American TV star Duane "Dog" Chapman has apologized for repeatedly using a racial epithet in a private phone call to his son. The star of TV series Dog The Bounty Hunter allegedly told his son to break-up with his black girlfriend during a taped conversation which was leaked online. Chapman was forced to issue an apology after bosses at A&E television suspended production on his reality series. He says, "My sincerest, heartfelt apologies go out to every person I have offended for my regrettable use of very inappropriate language. I am deeply disappointed in myself for speaking out of anger to my son and using such a hateful term in a private phone conversation." A spokesman for A&E says, "We take this matter very seriously. Pending an investigation, we have suspended production on the series. When the inquiry is concluded we will take appropriate action."

Heroes star Hayden Panettiere violently clashed with Japanese fishermen as she tried to save dolphins from slaughter. The 18-year-old actress disrupted an annual dolphin hunt by intercepting a fishing boat - and was almost struck by its boat hook. She says, "It was really frightening. Some of us were hit by the boat hook. But in the end all we really worried about was the dolphins. It was so incredibly sad. We were so close to them and they were sky hopping, jumping out of the water to see us. One little baby dolphin stuck his head out and kinda looked at me and the thought that it's no longer with us is really hard to take." Panettiere and five other surfers from the U.S. and Australia were almost arrested after paddling out to see to stage a protest, but left the country following the incident.

Johnny Depp's life is full of "mini-celebrations" now his eight-year-old daughter Lily-rose has been given the all-clear after her health scare earlier this year. The little girl was hospitalized in London, where she received treatment for an undisclosed ailment as her father started work on movie musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street. Depp still isn't going into details about his daughter's illness, but he admits he can't be thankful enough that she pulled through. He tells Entertainment Weekly magazine, "Now every single millisecond is a mini-celebration. Every time we get to breathe in and exhale is a huge victory. She pulled through beautifully, perfectly, with no lasting anything." And Depp will always be grateful to director pal Tim Burton and the cast and crew of Sweeney Todd for their support. He adds, "Knowing that those people, Tim and the crew, shut down and stood by and waited... I didn't know if I was coming back. I remember talking with Tim, saying, `Maybe you need to recast.'" Lily-Rose is Depp's daughter by long-time girlfriend Vanessa Paradis. The couple also has a son, Jack, who is five.

Sir Paul McCartney's estranged wife Heather Mills has hit out at the former Beatle for doing nothing to stop the British press from engaging in a "hate campaign" against her. The former glamour model claims McCartney promised to do all he could to minimize the negative coverage when the couple's four-year marriage broke down in May 2006 - in exchange for a quick divorce. However, Mills is furious the singer has done nothing to protect her and their four-year-old daughter Beatrice from the media. The 39-year-old first made her feelings known on U.K. TV show GMTV on Wednesday, and on Thursday she personally attacked McCartney during a live satellite interview from London on U.S. TV's Today show. She said, "When we first split, I said to Paul, 'I'm going to be crucified, I'm going to have a modern day stoning.' I said to Paul, 'You know why we split, you know the truth. They don't need to know the details, but you need to stand up and say, "I am responsible for the breakdown of this marriage." You'll be a hero because it's always two parties, but in this case it's very heavily one-sided.' I said, 'If you say that, I'll walk away with nothing and we'll do a very gentle and quick divorce.' And he promised he'd do that, I have evidence of that and he did nothing."

Britney Spears' former manager has added to the pop star's woes by suing her for monies she still owes him. Johnny Wright, who also managed pop acts like Justin Timberlake and the Backstreet Boys, claims Spears owes him commissions dating back to 2003. The svengali claims he was due a cut of Spears' income from 2003, after he was dropped as the singer's manager. And in court papers, obtained on Thursday by Tmz.com, he states the deal he struck with his former charge doesn't run out until February, 2008. But Spears stopped paying in December, 2006. The lawsuit was filed in Florida on Monday. Wright is seeking unspecified damages and attorney fees.

Mel Gibson's 25-year-old son has reportedly cut ties with his family in a bid to battle substance abuse alone in rehab. Edward Gibson checked into California's Cri-Help clinic in late September and has told staff he won't see visitors, according to the National Enquirer. The publication reports Gibson's son has been battling an addiction to cocaine and alcohol. A source says, "He's very self-conscious and finds it difficult to speak about his background, which is thwarting his recovery." The insider claims Edward - one of Gibson's seven kids - took the decision to seek help after fearing he'd kill someone by climbing behind the wheel of a car while drunk or high. A friend tells the Enquirer he insisted on cutting all ties to his friends and family because he doesn't want "any distractions." The source says, "He told a pal, 'I know my dad loves me, but this is something I have to do by myself for myself. My dad is just going to have to chill.'" And friends are confident Edward won't become another "victim." The insider adds, "He doesn't want to be written off as just another kid of a celebrity who spun out on drugs."

British singer Amy Winehouse has confirmed she'll appeal a $714 fine on marijuana possession charges in Norway - because she didn't understand that accepting a fine is the same as pleading guilty in the Scandinavian country. The star and husband Blake Fielder-Civil were arrested in Norway last month on suspicion of possessing cannabis. The 24-year-old was issued with a fine, which she accepted, not realizing that she would have been wiser to turn it down. Sources claim the incident may have thrown a possible American tour into doubt as strict U.S. regulations prevent anyone who has faced legal charges or been questioned by police overseas from entering the country. Winehouse's Norwegian lawyer Oleg Kvelstad has now confirmed she is appealing the fine. Kvelstad says, "This is an appeal of errors police made in the case."

Lindsay Lohan's new tough-guy bodyguard is on the hunt for a pushy photographer who kicked the actress during a Halloween fracas in an underground parking garage. The Freaky Friday star's bodyguard, an ex-Israeli Army soldier, chased away the kicker after he attacked Lohan as she left a Beverly Hills restaurant - and then asked other snappers to identify the man. When they couldn't, the bodyguard asked one to find out who the guy was and tell him, "I want to meet him personally." The mystery bodyguard has been by Lohan's side for weeks and has established a fearsome reputation among the paparazzi regulars who follow the actress all over Los Angeles. As he barged his way through the paparazzi army waiting for his boss, he declared, "Everyone in my way is gonna be pushed." But he added to Lohan's misery as he accidentally closed the door of her black Suv on her injured leg, prompting the actress to yelp. Seconds before, Lohan cried, "Ow, I got kicked in the leg," after her bizarre attack. Once she was safely in the car, the actress' minder stormed off after the kicking cameraman, fuming, "Who was that?"

Pop star Lance Bass once married a girlfriend for fun - because they wanted to get free alcohol. The former 'N Sync singer - who is openly gay - admits he had a quickie wedding in Las Vegas in "1999 or 2000" with a girl who was "just a friend" - but their attempts to get free booze failed miserably. He says, "People do stupid things in the heat of the moment. I've been in Vegas where I've gotten married for like five minutes, but no one talks about it, though. In fact, the only reason we did it is because we wanted to get free drinks all night... and we didn't get one. We're like, 'We just got married,' and they're like, 'Ah, whatever.'" Bass came out in July 2006, after 'N Sync disbanded.

Actor Mark Ruffalo and his wife Sunrise Coigney are celebrating the birth of their third child. The Zodiac star and Coigney welcomed a daughter into the world in Los Angeles. As Wenn went to press the baby girl's name and date of birth were unknown. Ruffalo and Coigney married in 2000 and have a six-year-old son, Keen, and a two-year-old daughter, Bella.