February 15, 2012

"Criminal Minds" is losing one of its main and regular cast. Paget Brewster announced on Wednesday, February 15 that she will no longer extend her contract with CBS to portray Emily Prentiss, in favor of other projects.

"After six wonderful years playing Emily Prentiss, I have decided it’s time for me to move on," the actress said in a statement to Deadline. "As much as I will miss my Criminal Minds family, I am excited about the future and other opportunities." She gave her notification to the producers only on Tuesday.

Although Sienna Miller chose to keep quiet about her pregnancy, her baby bump says it all. The actress, who is reportedly expecting her first child with actor boyfriend Tom Sturridge, debuted her fuller figure on Tuesday, February 14 night while attending The Ever Changing Face of Beauty at New York's Park Avenue Armory hotel.

Miller, who came to the event sans Sturridge, wore a tight-fitting long black gown which could not hide her growing baby bump. It was rumored that Sturridge has asked her hand in marriage but Miller was not spotted with an engagement ring that night. She was indeed seen with the sparkler on Friday, February 10 night while out in London.

Sony has apologized for bumping up the price of Whitney Houston's records in the United Kingdom in the wake of her death. Her hit compilations, including "Greatest Hits", was selling way above their normal price on Sunday, February 12, a day after Whitney's body was discovered in her Beverly Hilton hotel bathroom.

"Whitney Houston product was mistakenly mispriced on the U.K. iTunes store on Sunday," said a statement issued by Sony. "When discovered, the mistake was immediately corrected. We apologize for any offense caused." Two executives at Sony Music claimed the price increase was the result of an error by a Sony employee in Britain, insisting that the company gave no such order.

Vanessa Hudgens has once again cut her hair. On Tuesday, February 14, the Blondie of "Sucker Punch" was pictured showing off her new chin-length bob do when she left a Chanel boutique in Paris, France.

During the outing, Hudgens donned an outfit consisting of a one-shoulder ruffle top under her dark-colored cardigan, and a pair of white pants. The 23-year-old brunette completed her chic look with a pair of black platform booties and sunglasses.

"How I Met Your Mother" left a cliffhanger in the end of its latest episode with [SPOILER ALERT!] Ted declaring his love for Robin. While it has been widely believed that Robin will not be the titular mother, executive producer Craig Thomas has an explanation why they revisit the idea of the pair.

"There's a new purpose for this happening for Ted and for Robin. It will spin off in a direction different from what we've seen before between the two of them," he argued. "We didn't feel like we were retreading ground."

Nina Dobrev has revealed that she once refused a role in "Boardwalk Empire" because she had to get naked. "You know, I actually turned down something, because of the nudity, for 'Boardwalk Empire'," she told E! News at the backstage of Monique Lhuillier fasion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week on Saturday, February 11.

"But I was really young at the time. I'd just finished Degrassi, and I wasn't ready for it. But I don't think there's anything wrong with it, and I think if you're immersed in a role and if it's appropriate for the role, I say go for it," she went on explaining. "You just have to find the right role. But I think nudity has to be tasteful and appropriate and not gratuitous."

After scoring success with "The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn", Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson quickly move forward to develop "Tintin 2". In a recent interview with Total Film, Spielberg shared a few tidbits on the sequel project though he insisted to keep major details of the plot under tight wraps.

Saying that he has designed "Tintin" as a trilogy, Spielberg explained that he will swap his directing duty with Jackson in the upcoming sequel. "Peter's doing it," said the veteran filmmaker. "I wanted to do it, but Peter has to because we made a deal. I said, 'I'll direct the first one, you direct the second one."

It's been more than 20 years since Whitney Houston's national anthem performance at Super Bowl, but controversy surrounding her "Star Spangled Banner" rendition won't go away. In the wake of her sudden death on Saturday, February 11, the topic is brought up again.

Coming to the late singer's defense regarding report that she mimed the national anthem is "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" music director Rickey Minor. He's the one who worked closely with the "I Will Always Love" hitmaker over the years on many of her performances including the Super Bowl gig.

Since the female lead in Marilyn musical has been cast, the next episode of "Smash" will move on to address the search for the lead actor. Everyone's favorite to play Joe DiMaggio opposite Ivy is Michael Swift, who happens to be Julia's old flame.

Michael seemingly still has feelings for Julia as he is seen praising her when they meet to talk about the play. Things may get more complicated as people later discover that he is holding a secret.

Jennifer Aniston celebrated her 43rd birthday last Saturday, February 11 with a party thrown by boyfriend Justin Theroux. Details of the bash have since been shared by Us Weekly, which reported that it took place in a penthouse suite overlooking the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California.

An inside source said that the decoration was kept minimal "with white hurricane candles lining the room and the balcony." The insider went on to recall the party's atmosphere as saying, "A bar was set up inside along with a table where guests put presents. It was a cold night, but there were heaters on the patio. There were servers walking around with appetizers and jazz music playing."

