March 22, 2010

Scottish singing sensation Susan Boyle will get an extra special 49th birthday present in April - she's set to receive a $6 million pay cheque, according to U.K. reports. Boyle shot to fame on Simon Cowell's "Britain's Got Talent" in 2009 when a clip of her singing spread across the internet and gained her legions of dedicated fans.

She then went on to release her debut album "I Dreamed a Dream", which became the biggest-selling CD of 2009 in the U.K., and has now sold more than 8.5 million copies globally. Boyle has reportedly been living off an allowance from Cowell, but she will receive her first multi-million dollar payout from her worldwide sales when she turns 49 on April 1.

Rapper Ludacris has teamed up with actor Jamie Foxx to help raise awareness of HIV and AIDS - by encouraging youngsters to discuss the disease. The duo is taking part in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's I Know campaign, which uses social networking sites to convince African-Americans aged 18 to 24 to discuss the virus.

Both Ludacris and Foxx will use their Facebook and Twitter pages to promote the cause and convince their fans to join up, as well as recording radio and online announcements about the crusade. In one public service announcement, Ludacris says, "HIV isn't his problem or her problem. It's all of our problem."

British rocker Pete Doherty has been arrested on suspicion of supplying the drugs which allegedly killed his filmmaker friend Robyn Whitehead in January. Whitehead, a member of the Goldsmith dynasty, was discovered dead at an east London apartment by Doherty's musician friend Peter Wolfe, who lives at the property.

The 27-year-old died of a suspected drug overdose, although a post mortem examination was inconclusive and officials are awaiting the results of toxicology tests before they can determine the cause of death. The Babyshambles' frontman was reportedly arrested after attending a police station by appointment.

Daniel Craig has not found his new girl for the next James Bond film. Despite swirling rumors that Freida Pinto has signed on to star opposite the depicter of the famous British spy in "Bond 23", the actress, through her spokesperson, has dismissed the report.

"I would like to confirm that as of today, Freida Pinto has not been approached to be part of the next 'Bond' film," the spokesperson tells India's site NDTV. "It is of course very flattering to even be rumoured to be part of a Bond film but she has certainly not been approached for the role of the next Bond girl opposite Daniel Craig as yet."

Bon Jovi's star Richie Sambora's daughter made her catwalk debut in Los Angeles on Friday, March 19 - at the age of 12. Ava Sambora was part of the White Trash Beautiful show, which kicked off Los Angeles Fashion Week. The fashion line is the result of a collaboration between her father and designer Nikki Lund.

The young model's actress mother Heather Locklear was in the front row at the show. Ava walked the runway as her dad's "Livin' on a Prayer" blasted over the speakers. After the show Lund said, "She's a diva. She's amazing. And Richie is so excited." A previous engagement kept Sambora from attending the show, staged at The Gallery in Hollywood.

Miley Cyrus' new boyfriend Liam Hemsworth has been dumped - from Sylvester Stallone's new action movie. The Aussie actor was among those dropped from all-star project "The Expendables" when writers decided they had too many characters. The late Brittany Murphy was also cut.

Hemsworth tells the Sunday Herald Sun newspaper that at least he got the chance to speak to Stallone over the role: "I was at my friend's house and I got a phone call from my Australian agent who had sent my tape in a few days before and he said, 'Stallone is going to call you in a few days,' and I went back into my buddy's house and said, 'Rocky's gonna give me a call, no big deal'."

Lindsay Lohan's mum Dina Lohan has applauded professional organizer Linda Cooper-Smith's attempts to clean up her daughter's life. The actress called in help after realizing her collection of clothes, shoes and accessories had taken over her Hollywood home.

The "Mean Girls" star even agreed to open her doors to U.S. TV news show "The Insider" for the before-and-after expose. Lohan opened doors to rooms full of clothes and accessories, telling show co-host Niecy Nash there were areas she tried not to enter, adding, "That's how bad it is."

