US-PEOPLE Summary

France's Bruni makes emotional defense of husband Sarkozy

PARIS (Reuters) - Former French first lady Carla Bruni took up a passionate defense of her husband Nicolas Sarkozy on Wednesday, saying it was unthinkable he could have tricked an old lady out of millions of euros. In a blitz of interviews with French media, Bruni said a formal investigation of the ex-president opened last week for allegedly exploiting the mental frailty of 90-year-old L'Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt was causing her great pain.

Justin Bieber flies back to Los Angeles and into more trouble

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Pop sensation Justin Bieber flew from Europe back to his Los Angeles area home on Tuesday and into an argument with one of his neighbors - the latest in a series of odd incidents involving the teen singer. Deputies were called to the 19-year-old's house in Calabasas, California, on Tuesday morning after a neighbor claimed that he had been threatened and struck by Bieber, said Los Angeles County Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore.

"Avatar" director donates dive craft, says 3D movie due in fall

(Reuters) - Film director James Cameron is donating the Deepsea Challenger craft he used to make a record-setting solo dive a year ago to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to speed research into the deepest parts of the world's oceans. Cameron, who is focused now on pre-production for the sequels to his blockbuster movie "Avatar," said he hoped the donation to the non-profit research facility in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, would bring the technology he developed for the undersea craft into the mainstream.

Animals rock veteran Eric Burdon writing memoir

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Eric Burdon, the singer of the 1960s blues-rock band The Animals, is writing a memoir detailing his five decades in the music industry, publisher Alfred Music said on Tuesday. The book, entitled "Breathless," will be released late this year, the publisher said.

Actress Judi Dench rules on stage despite age taking toll

LONDON (Reuters) - Actress Judi Dench may be battling deteriorating eyesight and a failing memory but the veteran performer showed no sign of faltering when she teamed up with fellow James Bond star Ben Whishaw on a London stage on Monday. Dench, 78, one of Britain's most-respected actresses, has tackled a list of stage and film roles over her career, at ease with Shakespeare as in Hollywood, playing M in seven Bond movies before bowing out of 007's life in last year's "Skyfall".

Pop star Bieber can't keep his clothes on at Polish airport

WARSAW (Reuters) - Teenage pop star Justin Bieber paraded through a Polish airport shirtless before flying out of the country, adding to a string of peculiar incidents that have plagued his European tour. The Canadian singer had previously been spotted wearing a bizarre gas mask on a night out in London, where he turned up late for one concert and collapsed on stage with shortness of breath during another.

Singer Dionne Warwick files for bankruptcy

(Reuters) - Grammy Award-winning singer Dionne Warwick has filed for bankruptcy in New Jersey, citing tax liabilities she has attributed to financial mismanagement, her publicist said on Monday. Warwick, 72, known for "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?" and other popular songs, filed the petition on March 21 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New Jersey, the state where she was born and currently lives. She listed total assets of $25,500 and total liabilities of more than $10.7 million, nearly all tax claims by the Internal Revenue Service and the state of California, according to the filing.

'Good Morning America' anchor Robin Roberts to be honored with courage award at 2013 ESPYS

By Greg Gilman LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - "Good Morning America" anchor Robin Roberts, who was one of the first women to anchor ESPN's "SportsCenter" and "NFL Primetime," will be honored with the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the 2013 ESPYS, ESPN announced on Tuesday.

Will Smith rejected 'Django Unchained' because role wasn't big enough

By Brent Lang LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Will Smith is blunt about his reasons for rejecting the role of Django in "Django Unchained."

Hedge fund manager Cohen buys Wynn's Picasso for $155 million: report

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hedge fund manager Steven A. Cohen has bought a famous Picasso painting from casino mogul Steve Wynn for a record price, according to a report in the New York Post on Tuesday. Cohen, who runs $15 billion hedge fund firm SAC Capital Advisors, purchased "Le Rêve," a 1932 oil painting of Picasso's mistress, for $155 million, the New York Post said, citing an unnamed source.