March 11, 2008

The "Underworld" helmer Len Wiseman will be developing another feature film project. According to Hollywood Reporter, the husband of actress Kate Beckinsale has signed on with Lakeshore Entertainment and Sony's Columbia Pictures to tackle a new action thriller "Shell Game".

The 35-year-old filmmaker will take the role of director, co-producer and co-scripter for the sci-fi film. On the reason he took the roles, the director of Bruce Willis' "Live Free or Die Hard" explained, "It's a passion project of mine that I've wanted to make for over five years and is a very ambitious feature both creatively and logistically."

The speculations stating that the "Dirty Dancing" star Patrick Swayze dropped out from his latest film project because of him battling pancreatic cancer might contain a truthful reports after all. According to Herald Sun, the 55-year-old actor has pulled out from romantic comedy film "Fired Up".

The publication reported that the producers of the Screen Gems' film have let out confirmation about the quitting of Demi Moore co-star in successful feature film "Ghost". "Mr. Swayze withdrew from the film three weeks to a month ago," revealed a representative to the producers. Still, the official announcement has yet to be let out. Further, it isn't clear whether his absence would affect the film.

The depicter of June Carter Cash in "Walk the Line" Reese Witherspoon is going to be Ginormica in animated film "Monsters vs. Aliens". According to USA Today, the actress will be voicing Susan Murphy whose life changes as she becomes a gigantic woman after being hit by a meteor.

On agreeing to lend her voice, the former wife of actor Ryan Phillippe said that she was impressed with the animation storyboard stating, "I got very inspired when the studio showed me storyboards." Further, commenting on her gigantic character, the 5'2" actress jokingly said, "Playing a larger-than-life woman has given me my own opportunity to make tall jokes."

Praised for his directing debut with acclaimed drama mystery "Gone Baby Gone", the "Good Will Hunting" screenwriter Ben Affleck is planning on adapting another crime drama novel to be brought it to the big screen. According to Hollywood Reporter, the 35-year-old Golden Globe-nominated actor for "Hollywoodland" are reteaming with his "Gone" associates to develop "The Blade Itself".

Whether Affleck will tackle the project as the director has yet to be known. What certain is the fact that the husband of actress Jennifer Garner will take the role of co-producer alongside with Sean Bailey via his new production house Idealogy. In this adaptation project, he also will once again team up with his "Gone" co-scribbler Aaron Stockard as Stockard has been set to pen "Blade" script.

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" actress Eliza Dushku has found love in "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane, according to OK! Magazine. The pair have been dating in secret for weeks after hooking up in Los Angeles.

OK! Magazine quoted a source close to the new lovers as saying, "They met through mutual friends. They're enjoying each other's company so far. He makes her laugh a lot and she really enjoys good laughs and good conversation." Neither Eliza nor Seth spills the beans on their romance though.

A short clip has been released on Danity Kane's official YouTube account, showing a preview of their brand new music video for "Damaged". The full version of the music video will be premiered later today (March 11) on MTV's TRL at 3:30 P.M. EST.

The preview of the music video was played during the end credit of the band's reality show Making the Band 4 season 2. The premiere schedule meanwhile, will also see fellow Bad Boy Records artist DAY26 premiering their own video, "Got Me Going." For the all-boys band, this would be their debut music video.

Rumor has it that the much anticipated action adventure film "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" is going to have another trailer to be previewed. ComingSoon reported that the president of Paramount Pictures International, Andrew Cripps, leaked out information about the release of the new trailer at ShoWest's International Day on Monday, March 10.

Talking to the audience that are mostly international exhibitors, Cripps revealed that another trailer of the George Lucas' film will be outed sometime in April. Regarding the trailer, it was further said that the video footage promoting the film is assumed to be let out with the release of another superhero flick "Iron Man".

Surely love the media coverage and public's attention, Paris Hilton and her boyfriend Benji Madden have set tongue wagging with engagement speculation. Not without reason, but engagement rumors began swirling soon after the celebrity socialite was spotted sporting a ring on her wedding finger.

Paris has been dating the Good Charlotte rocker for a matter of weeks. But at the Grand Opening of the Kim Vo Salon in Las Vegas on Friday, March 7 she proudly displayed the diamond-encrusted ring with the initials "BM" on the ring finger of her left hand. Benji himself was also spotted wearing a matching one with "PH" on it.

Good news came from the production of the latest installment of iconic horror thriller "Saw V". According to the film's official site, the shooting of the film will be started on March 11 in Toronto, Canada.

Aside from the production update, the site also noted that a new cast member has been signed. Saw Official News announced that the depicter of Timothy Delahunt in "The Departed" Mark Rolston has been signed to join the other three cast that have been announced earlier, Tobin Bell, Scott Patterson and Costas Mandylor.

