After 11 years of marriage, Twilight actor Peter Facinelli and his wife, Beverly Hills, 90210 darling Jennie Garth, are splitting, their reps jointly confirm. While we have decided to end our marriage, we both share the same deep love and devotion to our children. We remain dedicated to raising our beautiful daughters together. We ask for privacy and respect during this time," they said in a joint statement. Facinelli and Garth – who have three daughters, Luca, 14, Lola, 9, and Fiona, 5 – met on the set of TV movie, An Unfinished Affair in 1996, and married in 2001. Facinelli, 38, plays Carlisle Cullen in the film adaptations of the Twilight series and is a regular on Showtime's dark comedy, Nurse Jackie, which kicks off its fourth season on April 8. On Monday night, he attended The Hunger Games premiere in L.A. with daughter Luca. Garth, 39, is best known for playing Kelly Taylor on Beverly Hills, 90210. She also shimmied her way to a fourth place finish with partner Derek Hough on Dancing with the Stars in 2007.
 

Spears turns Down Cowell's X-Factor offer

Britney Spears has turned down an offer to be a judge on The X Factor because she wanted more money. The show has been courting Spears for the gig after both Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger were fired. Other musicians who have been linked to the position include  Janet Jackson (she declined), LeAnn Rimes and Avril Lavigne. The big problem here is that Spears has "The X Factor" folks and FOX over a barrel. With Jackson passing on the gig, the singing competition can ill-afford to have many more high-profile rejections. The show is currently third in a three horse race - behind "American Idol" and "The Voice." And when word leaks out (you can guess from who) that "The X Factor" is having trouble getting its first or second choice talent, this is hardly a compelling sell for advertisers and viewers. Now it's entirely possible that the show and Spears will split the difference on this. But if they can't come to an agreement and "The X Factor" has to go on to their next option, their bargaining position weakens. Sure $10 million is a lot for Spears to leave on the table. But it's also important to note that her net worth is estimated at $155 million, so it's not the end of the world. She's also not short on options, including a reported ongoing Las Vegas gig. Due to her possible Vegas venture Spears wanted a one year contract and Cowell wanted to lock the pop star in for a two season deal with a third optional pick up.
 It’s a boy for James and Kimberly Van Der Beek! The couple welcomed their second child, a son, on Tuesday, March 13, the actor announced via Twitter. “Had my first son this morning… well, actually, my wife had him. I just caught him. Wow. Heart expanding way faster than my brain,” Van Der Beek, 35, writes. “If you could bottle up and distribute this feeling, I swear there’d be no more war. #fatherhood” The new addition joins big sister Olivia, 17 months. The pair, who were married in August 2010, shared the news that they were expecting again in October. “Just when we thought we couldn’t feel any more blessed, it seems the universe has plans to give our daughter a sibling,” Van Der Beek wrote at the time. His new series, Don’t Trust the B—- in Apt. 23, premieres April 11 on ABC.

 

Bear Grylls Fired from Man vs. Wild
He has conquered thirst, pain, driving snow and flesh-eating piranhas. But contract negotiations? Not so much lately. Bear Grylls has been fired from Discovery's Man vs. Wild after filming six seasons. citing an apparent feud over whether he'd do two other projects. "Due to a continuing contractual dispute with Bear Grylls, Discovery has terminated all current productions with him," a network spokesperson says. The network has allegedly been unable to get Grylls to participate in two unannounced projects he was contracted for, say sources. As for Grylls's future, that'll depend on his survival skills. "Bear's goal has always been to make life-empowering shows for his many fans around the globe, and he has taken great risks to bring Discovery such award winning programming over seven seasons," his rep, Heather Krug says. Unfortunately, Bear and Discovery have not been able to come to mutual agreement on new programming, and he disagrees with Discovery's decision to terminate current productions," she continues. "Bear has loved the Man vs. Wild journey and looks forward to producing further cutting edge content again soon for his loyal audience."

Nicollette Sheridan's Battery Claim Against Marc Cherry Thrown Out!

