March 05, 2011

Neil Patrick Harris was spotted filming "The Smurfs" in mid-2010 but his first official picture in the film has just made its way out via Entertainment Weekly magazine. A scan of the image has now hit the web, showing him channeling his inner guitarist by strumming what looks like Rock Band or Guitar Hero guitar.

Three Smurfs stand on a table as they are jamming and also joining the game. On how the little blue creatures push the buttons on the guitar which is bigger than them, Harris says, "They're small enough so they can step on the buttons. So they're actually remarkably good."

April 15 episode of "Smallville" will be the end of the beginning when the TV series returns from their brief hiatus. Right after Lionel and Tess' battle for the Luthor name in "Scion", the Tom Welling-starring sci-fi will continue with "Kent" where a funeral is going to take place.

In the same night, "Supernatural" will air a new episode which will see someone hanged. As Sam and Dean were done with their search for The Mother of All's latest monster in "And Then There Were None", they will face a new challenge in "My Heart Will Go On".

Another look at "Thor" characters has been provided in new posters. One which appears in landscape size exposes Thor, Odin, Jane Foster and Heimdall together. The other fresh poster meanwhile is presented in a bloody red tone and featuring the title character which is also known as The God of Thunder.

A movie adaptation of Marvel's character, "Thor" will follow the mighty Thor who is cast down to Earth by his father Odin and is forced to live among humans following his reckless actions that reignite an ancient war. It's while here on Earth that Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth.

Arctic Monkeys have just premiered a music video in support of their new single "Brick by Brick". It features a girl chilling out in her home, smoking a cigarette and playing a vinyl of the song. Some shots of the band hanging out on the beach are inserted in between the footage.

"Brick by Brick" is expected to be included in Arctic Monkeys' upcoming fourth studio album. A follow-up to 2009 "Humbug", the new CD itself is yet to be titled and reportedly planned to come out for spring/summer release.

IFC Films has finally released the first trailer for "Super" online. Making its way out via Yahoo! Movies, it highlights why Rainn Wilson's Frank decides to be a superhero, how he assembles his suit and weapons, his actions and his sidekick.

Frank finds himself bereft and wholly unable to cope when his ex-addict wife leaves his for a seductive drug dealer. He decides to fight back under the guise of a DIY superhero called Crimson Bolt after authorities rejects his complain. With a hand-made suit, a wrench, and a crazed sidekick named Boltie, the Crimson Bolt beats his way through the mean streets of crime in hopes of saving his wife.

Gwyneth Paltrow is a rock star in a newly-revealed clip of "Glee". The "Iron Man" actress reprises her role as substitute teacher Holly Holliday and gives a sex education to the New Direction kids in a rock 'n roll set. She decks leather outfit, jamming to Joan Jett's song "Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)".

She breaks into a suggestive chair-dance sequence, unzipping her jacket to reveal her black bustier and ignoring Matthew Morrison's Will Schuester who silently shows her a "too much" note. "So just remember whenever you have sex with someone, you're having sex with everyone they've ever had sex with. And everybody's got a random," she said after the performance.

Singer Hayley Westenra has postponed an upcoming tour of her native New Zealand and will instead stage a huge benefit concert to help the survivors of the Christchurch earthquake. The soprano, who hails from Christchurch, was in London when the 7.1-magnitude earthquake shook her hometown last month, killing more than 160 people.

Westenra was unable to contact her family for hours after the tragedy and the devastation is weighing so heavily on her she has been forced to scrap a series of appearances and commitments and head home. And now she is working on a huge fundraising show in Auckland with all proceeds going to earthquake relief.

R&B star Akon is suing his former booking agent for breach of contract and trademark infringement. The singer/producer and bosses at his Kon Live Touring, Inc. company filed a complaint against American Talent Agency, Inc. on Thursday, March 3 in New York.

The plaintiffs accuse ATA's officials of failing to pay "earned performance fees" and "booking unapproved appearances and performances for Akon". Akon's company terminated its relationship with ATA in 2010 and instructed bosses there to immediately stop providing any further booking services on the star's behalf or exploiting Akon's name, picture or likeness for commercial purposes.

Representatives for Oprah Winfrey have shot down reports the talk show queen is taping a future episode of her show in Egypt. The country's new tourism minister Munir Fakhri Abdelnur reportedly told a local news station in Cairo that Winfrey was planning to broadcast a live show from Tahrir Square on "a Friday in March".

Tahrir Square became famous earlier this year when it turned into a meeting place for activists protesting the dictatorship of Egypt's now-ousted president Hosni Mubarak. But Oprah's aides insist the talk show queen is not planning a trip to the Middle East.

Actress Zsa Zsa Gabor has returned home after refusing a second leg amputation. The ailing movie veteran, 94, was admitted to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles on Wednesday, March 2 after her personal physician detected a bloodflow problem.

