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| March 24, 2007 |
| Will Jessica Simpson Beat Nick Lachey to the Altar? |
If you’re like me, you were shocked and appalled when you heard that super cute married couple Jessica and Nick were getting divorced. You thought, “What will I do with my four seasons of Newlyweds?” Well now that the pain has subsided, reawaken your hearts with this news…
Jessica Simpson’s on-again romance with singer John Mayer, 29, is so hot that the couple was reportedly seen checking out diamond rings at Cartier on March 8 during their six-day trip to Rome!
With all the fruitless speculation over Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minnillo’s possible nuptials, it is refreshing to see the other half of the super couple is moving forward with a rockstar that actually sells albums and wins Grammys.
Apparently John Mayer has been telling friends “she’s the one he wants to settle down with,” says a source. “He says, ‘she has all the right ingredients, and she makes me laugh.’” It’s an unlikely pairing, but apparently he’s found his soul mate: He wanted to have “a wife, a home, a degree of stability” before he turned 30. Well that is closing in, as he turns the big 3-0 just six months from now on October 16.
We’ll let you know as soon as we know more. Until then, keep your eyes pealed. Oh, and one more thing- John and Jessica, please don’t do an MTV reality series… they don’t end well! |
posted by viraks @ 4:10:00 AM  |
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| Jennifer Hudson’s Starbucks Ousting |
The ever-growing celebrity Jennifer Hudson doesn’t seem to hold Starbucks’ management’s respect.
Apparently, Hudson got a little too greedy with ludicrous demands and lost her shot at performing for the coffee moguls.
Hudson has been well received since her debut on American Idol, and as a further example to the show’s star manufacturing power, Hudson was able to cross-over into movies with Dreamgirls. It seems the budding actress believes in her stardom a little too much.
A witness told TMZ, “Jennifer’s agency William Morris demanded five cars, hair and make-up artists, security for her and her assistant, and humidifiers. The final straw came when they told Starbucks she would need baked chicken wings at 10 a.m. Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz decided he had enough and pulled the plug because he didn’t like the way the agent was dealing with his people.”
Who does she think she is? Britney Spears? Whitney Houston? I mean come on… She has only been around for three years. You need to have a little bit more star power before you can start burning up business relationships. |
| posted by viraks @ 4:06:00 AM |
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| Former Oprah intern wins Miss USA |
Rachel Smith, a journalism graduate from Tennessee, was crowned Miss USA, edging out 50 other aspiring beauty queens in a contest to replace a titleholder whose reign was nearly marred by a scandal.
Smith, 21, graduated from Belmont University and interned last year for the production company behind "The Oprah Winfrey Show."
Contestants from all 50 states and the District of Columbia were competing to succeed Miss USA Tara Conner, who entered rehab after accounts surfaced suggesting she was drinking at New York clubs.
The episode could have cost the Kentucky native her crown, but Donald Trump, who co-owns the pageant with NBC, gave her a second chance.
The telecast did not shy away from the controversy, opening with a string of news and interview clips about Conner's woes. Then the 21-year-old blonde emerged wearing a strapless, ruffled gown, and appeared on stage.
"It has been the most unforgettable year of my life and I'm back, and better than ever," Conner said to wild applause from the audience.
Smith edged out top finalists Meagan Yvonne Tandy of California; Cara Renee Gorges of Kansas; Helen Salas of Nevada; and Danielle Lacourse of Rhode Island. |
| posted by viraks @ 4:04:00 AM |
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| Nicole Smith diaries sell for more than $500,000 |
Anna Nicole Smith's private thoughts written in two diaries have been sold for more than $500,000 to a German businessman who planned to sell the information to the media, an auction house official said.
Also Friday, Frederic von Anhalt, the husband of Zsa Zsa Gabor, who says he fathered Smith's 6-month-old daughter, provided a DNA sample in the ongoing dispute about the paternity of the child. He said he wanted to raise the child if he was the father.
The late Playboy model's handwritten 1992 diary was sold for $282,500 and her 1994 diary went for $230,000 in an eBay auction Thursday, plus a 20 percent buyer's premium.
