December 19, 2008

The last episode of William Petersen as Gil Grissom on "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" will be aired on Thursday, January 15. In "One to Go", Grissom will officially leave the unit and the show will welcome Laurence Fishburne's Dr. Raymond Langston as its regular.

As seen on the preview of this last episode of Grissom, there will be a few flashbacks of his scenes starting from the year 2000. The crime drama series aired its pilot on October 6 that year and Grissom had a scene with novice agent Holly Gribbs (Chandra West). It was in the episode that Grissom is known to have an eye for insects.

Eddie Murphy won't be Batman's next villain, The Riddler. Throwing cold water to the brewing rumor about Murphy's potential role in the sequel of "The Dark Knight", his representative slammed down the speculations, telling Access Hollywood that the reports are "not true".

Previously, The Sun reported that the 47-year-old has been touted by director Christopher Nolan as the villainous character once made famous by Jim Carrey in 1995's "Batman Forever". The publication quoted an insider saying, "Eddie's a fantastic addition. Everyone's excited to see what he does as the Riddler."

Just a few days after Michelle Aguilar was crowned the champion of "The Biggest Loser", eleven new teams consisting of two overweight people each are introduced for the new season of the reality show. The new season, according to the press release, marks several "firsts" with the series' oldest, youngest, heaviest female and heaviest contestants in the show.

Estella Hayes, 63, and her husband, Gerald "Jerry" Hayes of the same age, are the oldest team to ever participate in the show. Meanwhile 18-year-old Mike Morelli becomes the youngest, teaming up with his 54-year-old father. The heaviest female contestant would be at 379 lbs while the heaviest contestant in the show's history weighs at 454 lbs.

Touted to portray legendary rocker Joan Jett in "The Runaways", Kristen Stewart revealed several details of the upcoming rock 'n' roll biopic. In an interview with Empire, the star of "Twilight" expresses her excitement of being able to talk about the project, saying, "It's so exciting that I can even talk about it now, because I haven't been allowed to for a really long time."

On the movie itself, she gushed that it will follow the '70s all-girl band, The Runaways, from the time it was formed to the break-up. "It's about the forming and death of this band [The Runaways], and it launched Joan Jett's career and she became the icon for females in rock and roll," she shared. "It's an absolutely insane concept for me to even think that I'm going to play her, but apparently I got the job so I'm going to give it all I've got."

Axl Rose blasts off video game manufacturer Activision, which produced "Guitar Hero", for allegedly using Guns N' Roses' songs "Welcome to the Jungle" and "Sweet Child O' Mine" without proper authorization. Saying that ex-lead guitarist Slash "being Guitar Hero's fine", he adds, " but not [fine] when Activison in using Jungle, having Yahoo use Sweet Child unauthorized."

"Yes Slash was in Guns and on Jungle (and the whole I came to him for his riff is as much crap as him saying he brought Locomotive and Coma in as complete songs)," Axl opens up further during an open chat with fans. "And he has rights to perform it but not to be represented in this context in association with Guns. And since they weren't granted the license it'll take some sorting."

"Slumdog Millionaire" has dominated another awards as the London Critics' Circle announced their nominees for the 29th London Critics' Circle Film Awards. Though a press release on Thursday, December 18, the indie movie about an orphan who gets the shot to be a millionaire from a game show has been revealed to be the one movie which collected most of the nods with six nominations.

One of the counts put "Slumdog" on the run for the British Film of the Year, competing with "Happy-Go-Lucky", "Hunger", "In Bruges" and "Man on Wire". Another one gave Simon Beaufoy, the film's writer, a Screenwriter of the Year nod. Two others gave its director, Danny Boyle, a chance to win both Best Director and Best British Director titles, while the rest belonged to its star, Dev Patel, who received nominations for British Actor of the Year and Young British Performer of the Year.

New rumor has just surfaced by the hour that Stacy Ferguson and her actor fiance Josh Duhamel will exchange wedding vows in Southern California on January 10. Though there have yet words from the celebrity couple, speculation has been mounting concerning their wedding preparation.

Fergie and Josh, according to various reports, have hired famous wedding planner Mindy Weiss to help them with the details of their upcoming nuptials. As for the cake, the pair reportedly has Fergie designing it by herself. "It's over seven feet high and covered in flowers. Each layer will be a different cake flavor, so guest will have a choice," it has been reported.

