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Clay Aiken suedYOUR E-MAIL ALERTSRALEIGH, North Carolina (AP) -- The author of an "unauthorized tribute" to Clay Aiken is suing the "American Idol" singer, claiming he defamed her and conspired to stifle sales of her book. Jeannie Holleman, 50, says she is a lifelong friend and neighbor of a Raleigh family that were friends with Aiken's mother, Faye Parker, and took her in when Parker and her young son left her abusive husband. In the lawsuit, filed Friday in Wake County Superior Court, Holleman claims Aiken, his mother and others conspired to defame her and depress sales of her book by denying they knew her, branding her stories as lies and demeaning the book on Aiken fans' Web sites. Aiken, in a statement issued by RCA Records, said Monday that he had "instructed my attorneys to not only vigorously dispute the claims that have been made but to also pursue all possible remedies against those involved in the perpetration of these untruths." Holleman's 2005 book, "Out of the Blue -- 'Clay' it Forward," incorporates interviews from the McGhee family and her own recollections with stories from Aiken's fans. The lawsuit also claims a bodyguard for Aiken manhandled Holleman at a fundraiser in Hawaii. A telephone message left Sunday at Parker's home was not returned. The lawsuit seeks at least $260,000 in damages and asks the court to order Aiken to retract the critical comments or endorse the book on his official Web site, to write a positive introduction for the book and to sell the book at his concerts for at least five years. In his statement, Aiken, 27, also said: "As a so-called 'celebrity' I have become used to scurrilous allegations and untruths being made about me and my work. I have always taken the path of not reacting to these matters and have accepted them as, somehow, coming with the 'job.' However, I cannot, and will not, stand by when these attacks are made on my family." Paul Newman: Legacy will be children's campsLAKE LUZERNE, New York (AP) -- Paul Newman's idea in the 1980s to start a camp in Connecticut for critically ill children has grown into an international phenomenon with a ninth "Hole in the Wall" camp opening soon. The camps will host thousands of children, for free, well after the 81-year-old actor speaks his last line before a camera. "If I leave a legacy, it will be the camps," Newman says. At the Double H camp, in the woods of the southern Adirondacks, campers climb ropes among tall trees, paint faces, ride horses, swim and play soccer. It's typical summer camp stuff, though campers' diagnoses range from cancer to muscular dystrophy. Double H (stands for health and happiness) opened in 1993 after the late amusement park developer Charles Wood proposed to Newman that they convert an old dude ranch into a second Hole in the Wall camp. The camp's success cleared the way for affiliated camps in Florida, California, France and elsewhere, said Newman's Own Foundation board member Bob Forrester. The ninth camp, in Israel, is to open next year and more are in the process of being accredited. Newman gives the camps some financial support and visits when he can, but they must make their own way. Only about 15 percent of the money that Newman's Own Foundation gives out goes to the camps. Newman's visits to the camps have become more difficult as the camps multiply and he gets older. At 81, Newman has the same wiry build he had circa "Cool Hand Luke," but he walked with a shuffle during a recent dinner for Double H supporters at Saratoga Springs. "It's getting harder and harder," he told The Associated Press before the dinner. "I came up a couple of times last year, once this year. We traveled over to Hungary, Italy, next year we'll probably be going over to the opening in Israel." Despite the call on his time, Newman clearly loves the camps. "I had no idea they would sprout like mushrooms," he said. Actors silent on drug use for rolesHONG KONG (AP) -- Andy Lau may play a major narcotic dealer in the upcoming movie "Protege," but the Hong Kong star had little to say when asked if he had tried drugs to prepare for the role. Director Derek Yee told reporters at a news conference that one of the movie's stars, Chinese actress Zhang Jingchu, had wanted to try drugs to better portray a drug user but that he talked her out of it. Zhang denied the claim. But Lau -- who plays a heroin kingpin grooming his successor to take over the business -- stayed silent. As did co-stars Daniel Wu, Louis Koo and Anita Yuen. Publicity material for the film claims the actors took career risks by signing on for a movie revolving around drugs. "All the five stars ... are willing to forsake their star images to have breakthrough performances," a press handout says. The actors said during a news conference on Thursday that they did extensive research for their parts. Both Zhang and Koo said they met recovering drug addicts. Yee said he had met former drug dealers referred to him by police contacts. But asked if they had considered trying drugs to prepare for their performances, or if they had ever used drugs, they fell silent. "Protege," backed by financing from England, the U.S., China, Hong Kong and Singapore, is due to be released early 2007. Copyright 2006 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report. 
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