Kate Middleton has turned down the Queen's invitation to spend Christmas at Sandringham, saying she will only accept if and when she becomes a fully fledged member of the Royal Family.

Instead, Prince William's 24-year-old girlfriend has chosen to travel to Scotland to holiday with her parents and family.

Kate had been granted the rare opportunity to join the Royal Family during their traditional stay at Sandringham this year.

The invitation was made last month but senior Royal aides said they have only recently discovered that Kate will not be visiting the Norfolk estate.

Friends of Kate said she intends to join the Royal Christmas gathering only after any marriage to William, whose passing out took place at Sandhurst on Friday.

Sharon Stone and Christian Slater have confirmed rumors they're dating.

The starry couple, who co-star in new movie Bobby, sparked romance rumors when they attended a string of events together, but refused to confirm their relationship. But now 48-year-old Stone and her 37-year-old beau aren't hiding their affections for each other - they recently attended a party for fashion label Dolce & Gabbana at the Chateau Marmont Hotel in Los Angeles arm-in-arm and made sure everyone knew they were a couple. A source close to Stone says, "They're both really happy - but they don't have long-term expectations. It's a fun fling for the holidays and Sharon is a good influence. She rarely drinks and has three kids. It's a good match for now."

Miss USA Tara Conner gets to keep her title if she checks into rehab. Here's a list of celebs who did rehab to avoid jail:

Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson ended his August 2006 fiasco pleading no contest to a charge of drunken driving under a deal in which he’ll serve three years’ probation, pay a fine and attend alcohol rehabilitation classes.

Boy George
In March 2006, Boy George agreed to enter drug rehab in order to avoid jail time on a cocaine charge.

Nick Nolte
Nick Nolte voluntarily entered a Connecticut clinic after his November 2002 arrest for suspicion of driving under the influence.

Rush Limbaugh
In April 2006, a judge ordered Rush Limbaugh to undergo at least 18 months of drug rehabilitation treatment. The agreement ended an investigation into allegations that Limbaugh illegally obtained prescription drugs.

Leif Garret
Leif Garrett was as shaky as a leaf when he appeared in a Los Angeles drug court Jan. 20, 2006, and agreed to enter rehab to avoid prison for heroin possession charges.

Tom Sizemore
Actor Tom Sizemore was ordered into drug treatment rather than prison after pleading guilty in October 2005 to possession of methamphetamine.

Courtney Love
Courtney Love may have been facing three criminal cases at one time, but the former Hole singer avoided the possibility of prison by cutting a deal and entering 18 months of court-ordered rehab instead.

Winona Ryder
A jury convicted Winona Ryder in November 2002 of grand theft and felony vandalism for a shoplifting spree in a Beverly Hills Saks Fifth Avenue. But when it came time to mete out a sentence, the judge took into account the prescription pain killers she had on her at the time of her arrest. As part of her sentence, which included community service and a $10,000 fine, the "Edward Scissorhands" actress was ordered to undergo drug and psychological counseling.

Nicole Richie
Richie was arrested for possession of heroin in 2003. Though she missed one court appearance to tape the first season of the reality show, Richie was sentenced to probation and ordered to complete a drug diversion program.

Charlie Sheen
Charlie Sheen was arrested in 1999 for driving under the influence. The charges forced him into rehab to avoid prison.

Kelsey Grammer
Kelsey Grammer of "Frasier" and "Cheers" fame flipped his Dodge Viper in 1987 while under the influence. He was put under house arrest, given probation and ordered to complete rehab.

David Crosby
In 1985, singer David Crosby was convicted of drugs and weapons charges in Texas and allowed to enter a drug rehab clinic instead of prison. But when he fled rehab, there was no second chance. The judge put Crosby behind bars, where the singer served a year.

ABC's adaptation of Britain's "Footballers' Wives" scored two touchdowns Monday, snagging a pilot greenlight and a potential big-name director in the form of Bryan Singer (Superman Returns, first two "X-Men" films), reports Variety.

Chris Brancato and Bert Salke are executive producing the new take on "Wives," with Marco Pennette writing and executive producing via Touchstone Television. ABC first ordered a script for the project last summer.

Singer wasn't originally involved in "Wives" but is now loosely attached to direct. A rep for Singer said the director hasn't yet decided which script he'll helm under the terms of his ABC deal.

The new take on "Wives" will be set in the world of pro football rather than soccer but will retain much of the over-the-top spirit of the original. The original was a campy mix of "Dallas" and "Desperate Housewives" revolving around three ordinary women whose lives are transformed by the celebrity and fortune that come with marriage to sports superstars.

