March 13, 2010

Elton John was inspired to take new play "Next Fall" to the Broadway stage, because the storyline reminded him of a former lover who killed himself. The 62-year-old singer and his partner David Furnish both produce the show, about a gay couple whose relationship is changed by a tragic accident.

The story struck a chord with the "Rocket Man", who admits he's still affected by the death of the un-named ex-boyfriend. John tells New York Post columnist Cindy Adams, "Years back I had a relationship, and I had absolutely no idea in the world he was going to do this."

Amanda Seyfried was left red-faced at the premiere of her "Mean Girls" movie debut in 2004 - because she couldn't afford a stylist and ended up wearing an outfit which accidentally showed off her underwear. The actress landed her first film role in the teen movie opposite Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams, but she was unprepared for her first walk down the red carpet and still cringes over her see-through dress.

She tells Britain's Glamour magazine, "For the 'Mean Girl's premiere, I wore this really beautiful Moschino dress that I bought with my own money. It was small polka-dots on black, and beneath it I wore a white bra, black thong."

A representative for Katie Holmes has dismissed reports the actress is expecting her second child with husband Tom Cruise. Recent tabloid reports suggested the "Dawson's Creek" star was expecting a little brother or sister for the couple's three-year-old daughter, Suri.

Holmes was seen visiting a doctor's office, and photos of her surfaced with a bloated stomach wearing what appeared to be maternity clothes. However her spokesperson insists the 31-year-old isn't expecting another baby, telling People "Katie is not pregnant."

Rock star Kid Rock has been ordered to pay out $35,000 to three men he fought with outside a Los Angeles hotel in 2006 . The men filed suit against the "All Summer Long" hitmaker last year and initially demanded he pay them $15 million.

They claimed Rock, real name Robert Ritchie, and three members of rap group Boo-Yaa Tribe assaulted them. In Los Angeles County Superior Court on Friday, March 12, a jury sided with the plaintiffs and ordered Rock to pay up, according to TMZ.com.

Walt Disney Animation Studios' "The Princess and the Frog" tells the story of a beautiful girl named Tiana, a frog prince who desperately wants to be human again, and a fateful kiss that leads them both on a hilarious adventure through the mystical bayous of Louisiana. It stars Broadway and movies actress, Anika Noni Rose, as the voice of Tiana.

In an interview, Rose (ANR) as well as Oscar-winning composer Randy Newman (RN) talk about their experiences when they were involved in the production process. While Rose gushes that the part when Tiana sings "Down In New Orleans" is very inspiring, Newman shares the creative process when he has to create a song to make an alligator playing the trumpet seems natural.

Tragic actor Corey Haim's ex-girlfriend Nicole Eggert has launched a one-woman crusade to track down the pervert who ruined the "Lost Boys" star's life by molesting him when he was a teenager. The former "Baywatch" babe has revealed she was dating Haim around the time of the sex acts her late ex alluded to in interviews and during a heated discussion with pal Corey Feldman on an episode of their reality TV show "The Two Coreys".

Eggert insists she has no idea what was going on at the time, but now she's sickened by the thought of what was going on behind closed doors in the house where she used to hang out with Haim and Feldman - and she's determined to track down the sick guy who sexually abused her ex, sending him into a tailspin of substance abuse, which eventually claimed his life on Wednesday, March 10.

With "Iron Man 2" in post-production stage, Robert Downey Jr. is expected to hop on the next project by "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" helmer, Alfonso Cuaron. The actor is in negotiation to star as the male lead character of "Gravity", a 3D space film produced by Warner Bros and Legendary Pictures.

Should the deal go through, then Downey will be the team leader of a group who is posted at a remote space station, Deadline who was first to break the casting news said. In the script written by Cuaron and his son Jonas, Downey's character and a female colleague will travel outside the space station while the other members "are decimated by debris from an exploded satellite."

Almost six months after leaving Irv Gotti's The Inc., Lloyd finally has found a new home to release his next album. He revealed that Lil Wayne had approached him but the deal didn't work out, so he jumped to the opportunity of signing a contract with Interscope Records.

