June 29, 2007

Westwood Village in Los Angeles, California sure became the center of attention on Wednesday, June 27 as flocks of celebrity figures merrily gathered together to attend the L.A. premiere of the highly-anticipated action flick "Transformers", screened as part of this year's Los Angeles Film Festival.

Spotted walking down the blue carpet were the flick's starry cast members like Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel, Rachael Taylor, and Tyrese Gibson who cheerfully did his own version of the original series' theme song. Other well-known names coming included rapper Busta Rhymes, Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington, Dane Cook, and A.J. McLean of Backstreet Boys.

With Ozzy Osbourne already on board, Electronic Arts (EA) has to announced the rest of tracks in support of 'Madden NFL 2008' game. As the theme next year, EA decides to combine rock and R&B.

"The annual goal of the 'Madden NFL' soundtrack is to give unprecedented exposure to new artists, bring established stars to a whole new level, and single-handedly define the sound of the coming year via the biggest sports franchise in video game history," said EA executive Steve Schnur.

Picking up a comedy feature to mark the event's forty-fifth celebration, organizers of this year's New York Film Festival have cast their choice on Wes Anderson-directed flick "The Darjeeling Limited" as the opening movie for the occasion held on September 28.

"It represents a big step for Wes," the festival program director Richard Pena remarked. "I hate to use the word 'matured,' but the humor and whimsy he uses is sharper, better focused and used more effectively."

From TV mogul to store owner. That's Oprah Winfrey's fate. The famous talk show host is set to open her own store in Chicago.

A spokeswoman for Harpo Productions Inc. said Wednesday June 27th, the store will be located kitty corner from Harpo Studios, where Winfrey's talk show is taped, adding that construction is already underway on the one-story, 4,500 store.

Legendary rock act KISS has completed the second volume of their “encyclopedia”. The follow up to “Kissology: Volume One, 1974 – 1977” will be ready for purchase on August 14.

This time, the package marked “Kissology: Volume Two, 1978 – 1992” will contain 3 DVDs and a disc that will vary by retailer. First copy will load mostly interviews and news on the band during the years including the infamous 1979 “The Tomorrow Show” interview where tension among the band was obvious. Still in the same disc, there will be an unreleased European theatrical version of U.S. flick “Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park”.

He does afraid of having an HIV test, but not with writing a tell-all book. George Michael reportedly is planning to write a revealing book about his arrests and drug use. Smart move.

Among the details the troubled singer about to write on his biography are his arrest for engaging in a lewd act in a Beverly Hills public toilet back in 1998 and his being found "slumped and drooling" at the wheel of his car at a set of London traffic lights October last year.

Looks like the filmmakers of "Valkyrie" can indeed move forward with plan to shoot the flick in Germany now as the German Defense Ministry signaled on Thursday, June 28 that it has no opposition to the WWII thriller shooting in the country despite its recent ban on it because of Tom Cruise's Scientology belief.

While not receiving an official request from the movie's producers United Artists (UA) to do the filming, the Defense Ministry stated it "would look agreeably" upon any such application. A spokesman to the ministry further added that the government body in fact is not responsible for approving film shoots at Berlin's Benderblock, where "Valkyrie" producers intend to take important scenes, since the site is under the authority of Germany's Finance Ministry.

First she was developing on it and just now she launched it. Mariah Carey hit it big this past Monday June 18th with the launching of her new fragrance line, "M by Mariah Carey", with help from Carlos Benaim and Loc Dong from the International Flavors and Fragrances.

The scent is said to have top notes of marshmallow and sea breeze and is rounded out with amber, gardenia, patchouli, and Moroccan incense.

Everything about Lindsay Lohan seems to always be interesting to take notice at, and now, here comes another new tidbit about the beauty. Rumors are circulating at the moment that the "Mean Girls" star has been touted to portray fellow celebrity Paris Hilton in a biopic about her life.

The starlet is even said to possibly join Hilton herself as well as Britney Spears in bringing the project to the surface.

David Beckham and Kate Moss, who come from different mainstream of job, are about to be partner as they've been asked to be the godparents of the baby son of actress Davinia Taylor and her sports agent husband Dave Gardner.

Davinia, a British actress who played Jude Cunningham on the soap "Hollyoaks", gave birth to a baby boy called Grey on Monday June 25th at the Portland Hospital in London. The newlyborn weighed in 7 lbs.

Trying her hand at evoking creepiness toward young moviegoers, Cameron Diaz has come onboard to topline a PG-13 horror feature entitled "The Box" which Media Rights Capital is now gearing up for production.

Based on Richard Matheson's short story "Button, Button", the project focuses on a young woman who is given a mysterious box by a stranger and finds out that certain things will happen depending on which buttons she presses.

She gets back to the way she is. Paris Hilton celebrated her freedom in a big way, headed for Hawaii.

After completed her interview with Larry King, the hotel heiress gets herself ready for a vacation. Wore a brunette wig to hide her blonde hair, with a big flowy dress, a hat and sunglasses, Paris was seen in Maui on Thursday June 28th.

Yes there will be a wedding, but Tony Parker remained tight-lipped on the details. The NBA player, who's going to marry actress girlfriend Eva Longoria, is staying coy about the big day, yet denied rumors the wedding cake will be flown in from the United States.

Being asked on when and where his wedding will take place, Tony declined to comment and was instead saying, "I don't care where I'm going to get married. It's a girls' thing. That's a question you should ask Eva."

After creating quite a stir that she would perform in Cyndi Lauper's “True Colors”, Britney Spears quickly brings it down by declining the offer. The reason to it? Fear of live performance.