The buyer wished to remain anonymous but planned to sell the information to various media outlets, then resell the diaries by the end of the year, said Thomas Riccio, a partner in Universal Rarities, the Corona, California-based auction house that handled the sale.
The "soap opera value" of the dairies could be worth more than $1 million alone, including the rights to publish photos of the pages, Riccio said.
Smith, 39, was found dead February 8 in Hollywood, Florida. The cause of her death is under investigation, and authorities plan to release autopsy results Monday.
On Friday, von Anhalt, 59, said he was "almost sure the baby's mine," after having a cotton swab brushed along the inside of his mouth for the DNA test. He added he hopes to gain custody as soon as possible.
He says he carried on a decades-long affair with Smith. A judge in the Bahamas on Tuesday ordered a DNA test on the girl at the request of Smith's ex-boyfriend Larry Birkhead, who has also claimed paternity. Howard K. Stern, Smith's companion, is listed as the father on the baby's birth certificate.
Immediately after von Anhalt gave his sample at an Identigene Lab, his lawyer, Edward Lee, called on Stern to do the same. Stern's lawyer, James Neavitt, did not immediately return a call for comment. |
| posted by viraks @ 4:00:00 AM |
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| Police to play US Virgin Festival |
The Police are to headline the second Virgin music festival in the US.
The Beastie Boys and Smashing Pumpkins will also headline the festival on 4 and 5 August in Baltimore, Maryland.
Last year's event was held in September but festival organiser Seth Hurwitz told Billboard.com it had been moved this year to accommodate The Police.
It will take place at the same time as Lollapalooza, which is "not ideal", he said. "But given the choice of booking The Police or not we had to go for it."
The pop band launch their reunion tour in Canada on 28 May, reaching the UK in September. The group, who have sold more than 50 million albums, split in 1983. |
| posted by viraks @ 3:58:00 AM |
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| Jolie and Pitt fund Sudan clinic |
Hollywood couple Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have donated $100,000 (£51,000) to a medical clinic in Sudan.
The Duk Lost Boys Clinic is the first of its kind in south Sudan's Duk County and will serve more than 150,000 people when it opens later this spring.
The clinic is the brainchild of John Dau, one of the "lost boys" in the film God Grew Tired of Us, produced by Pitt.
The film tells of 25,000 boys who fled war-torn Sudan, travelling for five years to get to a Kenyan refugee camp.
Almost 4,000 of them, including Mr Dau, then emigrated to the US.
The clinic is situated in the village Mr Dau initially fled during an attack by pro-government forces. "Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt demonstrate the American spirit of generosity," he said.
"Hopefully their donation will inspire others to join with us to rebuild southern Sudan."
South Sudan has hardly any infrastructure following a 21-year conflict between southern rebels and the northern government.
A peace deal was signed to end the war in 2005.
The documentary, on which Pitt was executive producer, won the grand jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival last year.
Jolie and Pitt, who have four children, learned of Mr Dau's clinic when they attended the film's Hollywood premiere in January.
The donation will come from the Jolie-Pitt Foundation, which they set up to help humanitarian causes around the world.
In addition, volunteers from charity Direct Change have raised $340,000 (£173,000) towards the clinic, while volunteers for the American Care for Sudan Foundation in Syracuse, New York, have helped to construct the building. |
| posted by viraks @ 3:57:00 AM |
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| Abba duo win musical court battle |
Former Abba stars Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson have won a court battle over who is entitled to royalties from one of their hit musicals.
Carl-Johan Seth wrote a first draft of a show called Kristina from Duvemala, but the Abba duo successfully argued in court that his script was unusable.
Mr Seth's lawyer Staffan Michelson said he was very disappointed and his client would appeal against the decision.
Ulvaeus and Andersson now hope to take the musical to Broadway.
Immigrant story
Their plans for a US transfer had been on hold while the court case was under way.
Mr Seth had argued in court that he should be considered to be the main writer.
But Ulvaeus and Andersson said they had to use a script by director Lars Rudolfsson and dramatist Jan Mark instead.
Kristina from Duvemala tells the story of Swedish immigrants to the US in the 19th Century. |
| posted by viraks @ 3:55:00 AM |
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| Stars say goodbye to John Inman |
Family and friends of John Inman have attended the actor's funeral in London.