Christian Slater refuses to give up TV as he has signed a new deal to star in the pilot by FOX. The actor who starred in two canceled series, NBC's "My Own Worst Enemy" and ABC's "The Forgotten", is now jumping into a not-yet-titled comedy written by Adam Goldberg.

The comedy is about a team of twenty-something geniuses who crack security systems, THR reported. Slater would be a "charismatic renegade" who runs the Titan Team, "a gruff ex-military misanthrope with a checkered past". Joining Slater in the cast ensemble is Trevor Moore who will play the team's womanizing intelligence and reconnaissance head.

"The Mummy" star Rachel Weisz was among the big winners at the Laurence Olivier Awards in Britain on Sunday night, March 21, picking up the Best Actress trophy at the coveted theater event. The star was honored for her performance in "A Streetcar Named Desire".

Mark Rylance was awarded Best Actor at the Grosvenor House ceremony in London for his performance in "Jerusalem". Other winners included Rupert Goold, who picked up Best Director for "Enron", and Weisz's co-star Ruth Wilson, who was named Best Supporting Actress. "Musical Wicked" won the Audience Award, while "Spring Awakening" claimed four prizes, including Best New Musical and Best Sound Design.

Andy Garcia turned on one top casting agent when she asked him to remove his shirt during an audition. The "Ocean's Eleven" star was left scarred by the experience, and is happy to note the woman who asked him to go topless is no longer in the business.

He tells WENN, "She asked me to take my shirt off and I said, 'You first!' And then I walked out. It was for one of those silly television shows where they say, 'We're looking for someone who's really well built; will you take your shirt off?' "

Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher have wed in a small private ceremony in Paris, France. Reports suggest the "Borat" star and the Aussie actress partner exchanged vows a week ago, on March 15 at a traditional Jewish ceremony in front of close friends and family.

The couple started dating in 2002 and became engaged six years ago. They were rumored to have wed in February, but their representative rubbished the reports, insisting they had simply been celebrating a Jewish holiday.

During last week's 2010 ShoWest in Las Vegas, Warner Bros.' Alan Horn spilled the plan to make "Final Destination 5". Responding to the statement, ShockTillYouDrop.com has just contacted producer Craig Perry, who has been on board for the franchise from the beginning, to quiz him about the status of the project.

"If we find the right storyline - and we're working on it - then we'll take the lessons we learned from 'The Final Destination' and make the necessary improvements to deliver what audiences expect from this franchise, going back to the original," Perry shared. "What I know for sure is that it will be in 3-D and deliver inventive, suspenseful, fun kills. That I can promise!"

Actress Julianne Moore urges married women not to follow her character's lead in new film "Chloe" - and hire hookers to trap potential cheating husbands. "The Hours" star insists it's always best to confront your partner if you suspect infidelity - before turning to others for help.

In "Chloe", Moore hires a prostitute, portrayed by Amanda Seyfried, to test her husband (Liam Neeson). But the actress hopes suspicious women don't take the movie home with them. She says, "Having been married for a long time and having friends who were married a long time I can't tell you the phone calls I've gotten from somebody saying, 'Listen, I have to talk to you about this because I think he's doing X'."

Tiger Woods has finally made his first interviews since his car crash on November 27, 2009. Making decision to answer questions from reporters, the professional golfer has conducted two separate five-minute interviews for the Golf Channel and ESPN on Sunday, March 21.

Talking about his adultery which allegedly involves a string of mistresses, Woods told Kelly Tilghman of the Golf Channel, "I tried to stop and I couldn't stop. And it was just, it was horrific." He continued, "It was hurtful, but then again, you know what? I did it. And I'm the one who did those things."

In addition to a bunch of dates in other cities in England, Gorillaz will visit London for the first time in years since their hiatus in 2005. The rock band will stop by the capital's Roundhouse for two nights in a row starting April 29. The last time they were in town was when they performed as part of Demon Days Live at Manchester Opera House five years ago.

