June 30, 2007

With the latest studio album dated back in 1996, jazz and soul funk group Kool & the Gang is aiming to release their album in almost years. A record titled "Still Kool" will hit the stores next month via New Door Records.

Only a few details are revealed so far with two cover songs among the tracks. The band will have their rendition of Christopher Cross' "Sailing" and Marvin Gaye's "What's Happening Brother". A new song will be there too under the title "Dave". It was reported a song inspired by classic sci-fi movie "A Space Oddysey".

Warner Bros. Records will release a soundtrack album of box office "Transformers". Songs featured in the fantasy flick will hit the stores on July 3, the same day the movie arrives in theatres nationwide.

Among notable tunes used in the movie is Linkin Park's newest single "What I've Done". Other published songs are coming from The Used who comes up with the song "Pretty Handsome Awkward" and Taking Back Sunday who pulled out their 2006 single "What's It Feel Like to be a Ghost?"

Being sentenced behind bars surely is a blessing in disguise for Paris Hilton. She is even more famous than before and most of all more and more job offers come approaching her. Has just enjoyed her freedom having summer vacation in Hawaii, the socialite has been offered a $1 million-a-year contract to host a US local radio show.

KDWB Radio, which broadcast to Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, has offered Paris such amount of cash to serve as the co-host of their morning show. "We need a co-host. She needs something to do. It's playing music and talking while sitting on a comfortable chair. There's very little stress or anxiety and absolutely no metal toilets!" longtime morning show host Dave Ryan said in a statement.

Striving for a memorable return to the big screen after her last appearance in 2005's "The Kid & I", Jamie Lee Curtis has landed a starring role in Walt Disney Pictures' lost-dog comedy "South of the Border."

Project focuses on a pampered Beverly Hills chihuahua named Chloe who gets lost during a vacation in Mexico and must rely on her new friends to help her get back home. Curtis reportedly will portray Aunt Viv, the only live-action character in the flick besides Piper Perabo's character.

Neatly preparing for the coming of "The Simpsons Movie", 20th Century Fox has delightfully launched the full site of the animated flick on the web for all fans around the globe to take a look at and entertain themselves in their wait for the film's release on July 27 this year.

In the site, visitors not only can learn more about the film, but also can play some interesting games like playing cards with Moe in "Three Card Moe", helping Homer save his family in "Wrecking Ball", and making Homer go full throttle in "Ball of Death." Other interesting features include a virtual tour of Springfield, a visit to Moe's tavern, and opportunity to create your own Simpsons character avatar.

Vanessa Minnillo gets into another trouble. The beauty has been photographed naked while in vacation in Mexico with boyfriend Nick Lachey, who to everyone's shock, got naked too. The photos of them getting cozy have been published online.

While Vanessa shows a full frontal topless shot, Nick shows off his naked back-side. "If people thought she was goody-goody this will prove she's not," Life & Style Weekly quoted a source as saying. They publish censored pictures in this week's magazine.

"Hairspray" fans, here comes great chance to meet and greet the young cast members of the flick.

An exclusive event promoting the movie is going to take shape this month on date 14 at Kitson Boutique at 115 S. Robertson Boulevard, Los Angeles, California. Set to run from 2 until 4 p.m., the occasion is open for public and will be attended by the film's stars like Zac Efron, Amanda Bynes, Nikki Blonsky, and Elijah Kelley.

Filmgoers sure will have another option in watching "Beowulf" when it hits cinemas on November 16 this year as the IMAX 3D version of the animated adventure is going to be released simultaneously with the flick's premiere in conventional theaters, IMAX Corporation, Paramount Pictures, Shangri-La Entertainment and Warner Bros. Pictures announced June 29, 2007.

Set to be digitally converted into IMAX 3D and re-mastered into the unparalleled image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience through IMAX Digital Re-mastering technology, the Robert Zemeckis-directed flick will be distributed to domestic IMAX theaters by Paramount Pictures with Warner Bros. holding rights to launch it internationally.

Barbra Streisand receives France's top civilian honor. The music star has been awarded with a medal of the Legion of Honor Thursday June 28th, just days after performed a concert in Paris as part of her first-ever European tour.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy presented Streisand with the award in a ceremony attended by the likes of French crooner Charles Aznavour and actor Alain Delon. "You are the America that we love," he said on the singer. "Women like you ... do a lot to bring our two peoples together."

Johnta Austin has penned Grammy winning song for Mary J. Blige and is even trusted to “save” Whitney Houston's music career. The producer and songwriter is now demanding the spotlight to shine on him through the release of “Ocean Drive”.

A debut record for him, Austin has worked on this one for a long time. The album that was originally scheduled for last year is said to have the “timeless” factor. “When you think of Miami's Ocean Drive, you think elegance, you think classy, sexy, fresh-all the things we feel this album is", said Austin. "We tried to create an album that is timeless."