Doctors subsequently told Gabor she would need to have her left leg amputated - but she refused the surgery after having had part of her right leg amputated to stop the spread of gangrene in January.

Reality TV star Heidi Montag has dismissed reports suggesting she has joined the cast of addiction counselor Dr. Drew Pinsky's U.S. show "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew". Online gossip linked "The Hills" star to the new season of the show, which features celebrities attempting to deal with all manner of addictions.

One report suggested the blonde had already checked in to Dr. Drew's rehab house in Pasadena, California earlier this week after struggling with a pill-popping problem. A source tells X17online.com, "Heidi was dropped off at the house two days ago by a friend. She is going to be on season five with the rest of the cast."

The producers of the beleaguered "Spider-Man" Broadway show have been hit with federal violations related to accidents that resulted in injuries to cast members in 2010. Regulators have found three violations of workplace safety standards following an indepth investigation into the musical, which is only just over a week away from an official launch.

Officials at the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued the citations on Friday, March 4 for separate incidents, which could result in proposed fines of over $12,000 (GBP8,000).

Usher pumps up the crowd in a music video for his song "More" (RedOne Jimmy Joker Remix). The footage is taken from his recent tour, and it's mixed with close-up shot of the Grammy-winning singer as he delivers his lyrics to the camera.

The original version of "More" appears in Usher's sixth studio album "Raymond vs. Raymond" which has been on sale since a year ago. It was picked up as a theme song to promote 2010 NBA All-Star Game on TNT.

After booking Jon Chu to direct "G.I. Joe 2", Paramount Pictures has selected a release date for the movie. It has just been announced that this "G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra" sequel will hit theaters across the U.S. on August 10, 2012.

In another news, Rachel Nichols who starred as Shana 'Scarlett' O'Hara in the first film has caused frenzy by revealing only three characters that will return in the second movie. She tweeted on March 3, "GI JOE 2 News Flash: The only characters to return in the JON CHU directed sequel will be SNAKE EYES, STORM SHADOW, and DUKE..."

Singing sensation Justin Bieber is helping raise money for his former high school by donating a pair of shoes to be sold on auction website eBay.com. The "Baby" hitmaker has given the autographed purple Nikes to Stratford Northwestern Secondary School in Ontario, Canada, where he was a pupil before finding fame.

The right shoe went online on Monday, March 1 in honor of the star's 17th birthday and has already attracted a high bid of $650. The other shoe will be auctioned at a later date. Proceeds from Bieber's kicks, which are described as worn and scuffed, will be used to build a new broadcasting and communications studio at the school.

Mariah Carey's publicist has defended the singer's decision to perform for relatives of despised Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and pocket $1 million for the gig, insisting the tyrant was not in the news at the time. Carey has recently pledged to hand over the proceeds of her next single, "Save Tte Day", to charity after admitting she's "embarrassed" about the New Year's Eve St. Barts party concert hosted by Gaddafi's son.

But the singer's representative Connie Filippello insists Carey was not lying when she said she had no idea who was paying her fee for the show. The publicist tells WENN, "She and other acts like Beyonce and Usher have performed in St. Barts over the last few years at New Year's Eve parties thrown by the sons of vicious, crazy dictator Muammar Gaddafi. At the time, Libya was not in the news. The shows were booked by a name promoter who probably was not forthcoming about the true nature of the underwriters. Now it's become an issue in hindsight, which is sort of ridiculous."

Embattled TV star Charlie Sheen is set to leave his troubles behind and join pal Sean Penn in Haiti as part of an aid trip. Penn has reached out to the actor amid his ongoing personal and professional battles in recent days and now Sheen is jetting off to Haiti to boost publicity for the Oscar winner's year-old mission to help the desperate and homeless survivors of last year's devastating earthquake.

The "Two and a Half Men" hopes to boost publicity for Penn's JP Haitian Relief Organization, which the movie star set up in the aftermath of last year's earthquake. In a call to news show Access Hollywood Live on Friday, March 4, Sheen confirmed he's heading to Haiti next week.

"American Idol" Top 13 contestants celebrated the Thursday night, March 3 with a party at the Grove in Los Angeles. Joining them at the bash were the three judges Jennifer Lopez, Randy Jackson and Steven Tyler, as well as host Ryan Seacrest.

J.Lo came in style when walking the blue carpet in front of the awaiting photographers, pulling off a sassy look in a midrift-baring blouse with a mini blazer, black shorts and matching heels. Ryan suited it up, while Randy and Steven kept their casual look in jeans and jackets.

Chris Brown might want to think twice before taking and sharing his naked picture in the future. WorldStarHipHop has gotten its hand on a new image featuring the R&B singer posing in nothing but his birthday suit in a bathroom.

