March 28, 2008

Another celebrity is making his first foray into the fashion business. Rod Stewart is attempting another career reinvention, lending his famous name to a new line of clothing.

The range of clothing the veteran rocker designs reportedly includes T-shirts, tracksuit tops, baby bibs and the official "Rod Stewart Panties", which have love hearts and "Isn't it romantic?" emblazoned across the front. Many of his designs, in fact, feature lyrics from his songs, one of which is "You're In My Heart."

As the 22nd installment of James Bond film "Quantum of Solace" is well in the production, it is revealed that the former James Bond depicter Sean Connery has considered to return to the super-spy film franchise. However, according to press release, the seven time Bond star won't be reprising his notable role, instead he is eyeing to be the bad guy.

The star of "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" expressed his desire stating, "I wouldn't mind coming back as a Bond villain. But I don't think they would pay me enough. They don't pay the money for other parts, only for the Bond character, although that wasn't the case when I was doing it. " Allegedly, the 77-year-old Academy Award-winning actor has been involved in negotiations to land a villain role with the film's producers since Daniel Craig has been tapped to bring the Ian Fleming's agent back to the big screen with "Casino Royale".

R'n'B star Akon revealed that he has secretly recorded a country album under an alias. The Senegal singer allegedly wants to be the first black artist to ever conquer the music genre that is commonly not associated to African American people.

Akon self-confessed to be a die hard fan of country and western music but is pretty sure that he won't sell the record under his real name. "I'm about to break into a genre that no black artist, writer or producer has ever broken into," Akon said while appearing on The Hook Up at BBC 1Xtra Live. "The funniest part is I'm going in under an alias and I've already got my first hit record."

In supports of the upcoming horror thriller "The Ruins", five new clips of the DreamWorks' movie have been let out online. Most of the clips run less than one minute, but the fourth clip lasts for a bit more than a minute.

The first clip shows how the lead characters finds the ruins. The clip begins with a shot of the group walking through the dense jungle which lead to an abandoned pyramid. The second clip provides a more intense look into the film as the two leading ladies supposedly go into the pyramid in the dark. Aided by self-made torches, they discover a man's body and a cell phone. Further, the third video footage gives out a scene where one of the girls amidst the dark surroundings cries out for help.

The second music video from Trina's forthcoming album "Still Da Baddest" has been released. The video for "I Got a Thang for You" is premiered on Yahoo! featuring the song's collaborator Keyshia Cole as her female friend.

The video was shot earlier this month in Miami but no further details have been released. Produced by J-Roc, "I Got a Thang for You" is the follow up to the first single "Single Again" that was released late last year. Originally the second single slated to be pulled from the album is the Mya-featuring track "Wish I Never Met You" but it has been replaced with "Thang" instead.

The star of black comedy "Secretary", Maggie Gyllenhaal, will be possibly replaced by Maria Bello, her co-star in the Paramount Pictures' drama "World Trade Center", in the dramedy project "The Private Lives of Pippa Lee". According to Hollywood Reporter, Bello is in final talks to fill in the vacant role left by the sister of actor Jake Gyllenhaal.

If the negotiation went well, Bello will take over the role of the mother of Robin Wright Penn's mother in a series of flashback sequences. Allegedly, the actress is considered for the role since her feature strikes a resemblance to the co-star of Christian Bale in "The Dark Knight". Bello has been involved in the replacing negotiation since Gyllenhaal had to drop out from the project due to conflicting schedules.

After making a successful appearance in the TV sitcom "How I Met Your Mother", Britney Spears is set to expand her acting career. Reports said that the singer has been considered to act on the West End theater stage for a role in an award winning play written by Tennessee Williams, "A Street Car Named Desire".

Britney is considered to be given the role of Blanche DuBois, a pretentious, fading relic of the Old South. "Britney's been on the list for this for some time but until recently was considered too risky. Her appearance on 'How I Met Your Mother' changed all that. She had poise, timing and a real flair. She may be a bit too young for the role but she is perfect to embody the tragic spirit of Blanche, who uses alcohol to mask her pain," so said a source to the Daily Star.

Lindsay Lohan, the recipient of multiple Razzie Awards for her role in thriller "I Know Who Killed Me", has reportedly been signed to star in another thriller project "Manson Girls". According to reports, the 21-year-old Hollywood starlet has been tapped to portray Nancy Pitman, one of Charles Manson's devoted followers in the feature film project for Junction Films.

The confirmation of Lohan joining the project has been let out by the film's producer Brad Wyman. To E! News, the Junction Films' producer revealed that he will be working with the "Georgia Rule" beauty by simply saying, "Yes, I am doing it with Lindsay."

It appears that Ashlee Simpson is attempting another career reinvention besides singing. Following in the footstep of older sister Jessica Simpson, the songbird is teaming up with young women's clothing retailer Wet Seal to launch a collection of T-shirts for the company.

