May 09, 2011

MTV has just announced the celebrities who would not only walk on the red carpet of 2011 MTV Movie Awards on June 5, but also present the Golden Popcorn. Young stars like Nicki Minaj, Selena Gomez, Shia LaBeouf and Emma Stone are among them.

LaBeouf's "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" co-star Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is also in the list, providing the perfect platform to promote the movie ahead of its July 1 release in the United States. Others named in the first batch are Cameron Diaz, Leighton Meester, Katie Cassidy, Patrick Dempsey and Josh Duhamel.

Justin Bieber apparently has heard that Marg Helgenberger called him a "brat" in a live radio interview and it didn't take him too long to respond. The heartthrob, without mentioning any name, wrote on Twitter that the "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" star's unpleasant comment was king of "lame".

Helgenberger who portrays Catherine Willow on the series where Bieber made two guest appearances told a French radio show, "I shouldn't be saying this, but he was kind of a brat," revealing Bieber locked one of the producers in the closet and smashed through a cake. But she noted that he was "very nice" to her.

The Beatles legend, Paul McCartney, 68, who has been dating the American heiress Nancy Shevell since 2007, proposed to his bride-to-be earlier this month with a 1925 Cartier engagement ring, worth an estimated $650,000 (GBP406,250).

But the happy couple is set to shun extravagant festivities to mark their marriage in favor of a "small" ceremony for close family and friends.

Michael Stipe experienced a breakdown after the band R.E.M. shot to fame in the 1980s and spent a year in the grip of the eating disorder.

Stipe admits he struggled to deal with the group's success, and ended up "unravelling on the inside".

The "Oopsy Daisy" hitmaker Chipmunk was offered a role in a branch of U.K. supermarket Sainsbury's before he shot to fame, and even though he needed the work, the hip-hop star turned the job down because of the compulsory uniform he would have to wear.

He says, "I was 16, my brother was working in Sainsbury's, I had good grades so my CV (resume) was nice. I handed my CV in and they offered me a job in the fish department. I just remember when we used to go into Sainsbury's, we always walked past the fish department and thought... I don't want to wear that hat!"

Charlie Sheen has collaborated with rapper Snoop Dogg and former Korn guitarist Rob Patterson to create the song, named after his famous catchphrase.

The track will be made available to download from Tuesday, May 10, and Sheen has promised to give the proceeds to victims of the massive storms which swept across six southern U.S. states late last month, leaving almost 300 people dead.

Last month, Imogen Stubbs announced her 21-year marriage to the theater director Trevor Nunn had come to an end, but they fueled reports of a romantic reconciliation after they were subsequently photographed together in their pajamas in the doorway of their London home.

The "Sense and Sensibility" star, who is now dating a new partner, now admits she is baffled by the fuss over their ongoing friendship and reveals she will always be fond of Trevor Nunn, the father of her two children.

Kim Cattrall, best known for playing feisty Samantha Jones in the racy franchise "Sex and the City", will be handed the Golden Gate Award at the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation ceremony in San Francisco, California.

Recipients are picked for doing work which increases "the understanding and visibility" of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

"The Business" star Danny Dyer faced fierce criticism from domestic violence groups after replying to a letter in his column for men's publication Zoo last year, telling a reader to "cut your ex's face, and then no one will want her" when asked for advice on how to get over a break-up.

Dyer was subsequently dismissed by magazine bosses, who blamed a "regrettable production error" for the furor, while the star insisted he was not to blame - claiming he had been misquoted.

The Bollywood star Tania Zaetta is the sole director of Peace for the Children (PFTC), which has been the subject of an investigation by officials at the Queensland Office of Fair Trading since March.

Authorities have found the organization was not properly registered and a solicitor for the charity, Clinton Smith, has now confirmed the body will be shut down. He also blamed a slip-up on Zaetta's behalf for the documentation problem.

The legendary writer/director Arthur Laurents helped launch Barbra Streisand's career by casting her in her first Broadway musical, "I Can Get It for You Wholesale", and he went on to write her hit 1973 movie "The Way We Were".

Most recently, the pair was in discussions to make a big-screen adaptation of "Gypsy" but the project was thrown into jeopardy when co-creator Stephen Sondheim spoke out against making another version of the musical.

Wyclef Jean launched a campaign to run for office in Haiti last year, but he was ruled out after officials in the country declared him in eligible to join the presidential race.

Pras refused to support his former The Fugees bandmate's move into politics and instead backed the election's eventual winner, Michel Martelly, a decision which greatly angered Jean.