A sneak peek to the third season of HBO's "Big Love" is made available. The season is made up of ten episodes and the premiere of the season will be on screen January 18 with the episode called "Block Party".

In the episode, Margene helps Bill pitch a Mormon-friendly casino while Barb becomes more enthusiastic about Ana and Nicki uses a block party as her coming-out pulpit. Also, Bill is trying to woo a fourth-wife prospect through unorthodox group-dating rituals and face unexpected repercussions from the imprisonment of "prophet" Roman Grant and the ascension of his scheming son Alby. Bill also has to deal with the escalating hostilities between his parents and brother and navigate crises involving his children.

"Twilight" leading lady Kristen Stewart has a question-and-answer session with BlackBook magazine, during which she talks about her favorite books, friends, and some other personal issues. Admitting she is into classic literature, she names "East of Eden" by Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck as one of her favorite books.

"It covers fundamental ideas of good and evil," she tells the publication about the set. "Other favorite writers ... oh, it's so hard when you can only pick a couple of writers. It always seems like you are trying so hard to look like an intellectual."

While their sophomore studio effort "Pretty. Odd." is still hot on shelves after being dropped in March, Panic! At the Disco have revealed to begin working on its follow-up after holiday season is over. Breaking the news itself is the band's bass guitarist/vocalist Jon Walker through a posting on his blog.

"I am really excited for the holidays and even more excited to start working on our new album," Jon shares. "We have been writing songs all year about the places we've been, the things we've seen and the games we've won."

Hugh Jackman and the crew of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" allegedly will be back together to do some re-shoots for the action fantasy movie. According to industry magazine Production Weekly, the re-shoots will be taking place in Vancouver, Canada on January 12, 2009.

The re-shooting news came on the heels of the release of its trailer. Still, words on the reason why the re-shoots need to be done and which scenes will be getting the treatment have yet to be disclosed. Some believe that these re-shoots are taken to polish this highly anticipated "X-Men" spin-off.

Another take on "90210" episode 12 has been given out. The chapter which is called "Hello, Goodbye, Amen" and aired on January 6 will reveal a shocking truth about Adrianna who at the same time is recovering from her drug addiction.

Adrianna invites Brenda to attend a support day at her rehab center, but the day quickly turns upside down when Adrianna learns information that will cause her life to change forever. Brenda and Kelly stand by Adrianna's side and Brenda reveals a secret she has been hiding from Kelly.

Rumor has it, Kanye West may be entering recording room with Rihanna. A source tells Perez Hilton that the two singers will be collaborating on a re-recorded version of Kanye's single "Paranoid" taken from his latest album "808's & Heartbreak".

If the rumor is proven to be true, the duet track will reportedly be released sometime in January 2009. However, no statement has come out from both Kanye and Rihanna's managements regarding the issue.

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" will kick off its production in spring of 2009. While at the L.A. premiere of "Yes Man", "Harry Potter" producer David Heyman lets it slip that the work on the follow-up to "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" is about to begin as they have planned to start shooting in February.

On the occasion, Heyman also gave out on how long it will take to shoot the two-part project. "We finished the sixth film which'll be coming out next summer," the producer of "I Am Legend" explained, "and we start filming the seventh which we'll be breaking into two parts for a 54 week shoot starting in February."

The list of TV series and made for TV movies that fill in the nominations of Screen Actors Guild Awards next year is unraveled. This time around, NBC's comedy series "30 Rock" has shown another domination by taking three nominations, including a nod each for its two lead actors, Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey.

Also triumphing on the primetime television is the Paul Giamatti-starring miniseries "John Adams". Like "30 Rock", the show accumulates 3 nominations, the same amount that other series like "Mad Men", "The Closer" and "Boston Legal" gather. This time the network that earns most of the nomination is HBO with 9 while ABC and NBC follow behind with 8.

Johnny Depp fuels another marriage speculation yet again as he has been seen shopping for engagement ring for longtime partner and mother of his children, Vanessa Paradis, several sources have claimed. According to OK! magazine, as being informed by those sources, the hunk had a high-end Southern California jewelry store shut down last Wednesday, December 10 so he could privately shop for engagement rings for Vanessa. He, moreover, was claimed to have made a "very large purchase."