"Baby and Wayne were definitely the first people to reach out to me. I talked to them about a deal. That's who I thought I'd end up with in my heart," he told MTV. "The problem is that Young Money/Cash Money is exclusive to Universal/Motown. As you and I know, that's where I did my last two albums. I wasn't excited about going back. I tried to do a Young Money/Cash Money deal through another distributor, but it couldn't be done. At the end of the day, I'm still family, though."

Hollywood couple Jennie Garth and Peter Facinelli are teaming up for a new TV movie, which will mark the "Twilight" star's debut as a screenwriter. The actor has penned a script, which is being turned into a film, starring his wife, for America's Hallmark channel.

Garth tells WENN, "He's a wonderful writer and we're finally getting one of his projects off the ground. I'm going to be starring in it, so that's exciting. It's about an actor inside the Barney suit - a giant stuffed animated kids character and he meets a woman who changes his perspective on things. It's a sweet love story with no big moral message; it's pure entertainment."

Hilary Duff was left red-faced by paparazzi pictures which captured the moments after her fiance proposed - and she insists the snaps are "awful". The singer/actress is planning to wed ice hockey star Mike Comrie after he popped the question during a romantic vacation in Hawaii in February.

But the proposal was shared with the world after snappers caught the couple's intimate moments on camera, with one image showing Duff on her hotel balcony taking a picture of her ring on her cell phone. And the star admits she was horrified to see the covert snaps.

Sharleen Spiteri has confirmed she's heading back to the studio with Texas now guitarist Alistair McErlaine is out of hospital. The musician collapsed in September 2009 after suffering a brain hemorrhage. He underwent an operation in London and spent a month in an intensive care unit.

He was taken off a life support machine in October 2009 and is now "fighting fit", according to the singer. And Spiteri has revealed McErlaine is pushing for the band to record a new album. She tells Digital Spy, "Doctors were telling us he wouldn't survive it, but luckily he has and he's absolutely fighting fit."

The CW is still making every attempt to promote its new reality series "High Society". Although the show centering on Tinsley Mortimer debuted to only 1.26 million viewers, the network would bring it back for another episode on March 17. Some sneak peeks from the episode are released.

In the first clip, Jules Kirby scolds the maid in their hotel for not living up to her standard. Portrayed as a villain, the roommate of Tinsley's sister said that the show put her in the wrong shoes. "I am sorry if you were offended," she wrote on Facebook. "The show is scripted, and we are given lines and characters. My grandmother is married to a Jew ...Everything was cut and pasted to make it look like I was a stupid b---h, and I regret that they do not do a better job of saying it is a docu-soap, not a reality show."

Mary J. Blige is applauding Hollywood bosses for backing "Precious: Based on the Novel PUSH by Sapphire" - because she's convinced the film will help child molestation victims speak out about their abuse. "Precious" tells the gritty story of a troubled teenager who is raped by her father and abused by her mother.

The R&B star, who recorded a song for the soundtrack, found she could relate to the film because of her own troubled childhood, and she's adamant the Oscar-winning movie will encourage other abuse victims to seek help. She tells Britain's GMTV show, "I've grown up, I've seen similar situations like that and I've lived some of those situations."

Larry Platt, who claimed his fame for singing a self-penned song "Pants on the Ground" in an "American Idol" audition, is facing a lawsuit. The former human rights activist is accused of owing American King Music some money.

The recording company which was founded by rapper MIMS said they have funded "producing, writing and recording of Mr. Platt's official recording of the single [Pants on the Ground]." And, they ask to be entitled to 50% of profits from the song's digital sale on iTunes.

Jennifer Love Hewitt and Jamie Kennedy's split report has been confirmed. After over a year in romantic relationship, a rep revealed to People that the couple has parted with no further detail on the reason behind their break up is dished.

Love Hewitt and Kennedy previously sparked rumor that their relationship was on the rock after the 31-year-old actress celebrated her birthday on March 21 with the 39-year-old actor nowhere to be seen. However, reps for the couple refused to comment when asked about the absence. Moreover, a source told Extra that in early March, the couple was set to attend an event together but it ended up with the "Finding Bliss" actor arriving alone.

Sharon Osbourne has blasted reports her daughter Kelly Osbourne's new slimline look is down to surgery - insisting her radiant appearance is because she's in a "good place". Reality TV star Kelly lashed out at critics who speculated her dramatic weightloss was down to cosmetic work, insisting she would never go under the knife due to her history of addiction to painkillers.

