LOS ANGELES — A federal judge Monday sentenced a man who hacked into the personal online accounts of Scarlett Johansson, Mila Kunis and other women to 10 years in prison.

U.S. District Judge S. James Otero sentenced Christopher Chaney in Los Angeles after hearing from a tearful Johansson in a videotaped statement.

The biggest spectacle in the case was the revelation that nude photos taken by Johansson herself and meant for her then-husband, Ryan Reynolds, were placed on the Internet.

Chaney, 35, of Jacksonville, Fla., pleaded guilty to counts that included wiretapping and unauthorized access to a computer.

Chaney also targeted two women he knew, sending nude pictures of one former co-worker to her father.

The women, who both knew Chaney, said their lives have been irreparably damaged by his actions. One has anxiety and panic attacks; the other is depressed and paranoid. Both say Chaney was calculated, cruel and creepy.

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Their accounts as cyber victims serve as a cautionary tale for those, even major celebrities, who snap personal, sometimes revealing, photos.

Christina Aguilera said in a statement issued days before the sentencing that although she knows that she’s often in the limelight, Chaney took from her some of the private moments she shares with friends.

“That feeling of security can never be given back and there is no compensation that can restore the feeling one has from such a large invasion of privacy,” Aguilera said.

Prosecutors said Chaney illegally accessed the email accounts of more than 50 people in the entertainment industry between November 2010 and October 2011. Aguilera, Kunis and Johansson agreed to have their identities made public with the hopes that the exposure about the case would provide awareness about online intrusion.

Some of Aguilera’s photos appeared online after Chaney sent an email from the account of her stylist, Simone Harouche, to Aguilera asking the singer for scantily clad photographs, prosecutors said.

Chaney was arrested in October 2011 as part of a yearlong investigation of celebrity hacking that authorities dubbed “Operation Hackerazzi.”

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‘Nashville’ lets actress step into music through her character 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — While Hayden Panettiere is pretending to be a country music singer on TV, she’s learning how to be one in real life.

The actress plays ambitious country star Juliette Barnes on the hit ABC show “Nashville” (Wednesdays, 10 p.m.). Her character has performed on the Grand Ole Opry, dealt with the demands of a record label executive, written songs and tracked vocals in a recording studio.

“The show, I feel like, is an amazing second step for me because I love music and I’ve always had such terrible stage fright,” said Panettiere, 23, who recently earned a Golden Globe nomination for best performance by a television actress in a supporting role.

Her confidence as a singer is growing, as is her credibility. She sings all of her own songs in the show, some of which are featured on the “Nashville” soundtrack, released last week. Big Machine Records put out her song “Telescope” as the show’s first official single, and it’s a Top 40 hit on the Billboard country songs chart.

The former “Heroes” actress has dabbled in music before, performing tracks for various Disney films and releasing the pop single “Wake Up Call” in 2008, which failed to chart. A full album was never released.

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’10 Years’ co-stars expecting baby

NEW YORK — The Sexiest Man Alive will soon be a sexy dad.

Actor Channing Tatum and his wife, Jenna Dewan-Tatum, are expecting their first child in 2013, their reps confirm.

The news was reported by People.com, which named Tatum the Sexiest Man Alive in November.

The couple, who recently co-starred in the film “10 Years,” met on the 2006 dance film “Step Up,” and wed in 2009.

Tatum has at least four movies in the works, and Dewan-Tatum appears this season on “American Horror Story: Asylum.” She also has a TV movie, “She Made Them Do It,” premiering Dec. 29.

— From news service reports

 


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