February 22, 2010

Ewan McGregor is keen to pen an autobiography - but is convinced his life story is "too boring" to open up about. The "Trainspotting" star was inspired to write a book about his life while starring in "The Ghost Writer", about a writer hired to create the memoirs of a former U.K. prime minister.

But when McGregor considered starting the tome, he realized he didn't have enough interesting anecdotes to compile an entire book. He says, "I wouldn't really have anything to talk about. It would be boring! Maybe I can have some dirty little secrets made up or I can write something that's just a whole crock of s**t."

Socialite Nicole Richie regrets piercing and inking herself as a teen - because she hates the scars and "lame" tattoos that decorate her body. The 28-year-old has several small tattoos on her neck, back, foot and stomach but is hesitant to have them removed because she hears the procedure is so painful.

And the retired party girl is even more distraught about the piercings she punched through her skin - because now she's left with lifelong scars she can do nothing about. She says, "Piercings scar but you could get your tattoo removed. When I was 15 I got my belly button pierced and it was a big deal, and now I have this scar there that I feel worse about than my tattoos."

Sienna Miller has confirmed she's rekindled her romance with ex-boyfriend Jude Law - and the actress is "so happy" the former couple has reunited. The "Factory Girl" star called off her engagement to the actor in 2006 after Law's fling with his children's nanny was exposed in the press.

They sparked speculation they had reunited when they were spotted partying in New York in 2009 and enjoying a sunshine break in Barbados together over 2009 Christmas - but both refused to comment on the relationship. But now Miller has confirmed they are dating again - and she couldn't be happier. She says, "It's going really well. I'm so happy actually, he's great."

Lindsay Lohan is relieved no one was hurt when she slammed her car into a tree in 2007 following a drinking session, branding her actions "stupid and childish". The "Mean Girls" actress was arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) after crashing her vehicle in Los Angeles. She subsequently spent 84 minutes in jail in relation to the incident and another DUI charge.

Lohan blames the paparazzi who were chasing her for causing the accident - but is just thankful she didn't hurt anyone during the collision. She tells British newspaper The Sun, "I wasn't driving like a maniac. There were paparazzi and their flashes were going off into the window."

Lady GaGa has made her fans at the M.E.N. Arena in Manchester wait for almost an hour during the first night of her U.K. tour. On Thursday, February 18, the singer kicked off her show 45-minute late from the original schedule after a fire broke out backstage.

GaGa nearly faced a penalty because of the delay. But her management managed to persuade the arena not to charge them with a fine, claiming the fire was not their fault.

Rachael Leigh Cook, who is best known for her Laney Boggs portrayal in romantic comedy movie "She's All That", is about to take a small screen job as a regular. The 30-year-old actress has been tapped to play a female lead on FOX's comedy pilot "Nirvana".

In the TV comedy series, Leigh Cook will star as a white girlfriend of an Indian-American. The show itself follows two Indian-American brothers who have disagreement with their immigrant parents. Their controlling parents have a trouble with their sons' adjustment to American culture, especially to one of their sons who lives with a white American, played by Leigh Cook.

Constantly rejecting a Jackson Five reunion, Janet Jackson reportedly finally succumbs to the idea for Michael Jackson's sake. Her brother Jermaine Jackson said he had talked to the youngest Jackson sibling and she said yes. He said, "We had a conference call and Janet has agreed to join us on tour."

Since late 2007, Jermaine constantly pursued his brothers, including the late Michael Jackson when he was alive, to reform and embark on a world tour which was supposed to be kicked off two years ago. Michael, like Janet, was not amused with the idea for he was preparing his own world tour last year.

Kasabian frontman Tom Meighan has slammed his peers for opening up to fans on the internet - because he's convinced the rising popularity of celebrity blogging has "killed the myth of the rock star". The singer is angry that musicians give away so much information about themselves on blogs and social networking sites such as Twitter.com and he's sure the practice is detrimental to the music industry.

