April 04, 2011

British pop stars Take That have persuaded the Pet Shop Boys to join them as their support act on tour in 2011. Pet Shop Boys Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe will perform a 40-minute set before the "Back For Good" hitmakers take the stage on their European trek.

And singer Robbie Williams can't believe the "West End Girls" hitmakers will be opening the show, because he grew up listening to their albums. He says, "I'm a huge Pet Shop Boys fan so it will be an absolute joy to watch them every night." Williams' bandmate Gary Barlow adds, "I thought they'd be above it, and us."

Actor James Franco was forced to shut down his Twitter page after upsetting corporate sponsors with his online messages. The "127 Hours" star joined the social networking site earlier in 2011 and attracted plenty of attention with his Tweets, which included a swipe at Oscars writer Bruce Vilanch after he criticized Franco's Academy Awards hosting turn.

But the actor has now deleted his account after revealing not everyone enjoyed reading his blog. He tells Politico, "Social media is over... My thought was 'This is my Twitter. I can do whatever I want.' But certain companies I work with contacted me about what I was saying."

Pixie Geldof is to follow her famous father into rock, she's determined to be the next Courtney Love. Bob Geldof's party-loving daughter has mixed studying at art school in London with modeling for brands including Levis, Vivienne Westwood and Diesel.

But she's keen to give up on both professions to be the next big rock front woman, and wants to team up with the Hole rocker to launch her music career. She tells Mail on Sunday, April 3, "[The band is] called Violet, after one of her [Love's] songs. I play guitar and work with three guys. I'd love to collaborate with Courtney, but I can only dream."

Late guitar legend Gary Moore left behind an estate worth $3.2 million after his death in February. The Thin Lizzy rocker died from a suspected heart attack while on holiday in Spain with his girlfriend Petra Nioduschewski.

According to Sunday Mirror, records show the musician left behind assets of more than $3.2 million, which was reduced to around $1.6 million after deductions. A judge in England granted executors of his estate temporary control of his companies until final settlement is negotiated.

Amanda Seyfried and Ryan Phillippe never openly admit that they are together, but recent snaps of the two have given proof of their well-kept romance. The "Red Riding Hood" actress was caught on camera holding hands with "The Lincoln Lawyer" actor while they were waiting for their luggage at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris on Sunday, April 3.

25-year-old Amanda was spotted wearing a dark-colored sweater with black trousers, while 36-year-old Ryan wore a white T-shirt underneath black jacket and sported a baseball cap. The two seemingly were inseparable as they kept close to one another. Joining them at the airport was Ryan co-star Matthew McCounaghey since they were in town to promote "Lincoln Lawyer".

The first fifteen minutes of "Game of Thrones" have been made available for viewing pleasure ahead of its premiere. It has a gory scene where mutilated bodies are scattered on an icy land. Three men who ride into the forest are attacked by strange creatures with glowing blue eyes.

The next scene introduces the various members of the Family Stark. A man seen in the previous footage later appears again and it is known that he is a member of the Night's Watch who fled his post. Another bloody scene graces the screen as the man gets his death punishment.

Lindsay Lohan could be a murder victim in a new film. TMZ has reported that the 24-year-old actress has been offered to play Sharon Tate, the lead character in a biopic tentatively called "Eyes of a Dreamer", which revolves around Tate who was killed by the followers of Charles Manson.

The gossip site also reported that Tyler Shields will play the murderer, as well as helming the project. In addition, the site also claimed that Brad Wyman, one of the executives behind the production of 2003's "Monster", serves as the producer.

German rockers Tokio Hotel have joined a campaign to ban animal circuses from their native Germany. Bandmate brothers Bill Kaulitz and Tom Kaulitz appear chained to a column in a filthy cage in hard-hitting new billboards for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals as part of an animal rights campaign to highlight the miserable lives circus creatures endure.

As a result of the campaign and other efforts to keep circuses out of Germany, officials at the nation's Federal Chamber of Veterinarians have called for a ban on the use of wild animals in traveling circuses.

