Pop star Michael Jackson has been indicted on ten felonies, including four counts of committing lewd acts on a child and one count of an attempted lewd act at his arraignment hearing today. The singer has also been charged with three counts of administering an intoxicating agent to further the commission of a felony and a count of conspiracy to commit child abduction at Santa Maria, California. Jackson arrived in court 40 minutes early after being sternly warned for being late to his January hearing. He greeted hundreds of fans gathered outside Santa Maria, California courthouse as he arrived escorted by minders under an umbrella. His arrival was more subdued than his last hearing, at which he danced on top of a SUV vehicle. Sources say Jackson's actions and his decision to change members of his legal team this week signal he is finally taking the charges against him seriously. Santa Maria was swamped by throngs of fans, more than 130 members of the media and 42 of Santa Maria's 107 police officers and 50 sheriff's deputies were assigned to the courthouse.

Billionaire reality TV star Donald Trump has had his marriage proposal accepted by his girlfriend Melania Knauss. The 33-year-old Slovenian model - who has lived with Trump for five years - showed off her diamond engagement ring at a party at New York's Metropolitan Museum Of Art on Monday, although none of the guests noticed her new addition. Trump - whose latest venture is appearing on the hit American show The Apprentice - has been previously married to Ivana Trump and Marla Maples.

Hollywood star John Malkovich has landed a starring role in the next Harry Potter movie, playing evil Lord Voldemort. The Dangerous Liaisons actor's daughters Amandine, 13 and Lowrie, 12 - huge fans of the fantasy franchise - convinced him to appear in Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire. But he will have to share the part with a computerized puppet - at the beginning of the film, the wizard is supposed to be so wasted by his own evil he is barely a skeleton. A movie insider says, "He is perfect for the role. He will play the 'restored' human version of Lord Voldemort and has a spectacular fight scene with Harry at the end of the film." Mike Newell has taken on directing duties on the fourth Potter picture, which recently began shooting. The first two were helmed by Chris Columbus and the third - the soon to be released Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban - was directed by Alfonso Cuaron.

A man suspected of stalking pop princess Britney Spears has been caught trespassing at her dad's Los Angeles home. Police caught Canadian Daniel J Lachance, 25 allegedly entering Jamie Spears' property on Tuesday - and arrested him on charges of criminal trespassing and stalking. Lachance was held at the Tangipahoa Parish Jail and placed on $150,000 bond. According to police spokeswoman Patti Gainnoble, it was the second time Lachance has been arrested on the property of the Spears family. He was reportedly "trying to locate Britney". The singer, meanwhile, is thousands of kilometers away performing in London on the European leg of her Onyx Hotel tour.

American Idol judge Simon Cowell has rejected claims from superstar Sir Elton John that the TV talent show is racist. The British singer made the claims after seeing Jennifer Hudson - his favorite - voted off the show after competing with fellow black contestants La Toya London and Fantasia Barrino. However, Cowell counters that Hudson was eliminated because she was simply not the best singer. He says, "My gut feeling is the girl who got kicked out wasn't the American Idol. I don't think she was the best singer." The acerbic Cowell added, "I am going to predict La Toya and Diana (Degarmo) to be the two finalists. It's just who I'm guessing America will pick. If it was talent it would be La Toya and Fantasia, but I just don't think it will be those two."

Pierce Brosnan is offering his support to Quentin Tarantino as the Pulp Fiction director bids to take over the James Bond franchise. Tarantino is an unlikely favorite to take charge of the next Bond film after making his love of 007 known to the series's producers. And, after meeting with the maverick director, Brosnan insists Tarantino would be a perfect choice to direct Casino Royale, which was filmed as an unofficial Bond spoof starring David Niven in 1967. He says, "Quentin and I met and he is a huge Bond fan. He wants to remake Casino Royale. I don't know if it's ever going to happen. What Tarantino would bring to the film is life, and just a great sense of excitement and danger, and the perspective of a film-maker who has really made people sit up and watch his movies. He's got a cutting edge, which we got with the last Bond film, Die Another Day - with Lee Tamahori's sense of flair. Someone like Quentin would be magnificent."

American TV chat show host Ellen DeGeneres has vowed to resist the temptation to return to stand-up comedy. The comedienne - who made her name on stage before turning to television - last performed a stand-up show on the 2003 Hear And Now tour, and DeGeneres is happy to leave that as her legacy. She says, "My last tour really was my last tour. I didn't make an announcement like Cher did. But it was my last tour. So I won't be doing stand-up anymore. That Here and Now DVD that's out is my last HBO special and last tour."

Terminator star Michael Biehn is being sued by a Russian production company, who are accusing him of being drunk on the set of a new movie. CTB Film claim Biehn - who played the man sent back through time to stop Arnold Schwarzenegger's Terminator character in the 1984 blockbuster - made sexual advances toward production staff while drunk on the set of Amerikanets. According to the suit, filed in Los Angeles, Biehn showed up drunk on the second day of filming in Russia and was "excessively intoxicated, his speech slurred and erratic, and he had trouble walking". He is also alleged to have carried a Pepsi Cola bottle containing vodka and made advances on female production employees - behavior which continued for several days. CTB claim scenes with Biehn shot in Russia were useless, forcing the company to suspend production. In Amerikanets, Biehn as an American stockbroker who loses millions when a Russian company he invests in declares bankruptcy, and then travels to Russia to seek justice.

Former Buffy The Vampire Slayer star James Marsters has shaved off his famous peroxide locks for charity. The actor, who played vampire Spike on Buffy and spin-off Angel, is sick of his slicked-back blonde look and has shaved it all off to raise cash for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation in Los Angeles. Marsters raised $25,000 for the cause by auctioning off his locks, and has now adopted a shaven new look. He says, "I've been looking forward to like looking in the mirror and seeing the old James - the one I'm used to. I want him back."

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will visit Israel this weekend in a bid to promote racial tolerance. The former actor - whose Austrian father was a ranking member of the Nazi SA (Storm Troopers) - will attend the opening of a groundbreaking new museum dedicated to tolerance, in his first foreign visit since taking office last October. Schwarzenegger's spokeswoman Terri Carbaugh says, "He feels it's critically important to keep his commitment to go to Israel and continue a dialogue about tolerance." Speaking earlier this month, the governor described the trip as "an extraordinary moment for me". He will also meet Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but no talks were scheduled with Palestinian officials.

Frasier star Kelsey Grammer has attacked American TV viewers for addictively watching degrading reality shows, because it gives network bosses the motive to produce more. The sitcom actor - who earns a reported $2.7 million per episode of the long-running show - is furious TV bosses can only attract large audiences by unleashing an endless stream of "crass" reality programs. He says, "No one has cracked the nut of how to get viewership without being sensational or crass. Unfortunately, audiences are responding to people behaving badly."