Names and faces

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- "Almost Famous" actress Kate Hudson, daughter of Goldie Hawn, married rocker Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes on New Year's Eve.

The couple exchanged wedding vows during a ceremony in Aspen, Colo., Hudson spokesman Brad Cafarelli said Monday.

Actor Kurt Russell, Hawn's longtime boyfriend, gave away the bride.

Hudson, 21, was nominated for a supporting actress Golden Globe for her role as a groupie in the film about '70s rock, "Almost Famous." Robinson, 34, is the Black Crowes' lead singer. The group had a hit in 1999 with "Only a Fool."

Leeza Gibbons named in lawsuit

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (AP) -- Television personality Leeza Gibbons and comedian David Brenner have been sued for defamation by a former girlfriend of Brenner's.

A lawsuit filed by Charisse Brody Weason alleges that during a Dec. 7, 1999, episode of the television talk show "Leeza," Brenner made derogatory comments about Brody Weason's parenting ability.

Brody Weason and Brenner had a relationship that resulted in the birth of a son, who is now a teen-ager, an attorney for Brody Weason said.The boy has lived with Brenner following a custody fight with Brody Weason.

'Star Trek' actress kept in dark

RADNOR, Pa. (AP) -- "Star Trek: Voyager" actress Jeri Ryan says cast members don't have to worry about not giving away the ending of the series' seventh and final season -- producers aren't telling them.

"They're afraid we'll squeal," she said.

Ryan, quoted in next week's issue of "TV Guide," said if she had to take a guess, "I suspect that we'll get home."

Ryan, who donned vampire teeth for her current role in "Wes Craven Presents Dracula news," said she hopes her next character will require a little less makeup.

"I'd love to do something without special effects or rubber glued to my face," she said. "It'd be a nice change of pace."

Blue has lost his human sidekick.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Steve Burns, the 27-year-old host of Nickelodeon's hit show "Blue's Clues," has decided to leave the cartoon stage.

"I didn't really want to become Krusty the Klown in front of the nation," Burns told Time magazine in its Jan. 8 issue, referring to the bumbling clown in "The Simpsons."

Burns teamed with the blue cartoon dog named Blue five years ago, helping TV-watching toddlers learn deductive reasoning. He made the role famous with his upbeat personality, khakis and stripped shirt.

Nickelodeon will replace Burns with his "brother" Joe, to be played by Donovan Patton. "The new guy is funnier and better than me," Burns said.

MTV host has air scare

PALMDALE, Calif. (AP) -- MTV host Troy Hartman made an emergency landing on a street when the experimental airplane he was piloting lost power, authorities said.

No one was hurt, Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Dan McPherson said Sunday.

Hartman, host of MTV's "Senseless Acts of Video," was flying the RV-4 aircraft from Las Vegas to Los Angeles when its engine failed 10 miles from Palmdale Regional Airport, said Bruce Nelson, National Transportation Safety Board operations officer. The 26-year-old Hartman was one of two people aboard.

"We had time to deal with the situation, which was good, but we picked a couple of roads to land on, and I realized that they were pretty heavy traffic roads, a lot of cars down there, and it got stressful," Hartman told KTLA-TV in Los Angeles. "At about 1,000 feet, I realized we were running out of time."

Hartman, of Sherman Oaks, landed about 3 p.m. and taxied the plane about three miles to the airport, said McPherson. Hartman re-enacts stunts he has seen on music videos.

Palmdale is about 40 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles.