People in the news

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Gwyneth Paltrow is being sued by two people who accuse her of crashing her rental car into their vehicle, injuring both. <br><br>The accident occurred in West Hollywood on April 24,

Tuesday, April 25th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Gwyneth Paltrow is being sued by two people who accuse her of crashing her rental car into their vehicle, injuring both.

The accident occurred in West Hollywood on April 24, 1999,according to the Superior Court lawsuit. Midway Rent-A-Car was also named.

There were no details about the accident in the suit filed by Veronica Cabello and H. Jorge Arauz. They're seeking unspecified damages for medical expenses as well as repair of their car, attorney James Earle said.

The nature of their "permanent and serious injuries" wasn't disclosed.

Telephone messages left for Paltrow's publicist, Stephen Huvane, and attorney, Harold Brown, weren't immediately returned Tuesday.

Paltrow isn't the first actress with road trouble in recent days.

Halle Berry pleaded innocent April 7 to leaving the scene of an accident, also in West Hollywood, in which both she and the driver of another car were injured.

She faces up to a year in jail if convicted.

In March, Catherine Zeta-Jones was sued by a woman who says she was hurt in a car crash last summer. She was a passenger in the car Zeta-Jones was driving when it crashed in Pacific Palisades, the suit said.

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ATLANTA (AP) -- Former South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu is going home after two years as a visiting professor of theology at Emory University.

Students and faculty members at Emory's Candler School of Theology will bid Tutu farewell Thursday, when he conducts a worship service in the school's Cannon Chapel.

Tutu, 68, the former Anglican archbishop of Cape Town, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his efforts to end apartheid in South Africa. He has been at Emory since August 1998, writing and teaching. He also has traveled widely in the United States to address national and international groups.

Last fall, he was treated at Emory University Hospital for prostate cancer. His doctors said this spring there has been no sign of the cancer returning.
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LOS ANGELES (AP) -- There's more to Bruce Willis' appearances on "Friends" than a potential ratings boost.

Willis, who agreed to be a guest star on NBC's "Friends" for three episodes during the May sweeps, is donating his earnings from the show to five charities. The amount of money wasn't disclosed.

The American Foundation for AIDS Research, AIDS Project Los Angeles, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, the Rape Treatment Center and UCLA Unicamp for underprivileged children will share the money, Willis publicist Paul Bloch said Tuesday.

On "Friends," Willis plays the widowed father of Ross' new girlfriend.

Willis became friendly with "Friends" actor Matthew Perry when they both starred in the movie "The Whole Nine Yards."
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ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- City plans to honor "Peanuts" creator and St. Paul native Charles Schulz with a display of fiberglass Snoopys has won the support of his family.

The city has proposed a series of Snoopys decorated in various artistic styles to be put on public display this summer. As many as 50 of the beloved beagles could be included.

Details of the plan are to be announced Friday by Mayor Norm Coleman.

While the colorful statues are meant as a temporary tribute, the city also is working on a permanent memorial to Schulz, said Erich Mische, the mayor's director of strategic initiatives.

Ideas under consideration include an endowed chair of illustration at the College of Visual Arts, an annual illustrators' symposium and award, or perhaps incorporating "Peanuts" characters into streetlight designs.

Schulz, 77, died of colon cancer on Feb. 12, the eve of publication of the last Sunday "Peanuts" comic strip.
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HONOLULU (AP) -- Britney Spears says she stays grounded with the help of three childhood friends.

"A lot of people change," the 18-year-old pop diva said, "and a lot of people try to change you. But it's very important to stay grounded and be yourself."

Those friends are accompanying her on the Hawaii leg of a month-long tour promoting her new CD, "Oops ... I Did It Again."

Spears entertained thousands of fans at a free Waikiki concert Monday, part of a "Britney in Hawaii" FOX TV special that will air in June.

The singer also said she is getting used to her packed schedule since the release of her hit CD, "... Baby One More Time."

"It's fun being me," she said. "Of course, there are a lot of bad days. But I try to be positive. I have a lot of good days, as well."