April 18, 2011

The pop superstar, Britney Spears has worked with Brian Friedman for many years - he famously created her moves for videos including "Toxic", "I'm a Slave 4 U" and her recent offering "Hold It Against Me", as well as a number of her live shows.

Britney Spears is set to head off on tour this summer in support of her new album "Femme Fatale", but she will now have to put the shows together without Friedman.

The singer/songwriter, Emmylou Harris was at Kate McCarrigle's bedside when she passed away at her home in Montreal, Canada, in January 2010 after a battle with kidney cancer.

Emmylou Harris has revealed her emotions are still "raw" more than a year after the tragedy - and she's written a new song, "Darlin' Kate", in honour of her close pal.

The Girls Aloud singer, Sarah Harding cut contact with her dad, John Hardman, when she was a teenager after he split from her mother.

Sarah Harding, 29, has now revealed she recently "came close" to reuniting with her father after nearly 15 years of estrangement, but she backed off when he allegedly attempted to publish pictures from her childhood.

The "Mandy" hitmaker, Barry Manilow is overseeing ten one-hour shows on the network's Radio 2 and is focusing on legendary 20th century U.S. tunesmiths including George Gershwin and Leonard Bernstein.
And he's hoping to use the shows, titled "They Write The Songs", to introduce younger Brits to the great songwriters by deconstructing their tracks on piano during the broadcasts.

Manilow tells Britain's Live magazine. "It's a project that means more to me than anything else right now. It's the first time they've given anyone ten one-hour shows. It's a dream come true. The aim is for me to get the man or woman in the street interested in the men behind the Great American Songbook... Irving Berlin, Harold Arlen, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Leonard Bernstein and so on..."

Ludacris - who appeared in "2 Fast 2 Furious" - admits he has been scaling down his expensive hobby, but is still a keen collector.

He tells Britain's Metro newspaper, "I've always had an affinity and a passion for cars and that whole car culture. I've gone through a lot of different cars myself."

The moviemaker, Todd Phillips talked about "The Hangover Part II"'s cigarette-puffing monkey in an interview with Total Film magazine and revealed the capuchin learned how to smoke and was left with a raging nicotine addiction.

Todd Phillips even claimed to have incurred the wrath of officials at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), saying, "I wanted the monkey to smoke so we had to train her to. Now I have PETA after me because the monkey's become addicted to cigarettes."

The "Nancy Drew" actress, Emma Roberts shot to fame playing a singing teenager in U.S. TV series "Unfabulous", and she released her debut album, the show's soundtrack, in 2005.

The 20 year old insists she is more focused on acting at the moment, but hopes to one day emulate Reese Witherspoon's turn as June Carter in Johnny Cash biopic "Walk the Line" and Gwyneth Paltrow's singing spot in last year's "Country Strong."
She tells JustJared.com, "I just think you can't ever be seen as both equally. You are always going to be one more or the other. For me, I want to be an actor."

Kanye West took to the stage on Sunday night to bring the Indio, California event to a close following three days of performances from bands including Arcade Fire and The Strokes.

Kanye West began the show suspended high above the crowd on a futuristic crane, performing his first track, "Power", as he was carried to the main stage, where he was greeted by 30 ballet dancers.

Velvet Revolver has been without a frontman since Scott Weiland was fired in 2008 and they still haven't found a singer to take over the role, with Slipknot's Corey Taylor the latest star to be linked to the job.

Slash has now spoken out about rumours the band is poised to make a comeback with Taylor, revealing the rocker did audition for the group but didn't "fit right".

Duran Duran took to the stage on the last night of the event in Indio, California and thrilled fans with hits including "Rio" and "Save a Prayer".

After they finished the set, Duran Duran returned for an encore and dedicated the first track to late musician Barry, who co-wrote their hit song "View to a Kill" for the Roger Moore movie of the same name.

The "Baby" singer, Justin Bieber hit headlines when he vowed to stay in his hotel and cancelled plans to visit landmarks in the holy city of Jerusalem after he was mobbed on arrival in Tel Aviv.

He later managed to avoid fans and photographers by visiting Jerusalem in the early hours of the morning after his gig in the country on Thursday, and now the committed Christian has told of his joy following the trip.