Joey Fatone was pretty good at being 'N Sync with four other guys, but it only takes two to tango.

The former boy bander is apparently ready to give it a try, however, telling a Florida radio station Friday that he'd like to join the next season of Dancing with the Stars, considering "it's kind of popular now."

Fatone finally arrived at that astute observation after turning down three previous requests to take part in the ABC competition series, he told Orlando's Real Radio 104.1 FM

With dreams of becoming the next Drew Lachey dancing in his head, Fatone, who showed that he was pretty light on his feet in videos for the 'N Sync tunes "It's Gonna Be Me," "Bye Bye Bye" and "I Want You Back," said that he "likes doing it because it's challenging.

"But can you imagine me wearing those stupid tuxes?" he said.

Since parting ways with 'N Sync, Fatone has worked out his musical chops in Rent and Little Shop of Horrors on Broadway and appeared in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, The Cooler and Red Riding Hood. He's currently working on an Odd Couple-like "reality sitcom" pairing him and Bass as mismatched roommates.

All ABC has said about the matter is that Dancing's complete season four lineup will be announced at a later date. The next installment of the hit show is scheduled to premiere in March.

So, Fatone joins Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson on the list of maybes.

The original Fergie said last month that she would "quite like to go on," and while ABC told the New York Post that recent reports saying the ex-royal was a sure thing were "fabricated," the network didn't comment on whether Ferguson was on board.

Last week Access Hollywood attempted to crack the Dancing code of silence, as well, speculating on the twinkle-toe status of Melissa Joan Hart, Regis Philbin, Kelly Ripa, Star Jones Reynolds, Leeza Gibbons, soap stars Lorenzo Lamas and Joshua Morrow and former baseball star Jose Canseco.

Pink's marriage to motocross star Carey Hart is in trouble, after less than a year.

The couple - who wed on a beach in Costa Rica in January this year - have spent long spells apart because of their work commitments and the distance is said to be putting pressure on their relationship.

A source told the National: "Pink and Carey's marriage is in trouble.

"They're both crazy busy with their separate careers, and it's beginning to take a toll on their relationship.

"They're hardly ever together."

Pink - real name Alecia Moore - has been busy promoting her album 'I'm Not Dead', while Carey, 31, is a hugely successful motocross champion, runs a tattoo parlour in Las Vegas and is looking to open up another body art shop in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

The 27-year-old singer met her husband at the 2001 X Games in Las Vegas and proposed to him during one of his races by holding up a placard reading 'Will you marry me?'

Guillermo del Toro, director of Hellboy, is in talks to remake Tarzan.

The filmmaker is negotiating with studio Warner Bros and hopes to refresh the story by looking again at the original work written by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

He commented: "I'd love to create a new version that is still a family movie, but as edgy as I can make it. There are strong themes of survival of a defenceless child left behind in the most hostile environment.

The Mexican was also nominated yesterday for best director at the London Film Critics' Circle awards for his fantasy tale Pan's Labyrinth, which also centres around a young child.

The Kooks frontman Luke Pritchard has thanked the Arctic Monkeys for shielding them from public attention.

Despite a relatively slow start to 2006, The Kooks saw huge success with hit singles such as 'Naive' and 'She Moves In Her Own Way', and remained at the top of the album chart for much of the year.

Pritchard believes that the hype surrounding the Arctic Monkeys allowed his band to grow steadily, out of the public eye.

He told NME, "God bless the Arctic Monkeys, because if it wasn't for them we wouldn't have been so shielded. We were so overshadowed by the success (of Whatever People Think I Am, That's What I'm Not) that we crept in behind everybody's back.

"Arctic Monkeys shielded us from getting too much attention."

Leona Lewis is reportedly flying to the United States in a bid to land a record deal worth £5 million.

The X Factor winner will meet BMG North America's Chairman Clive Davis next Thursday, according to the Daily Mirror. A source told the paper: "Leona's X Factor prize is peanuts compared to what Clive is offering. When Clive called Simon Cowell, he was talking £5million. Leona and Simon will fly to meet him."

74-year-old Davis, who founded Arista Records, has propelled many singers to global stardom, including Whitney Houston, Alicia Keys and Dido.

The party is over for disgraced Miss USA Tara Conner.

Tonight's birthday bash for the martini-swizzling belle - who turned 21 yesterday - was canceled as she awaits word on whether she'll be dethroned.

Instead of prepping for a chic fete at Caesars Palace club Pure in Las Vegas, Conner returned to New York last night in preparation for this morning's private chat with pageant owner Donald Trump. He'll announce whether she'll be stripped of her title later today.
"Her people canceled for personal reasons this past Saturday," according to Pure spokesman Craig Nyman.