The production of Edward and Bella's wedding scene has taken place this month as it was reported before. Giving a sort of confirmation about the filming is Mia Maestro who will portray a new character in "The Twilight Saga's Breaking Dawn". "Long wedding night until 6am. Everyone was SO neatly frocked up :) Just about to start facing this Saturday...," so she tweeted on Saturday night.

Other stars, although not spilling any detail about the scene they were filming, also took it to their own Twitter accounts to complaint about the shooting. "whyyyyyyyy can't I fall asleep! These night shoots are killing me! Messing up my sleep patterns hard core," Ashley Greene wrote.

To celebrate weekend, Jimmy Fallon brought in Taylor Hicks, Stephen Colbert, The Roots and the Knicks City Dancers to sing Rebecca Black's song "Friday". He pulled the "Friday" performance after issuing a challenge to viewers to donate $26,000 for charity by Friday.

"The whole thing was genius in my opinion," the "American Idol" alum told The Hollywood Reporter of the "Fallon Colbert Project" collaboration which aired Saturday, April 2. "Every moment was absurd: Fallon and Colbert in autotune, the hyper-glow Soul Patrol sweatshirt..."

Lily Collins continues to play it coy when it comes to Taylor Lautner. The actress daughter of musician Phil Collins has been linked romantically to the "Twilight Saga" actor ever since they worked together on upcoming thriller "Abduction", but months after they were first rumored dating, she still kept a tight lip on the true nature of their relationship.

The 22-year-old beauty was faced with the inquiry about her possible romance with the younger actor at WonderCon in San Francisco recently. Refusing to comment on the matter, she told People magazine, "I'm going to keep the private life private." She added, "I'm in this for the craft; I'm in it for the passion."

"Hellcats" is not only promising a guest staring appearance from 78violet member Amanda Michalka but also a night of the dead. The CW has released a promotional poster of the April 19 episode, where Amanda aka AJ would appear for the first time in her three-episode arc.

Marti visits the store where her deceased father's guitar picks came from and meets Deidre (Amanda), who helps Marti uncover another piece of information about her father. "Marti meets Deirdre along the way while unraveling the mystery surrounding Rex, the father who died when Marti was three years old," exec producer Kevin Murphy told Zap2it. "Deirdre is a local in the Memphis music scene who works in a guitar shop where Rex used to play. She may hold a piece of Marti's puzzle and also have a mystery of her own."

Fresh "Cars 2" clip has gone online. Opened with director John Lasseter welcoming viewers in a slightly villain-spy manner, the clip of the "Cars" sequel reveals a scene where Finn McMissile is in race with a group of cars which are apparently trying to attack him. When he is cornered, he chooses to drive backward and jumps into the water.

The animated film shares a story about Lightning McQueen and Mater who compete in the first World Grand Prix to determine the world's fastest car. But the road to the championship is filled with plenty of potholes, detours and hilarious surprises when Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage.

Aussie star Ryan Kwanten has been hailed a hero after coming to the aid of a bloodied man in Hollywood. The "True Blood" star was driving through Tinseltown on Friday night, April 1 when he spotted the injured man writhing in the street and stopped to see if he could help.

Kwanten called on pedestrians to help him carry the guy to the safety of the sidewalk, according to JustJared.com, and the actor stayed with him until paramedics he called arrived to the scene. An observer noted although people on the street have recognized him as an actor from the vampire drama series, he was "just focused on making sure this guy was okay."

TNT has proudly promoted its new TV series "Falling Skies" at WonderCon. Late last week, a panel for the Steven Spielberg-produced sci-fi drama took place in Los Angeles where some clips from the show were screened.

The first clip features a child voice-over which describes that aliens take over Earth, kill adults and take children. The child claims his mother was killed, and he and his father are now fighting. The scene then follows Noah Wyle and Drew Roy who run through a destructed city. They finally gather with other people.

Parents of students attending Rutgers University have waded in the Snooki controversy. Although the school have defended their decision of spending $32,000 to hire the "Jersey Shore" star as guest speaker, many parents were fuming that she got paid nearly $10,000 more than they pay annually to send one kid to the Garden State university.

43-year-old Nester Delgado, whose daughter is a freshman, told the New York Post, "It's disgusting." He added, as referring to Snooki's co-stars, "Next year, is it going to be JWoww or The Situation?" 47-year-old Christine Getz also spoke in protest, "I don't think she's a good representation of a role model for my kids."

