Drew Barrymore gives birth to girl

Plus Seth MacFarlane to host Oscars, Celine Dion and Usher to perform in Whitney Houston tribute, Oprah Winfrey Network signs Tyler Perry and Tayler Swift reacts to John Mayer's commends about her song Dear John.

Will Kopelman and Drew Barrymore are new parents. AP Photo

Drew Barrymore and her husband Will Kopelman welcomed a baby girl named Olive on September 26, according to a statement released on Monday from Barrymore's production company, Flower Films. "The baby was born happy, healthy and welcomed by the whole family," said the statement, which didn't provide specifics on the birth. Barrymore, 37, wed Kopelman, an art consultant, in June. - AP

Seth MacFarlane to host Oscars

The Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane will host the 85th annual Academy Awards ceremony on February 24, announced the show's producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron. MacFarlane said being invited to host the event "was the greatest call that I could have got in show business". Meron called the 38-year-old entertainer "the most unbelievable, consummate host choice we could think of". Zadan said they have long admired MacFarlane's talent, "so the idea of actually doing the biggest thing that we've ever produced with him is just beyond belief". This is the first Oscar production for Zadan and Meron, whose credits include the 2002 Best Picture winner Chicago and the musical TV show Smash. "It would be criminal to have an Oscars without music," MacFarlane said. - AP

Dion, Usher to perform for Houston

Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson and Usher will pay tribute to the late Whitney Houston in a one-hour TV special. We Will Always Love You: A Grammy Salute to Whitney Houston will air on US television on November 16. The event's compilation album, I Will Always Love You - The Best of Whitney Houston, will be released on November 13. Meanwhile, the Lifetime network is producing a reality series, The Houstons: On Our Own, following the daily life of Houston's family, including her daughter Bobbi Kristina. The 14-episode run begins at the end of this month. - AP

Winfrey's network signs Tyler Perry

Oprah Winfrey's OWN network is venturing into scripted programming for the first time through a deal with the actor and director Tyler Perry, who will produce, write and direct two series for the cable network to premiere next year. Perry is the creative force behind movies such as Madea's Family Reunion and the TV series Tyler Perry's House of Payne. After its slow start, OWN has been improving its ratings performance recently, in large part through Winfrey's more aggressive booking of interviews for her own show. - AP

Swift reacts to Mayer's presumptions

When Taylor Swift ended things with the musician John Mayer and then released a track titled Dear John, Mayer admitted to Rolling Stone magazine that the song, which he assumed was about him, "really humiliated me and made me feel terrible. It was a really lousy thing for her to do". Swift sings on the track: "Dear John … don't you think 19 is too young to be played by your dark twisted games?" Swift reacted to Mayer's statement in this month's issue of Glamour magazine: "How presumptuous! I never disclose who my songs are about."