January 07, 2009

The world is counting down to the inauguration of U.S. 44th president, Barack Obama and to cover live the historical moment on Tuesday, January 20 is Katie Couric from CBS News. The TV program will launch a comprehensive broadcast and online coverage of the day, including the ceremonies and interviews plus analysis from the CBS News Inauguration Team.

The inauguration will take place at West Front of the Capitol starting at 10.00 A.M. ET and ending 5.00 P.M. that day. Additionally, Couric will work extra hour for a one-hour primetime special called "Change and Challenge: The Inauguration of Barack Obama" that airs live at 9.00 P.M. ET. Prior to this, CBS will also anticipate the moment by having a special edition of "Face the Nation" with Bob Schieffer on Sunday, January 18.

Harry Potter's page has just got its hands on two high quality pictures of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince". One of the images lets out a behind-the-scene peek at the Three Broomsticks where Harry, Ron, Hermione and Professor Slughorn gather around a table, while the other one exposes Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, the Fred and George Weasley' joke shop. Both photos are also included in Empire Magazine's February 2009 issue.

In related news, this sixth "Harry Potter" movie has been placed first by MTV in its Surefire 2009 Blockbuster list. Explaining why, MTV wrote, "Every 'Potter' film has flirted with a billion dollars worldwide...By the time July 17 rolls around, it will have been two years since fans saw their wizard friends onscreen, and many regard 'Half-Blood' to be one of the best books in the franchise."

An animated music video aimed to promote Soulja Boy's new track "Soulja Boy Tellem" has arrived. Displaying a statement read, "Hear music the way you should ... the way I do," the video shows the crowd of what seems to be a talent show.

Following the announcement from the show's host saying that Soulja will be appearing on-stage, the rapper, portrayed as a cartoon character sporting red t-shirt and cap, takes the stage rapping the song's verses with a friend. At some point, the scene is interrupted with a capture showing him refusing to take the school bus. Instead, he calls his limo's driver to take him and his friends to school.

Insisting he is currently single despite rumors to the contrary, Robert Pattinson admits he had his first kiss when he was 12 years old. He, however, doesn't disclose the identity of the girl he shared his first kiss with.

The movie hunk, furthermore, reveals that he "didn't have a girlfriend until" he was 18 years old. "I was a bit of a loner at school, quite anti-social," so he described his school years.

Trailer to award-winning "The Hurt Locker" has just been released. Less than two minutes long, the video footage introduces first the elite bomb squad unit before moving on showing the chaos and dangers they are facing in present-day Baghdad. Filled with explosions and gun fights, the sneak peek displays how the team try to disarm deadly bombs which come in many shapes.

Based on recently declassified information about an elite Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team in present day Iraq, "The Hurt Locker" follows an EOD unit as they are forced to play a dangerous game of cat and mouse in the chaos of war. Placed in a city where everyone is a potential enemy and every object could be a deadly bomb, they must now work together to survive.

Supermodel Cindy Crawford openly reveals she has banned her daughter, Kaya Jordan Gerber, from watching "Hannah Montana," claiming the hit TV series to have taught the 7-year-old girl "to be sassy." About that she explains, "I love Hannah Montana, but she (daughter) learns to be sassy from that show. I'll say to her, 'I don't let anyone talk to me like that. I'll certainly not take it from a seven year old in my own house.'"

Disney's "Hannah Montana" is a musical sitcom series which is famous among teenagers. It stars Miley Cyrus as the main character who lives a double life as an average teenage school girl named Miley Stewart by day and a famous pop singer named Hannah Montana by night, concealing her real identity from the public, other than her close friends and family.

Refusing to drive only on one lane, Soulja Boy has branched out to the motion picture world by releasing a web series called "Soulja Boy Tell 'Em: The Animated Series". The rapper who made his fame through the single "Crank That", is reportedly even negotiating for the series to be aired on a major cable network.

