A man has pleaded guilty to holding Lost star Josh Holloway hostage at his Hawaiian home. Ruben Royce entered a guilty plea to 34 offenses as part of a deal which will see him sentenced to 30 years in prison. Royce broke into Holloway's house in October 2005, threatening the actor and his wife with a gun before stealing their wallets and their car. Prosecutor Maurice Arrisgado told the court in Honolulu that the couple feared for their lives. He says, "Basically, he was driving around looking for fancy cars, nice homes and picked certain ones for home invasion. They thought they were going to get killed. This guy was very vicious and had no hesitation in pointing the gun in their face." However, Royce's lawyers insisted their client did not know Holloway, who plays Sawyer in the hit TV show, was famous until after the robbery. The 23-year-old pleaded guilty to a variety of offences including kidnapping, first-degree robbery, burglary and auto theft. He will be sentenced on April 29. Royce went on to admit to three other robberies and last month he was also convicted of robbery, burglary, firearms violations and reckless endangerment stemming from a fifth incident.

Lawyers for troubled singer Britney Spears are heading to court to fight an order which has given her father control of her estate, according to U.S. reports. The star is currently being held at a Los Angeles hospital for psychiatric treatment and on Friday a judge granted her father Jamie, and lawyer Andrew Wallet, temporary conservatorship - meaning they are in complete charge of Spears' medical, financial and legal affairs. Jamie even has the right to restrict people visiting the 26-year-old. But a further court hearing is scheduled for Monday and according reports from websites People.com and Tmz.com, Spears' attorneys are expected to object to the amount of control which has been handed to her father. Meanwhile, a planned hearing in the singer's ongoing custody battle for her two sons is expected to go ahead without her on Monday. Spears was admitted to UCLA Medical Center on Thursday morning and placed on a psychiatric hold which could last anywhere from 72 hours up to two weeks.

Troubled singer Amy Winehouse was temporarily released from rehab on Monday - to apply for a U.S. visa. The hitmaker left the London clinic for just a few hours to meet officials at the U.S Embassy. She was accompanied by her father Mitch and a nurse, as the terms of her treatment mean she must remain under supervision at all times. It is believed Winehouse is applying for a visa to attend the Grammys in Los Angeles on February 10, where she is nominated for six awards. But a spokesperson for the star said no decision had been made on whether or not she will attend the ceremony. A statement reads: "The appointment at the U.S. Embassy was made some time ago and was part of process for obtaining a visa. No decision has been made about the Grammys. Amy was accompanied by a nurse as the appointment was under supervision. She has not left rehab and remains under the care of the clinic." Winehouse was banned from the U.S. last October after she was arrested and fined in Norway for possession of cannabis.

Hollywood veteran Jack Nicholson insists stories claiming he warned Heath Ledger about the dangers of sleeping pills are not true - stating he never even met the tragic star. The Departed legend was asked how he felt about the Brokeback Mountain actor's death last month by photographers in London and he was quoted as saying, "I told him so." However, the 70-year-old star, whose role as the Joker in Batman was reprised by Ledger in The Dark Knight just before his death, states he was misquoted and was simply warning everyone against using that brand of pills. He says, "What I actually said was, 'I warned them.' I had a bad experience with those sleeping pills (that Ledger apparently took). I took one of these pills and had just gone to sleep when I had a phone call to go to an emergency at a friend's house. I jumped up, went outside and some time later woke up on the driveway. It sounds amusing but I live in the mountains and it could of been worse. I didn't know Heath Ledger, but I know those pills." Ledger was found dead in his New York apartment last month at the age of 28. An autopsy failed to reveal the cause of death, and police are still awaiting the results of a toxicology test to asses if sleeping pills found in his apartment played a part in his death.

