August 07, 2010

Following failure to reach a win-win solution with Universal Music Group, MTV has to face the fact that UMG music videos get pulled out of their online platforms, including VH1 and CMT. It means the likes of Justin Bieber, Kanye West, Lady GaGa and Eminem will not have their clips played on the websites anymore.

"For almost 30 years, we have enjoyed long and colorful partnerships with all the music labels, including UMG and their talented roster of artists," a statement from MTV read. "As the industry evolves, we continue to seek out new and innovative ways to connect artists with their fans that are mutually beneficial to everyone."

After his Oscar-winning movie "Slumdog Millionaire", Danny Boyle has spent his time working on "127 Hours" that is claimed to take an audience on a never before experienced journey and prove what we can do when we choose life. Now, the first look at the film as well as the main character has been obtained by Entertainment Weekly.

The site has got its hand on one production image as well as an on-set picture. The still shows James Franco as mountain climber Aron Ralston who is in the middle of his adventure to reach the top of a mountain. The on-set photo, meanwhile, features him walking side by side with the helmer, Boyle.

A trailer for the U.S. version of "Top Gear" was played during History's presentation at the Television Critics Association tour on Friday, August 6. This is an adaptation of the successful BBC series where a secret race driver will test vehicles and celebrities will be invited for interviews and to drive vehicles around a test track.

In the American version, comedian Adam Ferrara, professional racing driver Tanner Foust and roving racing analyst Rutledge Wood are the hosts. Apart from Foust, Ferrara and Wood are actually not the original line-up when NBC picked up the show and shot the pilot for Fall 2009 line-up. Adam Carolla was in Ferrara's position while Eric Strommer was in Wood's.

Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer hopes his bandmate Steven Tyler does land a job as an "American Idol" judge because a stint on the reality show would expose the group to a whole new generation of fans. Rumors have been rife about who will replace original judge Simon Cowell and comedienne Ellen DeGeneres, who quit after just one season, and Tyler is one of many stars linked to the vacant role.

The rocker recently confirmed that he has spoken to executives at TV network Fox about joining the show, but his surprise news has split his Aerosmith pals. Earlier this week, guitarist Joe Perry criticized Tyler for not sharing his plans with the group because the TV job would have a huge impact on all the bandmates' lives.

Some new posters from "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" have emerged, but they are not released to promote the movie. Instead, the art works are parts of properties used for the filming since they are posters for Chris Evans' character Lucas Lee's movies.

The five posters for faux movies such as "Action Doctor", "Thrilled to Be Here" and "You Just Don't Exist" are first debuted by Empire Online. According to Collider, these images are just few of plenty easter eggs that can be found in the movie adaptation of Bryan Lee O'Malley's comic book series entitled "Scott Pilgrim".

Rockers Van Halen are back in the studio with original frontman David Lee Roth and will release their first studio album in more than two decades in 2011. The group completed its reunion tour with Roth in 2008 and many fans expected them to follow up the road success with a new record, but there was no word on any upcoming projects.

However, the band recently renewed its deal with publishers Warner/Chappell and guitarist Eddie Van Halen and his drummer brother Alex have revealed they are working on new material. They stated, "(Van Halen) is currently in the studio recording an album with Roth that is due for release in 2011."

U2 rocker Bono made a triumphant return to the stage in Turin, Italy on Friday, August 6, three months after he was forced to undergo emergency back surgery. The Irish band had to postpone the North American trek of its world tour and scrap its headlining slot at Britain's Glastonbury festival in June after Bono was admitted to hospital for the operation in May.

But the 50-year-old star recovered in time to kick off the band's European leg of its 360 Degree Tour in northern Italy on Friday and he refused to let the health issue affect his performance, strutting, dancing and jogging around the stage. Bono delighted fans by launching into a rousing set with their hit song "Beautiful Day", and the stars also treated concertgoers at the Olympic stadium to a preview of two new tracks - "North Star Acoustic" and "Glastonbury".