Many of the public institutions in the city of New Orleans were destroyed in the 2005 disaster and are still unable to replenish supplies six years later.

Ludacris has signed up to support the Epic Book Drive and he has filmed a public service announcement (PSA) urging students across America to share their books, according to Allhiphop.com.

Charlie Sheen is currently on the road in the U.S. with his "My Violent Torpedo of Truth/Death Is Not an Option" tour, which he launched after he was fired from his role in Two and a Half Men following a falling out with writer Chuck Lorre earlier this year.

The stand-up shows have met a mixed reaction, with some audience members heckling Charlie Sheen and critics slamming the actor's jokes as unfunny.

The 63-year-old star, Jacki Weaver had to shoot a sequence which involved her running into the ocean with her clothes on at Garie Beach, south of Sydney.

Jacki Weaver admits she is not a strong swimmer and had to be pulled from the water by lifeguards twice as the waves knocked her off her feet and left her gasping for breath.

A number of high profile movies have been shot in the DUMBO - Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass - neighbourhood in recent months, including "New Year's Eve", with Robert De Niro, Hilary Swank and Sarah Jessica Parker, and "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close", featuring Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock.
Residents have now lodged official complaints about the shoots, accusing film crews of hogging parking spots and restricting access to the roads around the area.

Gus Sheha of the DUMBO Neighborhood Foundation, tells the New York Post, "It's impossible to find a parking spot these days, between the streets being ripped up and all the filming."

The former bodybuilder and action star, Arnold Schwarzenegger was known for his ripped physique and chiselled profile throughout his career in the movie business. He stepped away from Hollywood to make his mark as California governor and is now preparing to make his big screen comeback, but Arnold Schwarzenegger fears he has lost his looks as well as his confidence over the years.

He tells Newsweek, "I feel terrific about where I am in my life, when I look back at what I've accomplished. But I feel sh**ty when I look at myself in the mirror. I'm not competing, I'm not ripping off my shirt and trying to sell the body. But when I stand in front of the mirror and really look, I wonder: What the f**k happened here? Jesus Christ. What a beating!"

Mischa Barton has been used to endorse a sex toy. TMZ has recently uncovered that the actress playing Sonja Stone on the short-lived "The Beautiful Life: TBL" has had her face being featured on a box of a vibrating, ring-shaped sex toy which can only be bought in rural China.

Representative for the former star of "The O.C.", however, was quick to put off any speculation that may be caused by the placement of her photo on the package. Asked whether the actress has a line of sex toys on the Asian market, the rep told the gossip site, "Um. No. She's not endorsing any such toy."

20th Century Fox has shared another new clip of "Water for Elephants". The newly-released video sees Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon, and Christoph Waltz enjoying their dinner in a restaurant.

Almost at the same time the clip was debuted, Pattinson attended the world premiere of the movie on Sunday, April 17, in New York City. Also coming to the red carpet event were Witherspoon and Waltz.

HBO has finally premiered "Game of Thrones" on Sunday, April 17, followed with a release of preview to the second episode. Things are getting complicated with Bran's fate remains in doubt after witnessing a love affair.

Ned, who has agreed to become the King's Hand, is warned that a war is coming. He leaves Westeros with daughters Sansa and Arya, while Catelyn stays behind to tend to Bran. Jon Snow heads north to join the brotherhood of the Night's Watch.

Fresh "Last Night" clip is now available online. In the one-minute video, Keira Knightley's Joanna has a dinner with Griffin Dunne's Truman in a local restaurant, where she is pressed with questions about her personal life and her husband.

The drama movie centers on Knightley's Joanna and Sam Worthington's Michael Reed. After attending one of Michael's business parties, Joanna notices a curious moment between him and his co-worker Laura, who is portrayed by Eva Mendes. The happily married couple then is tempted to stray as Michael goes on a business trip with Laura while Joanna encounters her past love, played by Guillaume Canet, at home.

2011 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is coming to an end. The three-day summer music event was closed on Sunday night, April 17 with live theatrical performances by Kanye West. When the lights were on, a number of female dancers filled the stage and broke into a choreographed number.