The Kentucky-bred beauty recently tested positive for cocaine and has been spotted boozing in Chelsea clubs, bad-girl behavior that has put her crown in peril.

She may have to hand over her $17,500 Mikimoto pearl-dotted tiara, according to pageant officials, who are still deciding if she can keep it.

On Friday night, Conner crammed her costly crown into her purse while she sipped martinis with a friend at the Algonquin Hotel's Blue Bar on W. 44th St., sources said.

If Trump dumps her from his West Side apartment, she may end up in a Penthouse.

The magazine was trying to reach Conner's agent and manager yesterday about the possibility of doing a photo spread.

"In the case that she was dethroned, there is the possibility that we would offer her a pictorial," said Penthouse spokeswoman Kathleen Berzon. "We all know that it worked out well for Vanessa Williams."
Williams was the first African-American to win the Miss America title, but was forced to resign when nude pictures she had taken before her beauty contest career surfaced in Penthouse. Williams went on to become a singing sensation and Broadway star, and is currently starring in "Ugly Betty."

One agent predicted Conner could "certainly fetch something in the high six figures" for the deal.

Conner has been caught in a sizzling smooch with Miss Teen USA Katie Blair, an 18-year-old who partied with Conner at Chelsea club Ultra on Dec. 8.

The two share a Trump Place pad with Miss Universe Zuleyka Rivera on the upper West Side.

Blair's crown appears to be safe, but her role as a spokeswoman for Mothers Against Drunk Driving may not be.

"We have reached out to the folks at the Miss Teen USA association to try and get more information," said MADD spokeswoman Heidi Castle. "My understanding is they are still looking into it....Obviously, it is something we are very concerned about."

Kylie Minogue was joined by her sister Dannii on stage in their hometown Melbourne to perform together for the first time in twenty years.

The pair sang Kylie's song 'Kids' on Saturday and Sunday, the final two nights of her Showgirl Tour in Australia.

Kylie reportedly said to the crowd, "You all waited a long time for this to happen, didn't you?"

Backstage, Dannii Minogue told The Sun, "When we were kids, we'd dance around our bedroom singing into hairbrushes, so I guess we've had a lot of rehearsals leading up to this."

She added, "Kylie says in about twenty years we'll get an act together and work the Butlins holiday camp circuit."

Did you know Halle is supposedly releasing a self-titled album, ”Halle," on Feb. 6?! Halle is said to have confirmed that she has finished working on the album in the December issue of Ebony magazine. Halle said, “I’ve always loved to sing and this album will show people that I can do more than act.” Here’s the rumored track listing:

1. “Miss Sexy” (Scott Storch)
2. “No Problem” (Timbaland, S.G. Jarard)
3. “Sunshine” (GiGi Franklin, Harold Jennings)
4. “How You Been?” (featuring Jamie Foxx, G. Thompson)
5. “Like That” (Scott Storch)
6. “Around” (Cee-Lo)
7. “Lazy” (featuring Lupe Fiasco,J. Crew Productions, Kundei Supormorgei)
8. “Your Love Is Always Good” (Timbaland)
9. “Not Today (I’m Not In The Mood)” (Jason Jackson, Jackie Jackson, GiGi Franklin)
10. “Write Me” (Scott Storch)
11. “Love & Emotions” (Robin Thicke)
12. “Singing To You” (G. Thompson)
13. “Go Left” (featuring Bun B, Timbaland)

THE family of distraught mum Kerry Lucas fear she may never recover from the shocking accident that took the life of her baby son Leonardo.

Ms Lucas' mother Beverley said her anguished daughter would "never get over" the death of her five-month-old son, who drowned after his pram rolled into the Torrens River in Adelaide on Friday.

"Kerry is just beside herself, absolutely devastated. She keeps going over and over things in her head, asking herself, 'Why didn't I put the brake on?' " Mrs Lucas said.

"She'll never get over this – never."

Yesterday, Ms Lucas, 30, and her husband Wesley Legrand tried to come to terms with the tragic accident that happened when Kerry turned her back on the pram to take a mobile phone call.

As she talked, the five-month old's pram slid down a grassy slope and into the river, where he was found 20 minutes later.

Family and friends gathered at the family's Adelaide home yesterday to offer support to the grief-stricken couple.

Beverley Lucas described her daughter and stockbroker son-in-law as "unbelievable" parents.

"You wouldn't believe how careful they were," she said.

"They were worried about microwaves, they would ask, 'Am I rocking him too hard?' and nobody was allowed to smoke anywhere near him.
"He was such a beautiful little boy. We just can't believe it. This is such a terrible tragedy."

