He's still standing -- but Elton John got seriously knocked out by a scary food-borne illness.  In late October, the 62 year-old singer was forced to cancel a string of shows in the U.S. as well as the U.K. after coming down with a dreaded infection.

At Monday's "An Enduring Vision" benefit for the Elton John AIDS Foundation in New York, the recovered John told Usmagazine.com "it was something that I've never had before -- a serious e-coli infection which I got from something I ate."

John isn't sure what offensive food item triggered the frightening bout -- but it certainly wasn't anything concocted by David Furnish, his partner of 16 years.  "No! No! David doesn't cook!"

Whatever it was, after intensive intravenous antibiotics and nine days of close monitoring by doctors, the musician says he's "back and raring to go . . . I'm out and about and I'm good."

John's recovery oddly coincides with a new illness for his touring partner, Billy Joel. On Monday, a San Jose concert for John and Joel's "Face 2 Face" tour was postponed because of Joel's "undisclosed medical reasons."  "I don't know what's wrong on with him," John told Us. "I heard he's sick. I have no idea what's going on with him. "

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The man who tried to extort $100,000 from Cindy Crawford has turned himself into police in Germany, the Associated Press reports.

Edis Kayalar, 26, reportedly walked into a police station in the southwestern city of Stuttgart late Monday. He has been charged with one count of extortion in the U.S. If convicted, he could face up to two years in prison.

The former supermodel, 43, and her husband Rande Gerber were the latest celebrities to be ensnared in an extortion drama involving a bizarre photo of their eight year-old daughter, Kaia.  Kayalar allegedly threatened to release the year-old photo -- which reportedly showed the girl bound to a chair and gagged. According to court papers, Kaia said that a former nanny took the picture as part of a "cops and robbers" game they were playing.

The suspect will appear before a judge Tuesday to determine his current detention.

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A touching father-daughter moment or an awkward exchange?  After Ryan O'Neal had dinner with daughter Tatum O'Neal on Sunday at Malibu's Taverna Tony's restaurant, he bid her goodbye with a hug -- and an awkward kiss.

This wasn't their first uncomfortable exchange.  Nearly five months earlier, at the funeral of his longtime love Farrah Fawcett, Ryan, 68, admitted that he accidentally hit on Tatum, 46.  He says he had been so estranged from her that he didn't even recognize her.  "I had just put the casket in the hearse and I was watching it drive away when a beautiful blonde woman comes up and embraces me," Ryan told Vanity Fair. "I said to her, 'You have a drink on you? You have a car?' She said, 'Daddy, it's me--Tatum!' I was just trying to be funny with a strange Swedish woman, and it's my daughter. It's so sick."

Tatum didn't find the incident disturbing.  "That's our relationship in a nutshell," said the actress, who won an Oscar at age 10 for starring with her father in Paper Moon. "You make of it what you will. It had been a few years since we'd seen each other, and he was always a ladies' man, a bon vivant."

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One vampire who was noticeably absent from Monday's New Moon premiere in Los Angeles? Rachelle Lefevre, who stars in the film franchise as evil vampire Victoria.  Though Lefevre appeared in the first and second film installments of the franchise, Bryce Dallas Howard was recast in her role for the upcoming Eclipse, which wrapped production earlier this month in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Lefevre says her red carpet absenteeism comes with good reason.  "2 fans at the premiere: w/ Honey in hospital & being fired from Eclipse tonight was just 2 emotional 4 me & I couldn't manage it," the actress wrote on her Twitter page Monday. "So sorry." (Honey is the actress' dog)

At the time of her role's recasting in July, Lefevre admitted she was "stunned" by Summit Entertainment's decision, which they said was motivated by scheduling conflicts. Both Eclipse and the actress' new film, Barney's Version, began filming on the same day.

"I was fully committed to the Twilight saga, and to the portrayal of Victoria," Lefevre said. "I turned down several other film opportunities and, in accordance with my contractual rights, accepted only roles that would involve very short shooting schedules.

"My commitment to [indie flick] Barney's Version is only 10 days. Summit picked up my option for Eclipse. Although the production schedule for Eclipse is over three months long, Summit said they had a conflict during those ten days and would not accommodate me. Given the length of filming for Eclipse, never did I fathom I would lose the role over a 10-day overlap," Lefevre continued.  Barney's Version is set for release next year.

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She was his biggest fan from the stands as he won the World Series -- and now it's time for Alex Rodriguez to be cheerleader for girlfriend Kate Hudson as she approaches her next big moment.  Rodriguez was Hudson's arm-candy Monday night for a New York screening  of the lavish movie musical Nine.

