Uncoupled
In L.A. actress Sheryl Lee Ralph, 44, who plays Brandy's stepmother on the UPN sitcom Moesha, filed for divorce last month from her husband of nine years, Eric Maurice, 39. Ralph cited irreconcilable differences and is seeking joint custody of the couple's two kids, Etiene, 8, and Ivy-Victoria, 5.

In Treatment
In a March 21 letter to the U.S. House of Representatives, 16-term Congressman Philip M. Crane (R-Ill.), 69, notified colleagues that he was taking a 30-day medical leave for treatment of alcoholism. Crane, who once ran for President and is widely considered to be named the next chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, said that "[alcohol] dependence has taken a toll on my health and other aspects of my life...and I must deal with it directly and decisively."

Disclosed
Honorary Oscar recipient Deborah Kerr, 78, who starred in The King and I and An Affair to Remember, has been suffering from Parkinson's disease for some time, a representative for the actress has confirmed.

Deaths
Starlet-turned-shutter-bug Jean Howard, whose photographs of such stars as Vivien Leigh and Humphrey Bogart appeared in her popular 1989 coffee-table book, Jean Howard's Hollywood: A Photo Memoir (with James Watters), died at her home in Beverly Hills on March 21. She was 89.

Legal Matters

Ruling on an appeal, the Kentucky Supreme Court on March 23 ordered that actor Woody Harrelson, 38, be tried for possession of marijuana. The actor planted four hemp seeds in the state in 1996 to force a test of a law forbidding possession of any part of a cannabis plant. Harrelson argued that the statute is unconstitutional because it doesn't distinguish between marijuana and hemp, which contains only trace amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol, the chemical that gets pot smokers high. The judge in his ruling said the difference was "of no consequence." Harrelson's misdemeanor will likely draw a fine but he probably won't face jail time....

On March 20 in Fairfax, Va., a grand jury indicted a 27-year-old man who had allegedly been posing as a 16-year-old nephew of director Steven Spielberg while attending a private high school in Virginia. Authorities accuse Anoushirvan D. Fakhran, who called himself Jonathan Taylor Spielberg, of forgery and "uttering false documents."

Awarded
On March 24 in Washington, D.C., a federal judge ordered Iran to pay $341 million to Terry Anderson, 52, as punishment for the nearly seven years of "savage and cruel" treatment of the former hostage. The judge noted that the likelihood the award would ever be paid was minimal.

Udate
Comic and actor Rodney Dangerfield, 78, underwent double bypass heart surgery on March 21 in L.A. and is making a "fine recovery," said his business manager, Charles Sussman.

Expecting
At a March 25 Hollywood dinner honoring black Oscar nominees, actor Will Smith, 31, surprised attendees by announcing that he and his wife, actress Jada Pinkett, 28, are expecting their second child. Son Jaden Christopher Syre will be 2 years old in July.