according to plan, at the local lighthouse and declared their undying love. Then these soul mates climbed into Josh’s pickup truck And they drove away, as the words “The End” flashed on the screen before a final fade-out.

Along with veteran cast members, the show also played host to many actors who left to find larger stardom elsewhere. These include Kevin Bacon, JoBeth Williams, James Earl Jones, Allison Janney, Brittany Snow, Hayden Panettiere and Melina Kanakaredes.

Oprah Winfrey chooses short story collection

Chicago — Oprah Winfrey has blessed the book world’s eternal underdog: the short story.

Publishing’s surest hitmaker announced Friday that her latest pick was Uwem Akpan’s debut collection “Say You’re One Of Them,” practically guaranteeing hundreds of thousands of sales, numbers generally unthinkable for short stories beyond works by Ernest Hemingway, John Cheever and other giants of the art form.

In making her 63rd book selection on “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” the queen of talk said she never before had given a book of short stories the nod because, she explained, “usually short stories leave you wanting something and you’re like, ‘Huh, what happened?'”

Akpan’s book, she went on, was an exception.

“This is a first for me because each one of these five stories really just left me gasping,” she said in brief remarks toward the end of her show. “Just an incredible book.”