Sienna Miller

British actress Sienna Miller’s life has been made intolerable because of a “campaign of harassment” by photographers, her lawyer told London’s High Court on Thursday.

Miller, 26, star of movies such as “Alfie” and “Layer Cake,” is taking legal action against photographic agency Big Pictures (UK) Limited and its founder, Darryn Lyons, claiming they are guilty of harassment and invasion of privacy.

At a preliminary hearing, her lawyer David Sherborne said the actress had been caused “substantial alarm, fear and enormous distress” by their conduct, the Press Association reported. The agency and Lyons are contesting the claims.

Miller’s private life and particularly her romantic liaisons have been a staple fodder for the tabloid press, with barely a day going by without her picture appearing in newspaper show business gossip columns.

Zara Phillips injured in cross-country fall

PAU, France (AFP) – Zara Phillips, the granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II, fell from her horse and injured her shoulder at an international event here on Saturday, the organisers said.

The 27-year-old Phillips, the eventing world champion in 2006, fell from her mount Tsunami II as it approached a fence in the cross-country portion of the competition.

The 10-year-old horse suffered a fractured vertebra and could be put down.

Linda Hogan

Linda Hogan: Postjail Nick’s a “Changed Person” Los Angeles (E! Online) – According to his mom, Nick Hogan went into jail a boy and came out a man. A man who still wants to be a kid, that is.

“He’s a changed person,” Linda Hogan told local reporters Tuesday in an impromptu press conference outside her Florida home. “He went into prison as a juvenile, and you know he’s experienced something that is gonna mold and change him for the rest of his life, for his adult life. He wants to make a positive difference in this world.”

Nick, who turned 18 while behind bars, was sprung from a Pinellas County jail at about 12:30 a.m. today after serving 166 days of an eight-month sentence for reckless driving for a DUI crash that left pal John Graziano critically injured and in need of lifelong medical care.

“I cried when I hugged him,” Linda said, standing in front of a homemade “Welcome Home” sign and yellow balloons.

“Basically we just feel that we as a family wanna stay private,” she continued. “I hope everybody can respect his privacy. He’s had six months in jail, and he’s just gotta try to regroup and remold his life…In the future, I think his actions will speak louder than words, so really there’s not a whole lot else to say.

“I think when people just watch, [they'll see] he’s a changed person.”

Mr. Blackwell Dies at 86

Mr. Blackwell, the acerbic designer whose annual worst-dressed list skewered the fashion felonies of celebrities from Zsa Zsa Gabor to Britney Spears, has died. He was 86. He died Sunday of complications from an intestinal infection, publicist Harlan Boll said.

Mr. Blackwell, whose first name was Richard, was a little-known dress designer when he issued his first tongue-in-cheek criticism of Hollywood fashion disasters for 1960 — long before Joan Rivers and others turned such ridicule into a daily affair.

Year after year, he would take Hollywood’s reigning stars and other celebrities to task for failing to dress in what he thought was the way they should.

Ryan O’Neal

Ryan O’Neal and his son, Redmond, were charged Wednesday with possession of methamphetamine. Both face felony drug possession charges, deputy district attorney James Garrison said. Redmond O’Neal, 23, also faces misdemeanor charges for possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of pepper spray.

He and his 67-year-old actor father are scheduled to be arraigned Nov. 13.

The father and son were arrested Sept. 17 after deputies searched their Malibu home, part of Redmond’s probation. Police said drugs were found on Redmond and in Ryan O’Neal’s living area.

Alexei Cherepanov died

New York Rangers prospect Alexei Cherepanov died during a game in his native Russia on Monday night. He was 19.

The Rangers did not reveal the circumstances of Cherepanov’s death when contacted by PA SportsTicker.

The New York Post reported that Cherepanov suffered a heart attack and collapsed on the bench during Avangard Omsk’s game against Vityav Chekhov.

TSN of Canada reported that medical officials attempted to get Cherepanov’s heart beating again. According to the web site, there was no ambulance present at the arena. The report stated that it took between “15 and 20 minutes” to transport Cherepanov from the arena to the hospital.

The Rangers observed a moment of silence in his honor prior to Monday’s game against the New Jersey Devils.

Paulo Coelho on digital media

The promotional power of piracy and artistic merits of blogging are among the themes to be discussed by bestselling author Paulo Coelho in his opening address to the Frankfurt Book Fair this week.

The 61-year-old Brazilian writer behind titles such as “The Alchemist” and “Eleven Minutes” is gaining a reputation as a digital pioneer for his enthusiastic embrace of online media.

Coelho maintains a personal blog as well as profiles across several social networking sites. He uses the mobile blogging tool “Twitter’ and regularly uploads videos to YouTube under the heading Privacy Zero. A few years ago, he even started distributing digital versions of his books for free over the internet. Reuters Television correspondent for technology, Matt Cowan, spoke to the author at his Paris home.

Le Clezio

Le Clezio — who’s he? This year’s Nobel laureate for literature is little-known in the States. Perhaps this is evidence of our bias. Or maybe it’s a product of the Swedish Academy’s willful dismissal of U.S. writers.

If the selection of French writer Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio as the 2008 Nobel literature laureate has anything to tell us, it’s that Horace Engdahl means what he says.

Last week, Engdahl, the Swedish Academy’s permanent secretary, called American literary culture “too isolated, too insular. They don’t translate enough and don’t really participate in the big dialogue of literature” — comments widely seen in the United States as evidence of the insularity of the Nobel itself and proof that American writers would be shut out again.

The last American to win the prize was Toni Morrison in 1993; since then, recipients have included Poland’s Wislawa Szymborska, Italy’s Dario Fo, Chinese-born Gao Xingjian and Austria’s Elfriede Jelinek. That such authors are not household names has led to charges that the Nobel committee is willfully obscure, or worse, motivated by political considerations.

Nicky Hilton

Nicky Hilton prefers a simpler life. While Paris Hilton for President is looking for her new BFF on MTV’s new reality show, younger sister Nicky recently was out on the town in Miami, hosting the second night of the re-launch of nightclub Karu & Y in downtown Miami.

How did you get involved in this event?

“I was invited to come down and host it, and I’m a big fan of Miami. Haven’t been here in a while so it was the perfect opportunity.”

What do you like to do when you’re in Miami?

“I love the restaurants. The nightlife’s great. Shopping’s great, the beaches and the hotels. I love it all.”

Any favorite restaurants?

Famous Nick Nolte’s home

The “Tropic Thunder” star suffered smoke inhalation and minor abrasions in the fire, which was caused by an electrical problem, Inspector Sam Padilla, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Fire Department, said.

The fire caused $3 million in damage to the structure and contents of the house but the home was not destroyed, Inspector James Barnes of the fire department said. The flames were confined to the living room.

“Nick Nolte was there apparently with a water hose trying to extinguish the fire himself and of course we came to help him out,” Barnes said.

Nolte’s spokesman, Arnold Robinson, said in a statement the actor was “grateful” to firefighters and police “for their quick response and assistance.”