Hollywood tough guy Mickey Rourke nearly shot a man during his work as a debt collector, when his gun misfired during a heated exchange with a delinquent borrower. Before he found fame, "The Wrestler" star agreed to collect money for a man he will only refer to as "Uncle so-and-so" in his native New York, because he thought the job was "gangster".

But Rourke was so reckless with his gun, one debtor was almost left with a bloody bullet wound. The actor explains, "He (former boss) says he's got one guy who's a real prick who owed him a lot of money and didn't pay it... I had a new thing (gun) that I was carrying around and I wasn't real good with it."

Danish royal Princess Mary is pregnant with twins. The 38 year old's third and fourth children with Crown Prince Frederik, the heir to the thrown, are due in January, a representative for the royal court has announced.

In a statement, the spokesperson says, "Their Royal Highnesses the Crown Prince and Crown Princess have the great pleasure to announce that the Crown Princess is expecting twins. The birth is expected to take place at the Rigshospitalet (hospital in Copenhagen) in the course of the month of January, 2011."

"The X Files" star David Duchovny will be celebrating on Saturday, August 7 - he has reached the stellar age of 50. Born on August 7, 1960, Duchovny abandoned plans for a teaching career in his 20s to pursue his love of acting, enjoying a recurring role in cult TV show "Twin Peaks" before shooting to fame as alien-chasing FBI agent Fox Mulder in the hit sci-fi series.

After several movie roles, he returned to TV work in 2007's "Californication", and is currently shooting scenes for the popular comedy-drama's fourth season. To celebrate Duchovny's milestone birthday, WENN has dug out 10 fascinating facts about the star:

Back at San Diego Comic Con in July this year, "V" showrunner Scott Rosenbaum said that they will introduce Anna's mother in the new season. Keeping the details short, Rosenbaum did not say that they had someone from the original series in mind.

Jane Badler will be reprising her '80s role as Diana. The actress first slipped in the role in the 1983 telepic "V" before reprising it on the miniseries as well as the TV series which was canceled abruptly by NBC in 1985.

Anna Nicole Smith's bodyguard witnessed the late model's lawyer boyfriend Howard K. Stern supply the star with drugs in the months before she died from an accidental overdose, a court has heard. Stern is currently on trial in California, along with doctors Khristine Eroshevich and Sandeep Kapoor, accused of conspiring to provide Smith with strong prescription pills in the run-up to her death in 2007.

They are also accused of using a variety of false names to obtain the drugs for the late star. Her security guard Maurice Brighthaupt testified in a Los Angeles court on Friday, August 6, describing how Smith would pop 20 pills at a time, including anxiety medication Valium. He told how he witnessed Stern occasionally hand her drugs from a container kept by her bedside, reports the Associated Press.

Miley Cyrus is going to Detroit, Michigan this weekend. The "Hannah Montana" star is scheduled film visuals for "Who Owns My Heart", the next single from her third studio album "Can't Be Tamed".

According to Ken Baker of E! Online, the 17-year-old Disney songstress once again teams up with Robert Hales, the same man who directs music video for the title track of the album. Ken further explained that "Who Owns My Heart" is up for European release only. As for the second single Stateside, Miley reportedly chose "Two More Lonely People".

Taylor Swift may not the best actor in "Valentine's Day" but New Line Cinema allegedly still wants her for the follow-up. The singer/actress is reported to appear in "New Year's Eve" which will serve as a spin-off to the 2009 star-studded film though director Garry Marshall previously said he will not maintain the original cast except Hector Elizondo.

"They were throwing her name out there a while back," says a source, who "is directly involved" with the upcoming project, to E! Online. About Swift's character, the source dishes, "They were thinking about having Taylor Swift be in college at NYU."

Alesha Dixon "Drummer Boy" music video which is directed by Ray Kay has made its way out for viewing pleasure. The British singer is seen sitting on a throne with two shirtless men guarding her on both sides. She also joins a number of dancers in energetic drum moves.