The famed snapper Annie Leibovitz shot Katy Perry wearing lingerie and posing with her hands on her hips for the June cover of U.S. magazine Vanity Fair, sparking comparisons to a sultry advertising campaign Dita Von Teese starred in for underwear firm Wonderbra in 2008.

Leibovitz has now denied borrowing ideas from Von Teese, telling the New York Post's Page Six column, "I'd never seen the Wonderbra ad. Katy's is a classic pose as old as the hills."

The 30 year old, Sean Stewart who has appeared on U.S. reality TV show "Celebrity Rehab", hit headlines in October when his car was stopped by cops for an alleged traffic violation. Police subsequently detained him after discovering an outstanding arrest warrant for allegedly driving on a suspended license.

Rod Stewart's son Sean is now facing more legal woes after executives at a car rental firm filed a lawsuit claiming he damaged a Bentley, which was hired from the company by his fiancee, Chanel Kendall, back in September.

The four-piece Blue - including Duncan James, Lee Ryan, Simon Webbe and Antony Costa - shot to fame in 2001 with their debut "All Rise" and sold millions of records worldwide.

They parted ways in 2005 - and James is sure their break-up was down to being overworked.

The film marks Mel Gibson's first appearance onscreen since his troubled personal life hit headlines last year and the release was pushed back several times as the actor dealt with his split from Oksana Grigorieva, her allegations of violence, a custody battle over their daughter and leaked tapes of their arguments.

"The Beaver", which tells the story of a man struggling with depression who uses a glove puppet as an outlet for his feelings, was given a limited release in the U.S. this weekend but it failed to make an impact on movie fans, scoring just $104,000 (GBP65,000) in box office takings, according to figures released by distributor company Summit Entertainment.

Johnny Depp needs solitude to dream up persona for his roles, so he visits a spa to relax on his own.

Depp admits he has created some of his most famous movie characters, including "Pirates of the Caribbean"'s Captain Jack Sparrow and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory's Willy Wonka, while basking in a sauna.

Ryan Reynolds and Rupert Grint have posed with 'milk mustaches' in the new "Make Mine Milk" promotion, similar to America's famous "Got Milk?" ads.

Ryan Reynolds dons his "Green Lantern" costume for the promotional shot, while Rupert Grint is seen with a wide grin in his picture - and the "Harry Potter" star hopes he can encourage fans to drink more milk.

The "Baywatch" star - David Hasselhoff's girls Taylor-Ann and Hayley urged their famous dad to appear as himself in the 2004 animated film "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie" and Hasselhoff admits the project gained him new fans.

He tells Britain's OK! TV, "I got an offer to do a cameo in the 'SpongeBob Movie' and I turned to my girls, who were like 16 and 14, and I said, 'Who's SpongeBob?' and they said, 'Oh my God, Dad, it's the number one cartoon in the world, you gotta do it.'"

Hulk Hogan spent Sunday, May 8, in a reflective mood to mark the first Mother's Day since his beloved mum died. The 57-year-old wrestling icon lost his mum Ruth on New Year's Eve, December 31, 2010, and he took to his Twitter page on America's Mother's Day to express his sadness at her passing.

"Happy Mother's Day to all, this is the first one for me without my mom. My dad, brother and mom have all crossed over. I'm still hangin [sic]," Hogan told fans.

Ned Stark and King Robert's relationship is taking a bad turn in the upcoming episode of "Game of Thrones". The two are clashing of the king's order of a preemptive strike against the Targaryens, a defiant stand that leaves the Hand in a precarious position.

While Ned refuses to be involved in the assassination planned by the king, Arya overhears a conversation that threatens her father's life. Tyrion receives a rude welcome at the Eyrie from Catelyn's sister Lysa, and Sansa catches the eye of a handsome knight.

Johnny Depp found himself longing for another child after his "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" co-star Penelope Cruz became a first-time mother. The "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" actress was pregnant for part of the film shoot and she gave birth to her first child with husband Javier Bardem in January.

Depp has spent time with the new parents and their baby son, and admits he is now keen to add to his brood with long term partner Vanessa Paradis. He tells Britain's Daily Mirror, "It's great to watch the three of them in action. It's just adorable and it makes you incredibly broody and clucky."

Actress Catherine Zeta-Jones is backing a $1.6 million (GBP1 million) campaign to protect a farm in her native Wales. The "Chicago" star wants officials at Britain's National Trust to acquire the 600-acre Llyndy Isaf property in picturesque Snowdonia so they can preserve the site, which is home to threatened wildlife species.

