May 30, 2007

Seems talks about "Death and Me" begin to heat up already. Film ick has provided a scoop stating that "Disturbia" star Shia LaBeouf and famed filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro have both boarded the project, which now is being developed under Warner Independent Pictures banner.

LaBeouf is said to be almost positive to play the male lead, Sexton Furnival, while Guillermo Del Toro is likely to serve as either a producer or an executive producer in the project since the director's seat has already been taken by Neil Gaiman who marks his feature directorial debut here.

Taking the highly anticipated flick far from the States, DreamWorks has fixed on its decision to hold the worldwide premiere of "Transformers" in Taormina, Sicily, Italy on June 21 during this year's Taormina Film Festival running June 16-22, the event's artistic director Deborah Young revealed Tuesday, May 29.

"We think the decision to premiere 'Transformers' in Taormina shows a renewed interest in the festival, and it illustrates the strong ties between this Mediterranean festival and American cinema," so Young said while remarking that the screening would represent the first time a major U.S. film of that stature premiered at the 53-year-old Taormina event.

Hip-hop crooners Busta Rhymes, Young Jeezy and Eve have joined forces to appear in front of 3,000 volunteers next month. The threesome will be joined by Lil Wayne and Rick Ross to give the volunteers a treat after their goodwill.

The concert will be conducted at Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA on June 9. The 3,000 volunteers are local youth who join the volunteerism movement called Boost Mobile RockCorps. They were handed with tickets to the exclusive concert after serving 4 hours of community service.

In the middle of talks and speculations about whether Arnold Schwarzenegger will be back for "Terminator Salvation" or not, a surprising statement has come out from male model Marcus Schenkenberg concerning the flick during his appearance on Dutch talk show "Jensen!."

The Swedish hunk, who is also an actor, informed on the program that he had gone to Cannes Film Festival and managed to book four new film roles, one of which including that in "Terminator 4." Further, the guy also revealed that Schwarzenegger would have a 30-second cameo in the project.

Parting ways with Geffen, pop punk band The Starting Line team up with Virgin to release "Direction". The third album from the band will be released on July 31 with preceding single "Island" already available for listening on their official website.

As the producer of this album, the band is lucky to have Grammy award nominated Howard Benson who is known for his works with My Chemical Romance and The All-American Rejects. With the new producer and label, the band intends to bring fresh sound that will eventually enlarge their fan base also.

Probably there will only be little time for Aaron Eckhart to relax after filming Warner Bros.' highly anticipated "The Dark Knight."

Yes, the Golden Globes-nominated actor has already been plotted to next move to "Traveling", a new dramatic feature Universal Pictures is set to produce in association with Stuber/Parent.

Never tired of publication, Britney Spears provokes even more media frenzy when a poster showing her out of a car with her vagina barely covered made its way in New Zealand.

Talk is heating up that locals are upset over the ad, used as the advertisement for TV broadcaster Sky, and have complaints to the country's Advertising Standards Agency who immediately ruled an objection, ordered Sky to take down the poster on the Auckland railway bridge at the intersection of Parnell Rise and Stanley Street.

Indie rock act Arctic Monkeys will pack two of its non-UK released songs in a white label. The sale of the 12" vinyl record will be limited up to 1,000 copies only.

Singles "Matador" and "Da Frame 2r" are the two songs which are not included in the UK version of "Favourite Worst Nightmare". The two songs are lifted from the Japanese release of the sophomore set. The white label will be in stores by June 18 but the circulation is strictly controlled by its label, Domino. By paying £3.49 a copy and logging on Domino's website, fans are guaranteed the limited edition.

Still chooses to be in his area of comfort, Dane Cook reportedly is currently in negotiations to land a starring role in "Bachelor No. 2", a new comedy from Lionsgate that "The Whole Ten Yards" helmer Howard Deutch is in final talks to direct.

Story centers on a man named Tank who is known for being hired to take girls out on absolutely terrible dates so that they will crawl back to the boyfriends they have dumped. Problem begins to hit him when he is torn between his raging libido and the meaning of friendship after his best pal asks for his help to bring back the girl who left him.

A star herself Melanie Brown is ready to step her feet on the dance floor and "Dancing with the Stars."

The former Spice Girl has been lined up to star in the upcoming series of the US TV show. She reportedly is slated to perform by next year.

The 2007 Download Festival is adding some new artists to their already attention-grabbing line-up. The Cure, Kings of Leon, AFI and Neko Case are the acts that will join previously announced Modest Mouse, Incubus, The Shins and Wolf Parade.

More detailed arrangement of line-up for each day in the festival has also been announced. Modest Mouse, Wolf Parade, Band of Horses and Case will play the first part at Boston's Tweeter Center on August 18. The next show on August 5 at Washington's Gorge Amphitheatre will be filled with Modest Mouse again and others like Incubus, The Thermals, Nada Surf and Heavenly States.

At last great progress has been made on "The Last House on the Left" since the announcement of it to be made at Rogue Pictures' pit last year.

Variety has revealed that the studio has picked up Dennis Iliadis and Adam Alleca to direct and pen the script for the horror thriller, respectively. Pic will be Iliadis' second directorial effort after his 2004 crime drama "Hardcore" while marking Alleca's debut in screenwriting.