New "Cowboys and Aliens" footage has been debuted at WonderCon on Saturday, April 2. The nine-minute footage of the forthcoming movie sees Jake Lonergan and Colonel Woodrow Dolarhyde becoming allies to beat aliens that raid the Earth.

One clip shows Daniel Craig walking into a building and revealing a bleeding wound which he tries to clean. Then, Clancy Brown's Meacham comes up behind him with a gun, saying that people who are shot are "criminals and victims". Unable to get Lonergan's identity, Meacham asks, "What do you know?" and receives "English" as a reply.

Taylor Swift has chosen to perform "Mean" at the live telecast of the 46th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards on April 3. The 21-year-old country music cutie strummed a banjo and performed the song in a classic "Prairie Home Companion" set.

"I can see you years from now in a bar/ Talking over a football game," she sings. "With that same big loud opinion but, Nobody's listening/ Washed up and ranting about the same old bitter things/ Drunk and grumbling on about how I can't sing."

Movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger has been forced to give up his collection of gold and bronze busts of fallen Russian leaders - because his wife Maria Shriver insisted on a clampdown.

The "Terminator 3: Rise of The Machines" star reveals he asked friends in Russian wrestling circles to send him a good bust after the Soviet Union fell in 1991 and statues and billboards featuring the faces of Communism were being destroyed - and the dead leaders kept coming for years afterwards.

Harrods boss and soccer club owner Mohamed Al-Fayed has lashed out at British sport fans protesting a Michael Jackson statue at his team's London stadium. Supporters of Fulham Football Club in London are outraged by the six-foot (1.8-metre) golden statue of the King of Pop, which was commissioned by Al-Fayed and unveiled on Sunday, April 3.

Hundreds of supporters have signed a petition opposing the golden memorial, with one Fulham supporter, Lee Robinson, telling The Guardian, "Why us? Fulham football fans do not want a statue of Michael Jackson. It's completely mad. He's got nothing to do with us. To be honest, he's the last person you'd want there."

James Murphy and LCD Soundsystem bid farewell to fans at Madison Square Garden in New York on Saturday night, April 2 with a rousing show featuring members of Arcade Fire. Murphy announced the final show in February and asked fans to show up in black-and-white attire - and many did.

For three-and-a-half-hour, the band played 29 songs in total, and gave their fans a treat by performing "45:33". They were supported by a number of special guests, including The Juan MacLean and members of Arcade Fire.

Selena Gomez was one of the girls in "Barney and Friends" and a few years later she is Justin Bieber's girl. But the 18-year-old did not craft her fame from being the pop star's girlfriend. She has been one of the biggest teen stars to graduate from Disney and take over the entertainment world with her talent in acting and singing.

Gomez, whose film "Monte Carlo" will be released later this year, is in the middle of promoting her second studio album with The Scene. Fronted by the single "Who Says", the not-yet-titled album is expected to be released on June 28 in the U.S. And it looks like, the path has been paved well.

Rihanna and Jennifer Nettles hook up in "California King Bed" during the live ceremony of the 46th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards on April 3. RiRi sported a white dress and a flaming orange pixie haircut, while the Sugarland female singer donned a black and purple tube outfit.

"She is a wonderful performer," Jennifer praised RiRi after their live duet. She added, "Obviously, country music is hip and it's cool and it's fresh, and I think her being here tonight is even more testimony to that."

Miley Cyrus seemed to be overdressed when attending Nickelodeon's 24th Annual Kids' Choice Awards. Hitting the orange carpet at the USC Galen Center in Los Angeles on Saturday, April 2, the former star of "Hannah Montana" stayed true to boho-chic style and looked lovely in her floral-print Dolce and Gabbana dress.

Some, however, thought that she went a little too formal for the event with the floor-length choice of dress, considering that other young celebrities presented a more casual look. Selena Gomez, for example, wore a smock top and a pair of shorts from Christian Cota, and Victoria Justice donned a sleeveless mini dress.