He says, "It's not like what it used to be like in rock 'n' roll. In the 60s and 70s you had the likes of David Bowie and Marc Bolan, and then in the 80s you even had s**t acts that were rock stars. Then in the 90s you had the Britpop revival. I think - especially in the last three or four years - the internet's taken a stranglehold and killed off the myth of the rock star now."

Leona Lewis is continuing to rally against meat-eaters - the singer has banned all animal food products from her upcoming tour. The vegetarian "Bleeding Love" hitmaker successfully convinced organizers of 2010 BRIT Awards to remove foie gras from the event's menu, after learning of plans to serve the controversial French delicacy at the ceremony.

And now Lewis is planning to make sure her upcoming U.K. tour is completely meat-free when it starts in May. She says, "The meat industry is polluting the environment. I've banned all meat from photoshoots to the tour itself simply because I don't support the meat industry."

Promotional effort to support "Kick-Ass" keeps continuing as the film has just got some new banners. Debuted by GeekTyrant, one of the pictures has four major characters in their original appearances, giving a look at Chris D'Amico, the boy under Red Mist's mask. In the said photo, he is featured alongside Dave Lizewski, Damon Macready and Mindy Macready, all without their superhero costumes.

In another picture, the foursome is shown together while becoming their alter egos. Later, Kick-Ass, Hit Girl, Big Daddy as well as Red Mist are featured individually in the other fresh images which also have a tag of the film's U.S. release date, which is April 16.

Record label giant EMI has abandoned plans to sell The Beatles' favorite recording studio Abbey Road, following mass outcry from music fans across the globe. The Abbey Road recording facilities in North West London became synonymous with the Fab Four, with the band even naming their 1969 album after the building. The record's album cover shot shows the Beatles crossing the road outside.

Reports last week that revealed EMI bosses were selling the studios - also used by music greats including Michael Jackson, U2, Green Day and Pink Floyd - prompted outrage from music fans and artists who had used Abbey Road. Ex-Beatles Sir Paul McCartney called for the studios to be saved, while musical theater maestro Andrew Lloyd Webber showed interest in buying the building.

Taylor Lautner could follow the step of his "Twilight" co-star Kristen Stewart who has just landed Orange Rising Star Award at 2010 BAFTAs. The 18-year-old hunk has been announced as one of the contenders to win Best Performance by Leading Young Actor at the 31st Annual Young Artist Awards for his portrayal of Jacob Black in "The Twilight Saga's New Moon". For the said prize, he will be up against Jake T. Austin ("Hotel For Dogs"), Jimmy Bennett ("Alabama Moon"), Max Records ("Where The Wild Things Are") and Devon Bostick ("Adoration").

Meanwhile, Emma Roberts and Saoirse Ronan are put under the same category, facing each other for the Best Performance by Leading Young Actress kudo. The "Hotel For Dogs" star and the "The Lovely Bones" beauty are additionally joined by Abigail Breslin ("My Sister's Keeper"), Jolie Vanier ("Shorts") and Yara Shahidi ("Imagine That") in the competition for the award.

Former Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan is expanding his writing portfolio - he's in talks to document his rock 'n' roll career in a forthcoming memoir. The rocker-turned-journalist currently writes a regular music column on SeattleWeekly.com and a financial section for Playboy.com called Duffonomics.

And now he will put pen to paper to expose the adventures of his life on the road, according to his wife, model and swimwear designer, Susan Holmes. Holmes logged on to Twitter.com on Friday, February 19, revealing McKagan had travelled to New York regarding the U.S. release of his book. She wrote, "Duff's back from NYC - he met and was wooed (by) 13 of the best book publishers - this is 4 (for) the release of his book in the US markets only - UK next."

BFFs Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato and Miley Cyrus each earn equally one spot at the Young Artist Awards this year under the television category. The first two are included for their roles in TV movie "Princess Protection Program" while Miley is in for her leading role on "Hannah Montana".

