Hot on the heels of the Golden Globe awards, the Producers Guild of America has announed its five contenders for its Best Picture award: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Juno, Michael Clayton, No Country for Old Men, and There Will Be Blood. Four of the five films also previously received Directors Guild nominations (Juno was passed over for Into the Wild by the DGA), and all films received multiple Golden Globe nods. The last of the major guild awards, the PGA honors effectively put the kibosh on such hopeful Oscar contenders as Atonement, Charlie Wilson's War and Sweeney Todd, which received no love from the Directors Guild, the Screen Actors Guild or the Writers Guild. While the nominations from the guild aren't exact precursors for the Academy Awards, a majority of guild members are also Academy voters. Bee Movie, Ratatouille, and The Simpsons Movie were nominated for the PGA's animated film award, while Body of War, Hear and Now, Pete Seeger: The Power of Song, Sicko, and White Light/Black Rain are in competition for the documentary award.

George Clooney has offered to act as a mediator between the Writers Guild of America (WGA) union members and Hollywood bosses in a bid to end the strikes. The writers have been on picket lines since November, bringing production on Hollywood movies to a standstill and causing a number of TV networks to release staff and air repeat shows. The strike also forced the organizers of Sunday's Golden Globes ceremony to cancel the event after actors threatened to boycott. But the Michael Clayton star has offered to set up a "mediation panel" to settle the WGA members' grievances - and plans to ask Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and ER producer John Wells to help him end the dispute, according to L.A. Weekly. Speaking of the strikes earlier this week, he said, "When the strike happens, it's not just writers (affected)... Our hope is that all the players will lock themselves in a room and not come out until they finish. We want this to be done. That's the most important thing."

A man who admitted attempting to extort $1.3 million from Tom Cruise in exchange for stolen photos of the actor's wedding has escaped with a fine. Computer technician Marc Gittleman, 34, had pleaded guilty in Los Angeles in September to transporting stolen property after he had offered to return the photos of Cruise and wife Katie Holmes in exchange for money. U.S. District Judge George King fined Gittleman $3,000 and gave him two years probation after lawyers on both sides agreed a prison sentence or home detention was unnecessary. Gittleman said in court he had "brought unimaginable shame upon myself and my family." He added, "I'll be working the rest of my life to make it right."

Christina Aguilera and husband Jordan Bratman are finally celebrating after welcoming a baby boy into the world on Saturday night. The hitmaker was reported to have gone into labor on Friday at Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, with E! news claiming the singer gave birth by caesarian section at around 4pm that afternoon - one hour after socialite Nicole Richie and rocker Joel Madden celebrated the birth of their daughter, Harlow Winter Kate Madden at the same hospital. But Aguilera's representative was forced to deny the reports on Saturday morning, telling Usmagazine.com, "She is still pregnant. She is not in labor." However, it has now been confirmed that Aguilera gave birth to little Max Liron Bratman at 10:05pm on Saturday - with the newborn weighing in at six pounds and two ounces. A spokesperson for the couple tells People.com, "Christina and Jordan are proud to announce the birth of their son Max Liron Bratman. He is a beautiful, healthy baby boy! Mom is resting and doing well!" The baby is the couple's first child together.

Actor Wesley Snipes failed to pay taxes on his $38 million income, court papers have revealed. The Rising Sun star is due to stand trial on charges he fraudulently claimed tax refunds of almost $12 million in 1996 and 1997. He is also accused of failing to file tax returns from 1999 to 2004. But documents filed ahead of Monday's trial claim he paid no federal taxes on $38 million in income from 1999 to 2004, even after he was informed he was being investigated by the Internal Revenue Service. The papers, filed by the prosecution, also claim Snipes sent the U.S. Treasury a "fictitious bill of exchange" totaling $14 million on three occasions. Snipes, 45, is due to stand trial on Monday in U.S. District Court in Ocala, Florida, where prosecutors say Snipes lived at the time of the suspected fraud.

A man accused of stalking Kill Bill star Uma Thurman rejected a plea deal to enroll on a mental health program - because he wanted to see the actress "close up." Jack Jordan is facing charges of harassment and felony coercion - which stems from an incident in which he allegedly told Thurman he would kill himself if he saw her with another man. The 35-year-old, who has pleaded not guilty to the charges at Manhattan's Supreme Court in New York, turned down the prosecution's offer of enrolment in a mental health program - a deal which would have seen him serve a minimum of one year in an institution. And according to his lawyer, George Vomvolakis, Jordan purposely rejected the offer so he could see Thurman at his trial. Vomvolakis tells the New York Daily News, "My client has expressed a serious desire to go to trial."

