January 08, 2009

January 20 could be the fateful day for "Watchmen". According to The Hollywood Reporter (THR), both 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. have reached an agreement that allowed Judge Gary A. Feess to decide whether Warner Bros. should be allowed to release the action fantasy movie as planned on March 6 or not.

This injunction stemmed from the ruling Feess issued on Christmas Eve, which favored Fox on the battle to get "Watchmen" distribution rights. Finding that producer Lawrence Gordon had failed to acquire Fox's entire interest in the Zack Snyder-directed movie, it was deemed that Fox still had the rights to the film.

A new webisode of "Scrubs" has just been released on Wednesday, January 7 titled "Our Meeting With J.D.". In this second part of the web series that ABC release for the medical comedy, Zach Braff makes a cameo as J.D., explaining the vernaculars and acronyms used in the hospital to the interns.

Hosted by one of the four interns named Sunny, the webisode is released each week on ABC.com after the airing of a "Scrubs" episode. Last week, another similar video diary recounts on the newbie's first day at Sacred Heart Hospital where Dr. Perry Cox gives an introduction to them.

"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" has earned its U.S. rating. According to Rope of Silicon, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) has given this sixth feature installment of the "Harry Potter" series with a rather soft rating, PG, for "scary images, some violence, language and mild sensuality."

With the rating, "Half-Blood Prince" will be the first "Harry Potter" movie to receive a PG rating since "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban". Two previous installments, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" and "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" have been given a PG-13 rating by the MPAA.

On Monday, January 12, CBS will present their night of laughs starting with "The Big Bang Theory" at 8/7c, continued by "How I Met Your Mother" at 8.30/7.30c. A promo combining the next episodes of the two shows has been released.

"Big Bang" will move forward with an episode called "The Killer Robot Instability". When Penny's comment about Wolowitz's love life sends him into a depressed stupor, his friends lose their most important team-mate in an upcoming fighting robot competition.

Jesse McCartney has hit studio with Ludacris to record a remix version of song "How Do You Sleep". Commenting on his collaboration with Ludacris, he says to be thrilled as he has been a big fan of the rapper.

"I've been a fan of Luda's throughout his career and having him on this track was an amazing honor," Jesse states. "He's innovative across the board and always brings the freshest lyrics to any track. With Sean Garrett producing this collaboration, everything came together."

Confirming her third pregnancy in October last year, Lisa Bonet has given birth to a baby boy in the first half of December. The infant, named Nakoa-Wolf Manakauapo Namakaeha Momoa, is her second child with actor boyfriend Jason Momoa.

Confirmation on Nakoa-Wolf's birth is first made by Jason's mother, who in a post on his official forum, writes the baby arrived on "the stormiest, rainiest night." As for the newborn's name, Jason's mother explains, Nakoa means "warrior," while Mana refers to "strength/spirit." Kaua, meanwhile, means "rain" and po means "dark". Those words are meant as a reference to the conditions at the time of his birth.

Nearly a week to "Notorious" theatrical release in the U.S., Fox Searchlight Pictures premiered the drama biopic in New York City. Taking place at AMC Lincoln Square on Wednesday, January 7, the special screening event was a star-studded extravaganza with the coming in of many Hollywood celebrities, including many A-list hip-hop artists.

Joining the celebration on the evening were some of the film's cast, Jamal Woolard, Angela Bassett, Antonique Smith, Anthony Mackie, Derek Luke, Dennis L.A. White and Naturi Naughton. Director George Tillman Jr., executive producer Sean "P. Diddy" Combs and producer Voletta Wallace, who is also the mother of late rapper Notorious B.I.G., were spotted attending the premiere as well.

"Two and a Half Men" returns on TV January 12 with an episode called "Thank God for Scoliosis". And right after that "Worst Week" continues the Monday night slot on CBS with "The Article". The comedy begins at 9/8c.

In the upcoming episode of "Two and a Half Men", Charlie and Jake will go after one girl, a waitress whose affections become a competition between the two. Meanwhile, Alan fights sexual tension with his receptionist. In "Worst Week", Sam accidentally sees Angela in the gynecologist's office and he tries to cope with it by writing his feelings down, which eventually end up in the wrong hands.

Australian musician and actor Ben Lee has married actress Ione Skye in a traditional Hindu ceremony outside of the town of Chennai in India, his representative confirms to Life and Style. The nuptials, taking place on December 29, 2008, is the first for Ben and the second for Ione as she was previously married to Beastie Boys' Adam Horovitz.