"Desperate Housewives" returns in two weeks with "Moments in the Woods". The episode's title refers to an incident in a wood cabin when Carlos is found with a bloody shovel. Bree desperately tries to stop Andrew from admitting to Carlos that he was the one who accidentally killed his mother years ago.

Meanwhile, Renee helps introduce Lynette to the world of high class, frivolous shopping now that Tom's bringing in the big bucks with his new, high-powered job. In Susan's world, believing she's on a winning streak after undergoing a successful kidney transplant, she begins to think she's invincible and starts to gamble with the little money she and Mike have, convinced she can't lose.

Rogue Pictures has made use of WonderCon in San Francisco to release the first teaser trailer of "Immortals". Being screened at a panel on Saturday, April 2, it gives away the first footage featuring Henry Cavill as Theseus, Freida Pinto as Phaedra, Luke Evans as Zeus, Isabel Lucas as the Greek goddess Athena, and Mickey Rourke as the film's villain, Hyperion.

There are also CG-aided battle scenes. The fight involves mythological weapons like fire whips, a bow and arrow. A shot of a gigantic mountain collapsing, followed by a huge wave coming towards land is also shown. One noticeable approach used by Singh in the action movie is super-slo-mo and speed ramping.

Amy Winehouse is reportedly preparing to walk down the aisle for a second time - she's making marriage plans with boyfriend Reg Traviss. The "Back to Black" star has been dating the British director on and off since her divorce from her first husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, in 2009.

The star has put her wild ways and drug addiction behind her with the help of Traviss, and now the pair is putting together plans for its wedding at the end of 2011.

Miley Cyrus clarifies her previous statement about aspiring artists like Rebecca Black who gained overnight fame through YouTube. To E! Online, she set the record straight, "I am a fan of Rebecca Black. I love Rebecca Black. I just got misquoted. I think she's great."

Miley went on, "I actually have this really embarrassing video that my sister has on her phone." She added, "and I'm just waiting till the day that she puts it on YouTube. It's me driving, singing Rebecca Black and my hands are not always on the wheel while I'm singing the song. Not so good."

A judge has thrown out a restraining order against actress Katharine Ross' daughter after the warring relatives failed to show up at court for a second hearing. The "Graduate" star requested legal protection from Cleo, her only child with actor husband Sam Elliott, on March 2011 over allegations her daughter attacked her at the family home in Malibu, California.

In legal papers filed at Los Angeles County Court, Ross claimed Cleo, 26, has been violent since her early teens and had threatened to kill her mother before stabbing her with a pair of scissors as she tried to phone 911. Ross was granted a temporary restraining order and a judge demanded Cleo move out of the family home and stay at least 100 yards (91 meters) away from her mother.

Unwilling to get the same outcome as his debut performance in Detroit, Charlie Sheen revamped his "My Violent Torpedo of Truth/Defeat Is Not an Option" live show. Early reports from Chicago claimed that the former star of "Two and a Half Men" has made changes to his second performance.

Taking the stage inside the Chicago Theatre on Sunday night, April 3, Charlie was greeted with a standing ovation, cheering and whistling. Presenting fewer video clips, he skipped his comedian stand-up act that bombed in Detroit. In place of the things he cut, the 45-year-old actor did a Q&A segment with an interviewer.

New "Green Lantern" footage hits online. Warner Bros. Pictures has decided to share the footage, which is an abridged version to the one showed at CinemaCon, via Apple. One scene features Dr. Hector Hammond who transforms into an alien-like creature. Another scene sees Parallax attacking the Earth, sending Carol Ferris and other people to panic.

"Green Lantern" revolves around Hal Jordan, an ordinary man chosen by a dying alien named Abin Sur to receive a green energy-powered ring used for protecting the planet. As a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the balance of power in the universe, the fate of Earth lies in Hal's hands.

Katie Holmes isn't always the best bed partner for husband Tom Cruise - because she insists on wearing a face mask between the sheets. The actress admits her beauty comes with a price - and her husband suffers more than most men.

Appearing on Friday, April 1, "The Ellen DeGeneres Show", the "Batman Begins" star revealed, "SK2 does these masks that are in a little package. It's white and you stick it on and then it kind of goes into your skin the whole night to the point where in the morning it's kind of dry and yucky and you just pull that part off and you're hydrated. I said (to Tom) I apologize but it's for the cause and I wanna look good in the morning, so this is the program I'm doing right now."