After two weeks of testimony, Nicollette Sheridan's claim of battery against the Desperate Housewives creator has been thrown out. Her accusation that Cherry hit her "upside the head" on Sept. 28, 2008, was supposedly what set in motion the decision that led to her character being killed off the show in the spring of 2009. The centerpiece of Sheridan's case, an allegation of wrongful termination against ABC Studios, is still pending. "Obviously I am thrilled with the decision, but I am going to reserve further commentary until this matter is completely resolved," Cherry said outside the courtroom. Earlier, Desperate Housewives construction coordinator Michael Reinhart testified that he believes he accidentally was on the receiving end of an email detailing a cover-up surrounding Sheridan's firing. An independent forensic investigator has been tasked with examining Reinhart's hard drive. L.A. Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Allen White, who through the course of pretrial proceedings knocked Sheridan's original claim to damages of $20 million down by 75 percent, stated today that the actress can now only claim punitive damages for alleged retaliation. If she wins the remainder of her case, Sheridan could be entitled to $5.7 million.

 

Long Walk to Freedom

Idris Elba is set to play Mandela while Naomie Harris ("Pirates of the Caribbean") is in talks to play the role of his wife Winnie in the film which covers his entire life and career. Morgan Freeman was originally attached but opted out a while back, having played the South African leader in Clint Eastwood's "Invictus".


Empire State
Emma Roberts has signed up for the heist movie "Empire State" at Emmett/Furla Films. The story follows two childhood friends (one of which is played by Liam Hemsworth) who plan to rob an armoured card depository. Roberts plays a role of a waitress who falls for Liam's character.




Pain and Gain
"Ugly Betty" star Tony Plana has joined the cast of Michael Bay's "Pain and Gain" at Paramount Pictures. The story follows bodybuilders who engage in a campaign of kidnapping, extortion and murder in Florida. Plana will play Capt. Al Lopez of the Miami Police Dept., who begins to look into the kidnapping of Marc Schiller (Tony Shalhoub) at the urging of his old friend, private detective Ed Du Bois (Ed Harris).


TV NEWS
VH1 has given the green light to Ev and Ocho, a new eight-episode docu-series starring NFL star Chad Ochocinco and his fiancée, Basketball Wives star Evelyn Lozada, slated to premiere in Sept. 2012.

Season 2 of Melissa & Joey will kick off ABC Family’s summer lineup with back-to-back new episodes on Wednesday, May 30.


Sofia Vergara will take the stage April 7 as host of Saturday Night Live. Tweeny boppers One Direction are set to join the Modern Family star as musical guests.


Looks like the Eastwoods are the next celebrity family to land their own reality show:  E! announced today that the new series, Mrs. Eastwood & Company will debut in May. But rather than a deeper look into the life of esteemed actor and director Clint Eastwood, the series will focus on his wife Dina, their teenage daughters Francesca and Morgan, and ‘Overtone’: the all-male, six member South African vocal group that Dina manages (hence the “Company.”) “Nothing is more important to me than family – no matter how you define that,” Dina Eastwood said in a statement. “People might be surprised by how we live our lives and our unconventional approach, and I also believe that it’s hard not to fall in love with my band, ‘Overtone.’” “I’m really proud of my family,” Clint Eastwood said. “They are a constant source of inspiration and entertainment.”


The Sarah Palin-centric TV-movie was HBO’s most watched original film in nearly eight years, with the premiere showing alone bringing in an average audience of 2.1 million viewers. A total of 3.6 million viewers tuned in to watch one of the weekend’s four airings.


Lifetime has ordered 20 additional episodes of John Walsh’s crime-fighting series America’s Most Wanted, which currently airs Fridays at 9:00/8:00c.


Spartacus has found its Julius Caesar and Marcus Crassus for Season 3 in Australian actor Todd Lasance and British star Simon Merrells, respectively.


The Closer‘s Raymond Cruz will play a corrupt sheriff in a Season 4 episode of White Collar.


Freddie Prinze Jr. is returning to the sitcom world with a role in NBC’s untitled comedy pilot from Community writer Hilary Winston. The project revolves around Agnes (7th Heaven‘s Sarah Wright), a shy, focused woman who, after being dumped by her fiancé (Prinze), leans on her co-workers (played by Mena Suvari, Aubrey Dollar and Kyle Howard) to help come out of her shell and plot her revenge.


ABC has renewed Bachelor Pad for a third season (to air this summer), and this time around the battle is being opened up to fans as well as alumni of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette.