Washington, April 8 : An attorney representing Anna Nicole Smith''s boyfriend Howard K. Stern has said that the allegation that he was the late Playboy bunny's "principal enabler" in acquiring the toxic prescription drugs that claimed her life two years ago are politically motivated.

Attorney Steve Sadow told reporters that State Attorney General Jerry Brown''s allegations were a "blatant attempt to advance his own political career."

"He is innocent of the baseless allegations made against him in the criminal complaint. Both Anna and Howard believed in their doctors and relied in good faith on their medical judgment," People magazine quoted Sadow as saying.

Washington, Apr 8 : Carrie Underwood says she was mortified when she made a sexual reference joke to wanting to see Matthew McConaughey''s "boots" in her acceptance speech at Sunday''s American Country Music Awards.

Before presenting Underwood with Entertainer of the Year, McConaughey told the audience how George Strait''s boots once got him "lucky."

"We''re like, ''Oh yeah. Say, as I a matter of fact, out in the parking lot, in the trunk of our white Corvette, we have the next year''s new edition white ostrich quill George Strait signed series that he''s gonna wear on tour next year.'' And they got pretty excited about that and said, ''Well, can we see? Can we see? Can we see?''" McConaughey told the audience.

Washington, April 8 : Pop queen Madonna has made a "substantial donation" for supporting relief efforts in Pacentro, Italy, which was struck by a devastating earthquake of 6.3 magnitude on Monday.

The Mayor of Pacentro had made an appeal for help to Madonna, whose paternal grandparents lived in there until 1919.

The quake left more than 200 dead there.

Washington, Apr 8 : Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) can worsen asthmatic symptoms in kids, according to a new study.

During the study, research team from University of Alabama followed 240 children with asthma who were either receiving usual care or supervised asthma therapy.

The kids were given 20 minutes of asthma education that incorporated discussion on the avoidance of asthma triggers, including ETS.

The researchers revealed that kids whose ETS exposure decreased reported fewer hospitalizations and ED visits.

Washington, Apr 8 : Rapper Busta Rhymes feels that rapid technological advancements are "dehumanising people".

The 36-year-old singer, real name Trevor Smith, admits while hi-tech gadgets are useful, the convenience is beginning to "dehumanising people" by reducing personal interaction.

"I like technology, but I don''t like what people are letting technology do to them. There''s a lot of things we couldn''t do without technology,” Contactmusic quoted him as saying.

The ‘Touch It’ hitmaker doesn’t even like texting. The crooner insists he would prefer to talk to people directly instead of sending messages.

Washington, Apr. 8 : US President Barack Obama''s glowing reception overseas suggests that he and his strategists have laid the groundwork for bigger prizes later on.

"One of the things that will make it easier for the leaders of these nations to work cooperatively with us ... is the fact that we have a more positive image among their constituents," the New York Daily News quoted top White House adviser David Axelrod, as telling reporters Tuesday.