Ralph Fiennes's week took a turn for the better yesterday when the newly-dumped star of The Constant Gardener picked up a Best British Actor nod at the London Film Critics' Circle awards - while co-star Rachel Weisz triumphed in the female category. Fiennes, who split from actress Francesca Annis on Tuesday following reports he is romancing a Romanian singer, was hailed for his role in the gritty political thriller. Gay cowboy romance Brokeback Mountain grabbed an equal share of success with wins for Film of the Year and a Director of the Year award for its maker Ang Lee. Awards chairman William Russell said, "Brokeback Mountain has all the ingredients of a classic love story, except that the lovers are two young ranch hands who fall in love one summer while herding sheep, but go on to marry and have children, while continuing to meet over the years. Ang Lee has succeeded in presenting this highly controversial situation in an intelligent and sensitive fashion, and secured outstanding performances from the entire cast. It is a feat which has been rightly recognized." Elsewhere, Downfall star Bruno Ganz picked up Actor of the Year for his mesmerizing portrayal of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, while Naomi Watts won Actress of the Year for King Kong at the London ceremony.

Officials don't plan to press charges against pop star Britney Spears after she was photographed driving with her infant son on her lap. Spears blames the incident on the paparazzi harassing her while she was waiting in the car for her bodyguard to get coffee. Nevertheless, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department says deputies went to Spears' home to collect information for the County Department of Children and Family Services. They have also strongly condemned the incident, maintaining driving with an infant who is not restrained in a car seat is against the law, as well as dangerous. Officer Joe Zizi from the California Highway Patrol explains, "If the vehicle hits another vehicle, hits a pole, hits a wall, there is not enough force in an individual to restrain that child and that child will go flying." Spears has released a statement saying she was terrified by the physically aggressive tactics the paparazzi used to get photos of her and her son, Sean Preston. The agency who took the pictures, X17, has also responded saying, "These pictures were taken in a very peaceful context, in which photographers exhibited no aggressive behavior. We believe that the pictures speak for themselves."

Best friends Matt Damon and Ben Affleck will star onscreen together for the first time in seven years when they appear in a new real-life legal drama. The pair will play lawyers battling to overturn a murder conviction in the untitled movie. The Good Will Hunting Oscar-winners have taken a number of cameo roles in the same films, but last appeared together in leading roles in 1999's Dogma; the two also made a cameo appearance together in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. Affleck will feature as Michael Banks and Damon as J. Gordon Cooney - two lawyers who secured nine stays of execution for convicted John Tompson, but finally got him cleared of all charges after a 15-year battle.

The Daily Show host Jon Stewart is celebrating after his wife Tracey gave birth to their second child on Saturday. The 43-year-old funnyman, who will host the Oscars next month, and his veterinary technician wife, 38, welcomed a baby girl in a New York hospital. The couple, who wed in 2000, have a 19-month-old son Nathan Thomas. TV network Comedy Central posted a message on their website, declaring: "Mom, dad, baby and big brother are all doing great." Stewart's spokesman Matt Labov tells People magazine, "Maggie Rose Stewart was born on Saturday afternoon in Manhattan and she was six pounds, nine ounces."

Pop superstar Michael Jackson has laughed off reports he has been approached by the Vatican to sing a selection of late pontiff Pope John Paul II's prayers. The Thriller hitmaker, currently living in Bahrain, was reportedly approached by the Millennium Music Society's Reverend Giuseppe Moscati to set the 24 prayers and chants to music. Jackson's spokeswoman Raymone Bain has denied the claims, saying, "(Michael) is unaware of this project. Contrary to published reports in Italy, and the United States, Michael Jackson has not participated in any discussions with the Vatican or Edizioni Musicali Terzo Millennio, an Italian music label specializing in religious songs, to record music to Pope John Paul II's prayers." However, Bain admits Jackson was approached by the Catholic Church in 2005 during his high-profile child molestation court battle. She adds, "Because he was in trial at the time, he was not able to focus on it."

