Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes reach a settlement

Plus: Kourtney Kardashian gives birth to second child, Seymour Hoffman joins Catching Fire cast, Usher's stepson declared brain-dead, Adam Lambert may be returning to American Idol, and Charlie Sheen enjoys his new success.

Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise. Danny Moloshok / Reuters

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes have reached a settlement less than two weeks after she announced their divorce - and issued a joint statement on Monday pledging to act in the "best interests" of their six-year-old daughter Suri, and to take account of their "respective beliefs" in her upbringing. The announcement heads off what some had expected could be acrimonious haggling over the divorce, amid reports Holmes was concerned about the role of the Church of Scientology in their daughter's life. "The case has been settled and the agreement has been signed. We are thrilled for Katie as she embarks on the next chapter of her life," her lawyer said. No details of the settlement terms were disclosed. "We want to keep matters affecting our family private and support each other's roles as parents," their joint statement read. * AFP

Kardashian gives birth to second child

The reality stars Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick have welcomed their second child, Penelope Scotland, on Sunday in Los Angeles. "Scott and I are overjoyed to welcome our precious angel into our lives. We are forever blessed. Mommy and baby are resting comfortably," Kardashian, 33, told E! News. * AP

Seymour Hoffman cast in Catching Fire

Philip Seymour Hoffman has signed on to Catching Fire, the second film in the Hunger Games trilogy. The actor will portray Plutarch Heavensbee, the new head game-maker overseeing an annual televised fight to the death staged by a repressive government in a post-apocalyptic North America. * AP

Usher's stepson declared brain-dead

Usher's 11-year-old stepson Kyle Glover has been declared brain-dead by doctors after an accident on a personal watercraft on Friday in Atlanta. He is the son of the singer's ex-wife, Tameka Foster. Usher and Foster have not left the hospital since the incident. * IANS

Adam Lambert to judge American Idol?

Adam Lambert, the runner-up on American Idol season eight, is reportedly being courted to join the show's judging panel, which currently comprises Jennifer Lopez, Randy Jackson and Steven Tyler. Lopez is rumoured not to be returning next season. "Everything is up in the air," said Idol's producer Nigel Lythgoe. - IANS

Charlie Sheen enjoys new success

After his new series Anger Management premiered last week to record-breaking ratings, Charlie Sheen says he finds himself in a better place. "This whole thing is like a return to innocence. I feel younger," he told the Toronto Sun. "I feel like I'm finally involved with something nourishing and not debilitating." Sheen, 46, was sacked from Two and a Half Men last year. * IANS