People talk

Buzz Aldrin accused of punching doubter

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Detectives are investigating a complaint that retired astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin punched a man in the face after being asked to swear on a Bible that he'd been to the moon.

Officers were called to the Luxe Hotel on Rodeo Drive Monday and took a report from Bart Sibrel, 37, who said the former Apollo 11 astronaut had attacked him.

Aldrin, 72, had left the hotel when police arrived around 4:30 p.m. and was not interviewed, said Beverly Hills Police Lt. Joe Lombardi.

Sibrel, of Nashville, Tenn., said he doesn't believe Aldrin or anyone else has ever walked on the moon. He said he was trying to confront Aldrin about his 1969 lunar mission when he was punched. Video of the punch aired Tuesday on ABC's "Good Morning America."

An early morning telephone call left at the office of Aldrin's publicist was not immediately returned.

Diva issued summons on water violation

MENDHAM TOWNSHIP, N.J. -- Whitney Houston was issued a summons for violating New Jersey's water-use restrictions after police found sprinklers running at her estate.

"Nobody gets special treatment here," police Lt. Jim Hughes told The Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J., for Tuesday's editions.

Hughes said an officer went to the home Monday after police received a complaint that the sprinkler system was on at night. The sprinklers were running and puddles had formed in the curbs at the property the pop star shares with her husband, singer Bobby Brown, police said.

State officials imposed water-use restrictions last month because of ongoing drought conditions. Residents are banned from watering lawns or washing cars.

Hughes said the officer told a security guard the sprinklers had to be shut off, but the guard didn't know how to do it and had to call the landscaper.

A spokeswoman said Houston and Brown weren't home when the sprinklers were on. Nancy Seltzer said the couple hasn't been at the 10-acre estate for some time because Houston has been working on her next album, "Just Whitney."

Winfrey first to receive Bob Hope award

LOS ANGELES -- Oprah Winfrey will be the first to receive the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award to be given at the 54th annual Emmys.

Bryce Zabel, chief executive of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, described Winfrey as a "truly qualified individual ... whose deeds and actions have had a lasting impact on society."

The award was established this year and will be presented by Tom Hanks at the Sept. 22 ceremony at the Shrine Auditorium.

The award recognizes Hope's pioneer status in the industry and his humanitarian efforts.

Winfrey is the supervising producer and host of "The Oprah Winfrey Show," which has won 35 Emmy awards, and is the highest-rated talk show in television history. The 48-year-old, who starred in the films "The Color Purple," and "Beloved," launched O, The Oprah Magazine, in 2000.

She established her own private charity, The Oprah Winfrey Foundation, in 1987 to support women, children and families throughout the world. -- From wire reports