Gorillaz will be supporting their latest release, "Plastic Beach" but at the venue, they are not the sole performer. Beside the man behind the virtual band, Damon Albarn, there will also be the likes of The Clash's Mick Jones and Paul Simonon, Mos Def, Gruff Rhys, Shaun Ryder, Bobby Womack, The National Orchestra for Arabic Music, Bashy, De La Soul, Kano and Little Dragon.

"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" star Mariska Hargitay stunned medics when she was diagnosed with a collapsed lung in 2009 - they couldn't believe she was walking. The actress landed awkwardly while performing a stunt on the hit cop drama and when the pain didn't let up she decided to have it checked - months later.

The diagnosis forced her to pull out of shooting for weeks, prompting TV bosses to film the show around her absence. She says, "I thought it was a pulled rib. I'm pretty tough. When I couldn't breathe anymore, I got an X-ray, and they couldn't believe I was walking."

The sneak peek of "The Twilight Saga's Eclipse" which is included in "The Twilight Saga's New Moon" DVD has come out in full. Containing the part from the previously released sneak peek, this seven-minute snippet gives a look at more footage from behind the scenes of the shooting as well as the actors' training session for the action sequences.

It moreover provides new interviews with "Eclipse" cast and crew, including Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner, who dish on the storyline as well as the production process. At the end of the video, a scene which sees Bella Swan and Edward Cullen lying side by side on a bed is also shared.

Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake have spent their weekend working on "Bad Teacher". The former real-life couple who is hired to star in the upcoming film was seen shooting their part on Sunday, March 21 at the Los Angeles City Hall.

Wearing jeans, Cameron changed her gray shirt with a white tank-top for the filming. Justin, meanwhile, donned a white T-shirt paired with black pants and sneakers. Also seen on the shooting location were their co-stars, Jason Segel and Kathryn Newton.

The number of men and women on this season's "The Celebrity Apprentice" is now equal. Comedian Sinbad led the men's team, Rock Solid, to their first defeat after he was appointed as the project manager in the task to sell Kodak products.

As previewed last week, someone was complaining of being totally outcast from the rest of the team. That person is last week's project manager Bret Michaels who accused Sinbad of ignoring his ideas. At one point, the musician excused himself to the basement because he was about to explode in anger. But he too, was slacking in the job, arriving late when the team has begun their duty.

Finishing at the third position on "American Idol" season 8, former truck driver Danny Gokey lands on Billboard Hot 200, rounding up the Top 3 with his debut album "My Best Days". A week after being released in the United States on March 2, the effort pulled in around 65,000 copies.

The selling number has made him breaking U.S. record by scoring the best opening-week sale by a debut country male artist since 1992. Moreover, the sizzling digital album tally which reached 19,000 downloads, has become the highest first-week digital sales by a debut country act.

The second season of "True Blood" began its encore screening on Sunday, March 21 and HBO decided to slip in a promo of the new season. Unlike a trailer, the short clip is taken from the on-set filming where Eric is armed down by a Merlott's employee and a shirtless guy. It ends with "Waiting Sucks".

HBO has announced that the third season will premiere on June 13. It began shooting in December 2009 with real-life wolves brought to the set in order to depict the werewolves as close to the animal as possible. As of last week, Ryan Kwanten confirmed that filming is still on-going.

Rumor has it, Bryan Singer will not soon return to "X-Men" franchise. According to HitFix, although the helmer of "X-Men" and "X-Men 2" has announced that he is on board for "X-Men: First Class", he might not be able to tackle the job.

The site believes so because they have learned that 20th Century Fox is "actively" looking for directors to fill the position and has had discussions with at least two filmmakers during the last week. Those who have been approached by the studio are reportedly big names who "have real experience in the comic book movie medium or who have heavy credibility with fan audiences."

A concert advertising performances from Lady GaGa and Adam Lambert has been scrapped, after representatives for the stars revealed they were not booked to perform. A man in Martinsburg, West Virginia was advertising a private event for a hair care launch party next month in April, with tickets being sold for between $100 and $200.