Compiling a handful of projects in his film resume, Jim Carrey has added one more flick into the list entitled "Sober Buddies" which he is set to both topline and produce for Universal Pictures.

Story revolves around a hard-partying software executive who is assigned a court-appointed Sober Buddy, played by Carrey, to keep him under control during a critical business trip to Las Vegas. All goes well until Carrey's character loses control and falls off the wagon.

British celebrity couple Katie Price aka Jordan and her husband Peter Andre welcomed the arrival of their third child, a baby girl, in London on Friday June 29th.

The baby girl was born through caesarean section at 8:49 a.m. in London's Portland Hospital. She weighed in 6 pounds, 13 ounces. The proud parents have not given her a name just yet.

Creating an unusual strategy in show business, Kevin Costner is reported to spark an animated series called "The Explorer Club" to then turn it into a live-action flick which he will topline.

The Oscar-winning actor is said to produce and finance as well as lend his voice to the series, which is slated to originate on the Internet during the holiday season in twelve four-minute segments. The plan is to gain a following first before moving on with the intention to bring it to the big screen.

Newlyweds Tony Bennett and wife Susan Crow talk their marriage details and honeymoon plan to People, spilling on the secret for their 20 years relationship.

Bennett praised his bride, telling People at the Los Angeles Film Festival's Spirit of Independence Awards on Thursday June 28th, Crow "has good ears and she likes good music", most of all "She likes the way I sing."

Breaking news. Lily Allen arrested. The songbird was arrested Thursday June 28th over an alleged assault on a photographer outside a London nightclub back in March early this year.

Attended a police station in central London by appointment, Allen was questioned about an alleged assault on photographer Kevin Rush, 43, near the Wardour Club in London's Soho on March 13th.

In his glory of securing coveted directing slot in "Bond 22", Marc Forster appears to have another stint to do in his future schedule. The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that the Swiss filmmaker is reuniting with Mandate Pictures to executive produce the studio's drama feature "Land of the Roses" which he will possibly direct.

Inspired by the real-life account of Kurdish immigrant Ibrahim Parlak in post-9/11 tragedy, pic follows a suburban mother as she attempts to exonerate a hardworking Middle Eastern father falsely imprisoned as a terrorist by Homeland Security with the support of her fellow outraged townspeople.

Not slowing down in generating tension on the big screen, Fox Searchlight Pictures is working on a new movie entitled "Near Death" based on a script penned by Carter Blanchard of which rights it has successfully optioned.

Plot details have not yet been revealed, but it is informed the flick will be a psychological sci-fi thriller set in the world of near-death experiences. Meanwhile, Aaron Kaplan and Sean Perrone have both been confirmed to serve as the producers through their Kaplan/Perrone Entertainment.

While their wedding is said to be a fairytale one, Eva Longoria and Tony Parker also planning a blowout pre-wedding parties. The couple reportedly will have their bachelorette and bachelor parties in the same location in St. Tropez Saturday June 30th.

With each of them taking half of the exclusive V.I.P. Room, the guests which among others include Jamie Foxx and Parker's younger brothers T.J. and Pierre, will be treated with performances by hip-hop artists Cut Killer and MC Big Ali from New York City, as well as a DJ session by club owner Jean Roch.

Continuing its commitment in providing entertainment appropriate for the whole family members, Walt Disney Pictures is developing a new family comedy titled "Pool Rats" and has appointed the creative team behind its forthcoming flick "The Game Plan" to work on the project.

Being so, Andy Fickman thus is reuniting scribes Nichole Millard and Kathryn Price to join forces in writing the screenplay for the flick, which he will also direct. Meanwhile, Mark Ciardi and Gordon Gray will join them once again to handle producing matters via their Mayhem Pictures.

Nicole Richie and boyfriend Joel Madden have been all over the news lately as she's been reported pregnant with his child. Now, the couple creates media headlines, again, as she's been spotted shopping for a wedding dress, thus sparks wedding rumors.

Apparently, the socialite wants to look her best on the big day. "She's shopping around for a wedding dress," 24Sizzler.com quoted a source as saying. "She's calling around looking for a dress, and asking stylists for help."

On the heels of the success he received through his "Death of a President", Gabriel Range has been assigned to both write and direct an untitled drama under Paramount Pictures, Variety has learned.

Produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, the project s intended to be a fictional look at a real event about a young man who turns up at a home and tells a couple that he's their child who disappeared years ago. Story is said by Range to have some surprising twists and turns.

Cheers and screams were heard at Tokyo's Roppongi Hills Thursday, June 28 as hundreds of Japanese teens from all over Japan went into a frenzy upon the arrival of star Daniel Radcliffe at the city's premiere of "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix."

Dressed in a white summer suit and a pale blue shirt, the young actor, who is turning eighteen this month, smoothly walked his way down the red carpet to an outdoor stage at the complex, stopping to shake hands and sign autographs before surprisingly greeted the fans in Japanese language.