Announcing their partnership, Wet Seal confirmed that Ashlee will have her line of T-shirts comes out in the U.S. on April 22 later this year to coincide with the release date of her latest LP "Bittersweet World." The new collections are said to feature "designs inspired by her own personality, sense of style and album artwork."

Remy Ma was convicted Thursday, March 27 of shooting a woman outside a Manhattan nightclub in July 2007. The rapper was convicted of assault, illegal weapon possession and attempted coercion, all of which put her under a maximum 25 years in prison.

The New York State Supreme Court jury cleared her of charges of gang assault, witness tampering, witness intimidation and assault in a separate incident in which her associates are accused of beating up the boyfriend of a witness. Ma was immediately taken into custody after the verdict was read, during when she quietly wiped away tears.

As the upcoming romantic comedy "Leatherheads" is nearing its theatrical release date, it is reported that Universal Pictures have worked together with NowLive to bring the world premiere of the George Clooney's film online. On its website, NowLive announced that the site would have the film's Live Interactive Red Carpet Coverage on Monday, March 31, 2008 starting at 6:30 P.M. PST.

The site also provides widget embedding for fans to be involved in the Live Interactive Premiere. Further, it was explained that the widget can be embedded so that fans can get automatic update from the broadcast premiere as well as do interactive chat with the stars during the broadcast. By having the widget, the fans can also get live media player that features photos, trailers, video clips, and a live chat room. The embedding can be obtained now at NowLive.com or see below.

On Thursday, March 27, T.I. pleaded guilty to several weapons charges he's facing stemmed from an October 2007 arrest. U.S. District Judge Charles Pannell Jr. in fact delayed the sentencing until March 2009 and thus the exact sentence will remain to be seen.

In between times that he is awaiting sentencing, T.I. must complete at least 1,000 hours of a total 1,500 hours of community service, talking to youth groups about the pitfalls of guns, gangs and drugs. He, moreover, will also be sentenced to serve about 12 months in prison after completing the community service. His prison time could be increased or reduced, depending on his fulfillment of the terms of the deal and good behavior, officials have confirmed.

Timbaland is really getting a taste of every flavor available in music. The uber producer is crossing the bridge to rock and roll by teaming up with former Audioslave and Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell to work on Cornell's third solo album.

In an interview during Ryan Seacrest's morning radio show, the 'Apologize' remixer revealed that what comes out at the end is indeed his best work yet. "This is the best work I've done in my career," Timbo said, added by Cornell who was also there for the show, "This is the most excited I've been about an album in years. The music is natural, not self-conscious... open."

Actor Johnny Depp has decided to combine his profession with his long-time partner Vanessa Paradis' job as a singer. The American actor has directed the latest music video from his French singer partner for the single called "L'incendie" aka "The Fire" in English.

The video has been premiered, taking a classic glamor theme and rumor has it that the man portrayed only in shadows is Depp himself. The clip shows Paradis singing in front of both an empty theater as well as packed small club, with her being stalked by a mysterious man. Towards the end of the video Paradis danced on the stage and lit fire on her every step, giving meaning to the song itself.

Elle MacPherson is the new Revlon's model. The Australian beauty has signed a deal to be the new face of the cosmetic giant, it has been reported.

Not only the so-called "The Body" will be featured in the international advertising campaigns for the company, but also she's been tapped to serve as its global ambassador. Concerning her roles, MacPherson will promote the company's charitable activities which include breast cancer research and women's counseling services.

There has been a buzz that Britney Spears will appear at this year's Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards and actually perform on the stage. The awards show that is popular within kids and tweens, is approaching its D-day on March 29, and sources spilled that organizers are planning to have Spears entertaining the kids.

"It's supposed to be top secret, but everyone is already buzzing about it," a source told OK! magazine. "Her sister, Jamie Lynn, made such a splash at the event last year, Brit knows that she'll get as much, if not more, attention if she shows up this year."

Behind her huge success and glamor lifestyle, Rihanna shed some time to give back to the community through her music. The "Umbrella" hitmaker is holding a mini tour that will raise funds for under-privileged children.

The tour that is dubbed "A Girl's Night Out" is aimed to give the kids the chance to have fun. The first date has been done on Wednesday, March 26 in Chicago and she will appear in San Francisco later tonight (March 28) as well as in New York City on April 9. The proceeds from the concert will go to Believe Foundation that she created back in 2006.

Blackpool, an English seaside town in England has decided to put the hard feeling towards The Rolling Stones in the past. The town has decided to allow the rock band to perform there again for the first time in 44 years.

The Stones were banned from the town in 1964 after one of their concerts at the Empress Ballroom ended in riots whereby 50 people were taken to hospital. A number of crazed fans tore up seats, threw bottles, and vandalized a number of properties at the venue that the officials decided that the band should not play in the area again. Allegedly, the riot began after one of the audience spat at guitarist Brian Jones.

Rap fans and gamers alike will all rejoice in hearing that a new 50 Cent video game is in development. The new video game, titled "50 Cent: Blood on the Sand", is being developed by Swordfish Studios and expected to be resealed before the year ends.