She wrote in her column for Britain's Closer magazine, "I'm so angry there are rumors going around that I've had fillers in my lips, or liposuction on my legs. Someone even said I've had a gastric bypass! I have 100 per cent not had any of that. I've lost weight from my face, and that's why it looks different."

As it has been announced before, the footage from "Predators" is premiered at South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive, Film and Music Festival on Friday, March 12. And now, 20th Century Fox has made the sneak peek video available for viewing pleasure via the film's website.

Introduced by producer Robert Rodriguez who claims the movie is made so that people think it is the first film of the franchise despite the fact that there are already several "Predator" films, the snippet takes us behind the scenes of the shooting process. It additionally shares some footage from the film, giving preview to the intense moments as the human characters are hunted by Predators.

Despite being deemed as the false portrayal of Italian American, "Jersey Shore" will be exposed to Italian youngsters later this month. Variety reported that MTV Italia has purchased the right to broadcast the first season of the reality show that follows so-called guidos and guidettes living under one roof.

MTV Italia will start airing the show on Monday, March 22 at 10/9c. And given that MTV is aired on free TV in Italy, "Jersey Shore" could actually absorb huge rating from the 20 million plus households. Also, less or little opposition from advocacy groups are expected since the term "guido" is commonly used in the country.

After announcing his retirement from acting in late 2008, Joaquin Phoenix may be seen on big screen again. Speaking to Mumbai Mirror, Oscar-winning sound recordist Resul Pookutty who previously worked on "Slumdog Millionaire" has revealed that the actor is set to star in "The Beautiful Cigar Girl", portraying Edgar Allan Poe.

"It is a very special challenge because I have to recreate the sound textures of New York in 1854. It's an adaptation of 'The Beautiful Cigar Girl' by Daniel Stashower and based on an eerie real-life experience of author Edgar Allan Poe which happened just months before his death," Resul says on his involvement in the project, before claiming "Joaquin plays Edgar Allan Poe."

Leonardo DiCaprio realized the importance of family after the death of his grandmother, insisting the tragic loss made him long to have children of his own. The "Titanic" star, who has enjoyed an on/off romance with Israeli supermodel Bar Refaeli since 2005, has previously insisted he's too busy for kids.

But DiCaprio admits he has been dreaming of fatherhood since he lost his grandmother Helene in 2008, because her death made him understand the importance of having a life outside of his movie work. He says, "I definitely feel a need to make my life about more than just my career. I was thinking to myself how little of it has been lived normally as opposed to being spent on some far-off movie location."

Miranda Cosgrove's brand new song "Kissin U" was unveiled on Friday, March 12. Serving as the lead single of her upcoming studio album "Sparks Fly", the track was unleashed when the "iCarly" star showed up on a live chat on her Facebook.

On the same day, the songstress also visited Ryan Seacrest's radio show and talked about the new single with the "American Idol" host. For another promotional effort, she has taped an appearance on "Rachael Ray" show which will be aired on March 23 when the song is out for purchase.

Neil Patrick Harris, the cast of "How I Met Your Mother" who is keen on sharing the first look of guest stars on the show, has just posted a new picture of him and the latest cameo. He gave a clue on his tweet, "Highbrow HIMYM cameo - ten letters: Death Document + Legless Pantz. I'm a fan. I geeked out."

The word play correlates to the identity of the man beside him. It's Will Shortz, the New York Times crossword editor who will play himself in the half-hour comedy. The show's publicist Lauren Kamm confirmed that the episode Shortz appears in is called "Robots vs. Wrestlers" and it is scheduled to air in May. Shortz will be a guest at a fancy party that the show's gang crashes.

Steven Spielberg has cast a familiar face in his new World War II mini-series "The Pacific" - he's handed a role to "Jurassic Park" child star Joe Mazzello. Mazzello was just nine when he was cast as Sir Richard Attenborough's grandson Tim Murphy in the dinosaur adventure.

He then starred in sequel "The Lost World" and a string of other movies before he quit acting to study. After graduating college, Mazzello picked up where he left off, and, at the age of 27, he has reteamed with Spielberg for "The Pacific", in which he plays a soldier.

