Monitor

ACCIDENT
Grey’s Anatomy‘s T.R. Knight, 36, was involved in a three-car collision in L.A. on March 19. The actor, who was one of the drivers, was unharmed, though others involved sustained minor injuries. No citations were issued.

PROTEST
More than 500 people have joined a Facebook group created on March 15 by UCLA student Erin Moore, 21, that expresses her outrage over the university’s decision to feature UCLA alum and Milk star James Franco, 30, as one of its commencement speakers. ”James is a good actor,” says Moore. ”I just don’t think he’s changed the structure of our society just yet.” According to a UCLA spokes-woman, ”Franco was the top recommendation” of the selection committee, which also included students. Reps for Franco did not return calls for comment.

CELEBRATING
Reese Witherspoon ushered in her 33rd birthday on March 22 at the Los Angeles premiere of Monsters vs. Aliens, where her costars, including Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, and Hugh Laurie, along with DreamWorks studio head Jeffrey Katzenberg, serenaded her with a rendition of ”Happy Birthday” on stage at the Gibson Amphitheatre.

EXPECTING
Irish actress Elaine Cassidy, 29, star of CBS’ upcoming series Harper’s Island, is pregnant with her first child with British actor husband Stephen Lord.

BIRTH
On March 21, ex-Bachelor Andrew Firestone, 33, became a father when his model wife, Ivana Bozilovic, 31, gave birth to their son in Santa Barbara. Adam Brooks is the first child for both.

RECOVERING
Actor-comedian Robin Williams, 57, is expected to make a full recovery in the next eight weeks after undergoing heart surgery at the Cleveland Clinic on March 13, according to his rep…. On March 23, Today host Matt Lauer, 51, underwent successful surgery for a separated shoulder. The injury resulted from a cycling accident two days before, in which Lauer fell off his bike after slamming on the brakes to avoid colliding with a deer.

BACK TO WORK
Law & Order: SVU‘s Mariska Hargitay, 44, returned to set March 23, after being absent for nearly three weeks. The star, who underwent surgery for a partially collapsed lung in January, had returned to work following the operation, but was hospitalized again March 3 for a second surgery.

APOLOGY
On March 19, President Barack Obama, 47, apologized to the chairman of the Special Olympics, Timothy Shriver, for an offhand remark he had made on The Tonight Show that day. The president had equated his bowling skills with those of athletes with disabilities. ”He was sincere and heartfelt, and said that he is a fan of our movement,” said Shriver in a statement. ”This is a teachable moment for our country.”

COURTS
On March 17, rapper Kanye West, 31, was charged with misdemeanor counts of vandalism, grand theft, and battery, stemming from a September incident at LAX in which he allegedly destroyed a paparazzo’s camera. The performer, who is due back in court April 14, could face more than two years in jail if he’s found guilty…. Sandalwood Properties, the landlord of former Grey’s Anatomy star Isaiah Washington, 45, sued the actor on March 24, claiming he had fallen five months behind on the rent for his home in Venice, Calif. If he doesn’t pay the $100,000 worth of late rent fees, Washington, who is still living in the home, could face eviction. A rep for Washington did not return calls for comment.

DEATHS
British reality star Jade Goody (the U.K.’s Big Brother), 27, who had a very public battle with cervical cancer, died in her sleep March 22 in Essex, England. — With additional reporting by Stewart Allen

Weddings: Something Old, Something New!
First came news that Han would no longer be flying solo, as Harrison Ford, 66, finally proposed to longtime girlfriend Calista Flockhart, 44. Then the old dudes really started dropping like flies: Regina Lasko, 47, made an honest man out of her boyfriend of 23 years, David Letterman, 61, while Emma Heming, 30, got her bachelor beau — and Demi Moore ex — Bruce Willis, 54, to say ”I do.” (Fun fact! Heming is one year younger than Moore’s current hubby, Ashton Kutcher.) Willis got married at his home in Turks and Caicos on March 21, and the Late Show host was married close to his (second) home in Choteau, Mont., on March 19. Letterman surprised locals at the 103-year-old courthouse, according to People.com, and then shocked fans with his on-air announcement March 23, during which he joked that it took so long to make it legal with the mother of his only child, 5-year-old Harry, because ”we wanted to make sure we had the prenup just right.” The under-40 set also got in on the act: Pop singer Natasha Bedingfield, 27, wed businessman Matthew Robinson on March 21 in Malibu, Calif., and little Winnie Cooper, Danica McKellar, 34, married composer Mike Verta on March 22 in La Jolla, Calif. Sniff. We were still rooting for Kevin. — Kate Ward

Stephen Colbert Takes on NASA

The Colbert Nation strikes again. Loyal viewers of Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report, asked by host Stephen Colbert, 44, to nominate his name for the christening of the International Space Station’s Node 3 module, made ”Colbert” the top vote-getter in NASA’s online poll with 230,539 write-ins. ”Serenity,” by far the most popular of NASA’s four suggestions, finished second with 190,196 votes. (Nice try, Whedonverse.) A NASA rep says the poll results are nonbinding but ”certainly hard to ignore.” The name will be announced in April. Look for Colbert to make an on-air plea when the Report returns from hiatus the week of March 30. — Mandi Bierly