Wendy Richard, his co-star in Are You Being Served?, was joined by actress Barbara Windsor, entertainer Danny La Rue and Inman's partner Ron Lynch.
"It's a sad day but we'll give him a good send-off," Windsor said before the service at Golders Green crematorium.
Inman, best known for his role as camp salesman Mr Humphries in Are You Being Served?, died earlier this month at the age of 71.
"John Inman was without a doubt - and you'll see from the turnout - one of the loveliest, sweetest men in our business," Windsor said.
"I was very fortunate to have worked with him, and I knew him for over 30 years." Inman, who coined the phrase "I'm free!" in the long-running TV sitcom, died in hospital on 8 March.
The Preston-born actor had been suffering from a Hepatitis A infection for some time.
"He's going to be greatly missed," said Wendy Richard, who played Miss Brahms in the show.
Danny La Rue said he was "very sad but fine".
"There are many happy memories for us, 44 years we've known each other. This is for John," he added.
Frank Thornton, who starred in Are You Being Served? as Captain Peacock, was also among the mourners. |
| posted by viraks @ 3:48:00 AM |
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| March 20, 2007 |
| Actress Emma Watson is likely to return as Hermione |
Actress Emma Watson is likely to return as Hermione in the last two Harry Potter movies despite reports she may quit, producers Warner Bros have said.
"We're extremely confident that Emma will be back for films six and seven," a spokesperson for the Hollywood studio told CBBC's Newsround.
The statement comes amid speculation that the 16-year-old told the company she did not want to continue.
Daniel Radcliffe has already agreed to take the lead role in both productions.
There have been four films based on JK Rowling's books so far, with the fifth - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - due for release in July.
Filming for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is scheduled to begin this year, with a release date at some point in 2008.
A release date in 2010 has been mooted for the seventh and final movie, The Deathly Hallows - the year Watson will turn 20. |
| posted by viraks @ 12:06:00 AM |
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| March 19, 2007 |
| Razorlight lead Reading line-up |
Razorlight, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Smashing Pumpkins are to headline this summer's Reading and Leeds festivals.
Rock bands Ash, The View, The Gossip and the Nine Inch Nails are among the other acts appearing at the twin events from 24-26 August.
Veteran bands the Chili Peppers and Smashing Pumpkins are not due to appear at any other UK summer music festivals.
In 2006, Razorlight claimed their first number one single and album. Sell-out Also among the 150 acts at the festivals will be The Arcade Fire and Mercury Prize nominees Bloc Party and Maximo Park.
All tickets for last year's three-day event sold out, with an estimated 80,000 music fans at each site. Brit Award winners the Arctic Monkeys played the main stage in 2006 after playing a smaller stage in 2005.
The headline acts at last year's event were Pearl Jam and Muse, who went on to collect the Brit Award for best live act last month. |
| posted by viraks @ 11:52:00 PM |
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| Blanchett negotiating to star in 'Indiana Jones' |
Cate Blanchett is in negotiations to star opposite Harrison Ford in the long-awaited fourth installment of the "Indiana Jones" series, her publicist confirmed Saturday.
"She is in negotiations, yes," publicist Lisa Kasteler told The Associated Press. She did not elaborate.
Filming is scheduled to begin later this year, with Steven Spielberg on board to direct. The movie is being produced by "Star Wars" creator George Lucas' Lucasfilm Ltd.
Ford played Indiana Jones in 1981's "Raiders of the Lost Ark," 1984's "Temple of Doom" and 1989's "The Last Crusade."
Blanchett, who won a best supporting actress Oscar in 2004 for "The Aviator," starred in last year's "Notes on a Scandal" and "Babel." |
| posted by viraks @ 6:26:00 AM |
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| 'Last Picture Show' director accused of shakedown |
Actor/filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich and his business manager have been sued for allegedly shaking down a man trying to get his son into the film industry.
In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in New York, Iaroslav Jikov alleges the Oscar-nominated director of "The Last Picture Show" and William Peiffer demanded $100,000 to hire Jikov's son as a director's assistant on Bogdanovich's next film.
