Celebrity Scoop

Cher is no longer a Michael Jackson fan. "I don't really care what he does to his face. He could just erase it as far as I'm concerned," Cher told TV Guide for its April 5 issue. "But I don't like him anymore. And it's because of his children. I cannot imagine putting my children through what he put his children through," Cher says. Though she once considered Jackson a "great artist," she said she has been turned off by all of the negative publicity about him. She said she was also disappointed by his behavior last year at American Bandstand's 50th anniversary show, in which she also appeared. "He had this child rolled up in a blanket, and I was thinking, 'What kind of life is this?'" she said. "Then I saw the recent documentary on him, and I thought, 'This guy is nuts. He shouldn't have these children,'" Cher says. "As an artist, I can't fault his art because he was brilliant ... I wouldn't buy anything now."

Paul Newman says he doesn't consider himself an icon. "Brando, Lee J. Cobb, Olivier are. I'm not," Newman said in an interview with TV Guide in its April 5 issue. "I really should not have mentioned just those three because there are too many people I admire." He said he doesn't believe "Road to Perdition" will be his swan song. "No, it's probably closer to a vulture than a swan song. I don't seem to be able to retire." Newman said he doesn't know what his next project will be, but he knows whom he wants as his co-star -- his wife, Joanne Woodward. "I'd love to do (another) film with Joanne," he says. "There's still a little vinegar left in the old dog yet."

Geraldo Rivera says it's a "pack of lies." He's denying reports that he's been kicked out of Iraq by U.S. military officials for giving out too much information about troop locations. Reporting on the Fox News Channel, Rivera said he's actually further inside Iraq than he'd been before. He was standing alongside U.S. troops in a building he identified as Iraq's ruling party headquarters in a city south of Baghdad. Rivera says it sounds like people he described as "rats" at NBC, where he used to work, spread the rumors that he'd been kicked out. He says his rivals "can't compete fair and square on the battlefield" -- so they try to stab him in the back. But in the end, he insists, "quality journalism wins out." Rivera says he has a "great relationship" with the troops in the 101st Airborne, and that he plans to "march into Baghdad alongside them." Sources at U.S. Central Command have said that Rivera was asked to leave because he revealed tactical information.

Dr. Seuss is headed for California. A copy of a bronze sculpture of Theodore Seuss Geisel -- aka children's author Dr. Seuss -- will go on display at the University of California, San Diego, on March 2, 2004, which would have been Geisel's 100th birthday. The sculpture, which depicts Geisel at his drawing board with the Cat in the Hat by his side, is part of the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden in Springfield. Geisel, a Springfield native, spent much of his adult life in Southern California. He died in 1991 at 87. Geisel's widow, Audrey S. Geisel, asked that a copy of the sculpture be placed along a walkway leading to the university's library, which is named after the author, said Joseph Carvalho, president of the Springfield Library & Museums Association. The library holds much of Geisel's research and illustrations in a special rare books collection.

After coming out as one of very few British showbiz stars to support the war on Iraq, Simply Red star Mick Hucknall has revealed ambitions to sit in the House Of Lords, Britain's second legislative chamber. The New Labour campaigning crooner is a friend of Prime Minister Tony Blair and has advised the Government as part of a think tank. Hucknall, 43, told music magazine Q: "The Lords appeals to me more than the House of Commons." Asked if he would accept a peerage, he said: "I don't think it's going to happen to me, but you need people in there who are professionals who've achieved something in their lives and who aren't politicians." Earlier this month Hucknall came to the support of his pal Blair when he said he "didn't understand" how anti-war protesters, including a string of UK entertainers and performers like George Michael and Ms Dynamite, could deny the need for a war against a mass murderer. Hucknall was searing in his criticism of hypocritical "left wing trendies," who he said wanted a war criminal to be left alone to continue oppressing the Iraqi people.

Bill Cosby told a group of about 200 children that education is the key to success. Children from the Sisseton-Wahpeton Indian Reservation gathered in the convention center of the Dakota Magic Casino on Sunday, an hour before Cosby performed the first of two shows. He agreed to speak to the children after a request by tribal leaders. When some of the students said they did not like school because of the work, Cosby playfully wrestled with them. "Do you have a father?" Cosby asked. "What's he do? He works. Why does he go to work? To get money. For who? Who's begging all the time?" Cosby, who met with local school officials before talking to the children, joked that he had "cut a deal" with the teachers. "I have been talking to the people who have been running the school system here, and they are going to bear down even harder on you," Cosby said. "And guess what? The harder you work, the longer the recess."

Usher has immortalized his 'Evolution 8701' world tour on DVD, giving fans a taste of the pyrotechnic fuelled, dance extravaganza that the star has been performing across America. The DVD follows the multi-platinum success of the album '8701.' The recording comes from one of the last concerts on an American schedule last summer that covered more than 40 cities, and includes hits like 'My Way,' 'U Remind Me' and 'You Make Me Wanna.' The Grammy-award-winning star explains it took an entourage of 30-50 people to bring the show to the stage, with lights, wardrobe and dancers. Unlike some dance orientated live performers, Usher also makes a point of singing all his vocals live. Usher released his debut album in 1994, but says he has been performing since 1987. He explains he called his tour 'Evolution 8701' to reflect the growth of his career since its early days to his latest album.