New couple alert: Mischa Barton and Taylor Locke. The actress has prompted rumors she's dating the guitarist of rock band Rooney with her being spotted kissing him on the lips.

People was the first to report on that matter. It is said in it that Mischa was seen at a memorial concert for filmmaker Brandon Schantz at the Roxy, where Locke's band performed. After the show, the movie beauty went backstage and was seen holding him around the waist and kissing him on the lips.

Madonna who was officially inducted to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame yesterday night (March 10), gave out moving speech and paid tribute to the people behind her music career. She was introduced by Justin Timberlake who jokingly thanked the diva for the shot of B-12 by closing the intro with "That's what she will continue to be for all of us: the shot in the ass, when we really need it."

Responding to the intro, Madonna took the stage and gave Justin a shout out, "I'll get you f**ker." She went on thanking people behind her music career, starting from Michael Rosenblatt who signed her to Sire Records in the early 1980s to her recent collaborators. "What's a record without the music. That's right mother f**kers. What's a record without Timbaland, Stuart Price... Pharrell Williams and Justin Timberlake," said the 49-year-old.

The Warner Bros. Pictures' action thriller film "Terminator Salvation" sent an upsetting news as the film has now been said to be without title. According ComingSoon, the film directed by McG has become an untitled project.

Whether the report is true or false has yet to be revealed. The movie news site didn't elaborate more on the reason why the original title has been removed. Despite the entitling of the film, the Warner Bros. Pictures' movie will still be released on May 22, 2009.

Victoria Adams is hard at work on her designing career, adding to her burgeoning fashion empire her own line of men's jeans. Done with the Spice Girls reunion, the Posh Spice readies the launch of a men's jeans range which is set to be released in August under her dVb label.

Speaking about her line of men's jeans, Victoria said "These are not skinny jeans." She went on adding, "If you are a man that likes really skinny jeans, very fashiony, this isn't really the line for you. I didn't want anything too tight around the crotch. That really repulses me. It might be fashionable, but you are not going to get that from dVb."

The sequel to DreamWorks' animated film "Madagascar", "Madagascar: The Crate Escape", may undergo title change as Trademork.com reported. An article from the site suggested that the title will be altered into "Madagascar Escape 2 Africa" citing that DreamWorks has filed trademark protection for the so-called new title.

The site claimed that the studio have filed for the possibly new title trademark cornering the release of the film in theaters and in television. The article read, "On March 3, 2008, Dreamworks Animation filed to protect the trademark Madagascar Escape 2 Africa in relation to 'animated motion picture films for theatrical release and for distribution via television' as well as a variety of goods and services related to Dreamworks' Madagascar franchise."

Brangelina reportedly are planning to ditch Hollywood for the French Riviera. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are said to have been planning to move to the south of France where the actress is planning to give birth to their next child together and spend her initial postpartum months.

E! News reported, as being told by a source close to the couple, that Brangelina "want to be in France by the summer" and that they have been working to "clear their schedules" so they can focus on the pregnancy. The south of France actually is the native country of Jolie's late mother Marcheline Bertrand who died of ovarian cancer on January 27 last year.

As many as seventeen dates have now been postponed in Van Halen's reunion tour to give time for frontman Eddie Van Halen to go through "medical tests to define a course of treatment.". The rock band that have postponed a week's worth of concert earlier this month, will only be back on the stage the earliest on April 19 in Las Vegas

Those dates affected from the postponing include the show in Charlottesville, V.A. today (March 11) and a Madison Square Garden gig on March 17. Although no rescheduled dates have been announced, fans are being asked to keep their tickets, which will be honored at makeup dates or they can do a refund at the point of purchase.

While the Hulk's fans are excitedly waiting for the premiere of "The Incredible Hulk" teaser trailer which due out on Wednesday, March 12, Universal Pictures has let out a short sneak peek at the teaser. According to Cinema Blend, the commercial for the teaser has been air on MTV and someone has taped it and posted it on YouTube.

The compressed preview of the teaser last only about 16 seconds, but it gives out promises that the movie would be different from the Ang Lee's version of "Hulk" movie. The promotional footage showcases a bit of the film's action as well as the look into Edward Norton's character and several other characters. The short compilation of clips begins with Norton saying, "There are some aspects of my personality that I can't control."

The funeral for Jelani, the 4-years-old daughter of rap star Juvenile, was held in South Carolina, Saturday, March 8 with a reported 500 attendants. Though so, the rapper himself was a now show at the funeral.

Explaining on Juvenile's absence from the funeral, a spokesman for him explained that the rap star decided to skip the funeral to avoid media attention that would divert attention from mourning and celebrating the life of his daughter. No further explanation being made public, except that Jelani's mother Joy Deleston, 39, and her older sister Micaiah, 11, were all mourned together on the funeral, took place in James Island, South Carolina.

