Academy Awards President Sid Ganis is positive the 80th Annual Academy Awards will go ahead despite the threat from the current Hollywood writers strike. Ganis has fueled speculation the Writers Guild of America (WGA) walkouts could be nearing an end by declaring that "things are looking very, very good now" for the February 24 ceremony to go ahead. Members of the WGA walked out in November in a protest over royalties and so far negotiations to break the deadlock have proved unsuccessful. However, talks have been stepped up ahead of this month's Oscars ceremony, which many fear will be cancelled if the union refuses to grant organizers a waiver. Last month's Golden Globes, which usually takes the form of a glittering star-studded ceremony, was reduced to a televised press conference after the union announced plans to protest at the event, forcing the majority of attendees to vow not to cross the picket line. Speaking at a luncheon to celebrate this year's nominees, Ganis insists if the Academy Awards are cancelled, it will be a major blow to the movie industry. He says, "The Oscars exists to shine the brightest possible light on you and your work, and it would be such a terrible shame, through no fault of yours and no fault of ours, if the current conditions prevented us from shining that brightest possible light." It was reported at the weekend that WGA officials and film bosses have sketched the outline of an agreement on how much writers will be paid for Internet broadcasting of their work. If a deal is reached, it will have to be approved by the Guild's board and then ratified by the union's 10,500 members.

A lawsuit launched against actress Teri Hatcher by a cosmetics firm will be sent to arbitration after a Los Angeles judge ruled in her favor. Beauty manufacturers Hydroderm lodged a $2 million suit against the Desperate Housewives star, suing her for breach of contract after they claimed she had promoted other beauty products while she was signed to them. And now Hatcher's lawyers have successfully persuaded a judge in L.A. to move the case to arbitration. The star, who was paid $2.4 million to advertise Hydroderm products, insists her promotion of CityLips' lip plumper did not affect the deal and that management changes at the company constantly left her unsure of the terms of her contract. The matter will now be settled out of court.

Lindsay Lohan blames her turbulent family life for her meltdown last year, insisting she was running away from the chaos at home. The actress spent the summer in rehab and 84 minutes in jail after two DUI incidents. Her party girl lifestyle also landed her in trouble with a Hollywood studio boss angry about her poor time-keeping. Lohan lays the blame for her bad behavior on the stress of her movie career and her father's two-year prison sentence for violating his probation. She tells Harper's Bazaar magazine, "Not seeing my father was really hard for me, and not being with my family enough... I wasn't taking any time to just sit and live and breathe. I was going, going, going, and that ran me down. It was a stressor. It upset me. I didn't have a father to call, and that was a lot of the pain. I have it in me to go, go, go. I'm still young. I love life. I love music and being around that. I love people, and I'm a very social person. But I also love being home, quiet and normal... I've always been a homebody... Seriously, I was just running away from what my home had become."

Actress Rebecca De Mornay has been sentenced to a three-month rehabilitation program for drunk-driving offenders after pleading guilty to a DUI. The John From Cincinnati star, who was arrested on suspicion of drunk-driving after police pulled her over for a traffic violation in October, pleaded no contest to one count of Dui in a Los Angeles court on Tuesday. De Mornay has also been placed on three years' probation, fined $350 and ordered to pay court costs, reports Tmz.com.

George Clooney is already conceding Best Actor Oscar victory to Daniel Day-Lewis, claiming no one has a chance against the British star. The pair are on the shortlist for the prize at this month's ceremony, alongside Viggo Mortensen for Eastern Promises, Tommy Lee Jones for In The Valley Of Elah and Johnny Depp for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street. But Clooney has already given up hope of winning for his role in Michael Clayton - to add to his Best Supporting Academy Award for Syriana - after watching Day-Lewis in his nominated role in There Will Be Blood. He says, "If you want my honest opinion, I think it's going to be Daniel Day-Lewis. He sort of irritates all of us because he's so good. I'll tell you right now, I don't like him!"

Pop superstar Michael Jackson will appear at the Grammy Awards on Sunday - but he won't be singing at the ceremony. Jackson was rumored to be attending the Los Angeles bash to promote a 25th anniversary re-release of his seminal album Thriller, and organizers were keen for the star to duet on hits from the LP with a number of contemporary performers, including Will.I.Am, Akon, Kanye West and Fergie. But Jackson - who hasn't performed live in seven years - was reluctant to take on such a big project at short notice. A source tells the New York Post, "Michael can't go along with that. He needs more time to rehearse new versions of the songs. And everything requires new choreography." The Post reveals that Grammy producer Ken Ehrlich backed down and consented for Jackson to just appear onstage.

Actor Daniel Baldwin has quitreality TV show Celebrity Rehab following claims he was inappropriate with cast mate Mary Carey. The porn star alleges Trees Lounge star Baldwin asked her to send him photos of her after chatting about his wife and new baby, and now she feels that conversation led to Baldwin walking out on the show. She recalls, "He talked about how much he loves his wife and then he asked me to send him pictures and asked about my movies." When the latest episode of the hard-hitting show airs in America on Thursday, Baldwin's rehab pals, including Brigitte Nielsen and former wrestler Chyna, will be shown turning on the departed actor. Nielsen says, "You open up your heart and then he is writing dirty messages on the phone." And his departure has prompted the show's resident psychiatrist, Dr. Drew Pinsky, to worry about Baldwin's sobriety.

Hollywood actress Julianne Moore has teamed up with the Save The Children charity in a new initiative to help improve life for underprivileged kids. The Magnolia star is offering Valentines' Day cards on the Internet in return for a donation to the charity. The cards, featuring children's artwork, can be printed or emailed to loved ones. And Moore, who is mother to son Caleb, nine, and daughter Liv, five, hopes the scheme will catch on in schools where kids send each other Valentine's cards. She says, "I know my kids are very service-oriented, and they're very into the idea of charity - particularly when it comes to other kids. It's just sort of a nice way to acknowledge kids who were struggling in America. It's like kids loving kids."

Britney Spears' longtime companion/manager Sam Lutfi is unfazed by her parents' attempts to keep him away from the star - because he is confident their power struggle will soon be over. The singer's father Jamie was granted temporary conservatorship of her medical, financial and legal affairs last Friday after Britney was committed to Los Angeles' UCLA Medical Center for psychiatric evaluation. Jamie immediately imposed a 21-day restraining order against Lutfi, and in a court hearing on Monday he was banned from having any contact with the pop star. But Lutfi has dismissed Jamie and his ex-wife Lynne's attempts to separate him from their troubled daughter. He tells Usmagazine.com, "It won't last. They're never gonna be able to rule her forever." Britney is reportedly unhappy at the appointment of her dad Jamie as conservator and at Monday's court hearing, her lawyer Adam Streisand attempted to have the ruling overturned, claiming the decision has been causing her "more agitation and distress." However, his bid was thrown out of court and Jamie Spears will remain in charge of her various legal affairs until February 14, when a further hearing has been scheduled.

Actor Patrick Swayze underwent surgery on a mystery complaint in California over the weekend. The Ghost actor checked into the Stanford University Medical Center for a serious "gastro-intestinal procedure," according to the New York Post. Sources tell the newspaper he has since been released, with his spokesperson confirming the 55-year-old is now "home and happy."