Kanye himself made a grand entrance by flying on a crane over the concertgoers. He landed on the stage which had a carved stone as a backdrop, and proceeded to lead fans through triumphant performances of "Power", "Dark Fantasy" and "Devil in a New Dress". When bringing his "Monster", he was supported by Bon Iver, much to fans' delight.

Raptress Nicki Minaj continues giving lap dances in every city of the "I Am Still Music II" tour. When stopping by Dallas, Texas for a show last Friday night, April 15, the "Moment 4 Life" singer showed her appreciation to two soldiers for their service to the country by treating them to the sexy dance.

The 26-year-old has been playing up her sexy and vampy image on the tour. She has previously confined her mentor Lil Wayne on a chair and shaken her booties for his excitement during a show in Long Island, New York. Most recently, she gave NBA hoop star Chris Paul a tame lap dance when performing in New Orleans.

After Carlos learns the truth about her mother's death, he bans Gaby from befriending Bree. But nothing cannot separate the twosome as a preview to the upcoming episode of "Desperate Housewives" hints that they still have a meeting.

Saved by the late Beth Young's kidney donation, Susan begins to have some inappropriate dreams about Paul Young. As for Felicia, she tries to regain Mrs. McCluskey's trust in her campaign to bring down Paul.

Taylor Kitsch has opened up about his upcoming film "John Carter of Mars". Speaking in an interview with MTV, the actor of "The Bang Bang Club" admitted he had seen the trailer, saying "I saw the official trailer hours ago."

As he had seen the trailer, Taylor believed that it will be difficult to comprehend. "Man, I would love to get going and tell you everything about it," he said. "All I'll say is, good luck piecing it together. You're going to be like, 'How the f**k does this all fit together?' " He further added, "And there's a lot of heart in it too, to say the least. Yeah, I'm excited about it."

Lil B made people raise their eyebrows when he announced to release a new album under the title "I'm Gay" last week. The West Coast rapper broke the news when he took one of the stages at 2011 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on Saturday, April 16.

Lil B told the crowd, "I'm gonna do the most controversial thing in hip-hop." The Hip-Hop performer added, "Ya'll heard it first. And I'mma just show you that words don't mean s**t. I'mma make an album called 'I'm Gay,' right."

Will Schuester and Holly Holiday's lovey dovey acts might not last long though their romance seems to blossom in the upcoming episode. Matthew Morrison has hinted that his character and Jayma Mays' Emma may grow closer again at the end of season 2.

"Toward the end of the first season, we really pushed [the Will and Emma romance]," Morrison began spilling the beans. "I think the same thing is going to happen at the end of this season. We're going to see that build."

A little over two months ago, people do not recognize the name Rebecca Black, but now some shudder upon hearing it while some are simply delighted. A 13-year-old teenager from California, Black acquired fame through none other than YouTube. Her single "Friday" and its independently-produced video were subject to criticisms for the song's inane lyrics.

But the numbers proved otherwise. The video recently logged 100 million YouTube views, faster than Justin Bieber's "Baby" hitting the mark. It took Black only 63 days to hit the number while Bieber took 67 days to get there. In addition, Billboard.com said last month that Black earns about $27,000 a week for selling "Friday" on iTunes where her single is ranked at number 45 as best-selling single.

Russell Brand might be away for his "Arthur" promo duties, but Katy Perry apparently has another arm to hold onto. The "Firework" hitmaker was snapped walking arm-in-arm with a male friend on Saturday, April 16 while enjoying the second day of the 2011 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

Making her way to the next performance, the 26-year-old singer was surrounded by a group of friends. For the outing, she wore a cream, layered lace dress with matching head band and a long string or pearls. She also sported an over the shoulder bag and dark shades. Her companion was dressed in a pair of cut-off black shorts.

British rockers Radiohead have denied rumors they are releasing a second album of material from "The King of Limbs" recording sessions, insisting they plan to "start afresh" with new songs. The band unveiled its eighth studio album in February and hopeful fans were quick to speculate that the "Creep" hitmakers had an imminent follow-up waiting to hit shelves.