"The National Trust plays a key role in protecting and managing the Welsh countryside," she says. "The beauty and landscape of Snowdonia is truly unique and we have a once in a lifetime opportunity to protect Llyndy Isaf in this stunning part of Wales for future generations."

Jessica Simpson is clearly confident with how her legs look like. Coming to the set of a photo shoot in Beverly Hills, California last Saturday, May 7, the 30-year-old singer was snapped hiding her ultra short denim shorts under a baggy green sweater, leaving an impression she was wearing no pants at all.

Letting her long blond hair loosely around her shoulders, the "Come on Over" singer was joined by fiance Eric Johnson, sister Ashlee Simpson and nephew Bronx. 31-year-old Eric came wearing a backwards baseball cap, black hooded top and jeans, while 26-year-old Ashlee sported a porkpie hat, a striped tank, knee length black skirt and biker boots.

Fresh images from "The Amazing Spider-Man" emerge. One of the pictures gives the first look at Rhys Ifans as Dr. Curt Connor. He is seen wearing a green sock on his right palm, suggesting that visual effect experts will either chop it off or replace it with the special-effect onset of his alter ego.

Other photos see Andrew Garfield and Martin Sheen, who take the role of Peter Parker a.k.a. Spider-Man and Ben Parker respectively. Director Marc Webb was also snapped on the set.

Chris Brown's never-before-heard track called "Fools With You" has just hit the web. It has the R&B crooner singing his heart out to the woman of his dreams. "Tell me when tell me where, whatever you want baby I do it all for you/ Kinda love kinda strong I mean it and I dont give a damn," he cooes.

Coming out via RapRadar, the song is a slow-riding jam. It could possibly appear in Breezy's upcoming project "Fortune" which is expected to arrive later this year, or it might be just a leftover from his previous set "F.A.M.E.".

After the official line-up was revealed during the weekend, four "The X Factor (US)" judges have began filming on Sunday, May 8. Arriving at Galen Center in Los Angeles, California to audition singer wannabes, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell showed a lot of affection as they embraced each other and shared a little kiss.

"I'm very comfortable with her. And she's funny - she really is funny," Cowell said of his former fellow "American Idol" judge. "I think she's going to feel a lot of pressure, because there is a lot at stake here. ... Look, I missed her when she left 'Idol.' I was always very clear about that. I want to see her when we were really happy, which was probably the middle of 'Idol,' maybe season 4, 5. ... I'd like to get back to those times again."

"Harry Potter" star Rupert Grint is encouraging people to drink more milk. Taking part in the "Make Mine Milk" campaign, the actor famed for his Ron Weasley portrayal appears on thousands of bus sides and posters across England, Scotland, and Wales, sporting a wide grin with milk mustache decorating his upper lip.

"I come from a big family and my mum always made sure we had lots of milk to drink as kids. It's low in fat, refreshing and good for you, and really tasty too," said the 22-year-old on benefit of drinking milk. "Nowadays I still have milk with cereal for breakfast and always try to pick up a milky cappuccino when I'm on set or on a photo shoot - it's important to get your daily dose of milk."

Lloyd Banks has just debuted a music video in support of his latest single "So Forgetful". In this clip, he shares screen with R&B crooner Ryan Leslie who lends his vocals on the song. It follows the two buddies as they hit the studio for a recording session.

"The way we put the record together was kind of how the video is playing out," he once said. "I stopped by the studio, [Leslie] was working on a few sounds, and he plays everything, from the drums to the keys. So, he basically started, and I just started writing the verses, and it came to life."

After some on-set pictures from "Cogan's Trade" leaked online in March, a still from the movie is now unveiled. The image which is obtained from Screen Daily via The Playlist features a better look at Brad Pitt, who dons black leather jacket and sports slicked hair while holding a shotgun.

"Cogan's Trade" tells a story of Jackie Cogan, a guy who investigates a heist that happens during high stakes of poker game under the protection of the mob. Based on a novel by George V. Higgins of the same name, the movie has Andrew Dominick direct and pen the script.

Things will be very intense in "Desperate Housewives" season 7 finale. Susan is worrying about a killer that may be in her house after a progressive dinner party thrown to celebrate her move back onto the lane leads to a shocking murder. She additionally tries to convince the police that she was being framed for the deed by Felicia after being placed under arrest for allegedly poisoning Paul.

Gaby, in the meantime, is made terrified of a man who shuts her mouth up. She will learn the identity of the mysterious man who has been stalking her in this episode.

