December 22, 2008

Hollywood celebrities are hardly separated from spotlight, love, money, sex, and scandal. Just like adding ingredients and spices to cook the perfect dish, blending those components into dough will create interesting and sold out headlines, which many times people find shocking yet entertaining to read and follow. Looking back to the year 2008, AceShowbiz presents its readers the Top 10 Most Shocking Celebrity Stories that have happened throughout the past 12 months.

#10 Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi's Lesbian Wedding

A full-length trailer of "Chain Letter" has made its way out courtesy of Deon Taylor Enterprises. Opened with a scene when a man receives and deletes a junk mail, the video footage continues on to show that the mail the man received is a chain mail others are getting their hands on.

But, when they break the chain by choosing to ignore it, they find out that their lives are at stakes. Now, racing against time, they have to figure out who is behind the chain letters before they all end up six-feet under.

Alexandra Burke's wish to have a Christmas No. 1 has just come true. The newly-crowned "X-Factor" winner has her cover for Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" topping the Christmas singles chart above Jeff Buckley's rendition of the same song. The single that was released last week, sold 576,000 copies, a number that is bigger that all the top 20 combined.

Not only does the single earn the title as the fastest-selling single by a female artist in U.K. chart history, Burke's "Hallelujah" also beat the record by previous "X-Factor" winner Leona Lewis' "A Moment Like This". Upon knowing her single being Christmas No. 1 Burke said, "This is absolutely crazy, I can't believe it. It's been the best week of my life. Thank you so much to everyone that has supported me and bought the single. I'm bursting with excitement right now, it's incredible!"

During the press day for David Goyer's upcoming thriller "The Unborn", producers Brad Fuller and Andrew Form take time to talk about "A Nightmare on Elm Street" remake project. Confirming the project to Collider, they reveal that the movie is in its beginning stages and that bringing back Freddy Krueger to the big screen needs a serious planning since Krueger is a challenging character.

Acknowledging that Krueger is a silent killer as suggested by Form, Fuller shared, "So Freddy Krueger is a much more challenging character and that is not something that we just kind of stumble into and say 'Hey, let's just make him!' and go do it." He further explained, "It's something that we are treading very lightly on and I can tell you for sure that we don't have the answer yet."

Next year will officially be the year of werewolves for FOX have decided to go on with a new dramedy called "Bitches". Apart from "The Wolfman" that will come out November 6 and "New Moon" on November 20, a TV series that chronicles the story of four female werewolves is en route.

Reports of such project being developed by Michael Dougherty had surfaced a couple of months ago, and The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that the network are taking green light steps towards the show.

Glamour model and sex symbol Carmen Electra has been confirmed to serve as host at New Year's Eve party to be held at TAO nightclub in Las Vegas. She, as reported by Hollyscoop, will throw a huge party for her friends and fans, and have world-renowned DJ Vice on hand to serve behind the turntable.

Tickets to the festivity are already on sale at TAO Asian Bistro and Nightclub. The venue will be opened at 9 P.M. on Wednesday, December 31, Hollyscoop reports. Entry will include complimentary hors d'oeuvres and open bar from 9 P.M. to 11 P.M.

FOX are gearing up to welcome their new TV series, "Dollhouse", by releasing a clip from the sci-fi show. Focusing on the character Echo, which is played by Eliza Dushku, the footage reveals on how a Doll or Active is getting his or her memory erased by the The Dollhouse on a special chair.

Topher is a lab tech working for the facility who is responsible to perform the duty of erasing the memory and terminating the tape. He is seen in discussion with Echo's guard, Boyd, on how the memory-erasing practice has its effect on Echo who found the man of her dream just before she went through the process. While Boyd is worried on the personal life of Echo, Topher says that she is actually "living the dream" by not having a care of the world.

In anticipation of "Hannah Montana: The Movie", Miley Cyrus has shared glimpses of the big screen adaptation of her popular TV series, "Hannah Montana". Through a sneak peek video, the 16-year-old gives out which big names are appearing in her movie, such as Taylor Swift and Rascal Flatts, as well as Miley's new love interest.

Apart from displaying the real footage from the movie, the video also presents some of the behind-the-scene footage in which Miley is shooting several scenes, like the scene where Hannah Montana is performing on a stage. Of the plot, Miley hints, "In Hannah Montana: The Movie, basically my character always had the best of both worlds but she'll have to choose just one."

Having his hair as one of the topics that are most talked by people, Robert Pattinson had it cut. The "Twilight" leading star has been spotted tossing his tousled, unkempt hairstyle in favor of a short, military style haircut while he was in a post office with co-star Nikki Reed on Saturday, December 20.

