June 20, 2011

Director Peter Jackson has added new actors to "The Hobbit" line-up. Taking to his Facebook page, the director made it official that Evangeline Lilly and Barry Humphries will join Orlando Bloom, Andy Serkis and other cast members of the adventure fantasy movie.

Lily will take the role of a new character, a Woodland Elf named Tauriel, which means "daughter of Mirkwood". Meanwhile, Humphries will star as the Goblin King. Aside from the names of the characters, Jackson keeps the details under wrap.

Lady GaGa has once again drawn attention to herself because of her costume. The "Poker Face" hitmaker delivered a jaw dropping moment when she revealed the blue hair she glued to her armpits and crotch area during her final performance at the 2011 MuchMusic Video Awards on Sunday night, June 19.

Closing out the annual awards show, the 25-year-old eccentric singer returned to the stage to perform "Born This Way". She first hit the stage wearing a massive, black feathered jacket. As she delivered her dance anthem, she took off the jacket to reveal a black and yellow blazer before stripping down to her signature black bra and black pants and uncovered the patches of armpit and pubic hair.

NBC tries to redeem the omission of words "under God" from the United States Pledge of Allegiance at the U.S. Open golf tournament by offering an apology. The network releases a statement which is read, "It was our intent to begin our coverage of this U.S. Open championship with a feature that captured the patriotism of our national championship, held in our nation's capital for the third time."

"Regrettably, a portion of the Pledge of Allegiance that was in that feature was edited out," NBC admits its mistake, before adding "It was not done to upset anyone, and we'd like to apologize to those of you who were offended by it."

Another celebrity has got into trouble with the law because of domestic violence. Rapper Tone Loc, who rose to fame with his 1980s hits "Wild Thing" and "Funky Cold Medina", was arrested around 2:45 P.M. on Saturday afternoon, June 18 at an apartment complex in Burbank, California, TMZ reported.

According to Burbank Police Sgt. Tracy Sanchez, the West Coast rap star was taken into custody following an incident described as "a physical altercation with the mother of his child." He was reportedly taken in without incident and was booked into jail in a few hours. Later that evening, he was released on $50,000 bail.

Selena Gomez and Bruno Mars were two of the musical guests at the recent 2011 MuchMusic Video Awards. The former who also served as a co-host performed "Who Says" with The Scene, while the latter took the stage with his own band singing "Just the Way You Are".

The other performer who was anticipated by the fans was Lady GaGa who sang "The Edge of Glory" and "Born This Way". Avril Lavigne rocked out with "What the Hell", Fefe Dobson did "Stuttering", and Far East Movement pumped up the crowd with "Like a G6".

Due to Regis Philbin's impending exit from "Live with Regis and Kelly", Disney-ABC Domestic Television is currently looking for his replacement. According to Wall Street Journal, the company has narrowed down the list to three names, which are Ryan Seacrest, Andy Cohen and Mark Consuelos.

Seacrest has hosted American Idol" since the first season, but his contract with the FOX reality show would expire for the first time in years soon. His name emerged as a potential successor soon after Philbin announced his resignation, because 36-year-old is a fan of the senior host.

Sacha Baron Cohen continues doing his hilarious scene for "The Dictator". During a filming in New York on June 19, the British funnyman, who wore his Saddam Hussein-like costume, saluted the crowd while parading on a camel.

"The whole get up was hilarious, and we are all looking forward to seeing how the film turns out," an onlooker said as quoted by Daily Mail. "Even by the standards of New York, that is not something you see every day. The only thing more impressive than the camel was Baron Cohen's ridiculous beard."

Jennifer Lopez's recent wardrobe malfunction has been blamed for a delay in the singer's current legal battle with former husband Ojani Noa. A hearing over the dispute between the "On the Floor" hitmaker and her ex-husband regarding the release of her private tape was actually scheduled for Monday, June 20, but E! News reported her attorneys have asked the court to postpone it.

Representatives for the season 10 judge of "American Idol" have yet to make any comments about the rescheduled hearing, but a spokesman for Ojani has a hypothesis on the possible reason behind. The rep told E! News, "We are assuming the reason is to avoid press regarding Jennifer Lopez's wardrobe malfunction."

