Former 'Gilligan's Island' star caught with marijuana

DRIGGS, Idaho (AP) -- Dawn Wells, who played Mary Ann on "Gilligan's Island," is serving six months' unsupervised probation after allegedly being caught with marijuana in her car.

She was sentenced Feb. 29 to five days in jail, fined $410.50 and placed on probation after pleading guilty to one count of reckless driving.

Under a plea agreement, three misdemeanor counts -- driving under the influence, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance -- were dropped.

On Oct. 18, Teton County sheriff's Deputy Joseph Gutierrez arrested Wells as she was driving home from a surprise birthday party that was held for her. According to the sheriff's office report, Gutierrez pulled Wells over after noticing her swerve and repeatedly speed up and slow down. When Gutierrez asked about a marijuana smell, Wells said she'd just given a ride to three hitchhikers and had dropped them off when they began smoking something. Gutierrez found half-smoked joints and two small cases used to store marijuana.

The 69-year-old Wells, founder of the Idaho Film and Television Institute and organizer of the region's annual family movie festival called the Spud Fest, then failed a sobriety test.

Wells' lawyer, Ron Swafford, said that a friend of Wells' testified that he'd left a small amount of marijuana in the vehicle after using it that day, and that Wells was unaware of it. Swafford also said several witnesses were prepared to testify that Wells had very little to drink at the party and was not intoxicated when she left. He said she was swerving on the road because she was trying to find the heater controls in her new car.

Janet Jackson drops out

of 'SNL' because of the flu

NEW YORK (AP) -- Janet Jackson has dropped out of her upcoming "Saturday Night Live" performance because she has the flu, the singer's representative said Tuesday.

"Janet did go to the hospital last night due to the fact she's been suffering from this flu that's kicked a lot of people's behinds," publicist Patti Webster told Associated Press in an e-mail. "She was never admitted and she is fine."

Still, Webster said Jackson -- who visited a Los Angeles hospital -- was pulling out of the March 15 "SNL" telecast because "she needs some time to get better."

Judge tosses lawsuit against Robert De Niro

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed against Robert De Niro by an insurance company that claimed he misrepresented his health for a movie role.

Fireman's Fund Insurance Co. insured the film "Hide and Seek." The company claimed the actor misrepresented his health when he wrote that he had never been diagnosed with or treated for prostate cancer.

According to court documents, De Niro was diagnosed with prostate cancer on Oct. 15, 2003, two days after he signed the medical certificate. De Niro underwent a prostate-gland biopsy on Oct. 10, 2003.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Rolf M. Treu granted De Niro's motion for summary judgment on Monday.

"This ruling vindicates what we've said all along," De Niro's attorney Robyn Crowther said.

XM Radio to launch

George Strait station

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- George Strait says he still gets a thrill hearing his songs on the radio, and now he'll have a whole channel of his music to get excited about.

"Strait Country" will launch April 1 on XM Radio channel 17 to coincide with the release of the country star's 37th album, "Troubadour," the satellite radio company announced Wednesday.

The station will run through May 31 and feature songs from Strait's catalog as well as exclusive interviews and programming about the star.

He joins Led Zeppelin and Michael Jackson as the only recording artists to have their own XM Radio channels.