In terms of the number, it is Miranda Cosgrove and her show "iCarly" that earn the most. Beside the actress herself who is nominated for Best Performance in a TV Series by a Leading Actress, the whole cast are nominated for Outstanding Young Performers in a TV Series. Additionally, Nathan Kress and Joey Luthman land a nod each in supporting actor and recurring categories respectively.

Susan Boyle is barely sleeping and lives in constant fear of an attack in her home after an intruder broke into her property in January, according to her brother. The singer discovered a man in her house in West Lothian, Scotland when she returned from a trip to London on January 26 and immediately called police.

It came just weeks after she spotted two strangers creeping around her garden over 2009 Christmas, despite her mentor Simon Cowell increasing protection for her. And the two security scares have had a profound effect on Boyle.

Shia LaBeouf's role in Oliver Stone's "Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps" is proving financially lucrative for the star months ahead of the film's debut in April - the actor has made almost $500,000 after learning how to invest his money. LaBeouf stars as a young Wall Street whizzkid opposite Michael Douglas' ruthless Gordon Gekko in the forthcoming sequel.

He prepared for his part by training at one of the world's largest discount brokers, Charles Schwab. And the 23-year-old's extra study sessions have proven a good investment - he's almost half a million dollars richer than when he landed the role.

Colin Firth was wary of kissing Nicholas Hoult in "A Single Man" because the actor is the same age as his son. The 49-year-old plays a college professor in Tom Ford's directional debut, and Hoult's character, a teenage student, develops an infatuation with his teacher.

But Firth worried about one scene where the pair had to kiss because his son Will, 20, was born just months after Hoult. He says, "I did have conversations with Tom about the nature of the relationship. I have a son the same age as Nick so I was very concerned."

From being a guy who worked at KFC, Daniel Merriweather established himself to become an award-nominated singer. Born in Australia, the 28-year-old was listed under BRIT Awards' International Breakthrough Act in January this year. Although he did not get to go home with the trophy, it put his name alongside fellow nominees Animal Collective, Empire of the Sun, Lady GaGa and Taylor Swift.

Merriweather came into public's attention through DJ Mark Ronson who tagged him along in his live shows. In 2007, he started recording his major debut album "Love and War" which peaked at number 2 on U.K. Albums chart as of June 2009. He is now preparing to make his U.S. debut with the album being released on February 23.

Another sneak peek to "The Last Airbender" has been provided by Paramount Pictures, which has released a new TV spot for the film. Aired during 2010 Winter Olympics on Saturday, February 20, the video exposes the visual effects while featuring many action scenes. A glimpse of fresh footage can be seen in the middle of the snippet, during which Noah Ringer's Aang shows off one of his skills.

"The Last Airbender" is a live-action film version of Nickelodeon's animated series of the same name. The film follows Aang and is set in a world where human civilization is divided into four nations: Water, Earth, Air and Fire. Teaming up with Waterbender named Katara and her brother Sokka, Aang proceeds on a perilous journey to restore balance to their war-torn world.

Angelina Jolie has stepped out in public with her estranged father Jon Voight for the first time in several years. The actress cut her dad out of her life in 2001 after he voiced concerns about her mental health shortly before she adopted son Maddox from Cambodia.

Voight has made several attempts to mend his fractured relationship with Jolie, and the veteran star revealed in November 2009 the pair is back in contact. Jolie has now publicly shown she has put her troubles with Voight behind her, after she was snapped enjoying time with him in Venice, Italy, where she is preparing to film "The Tourist" alongside Johnny Depp.

Saturday night, February 20 has become the moment of gathering for Dakota Fanning and those close to her. The actress, who will turn sixteen on February 23, has celebrated her birthday earlier by having a dinner with her parents, family and friends at Beverly Hills hotspot Villa Blanca during the weekend.

Sporting a white one-shoulder blouse matched with a silver mini skirt, Fanning and her party arrived at the restaurant at 7 P.M., a source told E! Online. The source continued informing that the teen star seemed to have fun and "was really cool." She was reportedly talking to her friends and laughing all night.

