Los Angeles - The crypt above the final resting place of screen legend Marilyn Monroe is up for auction again, two months after a previous bid of 4.6 million dollars fell through. Bidding for the mausoleum crypt will start at 500,000 dollars on online auction site eBay.com. But anyone hoping to nab the burial site will have to come up with a 5-per-cent refundable deposit of their bid for their offer to be accepted.
The crypt in Westwood Village Memorial Park had been owned by Monroe's ex-husband Joe DiMaggio. He later sold it to entrepreneur Richard Poncher, who was buried in the tomb 23 years ago at the age of 81. His widow, Elise Poncher, moved his body and put the tomb up for sale so she could pay off the 1.6-million-dollar mortgage on her Beverly Hills house.
After the original deal fell through, a representative for Poncher contacted 11 other bidders who had offered over 4.5 million dollars, but none of them were interested in actually paying that much.
The new auction will begin on October 19 and will end on October 29.
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Avril Lavigne files for divorce
Los Angeles - Punk pop star Avril Lavigne has filed for divorce from her musician husband after three years of marriage, according to reports Thursday.
Lavigne, 25, filed for divorce from Sum 41 singer Deryck Jason Whibley on Friday in Los Angeles, citing irreconcilable differences.
The couple were married in July 2006 and have no children.
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Garth Brooks to make a comeback
Los Angeles - Country superstar Garth Brooks is to end his nine-year retirement, he announced Thursday at a news conference in Nashville.
He was expected to make a separate announcement about filling an extended engagement at the Wynn Resort in Las Vegas.
Brooks, 47, retired in 2000 to spend more time with his children. He has sold more than 128 million records in the US, second only to The Beatles.
"I know this is a young industry," he said, "so I'm not sure I'll be welcomed back but, if the fans want me, I still want to pursue my music."
Brooks, who has sold some 123 million records, is the top-selling American artist of all time, second only to the Beatles' 170 million.