A spokesperson for Lambert revealed to TMZ that the gig was "not legit", while the "Poker Face" hitmaker's manager insisted the singer's inclusion was "completely false". Now the gig has been canceled, according to the website. Refunds will be available from Tuesday, March 23.

Paul McCartney and his ex-wife Heather Mills have reportedly put their bitter divorce behind them to spend time together for the sake of their young daughter, according to a U.K. report. The couple separated in 2006 after four years of marriage, leading to an ugly public divorce battle.

The union was officially dissolved in 2008 and the former The Beatles was ordered to hand over $38.9 million of his fortune to Mills, as well as annual payments for six-year-old Beatrice - but the pair's relationship remained frosty. However, McCartney and Mills have now put their differences aside for Beatrice, and meet up weekly to discuss their young daughter, according to Britain's Sunday People.

DreamWorks does not recognize a day off when it comes to promoting its movie. On Sunday, March 21, the studio has made the cast and crew for "How to Train Your Dragon" dressed their best to attend the premiere of the film at the Gibson Amphitheatre Universal City in Los Angeles, California.

Lending their voice for the animated movie's characters, Gerard Butler and America Ferrera could not skip the event. Gracefully hitting the red carpet in a black outfit, the "Ugly Betty" actress was sandwiched between the Scottish actor and another cast mate Craig Ferguson when posing for the cameras.

A new song by Drake featuring The-Dream is leaked. Titled "Shut It Down", the piece is produced by Noah "40" Shebib and Omen who also co-produced Alicia Keys' duet track with Drake, "Un-thinkable (I'm Ready)".

The slow-jam song is reportedly not the final version but has been confirmed to be listed in the Canadian rapper's debut album "Thank Me Later". Other songs which are definite track of the May release are the first single "Over", "Fireworks", "Afrika Boombatta" and "Light Up". The latest one is featuring Jay-Z.

David Bowie's ex-wife regrets giving up custody of the former couple's son, moviemaker Duncan Jones - and wishes she could now be part of his life. Angie Bowie married the rocker in 1970 and they welcomed Duncan Zowie Haywood Jones in 1971. They divorced in 1980 and Angie agreed to give up custody of her son and accepted $750,000 in a settlement deal.

But the 61-year-old rues the divorce deal - because it's caused an irreversible rift with her son. She tells Britain's Sunday Express, "The last time I heard from him was four or five years ago by email." Angie admits watching Jones' debut movie "Moon", which won him the Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer at February British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards, "broke" her heart.

The official ambulance report concerning Michael Jackson's death allegedly confirms rumors Dr. Conrad Murray misled medics at the scene. Murray pleaded not guilty to a count of involuntary manslaughter in Los Angeles on February 8. He stands accused of administering the powerful anesthetic Propofol which killed the King of Pop in June 2009, and is due to back in court on April 5, when a date for a pre-trial hearing will be set.

Editors at Britain's News of the World newspaper have obtained documents from the paramedics who treated Jackson on the day of his death - and the information could prove vital for the prosecution team. The papers appear to show Murray failed to inform medics he had given the singer a dose of Propofol prior to his death, telling them he had only administered the sedative Lorazepam and fluids to rehydrate Jackson.

The first pictures of Ali Fedotowsky as the woman looking for true love on "The Bachelorette" have been released. In the string of promo pictures, the 25-year-old Williamstown, Massachusetts native makes a statement by coupling a princess dress with dirty sneakers.

It is not yet known whether Ali has started filming the reality show, but a blogger by the name of Lindsay Bridges spilled that a guy she knows is participating in the show and had been called to start filming on March 9. The show itself takes 6 weeks to film and with the May 24 premiere, the production is indeed expected to be kicked off this month.

Boxing legend Mike Tyson is embroiled in an investigation into illegal gambling over his upcoming bird racing reality show. The former heavyweight champion is a life-long pigeon fancier, and will showcase his passion for the birds in new U.S. series "Taking on Tyson", which is set to begin shooting in April.

