Kim Basinger is selling all the dazzling jewelry her ex-husband Alec Baldwin gave her during their nine-year marriage - except for her wedding ring. The Oscar-winning actress, 50, is auctioning the gems at Christies in New York, in aid for the Performing Animal Welfare Society. Items on sale include a Tiffany engagement ring worth an estimated $40,000, given to Basinger on the set of The Marrying Man, and a diamond and platinum 'eternity band' worth $3,000. Basinger's spokeswoman Annet Wolf says, "It's a good cause. And how many women do you know who wear their ex-husband's jewelry after they've divorced?" The LA Confidential star is hoping to raise thousands of dollars to help the charity support retired lions and tigers.

Diana Ross has escaped returning to jail again on drink driving charges, after a judge ruled she had already completed her two-day sentence. Lawyers in Tucson, Arizona, were fighting to have the veteran star incarcerated again, claiming she was allowed to come and go as she pleased during her 48- hour stay at a Greenwich, Connecticut prison. Last month, Arizona Magistrate T Jay Cranshaw agreed that Ross had failed to serve her allotted time, saying she left jail three times and had been released an hour early. But Mr. Cranshaw has now reconsidered his ruling, after appeals by Ross' lawyers. The 59-year-old singer was arrested in December 2002 after she was seen driving the wrong way on a road in Tucson. She was found to be two times over the legal drink drive limit, and pleaded no contest to a resulting charge.

Pop star Victoria Beckham has vowed her marriage to soccer ace David Beckham will survive reports of his alleged infidelity, insisting they've overcome far greater obstacles. The former Spice Girl and her spouse - who put on a united front yesterday at the beginning of their skiing holiday in the French Alps - are refusing to let claims Beckham enjoyed a steamy affair with his assistant Rebecca Loos destroy their union. Strong Victoria told reporters, "We have been through a lot worse than this, and we're definitely going to get through it." The pair were photographed hugging and laughing in the snow at the popular Courchevel resort, and pals insist their public show of affection was a genuine reflection of their unbreakable love for each other. One says, "The mood is very much one of, 'We won't be beaten by this.' Victoria and David feel they belong together and hope what has happened will strengthen their marriage." On Sunday, British tabloid The News of the World reported the Real Madrid star turned to 26-year-old PR worker Loos after becoming frustrated with his wife's reluctance to set up home with him in Spain. The newspaper also printed explicit cellphone text messages it claimed were sent between the sporting star and his then employee.

Hollywood superstar Jennifer Lopez is poised to thrill film students when she shares her craft secrets with them on TV show Inside The Actor's Studio. The sexy Maid In Manhattan star - whose latest movies Gigli and Enough have been mauled by critics - will discuss her rise to fame with host James Lipton, marking the first time a Latina has appeared on the program. Previous speakers include Paul Newman, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Meryl Streep, Benicio Del Toro and Julianne Moore. Excited Lipton says, "Our students are thrilled. We've never had a Latina on the show before. It's appropriate."

Maverick director Quentin Tarantino is planning an animated prequel to his Kill Bill movies - to show the early life of the deadly assassin. The film will be drawn in the Japanese manga style already seen in Kill Bill Volume 1 and will focus on the three men - pimp Estebian Vihaio and martial arts masters Hattori Hanzo and Pei Mai - who turned Bill into a ruthless killer. The Oscar-winning writer and director will write and produce the film. Tarantino has also speculated that he could return to Kill Bill's world in 15 years time to follow the daughter of a character killed in the first film. The popular filmmaker - who took five years off after directing Jackie Brown to return to the screen with the violent revenge saga - is next set to direct a segment of Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller's comic book adaptation Sin City.

Troubled R&B star Bobby Brown's reality TV show has already run into drama - his wife Whitney Houston picked up a speeding ticket as cameras were rolling. Film crews with Brown's company B2 Entertainment recently followed the troubled couple while dining out with their 11-year-old daughter Bobbi Kristina. Houston's spokeswoman Nancy Seltzer says of the show, "It's Bobby's project, and he's her husband. Of course she would do it with him." The family - including their dog - was filmed dining on lobsters and steaks at Atlanta, Georgia's Palm Restaurant last Monday. The following evening, a five-member crew filmed Houston as she sang "Happy Birthday" to a fellow diner at Prime restaurant. Houston, who entered a drug rehabilitation centre last month, was accompanied by her counselors at the restaurants, according to Seltzer, who adds that the singer is in a "private facility" where treatment includes "approved outings" accompanied by counselors. But Houston quickly landed in trouble in front of rolling TV cameras when she picked up a speeding ticket while taking her daughter to school. Former New Edition star Brown, who has been in jail recently for probation violation and a battle over child support, is hoping to sell his new reality series to a TV network.