TNT has finally premiered its first foray into science fiction, "Falling Skies", on Sunday, June 19. Following the two-hour premiere, a promo for the third episode and the remaining season 1 is aired to tease viewers what the resistance will do to fight back against the invading aliens.

In the upcoming episode titled "Prisoner of War", Noah Wyle's Tom Mason is bringing a dead body of an alien to be examined. He comes to a conclusion that the alien looks almost like human. Meanwhile, Dr. Michael Harris joins the 2nd Mass with a theory about what might save the teenagers abducted by the aliens.

LMFAO are gearing up to release their second studio album "Sorry for Party Rocking" across the United States on June 21. The uncle and nephew duo are ready to get the party started and shake the dance floor this summer with their collection of some delectable, fun, and uplifting tracks.

To prove that point, they have already started their invasion with a smash hit "Party Rock Anthem" which peaked at No. 1 on eight countries worldwide and climbed to the top 10 in many others. In the U.S., the Lauren Bennett and GoonRock-assisted single reached No. 3 on Billboard Hot 100, marking their first-ever top 10 single.

After throwing a trailer serving as a spoof for "Green Lantern", a full trailer for "The Muppets" has finally been debuted. This newly-released snippet involves sword fights, romantic scenes, a full-on brawl and fart gags, and shows a new footage where Jason Segel and Amy Adams send a puppet into an electrocution accident.

Also being featured in the forthcoming movie are the likes of Chris Cooper, Rashida Jones, Emily Blunt, Ricky Gervais, and Rachael Ray. James Bobin serves behind the lens for the film which is slated for November 23 release nationwide.

Britney Spears has just teased her soon-to-be-released "I Wanna Go" music video. Contrary to rumor suggesting she would be saved by a hunky model from paparazzi, it was revealed in the official preview that she is quite capable of handling the issue herself. Standing tall on the hood of a cab, she grabs a mic and whips it against them.

"I-I-I wanna go-o-o all the way-ay-ay... but not quite yet," Britney tweeted along with the teaser. She's going to release it for fans' viewing pleasure this coming Wednesday, June 22, two days before the eligibility period for 2011 MTV Video Music Awards closes on June 24.

A new Miss USA has been named at the annual beauty pageant. Alyssa Campanella, a 21-year-old auburn-haired beauty representing California, outshone 50 other women to take the coveted title in a ceremony taking place at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas on Sunday night, June 19.

The full-time model won over the judges with her strut in a blue bikini with white polka dots and in a dark turquoise evening gown. When asked about legalizing marijuana during the final Q&A phase, she said, "I understand that medical marijuana is very important for those who need it legally. It's abused, but that's the only reason I'd be against it. I'm not sure legalizing it would have much of an effect on the drug war."

"Game of Thrones" has just wrapped the first season, but HBO does not waste time to promote its second season. A teaser of trailer for the next chapter is aired after the season 1 finale on Sunday, July 19 to remind viewers that the show will return sometime in spring 2012.

There is no new footage in the clip but it has been known that the season 2 will be based on "A Clash of Kings", which is the second book in George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series. When its renewal was announced in April, it had not been determined when the production will be kicked off.

Khloe Kardashian is putting her family first. The leading lady of "Khloe & Lamar" threw an engagement party for older sister Kim Kardashian and her new fiance Kris Humphries on Thursday, June 16, a day before she and her family jetted off to Las Vegas to celebrate her upcoming 27th birthday.

Met during the NIVEA Challenge in Bel Air, California on Sunday, June 19, the TV personality opened up to Us Weekly that she helped organize the engagement bash and added she only had three days to arrange it all. "We obviously move really fast in my family. We're so crazy busy, and Kris was going back to Minnesota to be with his family," she explained.

Lady GaGa and Justin Bieber were big winners at the 2011 MuchMusic Video Awards, which took place on June 19 in Toronto, Canada, by sweeping the most prizes. Previously winning one each at the beginning of the televised show, GaGa and Bieber added another trophy near the end of the event.

The Mother Monster took home UR Fave International Video, thanks to her "Born This Way" clip. After beating Bruno Mars and Eminem in International Video of the Year - Artist, she once again tackled the two male artists in this category. She additionally won over Selena Gomez and Britney Spears.