Donald Sutherland felt like he was in son Kiefer Sutherland's fast-paced action drama 24 when the actor was in jail over Christmas because he had just 14 minutes to chat to him every three days. Kiefer Sutherland recently served a 48-day sentence at Glendale City Jail in California for drink-driving, and could only talk to his worried dad briefly by phone every third day. The Dirty Sexy Money star admits his son's jail spell really killed the fun of Christmas for the whole family. He says, "I spoke to him on every third day. I'd make a deposit at the jail and then when he has the chance he can call collect and you speak for 14 minutes, that's your limit and then the phone goes dead. I got to tell you 14 minutes is just gone. I never knew when the phone call would come and it would be this recording of some woman in the police system and you'd blurt out everything in 14 minutes." The elder Sutherland admits he proud of all his kids, but he hopes Kiefer's jail spell gave the actor a chance to think about his wild ways. He adds, "He's not a mellow guy... but he's a growing man and he had 48 days to think. He was in solitary confinement in Glendale jail."

The children of pop superstar Michael Jackson have been pictured for the first time minus their usual veil disguises. Ten-year-old Prince Michael I, and nine-year-old Paris - the singer's children with former wife Debbie Rowe - were spotted dressed in trainers and baseball caps on a visit to a show by ventriloquist Ronn Lucas in Las Vegas last week. The Thriller hitmaker's youngest offspring, Prince Michael II, 5, however, was concealed by one of Jackson's staff; much like his father, who hid from photographers beneath a hood and large sunglasses. The 49-year-old singer is believed to hide his children's faces for fear of potential kidnappings if their identities are made known. Jackson and Rowe were divorced in 1999, with Rowe handing over full custody rights to her two sons. Prince Michael II was born to an unidentified surrogate mother in 2002.

Lindsay Lohan has been forced to dump some of her closest friends since leaving rehab six months ago - because she can no longer trust them to help her stay sober. The former party girl insists her summer stint at the Cirque Lodge in Utah has turned her into a new and better person. And she's had to make drastic cuts in her entourage to make sure she's never tempted to drink or take drugs again. In a revealing new interview for Britain's Glamour magazine, the Freaky Friday actress says, "There are friends that have been hard to hang out with because they've gone done a different path. It's hard because I'm the kind of person who wants to trust everyone. I'm fine being alone during the day, but I hate being alone at night. I like having friends around me." But Lohan insists the choices she's making now will help people who dislike her to realize she's not all bad: "(People think) that I don't have my head in the right place... and probably that I'm not a good person."

A host of stars have vowed to snub the forthcoming BAFTA awards in London - despite hopes the event would flourish due to the ongoing Hollywood writers' strike. It was hoped next weekend's event would attract a host of A-list actors due to several major award ceremonies in the U.S. - including the Golden Globes - being scrapped after the Writers Guild of America threatened to erect picket lines outside. But George Clooney, Johnny Depp, Tommy Lee Jones, Julie Christie, Laura Linney and Ellen Page - who are all up for Best Actor/Actress Oscars this year - have informed organizers they are unable to attend the ceremony. However, Oscar nominees confirmed to attend include Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Daniel Day-Lewis and Atonement stars Keira Knightley and James McAvoy. The BAFTAs will take place on February 10 at London's Royal Albert Hall.

New James Bond star Gemma Arterton is struggling to pay off her student debts - despite looking set to earn millions from her latest role in the superspy franchise. The British actress, 22, has been signed up to play Agent Fields in new 007 movie Quantum Of Solace opposite Daniel Craig, but insists she isn't letting the financial promise of fame change her spending habits. She says, "I still have student debts to pay off. And I think I've used most of my earnings buying bits from (budget clothing store) Primark."

Supermodel Elle Macpherson has reportedly found herself a toyboy - the 21-year-old son of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly director Julian Schnabel. Art dealer Vito Schabel has been spotted escorting the 44-year-old Australian around New York's Greenwich Village - and is expected to accompany her to a New York Fashion Week event on Tuesday, where she will accept an award for her lingerie line. Since splitting with long-term partner Arpad Busson, MacPherson has been linked with British actor Ray Fearon.