'Ugly Betty' star Romijn gives birth to twin girls
A publicist for Rebecca Romijn says the Ugly Betty actress and her husband, Jerry O'Connell, are new parents.
Twin daughters Dolly Rebecca Rose and Charlie Tamara Tulip were born Dec. 28. They are the couple's first children.
Publicist Lewis Kay said in a statement yesterday that "mother, father and both girls are all home and doing well."
Romijn, 36, and O'Connell, 34, were married in 2007.
O'Connell starred in the TV series Crossing Jordan and Carpoolers. His screen credits include Stand by Me and Jerry Maguire.
Scribner's gets Bush book
First lady Laura Bush has sealed a deal worth millions with Scribner to publish a memoir that will encompass her recollections of personal and historical moments, including her eight years in the White House.
The publishing house, in announcing the agreement yesterday, said the memoir is expected to be released in 2010. Sally McDonough, the first lady's press secretary, declined to say how much Bush is being paid for the book, but past deals involving first ladies have carried multimillion-dollar payouts.
McDonough said the first lady would work with a collaborator, though one hasn't been selected yet.
President George W. Bush said last year that he, too, wants to write a book. White House press secretary Dana Perino said yesterday that the president has not met with any publishers "or started down that road."
"He'll just work on that after Jan. 20," she said.
Producers Guild nods
The Batman blockbuster The Dark Knight was among best-picture nominees yesterday for the Producers Guild of America Awards.
Other best-picture nominees were Brad Pitt's romantic fantasy The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Ron Howard's Richard Nixon saga Frost/Nixon, Sean Penn's Harvey Milk film biography Milk and Danny Boyle's rags-to-riches tale Slumdog Millionaire.
The Producers Guild lineup is generally a close match of best-picture nominees for the Academy Awards. Nominated for best animated feature were the dog tale Bolt, the martial-arts comedy Kung Fu Panda and the robot adventure WALL-E.
Contenders for television comedy: Curb Your Enthusiasm, Entourage, The Office, 30 Roc k and Weeds. The TV drama nominees: Boston Legal, Damages, Dexter, Lost and Mad Men.
Winners will be announced at a Jan. 24 ceremony in Hollywood.
Crediting Scientology
Tom Cruise said Scientology teachings helped him overcome childhood dyslexia, a Spanish magazine has reported.
Cruise was quoted by XL Semanal as saying the learning disability was diagnosed when he was 7.
Cruise said he was often anxious, frustrated and bored as a youth and couldn't concentrate in class, the magazine reported on its Web site Sunday.
The magazine quoted Cruise as saying that he was functionally illiterate when he graduated from school in 1980 but learned to read perfectly as an adult through Scientology technology.
XL Semanal said the interview was conducted in Los Angeles but did not say when. A transcript of Cruise's original comments in English was not available.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS
Pollster Louis Harris, 88.
Bluegrass performer Earl Scruggs, 85.
Author E.L. Doctorow, 78.
Golfer Nancy Lopez, 52.
Movie director John Singleton, 41.
TV personality Julie Chen, 39.