The unflattering image was taken by Brown herself with an iPhone and sent for sexting to one of his ex-girlfriends who then put it up on the internet. The photo is said to be a recent one since the "Crawl" singer sports his newly dyed platinum blond hair in the image.

As Chris Brown's new album release is getting closer by day, another new song from the CD makes its way out. It's a collaboration with Pittsburgh rapper Wiz Khalifa and will appear in the deluxe edition of the upcoming effort "F.A.M.E.".

"Hold up Kimosabe/ My crib look like a lobby," Breezy brags about his luxurious pad in this new track. "I'm with that Taylor posse/ These ladies wanna party and there's so much ice up on my neck it look like I play hockey."

Pete Wentz has sparked rumors he's already moved on following his split from Ashlee Simpson after he was spotted with a mystery woman in Los Angeles. The Fall Out Boy rocker and singer/actress Simpson announced in February that they are seeking a divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.

Now the bassist has sent gossips into a spin after he was photographed out and about in West Hollywood on Wednesday, March 2 with a young brunette.

Bob Dylan has reportedly been granted permission to play two shows in China next month following a review by officials. The "Like a Rolling Stone" hitmaker wanted to take his Never Ending Tour to the country in April 2010, but government officials refused to approve his dates in Beijing and Shanghai, prompting Dylan to scrap the rest of his Asian shows.

The music legend lodged a new application with China's Ministry of Culture for concerts this year and the plans have now been given the go-ahead, according to AFP. Executives at promotion company Gehua-LiveNation have reportedly confirmed that the concerts in Beijing on April 6 and in Shanghai on April 8 have been approved.

U.S. TV titan Oprah Winfrey will take her show to the center of the Egyptian pro-democracy protests in the capital Cairo, according to a new report. Thousands of Egyptians flooded the city's Tahrir Square last month to call for the resignation of now-ousted president Hosni Mubarak after 30 years of dictatorship.

Winfrey has now accepted an invitation to set up a studio on the site later this month for a live show in a bid to attract holidaymakers back to the country, according to Egypt's new tourism minister Munir Fakhri Abdelnur. He tells local media, "The plan is for her to broadcast a live show from Tahrir Square on a Friday in March, but the date has not been finalized. The most famous TV hostess in the world accepted without hesitation."

British royal Prince Harry has canceled an upcoming trip to Dubai due to the current unrest in the Middle East. The 26-year-old son of Charles, Prince of Wales was due to jet to the United Arab Emirates later this month to take part in a charity polo match to raise money for Sentebale, an organization which helps vulnerable children in Lesotho.

He has now pulled out of the game and the event has been scrapped, with a statement from the royal's spokesperson blaming the cancellation on the troubles in the Middle East and North Africa which has seen riots in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. The statement reads, "Prince Harry will no longer be making his planned visit to Dubai on 19th March."

TV bosses have changed the name of Demi Lovato's comedy series "Sonny with a Chance", sparking rumors she has been permanently dropped from the cast. The singer/actress, who plays the title character, was admitted to rehab in 2010 to address undisclosed personal problems and she was written out of the program when it became clear she would not be able to return to filming in January this year.

Disney bosses insisted Lovato's departure was temporary and she would be able to rejoin the cast once she was well enough. But it has now emerged the show's name will be changed to "So Random" for its third season, fueling rumors Lovato's exit will be made permanent.

The 42nd annual NAACP Image Awards has unveiled its winners on March 4 and big nominee "For Colored Girls" came out as one of the big winners as well. It snatched three gongs including the coveted Outstanding Motion Picture award. It beat out "Just Wright", "The Book of Eli", "The Kids Are All Right" and "Why Did I Get Married Too?" for the title.

The movie also led Kimberly Elise to win Outstanding Supporting Actress kudo which was eyed by her co-stars Anika Noni Rose, Phylicia Rashad and Whoopi Goldberg, as well as Jill Scott of "Why Did I Get Married Too?". The other honor received by the based-on-play drama was Outstanding Directing for Tyler Perry.

A collection of tracks purportedly recorded by Eminem for his scrapped "Relapse 2" album have been leaked online. Nine previously unheard songs by the rapper have emerged on the internet via the Studioleaks website under the title "Straight From The Vault".

The tracks are said to have been recorded in between Eminem's 2009 album "Relapse" and his 2010 record "Recovery" - sparking speculation the music was intended for "Relapse 2", the sequel which was scrapped in favor of the Grammy Award-winning "Recovery".

Lady GaGa broke down in tears during a concert on Thursday, March 3 after performing an emotional rendition of her song "Born This Way" with a 10-year-old fan. The pop star last month invited Maria Aragon to join her on tour as she was so impressed with a YouTube clip of the little girl singing the track.