Prior to dating Ione, Ben dated Claire Danes for several years. He and Ione got engaged on January 11 last year. According to Life and Style, he proposed to her "after taking a trip to India and consulting their guru, Sakthi Narayani Amma." The publication is told by an insider, "Ben flew to India to ask the guru if marrying Ione was the right thing. And he got the thumbs up!"

A music video aimed to promote will.i.am's track "She's a Star" has hit the web. Filmed in black-and-white scenes, it mainly highlights the Black Eyed Peas' member when he goes for a walk along the beach.

"She's a Star" is a song worked on by powerhouse producer Polow Da Don. It appears in will.i.am's second solo studio album "Songs About Girls", the 2007 record which lines up Snoop Dogg and Cheryl Cole of Girls Aloud as its featured guests.

A representative for Cindy Crawford has put to rest rumors on the street claiming the supermodel bans her daughter, Kaya Jordan Gerber, from watching Disney hit TV series "Hannah Montana". In a confirmation issued to MTV News, the representative insists that despite reports to the contrary Cindy "is a fan of 'Hannah Montana,' and she has taken her daughter to multiple shows."

On Tuesday, January 6, reports circulated all over the net, claiming Cindy bans her daughter from watching "Hannah Montana" because it teaches her "to be sassy." She was quoted as saying, "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.'"

An outrageous international trailer of "Dance Flick" has arrived. Bringing in new footage from the new comedy movie from the Wayans' brothers, the video footage starts off with a dance battle, which ends with Essence Atkins' Charity giving birth to her talented baby on the dance floor. The new trailer also previews very pregnant impersonation of Juno, making a cameo on the movie.

Spoofing many dance movies from classic "Flashdance" to recent hits "Step Up" and "You Got Served", "Dance Flick" revolves around a beautiful young woman, Megan White, and a young street dancer, Thomas Uncles. After her mother dies, White finds herself on a series of misadventures when she moves to the mean streets of the inner-city, where she meets Uncles who share similar interest with her, dancing.

Rascal Flatts have announced that their upcoming sixth studio album "Unstoppable" will be dropped on April 7. Confirming the news during the ceremony of People's Choice Awards, the threesome has also invited fans to design a cover art for their soon-to-be-released LP.

"It only makes sense to have our fans design and decide the cover of our new CD since they are the ones who make it possible every day for us to make new music and tour," lead vocalist Gary LeVox says. "We've got a creative and loyal group of fans and are very excited to see the designs they come back with."

Writers Guild of America have selected some writer names and several TV series to be put under the contenders of their 2009 awards event. Nominees of WGA Awards were announced on Wednesday, January 7 and the TV list is crowded by "30 Rock" and "Breaking Bad".

NBC's "30 Rock" earns four nominations including one for Comedy Series and three for Episodic Comedy. Tina Fey who plays Liz Lemon in the series, earns a nod in the ensemble and solo for episode "Cooter". AMC's "Breaking Bad" meanwhile, pockets 3 nods in 2 categories, namely New Series and Episodic Drama.

Sarah Jessica Parker has left the home she shares with husband Matthew Broderick as rumors are mounting the actor has cheated on her with a younger woman. "Sarah Jessica Moving Out!" Star magazine writes on the cover of its January 19 issue, already on newsstands. "His cheating & lies, her new apartment, son James Wilke caught in the middle."

In further report, Star claims Sarah has begun house hunting in New York City all by herself. "The time has come when she realizes it just isn't worth it. Sarah Jessica is determined to get her own place and bring down the curtain on her marriage," a friend of the celebrity couple tells the magazine. An insider then adds, "Sarah's not stupid. She knows exactly what's going on. For a while it was easier for her to stay than go through a harsh divorce. They're essentially living separate lives."

Singer/songwriter Bruce Springsteen has been rumored to make a live appearance at one of Barack Obama's inauguration week welcome events. He will be singing at Washington D.C.'s National Mall on January 18, according to The Washington Post.

As part of Obama's inauguration festivities, a nonprofit youth voter group Declare Yourself's inauguration kickoff event will also be held reportedly with Jessica Alba as its host. Taking place on the same day Springsteen performing at National Mall, the show is said to have Maroon 5 singing live and Samantha Ronson rocking behind her turn-table.

Taylor Lautner will definitely reprise his Jacob Black role in "New Moon". After weeks of uncertainty, director Chris Weitz confirmed the involvement of the 16-year-old in the sequel of "Twilight". Weitz's announcement of Lautner's return has been posted by author Stephenie Meyer on her site on Wednesday, January 7.