The animated series which was officially debuted on Tuesday, January 6 via his official site, is filled with his high school days where after experiencing a fame as a rapper he is forced to go back to school. Combining animation and live-action, the cartoon is created by the people behind Adult Swim's "Robot Chicken". Apart from himself, other characters presented in series are his animated friends Jabar and Arab, as well as Alfonso Ribeiro ("The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air") who plays as his principal.

A preview to romantic comedy "My Life in Ruins" has been shared through the film's trailer. Courtesy of Moviefone, the video footage takes its focus on Georgia and her adventure as a tour guide in Greece that helps her to learn how to let lose and find love where she least expects.

A romantic comedy from Fox Searchlight Pictures, "My Life in Ruins" follows Georgia, a Greek-American tour guide who leads a band of misfit tourists around Greece. Facing a clash of personalities and cultures, everything she has planned goes on the wrong way. That is until she meets Irv Gordon, a tourist who takes her on a personal detour and opens her eyes to a possibility of love which she finds on the last person she would expect, her Greek bus driver.

Robert Pattinson has revealed he would love to lie his hands in music industry if his acting career doesn't go well. "Music is my back-up plan if acting fails. I don't want to put all my eggs in one basket," he tells The Los Angeles Times.

On fans' reaction to his plan of making music, Robert is worried they will think that he is just trying to "cash in." He says, "That's what I was scared about, it looks like I'm trying to get a music career out of it or something."

One of the team members takes the fall in the next episode of "NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service". In "Broken Bird", Ducky (David McCallum) will be stabbed at a crime scene, leading to a revelation of his disturbing past that occurred more than 30 years before.

After Ducky is attacked while on duty, the NCIS team must delve into his clandestine past and they uncover a horrible truth about him. He was accused as a war criminal, torturing and killing citizen of Afghanistan.

Contrary to rumors on the street, Paris Hilton insists that instead of making love with all of the men she has ever dated she only had sex "with a couple of them." "I've only done it (had sex) with a couple of people. People make up stories, but mostly I just kiss," the celebrity socialite tells the February 2009 issue of Glamour UK.

She goes on telling the magazine, "I think it's important to play hard to get." About that she explains, "Nobody wants the fake Prada bag; they want the brand new bag that no one can get and is the most expensive. If you give it up to a guy he won't respect you; he'll want you much more if he can't have you."

An interesting tidbit related to Taylor Lautner and his role as Jacob Black in "New Moon" has been brought to the surface by Entertainment Weekly (EW). In its recent article, the publication noted that there is a chance the 16-year-old may get to keep his Native American character in the sequel of vampire drama "Twilight".

According to EW, sources close to the production have suggested that "the simplest route would be to go with Lautner". In addition, one of the insiders was quoted saying, "I'm very hopeful. We're not looking at anybody else." Furthermore, EW reported that Lautner has met with director Chris Weitz and undergone screen-test for chemistry with Kristen Stewart.

An R-rated music video in support of Scarface's song titled "High Note" has been available to watch. Directed by Mr. Boomtown, the video starts rolling with a warning tag read, "The following VIDEO has been RATED M for MATURE AUDIENCES."

The video then moves to a capture of a bedroom with a nude woman lying on her stomach. It then switches into a scene showing Scarface on the couch accompanied by a lady who is busy taking notes to what he said to her through the song's lyrics. It also features him shopping around up-market boutiques with his girlfriend.

Fulfilling her shooting commitment though her engagement to actor Ross McCall has come to an end, Jennifer Love Hewitt is said to be "having a tough time" on the set of her hit TV series "Ghost Whisperer." About her post break-up condition, a source tells People the actress "is more quiet and seems sad," adding, "She usually hangs out with the crew between takes, but [Tuesday] she is only hanging out with her bodyguard."

Despite that fact that she finds the split hard to deal with, Jennifer "is always so professional" and "would never even think to miss a day of work because of personal problems," the source claims. No words have been released at the time of writing on the reason behind her and Ross' split.

