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Natalie Portman knows from fanboys. First, there were the Star Wars prequels. Now, there's Thor.

So what exactly attracts an Oscar-nominated actress to comic-book fare? A love of Norse mythology? Beefy blond guys twirling hammers? A potential franchise? Not quite.

"I just thought it sounded like a really weird idea 'cause Kenneth Branagh's directing it," Portman said during the weekend junket for her much more highbrow flick, Brothers.

"And Ken Branagh doing Thor is super weird. I've got to do it."

She's in good company. Portman will star alongside Chris Hemsworth (as the hammer-wielding god of thunder), Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgård and Stuart Townsend. Filming starts in January for a 2011 release.

The decidedly less weird Brothers, with Tobey Maguire and Jake Gyllenhaal, hits theaters Dec. 3.

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Thor isn't the only flick stocking up on A-listers. Check out our Casting Couch gallery now!

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Tobey Maguire is still Spider-Man. And that ticks off Jake Gyllenhaal.

See, Gyllenhaal almost took over the superhero role in 2003 when Maguire's bum back had him sidelined. Maguire healed. Gyllenhaal still stews.

"People have very often said to me that I look like Tobey," Gyllehaal laughingly told us at the weekend press junket for their new film, Brothers, in which they play—yes—brothers. "To all those cab drivers in New York, I'm not Spider-Man!"

As for the guy who is Spidey, Maguire insisted there's no ill will between him and Gyllenhaal over the near-replacement in the big-bucks franchise.

"I got really excited about the idea of working with these guys [Gyllenhaal, costar Natalie Portman and director Jim Sheridan]," he said of the new Oscar-baiting sibling-rivalry drama, due out Dec. 3.

But inquiring minds really wanted scoop on Spider-Man 4. And this is what Maguire told us.

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Just as John Kerry predicted, his daughter's DUI charge has disappeared. But prosecutors say it's business as usual.

The Los Angeles City Attorney's office confirmed to E! News today that actress-filmmaker Alexandra Forbes Kerry won't be facing a misdemeanor charge following her arrest last week.

"Our prosecutors had an opportunity to review the report that was sent to us and felt there was insufficient evidence to warrant the filing of charges," spokesman Frank Mateljan said, noting that  the 36-year-old registered .06 on a Breathalyzer test—a smidge under California's legal limit of .08.

He also dismissed any speculation of favoritism, saying that prosecutors traditionally decline to move forward with such borderline cases.

After she was pulled over Thursday, her ever diplomatic dad released a statement noting Alexandra was under the limit and expressing his full support for her.

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The police aren't giving up Alexandra's pic, but we've got plenty more in our Mug-Shot Mania photo gallery.

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Well, that's one less legal headache Howard K. Stern has to worry about.

With a criminal trial looming on the question of whether he conspired to drug Anna Nicole Smith, the lawyer has settled a $60 million defamation suit he filed against former MSNBC anchor Rita Cosby over a tawdry tome she wrote.

A petition for dismissal was filed on Friday, Stern attorney Steve Sadow confirms to E! News, but he would not comment further "pursuant to the terms of the settlement."

That sound you're hearing is the husky-voiced journo clearing her throat in relief.

Stern was seeking big bucks for several blockbuster allegations in Cosby's Blonde Ambition: The Untold Story Behind Anna Nicole Smith's Death that he insisted were outright lies.

Cosby falsely claimed Stern engaged in sexual romps with Smith's baby daddy Larry Birkhead and also suggested the former paternity foes hatched a secret deal in which Stern agreed to support Birkhead's eventually successful bid to gain custody over Dannielynn in exchange for the celebrity photographer backing Stern to remain as executor of the late Playmate's estate.

Earlier this year, Stern dropped similar defamation claims against former Smith bodyguard Mark Speer, whom Stern claimed was Cosby's main source. Stern is still seeking punitive damages against defendant Elizabeth "Jackie" Hatten, a sister of one of Smith's ex-beaus.

After all, he's got his own legal bills to pay.

—Additional reporting by Lindsay Miller

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See little Dannielynn in her own gallery, Growing Up in Anna Nicole's Shadow.

Kanye West might have a problem with it, but this is definitely Taylor Swift's year.

The 19-year-old twanger pocketed a leading five prizes, including the biggest, Artist of the Year, at Sunday's American Music Awards, while Michael Jackson made some history from beyond the grave.

The late King of Pop won four posthumous awards—including Favorite Pop/Rock Artist and Pop/Rock Album for his 2003 greatest-hits set, Number Ones—bringing his AMA career total to 25.

In a night when neither of the top winners was present (Jackson for obvious reasons; Swift was in London rehearsing for a show at Wembley Arena), the Los Angeles cemerony was marked by a couple of outrageous performances (thank you, Adam Lambert and Lady Gaga) and welcome comebacks by Rihanna and Whitney Houston. But in the end, the ghost of Jackson was the night's most compelling presence.

