October 03, 2006

Singing, writing songs, and playing piano. Elton John, as for now on, takes break from those activities.

The musician is invading the world of fragrance. He unveils a line of candles and other home fragrance products at Bath & Body Works.

Rock group Weezer filed a lawsuit, Friday September 29th, against Miller Brewing Co., accusing the Milwaukee-based institution of using the name 'Weezer' in several ads that ran in Rolling Stone magazine in 2004. The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, also names Miller's advertising agency and the production company that laid out the ads as defendants.

The band members, Rivers Cuomo, Brian Bell, Scott Shriner and Patrick Wilson, claim Miller used the Weezer name in the ads without their permission. Further the suit mentions the ads feature endorsements by other bands and musical acts with whom Weezer "do not wish to be associated with in any advertisement." Worse, the ads were reportedly "grossly misleading and deceptive" and they have been "damaged in an amount ... believed to be in the millions of dollars."

It's been two years since the infamous wardrobe malfunction, happened during the halftime show of Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston, and now Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake are planning a big reunion.

Rumors on the street say that the two are now negotiating a joint performance 'in come sort of big, live show like the Grammys or the Oscars'. Sources have told PageSix that a reunion "will help re-boost the sales of their albums" as the two artists have new albums to promote.

Finally, it's moving ahead. "WarGames 2" is really set to come to the surface as the project ultimately has got Canadian filmmaker Stuart Gillard at helm. Known more as a small screen director, the man has directed a number of TV-movie features as well as TV series episodes, notably for The WB's "Charmed."

With Gillard's inclusion, everything is now being geared up for the picture. It has been reported that the production of the film is slated to begin by mid-November in Montreal, Canada with Randall M. Badat penning the script. Though so, there is no word yet on the cast lineup.

Cartoon band Gorillaz is planning to split later this year. Yet, prior to the break up they will first have their autobiography released.

The book, simply titled "Rise of the Ogre", has been slated for a November 2nd release date. Was written by the band themselves, the set will reveal all the details of the group dynamics besides also featuring over 300 color illustrated pages.

Foo Fighters is about to release an acoustic live album and DVD next month. The set, tentatively titled "Skin and Bones", will feature 15 live and acoustic tracks recorded in Los Angeles.

"Skin and Bones", due to hit stores on November 7th, was recorded at three August Los Angeles dates on the band's acoustic tour. It includes the songs, "In Your Honor," "Big Me," "Everlong," "My Hero" and "Walking After You."

Joining the competition to land a slot for Oscar's Best Foreign Film category, China and Hong Kong have finally announced their entry for the upcoming prestigious event.

Chinese news Web site Sina.com reported that China's Film Bureau has picked up "Curse of the Golden Flower" to represent the country in the competition. Directed by "Hero" helmer Zhang Yimou with Chow Yun-Fat and Gong Li as the leadstars, the picture follows the love story between a royal prince played by Chow and an imperial bodyguard portrayed by Gong set in medieval time in China.

Good luck sides with Beyonce Knowles. The singer-songwriter won a copyright infringement lawsuit brought by singer-songwriter Jennifer Armour in 2005 over her Grammy winning hit "Baby Boy".

In her lawsuit Armour claimed Beyonce and the other writers/producers of the hit, including Jay-Z, Sean Paul and Scott Storch, took lyrics from her song, "Got a Little Bit of Love for You", which she submitted to various studios including Columbia Records and Atlantic Recording Corporations, record labels for Beyonce, back in March 2003.

Following the inclusion of Katie Cassidy, more names are coming down to fill in the roles remaining in "Revenge of the Nerds." Variety has learned that Kristin Cavallari, Dan Byrd, Christopher Marquette, and Efren Ramirez have all agreed to join the cast of this remake project of the 1984 cult comedy of the same title.

Developed under Fox Atomic banner, the picture features Kyle Newman at helm with Adam F. Goldberg, Adam Jay Epstein, and Andrew Jacobson penning the script. Shooting will start next week with "Charlie's Angels" director McG serving as producer alongside his Wonderland Sound & Vision partner David Manpearl.

Whispers of wedding talk have been swirling, yet Anna Nicole Smith says she's not married. The busty blonde, on the other hand, insisted those wedding reports, claiming she's married to her attorney-lover Howard K. Stern in the Bahamas, as "false".

Smith said she and Stern simply participated in an officiated "commitment ceremony" aboard a luxury yacht in the Bahamas. The event reportedly took place while the body of Smith's 20-year-old son, Daniel Smith, lies in a funeral home, awaiting burial nearly three weeks after he died.