Rockers Alkaline Trio have joined the campaign to free the West Memphis Three, a trio of men who were convicted as teenagers of beating three eight-year-old boys to death in West Memphis, Arkansas. Hollywood actor Johnny Depp recently threw his weight behind the drive, urging U.S. officials to reopen the 1994 murder case, insisting the men - Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley, Jr. and Jason Baldwin - never received a fair trial, and were convicted because they were fans of heavy metal music, Stephen King novels and the occult.

Now rock band Alkaline Trio have joined the fight - they are auctioning off a guitar used in the recording of their latest album, "This Addiction", to raise money for the trio's defense fund. The black 2009 Fender, which was also used on the band's recent tour, will be sold through Skeleton Key Auctions with a starting bid of $999. The auction runs from March 22 to April 8 - one day for each year the West Memphis Three have spent behind bars.

Having ticked "Firefly", "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" and "Dollhouse" on her list, Summer Glau sets her eyes on a new series. The 28-year-old actress has nabbed a leading role on the pilot of NBC's "The Cape" which is directed by Simon West.

The pilot stars David Lyons as a former cop who has a double identity to clear his name. Lyons' character is framed and set up as a criminal thus he becomes a masked superhero, the Cape, to restore his reputation.

Slash has come to the defense of his former Guns N' Roses' bandmate Axl Rose - insisting music industry peers should make more of an effort to "understand" the rocker, rather than just labeling him "difficult". The guitarist quit the iconic band in 1996, after his relationship with the frontman deteriorated. They never patched up their friendship and Rose regularly blasts his former pal in the press.

But Slash is adamant the singer, who is known for being temperamental and a perfectionist, is misunderstood - because his "difficult" personality is one of his greatest assets. He says, "You have to attempt to understand him as a human being and where he's coming from. I see things very black and white. That's just me."

Incarcerated rapper Lil Wayne has reportedly been ordered not to sign any autographs during his time in jail. The hip-hop star was sentenced to a year in prison on weapons possession charges this week and began serving his time at New York's Rikers Island prison on Monday, March 8.

But officials at the institution have instructed the "Lollipop" hitmaker to avoid publicizing his celebrity status while he is in jail and banned him from signing autographs for other inmates, according to TMZ. A representative for the Correction Officer's Benevolent Association tells the website the decision was made because "Lil Wayne is not a celebrity in here."

Justin Bieber is not slowing down the promotional effort for his upcoming studio album "My World 2.0". After performing live in more than 98 million homes in shopping channel QVC, the teen singing sensation is going to sing for the ladies in "The View".

The young singer is scheduled to visit the ABC's talk show and perform in front of the audience on March 22 and 23. This is aimed to celebrate the album release which will hit the U.S. stores on date 23 and will mark for the first time a musical guest singing on the show for two days in a row.

DreamWorks SKG has provided another sneak peek to "How to Train Your Dragon" by releasing some fresh images from the film. Though more characters are brought forward in these stills, the photos do not share much the adventures that are experienced by them since the pictures mostly capture them on land and how they encounter dragons.

Coming from the studio that brought "Shrek", "Madagascar" and "Kung Fu Panda", "How to Train Your Dragon" is set in the mythical world of burly Vikings and wild dragons. It follows Hiccup, a Viking teenager who doesn't exactly fit in with his tribe's longstanding tradition of heroic dragon slayers. His world is turned upside down when he encounters a dragon that challenges him and his fellow Vikings to see the world from an entirely different point of view.

Film funnyman Tom Arnold has defended his pal Charlie Sheen - insisting the star is a "target" for false allegations due to his controversial past. Sheen was arrested on 2009 Christmas Day after a bust-up with wife Brooke Mueller. He was charged with third-degree assault, menacing, and criminal mischief, and is back in court in Colorado on Monday, March 15.

He has since undergone treatment at a recovery facility as a "preventative measure", while his wife also went into rehab. But Arnold, who has battled drink and drugs since he was a teenager and is now celebrating 20 years of sobriety, insists he finds it hard to believe Sheen could be violent towards Mueller.

Lady GaGa dished on what the premise of her "Telephone" music video which features Beyonce Knowles. "There's certainly always a hidden message in my music videos. But I would say most predominately, I'm always trying to convolute everyone's idea of what a pop music video should be," she told E! News.