During the outing, Robert wore flannel shirt, jeans, and a pair of matching boots. He was photographed stuffing his small convertible Audi with large packing boxes. As for Nikki, she was seen wearing a white top under her black jacket. She beautified her look with a black jeans, a pair of matching shoes, and a brown big bag.

A sneak peek to the upcoming Jonas Brothers' 3-D concert movie, "Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience", has been found. Aside from giving a sneak peek to the time the musical trio rock out the concert stage in front of thousands of screaming fans, the compilation of clips also brings forth several behind-the-scenes clips, including the time one of the brothers get a wake up call in his room.

In the video, the singing sensations also explain what they think of the 3-D movie and what is put on the plate. About some of the things the movie offers to the fans, Nick Jonas gushes, "The coolest thing about this movie is that it's just not the performances that you see. It's the stuff behind-the-scenes that really stood out to us."

St. Louis rapper Huey has debuted a new music video to support his brand new single "24/7 - 365" that features Maino and Glasses Malone. The Mr. Boomtown-directed video is made in black and white scene, featuring the three rappers as bank robbers with painted faces.

"24/7" is a single which will be included in Huey's new album titled "Strictly Business". This would be his sophomore effort following his debut album "Notebook Paper" that sold 29,000 copies in the first week and consequently sat at No. 26 on Billboard Hot 200 chart. The new album has not yet received a definite release date but it will be dropped sometime in 2009.

MediaTakeOut claimed in a report posted on its site on Saturday, December 20 that NFL player Reggie Bush is planning to propose to girlfriend Kim Kardashian "VERY SOON". The site cited one of its "EXTREMELY RELIABLE snitches" as informing Reggie has hired a photographer to "stand by" next week to capture the moment he pops the question to the celebrity socialite.

It was claimed further that Reggie intends to sell the pictures off to one of entertainment weeklies. No words on the exact date and place where Reggie will propose to Kim. Neither of them has also commented on the engagement report made by MediaTakeOut.

Attending the Jerusalem Jewish Film Festival at the Jerusalem Cinematheque to promote his drama movie, "Good", Jason Isaacs gave time to talk about what he thinks of the splitting of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" into two films. To The Jerusalem Post, the actor who plays Lucius Malfoy, said ominously, "I think that's a mistake."

Not intending to say bad things over the decision though, Isaacs further explained his remark, adding, "It should be made into 10 films so I can do it for the rest of my life." On the question whether his Lucius character is good for Jews, he addressed bits of Malfoy's focus on "racial purity", which he claimed to sound "like right-wing political campaigning".

Aired on Friday, December 12 night was a special E! True Hollywood Story that picked up the theme of "Young Hollywood: A to Zac". Among the young celebs featured in the program was Miley Cyrus whose life from a country girl to a teen superstar was chronicled in a half-hour segment.

"Young Hollywood" covers Miley's rise to stardom, beginning when her country singer dad Billy Ray Cyrus landed a part in "Doc" and Miley chipped in for a small role. It also documented Miley's first failure to get the "Hannah Montana" titular role and her success in convincing the producers to let her take the part. Topic of discussion also touches the issue of her racy picture on Vanity Fair and her reputation as teen role model.

Hip-hop artist Nelly, as reported by Star magazine, "can't stand" Ashanti's mother Tina Douglas that he won't propose to the songstress though he's more than ready to do so after five years of dating. It is Tina's domination over Ashanti that Nelly doesn't like.

About that, a source tells Star, "Tina sticks her nose in everything because she's also Ashanti's manager. She's always pushing Ashanti to make more money, to always look great. It stresses her out, and Nelly doesn't like that." Despite the fact that Nelly himself has been encouraging his singer girlfriend to not always depend on her mother, still "she's kind of afraid of" Tina because Tina "has such a strong personality."

Rumor has it, "Forbidden Planet" could have James Cameron as its director. Both IESB and Latino Review have come out with the news that the man behind the upcoming "Avatar" movie is potentially interested in helming the prequel/remake project.

While IESB claimed that Cameron has eyed the project for about a decade, Latino Review suggested that the 54-year-old was supposed to meet with screenwriter J. Michael Straczynski on Friday, December 19. Nonetheless, words from those who are officially involved have yet to be shared.

Before 2008, Jazmine Sullivan was probably an unknown name in the music industry but her star shined this year, so bright that National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences took notice of her music. The 21-year-old earned as many as 5 Grammy nominations through her debut album, "Fearless".