Alanis Morissette poked fun at America's censorship rules while hosting Sunday night's Juno Awards in Edmonton, Canada, by stripping off to reveal a skin-colored body suit with lifelike nipples and pubic hair. The "Ironic" singer initially shocked TV viewers and audience members with her stunt, but when it was apparent she wasn't actually revealing anything, the crowd burst into fits of laughter. When Morissette was told she couldn't show nipples or pubic hair on national TV by the telecast's assistant director, she ripped off the fake body parts. She later explained her act was targeted at Americans who have over-reacted to cultural, free expression, in the wake of Janet Jackson's Super Bowl shocker, in which she exposed a breast. Morissette said, "As you may or may not be aware, recently in the United States, I ran into a little problem with regards to a lyric in one my songs, which includes the lyric, 'I can be an a**hole of the grandest kind.' It was requested that I change a word in the first verse. Well, I am overjoyed to be back in my homeland, the true North - strong and censor-free." In truth, Morissette agreed to make the change, replacing the offensive word with "nightmare".

Movie star Angelina Jolie has stunned pals by embarking on a series of secret dates with her ex-husband Billy Bob Thornton. The eccentric pair - who divorced last year amid reports of Thornton's infidelity - have been embroiled in a bitter war of words since their high-profile split, but they've finally settled their differences and have even managed to rediscover the spark that brought them together, according to Britain's Daily Star tabloid. But both Jolie and Thornton are keen to keep their meetings out of the media spotlight. One friend of the actress says, "Angelina and Billy have been trying to keep their meetings as quiet as possible. They have enjoyed dining out together but have been very careful to arrive and leave separately. They tried to patch up their differences a couple of years ago. This time it seems they have really changed their ways."

Troubled actor Paul Reubens settled for a plea agreement in his child pornography case - because he feared a Martha Stewart-style court scandal. The Pee-Wee Herman star was arrested in 2002 after police discovered child porn items during a raid on his Hollywood home, but the charges against him have since been dropped. Instead of having to go to trial, Reubens opted to take a plea agreement which means he'll be a registered sex offender for the next three years. Reubens explains, "It could be argued that it's worse to have a trial. We just got to watch Martha Stewart and the country's glee at her downfall. I've been in a scandal before and I don't want to give the public that opportunity again - to kick me while I'm down."

Former Ally McBeal star Dyan Cannon is recovering after suffering smoke inhalation from a fire which broke out in her West Hollywood condominium on Sunday morning. Los Angeles County fire officials received a call around 8am of smoke coming from the building and discovered a fire in the Cannon's eighth floor home. They put out the blaze in about 15 minutes, says fire dispatcher Brendon Peart. Fire captain Steve Martin explains, "According to Ms. Cannon, she was sleeping at the time, and it appears that a fire started, perhaps electrical, in her kitchen. The smoke detector woke her and her dogs up and, luckily, she got out safe." The 67-year-old actress was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for smoke inhalation but is in good condition. About 200 residents were evacuated, but most of the damage was confined to Cannon's condo, say fire officials. Cannon is among a number of Hollywood actors and directors who live in the building, including The Birds star Suzanne Pleshette and Death To Smoochy actor Danny Woodburn.

Movie hardman Russell Crowe is struggling to cope on the set of his new film - as he's desperately missing his young family. The Gladiator hunk is counting down the days until wife Danielle Spencer and their baby son Charles join him on the Cinderella Man set in Toronto, Canada. The Australian actor, who has slimmed down in the weeks leading up to his 40th birthday tomorrow, admits, "I can't wait to see them. I don't mean to wish the days away but the day of their arrival cannot come too soon for me. I'm more than a little lonely, but trying to fill the void with work to distract myself. My wife is a blessing, my son a gift from God. I don't know what I have ever done to deserve such good fortune."