The 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards will see the participation of young Hollywood. After "Gossip Girl" star Blake Lively was named as one of the awards' presenters earlier, musical sensation Jonas Brothers and "Heroes" star Hayden Panettiere have officially been set to present the Golden Globes at its gala ceremony on Sunday, January 11.

In the press release outed on Tuesday, January 6, Hollywood Press Association listed the two as presenters alongside film directing legend Martin Scorsese. Joining the three newly-confirmed A-listers is Zac Efron, whose name has also been thrown out as the Globes' presenter, as reported by Entertainment Tonight.

It all comes spiraling down in the world of Adrianna. In the new preview of "90210" the teen who is struggling to get over her drug addiction will be dealing with a new problem after she finds out that she's with a child. In "Love Me or Leave Me", Adrianna reveals the secret of her pregnancy to Naomi and Navid, who individually handle the news differently than expected.

When Dixon reveals the depths of his feelings to Silver, their relationship takes a surprising turn. Meanwhile, Tabitha surprises Annie and Dixon with an unexpected Christmas gift. Elsewhere, Annie and Ethan take an escape to the desert beauty of Palm Springs. Ryan has an unpleasant encounter with Kelly and Silver while Annie is surprised that Ty will also be auditioning for the new school play.

Timbaland has stepped forward clearing up rumor circulating around the media saying that he works with the likes of Justin Timberlake, Gwen Stefani and Usher in cooking up new materials for his upcoming studio record "Timbaland Presents Shock Value 2". "That's just bogus," he simply told MTV.

"I'm just revamping. I'm not even at a stage to say where I'm at. I'm not at a beginning, I'm not at a middle," Timbaland furthermore explained. "I'm just zoning out trying to find a new sound I wanna attack, and I think I got it. It's something you never heard, something I never tried."

A bunch of new "Dragonball Evolution" stills has been found. Coming out firstly from Dragonball the Movie, some of the photos exhibit the scenes where Goku and Chi Chi are sitting in a classroom, while some others picture Goku fist-fighting with two baddies. Aside from those images, there are also picture of Goku talking to Chi Chi and picture of Grandpa Gohan in action.

Based on the phenomenally popular Japanese manga created by Akira Toriyama, "Dragonball Evolution" centers on young warrior Goku. In the movie, he sets out on a quest to protect the earth from an endless stream of rogues and stop Piccolo from collecting a set of seven magical orbs that will grant their wielder unlimited power.

At the 51st Annual Grammy Awards, Katy Perry will be performing along with contest-winning videos of her fans singing "I Kissed a Girl". She will be taking the stage for the awards on February 8, at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles.

Those who want to win the chance of being seen on TV during Katy's on-stage performance have to upload a no-more-than-one-minute video of them singing along or lip-syncing to "I Kissed a Girl". To submit the video, fans can log on to CBS.com before January 21.

USA's "Monk" returns to the TV screen this Friday, January 9 with an episode called "Mr. Monk's Other Brother" and a promo as well as a clip from the episode have been released. It tells the story of Monk meeting his long-lost half-brother (guest star Steve Zahn) who escapes from the prison.

Jack Monk Jr. shows up at Monk's house after successfully tunneling under the prison's fence. He comes with one purpose, asking Monk's help to prove him innocent in the murder case where he is the prime suspect.

Rumors are heating up that Carrie Underwood has found a new love in Canadian-born hockey player Mike Fisher, who plays for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). They, as reported by Ottawa Citizen, "are dating" and have "apparently been going strong for months."

On their alleged romance, it is claimed that Carrie and Mike first met at the backstage of her concert at Scotiabank Place on March 21 last year. Becoming close to each other ever since, they began dating shortly thereafter.

There are 7 movies left in the running for the 81st Academy Awards' visual effects category. On Tuesday, January 6, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that "Australia", "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and "The Dark Knight" are still competing for the Oscar consideration.