"Jackass 3D" star Johnny Knoxville was once stabbed in a bar fight - but insisted on having one more drink for the road before heading to hospital. "The Dukes of Hazzard" actor was at a bachelor party with pals when three thugs attacked him following a slanging match outside.

Knoxville did his best to defend himself but realized after his assailants fled that he was bleeding. He recalls, "We'd been fighting a couple of minutes and my hand was slashed and my back was slashed..."

After David Cassidy was sent home in the first week of "The Celebrity Apprentice", Richard Hatch is the second member of men team who got fired. Donald Trump seemingly had no difficulty in making the decision after learning that Hatch raised the least amount of money during the task.

But the drama did not take place in the board room as it often happens. In fact, the showdown was between Meat Loaf and Gary Busey in which the former accused the latter of stealing his paint. After yelling at Busey, Loaf was left embarrassed as his bag of art was actually sitting in the corner.

"True Blood" has done Bill Compton, Sam Merlotte and Jason Stackhouse for its "Waiting Sucks" features. The time has come for some Pam time. Wrapped in sexy bustier, the sassy vampire forces witch Martie to "fix" her maker. Tara holds a gun against Pam, Lafayette convinces Martie to cooperate and Jesus draws a salt circle.

The wood scene is by far the most informative feature. Fans of the show may be aware now that Eric has lost his memory after a spell of amnesia was cast upon him. And when Pam is doing her best to cure her maker, she may fall victim to the witchy hand herself.

More winners are revealed at the live telecast of the 46th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday, April 3. Sugarland win Top Vocal Duo of the Year, beating The JaneDear Girls, Joey and Rory, Montgomery Gentry and Steel Magnolia. This marks the fourth year in a row they get the title.

Afterwards, Brad Paisley is given Top Male Vocalist of the Year, pushing aside Jason Aldean, Blake Shelton, George Strait and Keith Urban. "I'm so grateful to the fans of country music who gave me the chance to do this for a living," he said. "I don't know who got paid ... I'm just kidding, it's all very fair!" He won the honor for the third year in a row.

After performing on "Saturday Night Live" in 1982, Elton John is back on the show on April 2 to serve as a host. Claiming the stint is the safest thing he did in the 1980s to try again, he proclaimed during the opening monologue, "The bitch is back!", before poking fun at his new fatherhood as well as his former drug and alcohol usage.

In a British Royal Family sketch, John was joined by Fred Armisen and Bill Hader as the Queen and Prince Philip to talk about Prince Williams' wedding reception. The musician later posed as Eric Sandrews who, along with Taran Killam's Dale Eberheart, gave critics on films.

"Hop" jumps to the first rank of this weekend's North American box office. Being predicted to open in the $25 million range, the comedy film gains better than expected. The Universal Pictures film, budgeted for about $63 million, has obtained $37.5 million in ticket sales for its first week.

Landing in the second place is Duncan Jones-directed "Source Code". The movie, which features the likes of Jake Gyllenhaal and Michelle Monaghan, has done well by gaining $14.8 million from 2,961 theaters, after costing around $32 million to produce.

Michael Vartan has officially gone off market. The former "Alias" star married his realtor fiancee Lauren Skaar at the Pelican Hill resort in Newport Beach, California on Saturday, April 2. Us Magazine detailed that the couple exchanged their wedding vows in a gazebo before about 150 of their family members and friends, including actor Victor Garber.

According to People magazine, 42-year-old Michael sported a two button Giorgio Armani tuxedo with a classic white pique tuxedo shirt and black bow tie. His bride Lauren, meanwhile, walked down the aisle in a custom Vera Wang dress with an Oscar de la Renta belt that is adorned with mother of pearl and Swarovski crystals.

Carrie Underwood was the highlight of the 46th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday, April 3. She traded her glamorous look on the red carpet with a short black dress, gloves and pink hair extensions when taking the stage for one of the opening performances.

Carrie took the baton from Brad Paisley who sang solo and a duet with Alabama. She first appeared alone for "Undo It" before Steven Tyler joined her in the second half of the song. The two "American Idol" stars then rocked it out with a cover of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way" where they staged a kiss on the words "a little kiss like this".