It was an A-list kind of night: co-attending were Hudson's costars Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard and Fergie. (Kidman, Cruz and Fergie all showed up without their respective mates Keith Urban, Javier Bardem and Josh Duhamel.)

On an MTV News interview that ran Monday, Hudson giggled when shown a rendering of her boyfriend as a centaur.  "What is that? That's horrible."  The half-man, half-beast image apparently shows up in two paintings commissioned by Rodriguez and which now hang in his home, according to an ex-fling.  Hudson wouldn't confirm or deny the story to MTV. "That is the craziest thing anyone has ever asked me," she said. "I don't indulge in those types of stories."

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Sarah Palin isn't afraid to use the B word: bullcrap!  In her Nov. 20 20/20 interview with Barbara Walters -- previewed Tuesday on Good Morning America --- Palin complains that "there's so much bullcrap out there" regarding her family and professional record.

And while the former Alaska governor plays nice for Walters, she concedes that her conduct during a 2008 Katie Couric interview was at times "very unprofessional" -- at least when Couric asked Palin about which books she read. (Palin rolled her eyes and didn't answer.)

"I was wearing my annoyance on my sleeve and I shouldn't have done that . . . My fault, my bad that I answered the way that I did," Palin says.

But Palin explains that she was taken aback by Couric's tone; to her, the CBS anchor seemed to disparage her home state as a "nomadic, neanderthal atmosphere."

Worse, she says, Couric "hadn't done her homework" -- after all, Palin had just written an Op-Ed piece for Couric's "hometown newspaper, the New York Times."

Couric isn't Palin's only frenemy: when shown a clip from David Letterman's "Things That Are More Fun Than Reading Sarah Palin's Memoir" list ("#13: Driving Into a Tree"), she sniped "those aren't even funny." But she encouraged Letterman to continue mocking her -- and help sell copies of her book, Going Rogue.

As for her own future in television, Palin tells Walters "I'd probably rather write than talk." But she has fielded "lots and lots of offers" -- including a reality show. She nixed it. "Absolutely not!" I would never put our kids through such a thing. Our life has become a reality show!"

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Ready for some more old-school Melrose Place fireworks?  Following solo appearances from alumni of the 90s original on the CW's 2009 version of the show, Melrose fans will see four original characters come together in one momentous scene.

A rep for the CW confirms to Usmagazine.com that Heather Locklear (Amanda) Daphne Zuniga (Jo), Josie Bissett (Jane) and Thomas Calabro (Michael) will reunite in the fabled courtyard of the apartment complex in an episode set to air early next year.

At Sunday's Celebrity Green Lounge event in Santa Monica, Calif., Daphne Zuniga told Usmagazine.com that she and her old castmates "will be working together -- I am really looking forward to that a lot!"

Tuesday marks perhaps the soap's most anticipated return of all: Locklear, reprising her role as Amanda Woodward.

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She wants to dance with somebody!  Whitney Houston will appear on Dancing with the Stars -- not as a contestant, but as a performer on next week's finale.  An ABC rep confirms to Usmagazine.com that Houston, 46, will sing on the Nov. 24 finale.

I Turn To You, Houston's seventh album (and her first in seven years) debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 in September, selling 305,000 copies in its first week.

The semifinals for the dance competition get underway Monday Nov. 16 with Joanna Krupa, Mya, Kelly Osbourne,  and Donny Osmond in the final four.  Bonus is Whitney.

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From People...

And the love triangle is complete!   Back in August, Bella and Edward from the Twilight saga were immortalized as Barbie dolls. Now, fans will be able to add Jacob to their collection.

The new doll, modeled after Taylor Lautner's boy-turned-werewolf character, Jacob, features cut-off denim shorts, a mysterious gaze, and the super toned abs that have gained attention onscreen and off.

It's available in February for $24.95, and something tells us it won't just be kids buying this Barbie.

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Melissa Rycroft and fiance Tye Strickland pulled out all the stops Friday for their joint bachelorette and bachelor parties in Las Vegas.  The happy couple flew out 12 of their closest friends for dinner, dancing and theater shows at The Palazzo and Venetian hotels.

The couple and their friends each took in a separate theater show -- Rycroft, 26, and her girlfriends saw Jersey Boys while Strickland, 28, joined pals for Phantom - Las Vegas Spectacular -- before coming together for dinner at Dos Caminos. Later in the weekend, the group played in a girls vs. boys poker tournament at The Venetian Poker Room.