"Had the best time shooting the video! 7 outfit changes, 10 dancers and 20 drummers! Ray Kay was amazing and Rich n Tone who did the choreography," she wrote on her official website. "It was a 21 hour shoot!!!! Couldn't feel my feet after!!! Hahaha but can't wait to see how it turns out! So here we go it's all happening and I can feel the excitement building."

On Friday morning, August 6, Sandra Bullock has been granted a permanent restraining order against a man who has a history of stalking her and allegedly traveled cross-country to try to meet her after being released from a mental hospital, TMZ reported. The order will remain in place for three years.

Bullock, who didn't attend the Los Angeles hearing, first obtained a restraining order against the stalker, named Thomas James Weldon, in 2003. The order was extended but expired in 2009 because Weldon was being held in a Tennessee mental hospital.

Eminem is still in "Recovery" in Europe - his record has made it five weeks atop the continent's album chart. The rapper's reign keeps Lady GaGa's "The Fame" at number two, while dance DJ David Guetta climbs one place to three with "One Love".

Welsh crooner Tom Jones is a new entry at four with "Praise & Blame".

John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono has warned The Beatles fans not to expect any of the rockers' music to go online anytime soon - because they are still "holding out" over the terms of the deal. The Fab Four's tracks are not currently licensed for internet downloads, meaning devotees are unable to buy the songs digitally through online retailers such as Apple's iTunes store.

Bosses at EMI, the company that owns the Beatles' recordings, have long been in negotiations with the surviving band members and Apple Corps to make the catalog available online - but the talks have so far failed to result in a deal. In May, Sir Paul McCartney blamed EMI executives for the delay, but admitted he hoped the "crazy" situation would be resolved in the near future.

Actor Denis Leary "can't wait" for his teenage daughter to leave for college later in August - because he wants to take over her room of TVs and toys. The "Rescue Me" star and his writer wife Ann have two kids - son Jack, who's already left for university, and teenage daughter Devin.

But the actor admits the couple isn't having a hard time seeing its youngest child leave home. Leary explains, "My son is in his second year at Emerson College in Boston. My daughter is about to leave in two weeks... I love my daughter, I love my son obviously. My wife feels the same way. Secretly, we kind of can't wait."

Bernie Mac's widow is suing the late comedian's longtime doctor, accusing the medic of failing to recognize the seriousness of his symptoms in the weeks leading up to his death from heart failure in 2008. The "Ocean's Eleven" star passed away in August 2008, following a prolonged battle with pneumonia.

His grieving widow, Rhonda McCullough, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against dermatologist Rene M. Earles last week, alleging he overlooked signs of respiratory failure when Mac visited him at his Chicago, Illinois clinic on July 17, 2008.

A day after making headline by debuting a pushing-the-envelope music video for his single "Power", Kanye West hosted a Ustream chat to answer "humanizing questions" from his fans. During the session which was conducted from Korea, he revealed his next studio installment will be released "sometime in November."

Commenting on the 90-second moving painting of "Power", Kanye said he initially wanted to make a mini movie which clocks in around 30 or 40 minutes. After the song leak however, he scrapped the plan and decided to move fast with a new treatment since a lengthy clip might take long time.

FOX which is the official network to air the upcoming Teen Choice Awards, has released a promo for the event as well as its green carpet special. The channel's website is airing a special coverage of the celebrities arrival, promising interviews with young stars like Keke Palmer, Victoria Justice, Zac Efron, Robert Pattinson, Miranda Cosgrove and Taylor Lautner.

The event itself will take place on Sunday, August 8 but FOX will only air it the next day at 8/7c. The taped segment would start from 3:30 to 5:00 P.M. PST and be streamed live on FOX.com, Ustream.tv, and TeenChoiceAwards.com. Michael Buckley from "What the Buck Show" will be the host for this special.

Oscar-winning actress Emma Thompson got her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in a midday ceremony outside the historic Pig 'n Whistle pub on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles on Friday, August 6. Donning black and white ensemble, the 51-year-old star was honored with the 2,416th star.