HBO has debuted a new promo for "True Blood" season 4 to tide fans over the June premiere. Called "Screen Test", the video does not include any footage from the new season but features the actors like Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Alexander Skarsgard, Ryan Kwanten, Joe Manganiello and many more staring at the camera while Lightnin' Hopkins' "The Trouble Blues" is playing.

According to several sites, the first episode of the upcoming season will be called "She's Not There" and follow Sookie as she journeys away from Bon Temps. Eric and Bill try to win back the human public, while Jason learns that no good deed goes unpunished.

Lindsay Lohan has channeled her vampire side in the name of art. The actress, who recently landed a role in "Gotti: Three Generations", is featured baring fangs and sporting red lips in a set of four photos taken by Tyler Shields for his "Life Is Not a Fairytale" exhibition. One of the pictures captures her posing with "The Vampire Diaries" actor Michael Trevino.

The 24-year-old, who made her big break in the movie biz at the age of 11, came to check out the artful shots displayed in a warehouse in East Los Angeles last Saturday night, May 7. Wearing a black and white patterned mini dress, she showed up to the event accompanied by sister Ali Lohan, and was seen chatting with Tyler.

First teaser trailer for Antonio Banderas' drama thriller, "The Skin That I Live In", has arrived online. Banderas' Robert Ledgard imprisons Elena Anaya's Vera in his house. Vera, in the meantime, unsuccessfully threatens Ledgard to let her go.

"The Skin That I Live In", which will be premiered at 2011 Cannes Film Festival, has a different storyline from the original work. In Thierry Jonquet's novel "Mygale", a plastic surgeon named Robert Ledgard is on the hunt for the men who raped his daughter. In a summary released on Cannes official site, it is said that the movie revolves around the surgeon whose wife was burnt in a car crash.

Matthew Morrison realizes that "Glee" may not be forever and he would like to have his own thing by then. He is breaking away from his Will Schuester image to craft the kind of songs he favors in "Matthew Morrison", his solo debut album which will be released this upcoming Tuesday, May 10.

"I wanted to let people in on who I am," Morrison told USA Today about the album. "I feel I'm so associated with the show now. I've done so many parts before the show, but this is what everyone knows me as."

Jennifer Lopez was forced to film additional scenes for her new music video "I'm Into You" with Lil Wayne in Los Angeles after the rapper's probation rules prevented him from flying to Mexico for the shoot.

The singer/actress, who collaborated with Wayne for her new single, went to Cancun last month for the sexy shoot, which saw her frolicking on a beach with TV star William Levy and dancing around Mayan temples.

Singer John Walker has died after a short battle with liver cancer. He was 67. The star, one of the founders of 1960s group The Walker Brothers, passed away at his Los Angeles home on Saturday, May 7. A statement on Walker's website reads, "He was a beloved husband, brother, father, grandfather, friend, and artiste."

Walker, born John Maus, learned the saxophone, clarinet and guitar as a child and formed the duo John and Judy - with his sister Judith - when he was just 14. In the 1960s, he teamed up with fellow musicians Scott Engel and Gary Leeds to become The Walker Brothers.

Actress Shannon Elizabeth is preparing to step behind the camera and embark on her first feature film as a director. The "American Pie" star has served as producer and director on a few small projects in recent years, but she's now ready to move into filmmaking - and already has one movie in development.

However, Elizabeth is refusing to reveal details about the film. She tells WENN, "I have a bunch of things in various stages of development. I've directed a music video and shorts (short films) and stuff but (I'm working on) my first full length..."

NeNe Leakes won't cause a stir among the contestants anymore, but she made another controversial move before leaving the show. She went missing after Donald Trump did her a favor by moving her to Backbone so that she did not have to work with her arc nemesis Star Jones. Meanwhile, Meat Loaf was moved to ASAP.

The first task on the three-hour episode aired on Sunday, May 8 was to produce a comedy show and raised money for charities. La Toya Jackson, who was brought back after she was fired two weeks ago, was project manager for Backbone, while Meat Loaf was project manager for the other team.

Irish actor Gabriel Byrne broke down in tears of pride when his ex-wife Ellen Barkin made her Broadway debut last month, "crying his eyes out" in the star's dressing room on opening night.

Barkin has remained close to the "Stigmata" star since their divorce in 1999 and she reveals he was overcome with emotion when he joined her backstage to help celebrate her critically-acclaimed performance in "The Normal Heart", a Broadway revival of Larry Kramer's semi-autobiographical play.