The news comes after a representative for the tour explained that Britney never returned the call. "She was invited to appear on the first date in Las Vegas but we never heard from her."

Several rumors, confirmations and denials after, pop band Spice Girls finally gave an absolute yes that come out of their lips. The British '90s sensation decided to get back together, but not forever just a “one night stand” said “Ginger Spice” Geri Haliwell.

Beginning their reunion announcement with “Hey everybody! We're back! Can you believe it?!," they started pouring out how excited each member is. Halliwell started hers with a comparison, "Imagine you got divorced and you've got back together with your ex-husband."

The divorce settlement between Britney Spears and Kevin Federline won't reach final anytime soon as he has refused to sign the papers, claiming he is worried that Spears is not responsible enough to take care of their children, Sean Preston and Jayden James.

While "Britney's attorneys are anxious to see Kevin sign off on a divorce," "Kevin and his lawyer Mark Vincent Kaplan are dragging their heels out of concern over reports of Britney's post-rehab partying," a source close to the couple revealed.

Making the project a real high-profile property, filmmakers of "Body of Lies" have delightfully picked up Russell Crowe to join previously-announced Leonardo DiCaprio in the flick's cast lineup, Variety has confirmed.

An adaptation of the David Ignatius novel, the thriller drama will find the Oscar winner playing Ed Hoffman, the manipulative CIA boss who teams with operative Roger Ferris, portrayed by DiCaprio, to trap a dangerous Al-Qaeda leader by planting a false rumor that the bomber is in cahoots with the Americans.

From Bollywood to Hollywood. Shilpa Shetty lands West End musical, it has been reported.

The Bollywood actress, who's crowned the winner of the British "Celebrity Big Brother" on January 28, 2007 with of the final vote, is being tipped to star in a musical production, called "Miss Bollywood", on London's West End later this year.

Maintaining his collaboration with "Saw" franchise director Darren Lynn Bousman, Tobin Bell has confirmed to MTV that he is set to work under the Kansas-born filmmaker again in musical flick "Repo! The Genetic Opera."

"Yes, I can sing," the actor confessed, saying he is looking forward to the flick. "I'm a guitar player and a singer…I did hear some of the music, and its great. I think this movie is going to be remarkable."

Set to turn the heroic tale of noted historical figure into the big screen, New Line Cinema is on the move to work on "The Americano" based on Aran Shetterly's biography "The Americano: Fighting for Freedom in Castro's Cuba, an Untold Story" telling about William Alexander Morgan, a key figure in the Cuban revolution in the late 1950s.

Morgan, an American rumored to have been a gangster and a CIA operative, went to Cuba in 1958 to then command the legendary Cuban fighting column known as the Tigers of the Jungle. Together with the small force, he was able to win the revolution against General Fulgencio Batista, thereby helping Fidel Castro to become the new leader of the country yet ironically getting executed there in 1961 after being convicted of treason.

Lindsay Lohan made headlines again when it is officially confirmed that she was allegedly drunk and had cocaine in her system during a car crash in Beverly Hills on Memorial Day weekend.

It really is a freaky truth to learn that drugs and alcohol involved in the incident. According to law enforcement sources the toxicology reports conclude that Lindsay had "nearly twice the legal limit" of alcohol and traces of coke in her bloodstream when she crashed her 2005 Mercedes SL-65 convertible into a curb on Sunset Blvd. around 5:30 AM on May 26th.

Continues paving his path in the film industry, rapper Mos Def is set to both star in and executive produce "Bobby Zero", a romantic comedy coming from Duly Noted Inc., Variety has revealed.

Here Def is poised to become the male lead in the project, which centers on a down-on-his-luck social satirist who gives up his artistic aspirations to work at an advertising agency.

Jesse Metcalfe, who's better known for his brief stint in rehab in May than his acting career, is eyeing singing career. The former "Desperate Housewives" actor is desperate to launch a solo music career.

"I'm trying to do music, actually," so Jesse said. "I've just started writing and trying to develop my sound a little bit, but it will be as a solo artist" adding that "I sing and play guitar."

Bringing its upcoming project of "Dear John" to deeper level of development, New Line Cinema has picked up "We Are Marshall" scribe Jamie Linden to be in charge of writing matters for the romantic drama.

Adapted from Nicholas Sparks' best-selling novel of the same name, the picture concerns a soldier home on leave who falls for a college girl, but opts to re-enlist after 9/11 tragedy instead of returning home to her. His decision later leads to a realization that time and distance have taken a toll on their commitment to each other.

Eve pleaded guilty to drunk driving. The rapper was pleaded no contest Thursday June 28th to driving under the influence (DUI) stemmed from an April incident during which she crashed her car in Hollywood.

Eve's lawyer Blair Berk entered the plea in Los Angeles County Superior Court and was pleaded no contest to the charges on behalf of the star.

Long recognized to be a versatile thespian consistently delivering convincing, stunning performances, Denzel Washington is about to receive one more prestigious honor for his dedication to filmmaking.

The actor has been announced to be the honoree of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts/Los Angeles' Stanley Kubrick Britannia Award for Excellence in Film at the 2007 BAFTA/LA Cunard Britannia Awards, set to take place at the Century Plaza Hotel on November 1, 2007.

Alyssa Milano turns tropical. The "Charmed" actress has been named the new lead ambassador for the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Disease Control, the Sabin Vaccine Institute, a leader in the fight against "diseases of poverty," announced Thursday June 28th.

The neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are 13 chronic and disabling bacterial and parasitic infections called "diseases of poverty." They afflict the "poorest of the poor" - one billion people living on less than $2 per day in the most impoverished areas of the developing world.