Beckham gets traffic ticket while driving in Hollywood

LOS ANGELES (AP) — David Beckham has been given a penalty, but not the kicking kind.

The Los Angeles Galaxy star got a traffic ticket when he was pulled over Tuesday in Hollywood, spokesman Glenn Lehrman said. Beckham, known for his eerily accurate long-range free kicks, was driving a Cadillac Escalade when a motorcycle-riding sheriff's deputy stopped him.

"There was a traffic incident that took place," Lehrman said. "It was a minor offence and David complied with the officer."

Lehrman declined to say why Beckham, 32, was pulled over. No one else was in his car, Lehrman said. Sheriff's Department spokesman Deputy Hugo Macias said his office had no information immediately available about the ticket.

Singer Toni Braxton hospitalised

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Four more Toni Braxton shows have been cancelled as she recuperates following her hospitalisation with chest pain.

"We're going to go ahead and cancel her shows tonight and for the rest of the week," Flamingo Las Vegas hotel-casino and Harrah's Entertainment Inc. spokeswoman Deanna Pettit said. "We expect she'll return to the stage for 'Toni Braxton: Revealed' next Tuesday."

Pettit says the 40-year-old Grammy winner is recovering at home following her release Tuesday afternoon after precautionary tests at a Las Vegas area hospital. The exact cause of Braxton's chest pain has not been made public. Braxton has been treated in the past for pericarditis, a viral inflammation of the heart.

Sean Penn, wife withdraw divorce petition

SAN RAFAEL, California (AP) — Sean Penn and his wife, Robin Wright Penn, have withdrawn their divorce petition.

A Marin County Superior Court commissioner has dismissed the divorce proceedings between the couple, who call the community of Ross, California, their home. Neither attended the hearing.

The dismissal came a day after they attended an Eddie Vedder concert at the University of California at Berkeley, where the actor reportedly went on stage to dedicate a song to Wright Penn.

They filed for divorce in December.

Michael Jackson dropped from lawsuit

SANTA MARIA, California (AP) — A judge has dropped Michael Jackson from a lawsuit filed by the family of a woman who died at a hospital soon after she was moved to make room for the pop star.

Judge Rodney Melville on Tuesday dropped Jackson from the lawsuit against Marian Medical Center in response to a challenge from Jackson's attorney, Timothy Gorry. Melville rejected a similar motion by an attorney for the hospital.

The attorneys could not be reached for comment Wednesday, and a phone message left for a Jackson representative was not immediately returned.

The family of Manuela Gomez Ruiz had sued Jackson and Marian Medical Center for infliction of emotional and mental distress, claiming she was kept from critical care after she had a heart attack on the same day Jackson was brought in with flu-like symptoms during his 2005 child-molestation trial. Jackson was acquitted in the case.

The lawsuit said the 73-year-old Ruiz was on life-support after a massive heart attack and was moved from a two-bed room so Jackson could occupy it by himself. It complained of an "outrageous, circus-like atmosphere" in the last hours of Ruiz's life.

Ashlee Simpson, Pete Wentz get engaged

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ashlee Simpson and her rocker boyfriend Pete Wentz are engaged.

"We know there has been a lot of speculation recently about Pete and I, and we wanted our fans to be the first to know, because you guys are the best," Simpson said in a statement posted Wednesday on People magazine's Web site. "Yes, we are thrilled to share that we are happily engaged."

Simpson's manager-father, Joe Simpson, told the magazine he's "totally happy" and "so excited to have Pete as part of (our) family."

The couple began dating in fall 2006, according to People.

Wentz, 28, is bassist for Fall Out Boy. Simpson, 23, a singer, songwriter and actress, is the younger sister of pop star Jessica Simpson. Ashlee Simpson's new album, "Bittersweet World," is set for release on April 22.

Trace Adkins bitten by acting bug

LOS ANGELES (AP) — After getting fired by Donald Trump on "The Celebrity Apprentice," country singer Trace Adkins is turning to the make-believe world of daytime television.

Adkins will sing his latest hit, "You're Gonna Miss This," from his CD "American Man, Greatest Hits Vol. II" on the May 2 episode of CBS' "The Young and the Restless". "It was a blast," Adkins told The Associated Press. "I've not recently watched the show. My first wife was really into it. That's not what caused us to get divorced."