The rumors were fueled after two new tracks, "Supercollider" and "The Butcher", leaked online. But guitarist Ed O'Brien insists those songs are actually part of a special vinyl EP they created to mark Britain's Record Store Day on Saturday, April 16, when fans are encouraged to go out and buy music from independent shops.

Snoop Dogg is convinced artists need to embrace Twitter.com if they want to make progress with their careers - because the microblogging website is the "number one key in music right now". The rapper regularly updates fans using his account and he's adamant Twitter has massively changed the way the music industry works.

Snoop Dogg also fears stars won't be able to keep up with their chart rivals if they don't embrace the social networking phenomenon. He says, "I feel it's the number one key in music right now. Having that relationship with fans where it's not based on your record label, it's based on you. When you are tweeting, it's not about what label you're on, it's about you dealing with your fans directly."

The men will not be annoyed by Gary Busey anymore. On April 17, the actor who had created drama on the show with his inappropriate behavior has been fired by Donald Trump after his team lost while he was serving as a project manager.

The task was to present a cooking demonstration for Omaha Steaks in front of a live studio audience using their products with three dishes and a package. They will be judged on marketing, originality and presentation. Hope Dworaczyk led the women team.

Lady GaGa's potentially-offensive music video in support of her new single "Judas" has been teased in a picture. In this black-and-white image, the "Born This Way" hitmaker is seen wearing long-sleeved outfit with her hair pulled back in a tight bun. She wears a cat-eye make-up and a protrusion on her cheekbone.

In this upcoming music video, GaGa is going to play Mary Magdalene opposite "Hawaii Five-0" actor Norman Reedus who is tapped to portray Judas. It hasn't got any premiere date, but has already received criticism from the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights.

Natalie Portman's unwillingness to jump into an icy lake for another movie scene has been blown out of proportion since the actress' body double in "Black Swan" launched a protest on the amount of full body shots she did for the Oscar-winning role. Portman, as seen in the trailer of "Your Highness", is butt-naked but she only did one shot.

Daily Mail went to investigate the matter and got hold of the girl whose face was obscured by Portman's. An Irish student by the name of Caroline Davis said, "I'm a film studies student so I jumped at the chance to be on set." Davis, who came from Ulster where the movie was filmed, claimed she was paid GBP250 to take the plunge to the lake. Portman meanwhile only did a scene where she stood on the edge of the lake with a thong bikini.

Newly-released "Rio" is soaring high at North American box office. Produced with about $90 million, the 20th Century Fox movie hits the chart's peak with $39.2 million in its ticket sales from 3,826 theaters.

On the runner up position is "Scream 4". The latest installment of "Scream" film franchise opens with $18.7 million. The horror film did not start well when it is compared to "Scream 2" which debuted with $32.9 million, and "Scream 3" which started with $34.7 million at the domestic box office.

A representative for Lee Ryan has defended the British pop star after he was accused of failing to keep up with maintenance payments for his lovechild - revealing the singer "has not been earning much money" recently.

The Blue star is engaged to current partner Samantha Miller, the mother of his young son Rayn, but in 2009 he was shocked to discover he also fathered a daughter with ex-girlfriend Jessica Keevil. A DNA test proved Ryan's paternity and he vowed to "definitely be a part of" little Bluebelle's life, while also helping her mother out with maintenance payments.

"Black Hawk Down" star William Fichtner beat actor-turned-racer Frankie Muniz and Brian Austin Green to finish first in Saturday's Pro-Celebrity Race at the Long Beach Grand Prix in California.

Fichtner, driving a Scion tC, finished three seconds ahead of second-placed Ken Gushi, a professional Japanese drift racer, after 10 laps of the Long Beach street course. Actor Michael Trucco was placed third, ahead of Muniz. Green was eighth but showed he's a winner outright when his sexy wife Megan Fox showed up to support her man.

Christina Aguilera's boyfriend has been cleared from his DUI case. Just days after the singer's divorce from Jordan Bratman was finalized, TMZ reported that the Los Angeles County District Attorney has dropped the drunk driving charges against Matt Rutler because there is not enough evidence to prosecute him.

