January 20, 2006

Reaching his 80-year of life, great musician B.B. King becoming even more productive indeed. While many fellow entertainers of his age tend to retire, the singer and guitarist keeps living his music career, embarking another concert.

Plans to launch the so-called an international "Farewell Tour" in March this year, King said he will continue to make U.S. concert appearances after the tour. The what he says will be his final world tour, actually is part of a domestic tour that starts Feb. 16 in Chicago, King's publicist, Jerry Digney, said in a news released Wednesday Jan 18th.

During the 2006 Asian Excellence Awards held Thursday Jan 19th, the action comedy flick "Kung Fu Hustle" was named Outstanding Film. The film's cast Stephen Chow, moreover, gloriously nabbed the Outstanding Film Performance award thanks to the related film that brought him to worldwide recognition.

Some other winners include Daniel Dae Kim and Yunjin Kim, who star on the hit TV show "Lost." The twosome was granted the Outstanding Male and Female TV Performance award. Also there was Lynn Chen who won Outstanding Newcomer for her performance in the film "Saving Face." The event, which was tapped Thursday, is slated to air on AZN Television on Jan. 29 at 8 p.m.

Country music trio Sugarland is now incomplete as one of its member, Kristen Hall, decided to go separate ways to spend more time writing songs. Thus, it's becoming another job for fellow members Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush to find Hall's replacement.

Speaking on Hall's leaving, Nettles and Bush commented "Kristen has decided that she wants to stay home and write songs, and we support her in that decision." However, a spokesman for Universal Music Group Nashville, which includes the band's Mercury label, confirmed Wednesday Jan 18th that Sugarland would continue as a group and will open for Kenny Chesney on his tour beginning March 23 in Dayton, Ohio.

After the Golden Globe Awards, people are now treated with The Orange British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) which is about to come on February 19 this year. The Academy has on Thursday Jan 19 announced the nominees of this year's awards. And so drama thriller "The Constant Gardener" is the leading nominee with 10 pieces all at once.

The many nominations it grabbed are Best Film, Best British Film, Best Actor for Ralph Fiennes, Best Actress for Rachel Weisz, The David Lean Award for Achievement in Direction, Adapted Screenplay, The Anthony Asquith Award for Achievement in Film Music, Cinematography, Editing, and Sound. Drama romance "Brokeback Mountain" somewhat earns 9 nominations, including that of Best Film, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actress.

According to the data issued Thursday Jan 19th, Nelly's "Grillz" is the chart-topper on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. This is the second time the St. Louis rapper hits the No. 1 spot on the charts, while also jumps from No. 12 to No. 5 on the Pop 100 and rises 3-2 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

The 2nd best on the Hot 100 is Beyonce Knowles' "Check on It", followed then by R&B singer Chris Brown's "Run It!" at No. 3 and Mariah Carey's "Don't Forget About Us" at No. 4. Meanwhile, The Pussycat Dolls' "Stickwitu" jumps three places to No. 5, ahead of Juelz Santana's "There It Go! (The Whistle Song)" which ups four places to No. 6.

The "Bridge to Terabithia" is in the beginning of production. Walden Media and the Walt Disney Pictures have started working on the project.

Amidst the process, filmmakers have cast actor Josh Hutcherson to play the lead role, an 11-year-old boy whose life is changed forever when he befriends the class outsider, a girl. Together they create the world of Terabithia, an imaginary kingdom filled with giants, trolls and other magical beings.

Peter Parker finally finds his on-screen love interest. The actor will be joined by Bryce Dallas Howard, who's slated to play his high school crush, Gwen Stacy, in the highly anticipated "Spider-Man 3."

In the meantime, Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst and James Franco have all confirmed to reprise their role. Thomas Haden Church is said to play Sandman and Topher Grace a yet-to-be-named villain.

One more Hollywood couple encountering bitter rumors. Penelope Cruz and beau Matthew McConaughey are reported split.

The bad reports are triggered by their not being together when attending Golden Globe Awards held January 16th.

Maria Bello and Gerard Butler are teaming up to star opposite Pierce Brosnan in the independent thriller "Butterfly on a Wheel." Directed by Mike Barker from a script by William Morrissey, the film will be produced by Irish Dreamtime, Infinity Features and Icon Productions with Mel Gibson's Icon Entertainment International owns worldwide rights, excluding Canada.

The story of "Butterfly on a Wheel" centers on a happy couple with a seemingly perfect life whose daughter is abducted. Over the course of a day, the kidnapper dismantles the family's lives with brutal efficiency. Bello and Butler will play the couple, while Brosnan will play the kidnapper.

"Four Weddings and a Funeral" star Andie MacDowell is ready for a third marriage. The Hollywood actress is said to have engaged to used car dealer Kevin Geagan, who lives near her home in Asheville, North Carolina.

"I can tell you that we are engaged. Obviously, I'm very happy." Geagan, the owner of Auto Advantage in nearby Fletcher, told the Asheville Citizen Times. "It was around that time - a happy Christmas engagement," he added.

Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx has been added to the long list of presenters of the 78th Academy Awards. Producer Gil Cates announced the star's involvement in the significant event Wednesday January 18th, 2006.

Academy Awards for Outstanding Film Achievements of 2005 will be presented on Sunday, March 5, 2006, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland, and televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5 p.m. PST.

"How Soon Is Now?" It depends. But as for Universal Pictures 'Now' means as soon as possible. And thus, the studio has picked up the comedy pitch from Jason Major and Patrick T. Gorman, the creators of the hit stage show "The Star Wars Trilogy in 30 Minutes."

The story of the film follows a man named Tom McGregor who travels back in time to his high school days in 1985. There he tries to fix the worst three days of his life in order to give himself a better future. Per The Hollywood Reporter, Major and Gorman will begin writing the screenplay immediately.

"There Will Be Blood" in Paramount Classics studio as Scott Rudin is about to executive produce the upcoming movie. Loosely based on the 1927 Upton Sinclair novel "Oil!," the drama flick is slated for a mid-May shooting schedule, takes place in Texas and New Mexico.

Daniel Day-Lewis and director Paul Thomas Anderson will both team up on the film. While Anderson wrote the script, Day-Lewis will play a prospector who buys the oil rights to a family's ranch, and then hits a major pocket of crude. The story then turns into a tale of greed and faith, as the prospector realizes the American dream and is destroyed by it.