She said her daughter was overwhelmed by grief and unable to speak.
Police described Friday's events as a tragic set of circumstances.

After interviewing Ms Lucas, detectives re-enacted the events five times.

"On each occasion the pusher behaved exactly as she had described," a senior officer said.

"Each time it went into the water there was no splashing sound because the kikuyu grass had grown so thickly into the water's edge.
"We have also ruled out any indications there was a third person involved, any post-natal depression or disharmony – it is just a tragic set of circumstances."

Ms Lucas, a model and triathlete, was jogging on a running track alongside the river on Friday morning when she stopped to answer a call to her mobile phone.

She scribbled a number on her leg – she didn't have any paper – at the same time turning her back on the pram.

When she finished the call and looked up, her child had vanished. Fearing her son had been abducted, witnesses said Ms Lucas was "hysterical" as she ran along a path towards a nearby bridge, helplessly searching for the baby.

"She just screamed, 'Have you seen my baby? My baby's been stolen,' " witness Noel Mobbs said.

Only three days before his death, baby Leonardo had accompanied his mum to an end-of-year function at her Adelaide modelling agency.
Agent Tanya Powell said Kerry had been proudly showing off the "smiley, beautiful little child".

"He was the dearest little boy and this is just the worst thing that can happen to any young couple. We are all in mourning," she said.
Ms Powell, who has known the model since she was 13, said a child had been Kerry's dream for many years.

The couple had tried to conceive for eight months, with Kerry questioning if a battle with chronic fatigue syndrome six years ago had hampered her ability to get pregnant.

"I'm deeply worried about Kerry in particular, how she will cope with this," Ms Powell said.

"This will crush her forever, I just don't know how she's going to get through it.

"It was something she had been waiting to have, a little child, for many years."

So overjoyed were the couple by their new child, they etched Leo's name and birthdate on a bamboo pole in Adelaide's Botanic Gardens soon after he was born in July.

"He's part of the gang now," Ms Lucas said at the time.
The couple had scratched their names into a bamboo tree on their wedding day in November last year.

One of the first people on the scene on Friday, reporter Jessica Adamson, yesterday described the desperate scenes as Ms Lucas searched for her child.

Ms Adamson and three cameramen had raced to the river from their nearby Channel 7 studio after hearing Ms Lucas's screams for help.

She said she did not know what to do when Mr Legrand kept frantically calling Ms Lucas's mobile phone, which Ms Adamson was holding.

"He rang right in the middle of it, knowing something was wrong, but I didn't want to be the one to tell him," she said.

"She had called him 10 minutes earlier to say (Leonardo) was missing."

"She had gone into the river to get him, but she kept slipping back into the river."

Ms Adamson said it was difficult to overcome the feeling of helplessness.

"It was probably one of the worst stories I've had to cover, and I did the tsunami," she said.

"The problem was, we were looking for him in one spot, thinking he had been abducted, but all the time he was hundreds of metres away in the river.

"It's just so so sad. If we'd known he was in the river, we could have got to him a bit earlier."

Mr Mobbs had been cycling when he heard Ms Lucas's frantic shouts.
"She just screamed, 'Have you seen my baby? My baby's been stolen,' " he said.

"My first thought, not that I would say it to her, was, 'God, I hope the pram hasn't gone into the river.' I wish I'd known, maybe if we'd known where to look something could have been done sooner."
Another passerby, who did not want to be identified, was shocked by the news.

"I walk my grandchildren around here all the time," she said. "You always think about these things, but never think it would really happen."

It was not the first time such an incident has occurred along the river.

In 1995 Thai Vu Nguyen was awarded a bravery medal when he dived into the 4m-deep water to find a stroller with two-year-old Anthony Aloisio strapped into it.

Though its brakes were on, it rolled away from the child's father into the Torrens.

A coroner's inquest will be conducted into Friday's tragedy.

Muse have been confirmed as one of the acts to support My Chemical Romance on their upcoming US tour, according to Gigwise.

American punk rockers Rise Against will also support the band at a number of shows.

My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way explained to Billboard how the shows will have the right balance between music and theatre.

He said: "We're going to retain the essence of rock in the show. It's not going to be like seeing (Pink Floyd's) The Wall.

"It's going to bring the music and the band and the record to life. It's going to be theatrical without detracting from the music; it's not going to be surface over substance."

The band are set to return to Europe in the Spring.

Cheeky Girl Gabriela Irimia has said it was "love at first sight" when she met Liberal Democrat MP Lembit Opik.