"I'm very happy to announce that Taylor Lautner will be playing Jacob Black in 'New Moon' and that he's doing so with the enthusiastic support of Summit Entertainment, the producers, and Stephenie Meyer," so read the helmer's statement. The message continues with Weitz further explaining about the casting situation, "The characters in Stephenie's books go through extraordinary changes of circumstance and also appearance; so it is not surprising that there has been speculation about whether the same actor would portray a character who changes in so many surprising ways throughout the series."

During an interview, Aubrey O'Day opens up about what she is up to after being fired from Danity Kane. On the possibility of her coming back to "Making the Band", she tells MTV, "You never know if I'll be involved in the new season, but as of now, no."

In further statement, Aubrey notes she is, in the meantime, focusing on her own career. She says, "I'd really like to just move past 'Making the Band' and start making my own career. But you never know."

Two actors have been linked to the villain roles in "Iron Man 2". Latest reports for the sequel to the hit superhero movie "Iron Man" have pointed out that Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell are both in negotiation to star opposite Robert Downey Jr. as his heroic character's latest opponents.

On what character Rourke is eyeing, Variety claimed that the star of "The Wrestler" may end up to portray Crimson Dynamo, a heavily tattooed Russian arms dealer who is considered to be an evil version of Iron Man. Rockwell, in the meantime, is reported by The Hollywood Reporter to play multi-billionaire businessman Justin Hammer, who happens to be Tony Stark's rival.

Through online voting, it is found out that viewers favor "House M.D." and its leading star Hugh Laurie. The FOX production was announced as Favorite TV Drama at the 35th Annual People's Choice Awards, beating down "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and "Grey's Anatomy". Laurie aka Dr. House meanwhile, triumphs over Charlie Sheen in "Two and a Half Men" and Patrick Dempsey in "Grey's".

Another notable winner is Ellen DeGeneres who via her daytime show, "The Ellen DeGeneres Show", won Favorite Talk Show Host. Receiving the award, Ellen said during the acceptance speech, "I wish I could share this with you. I could throw it on the ground and smash it into a million pieces, and give each one of you a little piece of it, but that's violent, and that's probably why you voted for me, because I'm not violent."

OK! magazine has made public some details of Stacy Ferguson and Josh Duhamel's wedding which is to be held over the weekend, including their wedding registry and guests list. Besides, the publication also tracks down the bride-to-be's possible wedding dress and strict fitness regime as her wedding day is fast approaching.

Amidst reports claiming guests will only be told of Fergie and Josh's wedding venue later this week to avoid the nuptials being exposed by the media, OK! simply claims in a report on its site that the pair will tie the knot on Saturday, January 10 in L.A. Furthermore, it is also claimed that Fergie and Josh have asked their wedding guests not to bring cell phones or cameras, presumably to avoid their wedding pics being leaked.

"The Dark Knight" has become the most successful winner at the 35th People's Choice Awards. On Wednesday, January 7, the Christopher Nolan-directed superhero movie collected the most kudos, bringing home more than three prizes, including Favorite Movie and Favorite Action Movie.

The sequel to "Batman Begins" also received an award for its two leading actors, Christian Bale and Heath Ledger, for their on-screen match-up. Aside from the Favorite On-Screen Match-Up prize, Bale, who portrays the bat-costumed superhero Batman as well as his alter ego Bruce Wayne in the action movie, has also nabbed a Favorite Superhero title.

Determined through online voting, winners for the 35th Annual People's Choice Awards in music have been revealed during a star-studded ceremony on January 7 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Carrie Underwood and Chris Brown are among those who bring home the Saturday night prize.

Beating down Alicia Keys and Rihanna, Carrie is named as "Favorite Female Singer". Also, her track "Last Name" successfully puts aside Taylor Swift's song "Love Story" and Rascal Flatts' single "Take Me There" in "Favorite Country Song".

TV front runners at the 40th Annual NAACP Image Awards are "Tyler Perry's House of Payne" and "Ugly Betty". Nominees for the awards event that honors people of color have been announced and it appears that Tyler Perry will be the leading man at the actual showdown which will be held at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium on February 12.

Apart from serving the hosting role side by side to Halle Berry, Perry also has his comedy show "House of Payne" that airs on TBS receiving six nominations. The categories are Comedy Series, Actor and Actress in a Comedy Series as well as Supporting Actor and Actress in a Comedy Series. Under the Supporting Actor category in particular are two of its actors, Lance Gross and Larramie Shaw. Outside his TV ventures, Perry also receives an Outstanding Motion Picture nod for his movie "The Family That Preys".

"Miles To Go," a tell-all memoir about Disney young sensation Miley Cyrus, has been available for pre-order at Barnes & Noble. The memoir reportedly chronicles the actress-singer's journey to stardom.