A brand new movie adaptation of famous comic book "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" is currently underway. Variety reported that Paramount Pictures is developing the live-action reboot film with "Wrath of the Titans" director Johnathan Liebesman being in talks to work behind the lens.

Plot details of the upcoming remake movie are still sealed. Nonetheless, it is said that the film will be a new reimagining of the iconic comic and cartoon series. Serving as the producers for the project are Michael Bay, Brad Fuller and Andrew Forn. Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec, meanwhile, team up to provide the script.

Though she holds the title of 2011 Playmate of the Year, Claire Sinclair didn't get any support from Hugh Hefner or Playboy Enterprises after Hef's son, Marston, was arrested for allegedly assaulting her. "Nobody's empathetic or concerned," the 20-year-old told E! News. "It's more like, cover it up and protect the image, you know what I'm saying?"

"In one aspect, I'm ridiculously offended by the way things are being handled, on the other aspect, I understand. It's family," she shared her thought further on the matter. "And they're looking out for their name, and I understand that but they need to at least, recognize what has happened and apologize for what has happened."

Adele set the record straight on her official blog about her five-year hiatus plan. The British pop sensation clarified her previous statement soon after it made headlines. She wrote that she would indeed take a break, but it won't be that long.

"I've a few days off now, and then it's the Brit Awards here at home and then I'm straight into the studio," the big winner at 2012 Grammy Awards informed her devotees. She assured them, "BOYYAHH! 5 years? More like 5 days!"

Hugh Laurie won't let rumors surrounding the end of "House M.D." run wilder. Responding to the reports saying that the show is canceled because he "was sick of going to work", the actor said that the quote featured in the news was a comment he made five years ago about a different subject.

"Let me say unequivocally that I love my job, and work harder at it than most journalists work at theirs," the Gregory House of the medical series wrote in a statement released to TV Guide. "As we explained in our press release, we were trying to preserve some of the character's mystique; we never wanted to over-stay our welcome," he went on stressing the reason behind their decision to wrap the show after eight seasons.

While Warner Bros. Pictures hasn't confirmed when it will unveil the first trailer for "Man of Steel", a very in-detail description of the anticipated sneak peek has been leaked online. Comic Book Movie claimed to have received details of the rough cut trailer from an insider that works in the upcoming Superman movie. However, the site noted that the possible trailer "might not be the final cut" but it could be "one version they're currently working on."

It is said that the trailer opens [SPOILER ALERT!] with a shot of planets in the outer space. There is Jor-El's voiceover saying, "My son, our world is no longer safe for you." One of the planets suddenly explodes and a small ship is seen zooming out of the flames. Then it cuts to a scene where Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van put their baby into the ship. "We have been hit by an unexpected force," says the voiceover. It is followed with a footage where Jor-El meets face-to-face with General Zod at a low bridge.

Train and Dev release a new music video each. The band which are fronted by Pat Monahan release a clip to support their latest single "Drive By", while the solo singer whose real name is Devin Star Tailes is promoting her song "In My Trunk".

The "Drive By" video follows Monahan as he woos back the girl he met at a winery. The sparks fly when they first met, but their relationship is strained after she wakes up to an empty bed one morning. As for the "In My Trunk" clip, it sees Dev cruising the town in her car and singing in the opened trunk of her ride.

Steven Tyler proves that he's such a romantic man. The Aerosmith frontman was caught on camera driving his black Porsche, which backseat is filled with a bouquet of long stem red roses presumably for fiancee Erin Brady, in West Hollywood, California on Valentine's Day, February 14.

The "American Idol" judge got engaged to his longtime girlfriend Erin in December 2011. He confirmed their engagement in January 2012 during an appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show". At the time, he revealed that he first fell for her after she tied him up with her hair band.

After playing a bad guy, Jonny Lee Miller will solve cases in his new TV show. The Jordan Chase depicter in season 5 of "Dexter" has snatched a lead role in Sherlock Holmes reboot "Elementary", playing the famed detective.

The CBS pilot project is described as "a modern take on the cases of Sherlock Holmes who now lives in New York City." Robert Doherty writes the script in addition to teaming up with Sarah Timberman and Carl Beverly to serve as executive producers. Michael Cuesta is set to direct the pilot.

Rumer Willis joins a list of celebrities who have fallen victim to burglary. Hollywood Community Police has just confirmed to E! News that someone broke into the "Sorority Row" actress' house in Hollywood Hills recently, and stole a little more than $10,000 worth of goods.

According to the police, the burglar entered the house after slicing through the lock on the outside gate with what seems to be a blowtorch-type device. No one was in the property at the time of the burglary since it is unoccupied and under construction. The stolen goods reportedly are tools belonging to the contractors.