Sean Kingston has gone to Middle East in a viral video for the "freestyle" version of Wiz Khalifa's single "Roll Up". The Reggae fusion artist is seen taking a stroll around Dubai while throwing his verses in a Jamaican accent.

The new version of "Roll Up" is recorded for Sean's latest mixtape which reportedly is due on June 15. Meanwhile, the original version of the song appears in Wiz's major-label debut album "Rolling Papers" which peaked at No. 2 on Billboard Hot 200 since making its way out in March.

R&B singer Chris Brown has celebrated his 22nd birthday with one party after another. Less than a week after he was forced to pull the plug on his concert in Perth, Australia due to a severe viral illness, the "Look at Me Now" singer partied the night away in Miami and Las Vegas for two straight days.

The "With You" hitmaker first hit the Club Play in Miami, Florida on Friday night, May 6. He was snapped ditching his shirt and baring his tattooed chest during the bash which was packed with fellow celebrities, including Lil Wayne, Trina, Mack Maine and Roscoe Dash. He was also seen blowing out the candles on his F.A.M.E.-decorated cake from a balcony.

Alexis Jordan's "Hush Hush" music video, which is directed by Clifton Bell, recently hit the web. The former contestant of "America's Got Talent" is hanging out with her girl friends, singing and dancing in the backseat of a convertible.

A radio-friendly song, "Hush Hush" is taken from her self-titled album "Alexis Jordan", which was released in February 2011. It's to follow up her first and second singles, "Happiness" and "Good Girl", which climbed all the way to number 1 on Billboard Dance Chart.

"Thor" shows off his strength at North American box office. The superhero movie lands at the first place by grossing $65.7 million. Costing about $150 million to produce, the film received a "B plus" rating from CinemaScore.

Meanwhile, Justin Lin-directed "Fast Five" makes a stop at number two. The last week champion now drops to the runner-up position with $32.4 million. The movie which stars Vin Diesel and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson grosses a total of $139.8 million in its second week.

"The Amazing Race: Unfinished Business" has crowned Kisha and Jen as the winners. On the episode aired on Mother's Day (Sunday, May 8), it was revealed that the sisters completed the final leg first and won $1 million which they will use to help their mom out.

The race started off with the four teams departing from Switzerland to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. There, they faced Road Block where one team member must learn to dance samba. Dressing in carnival costumes, they later led a parade.

Robert Pattinson has let his wandering eyes get caught on camera. The "Twilight Saga" heartthrob has been snapped looking down at his co-star Reese Witherspoon's cleavage while they posed together on the red carpet for the premiere of his latest drama "Water for Elephants" in Sydney, Australia on Friday, May 6.

For the red carpet event at the State Theater, 24-year-old Rob opted to go with a Prada two-button grey shine suit. His on-screen love interest, Reese, in the meantime, went with a strapless dress from Zac Posen Fall 2011 collection. She completed her look with a pair of black Christian Louboutin Very Prive 120 peep-toe pumps. Photo of Rob checking out Reese' cleavage can be seen via Hollywood Life.

Dr. Dre and Eminem's brand new duet track called "Die Hard" has been released for fans' listening pleasure on Showtime's "Fight Camp 360" over the weekend. The Hip-Hop track was played as a background music while footage of boxers Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley was adorning the screen.

"It's on, blood pressure racing, I calculate my next step, which is to accept my expectations/ Are sort of too high to meet, my reputation's in jep, yep, face it, the fans, they been upset yet patient/ I love them for that," powerhouse producer Dre throws some adrenaline-fueled verses.

"Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" has lowered the anchor at Anaheim, California, for its world premiere. On Saturday, May 7, Johnny Depp hit the premiere, which was held at Disneyland, in his black-and-white suit.

Depp, who reprises his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the fourth "Pirates of the Caribbean" film, looked neat with his new locks which was shorter than his old hair cut. Instead of doing interview with the press, he spares time with his fans.

Justin Bieber has been labeled a brat. "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" star Marg Helgenberger offered her candid thought about the "Baby" hitmaker when asked about his guest appearance on CBS's crime drama during a radio interview with France's "Le Grand Direct Des Medias".

In front of a live audience, the actress famed for her role as Catherine Willows told an interviewer, "I shouldn't be saying this, but he was kind of a brat." Though claiming that the teen heartthrob was "very nice" to her, she spilled, "But he locked one of the producers in a closet and he put his fist through a cake that was on the cast's table."