Actress Heather Locklear slapped rocker husband Richie Sambora with divorce papers after finding sexy emails from a female admirer, according to a US magazine. The pair were working through a rough patch in their relationship when Locklear discovered an e-mail which contained "provocative pictures" of a female that had long been "a sore subject" between the couple. The Melrose Place actress had never thought that the woman and Sambora had been romantically involved, but after seeing the photos she decided to move forward with divorce proceedings. A friend of the couple tells People magazine, "She's devastated. Absolutely devastated." The friend also says Sambora is just as upset about the photos as Locklear saying, "Richie's saying nothing ever happened, that he never asked for the pictures." Locklear announced last Thursday that she was divorcing her rocker husband of 11 years, citing irreconcilable differences. Sambora was on tour with his band Bon Jovi and was caught off guard by the announcement.

Tom Cruise persuaded rapper Kanye West to change his mind about creating a new theme for Mission: Impossible III by paying him a visit. The movie star was adamant West should be involved in the soundtrack and when the rap star announced he was too busy to play around with the classic theme, Cruise refused to take no for an answer. Cruise tells MTV News, "I'm a big fan of his work and we said, 'What's Kanye doing?' - 'He's busy, busy, busy.' So... I went by and he's got two songs that he wrote that are just unbelievable - he did a version of 'Mission: Impossible' and an original... It is 'Wow'. When you see an artist that you just respect and he's so talented. I was like, 'Man, I'd love to see what he's gonna do with this.' You've got to hear what he did with it. It's Kanye West and it's really extraordinary. I looked at him and said, 'Man, you killed it.'"

A Polish housekeeper has tearfully admitted stealing from a string of celebrities including Robert De Niro and Boston Legal star Candice Bergen. The maid broke down in court yesterday as she pleaded guilty to grand larceny, identity theft and forgery. Her confession will see her sentenced to just one to three years in prison, after striking a plea deal last month. Lucyna Turyk-Wawrynowicz, 35, stole a pair of diamond earrings belonging to De Niro's wife, Grace Hightower worth a staggering $95,500. Last August, the housekeeper maintained in court she only stole the jewelery because Hightower was mean to her. Bergen meanwhile, had a leather jacket and cameras taken from her home. Lead investigator Detective Richard Kenny has vowed to return Turyk-Wawrynowicz's haul to the victims immediately. The disgraced maid also confessed to the judge that she stole the identity of an eight-year-old girl to obtain residency and work papers in the US.

A representative for singer and actress Mandy Moore has dismissed stories that Moore and her boyfriend, Zach Braff, are engaged. PR representative Kelly Bush stated that the recent Februrary 2 story "Zach and Mandy to Wed?" was false; the piece cited In Touch Weekly as saying that friends of the couple had reported the two were scheduling an April wedding, and that Braff had presented Moore with an engagement ring. Though they are not engaged, the couple recently did join forces on another undertaking, as Moore just appeared in two episodes of Braff's sitcom Scrubs this past Tuesday.

Uma Thurman has been made a Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters (Commandeur Dans Ordre Des Arts Et Des Lettres) by the president of France's Cannes Film Festival. The Pulp Fiction star has been recognized for her work as an actress. Presenting the prize, on behalf of France's Culture Ministry, Gilles Jacob told Thurman she was "admired throughout the world", adding her career would "make her the favorite actress of an entire generation." Thurman replied, "I'm so flattered and touched by your comments." The Order of Arts and Letters is given out twice annually to a few hundred people worldwide. Previous winners include Robert Redford and Meryl Streep.

Lindsay Lohan may have found a new man in the shape of rocker Ryan Adams. The actress/singer, who was recently romantically linked to her Chapter 27 co-star Jared Leto, has been quietly dating Adams for a month, according to American magazine In Touch. A pal tells the publication, "She's spending all her free time with him. She has been staying at his Greenwich Village (New York) apartment almost every night. She thinks musicians are sexy and she's a fan of his music."