It's been a strange week in the world of pop culture, but no stranger than unusual. Here are some things people are talking about - plus my two cents:

• James Brown paternity suit: The Godfather of Soul has been dead since December, yet this week a woman proved through DNA tests that she's his daughter. She's the third person to prove paternity since Brown's death. His will lists only six biological children. No provision for relatives who "come out of the woodwork."

• High School Musical 2: It drummed up 17 million viewers during its first airing, the most ever for a basic-cable show. Tweens and Disney are ecstatic. Parental prescriptions for Valium are reported to have skyrocketed.

• Dannielynn Smith turns one: Yep, Anna Nicole's little girl - the subject of more coverage than the first moon landing - is finally getting her baby teeth. I can't wait until the first report of her being potty-trained.

• Tenth anniversary of Diana's death: We're still a week out, yet the late Princess of Wales is already dominating magazine covers, books and TV shows from the celebratory to the harrowing (see The Murder of Princess Diana on Lifetime). The Queen still wonders what all the fuss is about.

• Opera stars use drugs: More opera singers are conceding that drugs and alcohol are the dirty little secret in their business. Must make it easier to get through three hours of Wagner if you're in an altered state.

• Foxy Brown arrested again: This time for striking a neighbor with a cell phone. The rapper was already on probation for brawling with two manicurists. Her probation was revoked and she was sent to jail. Her lawyer says it's unfair because she's three months pregnant. Maybe she and Nicole Richie can start a "Mommy & Me" chapter.

• Bill Murray arrested for DUI: It was in Sweden and he was driving a golf cart through town, but it still counts. In his defense, those blurry gophers throwing meatballs made him do it.

• Michael Jackson kills woman: OK, so that's an overstatement. The estate of a woman who died of a heart attack at a California hospital claims she received subpar treatment when Jackson checked in during his child-molestation trial. A judge has given the family 30 days to refile, saying it doesn't make sense. Then again, neither does Michael Jackson.

• Mr. Bean releases another movie: Why, God? Why?

• Porno Barbie: Mattel has sued a porn star calling herself China Barbie, claiming her Web site tarnishes the image of its $1.6 billion doll franchise. It says the average American girl owns eight Barbies. (Does the average single guy own eight pornos?) Of course, this is the same toy company that recently released a Titanic Barbie.

• Bette Midler fined: Why? For cutting down 230 trees around her property in Hawaii. Midler takes over for Celine Dion at Caesar's Palace this fall. She's just getting a jump on that diva business. Good thing there wasn't a subdivision blocking her view of the ocean.

• Sexy seniors: A quarter of the octogenarians surveyed say they still have sex, according to the New England Journal of Medicine. No word on whether they log on to the China Barbie site to get in the mood.

• Lindsay Lohan won't face cocaine charges: Her career is a shambles and she's reportedly been craving hamburgers in rehab. Isn't that punishment enough?

pearsonm@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2592