"50 Cent: Blood on the Sand" is the sequel to the rap icon's "50 Center: Bulletproof", which was received well by the gaming public, selling over 1 million copies, upon its release in 2005. The video game will feature 50 Cent and the rest of his G-Unit crew; Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo, and DJ Whoo Kid, each of whom will also lend their voices to the project. Greater than that, the game "is primed to be packed with more exclusive unreleased music from 50 Cent and G-Unit," IGN has claimed.

There have been words on the streets that Madonna has mapped out a number of special shows in support of her upcoming album "Hard Candy". Three dates have been posted on BrooklynVegan.com, claimed to be the scheduled live performances of the "Like a Virgin" singer.

"Hard Candy" will hit the stores on April 28 in U.K. and Madonna is said to be performing on the exact date in New York. The next two alleged appearances are May 6 gig in Paris and May 10 gig in London. No confirmation for these dates yet but it has been announced that the singer will hold a release party for the release of the album's first single, "4 Minutes to Save the World" today (March 28) in New York.

Salma Hayek is going against the stream. Rumor has it that the Mexican actress won't have her daughter Valentina Paloma baptized because "she just doesn't feel like it."

Salma's producer pal Felipe Fernandez del Paso recently spent Easter with her and has confirmed that Valentina won't be christened. "The little girl is about to turn six months old. She's beautiful. Salma doesn't want her to be baptized because she just doesn't feel like it," so he told PeopleEnEspanol.com.

R&B singer Alicia Keys turns public relations executive in a new micro-TV series, titled "Fresh Takes," created by Dove Go Fresh, a fragrance collection by Dove. The series, each episode of which lasts just three minutes, is airing in commercial breaks across five weeks during the return of MTV's "The Hills."

"Fresh Takes" follows three girlfriends as they embark on their adult lives, juggling the pressures of being a 20-something woman - career, relationship, beauty, family, love and friends. This premiere is meant to celebrate the launch of the new Dove Go Fresh.

Lil Wayne makes the greatest leap this year with his new single "Lollipop" that features the late rapper Major Static. The first single off the rapper's upcoming album, "Tha Carter III", made a huge leap from #85 straight to #9 on Billboard Hot 100 chart. "Lollipop" also takes in #2 on Hot Digital Songs chart by being hit with 143,000 downloads.

On the singles chart this week however, the highlight is focused on British singer Leona Lewis who scores her first U.S. #1 with her hit "Bleeding Love". The single was placed #8 last week but has gone straight to the top place in its sixth week. With the position, Lewis is therefore named the first female artist to have her debut single reaching #1 since Stacy Ferguson aka Fergie did it in 2006 with "London Bridge".

Following the online outing of the "The X-Files: I Want to Believe" bootleg teaser in late March, the unauthorized teaser trailer of "The X Files" sequel as well as the film's poster leaked on the interwebs. The bootleg teaser, which takes a bit more than a minute to be viewed, is said to be taped from its preview at the Paley Film Festival on March 26, 2008, according to FileFront.com.

This leaked teaser contains scenes that are pretty much different from the earlier teaser. It begins with the shot of some sort of a laboratory. Then, it quickly changes into a shot of a shocked girl which is followed by appearing words stating, "There are mysteries that cannot be solved." Further, the video footage continues with more glimpses into the film. Unlike in the previous teaser, this new teaser gives out the clearer look into the lead characters played by David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson.

Hot on the heels of him being linked to the 1994 shooting of the late rapper and actor Tupac Shakur, P. Diddy makes another major media headline as he's been reported to have been going out on some secret dates with actress Cameron Diaz lately. Hollyscoop was the first to report on a possible romance between the celebrities.

Diddy and Diaz, as claimed by the site, were spotted dining at Osteria Mozza restaurant way back on March 15. They arrived at the restaurant separately, yet left together through the back.

As English actor Ian McKellen expressed his wish to reprise his role as the wise wizard character Gandalf in the upcoming "The Hobbit", it is unveiled that the character made famous by the 68-year-old actor in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy may not be resurrected without him. In an earlier interview, the actor who has also appeared in "X-Men" series let out that the film producers want him to portray the character once again.

On the matter, the "Stardust" narrator explained, "Encouragingly, ['LOTR' director] Peter [Jackson] and [co-writer] Fran Walsh have told me they couldn't imagine 'The Hobbit' without their original Gandalf." However, on the conflicting side, the actor who has been dubbed as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his work and contributions to the theater revealed that he has yet to be called by the adventure fantasy helmer Guillermo del Toro. "Their confidence hasn't yet been confirmed by the director Guillermo Del Toro but I am keeping my diary free for 2009!" said McKellen positively.

Arguably having a sexy curve, Adriana Lima shows her asset in a new commercial for a cell phone. The Brazilian supermodel strips down for a new Samsung commercial.

The 40 seconds commercial shows the beauty "stripping down and putting on a show for one lucky guy, all via camera phone", Hollyscoop reports. Adriana is shown in the ad getting down from her bed and tries on some different costumes to match the guy's expectation.