"There was this really amazing quality in 'Paparazzi,' where it kind of had this pure pop music quality but at the same time it was a little bit of commentary on fame culture," she said of the mini-movie. "I wanted to do the same thing with this video - take a decidedly pop song, which on the surface has a quite shallow meaning, and turn it into something deeper."

Jennifer Aniston has slammed rumors she is pretending to date her "The Bounty Hunter" co-star Gerard Butler in a bid to promote the movie - branding the suggestion "insulting". The pair sparked rumors of a new romance after Butler joined Aniston on vacation in Mexico in February to celebrate her 41st birthday.

And the former Friends actress fueled speculation about their relationship when she pulled Butler in for a close embrace while posing for pictures at the U.K. premiere of their movie on Thursday night, March 11. But Aniston insists she is just good friends with the Scottish star and is fuming over claims she has created a fake relationship with him to publicize "The Bounty Hunter".

"South Park" would not miss the chance to mock on Tiger Woods and his press conference to confirm that he had performed infidelity in the past. The married golfer is animated in the Comedy Central series and the character said he's entitled to enjoy the temptation that comes with being a successful celebrity. Cartman is seen behind him throughout.

The Tiger Woods episode will be the opening of the 14th season which begins Wednesday, March 17. "It's such an important issue in America right now - the sex addiction outbreak," creator Matt Stone told the AP on Friday, March 12. "We're all really concerned about him and hope he gets better."

Actress Penelope Cruz has commissioned Mick Jagger's designer girlfriend L'Wren Scott to create her wedding gown, according to U.S. reports. The Spanish actress has turned to the Utah-born fashion queen, who has created one-of-a-kind designs for Nicole Kidman and Madonna, to design a fairytale dress for her.

A source tells In Touch magazine, "Penelope is working closely with L'Wren. Her dress will be one-of-a-kind and be accented with real pearls." The actress is reportedly panning a wedding to fellow Oscar winner in their native Spain.

"Avatar" has raked in more than $2 billion worldwide, but the 20th Century Fox still plans to make more money from the film. In an interview with USA Today, director James Cameron reveals that there is an idea to re-release the movie later this year with additional footage from some deleted scenes.

"The wildcard is that we might be re-releasing the movie this fall," the filmmaker states. Speaking on the reason why they want to relaunch the movie, Cameron elaborates, "It's kind of gotten stomped out (in theaters) because of 'Alice in Wonderland'. The word we're getting back from exhibitors is we probably left a couple of hundred million dollars on the table as a result."

Tragic actor Corey Haim's family members have started an online fund so the dead star can have a proper funeral in his native Toronto, Canada. The "Lost Boys" star, who died of a suspected drug overdose in Los Angeles on Wednesday, March 10, will be flown home and buried in Toronto next week - if his family can afford the costs of shipping and the funeral itself.

And they're asking fans to help. In a post on Haim's website, a family representative writes, "Due to the unexpected expenses of transporting his body to Canada for final resting, a fund has been set up to help." Details of where to send the cash or how to pay online have been listed.

Tears washed away, Top 12 of "American Idol" this season posed on the blue carpet with smiles just a couple hours after some of them were axed. Crystal Bowersox, Tim Urban, Paige Miles, Casey James and the other eight contestants walked their first photo call at Los Angeles' Industry nightclub before heading inside the venue to celebrate the achievement.

Crystal talked to USA Today about being judges' early favorite. She said, "It's flattering but it's still up for grabs. It's up to the American public. It's not Simon [Cowell]." Meanwhile, Andrew Garcia talked about him constantly being criticized for not living up to his Hollywood Week performance. "Right now, it's like, 'Straight Up', get over it," he said. "I'm like, 'C'mon'. You know what, I think they were shocked at what I could do with the song and they're not over it yet."

Instead of making its debut on March 14 like it was previously scheduled, "Make a Wave" music video is uncovered two days earlier. It features Joe Jonas and Demi Lovato enjoying a sunny day on Malibu beach. Footage of sea animals like dolphin and seal swimming in the ocean is also featured in it.

"Make a Wave" is recorded for Disney's 2010 Friends for Change: Project Green. It was showcased live for the very first time at Epcot theme park in Orlando on February 11 and will be featured in upcoming Disneynature film "Oceans".