What’s happening in celebrity news

Baby Time! Supermodel Claudia Schiffer, 31, is expecting. She is now in her first trimester. The model is married to British film producer Matthew Vaughn. * Renee Zellweger, 33, who recently starred in “Bridget Jones’s Diary,” has bought a house in the exclusive Bel Air area in California. The price? It cost a mere $6.8 million. The home was originally listed for $8.9 million. What a bargain! * Robert Downey Jr. (one of my favorite actors) has successfully completed a one-year drug rehabilitation program. Good luck Robert. * Robert Redford is set to star in “THE CLEARING,” a drama about a wealthy executive, who is kidnapped by a disgruntled employee and held captive in the forest. Helen Mirren (Gosford Park) is in talks to join Redford when production begins at the end of September. * In a deal worth $400,000 against $1 million, “Variety” reported that Universal and Imagine Entertainment topper Brian Grazer bought “Inside Man,” a spec script by Russell Gewirtz that will be developed as a possible directing vehicle for partner Ron Howard. * CNN confirmed that it paid cash for controversial tapes connected to al-Qaida, though network officials said none of the money had gone to the terrorist organization. CNN reported they paid “a modest sum” for the tapes. * Fox’s “American Idol: The Search For A Superstar” reached great ratings last week. The one-hour live edition, featuring the four finalists, had 15.1 million viewers. The talent search series posted Fox’s highest numbers ever for series programming in the Tuesday 9 p.m. time slot. It was Fox’s largest audience in a year and the best 18-49 rating in more than a year. ABC’s second rebroadcast of USA Network’s “Monk” did well with 8.5 million viewers. Tony Shalhoub, who plays the lead in the series, is a favorite of my family from his role in the film “Galalxy Quest.” Be sure to check out his new series. * “Survivor” cast member Brian Heidik, 34, described himself as a car salesman and part-time actor but, according to the website TheSmokingGun.com, he did more than just act. They reported the actor has starred in adult films. CBS issued a statement saying the network was aware of his past credits and allowed him to decide how to describe himself in his official public biography. The “Survivor: Thailand” contest is complete with the first episode to debut on September 19th. * Actor Devon Aoki is the latest to join the cast of “THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS 2” while actors James Remar and Cole Hauser are currently in negotiations to join the production which begins filming next month. * ”ER’s” Eriq La Salle is going to films joining the cast of DreamWorks’ “BIKER BOYZ,” which is currently in production. Laurence Fishburne and Derek Luke also star. The story line is about a 17 year-old biker who attempts to reclaim the family title in the world of underground motorcycle street racing after losing his father in an accident. * Former President Clinton may have a talk show? Well, we will have to see since neither CBS nor Clinton’s representatives would confirm that they are discussing a talk show, although the former president’s lawyer, Robert Barnett, said Clinton has received an “enormous number of offers” from media outlets according to ABC News. CBS is part of King World, one of the leading companies that syndicates talk shows