June 16, 2005

Rapper 50 Cent is facing a schedule conflict, which may cause him to pull out his performance at next month's Live 8 concert. It is the recently changed shooting schedule of his new movie "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" that caused it. Live 8 publicist, Elizabeth Freund, said additional announcements were planned for Thursday to firm up the show's lineup.

Eddie Murphy is joining the cast of the upcoming "Dreamgirls," which is the screen version of the Tony Award-winning musical that first ran on Broadway in the early 1980s. The Bill Condon direction, stars Jamie Foxx and Beyonce Knowles, revolves the rise of a trio of women who form a group called The Dreamettes in the 1960s. There Murphy will play James "Thunder" Early, a singer for whom the Dreamettes sing backup before taking over the spotlight themselves.

At first, Elton John committed to do only 75 shows over a three-year period beginning February 2004. Yet, due to the many demand, the hotel-casino where the singer holds "The Red Piano" show, speed up the performance into less than 18 months. On top of that, Elton has agreed to extend his show into 150 others through 2008 at the 4,100-seat Colosseum theater.

Explaining this, Caesars Palace President Mark Juliano said "We are delighted with the runaway success of 'The Red Piano' and Elton's agreement to extend his association with Caesars."

Maybe want to make use their last moment of being together under the same name, Beyonce Knowles, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, will all perform at the ESPY Awards, planned to be host by actor Matthew Perry. Their appearance on the show, which will be taped July 13 at the Kodak Theatre and will air on the sports cable channel four days later, will be their last national TV appearances before they dissolve their group Destiny's Child in the fall. Keep on fire gals.

After receiving worldwide success from movie "Harry Potter," Daniel Radcliffe is now busy preparing himself to star in his upcoming movie titled "December Boys." The movie, which is based on the novel of the same title by Michael Noonan, tells the story of four orphan boys in 1960s Australia. Having all but given up hope of ever being adopted, the four friends are on a seaside holiday one summer when they find themselves competing for a place in the home and family they all long for. Television director Rod Hardy is slated to direct the $5 million film, beginning in November this year.

Hollywood actor Vin Diesel has signed on to star in 20th Century Fox's upcoming adaptation of "Hitman," the best-selling video game franchise from Eidos and developer IO Interactive. While he will also serve as the executive producer, Daniel Alter will be the co-producer.

Charles Gordon and Adrian Askarieh will produce the movie through their Daybreak Prods. and Prime Universe Prods companies. Commenting on the project, Askarieh commented, "'Hitman' is a project that by the virtue of its DNA can and will reach far beyond its already substantial core audience. The canvas on which this adventure takes place is something that movie audiences have embraced for the last 40 years."

As what has been predicted by many, British band Coldplay is really topping America's this weekend chart with their highly anticipated third studio release "X&Y" sold of more than 737,000 copies. Greater than that is the album has also shot to No. 1 in 21 other countries, such achievement that leads Coldplay to outpace some new releases from artists, like Blake Eyed Peas' "Monkey Business," White Stripes' "Get Behind Me Satan" and Shakira' "Fijacion Oral, Vol. 1," all of whom debuted in the top four of Billboard 200.

Debuted at 5th to 10th in sequence; "The Emancipation of Mimi" by Mariah Carey, System of a Down's "Mezmerize," Toby Keith's "Honkytonk University," Gwen Stefani's "Love, Angel, Music, Baby," Kelly Clarkson's "Breakway," and Audioslave's "Out of Exile."