More storm clouds for Tommy

Pamela's ex sued in child's drowning; Clinton toots with Billy Bob; gutter punk Clooney booted from restaurant; Joan Collins transcends the prenup; and more!

Published February 22, 2002 5:13PM (EST)

This certainly won't do much to bolster Tommy Lee's position in his custody battle with Pamela Anderson.

The ex-Motley Crue drummer has been slapped with a lawsuit stemming from the death of a child on his Malibu property last year. Actress Ursula Karven and producer James Veres, whose 4-year-old son Daniel drowned in Lee's pool during his son Brandon's birthday party last June, contend that Lee's lack of supervision contributed to the child's death.

At the time of the drowning, the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department ruled the death an accident. But the boy's parents called their son's death "tragic and inexcusable" and hinted that they may seek damages, a threat they are apparently now ready to make good on.

Break out your old court outfit, Tommy. This could get ugly.

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And while were wallowing ...

"I came from the depths of despair. I came from a strong feeling that life was not really good enough to stay with it. I would have been happy to die. I may very well have been thinking of, contemplating ways to help that along."

-- William Shatner, admitting to having had thoughts of suicide after his wife Nerine's drowning death three years ago, in TV Guide.

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Bill 'n' Billy, together again for the first time

On to cheerier topics ... like ... Billy Bob Thornton and Bill Clinton jamming together just for snicks.

Yep, the randy ex-prez broke out his sax and blew a few with Billy Bob when Thornton's band was warming up for their show in Montreal earlier this week.

"While we were rehearsing last night, Bill Clinton showed up and played sax with the band," Hugo Tardiff, the sound technician who supplied Thornton and his eight-piece band with their equipment, told Jam Showbiz. "He was actually pretty good. Billy Bob was imitating Elvis for him."

The two are apparently good buddies from way back in their Arkansas days. Probably not quite good enough to wear each other's blood around their necks, but buddies nonetheless.

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Forget all that Sexiest Man Alive stuff

"I'd like to offer him my most sincere apology. But he looked like a cross between a courier and a street punk."

-- Montreal restaurant owner Michael Sniatovsky expressing contrition for throwing an incognito and suspicious-looking George Clooney out of his restaurant, on Peoplenews.com.

Perhaps they'd prefer a nice puppy?

She may be a grandmother and a sexagenarian, but Joan Collins and her new young hubby, Percy Gibson, are apparently seriously considering adopting a baby.

"We'll see what happens," Gibson, 36, recently told People magazine when asked about his plans to start a family with his 68-year-old wife.

But Collins herself may have some growing up to do. She's opted not to ask husband No. 5 to sign a prenup limiting his claim to her millions of clams.

"I didn't consider it necessary," she told the magazine, which further enhanced her fortune by shelling out the big bucks for exclusive rights to publish her wedding pix. "Percy is the most honorable man I've ever met."

We'll see what husband No. 6 has to say about that.

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Elton gets nasty

"Nowadays record companies want the quick buck from the Backstreet Boys, 'N Sync, Britney Spears, S Club 7s, from the Steps. They've always been around. I'm not knocking the music, but it's like packets of cereal. There are too many of them, too many of them are just average and mediocre. And I think it damages real people's chance, real talent, of getting airplay. It's just fodder."

-- Elton John on his fellow (younger) pop stars, to the BBC.

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Department of silly talk

Graciousness is apparently John Cleese's middle name.

Responding to the announcement that he had been chosen to win the Sir Peter Ustinov/Comedy Network Award at the Banff Television Awards, the Monty Python vet offered the following comments:

"I feel very, very humble that I have been chosen to receive this wonderful award.

"Of course, I'm not going to pretend that I don't deserve it. Obviously I do.

"Frankly, it has been some time coming. But let's not get into all that, as it will impinge my humility."

Funny is his other middle name.

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Miss something? Read yesterday's Nothing Personal.


By Amy Reiter

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