American basketball player Dwyane Wade becomes a father for the second time when his wife, Siohvaughn Funches, gave birth to a baby boy Tuesday May 29th in Chicago.

The newlyborn, named Zion Malachi Airamis Wade, was born at 9:45 p.m. at a Chicago hospital. He was 21 inches long and weighing 6 pounds, 11 ounces.

Latina diva Shakira has drawn a large fan base in Mexico that as many as 200,000 people came to watch her performance in the capital city. The concert on Sunday (May 27) is recorded as Mexico City's public gig with largest audience.

"This has been a month of absolute joy," Shakira said to Mexico City's crowd. "I have fed off you, and I leave with my heart full." Previous record in the city was held by local band Café Tacuba that absorbed 170,000 people in their 2005 concert.

As previously reported, Bow Wow is going to do a joint project with his buddy singer Omarion. Up to this level, the two have been working on an album that will be ready for sale by November.

Announced on Tuesday (May 29), the rapper and R&B singer will combine their music in an album that is yet untitled. Omarion said that this project "isn't about money" but is more about the music. "We both started young and have grown up together, working on the same tours, and have developed our identity in the music world," he said.

After all the news coverage she's received lately, especially concerning her divorce from estranged husband Paul McCartney, Heather Mills creates more media frenzy when she announced just now that she turned vegan.

The former model said she had decided to become a vegan after learning about farming methods and the impact they have on the environment.

Successful duet with Shakira on "Beautiful Liar" has made Beyonce Knowles taking another step towards a big collaboration. It is reported that the ex-Destiny's Child will do a project together with boyfriend Jay-Z and R&B teen Rihanna.

A source said: "We're not sure yet whether it'll be a new track or a (remix) of one from Good Girl Gone Bad (Rihanna's new album). Everyone's pretty excited about the collabo ... (Jay Z's) a genius for pulling this off."

In case you are a huge fan of Michael Jackson, you should not miss reading this one. Numbers of the King of Pop's memorabilia are going up for auction this week.

There are 1,100 items, including Jacko's first gold disc award for his 1982 album "Thriller" and an identity card used by the singer as a five-year-old child, going up for auction, kicked off Wednesday May 30th at the Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.

Aiming to strive as more than just the makers of small-scale comedies, brothers Chris and Paul Weitz are reported by Empire Online to team up together for a big screen adaptation of Michael Moorcock's "Elric" fantasy saga.

First appeared in print in Moorcock's 1961 novelette "The Dreaming City" to then be featured in the 1965 novel "Stormbringer", Elric is depicted as the 428th Emperor of Melnibone who is a highly-educated but physically weak albino. The character is an excellent example of a counterstereotype as he was written specifically to be the polar opposite of Robert E. Howard's Conan and similar fantasy heroes.

"Potter" fans, wipe off the mark you made on July 13 from your calendar for the date no more marks the arrival of "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" in theaters.

Warner Bros. Pictures has delightfully announced that the movie will come up two days earlier instead, that is on Wednesday, July 11. The decision is hoped to give the flick a potential big five-day opening as well as to cut into "Transformers" reign on the box office.

Earning money is tough for Bobby Brown, but finding love is not that hard for him. The singer has confirmed he's dating again, just month after his divorce from Whitney Houston finalized.

The star was spotted at nightclub Stereo By The Shore in Southampton, New York on Saturday May 26th holding hands with his new lady Alicia Etheridge, who is a music executive and the former president of the M. Gray Music Academy, Macy Gray's after-school music program.

Shining brightly from her triumph at this year's Oscar, Helen Mirren is poised to topline a dramatic feature titled "Gaza", which will be set in the strife-torn Gaza Strip, the Times Online has reported.

In the project, the actress will play one of the few Jewish women left in the Strip whose journalist daughter is establishing a relationship with a Palestinian but is shot and killed. Sitting on director's chair is Philip Martin, who will helm from script penned by Frank Deasy, his collaborator in ITV's "Prime Suspect: The Final Act" that Mirren also starred in.

Young Jeezy gets into another trouble. The rapper was arrested following an incident took place Thursday May 24th at a suburban Atlanta strip club.

Explaining on the incident, DeKalb County police spokesman Michael Payne revealed it happened 3 a.m. when "Evidently there was some type of altercation in the club, (and) someone didn't want to leave. It turns out one of the people in the group was Jay Jenkins or Young Jeezy. Evidently he was there with his sister and some friends."

In case you missed it, Lindsay Lohan has checked herself into rehab, again. A publicist for the actress-singer confirmed her going back to rehab Tuesday May 29th.

Lindsay's representative, Leslie Sloane Zelnick, issued a statement on behalf of the star, saying "Lindsay admitted herself to an intensive medical rehabilitation facility on Memorial Day. Because this is a medical matter, it is our hope that the press will appreciate the seriousness of the situation and respect the privacy of Lindsay as well as the other patients receiving treatment at the facility."

Listen all, Britney Spears is talking to you with the intention to explain the news coverage she's received lately. The troubled pop singer, once again, reached out her fans in a letter posted on her Website Tuesday May 29th.

Among the details she talks are her divorce from estranged husband Kevin Federline, the firing of her manager Larry Rudolph, her view of herself as a "family person" and how she is facing a "lot of insecurities" from her childhood as a partial result of having two young children of her own. In addition to all, Brit also talks on how her "surreal" life is often distorted by media coverage.