Capote star Philip Seymour Hoffman nearly fell into a life of substance abuse, after battling a severe alcohol and drug problem early in his career. The now-sober actor is the favorite to take home the Best Actor Oscar at next month's Academy Awards ceremony, for his performance as legendary author Truman Capote. The Talented Mr. Ripley star tells CBS show 60 Minutes, which airs in the US on Sunday, about his descent into substance abuse following his graduation from New York University's drama school. Hoffman says, "It was all that (drugs and alcohol). It was anything I could get my hands on... I liked it all. You get panicked...and I got panicked for my life." The star decided he needed to change his ways and sought treatment for his problem. He says, "I went (to rehab), I got sober when I was 22-years-old." The actor is grateful that he didn't achieve fame until he had cleaned himself up. He adds, "I have so much empathy for these young actors that are 19 and all of a sudden they're beautiful and famous and rich. I'm like, 'Oh my God, I'd be dead.'"

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes flew into Sydney, Australia Wednesday in a public show of solidarity to attend a state memorial service for media mogul Kerry Packer. Media reports had speculated that the seven-months-pregnant Holmes had cancelled her trip at the last minute on the advice of her doctors who had advised against the 14-hour flight. The couple arrived on Cruise's private jet to show support for Packer's son, James, who has been a close friend of the actor's for five years. Their friendship grew through the Church of Scientology and Packer has described Cruise as one of "the world's nicest guys." The celebrity couple accompanied James and his girlfriend, Erica Baxter, on a yacht docked outside the Park Hyatt hotel on Sydney Harbor. Cruise told local media, "It's good to be back in Australia" and that he was "thrilled and excited" about the upcoming birth of his baby. The Mission: Impossible star, who is a qualified pilot, admitted he did not fly his private jet to Australia himself, as he was busy working and attending to Holmes.

Singer Lisa Marie Presley has married guitarist and music producer Michael Lockwood in a ceremony in Kyoto, Japan. The couple exchanged vows in a traditional Japanese ceremony on January 22, her publicist Paul Bloch announced yesterday. It is the fourth marriage for Presley, who is the daughter of music legend Elvis Presley. She was previously married to Nicolas Cage, Michael Jackson and Danny Keogh, who is the father of her two children. The bride's mother, actress Priscilla Presley, walked her daughter down the aisle and gave her away, according to Bloch. Daughter Riley Keough was maid of honor and her son Benjamin Keogh was a groomsman, while their father acted as best man for Lockwood. Also attending the wedding were Lockwood's parents, Vivian and William Lockwood. Lockwood was Presley's musical director and is listed as executive producer on her 2005 album Now What.

Heath Ledger is convinced he won't win the Best Actor Oscar next month, because the other nominees are too good. The Australian actor - nominated for his role in Brokeback Mountain - is up against Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote), Joaquin Phoenix (Walk The Line), Terrence Howard (Hustle & Flow) and David Strathairn (Good Night, And Good Luck). He said at the presentation of his movie Candy at the Berlin International Film Festival Wednesday, "There are so many great actors who are nominated and who all deserve the award. Let's wait and see who will win. Of course, I'm proud to be nominated. But it's already great to be involved in a movie that wins so many prizes and is received so well."

Oscar nominated actress Catherine Keener was devastated when famed author Harper Lee, who she played in Capote, refused to speak with her before filming. The To Kill A Mockingbird author, who had been celebrated writer Truman Capote's best friend since childhood, refused to cooperate with the making of the film in any way. Keener explains, "She's a very private person. When I got the job I thought maybe I'd go down to Alabama, where she lives, and knock on her door or something. They (the producers) told me that she didn't want anything to do with it (the movie), because she wanted to remain a private person." After Capote was released, Lee contacted Keener to tell her how much she enjoyed the film. Keener says, "It's wonderful (that she got into contact). She saw the film and she liked it very much and was very enthusiastic about Phil's (Philip Seymour Hoffman) performance."

Socialite Paris Hilton has laughed off the flour attack on her and designer Julien Macdonald by an animal rights protester at London Fashion Week. The pair were hit by a flour bomb flung by an activist from People For The Ethical Treatment (PETA) - angry about Macdonald's use of fur in shows - as they arrived at a party following Hilton's turn on the catwalk on Tuesday. But the 24-year-old insists the incident was soon forgotten. She says, "It came as a shock. I was just disappointed for Julien because it was his big night. But we just dusted ourselves down and went on the party."

Michael Jackson agreed to pay his ex-wife Debbie Rowe $900,000-a-year in hush money after they split, according to new court documents. The former Mrs. Jackson also picked up a mansion in Beverly Hills, California, and a lump sum of at least $4 million as part of a divorce settlement. The legal documents have been made public as part of a new custody battle as Rowe fights for the couple's kids Michael Jr and Paris. Obtained by entertainment news website Tmz.com, the documents feature court transcripts from a hearing last June, in which Jackson's lawyer, Thomas Hall, told Judge Stephen Lachs, "Mr. Jackson was under an agreement with Petitioner (Rowe), which he was to pay her four or five million dollars up front, gave her a mansion in Beverly Hills, and then was to pay $900,000-a-year, for a number of years, if she abided by agreement terms." Jackson reportedly stopped paying Rowe her annual stipend after claiming she violated their confidentiality agreement by publicly speaking about him. Also in the court file, Rowe is quoted as stating, "I have just been advised by Michael's 'inner circle' that he is abusing drugs and I was even given the name of the physician that is prescribing all of Michael's medications, which I fear is dangerous not only to Michael but also to the children."

A steamy sex tape, which allegedly shows former Creed frontman Scott Stapp and rocker Kid Rock involved in explicit sex acts with groupies, is set to be released. The boss of the company behind the release of Paris Hilton's sex tape, 1 Night In Paris, claims to have acquired the saucy footage, in which the two rockers are heard talking to one another during sexual encounters on a tour bus. The tape was made when Kid Rock and Stapp toured together six years ago. David Joseph, the president of distribution company Red Light District says, "We acquired the tape from a third party. We haven't decided exactly what we are doing with it, but our goal is to release it towards the middle of this year." Stapp married former Miss New York Jaclyn Nesheiwat last Friday at a black-tie ceremony in Miami, Florida. He was arrested for public drunkenness the following day at Lax airport, while en route to his honeymoon in Hawaii.

SPOILER ALERT: British actor Clive Owen has found a novel way to play James Bond - in a top secret cameo in The Pink Panther remake. The Derailed star, who was the favorite to land the role of 007 when Pierce Brosnan's stint as the superspy ended last year, plays undercover British spy 006 in Steve Martin's new comedy, which debuted at number one at the US box office at the weekend. Dressed in black tails, white shirt and black bow-tie, he features in a two-minute scene mocking the secret service. In the scene, Owen chases masked bandits robbing a casino. He is forced to don a gas mask when the crooks spray poisonous chemicals at him. Pink Panther star Martin thinks Owen's uncredited cameo is one of the film's funniest scenes. He says, "I think we knew at the time we approached Clive he was being considered for James Bond. I think that's a big part of the joke of having him play our Agent 006."

The funeral scene for late The West Wing star John Spencer's character has been filmed. Spencer, who suffered a fatal cardiac arrest last December, played Air Force veteran and White House chief of staff Leo McGarry in the hit TV series. The tear-jerking funeral episode, which employs a real Air Force guard of honour, will be aired in the US in April, the New York Post reports.