Joining those three on the shortlist are "Hellboy II: The Golden Army", "Iron Man", "Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D" and "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor". All these seven movies will be cut down into only three by members of the Academy's Visual Effects Branch after the 15-minute screenings of each movie held on Thursday, January 15.

Robert Pattinson has dropped out of "Parts Per Billion". On Tuesday, January 6, MTV News has come out with a report confirming that the "Twilight" star is no longer involved with the indie project to be co-produced by actress Rosario Dawson, adding that Pattinson's commitment for "New Moon" has led to the decision.

When asked about the 22-year-old actor's exit, his representative, Nicholas Frenkel, stated, "What you heard is correct." He further explained, "Unfortunately, the prep time and production schedule on 'New Moon' haven't left enough time for Robert to work on 'Parts per Billion' in the first quarter of this year." Initially, Pattinson is scheduled to begin shooting in Los Angeles this January for this movie which reportedly will contain his steamy love scenes with "Juno" actress Olivia Thirlby.

Craig Ferguson publicly announced on his TV show, "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson," on Monday, January 5 that he has secretly wed his longtime girlfriend, Megan Wallace Cunningham. The wedding, according to him, was held in Vermont during his holiday break.

"The wedding took place in Vermont, where they have legalized gay civil unions - and I married a woman," Craig jokingly told the audience of his CBS show. After that flashing off his wedding ring, the newlywed gushed, "It's not just bling."

A first look into Diablo Cody-written TV dramedy "United States of Tara" has been given through a new trailer. The footage brings out the four personalities of Tara who is played by Academy Awards nominated actress, Toni Collette.

Tara is a regular suburban mom who isn't always herself sometime. She suffers from multiple personality disorder that boxes her into four different personalities; herself, a wild and pot-smoking teenager named T, a perfect stay-at-home wife named Alice and a beer-loving male named Buck. All these contribute to the well-being of her family; a hard-working husband of 20 years, a son who has a crush on a boy, a teen daughter who struggles with the boundaries between her and boys and a sister who holds the key to Tara's past.

The night before Barack Obama's presidential ceremony takes place, a party known as "In Concert on the Eve of Change" will be held with a special live performance from Jay-Z. The show will be conducted at the Warner Theater with a live band accompanying Jay-Z's on-stage appearance.

In related news, Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN) will also be hosting a ball in celebration of Barack's inauguration. HSAN's executives; Russell Simmons, Dr. Benjamin Chavis and Valeisha Butterfield have recruited T.I., Young Jeezy and LL Cool J to co-host the event to be held at the Harman Center for the Arts in Washington, D.C. on the same day Jay-Z performing for "Concert of Change".

Actress Erinn Hayes, best known for her starring role as Melanie Clayton in CBS' series "Worst Week", has exclusively confirmed to People that she is pregnant. The baby she is carrying will be her second child with husband Jack Hayes.

To People, Erinn openly reveals she and Jack planned her pregnancy to coincide with her character's on "Worst Week." "I'm nothing if an opportunist," so she jokingly says. "The timing couldn't be more perfect."

A new webclip is released to promote the January 12 episode of "One Tree Hill", "A Hand to Take Hold of the Scene". It takes on the scene of Mia practicing in the studio with Haley when Chase comes by to say something to her. Mia is played by real-life singer Kate Voegele who is in the show as a recurring cast.

Another promo is also released for the episode, showing the three confessions that the lead characters have to reveal. Peyton breaks the news of her pregnancy to Brooke, Mouth finds out that Millicent has slept with Owen and Brooke having dilemma in telling Peyton that she's going on a date with Julian.

While Warner Bros are still fighting to keep the distribution rights for "Watchmen", two new videos for the graphic novel adaptation; a Japanese trailer and a new video journal, have been let out. Unlike previous trailers which focus on the heroes, this Japanese trailer, courtesy of Trailer Addict, highlights on the political side of the movie, exhibiting the alternate history with footage of U.S. President John F. Kennedy's assassination to U.S. President Richard M. Nixon's presidential term.