The 46th Annual Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards airs live from Las Vegas on April 3. The first trophy of the Sunday evening, Song of the Year, was announced almost an hour after the shows kicked off. It goes to the writers behind Miranda Lambert's "The House That Built Us".

The second award is Top New Artist which saw Top New Solo Vocalist of the Year winner Eric Church battling Top New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year winner The Band Perry. The title is finally handed to Band Perry, and they accepted it right after they performed "If I Die Young".

Red carpet has been rolled out in front of the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday evening, April 3 to welcome country stars and Hollywood celebrities alike to the 46th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. Among those stealing the spotlight were Taylor Swift and Julianne Hough.

Taylor, who is up for Entertainer of the Year award, looked glowing in her pale yellow gown from Elie Saab Couture. Completing her look, the "Mine" hitmaker opted to don Ralph Lauren heels and Neil Lane jewels. Julianne, in the meantime, went with a more sexy dress as she slipped into a daring, backless orange design.

Live telecast of the Nickelodeon's 24th Annual Kids' Choice Awards on April 2 saw performances from Black Eyed Peas. Stacy Ferguson, will.i.am, Taboo and apl.de.ap kicked off their opening set with party anthem "The Time (Dirty Bit)". Jack Black joined them halfway through it to carry on the performance as "Jack Black Eyed Peas". Earlier that evening, he kicked off the show with his own rendition of "I Gotta Feeling".

The Favorite Movie Actor nominee who hosted the prize-giving event that Saturday night ran up from backstage and wasted no time to jump into a spirited dance routine with the Peas soon he reached the center stage. Right after the funny man retreated from the spotlight, Fergie led her bandmates to continue rocking the Galen Center at the University of Southern California with a more laid-back track "Just Can't Get Enough".

Johnny Depp must have had a good time at the 2011Kids' Choice Awards. Attending the show on Saturday, April 2, the big Hollywood actor grabbed the first award presented that night; Favorite Movie Actor which he won through his role in "Alice in Wonderland".

Depp admitted it was "truly a pleasure to receive this award that comes from you guys. I appreciate it." After finishing his speech, he slimed the audience in front of the stage with green mess.

The 24th Annual Kids' Choice Awards was held on Saturday, April 2. It turned out that "iCarly" got the most back-up from its fans as the show got double kudos. One was Favorite TV Show and the other was Funniest TV Sidekick which was given to Jennette McCurdy.

Though recently gaining haters for dating Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez still has a lot of loyal devotees who voted her for Favorite TV Actress. "I can't believe I won my third KCA for actress!! :) I can't NOT thank you guys enough! Thank you thank you!!! " she tweeted after taking the award. Meanwhile, Favorite TV Actor title went to Dylan Sprouse of "The Suite Life on Deck".

Winners of Nickelodeon's 24th Annual Kids' Choice Awards have been presented with their orange blimps last Saturday, April 2. While Justin Bieber dominated the music field, Selena Gomez became the favorite in TV category, and Miley Cyrus was hailed Favorite Movie Actress, two athletes took home the prizes in sport.

Alpine ski racer Lindsey Vonn and basketball center Shaquille O'Neal were named the favorites by the kids. 26-year-old Lindsey bagged an orange blimp for Favorite Female Athlete, beating Danica Patrick, Serena Williams and Venus Williams. 39-year-old Shaq won the male counterpart, besting over Peyton Manning, Michael Phelps and Shaun White.

The winners of Nickelodeon's 2011 Kids' Choice Awards have been announced at a star-studded ceremony live from the Galen Center at the University of Southern California on April 2. In music, Justin Bieber led the pack by sweeping two kudos; Favorite Male Singer and Favorite Song.

In the former category, the Canadian pop idol won over his mentor Usher and his seniors like Jay-Z and Bruno Mars. In the latter, he beat Katy Perry ("California Gurls"), Train ("Hey, Soul Sister"), and Taylor Swift ("Mine"). Unfortunately, the 17-year-old singer was in Berlin for his world tour when the show was held, but he managed to send his thank-you message.