Emma's "Nanny McPhee Returns" castmate Maggie Gyllenhaal and "House M.D." actor Hugh Laurie, whom Emma dated when they attended England's University of Cambridge, were on hand for the ceremony. Emma also brought a baby pig along with her and had a pint of beer on her new piece of terrazzo real estate.

The first trailer and poster for sports-themed movie "The Winning Season" have been made available for sneak peek. They both highlight alcoholic ex-basketball star and divorced deadbeat dad Bill, who is hired by his high school principal friend Terry to be a coach for the girls' varsity basketball team.

Bill begins to regret his decision when he meets the team, which only consists of six members: Abbie, Tamra, Mindy, Wendy, Lisa and Kathy. Using his own way to fit the girls' characters, Bill manages to help the team improving. In return, the girls advise him on his relationship with his daughter. The team's winning season, however, does not protect the girls from their real world difficulties.

Russell Simmons and his model ex-wife Kimora Lee Simmons are selling off the contents of their former marital home in a bumper clearance sale. The pair split in 2006 and they put their New Jersey mansion on the market a year later. Their divorce was finalized last year, but they didn't find a buyer for the 10-bedroom house until recently.

The former couple is now getting rid of all the furniture before handing the property over to the new owner and they opened the house up to the public on Thursday, August 5 as part of a massive sale. Items on offer included a $200,000 designer bed, a $12,000 pool table, a $12,000 Persian rug, and a $20,000 pair of brass lions. The sale even included a set of $20 dog beds.

Sugarland show off their comical side in a newly-premiered music video for their new single "Stuck Like Glue". Jennifer Nettles is obsessed with Ryan McPartlin who plays the leading man. She stalks and kidnaps him with the help from bandmate Kristian Bush.

" 'Stuck Like Glue' is just plain, unashamed, Sugar-fun," Nettles said. "It sticks in your brain, no pun intended. To me it feels young, hip and of course sassy! I can't wait for it to get out there so we can play it live in our show. We've been sitting on our hands to not play it live 'til it was released!"

Terry Gilliam has confirmed his troubled "Don Quixote" movie is on hold again after experiencing a "financial hiccup". The director has spent more than a decade trying to get the picture into production but the project has been dogged by disasters from the outset.

The film, originally titled "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote", first starred Johnny Depp in the lead role, but a series of problems including financial troubles and destroyed sets led to the movie being shelved and the Hollywood actor dropping out because of scheduling conflicts.

Wyclef Jean previously revealed that he is aware about criticism he would get for his presidential run, but he never mentioned that he would stand silent on the jab aimed at him. In fact, the Haitian-born hip-hop artist has responded to fellow star Sean Penn who recently voiced his concerns about Jean's qualifications.

"I would like to tell Sean Penn I do not act on emotions when it comes to the Haitian people," Jean said on "Gayle King Show" on Friday, August 6. "Sean Penn must understand that besides what he sees in Haiti, there are 4 million diasporas living outside of Haiti that is actually the commerce... that's bringing $2 billion per year [for the country]. And guess what, I am part of that community also."

Laurence Fishburne's pals tried to spare his blushes by buying up every copy of his daughter's porn DVD for $1 million - but they'd already been shipped out to suppliers. "The Matrix" star's 19-year-old daughter Montana Fishburne admits her father was devastated when footage from her X-rated movie was posted online last week.

Now it has emerged the actor's friends hatched a plan to stop the saucy film spreading on the internet - by snapping up every copy before they hit stores. Lawyer Yale Galanter was reportedly hired to contact the offices of Vivid Entertainment to offer $1 million for the DVDs, but he was too late to strike a deal, according to TMZ.com.

The 'blood diamonds' which Naomi Campbell allegedly received from former Liberian president Charles Taylor have been handed over to authorities in South Africa. The British supermodel took the stand at The Hague, Netherlands on Thursday, August 5 as part of Taylor's ongoing war crimes trial to face allegations she accepted the illicit gems - which are used to fund conflicts - after a dinner party thrown by Nelson Mandela in 1997.

