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Ah, it'll never happen to me

You know, you just can't make stuff like this up: In New York's borough of Queens last week, restaurant co-owner Josephine Napolitano and her husband were watching one of those funniest-moments-caught-on-videotape TV shows when it turned to the tale of a man who'd become stuck in the chimney of a building he intended to burgle. Not long afterward, the Napolitanos' telephone rang. The police were calling because a would-be thief was wedged in the chimney of - yes - their eatery. He had to be freed with drills and a jackhammer. Alas for him, the cash register is left empty after closing. And the chimney leads only to the cellar.

So who's cheating whom?

Then there's the case in Vietnam's An Giang Province of a swindler who conned three men into paying $64,000 for a fake lump of black bronze - a metal that, when authentic, is used in high-end jewelry and objets d'art. Now, everyone involved is on trial for fraud. But why the buyers? Because their cash proved to be counterfeit.

Britney who? 'Friends' star is top new celebrityin the US

Actress Jennifer Aniston, a star of the NBC sitcom "Friends" who recently appeared in the big-screen comedy "Bruce Almighty," dethroned pop star Britney Spears as the No. 1 celebrity in 2003, according to Forbes. For its Celebrity 100 list, the magazine took into account earning power plus how often a star's name turned up in broadcast and print media and on the web. Forbes' top 10 celebrities, their fields, and rank last year, if applicable (in parentheses):

1. Jennifer Aniston, actress (28)
2. Eminem (with producer Dr. Dre), musician
3. Tiger Woods, pro golfer (2)
4. Steven Spielberg, movie director/producer (3)
5. Jennifer Lopez, actress (12)
6. Paul McCartney, musician
7. Ben Affleck, actor (15)
8. Oprah Winfrey, publisher/ talk-show host (8)
9. Tom Hanks, actor (10)
10. Rolling Stones, musicians

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