Being consistent in working on her path in film industry, Honolulu-born actress Kelly Preston has smoothly landed one more acting stint to carry out. Variety reported that the beauty is positive to take part in "Death Sentence", a joint production of 20th Century Fox and Hyde Park Entertainment. Along with her, "One Tree Hill" star Stuart Lafferty has also been submitted to the cast lineup.

Billed opposite Kevin Bacon, Preston will portray the wife of the actor's character while Lafferty is set to play their son. The movie itself sees Bacon as a father who seeks out for revenge after his family becomes the victim of a heinous gang-initiation crime, chasing down each person involved in the crime. "Saw" helmer James Wan is on duty to direct with Ian Jeffers penning the script.

DMX was slated to headline the Hot 97's Back to School Jam, held Saturday September 30th at the Nassau Coliseum. But the rapper unfortunately turned the concert into a riot when he allegedly beat a soundman following sound problems which caused his microphone completely cut out.

Speaking on the incident, Nassau Police Detective Sergeant James Watson said the sound problems occurred when DMX had been on stage no more than 15 minutes. "There came a point in time that the sound was turned down and up again during DMX's performance and it appears he became irate at the soundman. DMX ran toward the sound person, jumped off the stage and onto the soundboard and started a fight with the person."

Former "Beverly Hills, 90210" star Jennie Garth gave birth to her third child with husband, actor Peter Facinelli.

The newlyborn, a baby girl named Fiona Eve Facinelli, was born Saturday Sept 30th at 6:30 a.m., measured 19 inches long and weighed in at 7 lbs. 8 oz.

Enhancing its status as a high-profile film project, "The Tourist" has satisfyingly included one more glowing talent in its cast. The New York Daily News reported that Oscar-nominated actress Michelle Williams has reached a deal to have a starring role in the movie, joining the likes of Hugh Jackman and Ewan McGregor.

A thriller feature, the picture is a 20th Century Fox production which marks the directorial debut of Swiss filmmaker Marcel Langenegger. Filming is rescheduled to start next month in New York with Arnold Rifkin producing while Mark Bomback, Patrick Marber and Jason Keller work on the scripts.

"American Idol" winner and country music singing star Carrie Underwood is joining the Oklahoma Library Association's "Read Y'all" literacy campaign.

"I think Carrie Underwood just represents Oklahoma in such a positive manner," said Buffy Edwards, poster coordinator for the campaign. "She's grounded in her upbringing. She's proud of her state. She appeals to a very wide age range. I think America fell in love with Carrie Underwood on 'American Idol,' and we're very lucky she's from our state."

George Michael has been dealing with some weighty issues, and this time around the singer is dealing with the police, none other over cannabis.

George was arrested on suspicion of possessing marijuana after police responded to complaints that a car was blocking an intersection in North London at 3:22 a.m. Sunday October 1st. Police moved in to the scene and found the star slumped over the steering wheel of his BMW at a traffic light in the North London suburb of Cricklewood.

Being Bobby Brown isn't easy at all. The performer has to face a very difficult times these days. Amidst his legal divorce with wife Whitney Houston, he also is being granted an arrest warrant on Monday October 2nd by a Massachusetts judge. This makes his days even worse.

Judge Paula Carey ordering Brown to be arrested if he steps foot in the state after the star skipped a court hearing over child-support payments to Kim Ward, the mother of his two teenaged children, La Princia and Bobby Jr.. Explaining her client's absence in court, Brown's lawyer, Phaedra Parks, told the judge it was a "very difficult time" for Brown concerning his divorce from Houston.

There will be much work to do at The Weinstein Company for few years ahead, really. The studio is currently busy dealing with some new film projects to be developed under its banner, Variety has revealed.

Included in the lineups are "Rain in Spain", "Solomon Grundy", "Untitled Rob Marshall Musical", "The Great Debaters", "The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency", and "Halloween", the movie remake of John Carpenter's 1978 work of the same title.

Jennifer Lopez is getting busy these days. The singer-actress is having a new movie and a new album to be released in the coming months.

Lopez and her husband Marc Anthony are promoting their new movie "El Cantante", in which they star opposite one another. It is a drama flick which tells the Puerto Rican performer Hector Lavoe who started the salsa movement in 1975 and brought it to the United States.

Grammy Award Winning R&B/Gospel Duo Mary Mary Combine Best Loved Traditional Carols & New Contemporary Gospel Christmas Music On Groundbreaking New Seasonal Album In Stores Tuesday, October 10.

Erica Campbell and Tina Campbell, the best-selling R&B/Gospel duo Mary Mary, are giving their fans "A Mary Mary Christmas," a brand-new spirit-filled album celebrating the Christmas holidays. "A Mary Mary Christmas" will be in stores Tuesday, October 10.