Ryan Phillippe once again ends up single. The father of two who split from wife Reese Witherspoon in 2007 has ended his romance with Australian actress Abbie Cornish whom he met in 2006 during the filming of "Stop-Loss".

"Abbie ended the relationship with Ryan and she moved out of their home," Abbie's rep confirmed to People. Asked whether Ryan had cheated on her like many tabloids reported when he was spotted with different women in nightclubs, the rep responded shortly, "No comment".

Britney Spears' ex-husband Kevin Federline had attack dogs on his heels as he tried to lose weight on a U.S. reality TV show. During one challenge on "Celebrity Fit Club", which will air in America on Monday, February 22, out-of-shape and overweight Federline and three teammates were chained together as they crossed an obstacle course, while savage dogs hunted them down.

The gracious star agreed to help his pals through the course before competing it himself - and that meant he had to dash for the safety of a cage to avoid what he feared would be a mauling when one teammate struggled to get over a wall. He says, "I see the dogs coming over the f**king hill... The dogs are maybe 20 yards away."

Mark Strong has officially signed on to star as the villain in "Green Lantern". The actor's involvement in the film is confirmed by Geoff Johns, the writer of comic book "Green Lantern: Rebirth", who tweeted on Sunday, February 21, "Back from an amazing trip to Green Lantern town a.k.a. New Orleans!! Ryan IS Hal. And Mark Strong is going to be a brilliant Sinestro."

Back in January, Strong was linked to the role of Green Lantern's nemesis after director Martin Campbell stated the 47-year-old was in consideration to play Sinestro. The filmmaker additionally praised the British star, saying "He's not only a wonderful actor, but he looks like Sinestro. If you look up old pictures of Sinestro, he's very like him."

On February 28 episode, "Desperate Housewives" will explore Katherine's other side which was triggered with the arrival of Julie Benz's Robin Gallagher into the neighborhood via Susan. Now that they are house mates, Katherine makes a surprising discovery about herself.

In an interview with Advocate, Dana Delany who plays Katherine thought that it was a good idea that the writers explored her character's story this way. "Oh, I loved it," she gushed. "I thought it was a great idea. A lot of the ladies on the set have said, 'Why has this not happened before?' I think everybody wanted to be the one who got to do it."

Ricky Martin has gathered celebrity pals Alicia Keys, Janet Jackson and Eva Longoria for a star-studded video, to raise money for the victims of earthquake-ravaged Haiti. The "She Bangs" hitmaker has formed the Ricky Martin Foundation/Habitat for Humanity Haiti Recovery Fund (RMFHaiti) to benefit the poverty-stricken country, rocked by a devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake on January 12.

Martin produced and starred in the RMFHaiti video, urging viewers to send in donations. And he's heaping praise on the trio and other co-stars Ellen DeGeneres, Carrie Underwood, Sofia Vergara, Chris Pine, Patti LaBelle, and Dave Matthews, among others, for lending their names to the cause.

Jay-Z officially kicked off the second leg of his North American Blueprint 3 tour on Saturday, February 20 night at Sunrise, Fla.'s The BankAtlantic Center. Spotted among the audience were his wife Beyonce Knowles, fellow rapper P. Diddy, and sportsman Alex Rodriguez.

Trey Songz warmed up the sold-out show with some of his R&B songs like "I Invented Sex" and "Say Aah". Then the main act emerged from under the stage for a performance of "Run This Town" sans the album version collaborators.

Ashton Kutcher has been left stunned by a Siberian man's tattoo - of his face. The actor is in the former Soviet Union as part of an American delegation of modern technology experts, who are advising Russian leaders on how to use blogging and the latest Internet developments to solve crime.

And, while meeting fans in Siberia on Thursday, February 18, Kutcher was left speechless when a local showed off the impressive skin art on his forearm. In a message posted on his Twitter.com blog, the actor writes, "I just saw something i could never imagine. a man in Siberia who has me tattooed on his arm (sic)." Kutcher also posted a picture of the man's arm to accompany the message.