"Jersey Shore" cast's trip to Italy has been delayed once again. The stars namely The Situation, DJ Pauly D and Vinny Guadagnino have been spotted getting their suitcases packed and arriving at the airport, but they were reportedly told to hang back.

Previously, the filming was pushed back from April to May due to contract dispute with the cast and resistance from Italians. Now, the mayor of Florence has reportedly banned the cast from filming at the city's most historic landmarks such as the Uffizi gallery and Palazzo Vecchio. Radar Online says the filming permits are being worked out.

It's only been a few days since "Judas" music video was premiered, but Lady GaGa has already got ready to move on to another single. The Interscope Records artist is going to release "The Edge of Glory" as her next offering from upcoming studio album "Born This Way".

On Sunday, May 8, she tweeted, "My song THE EDGE OF GLORY will be released on itunes tomorrow to begin the countdown to album release! You want to see #TheEdgeSingleCover?" She soon followed it up by tweeting the artwork with caption, "Out tomorrow 1pm PDT. Another shot before we kiss the other side. I'm on the edge of something final we call life."

Less than a week after photos of her partying in bra surfaced, Pippa Middleton has got a lucrative bid to star in a porn movie. TMZ reported that Vivid Entertainment founder/co-chairman Steven Hirsch sent a letter to the younger sister of Kate Middleton, offering her $5 million for "just one explicit scene".

"As far as I was concerned, you were the star of the recent Royal Wedding," an excerpt from the May 6 letter read. "As I watched a broadcast of the event, I couldn't help but think that with your beauty and attitude, you could be an enormously successful adult star. This week, after seeing photos of you having a great time at a party, I decided to offer you a role in one of our upcoming movies."

Japan was left devastated in March when it was struck by an earthquake and tsunami. The double disaster caused severe damage to a nuclear reactor in Fukushima and authorities have been struggling to contain radiation levels ever since.

Justin Bieber's shows in the country were thrown into jeopardy last week when reports on TMZ.com claimed members of his crew were refusing to travel to Japan over safety concerns.

Bosses at Pink Taco in Century City colored the animal bright pink and emblazoned it with their logo in a bid to encourage passersby to step inside.

But, after a fan brought the stunt to Pink's attention, the animal rights activist decided to warn off all her followers on Twitter.

The Beatles legend Sir Paul McCartney's representative confirmed the engagement on Friday, May 6, four days after the happy couple walked the red carpet at the annual MET Gala at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art.

American heiress Nancy Shevell wasted no time in showing off her round-cut sparkler - she was snapped with her new piece of jewelery as she stepped out in the Big Apple shortly after the announcement.

Paula Abdul was revealed as the last judge on the panel on Sunday as she joined Simon Cowell, British pop star Cheryl Cole and music mogul L.A. Reid to kick off the talent search "The X Factor (US)" in Los Angeles at the University of Southern California's Galen Center.

Speaking at a press conference before the taping, Abdul told The Hollywood Reporter, "This is a brand new adventure... We have a whole new approach."

Michael Bolton showed off his hidden talent as a comedian when he teamed up with funnyman Andy Samberg and his comedy rap group The Lonely Island for the digital short Captain Jack Sparrow, a tribute to Johnny Depp's character in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies.

The funny clip featured Bolton singing about his love for the Disney franchise, while he also appeared on a boat dressed head to toe in pirate gear, complete with Sparrow's signature red bandanna, heavy eyeliner and goatee.

The German filmmaker and photographer Gunter Sachs took his own life on Saturday at his chalet in Gstaad, his son Rolf has confirmed. Reports suggest he shot himself.

Sachs, the grandson of automobile mogul Wilhelm von Opel, was a trained mathematician and economist but found fame in the 1960s after turning his attention to making documentaries.

The Welsh star Sir Anthony Hopkins portrays Odin, the King of Asgard, in the big screen Marvel adaptation, and had to have his right eye covered by a piece of gold metal as part of his costume.

Hopkins, 73, admits the temporary loss of eyesight impeded his ability to move around on his own - but that wasn't the only issue he encountered when he first began shooting.

The "X-Men 2" star Alan Cumming was enjoying a vacation with his partner Grant Shaffer in Marrakesh, where they visited Cafe Argana in the town's main square, Jemaa el-Fnaa, the night before it was bombed on April 28.

In a post on his blog, Cumming writes, "After checking into our hotel last Wednesday, Grant and I went for a walk and ate dinner at the Cafe Argana. We awoke late the next day with a start, jet lagged. Again we walked into the main square. There, we saw the Cafe Argana had been blown up by a bomb. That's what had woken us."