Back in early April 2007, Miley Cyrus was confirmed to have signed a seven-figure book deal with Disney Book Group to write her autobiography. "I am so excited to let fans in on how important my relationship with my family is to me. I hope to motivate mothers and daughters to build lifetimes of memories together, and inspire kids around the world to live their dreams," the "Hannah Montana" star said at that time.

"I know the book will be full of special moments and I'm already having a brilliant time putting it together," British pop singer Leona Lewis expresses her optimism about her upcoming autobiography, slated to be released in October. The book, which title isn't made public, will detail her rise from waitress to superstar, a two-year journey that she describes as "an unbelievable experience."

"This will be the first time Leona tells her story of how 'The X-Factor' launched her from waitressing in Pizza Hut in Hackney [East London] to stardom on both sides of the Atlantic," publishing house Hodder & Stoughton's editor Fenella Bates says in a statement. "It is a real-life fairytale and every girl's dream."

"The Dark Knight" has bagged another prestigious awards' nomination. After collecting a nod for its producers from the 20th Producers Guild Awards, the superhero movie starring Christian Bale and Heath Ledger earned a 2009 Writers Guild Awards' count for its writers from the Writers Guild of America on Wednesday, January 7.

Contending for the adapted screenplay kudo, "Dark Knight" enlisted its writers team consisting of Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer. The trio will be in competition with Eric Roth and Robin Swicord of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", John Patrick Shanley of "Doubt", Peter Morgan of "Frost/Nixon" and Simon Beaufoy of "Slumdog Millionaire".

The rich kid is back to the famous zip code, Tori Spelling has been confirmed to make an appearance in "90210". The actress who previously backed out reportedly due to financial disagreement, is in "final negotiations" and according to EW's Michael Ausiello, the deal could be sealed as early as Wednesday, January 7.

Tori, the daughter of "Beverly Hills 90210" producer Aaron Spelling, plays Donna Martin in the series and her character was engaged to David (Brian Austin Green) in the end of the season finale. No words yet on how she will contribute to the "90210" story line but TV Guide said that she will join for multiple episodes in Spring.

Nominees of 2009 NAACP Image Awards for its recording category have been announced on January 7 in Los Angeles. From the announcement, it is revealed that Jennifer Hudson leads the pack with six nods and Beyonce Knowles follows with five counts.

Topping the music list, Jennifer competes with Anthony David, Estelle, Jazmine Sullivan and Leona Lewis in "Outstanding New Artist". She meanwhile lands her self-titled debut album in a stiff competition with Beyonce's "I Am...Sasha Fierce", Kanye West's "808's & Heartbreak", Ne-Yo's "Year of the Gentleman" and Seal's "Soul" in "Outstanding Album".

Media darling Scarlett Johansson breaks her silence to February's Harper's Bazaar, sharing to the magazine a little bit about her engagement and secret wedding to actor husband Ryan Reynolds. She, moreover, addresses on the mounting rumors claiming she is pregnant. Personal life aside, she also reveals her dream role.

Admitting that she wasn't surprised when Ryan proposed to her, Scarlett however confesses she did "squeal with delight" when he presented her with "a beautiful diamond ring." Recalling the day Ryan popped the question, the movie beauty says, "I think all proposals are romantic. It was very down-to-earth and genuine. There was no crazy skywriting or anything like that, just nice words, and it was very sweet," adding, "You say you can't believe it, but of course you really can."

The nominees for the 40th NAACP Image Awards have been announced. During a press conference at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on Wednesday, January 7, it was uncovered that "The Secret Life of Bees" and "Cadillac Records" have led the fields with multiple counts. Southern-set drama "Secret Life" collected 8 nods, while musical drama "Cadillac" received 7 gongs.

Both "Secret Life" and "Cadillac" will have to compete against each other for many categories including, Outstanding Motion Picture and Outstanding Writing. In the run for Outstanding Motion Picture, the two were joined by Spike Lee's "Miracle at St. Anna", Gabriele Muccino's "Seven Pounds" and Tyler Perry's "The Family That Preys". Meanwhile, for the writing category, they are up against "Rachel Getting Married", "A Raisin In The Sun" and "Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom".

Having a good time with her family during the holiday, Britney Spears posts some New Year's Eve home photos of her and sons; Sean Preston and Jayden James, on her official site. The pics, showing the pop singer and her young boys dressed in matching black outfits, were taken just before the threesome attended her big brother Bryan's wedding.

"Exclusive: Britney and Boys Before Bryan's Wedding," so read the headline that accompanies Britney's holiday pictures. And while Bryan is nowhere to be seen in the pics, Britney's mother Lynne Spears can be seen striking some poses with the pop singer and her boys in front of a Christmas tree.