"This was Johnny's third or fourth visit to the store," a source testifies. "He looked at an assortment of classic solitaire diamond rings in platinum settings - a really beautiful selection of elegant and understated rings."

T.I. and Ne-Yo both pick up the same name, Lil Wayne's "Tha Carter III", when asked what their favorite records of the year are. Beside T.I. and Ne-Yo, other singers admiring Wayne's work are Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy and Gregg Gillis a.k.a Girl Talk.

"I enjoyed Kanye's [West] album, even though that's not really a rap album, but I still enjoyed it. It's different. Of course Wayne's album," T.I. gave his comment. He also put Young Jeezy, Coldplay, Maroon 5 and Estelle on his list when mentioning his favorite ones further.

Young, famous, and having many fans, Joe Jonas honestly reveals that he, too, has crushes on fellow celebrities. "I love Leona Lewis," he mentions one of his celeb crushes. "I've been watching her video, she's gorgeous."

Beside Leona, "I also like Natalie Portman, Emma Watson and Cheryl Cole," Joe adds. "I like a lot of people," he admits further.

Though Michael Copon's name has been put forward as one of the contenders for the Jacob Black role in "New Moon", it doesn't mean that Taylor Lautner would give up his part that easily. Speaking out for the first time since the news of him being considered to be replaced, the 16-year-old actor told MTV he has been working out to fit the character's physical description in the sequel.

"I have been working out. I've been working out since the day we finished filming 'Twilight.' I just weighed myself today; I've put on 19 pounds," said the Shark Boy of "The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl in 3-D" at Hollywood Foreign Press Association Salutes Young Hollywood event on Wednesday, December 17. "I'm guaranteeing Weitz 10 more [pounds] by filming. I get to meet Chris on Friday, in two days, so I'm excited. I'm going to have lunch with him."

The CW make an introduction to their new reality show, "13: Fear is Real" by releasing a clip from one of the episodes. Using a night vision camera, the clip shows Ted trying to look for Leah in the dark and eventually hears her screaming asking for help in the distance.

To be premiered on January 7, "13: Fear is Real" is a new show designed to evoke a person's deepest fear. Pitted against each other in situations straight from the horror movies, the 13 will face shocking surprises, psychological scares and lots of "beware of the dark" moments, all designed by a "mastermind" of terror.

A brand new exclusive song titled "Love Is on Its Way", which is performed by Jonas Brothers, is set to be included to their movie "Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience", according to MTV News. "It's one of those songs that starts out [upbeat], and then halfway through it hits a downbeat," Arthur F. Repola, the movie's producer stated.

The Jonas boys have also shot a music video for the track. The video will reportedly be on the movie as well. Commenting on the filming of the video, Repola said, "It was [crazy], but we had a lot of security. There was not a problem, surprisingly. [But] wherever they go, throngs follow."

Fashion model and actress Angie Harmon has given birth to a baby girl, her third child with husband Jason Sehorn, on Thursday, December 18. A representative for her exclusively tells People about the news, informing that the pair names their infant Emery Hope Sehorn.

The representative doesn't disclose other details of Emery Hope except that she is "a healthy baby girl." She joins Angie and Jason's two other children; daughters Finley Faith and Avery Grace.

Though there are lots of rumors circulating around "Batman 3", only few can be confirmed so far. Talking to Collider at the premiere of "Yes Man", Warner Bros. president Alan Horn offered up the facts that he knows about the potential sequel of "The Dark Knight".

On the progress of the sequel, he fessed up that Warner Bros. are still in talks with director Christopher Nolan of the sequel. "We've been talking to Chris Nolan and what we have to do is get him in the right place and have him tell us what he thinks the notion might be for a great story, but Chris did a great job and we'd love to have him come back and do another one," so he claimed.

In January, NBC will present a brand new reality show called "Howie Do It" which is hosted by "Deal or No Deal" Howie Mandel. The idea of the one-hour show is to play pranks on unsuspecting people and Howie will go on disguise as Larry before revealing himself to the 'victims'.

To introduce the show to the public, the network has released a promo preview and the opening scene. Through the promo, it is found out how Howie does his show, including standing up as the world's worst waiter, and sending a singing telegram delivery boy to a funeral. The sneak peeks to these pranks that Howie play are included in the opening scene clip.

