In what may be the most bizarre celebrity news since….well, ever, Us Weekly is reporting that beleaguered pop star Michael Jackson is set to be the father of quadruplets, via a surrogate mother. The magazine quoted ubiquitous "unnamed sources" as saying that Jackson recently visited with the mother-to-be in Miami Beach. Strangely, the one detail that was reported by major media outlets was that Jackson stayed in a $4,000-a-night luxury hotel suite. Us Weekly also stated that Jackson's spokesperson would neither confirm nor deny the possible pregnancy, saying "We do not respond to these kinds of stories." For those few who may not know, Jackson is currently facing child molestation charges, with a trial set for Sept. 13. --Prepared by IMDb staff

Former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham was left terrified on Sunday night - when a screaming intruder carrying gasoline was tackled outside her mansion. Victoria - married to soccer superstar David Beckham - was watching television with sons Brooklyn, five, and Romeo, 22 months, when the unnamed local man was grabbed by security after he climbed the perimeter fence of the couple's Hertfordshire, England home. Victoria rushed the two boys to her parents home nearby, while police promptly arrived and arrested the man. He was later released on police bail. The 38-year-old intruder is thought to have a history of mental illness and, along with the canister of gasoline, was carrying a crowbar. British newspaper The Sun reports he also had "white powder" on his person, thought to be an illegal substance. Real Madrid ace David was not home at the time. An insider says, "Victoria is shaken up. She only had the children with her when the man broke into the grounds. He was ranting and raving about David. He wasn't really making any sense but the terrifying thing was that he had gasoline with him. Neither Victoria nor David can bear to think what he was planning to do with it. It looks as if he was deliberately targeting the property for whatever reason. He knew exactly where he was and where he was going. He had intent to cause some kind of damage."

Singer Linda Ronstadt has become the latest celebrity political casualty, after being fired for praising Michael Moore's controversial film Fahrenheit 9/11 during a live performance. Before singing "Desperado" for an encore at Las Vegas' Aladdin hotel and casino on Saturday night, the 58-year-old singer called Moore a "great American patriot" and "someone who is spreading the truth". She also encouraged the audience to see the documentary, which criticizes American President George W Bush. Ronstadt's comments drew loud boos and some of the 4,500 people in attendance stormed out of the theatre. People also tore down concert posters and tossed cocktails into the air. Aladdin president Bill Timmins says, "It was a very ugly scene. She praised him and all of a sudden all bedlam broke loose." Timmins quickly decided Ronstadt had to go - for good. He says he didn't allow Ronstadt back in her luxury suite and she was escorted off the property. He adds, "(Ronstadt's antics) spoiled a wonderful evening for our guests and we had to do something about it. As long as I'm here, she's not going to play." Ronstadt had been booked to play the Aladdin for only one show. Last week, comedienne Whoopi Goldberg was dropped as a spokesperson for diet aid company Slim-Fast after she mocked Bush during a fund-raiser.

Arnold Schwarzenegger has sparked controversy in California by slamming local lawmakers as "girlie men". The Terminator star - who won the Governorship of the state last October - was speaking at a rally in Ontario when he made the remark, which prompted Democrats to call him homophobic and sexist. He told the crowd, "If they don't have the guts to come up here in front of you and say, 'I don't want to represent you, I want to represent those special interests, the unions, the trial lawyers ... if they don't have the guts, I call them girlie men." State Senator Sheila Kuehl angrily responds, "It uses an image that is associated with gay men in an insulting way, and it was supposed to be an insult. That's very troubling that he would use such a homophobic way of trying to put down legislative leadership."

Superstar actor Tom Cruise needs a new director for Mission Impossible 3 following film-maker Joe Carnahan's dramatic decision to quit. The Jerry Maguire star - who is reprising his role as secret agent Ethan Hunt for the third time - is now hunting for a replacement. Carnahan cited "creative differences" as his reason for leaving the project. Studio Paramount have already delayed the film's release date until June 2005 but filming is scheduled to begin next month in Berlin, Germany. Mission Impossible 3 boasts an impressive cast including Scarlett Johansson, Carrie-Anne Moss, Kenneth Branagh and Ving Rhames.