Released in the U.S. on September 28, "Fearless" boasts singles like "Need U Bad", "In Love with Another Man" and "Bust Your Windows". All three of them are nominated for a Grammy each, Best R&B Vocal Performance, Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song respectively. On top of that she is also lauded for Best New Artist, contending the title with Duffy, Adele, Jonas Brothers and Lady Antebellum. The album itself is running for Best Contemporary R&B Album.

Paris Hilton broke her silence of the burglary happening at her home over the weekend, telling Life and Style magazine she is "devastated" by the incident. "I cannot believe someone broke into my home. They took items that had such sentimental value that no one will ever be able to replace," she said regarding her feeling. Despite all, "I'm just thankful that I wasn't there when it happened," Paris confessed further.

And while Paris didn't give details on the burglary, an insider informed Life and Style that "millions of dollars of jewelry was stolen", including "diamonds, necklaces, rings, watches and family heirlooms from her grandmothers." Still according to the insider, a thief was caught on tape and "detectives are doing a huge investigation" on the case.

A new "Judge Dredd" movie is getting a big screen treatment. Through the 2000 AD Forums, Rebellion and 2000 AD announced that they are officially planning to materialize the feature film in association with DNA Films, the production company behind "28 Weeks Later...".

In the announcement, it is further unveiled that the film's production will be kicked off sometime in 2009. Still, details on the movie itself are kept under tight wraps. "We can't give away too many details at this point, but we're looking forward to working with DNA Films to bring Judge Dredd back to the big screen," so claimed Jason Kingsley, Rebellion's CEO and Creative Director.

Disney Channel have been airing Happy Holidays commercials that feature their notable teen stars. Over the weekend, the network released the one with the cast of "Camp Rock" after those by the stars of "Wizards of Waverly Place", "Hannah Montana" and "Sonny with a Chance".

Representing the cast of "Camp Rock" who wish the viewers "happy holidays" are Demi Lovato, all the three siblings of Jonas Brothers, and Alyson Stoner. Demi in particular, appears twice in such commercial since she also starred in the one by the cast of new Disney original series "Sonny with a Chance".

Grammy-winning singer Rihanna has been confirmed to take the stage at the Recording Industry Association of America's Presidential Inauguration Charity Ball on January 20. Headlining the event, she will, at the same time, help feed millions by raising funds for Feeding America, which is the largest hunger relief organization in America.

Rihanna's performance at the charity inaugural ball was confirmed by Access Hollywood on Saturday, December 20. The site quoted Vicky Escarra, president and CEO of Feeding America, as stating, "We are thrilled to have Rihanna's participation in the inauguration charity ball."

Movie heartthrob Zac Efron brought cheers to patients at the Mattel Children's Hospital at UCLA in Los Angeles when he took time Friday, December 19 to visit critically ill patients for approximately two hours. Teaming up with Gifts.com, he presented gifts, signed autographs and posed alongside his fans as he toured the wards.

Among the toys which were given away to all the patients at the hospital were electronic keyboards, Tickle Me Elmo dolls, art sets, board games and "High School Musical" products. The stuff worth $10,000 in total, it has been reported.

Overshadowing last weekend champ "The Day the Earth Stood Still", Jim Carrey's latest comedy, "Yes Man", has topped the North American box office. Making its debut in theaters on Friday, December 19, the Warner Bros. Pictures comedy has brought in $18.3 million over the three-day weekend of screening in about 3,434 theaters.

The weekend bow gave Carrey a better Christmas comedy debut. The comedian's previous Christmas comedy, "Fun With Dick and Jane", opened in theaters with $14.4 million in 2005. Hence, it marked Carrey's best live-action opening since his "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" debuted with $30 million in December 2004.

Meeting Leona Lewis at a party in London and becoming "fast friends", Hollywood heartthrob Chace Crawford got more than he bargained for. The actor who earns his name through teen series "Gossip Girl", was personally invited by Leona to appear in her music video for single "I Will Be."

"Chace went to London a couple months ago for meetings and to promote Gossip Girl. He went to a party and ended up meeting Leona," a source told People. The video was already filmed on Thursday, December 19 in New York City and Chace was given several "speaking lines". In several leaked photos, Leona was seen getting arrested by the Police in the video.

Initially tying the knot in a secret ceremony in May this year, Jessica Alba and her husband Cash Warren held a wedding reception for their friends and families to attend on Friday, December 19. The celebration, taking place at their Beverly Hills home, served as a formal reception to "celebrate their love and commitment to each other," US Weekly quoted a partygoer as claiming.

Invited guests reportedly were asked to arrive before 7 P.M. Actress Roselyn Sanchez was seen among the guests. The couple's daughter, Honor Marie Warren, was also in attendance. The 6-month-old girl was seen wearing a gray dress which was designed to exactly match Alba's with angel wings attached.