Putting the Japanese trailer aside, the new video journal brings to the attention the first generation of the costumed heroes, The Minutemen. Posted by Apple, the video footage contains black-and-white scenes of the Minutemen as well as explanations about the original costumed heroes from director Zack Snyder, producer Deborah Snyder, Rorschach's depicter Jackie Earle Haley, graphic novel artist Dave Gibbons and others.

50 Cent's brand new single has made its way out. Titled "I Get It in", the track is produced by Dr. Dre and will reportedly appear in 50's soon-to-be-released fourth major studio record "Before I Self Destruct".

In addition to "I Get It in" audio stream, a tracklisting for 50's "Before I Self Destruct" has also been brought out. Acquired from ONSMASH, the tracklisting unveils that Eminem and DJ Khalil also take part in the production process of the album.

A memorial service for Jett Travolta, the young son of actor John Travolta who died during a family vacation last week, has been scheduled for Thursday, January 8. The late 16-year-old boy will be laid to rest at a small gathering of family and friends which is set to take place in Ocala, Florida, where the Travoltas have a home.

Jett Travolta, the eldest child of John Travolta and his wife Kelly Preston, passed away during a family vacation at the Old Bahama Bay Hotel on Grand Bahama Island on Friday, January 2, after suffering a seizure. Jett's body was cremated on Monday, January 5 after an autopsy was completed.

Things will go further down for Chuck in the next episode of "Gossip Girl". A longer preview of "Gone With the Will" shows the intense situation post Bart's death which brings in Chuck's uncle in town to take care of the legal cases, and possibly, to take over the Bass empire.

With the reading of Bart's will, Chuck, Bart's brother, Jack (guest star Desmond Harrington), and Lily learn the fate of the Bass empire. Rufus and Lily's relationship is strained as Rufus seeks details about the child he never knew he had. "Gone With the Will" airs on The CW on January 12 at 8/7c.

Alyssa Milano is engaged to her boyfriend, David Bugliari, her representative has officially confirmed. The pair, who has been dating for more than a year, got engaged on December 18, 2008.

David, who is an agent at the Creative Arts Agency, reportedly proposed to the actress with a ring he designed that was made by Jim Lavi at Daniel Jewelry in La Jolla. No further details have been released at the time of writing.

Following the outing of "Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li" Japanese teaser, an official U.S. teaser trailer of the popular video game adaptation has been released through IGN. Though most of the footage shown in this teaser are similar to the Japanese version, the sneak peek which is 1:15 long still gives out several never-before-seen scenes.

The teaser also displays closer look to some of the characters, including Detective Maya Sunee and Vega. Hinting what to expect from the story, a narrator kicks off the teaser saying, "In life, there is beauty and there is terror." He then explains that the two should not rise above the other and when ones have found their power, they must decide what they fight for.

A completed version of Eminem's new song "Crack a Bottle", which has Dr. Dre and 50 Cent contributing their vocals on the hook, has been revealed. The song will reportedly serve as the first single from Slim Shady's upcoming sixth studio album "Relapse".

"So crack a bottle, let your body waddle/ Don't act just like a sloppy model, you just hit the lotto," so some lines in the track read. "Uh-oh, uh-oh, bi---es, hoppin' in my Tahoe/ I got one riding shotgun, and not one of them got clothes."

Another baby girl has been born for Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck, US Weekly reports as being informed by an unidentified source. The site claims the movie beauty gave birth to the infant, her second child with Ben, on Tuesday, January 6 in Los Angeles.

"Garner was wheeled on a roll-away hospital bed Tuesday evening and was smiling as she was taken to her hospital room," US Weekly quotes the source as stating. "A blanket was draped over her, and it appeared that she was holding the baby. Shortly after, the hospital staff brought in a portable bassinet and heart monitor to check on the baby."