Chaz Bono danced right past the controversy surrounding his casting on "Dancing With the Stars" -- and he's not even the dancing type.
"I like it, but I'm kind of an introvert," Bono said. "My natural tendency is to go in, not show off. I get embarrassed really easily, which is something you have to get over on this show."
Singer Chynna Phillips and actor J.R. Martinez earned 22 points out of 30 for their Viennese waltzes on the first night of competition.
Basketball star Ron Artest landed in last place with 14 points. Head Judge Len Goodman said the Lakers forward's footwork was "atrocious" and his cha-cha was "all sizzle and no sausage."
Artest, who recently changed his name to Metta World Peace, had the Hebrew words for "world peace" shaved into his hair for his "Dancing" debut. Despite his low score, he said after the show that he "came to entertain" and felt the judges were fair.
Bono and Carson Kressley each earned 17 points for their cha-chas. Bono, this season's most talked-about cast member, did the night's final dance, which Goodman said showed "good footwork and a great attitude."
He received a warm round of applause from the audience.
"You light up this room!" Judge Carrie Ann Inaba said after Bono's performance.
Former "Two and a Half Men" star Charlie Sheen and the studio that fired him are drawing closer to a deal to end their legal dispute.
Sheen filed a $100 million lawsuit for wrongful termination against Warner after his firing.
The Los Angeles Times reported that final touches are being put on a deal that would give Sheen about $25 million to settle out of his contract.
Sheen was the highest-paid actor in television, with a per-episode salary reported to be between $1.2 million and $2 million.
"Two and a Half Men" returned to the air Monday with Ashton Kutcher joining the cast as a new character. He plays an Internet billionaire who decides to buy the house that had been owned by Sheen's now-deceased character.
In a recent turnaround, Sheen has been making conciliatory gestures toward his former show.
Appearing at Sunday's Emmy Awards as a presenter, he addressed the "Two and a Half Men" cast and crew, saying, "I wish you nothing but the best for this upcoming season."
Reality TV mom Kate Gosselin says she was hurrying home to her children when she was stopped for speeding last month for going 88 mph in a 65 mph zone near Lancaster.
The star of TLC's "Kate Plus 8," which left the air Sept, 12, pleaded guilty by mail to a speeding ticket and paid $174 in fines and court costs.
Police officials said Gosselin told officers she was speeding because she was late getting home to her kids.
Thieves made off with John Travolta's vintage Mercedes sports car in broad daylight Sunday.
Santa Monica police said thieves had about a 10-minute window to steal the 1970 Mercedes-Benz 280-SL on Sunday afternoon.
Travolta parked the car on a residential street in Santa Monica and stopped at a nearby Jaguar dealership for about 10 minutes. When he returned, he found an empty parking spot and no sign of the car.
Travolta had the keys with him at the time of the theft.
Lester Holt will replace Ann Curry as host of the newsmagazine "Dateline NBC" when it begins its 20th season on Friday.
The NBC News veteran will keep his job as co-anchor of the "Weekend Today" show. Curry, who is now co-anchor with Matt Lauer of the first half of the weekday "Today" show, was judged too busy for both jobs.
Holt has been a valued utility player at NBC News, doing multiple reporting and anchoring jobs at the network and sister station MSNBC.
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