Oprah Winfrey's television network is facing more problems. OWN has layed off one-fifth of its workers and is restructuring its operations in New York and Los Angeles. All in all, 30 employees have been fired. The news follows the network's recent shut down of Rosie O'Donnell's talk show, which was canceled due to low ratings.
Nicollette Sheridan's wrongful termination lawsuit against the producers of "Desperate Housewives" has ended in a mistrial. Jurors in the case said they were "hopelessly deadlocked." Attorneys for both sides told reporters that they were prepared to try the case again.
Ashton Kutcher is headed to space. The actor has signed on to be the 500th customer of Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic space tours - which takes tourists into orbit at a cost of 200,000 dollars a ticket. The space program is currently in its final testing stages.
George Michael has rescheduled dates of a tour he was forced to cancel when he fell ill with severe pneumonia last year. The singer will re-start his "Symphonica" tour on September 4 with a new concert in Vienna, where he will donate 1,000 tickets as a thank you to the medical staff who treated him there.
Finally, "Harry Potter" star Jamie Waylett, who played Hogwarts bully Vincent Crabbe in six of the films, has been sentenced to two years in jail. The actor was convinced of violent disorder for taking part in the rioting that flared across England last summer.
Bob Mezan, Reuters.