25-year-old Matt apparently was not too drunk when he was arrested and booked for suspicion of DUI in early March. Law enforcement officials informed the gossip site that at the time of his arrest, his blood alcohol content was determined to be .06, just below the .08 percent threshold for California's legal limit to operate a vehicle.

Jennifer Lopez's brand new song "Papi" has finally been unlocked after getting a certain amount of "likes" on Facebook. She lures her fans to the dance floor with uplifting beat, singing "Move your body, move your body. Dance for your papi. Rock your body, rock your body. Dance for your papi."

In related news, J.Lo was accused of plagiarism by a Bollywood composer Bappi Lahiri. "Jennifer Lopez's new song 'On the Floor' that has a Lambada-sampling, and has become a huge hit, is identical to my song 'Sochna Kya Jo Bhi Hoga Dekha Jayega'," the musician told PTI

"Britain's Got Talent" has found 19-year-old IT engineer Michael Collings. The fifth series was kicked off on Saturday, April 16 with a few great talents such as Collings who amazed the judges with his rendition of Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car".

Two factors backed up the popularity of Collings. First is an inspiring story of how he wants to put his family together for a better future and second is his Susan Boyle-like appearance. Collings said in the pre-show interview that he lives in a caravan with his parents and is looking forward to provide for his fiancee Sarah and their baby son. "It would be such a relief not to have to worry about money all the time like we do now," he said.

Australia, where actor Chris Hemsworth was native to, staged the first world premiere of "Thor". Held at Sydney's Event Cinemas George Street on Sunday, April 17, the premiere was attended by most of the main cast except for Natalie Portman who is heavily pregnant with her first child, and Anthony Hopkins.

Supporting Hemsworth were co-stars Jaimie Alexander, who plays Thor's childhood friend named Sif and Tom Hiddleston who plays the villain Loki, as well as director Kenneth Branagh. A number of Australian and European celebrities such as Eva Simons, Esther Anderson and Damian Walshe-Howling also walked the red carpet.

From India, "The Amazing Race: Unfinished Business" moved to Vienna, Austria. Five teams got on a flight that arrived earlier than the cowboys who took a flight that only required one connection.

The teams were given 2012 Ford Focuses that have a video message from Phil telling them to use the My Ford Touch system. The clue led them to Schloss Schallaburg, a castle where they found the next clue. From the castle, the teams got another clue which sent them to the National Library where they faced a detour.

Robert Pattinson has supported "Water for Elephants" world premiere on Sunday, April 17. At the event, held at Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City, the depicter of Jacob Jankowski donned his dashing dark gray suit.

After spending time posing and taking pictures with fans, Robert talked to MTV News about the premiere. Asked about how the premiere different from "Twilight" premieres, Rob said with a laugh, "Well, not that different." He added, "They weren't very scream-y. They were very nice fans."

David Arquette got notoriously open about his personal life after separating from wife Courteney Cox back in October. Now, the "Scream 4" actor admitted to People Magazine that he was behaving immaturely. When met at Hollywood Bites Back event in Los Angeles last Saturday, April 16, he insisted it was all to express his pain due to the split.

"I went through a really hard time, and my way of dealing with it was just to blow it all up," explained the 39-year-old, who has sought help for his "alcohol and other issues" and been sober for more than 100 days. "I did act childish[ly], but at the same time I had to - I was really hurt. It was hard for me to deal with this, but what I had to do ultimately was step back and take a look at myself."

There was a wrath from animal lovers when "The Hangover Part II" director Todd Phillips said the monkey in the comedy film is addicted to cigarettes. Phillips has followed up his statement, saying in an e-mail to Movie Line, "This was a joke. I make comedies."

Phillips' joke was quoted from an interview with Total Film Magazine. "I wanted the monkey to smoke so we had to train her to. She was just shooting Cameron Crowe's movie 'We Bought a Zoo'. And the monkey won't stop smoking," he said, adding later, "Now I have PETA after me because the monkey's become addicted to cigarettes."

Lady GaGa's much-awaited studio album "Born This Way", which is due in the United States on May 23, has been unwrapped. Over the weekend, the Mother Monster took to her Twitter to reveal two black-and-white pictures which will be featured on the front pages of the standard and special edition of the upcoming CD.

