Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix author J.K. Rowling arrived at a New York courthouse on Monday to begin her battle with a fan hoping to release an encyclopedia about the fantasy series. Rowling claims Steven Vander Ark's The Harry Potter Lexicon is a "rip-off" and infringes on a number of her trademarks. She has so far managed to stall the publication of the 400-page text - initially intended for release last November - and hopes her latest day in court will result in it being scrapped altogether. In a declaration filed in the U.S. District Court in February, Rowling said she was "very frustrated that a former fan has tried to co-opt my work for financial gain. I feel intensely protective, firstly, of the literary world I spent so long creating, and secondly, of the fans who bought my books in such large numbers." Rowling has also revealed she plans to write her own Potter Encyclopedia. Vander Ark's publishers RDR Books insist the book would promote the sale of Rowling's work - and accuse her of appearing to claim "a monopoly on the right to publish literary reference guides, and other nonacademic research, relating to her own fiction." A spokesperson adds, "This is a right no court has ever recognized. If accepted, it would dramatically extend the reach of copyright protection and eliminate an entire genre of literary supplements."

Oscar-winning actress Cate Blanchett has given birth to her third child - welcoming another boy in to her family with playwright husband Andrew Upton. The Aviator star gave birth to son Ignatius Martin Upton on Sunday weighing just over eight pounds, according to Australian reports. The 38-year-old beauty married Upton in 1997 and has two sons with the writer/director, Dashiell, 6, and Roman, 3. Initial reports from Blachett's representatives state the mother and child are doing well. The actress is next set to be seen onscreen in the highly anticipated summer adventure Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull.

A galaxy of comedians including Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller and Chris Rock teamed up to raise money for autism on Sunday night. The funnymen took the stage at New York's Beacon Theatre for A Night Of Too Many Stars: An Overbooked Concert For Autism Education, hosted by TV star Jon Stewart. The show, which was broadcast live on cable network Comedy Central, also featured Matthew Broderick, Susan Sarandon, Tina Fey, Sarah Silverman, Will Arnett, Amy Poehler and talk show host Conan Obrien. Broderick said, "It's fun to be here. I'm a fan of 94 per cent of the performers. I'm always a little nervous. I hope it goes well." The last autism special, which took place in 2006, raised almost $3 million.

Ashlee Simpson is expecting fiance Pete Wentz's baby, according to new reports. The pop star sister of singer/actress Jessica Simpson confirmed reports she had become engaged to the Fall Out Boy rocker last week, and now it appears there's more news to come. A source has revealed the 23-year-old is pregnant to American magazine Us Weekly, but a spokesperson for the couple is refusing to confirm the news, stating only, "We are thrilled to confirm their engagement and congratulate this happy couple. Beyond that there is nothing to say." Simpson announced her engagement to Wentz on April 10 with a message on her blog that read, "We wanted our fans to be the first to know, because you guys are the best. Yes, we are thrilled to share that we are happily engaged."

Daniel Craig is planning to return to his theatrical roots with a stint on the stage, as soon as he can take a break from playing James Bond. The Casino Royale star made his stage debut with a production of Shakespeare's Troilus And Cressida at the age of 16, before studying alongside fellow leading men Ewan McGregor and Joseph Fiennes at London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama. But, after years of struggling with an acting troupe, Craig moved on to film with his big-screen debut in 1992's The Power Of One before becoming the latest 007. Now the 40-year-old is considering returning to tread the boards on London's West End - but only if he can find the right material. Craig tells AOL movies, "My ideal would be to choose some new writing. I have nothing against the classics, but new writing to me seems like it gives you a chance to try new stuff out, stuff no one's ever seen before. I think that makes for a much more exciting theatre experience."

Britney Spears was caught applying make-up while navigating through busy Los Angeles traffic minutes before driving into the back of another car on Saturday night, according to reports. Spears caused a three-car collision on her way home from a 30 minute drive with her bodyguard, and the motorist she hit has revealed he saw her putting on her make-up behind the wheel. The unnamed driver tells Tmz.com he was admiring the white Mercedes behind him, and the woman putting on make-up while driving it - but didn't realize he was looking at Spears until she hit him. The 21-year-old claims Spears' bodyguard, who was a passenger in the pop star's car, was apologetic about the crash, and as the two drivers exchanged insurance details, Britney told him she was on her way to dinner with her mother.

Madonna's return to live shows will be beamed around America on the internet. The pop superstar has confirmed she'll play a one-off show at New York's Roseland Ballroom on April 30, and the gig will be broadcast live to U.S. viewers on Msn.com. The concert will be re-broadcast on May 15 for the rest of the world. Tickets for the show will not be pre-sold; customers of U.S. communications giant Verizon will be able to compete for many of the tickets and other potentially lucky fans will need to line up outside the Roseland to receive tickets on a first come basis. The concert will mark the first time Madonna has performed songs from her hotly anticipated new album Hard Candy, which is released on April 29.

Toni Braxton will return to the Las Vegas stage on May 6 after cancelling a string of shows due to illness and taking advantage of a planned two-week break. Braxton, who has a heart condition, scrapped shows at the Flamingo Las Vegas last week after she was briefly hospitalized with chest pains. She then cancelled a total of 14 shows, and has now chosen not to perform again this month. The 40-year-old Grammy winner will resume her show at the Flamingo Showroom on May 6. The cause of Braxton's hospitalization still hasn't been made public, although Braxton has been treated for pericarditis, a viral inflammation of the heart, in the past.

Disney superstar Miley Cyrus has filmed a dance video - after she was challenged to a battle by the director of Step Up 2: The Streets. Filmmaker Jon Chu and the movie's star Adam Sevani posted a video on YouTube.com earlier this week in which they challenged the 15-year-old to a no-rules "online dance battle." And now the Hannah Montana star and her best friend/back-up dancer Mandy Jiroux have stepped up to the dare, recruiting the movie's dance crew to join her in a choreographed performance set to Madonna's hit single "4 Minutes." In the video, Cyrus and her company of performers, dubbed the "M&M Cru," are seen carrying out a series of impressive dance maneuvers, including back-flips.

Sylvester Stallone has become the latest star to sign up for jury duty in Los Angeles. The Rambo star showed up at an L.A. courthouse early on Monday and was introduced to other potential jurors in an upcoming wrongful termination trial. Madonna and Steve Carell have both been involved in jury call-ups in recent months - Madonna was given a pass, while Carell had to serve.