"We love you, Michael," said a sequin-glove-sporting Jermaine Jackson, who accepted the honor on his brother's behalf. "It's not just about the winnings, the awards, it's mainly the message. The message that Michael had will live on forever...and he saw good in everyone and he wanted them to do good.  To start with love and let's love each other."

Sister Janet kicked things off with a medley of her hits. Even Swift, who accepted her Artist of the Year award (without interruption) live via satellite, paid tribute to Michael, who she beat.

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Oprah Winfrey says it's the "exact right time" to say goodbye.

In a Very Special episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show airing today, Winfrey confirms plans to pull the plug on her namesake program on Sept. 9, 2011.

"I love this show. This show has been my life. And I love it enough to know when it's time to say goodbye," a tearful Winfrey tells her studio audience.

"Twenty-five years feels right in my bones and it feels right in my spirit. It's the perfect number—the exact right time. So I hope that you will take this 18-month ride with me right through to the final show."

Her decision, she says, came after "prayer and careful thought."

So farewell to the couch-jumping, car-giving, celeb-confessing, book clubbing, weight-watching, housewife-inspiring hijinks that earned her a bucketload of Emmys and loyal audience of some 42 million viewers each week.

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UPDATE: Responding to the arrest, a rep for Sen. John Kerry offered this statement:

"Alexandra Kerry was pulled over for an expired registration and was released after the results of a  breathalyzer test at the police station were under the legal limit. Senator Kerry supports his daughter and will have no further comment on a private matter."
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Alexandra Kerry doesn't have to worry about swift boats, just boozy rides.

The filmmaking eldest daughter of former presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry was busted early Thursday for driving under the influence, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department confirms to E! News.

Dad's not gonna be too happy about this.

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Let's just say this doesn't look good for the defense.

The surrogate mom who gave birth in July to Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick's twin girls took center stage today in her own courtroom drama. Michelle Ross testified in the criminal trial of an Ohio lawman accused of orchestrating a break-in at her home to dig up dirt he could then sell to the tabloids.

Ross said she learned of the alleged scheme by Martins Ferry Police Chief Barry Carpenter from a paparazzo, who had come to town hoping to snag a picture of her while she was pregnant with the Sex and the City star's children.

She said she noticed someone had rifled through her belongings and, per the local WTOV-TV, some items were misplaced, including a plaster cast of her tummy when she was preggers with her own son, not Parker and Broderick's.

Ross, who refused to be videotaped or voice recorded while on the stand, also told the jury that ultrasound pictures and documents with tax information had disappeared.

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For someone who won Big Brother, you'd think Adam Jasinski could get along with his housemates. Think again.

The trouble-prone season-nine champ of the CBS reality series has filed a petition with a federal court in Boston practically begging to be let out of the slammer and be allowed to move back in with mom and dad.

The erstwhile Big Brother contestant is asking to serve house arrest while he awaits trial for allegedly using his $500,000 grand prize to finance a drug-trafficking ring. He promises to wear a monitoring device, surrender his passport, regularly check in with an officer and submit to drug tests.

And he made it through his whole request without referring to anyone as a "retard."

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Let's hope this is The E.N.D. of it.

The road manager for the Black Eyed Peas, Liborio "Polo" Molina, offered up a half-hearted apology today for punching Perez Hilton outside a Toronto nightclub back in June. But lest you think there was some kind of kumbaya moment, Molina quickly added that the Boom Boom Pow could've been avoided if the overwrought celebrity blogger hadn't instigated him by calling Will.i.am a "f----t."

"I apologize for what I did on June 22, 2009, even though you engaged in highly offensive comments, including a homophobic slur to my clients. I acknowledge that these kinds of issues should not be resolved through a physical response," wrote Molina in a brief letter read this morning by his lawyer, Mark Sandler, outside a Canadian courthouse.

Tell us how you really feel, Polo.

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When it comes to the Emmys, NBC is definitely not ready to play ball.

Due to a scheduling conflict with its Sunday Night Football franchise, the Peacock has decided to push up next year's 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards to Aug. 29 from its usual September berth.

We're guessing NBC isn't too worried about the switcheroo. The last time the statuettes were doled out in the dog days of summer was Aug. 27, 2006—which happened to pull in bigger ratings than any Emmycast since.

Nominations will be unveiled July 8. 

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AP Photo/Reed Saxon

The man whose son derailed Michael Jackson's career with blockbuster accusations of molestation is dead of an apparent suicide.

Evan Chandler, 65, was found in his luxury New Jersey apartment Nov. 5 with a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head and the weapon still in his hand, police confirm.

The former Beverly Hills dentist and aspiring screenwriter did not leave behind a suicide note. However, detectives found prescription medication indicating he was suffering from a serious medical condition. Police did not disclose the nature of Chandler's illness.

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