Actress Julia Roberts has given birth to twins - more than a month before they were due. The Erin Brockovich star, married to cameraman Daniel Moder, is now a proud mother to a boy and a girl, named Phinnaeus Walter and Hazel Patricia. Roberts' spokeswoman Marcy Engelman said yesterday, "Roberts gave birth early this morning at a Southern California hospital. Mother and babies are doing great." The babies' safe delivery comes after Roberts' pregnancy scare last month, when she was confined to bed after suffering early contractions.

Former Cheers star Shelley Long is back home after an alleged drug overdose, although her manager insists she merely took one pain pill too many to combat a severe back ache. The 55-year-old actress' spokesman Martin Mickelson has denied American newspaper reports that the star took an overdose after battling depression following the break-up of her 22-year marriage. The New York Post claimed Long was hospitalized on November 16. Mickelson insists she merely misjudged her pain medication and spent a night in hospital.

Moviemaker George Lucas wants his first Star Wars sequel banned, as he is so disappointed with its quality. The one-off, two-hour-long The Star Wars Holiday Special was originally screened on the CBS network in 1978 and tells the story of Chewbacca's journey home with Hans Solo to celebrate Life Day with his family. During the course of the much-maligned movie, Carrie Fisher's beautiful Leia is seen reducing Hans Solo and Luke Skywalker to tears with a song. A contributor on the Star Wars website comments, "The Holiday Special has always been the red-headed step child of the Star Wars family." While a source at LucasFilm adds, "The Holiday Special was the biggest f***-up ever. The Force was definitely not with Mr. Lucas the day that doozy was born."

Movie veteran Kirk Douglas is being sued by a 64-year-old financial salesman, who claims he was left with a severe hernia after the Spartacus star crashed into him in Beverly Hills. John Robert is seeking compensation of more than $50,000 for lost wages and medical expenses for the crash two years ago. The new suit comes just days before Douglas' 88th birthday. Speaking exclusively to American court show Celebrity Justice, Robert says, "He (Douglas) be a fine man, but he shouldn't be driving a car." Robert claims he was "clipped" by the actor's car while he was standing by the rear door of his own vehicle. The plaintiff alleges his car was damaged and he suffered a hernia. Robert adds, "Frankly, in some strange way, I feel glad I'm alive, and I'm not a cripple." The actor's legal team insists the suit is frivolous and little more than an attempt to take advantage of the star.

Mel Gibson has earned a staggering $414 million from his controversial pet project The Passion Of The Christ. Gibson's earnings are likely to increase with DVD and pay-per-view television sales of the film, which was only released in American cinemas nine months ago, before going on to be screened around the world. Movie analyst Tim Briody says, "It's the all-time highest grosser of a film not released in the summer or holidays." The movie, which documents Jesus Christ's final hours on earth, profited from a publicity storm whipped up before its release - some critics criticized its graphic violence, while others branded it anti-Semitic.

Hollywood star Kevin Spacey is considering quitting movie acting, to concentrate on his musical career. The Oscar winner, who plays fifties crooner Bobby Darin in the Beyond The Sea, is keen to return to his roots and concentrate on living the life of a singer-songwriter. The actor has already planned to tour with Beyond The Sea co-stars, The John Wilson Orchestra, in America. Spacey explains, "My background was on stage and in musicals so it's a case of going back to my roots. If this all goes well - the tour and the movie - I have a good mind to jack in all the acting things and just live the life of a singer-songwriter. Sounds good, right? Well, you'll just have to wait and see."

Oscar-winning actress Vanessa Redgrave has launched a new British political party devoted to human rights. The 67-year-old Howards End star fronted the party on Saturday along with her brother and the father of a Guantanamo Bay detainee. Titled The Peace And Progress Party, the organization aims to field candidates and endorse politicians with strong human rights records in the next general election. Vanessa's brother Corin Redgrave says, "Our goal is to ring the alarm bells about the human rights abuses our government is sanctioning, and to act as a focus for people who want to stand up against them." Political activist Corin suggested four British prisoners at Guantanamo Bay could run as party candidates, as a means of protesting against their detention and the alleged human rights abuses at the prison on a US naval base in Cuba. Corin says, "It could be one highly effective way of sending a message through the polls."

Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe ordered the movie sequel's cast and crew to pose for photos 20 feet under water - for a bizarre Christmas card The 15-year-old actor - who plays the boy wizard - had finished shooting a mermaid scene for his latest movie Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire and decided to take advantage of the specially constructed tank, by staging an aquatic photo shoot and asking computer experts to add reindeer antlers and snow for his festive cards. Radcliffe explains on his website DanRadcliffe.co.uk, "It was taken 20 feet down in a tank specially constructed at Leavesden Studios in Watford, England. Every person you see helped me through this very demanding sequence."

A woman who has allegedly been stalking singer George Michael is undergoing assessment in a British mental hospital to determine if she is fit to stand trial. Lucy Nowak is being held at London's Highgate Mental Health Centre after being arrested for the second time over claims she is stalking and harassing the star. Nowak had already been charged with breaking into Michael's house in Oxfordshire, England, but was bailed and ordered not to contact him or go within 100 meters of his British homes. However, magistrates in Oxford were told on Friday that she has broken the order after bombarding Michael with a succession of emails.

Nicole Kidman has made it into the 50th anniversary edition of the Guinness Book Of Records after becoming the highest paid actress in a commercial. The Aussie movie star netted $3.71 million for her part in a four-minute Baz Luhrmann-directed Chanel No.5 ad. The Guinness book editors note that the actress earned $928,800-per-minute.