The one made for the standard package depicts GaGa as part human and part motorcycle. Her head sits at the top of the shiny bike, wearing bright-red lipstick and snarling to the camera. Meanwhile, her two arms take hold of the front wheel, and handlebars are protruding from her shoulders.

Nicolas Cage has been bailed out of a jail. The "Drive Angry" actor was arrested on Saturday morning, April 16, in New Orleans on charges of domestic violence, disturbing the peace and public drunkenness, but released later that afternoon after Duane Chapman, a.k.a. Dog the Bounty Hunter, posted his $11,000 bond.

In a statement to E! News, Duane said, "Media from around the world have been requesting interviews with me today after reports surfaced about my posting a bond for actor Nicolas Cage in New Orleans." He continued, "I am a truly dedicated fan of Mr. Cage and will not be granting any interviews about my client as I wish to respect his privacy."

A promo for "Smallville" final episode has been unleashed. It sees montage of shots from the series' old episodes and ends with voice of Clark learning who he is destined to be. All of the scenes are set to legendary composer John Williams' classic score from the original 1978 Superman movie.

Michael Rosenbaum is set to return as villain Lex Luthor in the two-hour finale. Dishing on the character's return, executive producer Kelly Souders has said, "Having Lex come back is huge, and Lionel Luthor. It's really interesting; between Tess and Lionel and Lex it gets a little complicated, well that's probably not the right word, but it's certainly exciting."

Kings of Leon recently scrapped a series March shows when the drummer, Nathan Followill, injured his shoulder, but he has recuperated faster than expected.

Speaking backstage before the band's set, he told RollingStone.com, "I had shoulder surgery on December 23rd, and they told me I wouldn't be able to play for probably nine months. Well, that was three and a half months ago."

George Michael, who has recorded a cover version of Stevie Wonder's "You & I" as a wedding gift to the prince and his bride-to-be Kate Middleton, has always been fond of the young royal, who is the son of his late friend Princess Diana.

He says, "I have quite an emotional attachment to what's going on here because I felt so badly for those boys when she (Diana) passed away and, having experienced losing my mother about three or four months before that, that day was very very strange for me."

Feeder has released "Side-By-Side" to help raise money for aid efforts in Japan in the aftermath of last month's devastating earthquake and tsunami disasters.

Grant Nicholas' wife, Kana, is Japanese and their two children have close links to the country, while Hirose was born in Mizuho, Japan.

The former "Gavin & Stacey" star, Sheridan Smith is currently appearing alongside Sienna Miller in a production of Flare Path at the Theatre Royal Haymarket.

Sheridan Smith was targeted by thieves after she left the venue following a recent performance and attacked at a bus stop in the city's busy Piccadilly Circus, according to Britain's Mail on Sunday.

The Monty Python star famously endured a bitter divorce from third wife Alyce Faye Eichelberger in 2009, handing over $12 million (GBP, 8 million) in cash and assets as part of their settlement.

He subsequently found love again with 39-year-old jewellery designer Jennifer Wade, who he started dating at the end of 2009.

The 54-year-old "Sex and the City" star, Kim Cattrall has two failed marriages and an annulment behind her, but she can still see herself settling down with the right man.

But she tells CNN newsman Piers Morgan, "I'm also realistic and I think that one of the main reasons that people do get married is to create a home for children and that's not going to happen."

Elizabeth Hurley has documented life on her farm in Gloucestershire, England in a new documentary, which was due to air in the U.K. later this month.

But a spokesperson for the Sky Living channel has now confirmed the show, titled "Living With Elizabeth Hurley", has been removed from the broadcast schedule and currently does not have an air date. The news comes amid rumours the series will be re-edited to remove scenes featuring Hurley's estranged husband Arun Nayar, who she split from late last year.

Julie Andrews recalls the couple's early meetings, calling them "very Hollywood", in a new interview with the Los Angeles Times.

She explains, "I'd met him in passing at some reception many many years before I actually personally met him... (but) I was crossing Sunset Boulevard one day and I was at the middle meridian and waiting to cross. A beautiful car pulled up beside me, and I just looked over and then he drove on."