According to the complaint, the parties met twice in 2005 to discuss employment opportunities for Matt Jikov. After the second meeting at a Manhattan restaurant, it was agreed that Iaroslav would wire the money to an account identified by Peiffer. Iaroslav says he made the payment on February 7, 2005.
Bogdanovich is alleged to have told the Jikovs that he was making progress on a film to be produced by Paramount Pictures. In June 2005, he told the Jokovs that he planned to make two films, according to the complaint.
Jikov says he demanded his money back in January 2006. Bogdanovich and Peiffer allegedly refused. Peiffer said he had not seen the lawsuit and would not comment on the allegations.
Bogdanovich, 67, last directed a feature film in 2001, "The Cat's Meow." He could not be reached for comment.
He has also endured controversy in his private life, including a long relationship with actress Cybill Shepherd, an affair with murdered Playboy Playmate Dorothy Stratten, and at least two instances where he filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. |
| posted by viraks @ 6:17:00 AM |
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| Phil Spector murder trial set to begin |
The murder trial of pioneering rock producer Phil Spector finally begins Monday, more than four years after a B-movie actress was found shot to death at his castle-like mansion outside Los Angeles.
The trial, delayed repeatedly since Spector was indicted in 2003, will be shown on live television amid fascination with the 1960s musical genius turned recluse who once described himself as having "devils that fight inside me."
Fifty news organizations applied for seats in the Los Angeles courtroom for the biggest celebrity trial since pop star Michael Jackson's 2005 acquittal on child molestation charges. Proceedings start Monday with jury selection involving 300 potential jurors and questionnaires to assess how much media coverage of the case they have absorbed.
Spector, 67, is best known for his innovative "Wall of Sound" recording technique and work with The Ronettes, The Righteous Brothers, The Beatles, Tina Turner and Cher. Spector, who is free on $1 million bail, denies the charges that he killed actress Lana Clarkson in February 2003.
He told Esquire magazine in an interview shortly after his arrest that Clarkson "kissed the gun" in a bizarre suicide for reasons he did not understand. Los Angeles judges have been reluctant to allow cameras in court since the 1995 acquittal of actor and former football star O.J. Simpson on murder charges after a trial telecast live that brought sharp criticism of the city's justice system.
Opening statements in the Spector case are likely to begin in late April or early May, with the trial lasting up to three months.
Who pulled the trigger?
Prosecutors and defense lawyers both say Clarkson, star of such films as "Amazon Women on the Moon" and "Barbarian Queen," met Spector the night before her death while working as a waitress at a Sunset Strip rock club.
There is no dispute that the actress was killed early the next morning by a single shot from a .38-caliber revolver in the foyer of Spector's mansion, which was designed to resemble a castle. But the two sides disagree on the fundamental question of who pulled the trigger. |
| posted by viraks @ 6:04:00 AM |
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| Wogan plays down Eurovision gaffe |
Broadcaster Sir Terry Wogan has played down the gaffe which marred Scooch's Eurovision win.
Speaking on his Radio 2 breakfast show, Sir Terry said: "Nobody died, it's a TV programme. It wasn't the general election. People got a bit confused."Scooch won the BBC's Making Your Mind Up contest to represent the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest in May.
But Sir Terry initially announced Cyndi as the winner. He apologised for any embarrassment he caused her.
'I'm sorry' Sir Terry told listeners: "I suppose I should make a little apology to Cyndi - although I'm not taking the blame for this - because I was the one who did say Cyndi had won.
"And if she's listening, my apologies for raising your hopes at the last minute, which was inadvertent and I'm sorry. "It probably wouldn't do her career any harm, either. She's a fine singer."
Sir Terry added: "There's no doubt Scooch won. They clearly won. We wish them well and I shall be there to cheer them on by word and gesture in Helsinki. Just ignore what you hear old fools say."
The confusion happened after a final "sing-off" between Scooch and Cyndi during Saturday evening's show. Sir Terry announced Cyndi as the winner, but seconds later co-host Fearne Cotton said Scooch had won the public vote.
A BBC statement later apologised for the gaffe, but confirmed that Scooch - Russ Spencer, David Ducasse, Natalie Powers and Caroline Barnes - had won. |
| posted by viraks @ 5:58:00 AM |
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