The "Poker Face" hitmaker kept her word when her tour touched down in Aragon's native Canada and called her young fan onstage during a show in Toronto on Thursday night. GaGa lifted Aragon onto her lap as she sat at a piano, and the two then performed a duet of "Born This Way", with GaGa visibly moved during the song.

The organizers of Britain's Download Festival decided against booking Metallica as this year's headline act because they are convinced the rockers have become "boring" by touring too often. Â The band took center stage at the rock event in 2004 and 2006, but is absent from the lineup of the upcoming event in June.

Organizer Andy Copping admits he chose Def Leppard to take the slot instead, and has no regrets over not pursuing the metal giants - insisting fans needs a break from the "Enter Sandman" hitmakers. He tells NME.com, "I booked Def Leppard because they deserve it, because they are big enough to do it... Metallica are a great band but if they went away for three or four years then came back then they'd be even bigger. When they keep coming back they become boring."

Rapper Lupe Fiasco fell into a deep depression after record label bosses gave his track "Nothin' on You" to B.o.B and admits he felt "suicidal" over the snub. The hip-hop star wrote and recorded verses for the song in 2009, but the chairman of Atlantic Records told him his performance was no good and handed the track to another artist.

And Fiasco reveals he hit rock bottom after losing the song, which went on to become a global smash for B.o.B and score three Grammy Award nominations. He tells Britain's The Guardian, "That was the tipping point. It was less about the bruised ego but more the audacity of it. It was mentally destructive. I say it with a certain laissez-faire now because I'm past it, but back then, hearin' that s**t, it f**ked me up."

George Clooney's plans to release his own scent have vaporized after cosmetic company bosses refused to commit to a multi-million dollar deal, according to U.S. reports. The Hollywood hunk met with perfume experts at Coty Inc. about creating his own male fragrance line. According to New York Post gossip column Page Six, the star's negotiators wanted to sign a contract to release several scents over a number of years - and demanded at least $30 million for the deal.

However, bosses decided they couldn't commit to the huge pay cheque and the talks ground to a halt. A source tells the publication, "George seemed to be not that keen, unless the deal really made it worth his while. But Coty pulled out, saying this figure made the deal impossible."

Agnes Fischer, a German model, is allegedly the girl who is lucky to be currently dating Ryan Reynolds. The couple was spotted together around the set of his movie "Safe House" in Cape Town, South Africa on Thursday, March 3 but her identity has just been unraveled by several sites a day later.

The twosome was pictured getting intimate with the blonde beauty putting her hand on Ryan's waist. She reportedly watched and waited as he shot his scenes. They later got coffee together at the Old Biscuit Mill, so GQ South Africa reported.

This year's winner list of the 42nd Annual NAACP Image Awards in TV is dominated by "Modern Family" and "True Jackson, VP". The two TV series snatched two awards each at the live event taking place at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California on March 4.

The ABC drama comedy series made Sofia Vergara win Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, thanks to her role as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett. It additionally made Kevin Rodney Sullivan take home Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series prize for his work in episode "Game Changer".

Two upcoming releases from DreamWorks, "Puss in Boots" and "Kung Fu Panda 2", have gotten a sneak peek each. The teaser trailer for "Puss in Boots" is the first preview video for the movie and it does not reveal much beside highlighting the titular character which is said to have been "a bad kitty".

"Kung Fu Panda 2" meanwhile gets its first full trailer following a teaser and several TV spots. It finally sheds light on what challenges coming in Po and The Furious Five's way to save kung fu, while he considers "stairs" as his old enemy.

The 42nd Annual NAACP Image Awards has announced its winners at a live ceremony in Los Angeles, California on Friday, March 4. In music, John Legend and The Roots dominated the pack. They bagged two gongs, one for Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration and the other for Outstanding Album.

In the former category, John and The Roots beat Diddy-Dirty Money, Eminem and Rihanna, Herbie Hancock ft. India.Arie and Chaka Khan, as well as Black Eyed Peas. In the latter, they won over Kanye West, Smokey Robinson, Usher and Sade.

Actor David Arquette has assured fans he's fine following a head-on car crash in Los Angeles on Friday afternoon, March 4. The "Scream" star has taken to his Twitter.com account to let followers know he's alright after driving his Cadillac into oncoming traffic in West Hollywood and colliding with another car.

Arquette swerved to avoid hitting a vehicle that had stopped suddenly in front of him. There were concerns shortly after the crash when photos of Arquette lying on the ground by the side of his smashed car, awaiting emergency services, were posted online. He was later taken to a hospital. But he has assured fans he's OK, and made light of the drama. In his Twitter post he writes, "I got into a car accident but I'm fine. Luckily I have dragon's blood running through my veins. Haha Thank you for all your concern."