Celine Dion has been left "bruised and numb" from her ongoing in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment and constantly bursts into tears over her pregnancy heartache. The 41-year-old has been trying for a second child with husband Rene Angelil and she has undergone four failed attempts by doctors to implant embryos in her uterus as they strive to expand their family. The couple had embryos frozen for in-vitro fertilization while trying to conceive their first child, Rene-Charles, now nine.

In August 2009, the singer confirmed she was expecting, but their happiness ended in heartbreak when doctors informed the couple that Dion was no long pregnant - and the star admits she broke down when she was told the tragic news. In footage from her documentary, "Celine: Through the Eyes of the World", she says, "Rene answered the phone and when I saw the tears running down his face, I knew it wasn't the news we have been longing for. You do everything right and you're careful and you rest and then... the disappointment hits you like a wave. But I swear, I'll keep trying until it works."

Travis Barker has ruined his beautiful Sunday as he was involved in a vandalism towards paparazzi outside a restaurant in Calabasasi, California. TMZ has obtained a video which shows the musician and his friends threatening the photographers who claimed one of their phones was stolen.

During the heated argument, Travis screamed to the paparazzi, "Where's your homeboy?" Later, the courtesy also recorded a guy who shouted, "F**king snitch fa**ot motherf**ker, no one has your gay ass phone."

James McAvoy has been slammed by executives at a leading Scottish charity after he joked about plans for his assassin character in the "Wanted (2008)" sequel to suffer from an eating disorder. The actor had to bulk up his frame for the first film, in which he starred alongside Angelina Jolie, and he recently revealed he isn't looking forward to returning to the gym to regain his muscled physique.

He said, "I might go skinny for the next film - he's a bulimic assassin, he vomits after killing... No matter what the script says, I think I'm gonna play the second film like he's in dire need of therapy. And I think he might've stopped eating."

For being a teen heartthrob, Justin Bieber has been invited to "Saturday Night Live". After a series of Twitter campaigns that sparked a trending topic and a special page made by his fans just to bring Justin to the show, NBC has decided to answer the demand.

His appearance however will only take place on April 10. Justin is also not scheduled to host but is slated to perform two songs. Despite the current arrangement, Justin has taken it to his Twitter to inject some ideas for his episode, writing "Digital Short Music Vid??" A while later he added, "Me and Chuck Norris should do SNL together. that would be good. very good."

"Heroes" star Adrian Pasdar has been charged with driving under the influence (DUI) after he was arrested by police in January. The 44-year-old actor, who is married to Dixie Chicks' singer Natalie Maines, was pulled over by cops in the early hours of January 27 after he was allegedly clocked driving over 90 miles-an-hour (144.8 kilometres-an-hour) on a freeway in Los Angeles.

He was arrested after allegedly refusing a breathalyzer test, and held on $15,000 bail. And now Pasdar has been officially charged, according to TMZ.com. He faces up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine if convicted. The star is due back in court on Wednesday, February 24.

"Shutter Island" has stolen the champion title at Box Office chart from "Valentine's Day". The film which has just been released in U.S. theaters on February 19 has taken in $41.1 million domestic gross, more than twice the number gained by the current runner-up.

The Martin Scorsese-directed thriller faced criticism from fans when it was pushed back from its original release date of October 2, 2009, but now the delay seems worth it. "We have rarely felt more pressure about an opening," Paramount's vice chairman Rob Moore stated. "Everyone was standing over us to see if the decision was a good one. Luckily, the result was phenomenal."

Ronnie Wood's ex-girlfriend Ekaterina Ivanova has dismissed speculation of a reunion after the rocker was spotted entering the Russian's home in early February - The Rolling Stones' star was visiting to apologize for their public bust-up in December 209. Wood was cautioned by police after allegedly choking Ivanova during a 30-minute heated argument outside a restaurant in Surrey, England. The pair, who started dating in 2008, split shortly after the incident.

