SO HOW much did Las Vegas actor Josh Duhamel and pop star Fergie spend on their 10Jan wedding earlier last week?

A cool US$1.5 million ($2m).

Fergie wore two one-of-a-kind Dolce & Gabbana dresses and Jimmy Choo shoes.

The 'magical, ethereal' affair was held on the lush grounds of the ultra-private 8,000-sq-ft Church Estate Vineyard in Malibu, California, which featured crystal chandelier trees.

The ceremony also featured performances byKid Rock, Will.I.Am and Slash, reported Us Weekly.

To protect the couple's privacy, invites weren't given out until after the ceremony.

Created by invitationers Lehr & Black, the artwork on the cards was intricate and the cards were decorated with crystals.

Each card was also accompanied by a caricature of Fergie and Duhamel fishing, reported People magazine.

The couple wrapped up their wedding with a honeymoon in Dubai.

Monroe photo lawsuit settled

A SETTLEMENT has been reached in the legal battle surrounding the nude and semi-nude photographs taken during Marilyn Monroe's famous Last Sitting.

The seven erotic photos were taken in 1962 by Vogue photographer Bert Stern - just six weeks before the actress died of a drug overdose.

Mr Stern's lawyer has confirmed with AP that the dispute has been settled 'amicably'.

In September, Mr Stern had filed a lawsuit against MrMichael Weiss and MrDonald Penny.

He claimed the pair - former editors of now-defunct magazine Eros - had attempted to sell him back the snaps 40 years after he loaned the pictures to them.

Mr Stern claimed the photos are worth US$100,000 ($150,000), and was suing for US$700,000 and US$1 million in punitive damages and legal fees.

New homes for Mexican storm victims

ACTOR Mel Gibson has donated US$1 million ($1.5m) to replace storm-damaged homes in Veracruz and the neighbouring Chiapas state in Mexico.

Mexican officials have presented victims of hurricane Stan with 109 homes that were partly funded by a donation from Gibson, reported AP.

The Braveheart actor filmed his 2006 Mayan-language movie Apocalypto in the Gulf coast state Veracruz.

Veracruz Governor Fidel Herrera said the Mexican government and a private charity paid for the rest of the cost of the homes.

Hurricane Stan struck Central America and southern Mexico in October 2005, damaging 40,000 homesin the country and killing 71 people in Chiapas.

This article was first published in The New Paper on Jan 19, 2009.