Scarlett Johansson has put her used tissue on eBay in a bid to raise money for charity. As of Thursday morning, December 18, the dirty tissue had snagged more than 60 bids, with the highest bidder putting up $2,050. The online auction will end Monday, December 22.

Johansson stopped by NBC's "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" on Wednesday, December 17 to promote her new movie, "The Spirit." During interview, she complained to talk show host Jay Leno that she caught a cold from co-star Samuel L. Jackson. She, however, stated that she felt her illness had value because it had been passed down from one celebrity to another.

In opening up the reason Def Jam Records dropped her in 2006, Christina Milian learns it may happen because the label preferred to spend their money on another artist Rihanna. "It was a budget cut, I believe. [Def Jam] probably got rid of projects like mine to spend the money on [Rihanna]," she said during an interview with Rap-Up magazine for its winter issue.

Beside stating why she was forced to get out of Def Jam, Christina also reveals the moment as pretty painful for her at that time. Noting that "it was embarrassing", she said, "It was a week after my album ['So Amazin''] got put out. I would be in my room a lot of the time crying by myself."

Having been previewed by Entertainment Tonight earlier, the trailer of Screen Gems drama thriller "Obsessed" has finally made its debut. The promotional video serves as an introduction to the three major characters in the film, Idris Elba's Derek Charles, Ali Larter's Lisa and Beyonce Knowles' Sharon.

Focusing on the affair between successful asset manager Charles and temp worker Lisa, the trailer begins with the first meeting between the two in a lift. Then, it builds up to show how Lisa starts flirting and tempting Charles. When the tension grows higher, it is revealed that Charles has already had a wife and how Lisa tries to take him away from her and starts to stalk the family.

Dating actor Amaury Nolasco, Jennifer Morrison has a change of heart when it comes to whom she wants to meet under the mistletoe, mentioning the name of movie hunk George Clooney. She, however, doesn't disclose on why she chooses Clooney over Nolasco.

Asked about her holiday plans while attending the D&G flagship boutique opening on Robertson Boulevard in Beverly Hills on Monday night, December 15, she revealed "My whole extended family is coming from Chicago and flying in, so it's the first time I'll have Christmas at my house." She continued, "It's a lot of people to cook for, and we're gonna do a game day with a poker tournament and a Christmas movie marathon."

Announcing their nominees selection for the 15th Annual SAG Awards on Thursday, December 18, Screen Actors Guild embraced "Doubt", giving the John Patrick Shanley's drama the most nominations. In the announcement made by Angela Bassett and Eric McCormack, it was revealed that the movie received five counts, including nod for outstanding performance by a motion picture cast.

For the cast ensemble title, "Doubt" will have to face tough contenders, "Frost/Nixon", "Milk", "Slumdog Millionaire" and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button". Beside the cast ensemble category, the movie about sexual and religious power struggles at a Bronx Catholic school in 1964 has also secured nominations for each of its major cast member, Meryl Streep for leading actress category, and Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and Viola Davis for the supporting actor and actress categories.

A music video in accompaniment of Jesse McCartney's new song "How Do You Sleep" has been premiered. Shot in black-and-white scenes, it shares his experience of hitting the road for live shows, including a backstage meeting with Katy Perry.

"How Do You Sleep" is a song coming from production hands of duo Sean Garrett and Clubba Langg. The track, containing lyrics dealing with the feeling of missing the beloved one, appears on Jesse's third studio record "Departure".

Hotel heiress Paris Hilton shares to the latest issue of Esquire magazine some facts about her that people may not know, one of which is that she never wears clothes twice. "Once I've worn a dress, I can never wear it again," she is cited as saying.

Dishing more about her not becoming a two-timer in fashion, she explains "I give them to charities and they auction them off to help people with breast cancer, multiple sclerosis, and AIDS," when referring to her old clothes. "Some that are really, really special, I keep in storage for my daughters. They'll be vintage by then. I think my daughters will love them," she adds.

U2 have stepped forward making an announcement that their twelfth major studio album will be dropped worldwide on March 2, 2009. Posting a message on their official website, the musicians wrote the upcoming album "No Line on the Horizon" was recorded in various locations, from their studio in U.K. to the warehouse in the Big Apple.

"Sessions for 'No Line on the Horizon' began last year in Fez, Morocco, continued in the band's own studio in Dublin," so they explained. "Before moving to New York's Platinum Sound Recording Studios, and finally being completed at Olympic Studios in London."