Dame Julie Andrews, best known as the singing nun in The Sound of Music and as Mary Poppins, is reported to have been paid $US20 million ($50 million) after a bungled throat operation that robbed her of her singing voice.
Andrews, 65, had filed a lawsuit against US surgeon Stuart Kessler after a 1997 operation which the singer said left her able only to hit a "bass note or two," London's Evening Standard newspaper reported yesterday.
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Sir Elton John has begun a £20 million ($72.46 million) legal action against a top firm of accountants. The flamboyant rock star, who was not at London's High Court for the start of the complex case, is suing PricewaterhouseCoopers over money he claims is missing from his business empire.
The 53-year-old is scheduled to be called as a witness during the hearing, which involves allegations against the accountancy firm and Andrew Haydon, former managing director of John Reid Enterprises, which managed Elton's affairs.
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They have toppled the Rolling Stones. Now the Spice Girls have Madonna in their sights.
The feisty "Girl Power" quartet have made British pop history with their ninth No 1 single - the double A-side Holler/Let Love Lead The Way. They are now officially the most successful female group ever in the British charts.
A 10th No 1 hit would match Madonna's tally but they are still five behind Cliff Richard and seven short of the Beatles and Elvis Presley.
Their third album Forever comes out next month when they could face a tough rival - all the Beatles' No 1 hits are being put out on a compilation album.
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Oscar-winning Cabaret star Liza Minnelli left a Florida hospital yesterday, holding hands with her formerly estranged half-sister, after fighting off a serious brain illness.
Lorna Luft and Minnelli, 54, patched up a long rift after the actress-singer fell ill with viral encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain. Doctors said Minnelli, would take many months to recover fully.
- NZPA
<i>Showbiz:</i> Drop of golden sum for Julie Andrews
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