The pop singer spoke about her unlikely relationship with the politician, revealed at the weekend, in an interview on GMTV.

She said her relationship with Opik, who recently broke off his engagement to weathergirl Sian Lloyd, had been platonic until two weeks ago.

The pair first met on a television talent show two months ago and Gabriela now insists she is looking for a long-term relationship with the party's Wales and Northern Ireland spokesman.

"All I can say is it was love at first sight," she explained on morning television. "Our first date was to the Science Museum - very romantic actually. I didn't go to the Science Museum before, so I found it quite interesting to have a first date there."

"It was very platonic at the beginning, we had long chats on the phone but we didn't meet very often."

Lloyd, who was with Opik for six years, has attacked his new relationship. Gabriela responded: "I don't know Sian, I only saw her on the TV, she's a very attractive woman.

"I can understand her situation because everybody who came out of a really long relationship would be hurt but I'm sure she will be happy."

Italian fashion designers have become the first in the world to ban size zero models from the catwalk.

Stylists signed a joint declaration with the Italian government, confirming that all models will have a body mass index of at least 18.

Under the new self regulation code in Italy all models in future shows will be "full bodied, healthy and radiant types".

According to the Daily Mail, Italy's Fashion Council agreed that: "Many women affected by eating disorders had started dieting to attain the figures of catwalk models and covergirls."

Last month iconic fashion designer Giorgio Armani spoke out against excessively thin models, saying "The time has now come for clarity. We all need to work together against anorexia."

Sharon Osborne is to throw a £250,000 Christmas party for 120 people.

The X Factor judge has contracted posh caterers Searcy and hired an exclusive Georgian townhouse in Knightsbridge for the exclusive bash.

According to the Daily Mail, visitors will be greeted by a 15-foot Christmas tree in the entrance hall before being led up to the library for drinks.

Guests will then be treated to a meal which features pigeon breast for starters and a choice of Scottish beef or pheasant for the main course.

Sharon's daughter Kelly told London Lite, "It's gonna be great, mum's really looking forward to it. All of the guests have been asked to bring a toy along, and at the end of the night all of the toys will be collected together and given to children's charities."

Sound of Music star Connie Fisher is nominated for a best newcomer award by ITV's South Bank Show.

Fisher, 23, was given high appraisal for her performance in the iconic musical, after winning the role in a BBC One talent contest.

She is one of ten nominees for the award, who include trumpeter Alison Balsom and Never Mind the Buzzcocks presenter Simon Amstell.

Rafi Gavron, who appears opposite Jude Law in the film Breaking and Entering has also been nominated for the award.

Awards host Melvyn Bragg said, "The awards go to British artists across the spectrum who have achieved great things during the year. This award brings to a wide public the best of new young talent in the country".

A wealth of celebrities turned out for the premiere of Elton John's new gender swap comedy film, It's a Boy Girl Thing.

Pop stars Geri Halliwell and Sting were among those artists who came to support Sir Elton.

X Factor judge Sharon Osborne, who has a role in the film, brought along her daughter Kelly, saying that husband Ozzy "has had enough of me right now".

Also attending the screening were fashion duo Trinny and Susannah, presenter Graham Norton and pop singer Jamelia.

The premiere was held in Leicester Square to support Elton John's Aids Foundation.

Ricky Gervais believes that fellow British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen is "a different class" to other people in the industry.

"His work is on an entirely different level to anyone else. It’s nearly a performance art," the Extras star told The Sun. "It’s proper satire which is very rare. He's exposing prejudice there and of course it is very funny."

Referring more specifically to the consequences of Cohen's Borat creation, Gervais added: "He is so brave. I just couldn't do what he does. Plus I wouldn't want the death threats!"

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are set to work together once again, this time in a directorial capacity.

The Good Will Hunting pair have shared many projects in on-screen roles, but are looking to work behind the camera as co-directors in their next project.

Damon said: "Ben and I found a project to co-direct that we might be able to get off the ground. We're just kind of on the hunt for something good. Directing feels like a natural extension, having written and then acted for all these years. It just feels like I gotta try it."

Heather Mills has been informed by the police that threats have been made against her, although she is believed to be at "no imminent risk".

A police spokesman stated: "On Thursday December 14, 2006, information was received from police in the Merseyside area which indicated a nonspecific threat towards Heather Mills.

"Police can confirm that Miss Mills was spoken to by officers and was fully informed of all the information, including details of the names of individuals involved. In addition, Miss Mills's estranged husband was also spoken to."

Mills, who split with former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney in May, is reported to have been given a panic alarm that gives her direct contact with Sussex Police headquarters.