Melbourne, Dec 23 : Hollywood actor Ryan Phillippe and Hollywood actress Abbie Cornish, who have been an item since a year, have reportedly dropped their plan of celebrating Christmas in the Hunter Valley.

Cornish and Phillippe had allegedly zeroed upon Hunter Valley, the place where Cornish's family lives, to celebrate Christmas, but the constant media glare has made them head back to L. A.

The couple, which was constantly hounded by paparazzi in Australia, was dazed to see the extent of media attention they were receiving in the country.

"They were being trailed every moment when they were in Sydney," the Daily Telegraph quoted a source, as saying.

Melbourne, Dec 23 : South Africa captain Graeme Smith has been cleared to play against Australia in the second Test at the MCG from December 26.

Smith, one of the stars of the Proteas' six-wicket win in Perth, has battled pain in his right elbow for some time and regularly undergoes painkilling injections, The Age reported.

But coach Mickey Arthur said on Tuesday that the left-handed opener would definitely play on Boxing Day, although the Proteas had to determine whether Smith needed to undergo corrective surgery in the future.

Melbourne, Dec 23 : U. S. president-elect Barack Obama has been likened to George Clooney after photographs of him leaving a gym in Hawaii without his shirt surfaced on the Internet.

On the net, people are raving about the next US President's body.

Celebrity website Celebuzz claimed Obama was "the hottest president ever" while the Sun said "His buff chest and toned tum belie his 47 years and show he's got more in common with George Clooney than George Bush."

Melbourne, Dec 23: The Australian Government has admitted that mistakes were made at the highest level in Indian born doctor Mohamed Haneef's case, adding that no action will be taken against the nation's top cop or any other agency head.

Dr Haneef was wrongly charged and wrongly detained on the Gold Coast last year over suspected links to terrorist acts in the UK, according to a report by retired New South Wales Supreme Court judge John Clarke.

Melbourne, Dec 22 : Hollywood actress Paris Hilton has been paid a whopping 600,000 dollars for a New Year gig in Sydney.

Hilton will be making an appearance at the New Year Eve to add glamour to the launch of The Bongo Virus networking website.

"Paris is coming because it''s the biggest online party in the world and she wanted to come because she loves Australia," News. com. au quoted Bongo chief executive Will Scott, as saying.

"Now she''s single, I''ve told her there''ll be lots of gorgeous guys at the party," he added.