Action star Sylvester Stallone recently ran into trouble with authorities in Japan, after he was found in possession of growth hormones - according to his ex-fiancee Janice Dickinson. The former supermodel alleges Stallone was taken into custody after being caught with the same muscle-building drug he was convicted for possession of in Australia last February. Following that incident, he was formally convicted on charges of importing a prohibited substance in May and was ordered to pay nearly $10,000 in fines and legal costs. And Dickinson claims Stallone is still up to no good. She tells the New York Post's gossip column Page Six, "Stallone was recently arrested in Japan for growth hormones." Dickinson recently revealed on a TV show that Stallone took the drugs to boost his body during their relationship in the early 1990s, and even claimed he once injected her in the arm when she was asleep - allegations Stallone has vehemently denied. But Dickinson is adamant she is telling the truth, and is demanding an apology for him branding her a 'liar'. And she has threatened to reveal all about the Rambo actor's past if he refuses to do as she asks. She adds, "If he doesn't shut his big mouth, I'm going to really tell everybody what he did to me. If he doesn't retract calling me a liar, I'm going to really talk - and he doesn't want that, so he'd better make nice..." The couple was engaged in the early 1990s, but Stallone ditched her when a Dna test proved he wasn't the father of her daughter Savannah. A representative for Stallone has declined to comment on Dickinson's latest allegations.

Pamela Anderson's on-off divorce saga has given her new movie Blonde & Blonder a huge boost - the actress is more popular than ever on America's talk show circuit. With many stars boycotting shows in a bid to offer support to striking Hollywood writers, Anderson is among the few celebrities who are willing to cross picket lines. That fact, coupled with her split from third husband Rick Salomon, has made Anderson a must-have guest. And the producers of her new comedy, which hits cinemas in America on January 18, are thrilled. A spokesman for Empire Film Group, Inc says, "We are thrilled Pam is going to continue with the media blitz Empire has designed to market Blonde & Blonder. We have been inundated with requests from the media to interview Pam and know more about her starring role in this hilarious comedy. It's a dream when your movie star is in demand. Pamela can't remember a time she was so popular. Everyone wants to speak to her." In the film, Anderson and Denise Richards play dumb blondes mistaken for killer hitwomen.

Britney Spears has been told she'll have to make her own way to court for a crucial custody hearing on Monday after upsetting officials at the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department. The authorities have helped the troubled singer get to and from court, avoiding the media scrum that awaits her, for past appearances, but they insist they won't be helping her again. Spears ran over a police officer's foot while attempting to flee a Los Angeles courthouse last year, and now police sources tell Tmz.com she has been "totally uncooperative" with them over her plans for Monday morning, refusing to give officials times and details. The website reports police will, however, consider providing an escort to Spears' lawyer if the singer chooses to accompany him to court.

Singer Clay Aiken cut short an interview with a Newsweek magazine reporter after refusing to answer a series of personal questions. Journalist Ramin Setoodeh was quizzing the American Idol star on his upcoming Broadway debut in Monty Python's Spamalot when the reporter chose to ask Aiken about a series of recent controversies. These included a fight Aiken allegedly had with a woman on a plane and ongoing speculation about his sexuality, which culminated in a spat between TV hosts Rosie O'Donnell and Kelly Ripa. O'Donnell rushed to defend Aiken after Ripa appeared to attack the singer's rumored homosexuality when he was a co-host on her morning show. But Aiken took offence to Setoodeh's questions, repeating, "I'm not going to talk about it," or, "I'm not going to discuss it." He then turned on the reporter when he asked Aiken what he wanted to talk about, hissing, "We're done. I thought Newsweek would be more reputable. I'm surprised. This is Newsweek. It's not the National Enquirer." He added, "I'd hate to have a job where I had to be rude to people." When Setoodeh attempted to save the interview by asking Aiken what he did for fun, the angry singer replied, "I watch the news. I read news magazines, but I'm reconsidering that now."

Ricki Lake has heaped praise on Nikki Blonsky for her performance in the remake of Hairspray. Blonsky, 19, starred as Tracy Turnblad in the 2007 version of the musical - the role which propelled Lake to fame in 1988. Lake went on to host her own long running TV talk show which ran from 1993 to 2004. And now the actress-turned-presenter has made her feelings about her younger replacement very clear. She tells New York Post's gossip column PageSix, "I just adore her (Blonsky). She's so great in the film, and I'm entering into a whole new phase now, it's so interesting to see her launch."