Divorce blues

They can't work it out.

Paul McCartney and estranged wife Heather Mills couldn't reach a deal on their divorce settlement - and now a judge will impose a deal on the couple.

McCartney's lawyer, Nicholas Mostyn, said Monday that Judge Hugh Bennett had reserved his ruling and could spend several weeks working out a settlement, certain to run into the tens of millions of dollars.

Mills, 40, smiled as she left London's Royal Courts of Justice with her entourage. McCartney, 65, didn't attend.

Both sides had said they were inching toward a settlement to their ruptured four-year marriage that could be worth a record $100 million, but they couldn't bridge the gap.

The ex-Beatle is thought to be worth more than $1 billion.

A main sticking point is Mills' reluctance to cave in to McCartney's demand for a non-disclosure agreement, which would bar her from writing a tell-all book.

>WIRE REPORTS

Film critic Osborne is on the red carpet

Oscar nominees, presenters and performers will be greeted on the red carpet on Sunday by film historian, television host and Hollywood Reporter columnist Robert Osborne, Academy president Sid Ganis announced Monday. Red carpet guest arrivals are expected to begin at approximately 3 p.m. and conclude at the start of the Oscar telecast at 5 p.m.

"Being on the red carpet is unlike anything else," said Ganis. "Robert is calm, collected and cordial as he welcomes our guests He's superb! He adds to the excitement and glamour of the red carpet."

Osborne's red carpet celebrity chats will be audible to the other arriving guests as well as to the bleacher fans on the opposite side of the carpet. It will be his third stint on the red carpet for the academy.

In addition to writing a column for the Hollywood Reporter, Osborne is the prime-time host of Turner Classic Movies and a frequent host of Academy events in New York and Los Angeles. He also is the author of the upcoming "80 Years of the Oscar," the official history of the Academy Awards, and hosts Robert Osborne's Classic Film Festival in Athens, Ga.

The Oscars will be presented Sunday at the Kodak Theatre and televised live by ABC-TV beginning at 5 p.m.

>LA.COM