"Cars 2" has been brought to Los Angeles for its premiere. Coming to the special screening on Saturday, June 18 at the El Capitan Theatre were the likes of Owen Wilson and Nicole Scherzinger.

Wilson, along with co-star Peter Jacobson, opted for a neat style by wearing black tuxedo while walking the blue carpet. Scherzinger, in the meantime, seemed to prefer a brighter look.

Oprah Winfrey is off the air for now, but she is still in the hearts of daytime show viewers. Thus, the 38th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards, which was just held on Sunday, June 19 in Las Vegas, presented a tribute to the former host of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" during the live ceremony.

Gladys Knight opened the tribute by singing "That's What Friends Are For" as scenes from Oprah's daytime talk show were shown. The Empress of Soul then introduced Dr. Mehmet Oz who said, "Oprah, thank you for being the dean of Oprah University and teaching me the fundamentals of hosting."

2011 MuchMusic Video Awards has been kicked off live from Toronto, Canada on June 19. Lucky musicians who were announced as early winners at the televised show included teen singer Justin Bieber, Young Money rapper Drake and Mother Monster Lady GaGa.

Bieber and Drake shared a trophy for International Video of the Year by a Canadian, winning over Arcade Fire, Avril Lavigne and Fefe Dobson. The pop singer and rapper accepted the award from actor Colin Farrell and co-host Selena Gomez.

"The Bold and the Beautiful" still reigns at Daytime Emmy Awards. After winning Outstanding Drama Series title last year, the show scores the same coveted prize at the 38th annual ceremony. It marks the third time in a row the CBS soap snatching the trophy, tying the record of "Santa Barbara" (1988-1990).

"Bold and the Beautiful" gets other awards through Heather Tom who is named Outstanding Supporting Actress and Scott Clifton who is dubbed Outstanding Younger Actor. Additionally, the show is tied with "The Young and the Restless" for Drama Series Directing Team title.

Soap opera stars, talk show hosts and journalists have joined the celebration for the 38th Daytime Emmy Awards. Hitting the red carpet rolled out at the Las Vegas Hilton in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday night, June 19, the likes of Susan Lucci, Marlee Matlin and many others showed off their best look for the event.

"All My Children" star Susan looked stunning in her mini white dress with a long trail on the side. Meanwhile, Marlee, who recently appeared on "The Celebrity Apprentice", brightened the red carpet in her floor-length pink gown. Also bringing color to the red carpet was Anna Maria Perez de Tagle who came in a two-tone violet Oliver Tolentino dress.

Amy Winehouse has to scrap at least two of her scheduled concerts in Europe after being heavily booed during a recent concert in Serbia. The "Back to Black" singer canceled two gigs which were supposed to follow up the Serbian show; one was set to take place in Istanbul on June 20 and another was scheduled to be held in Athens on June 22.

On behalf of the singer, a spokesperson said, "She would like to apologize to fans expecting to see her at the shows but feels that this is the right thing to do." The rep stated furthermore, "Despite feeling sure that she wanted to fulfil these commitments, she has agreed with management that she cannot perform to the best of her ability and will return home."

"Green Lantern" lands on the first position of this weekend's box office. Grossing about $52.7 million, this movie makes the lowest opening for a superhero film this summer, compared to "X-Men: First Class" ($55.1 million) and "Thor" ($65.7 million).

Nevertheless, "Green Lantern" still can defeat last week's champ "Super 8", which secures the second place of the chart. This sci-fi flick, which sees J.J. Abrams serving behind the lens, takes in an estimated $21.3 million, or falls only approximately 40.1% from last week's cume.

Music stars and celebrities alike have stepped out in downtown Toronto, Canada to celebrate the best in the industry on Sunday night, June 19. Among those looking lovely when hitting the red carpet in front of MuchMusic HQ for 2011 MuchMusic Video Awards were Selena Gomez and "Pretty Little Liars" star Shay Mitchell.

18-year-old Selena rocked a nude, frayed fabric mini which showed a lot of skin on the back. The songstress, who is hosting the awards show, completed her look with a head full of prom curls and a pair of purple pumps. She and her band The Scene are up for for Ur Fave International Video and International Video of the Year for "A Year Without Rain".