‘Benjamin Button’ leads Oscars with 13 nominations  —  BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - The romantic fantasy “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” led Academy Awards contenders Thursday with 13 nominations, among them best picture and acting honors for Brad Pitt and Taraji P. Henson, and a directing slot for David Fincher.

George Clooney Headed Back to ER  —  George Clooney has agreed to come back to the show that launched his career: ER.  —  Sources close to the series tell PEOPLE that ER co-creator John Wells has ordered a closed set to keep Clooney's appearance under wraps.

John Travolta threatened by alleged extortion plotters over a photo of his dying son, Jett … Grieving John Travolta is the centre of an alleged extortion plot that is said to involve a photograph of his son Jett that was taken as he was dying.  —  He was contacted by a pair of alleged extortionists …

New Moon Casting Scoop!  Dakota Fanning as Jane?  —  Jason Merritt/Getty Images; Peter Sorel / Summit Entertainment  —  Dakota Fanning...with fangs?  —  It's possible.  I can exclusively report that the 14-year-old child star—she turns 15 on Feb. 23—is in talks to play Jane opposite …

Heroine Amy  —  A TOURIST told yesterday how recovering junkie AMY WINEHOUSE became her heroine — as she performed a Baywatch-style rescue on a beach.  —  Louise Williams, 39, was having a sailing lesson in the Caribbean when she was thrown out of her boat by a 6ft wave.

Sex and the City Stars Commit to Sequel!  —  Big news, Sex addicts!  —  Us Weekly reports in its newest issue that Sarah Jessica Parker, 43, Kim Cattrall, 52, Cynthia Nixon, 42, and Kristin Davis, 43, have agreed to appear in the sequel to Sex and the City: The Movie.

Heath Ledger, Brangelina Top The List Of 2009 Oscar Nominees!  —  We've all been chomping at the bit waiting for the 81st Academy Awards nominations, and here they are:  —  Best picture  —  “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”  —  “Frost/Nixon”  —  “Milk”  —  “The Reader”  —  “Slumdog Millionaire”

Tom and Jerry head to the bigscreen  —  Warner Bros. playing cat and mouse game  —  Warner Bros. is turning to Tom and Jerry to create its own “Alvin and the Chipmunks"-like family franchise.  —  Plans are to bring the constantly warring cat and mouse to life as CG characters that run around in live-action settings.

Source: Jennifer Hudson ‘Knew it Was Time’ to Perform Again  —  After dropping out of the public eye following her family murder tragedy, Jennifer Hudson now has the strength and the will to give three high-profile performances next month, a source close to her tells PEOPLE.

Kennedy Drops Bid for Clinton's Senate Seat, Citing Personal Reasons  —  Caroline Kennedy announced early Thursday that she was withdrawing from consideration for the vacant Senate seat in New York, startling the state's political world after weeks in which she was considered a top contender for the post.

Sundance Fistfight!  DIRT Gets Dirty.  —  About an hour ago, text messages started to fly around Park City, regarding an altercation between film critic John Anderson and producer (and Big Lebowski inspiration) Jeff Dowd in the restaurant at the Yarrow Resort.