Although they spent much of the weekend separated with their pals, Rycroft and Strickland were able to sneak away for some one-on-one time.

On Saturday, the couple got cozy during a gondola ride down the Grand Canal at the Venetian and enjoyed cupcakes from Sweet Surrender (a Red Velvet for her and "anything with coconut" for him).

A former Bachelor contestant and Dancing With the Stars finalist, Rycroft got engaged this past June.  "Sometimes the stars align and the clouds part and everything works out the way it should," Rycroft -- who was famously dumped by Jason Mesnick on the Bachelor -- said of her new romance.

Rycroft has said her Dec. 12 wedding to the Dallas insurance agent will be "laid back and fun."  "That's me, that's my personality," she said. "I am not stuffy."

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Not all stars love the added curves of pregnancy and new motherhood (paging Kourtney Kardashian!) -- but Nicole Kidman sure did!

The actress, 42, admits that having bigger breasts was among one of her favorite perks of giving birth to and nursing daughter Sunday Rose, 16 months.  "They're not very big, my boobs, so they just became normal size." she admits to Ladies' Home Journal in its December issue. "I loved it! I felt very Woman."  She adds, "When you've had a slightly androgynous body your whole life, having breasts is a nice feeling!"

And the Oscar-winner may have a (naturally) pumped-up chest again someday: She confides to the magazine that she'd like to get pregnant again. In the meantime, she surrounds herself with multiple tots via a weekly "baby group" that she hosts in the Nashville, Tenn.-area home she shares with husband Keith Urban. "This is my way of having 10 kids," she says.

As for Sunday Rose, she and Mom seem to be on the same wavelength. "Sunday's third word was 'wow,' and I say that word a lot. I hope when I'm 80 I'll still be saying it . . . My eyes are still wide open."

Kidman has two adopted children with ex-husband Tom Cruise, but Sunday Rose is her first biological child; the father is Urban. "I love being in love," Kidman exclaims. "I believe in the power of love, the way it can heal. The more you keep choosing it -- because there are times when you can choose to be angry at the person or to love him -- the more it nourishes a family."

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Jennifer Aniston has still got it.  The actress - who turned 40 this past February - flaunted her bikini in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, over the weekend while vacationing with pals at the exclusive One and Only resort. On Friday, she went sunbathing in a tiny purple bikini. 

Aniston could use the vacation.  The new Us Weekly (on newsstands now) has the exclusive first look at what's really inside a shocking new tell-all about the couple.

Brangelina: The Untold Story of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie reports that Jolie, 34, waged "a mean-spirited but effective campaign" against Aniston around the time that Pitt, 45, divorced her.  According to the book, Jolie spread the rumor that Aniston firmly prioritized her career over starting a family -- which put her directly at odds with Pitt, who ached for kids. Jolie "was convinced that this is the story that would resonate with all these women who saw her as a man-stealing bitch," Halperin writes.

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Shayne Lamas was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving in Venice, Calif., around 1 a.m. Saturday morning.

"Early Saturday morning, after consuming one drink, I willingly drove through a mandatory check point on my way home with complete confidence of passing," Lamas, 24, tells E! News. "However, the breathalyzer indicated that I was over the legal limit of blood alcohol content and was arrested onsite. I take full responsibility for my lack of judgment. I have always strived to be a role model for my friends, family and fans and have never nor will ever condone drinking and driving. I apologize for all those I have disappointed, including myself."  She is due in court Dec. 9 for the misdemeanor charge. Bonus is Lamas.

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Kristen Stewart doesn't buy Robert Pattinson's sob story about his hair.  When the New Moon star told Entertainment Weekly that the producers of Twilight wanted him "to have extensions down to my hips," she interrupted.

"He's a liar," the actress, 19, joked. "He doesn’t remember.  "He’s remembering how they made him feel, but they were just, like, down to here," she said, pointing to her shoulders.

Regardless, Pattinson, 23, proudly recalled that he told them "that's just not going to happen. I said, 'It looks like this already, I'll come to set like this.'"

Still, he admitted to EW that his hair was "75 percent of my performance" and even asked that they "tone down the hair" in New Moon.  "Let's make it a little more real, a little bit more ... Method," he said.

As for Eclipse, which the cast finished filming in October, he joked that he had "to look like the [movie] poster at all times" on set.  "I’m doing fight scenes and there’s a strand going down my forehead and they’re like, ‘We need to do it again because no one will recognize you! No one will know who it is!’" Pattinson said. "There were about five people in different departments who, because of my forelock, ended up in tears."

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