Accidents do happen to big stars like Mariah Carey on the shooting of a music video. "30 Rock" actor Jack McBrayer who is the co-star of Carey in her recently-premiered video "Touch My Body", revealed that he threw a Frisbee to the direction of Carey and hit her right on the face. The scene was eventually thrown away.

"We're out in the backyard playing ultimate Frisbee and stuff, and we're given very loose directions: 'Play around!' 'Go fetch!'," Brayer recalled. "So I go to throw the Frisbee to Mariah Carey, and she's lip-syncing and she's spinning around. And she spins around right around the time it leaves my hands. So by the time she spins back around - bonk, right in her face. I threw a Frisbee in Mariah Carey's face!"

Julio Iglesias Jr. who lives up to his father's name has won the CMT reality show "Gone Country". The Hispanic singer who is also known to be the brother of Enrique Iglesias, has beaten other contestants such as Bobby Brown, Carnie Wilson, Diana DeGarmo, Sisqo, Dee Snider and Maureen McCormick and therefore, entitled to record a country single with producer John Rich of duo Big & Rich.

The finale of the show that air on CMT on Monday, March 10 at 11:30 P.M., sees the contestants taking the stage at the Wildhorse Saloon whereupon Iglesias Jr. was crowned the winner. Rich who is the sole determiner of the winner that night granted him a recording session for a single called "The Way I Want You" that Iglesias Jr. wrote with James Slater and Tammy Hyler. The single took impact on radio outlets on the same day.

Home sweet home, the Beckhams are ready to pack their bags and go back to the U.K. by 2012. Victoria Adams has revealed that she and hubby David Beckham will return to live in Britain as David's contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy expires in 2012.

Posh was quoted as saying recently that "If we lived in England full-time, which at some point I'm sure we will, we would have to have a house in London." A source said, "They are coming back and London will be home for Victoria, David and their sons Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz."

Britney Spears is back on the right track. Is just getting better with time and looking forward to step her feet back on the spotlight, the pop star is heading back to primetime, scores a guest role on CBS's comedy "How I Met Your Mother."

A representative for the show confirmed that the casting coup is true and Britney's role is, for the time being, slated to be a one-episode endeavor, and will likely air toward the end of April. Report on Britney's starring role on the sitcom was first brought to public's notice by Pink Is the New Blog.

In the middle of presidential campaign for the upcoming election between Barrack Obama and Hilary Clinton, a new candidate has come up as a potential threat to beat both of them. Wyclef Jean, launch his own 'campaign' through the music video "Wyclef for President".

The former Fugees star premiered the clip of his single "President" that appears on the deluxe edition of his 2007 album "The Carnival II: Memoirs of an Immigrant". In the video that starts with black and white, Wyclef gains respect from his fans who hold the sign "Wyclef for President".

While working on other singers' albums, Ne-Yo also finds time to record his own effort. A new joint has been leaked under the title "Closer", allegedly a new material from the R'n'B singer who currently assists Michael Jackson and Lindsay Lohan on their upcoming albums.

"Closer", an upbeat R'n'B piece blended with pop is rumored to be released as the first single off Ne-Yo's third studio album that follows the 2007 "Because of You". Words on the street said that he will release the album in Summer this year.

Photographs of the world's most beautiful women are to be auctioned at New York's Christie's with an estimated price tag of 6.5 million dollars. The collection includes nude portraits of supermodels Gisele Bundchen, Kate Moss and an image of Brigitte Bardot.

The images, captured by such renowned photographers as Helmut Newton, Richard Avedon and Irving Penn, come from the collection of German-born Gert Elfering, who's one of the foremost collectors of 20th century photography. The sale, which has been scheduled to take place on April 10, will feature 135 rare original prints.

To coincide the release of his album today, March 11, Snoop Dogg has premiered the music video for its latest single. "Ego Trippin'", the ninth studio album from the Californian rapper pulls "Life of Da Party" that features Too Short and Mistah F.A.B. as the third single.

The video was shot in Las Vegas with director Pook. Just last week, Snoop also premiered the music video of another single, "Neva Have 2 Worry" that features Uncle Chucc.

Jenna Jameson is the latest star to get her clothes off for an animal rights campaign despite the fact that she's no stranger to be photographed half naked. The retired porn star shoots an ad for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) that urges people to put down their leather whips and "pleather" themselves instead.

PETA's "Pleather Yourself" campaign sees Jameson appears as pin-up icon Bettie Page clad in a faux leather bikini, black stockings and high heels. The new PETA ad, shot by celebrity photographer Gavin Bond, was unveiled Monday evening, March 10 as part of Los Angeles Fashion Week.