Campbell claimed she didn't know what the "dirty stones" were or who had given them to her, while prosecutors claim the rocks were in fact blood diamonds, used to finance the 1991-2002 Sierra Leone civil war. The catwalk beauty claimed she didn't keep the stones, but handed them to her friend Jeremy Ratcliffe, the former chief executive of the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund, to "do something good with".

Wyclef Jean was hit with a massive $2.1 million tax bill just weeks before he announced his decision to enter Haiti's presidential race. The Fugees star filed papers on Thursday, August 5 to make his candidacy official and he will run in the country's upcoming election.

Online reports have now emerged suggesting Jean has some major financial problems to resolve before he can concentrate on his political career. Bosses at America's Internal Revenue Service (IRS) filed a multi-million dollar tax lien against the rapper in May after he allegedly fell behind with payments, according to documents obtained by TheSmokingGun.com.

Mark Wahlberg is considering taking legal action against bosses of a public aquarium in San Diego, California, after a "giant" captive octopus attacked his son. The Hollywood actor and his model wife Rhea Durham were on family holiday with their four kids, but the trip took a frightening turn at the Sea Life Aquarium in Carlsbad - when an aggressive sea creature latched on to Durham, their four-year old son Michael, and the family's tour guide.

Wahlberg recalled the incident during an interview on David Letterman's late night U.S. TV show on Thursday, August 5. He said: "We have a tour guide so she's like, 'You have a special treat today, we'll be able to take you behind the tank and you'll be able to see the octopus...' So this women pulls out this gigantic octopus, the thing latches on to my son's arm. It's got my wife, (it's) wrapped completely around the lady, and another guy's just standing there. They can't get this octopus off."

Touchstone Pictures has released a new official production image from "The Tempest", an iteration of the classic Shakespeare play. The still gives the first look at Russell Brand as Trinculo and Alfred Molina as drunken butler Stephano. They are pictured complete with their unique costumes while running on a street.

Prior to this image, there is already another photo debuted for the movie. It captures Helen Mirren who portrays main character Prospera, whose gender has been switched from Prospero for the upcoming film. She is pictured in a dramatic scene with a ring of fire surrounding her at what looks like a desert.

"Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane is preparing to release an album after signing a record deal. The funnyman has landed a contract with Universal Republic Records to release his debut album, which will be a collection of big band musical numbers from the 1940s and '50s.

MacFarlane, who voices several characters on the hit animated comedy, will sing classics from composers including Rodgers and Hammerstein and Lerner and Loewe, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

The rumors that Kate Gosselin and Sarah Palin would hook up on TV have been floating for a while, until now. At Television Critics Association tour, president of TLC programming, Eileen O'Neill confirmed that Gosselin and her eight kids have traveled to Alaska and been captured on camera for Palin's reality series.

"Sarah Palin's Alaska" is an eight-part documentary series about Palin and her home state of Alaska. Its right was bought by Discovery's TLC in March this year. Mark Burnett, the man behind "Survivor", is producing this show. "I look forward to working with Mark to bring the wonder and majesty of Alaska to all Americans," Palin said back then.

Jack White flew into a rage at a gig in New York on Wednesday night, July 4 - accusing the star-studded crowd of failing to "rock out". The singer/guitarist took to the stage at the Don Hill venue in Manhattan with his band The Dead Weather and the audience was packed with high-profile names including Liv Tyler, Mary-Kate Olsen and Keith Richards' daughter Alexandra.

But White wasn't impressed with the atmosphere in the venue and yelled at the crowd for failing to participate in the gig. He told them, "F**k you, you hip motherf**kers! Why don't you rock the f**k out? Maybe I should go grab those free drinks and shove them down your throats, you hip mother**kers!"

Wyclef Jean has pledged to boost the teaching of English in Haiti if he wins his bid for the presidency - because "years" of rule by French-speaking politicians has not benefited the country. The Fugees star confirmed on Thursday, August 5 he wants to fight for leadership of his homeland, and filed election papers confirming his candidacy.

