Oh, Baby! Big News for Sanchez

UPDATE

Sony Pictures plans to turn our colleague Wil Haygood's front-page Washington Post story about Eugene Allen, an African American butler at the White House for 34 years, into a major motion picture.

Allen, 89, worked through eight administrations, beginning in the Truman years when segregation still reigned in his native Virginia, until midway through the Reagan era. Haygood interviewed Allen and captured his reflections in the days leading up to Barack Obama's election, for an article that ran Nov. 7 -- "a story from the back pages of history," Haygood wrote, "the man in the kitchen."

"It's such a moving story that covers such a sweep of history," producer Laura Ziskin ("Pretty Woman," "Spider-Man") told Variety. The studio bought Allen's life-story rights as well as the rights to the newspaper story. Haygood has been signed as an associate producer and researcher.

HEY, ISN'T THAT . . . ?

· Michael Lohan -- yes, Lindsay's dad -- dining in a party of nine at Teatro Goldoni downtown Tuesday night. The ex-con turned minister, now doing mission work with an anti-child-slavery group, was in town to meet with a Saudi benefactor, he explained when we tracked him down. Blue suit, red-and-white scarf. Linguini with clam sauce and pinot grigio.

LOVE, ETC.

· Split: Local-boy-makes-good Benji Madden, 29, and Paris Hilton, 27, according to various glossy mags and confirmed to Us Weekly by her rep. The Waldorf-bred Good Charlotte guitarist and the freelance celebutante had dated a full nine months. Really thought this one was going to work out.

· Settling: Madonna, 50, and Guy Ritchie, 40, who were to be divorced today at High Court in London, according to court records cited by the BBC. U.K. papers report that she'll keep most of her $500 million fortune intact and that Rocco, 8, and David, 3, will divide their time between the United States and London while Lourdes, 12, her daughter by a previous relationship, will stay with Madge.