Swedish film-maker Ingmar Bergman has announced his retirement from his illustrious career as he enters his 86th year. The Seventh Seal director has bid adieu to his working life - namely his theatre career which last saw him directing Henrik Ibsen's play Ghosts in 2002. Bergman tells Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter, "After Ghosts I decided that now it's over. Now it's enough. They won't have to carry me out of the theatre. I'll walk out myself. No one is going to say: 'Now the old man should know it's time to stop'." Bergman - who lives on the small island Faaroe in the Baltic Sea - admits he does miss his life working in the theatre. He says, "The theatre and the actors are what I miss the most when I'm sitting out on Faaroe. I didn't think I would miss the actors so much." Referring to his fifth wife who died in 1995, he adds, "Ingrid has been gone now for almost ten years, but I feel close to her here." As for his approach to work, Bergman says, "It's not about talent, but rather the need to be prepared. I can't improvise. I have to be extremely well prepared before I go to work. I am pathologically afraid that everything will go to hell, so I try to prepare everything and to predict any possible catastrophes."

British actor Sir Ben Kingsley enraged workers and co-stars on his new film Mrs Harris - by ignoring people who failed to address him by his proper title. The Schindler's List actor stars alongside Annette Benning and Ellen Burstyn in the drama, and caused tension on set with his insistence that everyone referred to him as "Sir Ben" at all times. One disgruntled source tells Page Six.com, "He insisted everyone call him by his title, 'Sir,' and if they didn't he would get angry or ignore them. He takes that knighting thing very seriously. He was very adamant and it turned off a lot of people." Sir Ben was knighted in 2001 by British monarch Queen Elizabeth II.

Pop icon Madonna has been criticized by dancers on her current Re-Invention Tour for low wages and harsh stage conditions. The singer, 45, pays her dancers under $1,000 per concert - compared to her take-home wage of $2 million per show - and the air conditioning on stage is kept to a minimum to maintain Madonna's voice. A source says of Madonna's 12 on-stage athletes, "I know they're not getting paid that much, considering how much they're working." One dancer complains, "Sometimes it's insanely hot. It's very hard to breathe, and they have oxygen in our dressing room." Another insider comments how Madonna spends limited time with her dancers and that the "only time they see her is during sound check and during the show". However star dancer Seth Stewart - who can be seen tangoing with Madonna on-stage - insists, "She treats us like royalty. She even had us to her house for a cookout." Madonna's spokeswoman Liz Rosenberg adds, "The dancers seem very happy. I haven't heard otherwise."

Controversial director Michael Moore claims Mel Gibson backed out of financing his hit documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 after Republican sources told the actor he would never be invited to the White House again. The explosive Palme D'Or-winning documentary, which examines American President George W Bush's decisions following the September 11 attacks and the run-up to the war in Iraq, was rejected by their original financier Icon, owned by Gibson. Moore says, "We were just starting the film when I got a call from my agent who said he'd spoken to someone at Icon who was wondering if there was a way to get out of the deal. They said they'd received calls from several top Republicans - people connected to the White House. These people made it clear that Mel Gibson wouldn't get any invitations to the White House if they went ahead and financed the film." Icon dropped the deal soon after, but luckily for Moore, Miramax boss Harvey Weinstein stepped in and saved the day.

Sexy actress Halle Berry counts the skintight catsuit she had to wear for Catwoman as the "true highlight" of making the movie. The Oscar-winning beauty enjoyed slipping into the sassy outfit for her feline character on a daily basis. She says, "(The suit was) the highlight of the whole movie experience. It was empowering. Besides the obvious sex appeal, it really takes a certain level of confidence to pull it off. We all have physical flaws, but you can't hide them when you're wearing it." But fans hoping to get their hands on the outfit which adorned her curvaceous body are in for a disappointment as Berry plans to keep it for herself. She explains, "It's mainly because I didn't want it to end up on eBay." And Berry is also unsure whether her movie outfit will spark any kind of fashion frenzy, adding, "They've always been in fashion, but they come and go. They're not the most practical thing to go around wearing."

Former Baywatch hunk Michael Bergin has been arrested for drunk driving. The actor, who recently shocked America with his tell-all book about his romance with former girlfriend Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, was arrested on Friday and charged with felony driving under the influence. Police reportedly pulled Bergin over after he allegedly struck a woman who was rollerblading across a West Hollywood street. The 35-year-old actor spent Friday night in jail before his release after he posted bail. The woman who was allegedly struck has been hospitalized since the accident and must undergo surgery for her injured leg.