He has brushed off accusations he will struggle to communicate with the mainly French and Creole-speaking citizens - insisting he wants to encourage them to use English as a third language. Jean tells U.S. TV show "Larry King Live", "What about my French... seriously, we've had years and years of politicians speaking French. And where has that gotten us? So I do believe that this population should speak French. It should speak Creole. It should also learn English."

"Ugly Betty" star Michael Urie was offered a role as an extra in Anne Hathaway's new movie after he was spotted by talent scouts in Scotland who didn't recognize the actor. The 29 year old became well known for his role as Marc St. James in the hit American TV show and played the part for four years.

But movie scouts working on Hathaway's new film "One Day", which is currently filming in Scotland, had no idea who Urie was when they cornered him on a street in Glasgow last week. And Urie reveals the clueless film workers offered him a part as an extra, He says, "It was odd. They offered me a part in the Anne Hathaway film but I declined, obviously."

Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley has undergone an MRI scan during his hospitalization in Japan after being attacked by three people in a bar on late Thursday, August 5. And despite his injuries, the ex-husband of Avril Lavigne is determined to still perform for the band's Friday show.

On their Facebook page on Friday, August 6, Sum 41 updated Deryck's condition, writing "After an MRI scan, it appears Deryck has slipped a disc in his back once again." The band continued, "Despite doctor's instructions, he has decided to play today's show at Summersonic regardless. Sum 41 will perform at 3:40 P.M."

Tila Tequila had a brush with the law on Thursday, August 5 - and ended up with two tickets for motoring offenses. The reality TV star's blue Lamborghini sports car was pulled over by cops in Santa Barbara, California in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Amazed onlookers watched as officers issued her with two tickets - one for driving in the wrong direction down a one-way street and another because her passenger was not wearing a seatbelt. Footage of the incident posted on TMZ.com shows Tequila was lucky not to be caught out for a third time - as she pulled away from the scene she appeared to drive through a red light.

Being an Oscar-winner, Christoph Waltz gets an offer from one of the biggest superhero franchises nowadays. Words on the street, Sony Pictures is interested to get the 53-year-old Austrian to play a villain in untitled Spider-Man reboot.

However, The Playlist, which confirms the report first brought into attention by Production Weekly, adds that Waltz would probably end up refusing the offer. The site reasons the "Inglourious Basterds" actor may avoid a type cast since he has taken antagonist roles in "The Green Hornet", "Water for Elephants" and "The Three Musketeers".

It is now made official that a new guidette will join "Jersey Shore" in the third season. On Friday, August 6, MTV announced that Deena Nicole Cortese will be the gang's newest member who has joined the filming in Seaside Heights, New Jersey.

As previously reported, Deena is a long-time friend of Snooki and like the pint-sized guidette, Deena also finds pleasure in partying. "I bring a lot of energy to the house," Deena told Associated Press at the Friday meeting of Television Critics Association tour. "All I want to do is play games and have a good time." She added to fit in the profile, "I party."

Lady GaGa made another jaw-dropping performance. When taking the stage at the first day of 2010 Lollapalooza music festival on August 6, the dance queen who wore ragged fishnet stockings did a crowd-diving with Semi Precious Weapons' frontman Justin Tranter and locked lips with him.

GaGa invaded the stage when the band sang "Magnetic Baby" hours prior to her own full set. "If anyone calls Lady GaGa a pop star I'll f*cking kill them," Tranter said in an accompanying message of the picture taken by Last Nights Party from Chicago where the gig took place. "She is a rock star, and she is helping, Semi Precious Weapons, bring rockNroll back. RockNRoll is back bitches!"

It's another boy for "Parks and Recreation" star Amy Poehler and actor husband Will Arnett. On Friday, August 6, a rep for the second-time parents, who have been married since 2003, told Access Hollywood via statement, "Amy Poehler and Will Arnett have welcomed their second child, a boy."

"Abel James Arnett was born on Friday morning and weighed in at 7 lbs., 13 oz.," the rep's statement further revealed. "Amy, Will, Abel and Archie are all healthy and resting comfortably." Archibald "Archie" William Emerson Arnett, is 1-year-old son of Amy and Will.