The rocker sparked rumors he was trying to rekindle his romance with Ivanova when he was seen going to her London home - but the former cocktail waitress has laughed off the reports, insisting she is just rebuilding her friendship with Wood. She tells Britain's Mail on Sunday newspaper, "Nothing physical happened. We only hugged. I showed him around my flat. A couple of my friends were also there so it wasn't that intimate."

Daniel Craig has sparked rumors he's secretly married his longterm girlfriend after the British actor was spotted wearing a ring on his wedding finger. The "James Bond" star has been dating Satsuki Mitchell for six years, but has always refused to comment on his personal life.

Gossips were sent into a frenzy earlier this week when Craig was seen strolling through Brentwood, California wearing a gold band on his left hand, and insiders are convinced he and Mitchell are now husband and wife. A source tells Britain's Daily Mail newspaper, "We all suspect they have got married. He has always said Satsuki is the one but he didn't want a big showbiz wedding, that would be his worst nightmare. He's very private."

On-screen lovers Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart attended 2010 BAFTA Awards in London, England separately. He wore a standard tuxedo combined with slim tie while she arrived against the British weather in a white strapless mini dress with beads details. Unlike some men at the event, Pattinson's hair was unkempt and unlike some women at the same event, Stewart did not wear any jewelry.

Those who dressed to impress were the young actresses, Carey Mulligan and Anna Kendrick. The former with her super short hair, boasted her shoulder with a floral-print dress by Vionnet. "I have just tried to twirl but I ended up wrapping myself up," she said as quoted by The Sun. The latter stood out among the crowd with her bright yellow ruffled dress by Pucci.

The bosses of saucy women's magazine Playgirl have come up with a new way for disgraced sportsman Michael Vick to redeem himself for slaying fighting dogs - strip. The embattled American footballer, who was arrested for animal abuse and promoting dog fighting in 2007, has been invited to pose for Playgirl in return for a $1 million donation to animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

A spokesman for Playgirl confirms to Life & Style magazine, "I sent the request to Michael Vick on Wednesday, but we haven't heard back yet. I figured he paid back society for dog fighting, but what about the animals? This way he could donate a large sum to PETA and all he'd have to do is pose for the magazine! It's kind of a win-win situation!"

"The Hurt Locker" stole the show at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards on Sunday night, February 21 - scooping six trophies including Best Film and Best Director for Kathryn Bigelow. The war thriller also won prizes for original screenplay, cinematography, editing, and sound during the ceremony at London's Royal Opera House.

Accepting her award for Best Director, Bigelow said, "What an honor, especially to be in this room filled with so many incredibly talented people that I've admired and been inspired by for decades."

Embattled moviemaker Roman Polanski has landed the prestigious Best Director award at the Berlin Film Festival for his latest offering "The Ghost Writer". The 76-year-old was honored with the Silver Bear prize for his work on the political thriller, which stars Ewan McGregor and Pierce Brosnan.

The movie's producer Alain Sarde picked up the award on the filmmaker's behalf, as Polanski is currently under house arrest at his Swiss chalet, and he told the audience the director will be delighted with the honor. He said, "I am sure Roman will be very happy. However, when I was lamenting with him that he cannot be with us, he said to me, 'Even if I could, I wouldn't because the last time I went to a festival to get a prize, I ended up in jail.' "

"The Hurt Locker" and "Up in the Air" were the big winners at The Writers Guild of America awards on Saturday, February 20, landing the board's most prestigious honors. Kathryn Bigelow's "The Hurt Locker" received the prize for Best Original Screenplay for Mark Boal's writing, while "Up In The Air"'s scribes Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner were honored with Best Adapted Screenplay for their reworking of Walter Kirn's novel.

"The Cove", a film about the killing of dolphins in Japan, won the Best Documentary Screenplay for Mark Monroe.