But the show faces the axe before it's even begun, after city officials in Brooklyn, New York - where Tyson is set to film - were tipped off that the series violates local gambling laws. The District Attorney's office is looking into claims the show will profit from animal racing, according to TMZ.

The shooting of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" has been ruined on Friday, March 19 when a fire occurred on the film set at Leavesden Film Studios near Watford, Herts in England. News Of The World reported that the huge blaze broke out while the crew shot the final battle scene at Hogwarts castle.

Watford firefighters were called at about 9 P.M. and six fire engines were brought to tackle the blaze. It took about forty minutes for the firefighters to control the flames, but the set, which is no other than the wizardry school, was left badly damaged.

Disney movie "Up" and "Hotel for Dogs" were celebrated for raising animal awareness at Saturday night's, March 20, Genesis Awards, sharing the evening's top film honor. The two movies won the Feature Film award at the annual ceremony, held by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), which praises those who work to raise public awareness and understanding of animal issues.

Award bosses hailed kids' comedy "Hotel for Dogs", starring Emma Roberts, as "celebrating the special bond between children and dogs". "The Cove", a picture chronicling the slaughter of dolphins by fisherman from a Japanese village, was named Outstanding Documentary Film.

Allison Iraheta pays homage to her nation, singing the national anthem at the Los Angeles Marathon on Sunday, March 21. The "American Idol" season 8 finalist kicked off the annual event with her version of "Star-Spangled Banner". She tweeted hours later, "Had much fun!! Thanks again!! Wish I was runnin' but then again.....the pain the next day .. Is not fun.. Haha I'm good."

Iraheta was not the only entertainer spotted at the event. Alex Band, the former lead singer of The Calling treated the people who crowded the Pier parking lot with his live rendition of his old band's songs such as "Our Lives" and "Wherever You Will Go".

Fans out there might get thrilled after knowing that sensational singer Justin Bieber recently proclaimed that he's open for a date with his fans. During his appearance in London on GMTV to promote his new single "Baby" and album "My World 2.0", the "One Less Lonely Girl" singer revealed that he's not limiting himself when it comes to dating a girl.

When asked if he would go out with his fans, Bieber answered, "I think that it just depends - it depends what the situation is. I think that I'm not going to limit myself." The 14-year-old Canadian singer admitted that he likes a girl with "a nice smile and nice eyes" and can make him laugh.

"Alice in Wonderland" still comes out unchallenged at North American Box Office. In three consecutive weeks, the 3-D adventure movie leads the chart despite the fact that its domestic gross gradually decreases. This Tim Burton-directed film pulls in $34.2 million this weekend, 45.5% less than its last week cume of $62.7 million.

Internationally, "Alice in Wonderland" also affirms itself as a champion. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Johnny Depp-starring flick collects $47 million from 6,687 screens in 49 territories. So, far, the movie has raked in $300 million overseas, making a current worldwide tally of $565.8 million.

For having a valuable guest star coming in the next "Wizards of Waverly Place", Disney Channel has been generous in sharing another sneak peek of Shakira episode. If the first one features the "Gypsy" duet between Alex and Shakira, this new one focuses on Shakira showing off her famous "international pop star" dance in front of ecstatic crowd.

Shakira in the episode is not actually Shakira. She is the transformation of Uncle Kelbo who has abused one of the Main Eleven Wizards Rules. Alex, Justin and Max are shocked when discovering that the international music sensation is not what she appears to be but unfortunately for Uncle Kelbo, he can no longer control when transformation between himself and Shakira happens.

There is a rumor circulating that Mariah Carey will not release a remix of "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel" at all. The album titled "Angels Advocate" was supposed to be on sale on March 30 in the U.S. but That Grape Juice is reporting that the record has been shelved and that it is already official.

"Advocate" indeed was in the quiet zone in the last few weeks despite the approaching release date. CD Now which previously listed the album to hit the shelves later this month has changed the status to "Released Cancelled". Carey's camp however, has not responded to the report.