In the wake of her shocking death on Saturday, February 11, Whitney Houston is predicted to re-enter top 10 list on Billboard Hot 200 with her 2000 "Greatest Hits" compilation. The CD is estimated to sell 64,000 copies by the week's end on February 12 (up 10,419% from previous week's sales which shifted just under 1,000).

According to Nielsen SoundScan, there were more Whitney albums purchased in past few days after her passing than during the years of 2011 and 2012 leading to her demise. Her records sold around 101,000 copies in total, which is 5,994% increase from the 2,000 sales number collected the week prior.

Kristen Stewart's Prince Charming in "Snow White and the Huntsman", Sam Claflin, revealed that he once auditioned for the same role in rival movie "Mirror Mirror". The Philip Swift of "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides", however, must give up the part after losing battle to Armie Hammer.

In an interview with Teen magazine, the British actor confessed, "I think Armie Hammer was always their number one choice." He added, "But I kind of saw more similarities in their prince and the part I played in 'Pirates', whereas [with this] I thought I wanted to pick up a sword and I wanted to do a bit of fighting and get a bit grittier, and hopefully sort of open a few more doors for me."

Rachel will make a sudden change in her wedding plans when "Glee" returns for a new episode next week. Initially scheduling her nuptials to Finn to take place after Nationals, she will tell Finn that she wants to get married "now".

Already expressing her objection to the wedding plans, Quinn will once again convince Rachel that tying the knot with Finn will only ruin her life. Meanwhile, as the couple gets ready to walk down the aisle, Hiram and Leroy Berry will lure Burt Hummel and Carole Hudson-Hummel to stop the wedding.

Blake Lively will need more than a restraining order to keep an obsessed fan of hers away. The Carol Ferris of "Green Lantern" was granted a temporary restraining order against Sergei Mifle on Tuesday, February 14, but the man himself has since said, "I will stay away, but there will come a time when I'm going to need her."

"I don't want to get arrested. But the restraining order is ridiculous," Mifle told New York Daily News in a phone interview. "I just want to talk to her. I like her very much." He added, "I don't know her personally, but I know her, and I don't want to see her go the way of Lindsay Lohan. Her mind seems set on self-destruction."

Jack White has debuted a self-directed music video for his new solo single "Love Interruption". The former member of The White Stripes is seen strumming his guitar and performing the song with a band of beautiful women.

Jack shares the mic with vocalist Ruby Amanfu. The star of The Dead Weather additionally gets a back-up from clarinet/bass clarinet player Emily Bowland and wurlitzer electric pianist Brooke Waggoner.

A day after unleashing the first teaser trailer for "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter", 20th Century Fox debuted an international trailer for the anticipated twisted history movie. The freshly-released sneak peek offers more fantasy-injected scenes, and features monologue from Dominic Cooper's vampire character, Henry Sturges, who becomes the mentor of young Abe and teaches him the art of vampire slaying.

Aside from the international trailer, a featurette for the thriller has landed online as well. The promo video presents some testimonies from director Timur Bekmambetov and producer Tim Burton. It additionally gives a look at some behind-the-scene footage, including the one that sees the crew filming Abe's epic war scene.

Adele might not release a new song anytime soon. The British singer, who has won six Golden Gramophones at 2012 Grammy Awards, revealed in a recent interview that she would like to step away from music for four or five years in order to focus on her love life.

"If I am constantly working, my relationships fail," the chart-topping artist reasoned. In addition to wishing to spend quality time with her boyfriend, she additionally gushed, "So at least now I can have enough time to write a happy record. And be in love and be happy."

"War is coming," so it's mentioned in a new teaser poster for "Game of Thrones" season 2. The ad is released to tide fans over the April 1 return of the medieval drama series, which will see some familiar faces and new characters battling it out to sit on the Iron Throne.

Additionally, HBO has debuted another production trailer of the acclaimed show. It shares behind the scenes of the filming in Iceland, where the cast and crew only have four and a half hours of sunlight to shoot in.

Bobby Brown is likely to be absent from the funeral of Whitney Houston this coming Saturday, February 18. TMZ has just come out with a claim that the "My Prerogative" singer is left "extremely disappointed" upon learning that several members of his ex-wife's family don't want him to be there.

While Brown hasn't officially received words that he is uninvited, people close to the Houston family reportedly have warned him that he shouldn't make any attempt to attend the funeral. The 43-year-old allegedly hopes the family will be able to set aside their differences so he could offer support to daughter Bobbi Kristina.

Following the sudden death of Whitney Houston last Saturday, February 11, Coming Soon released the diva's last movie interview for her upcoming film "Sparkle". During the chat, the late songstress admitted that she didn't see the movie as a "comeback project" after her long hiatus from acting.

"I don't think of it as a comeback. I don't think of it as a pressure," she shared. "I think of it as a gift God gave me to contribute to a cast of people who are working as hard if not harder than I. I have two jobs and executive of the soundtrack. I've done it before." She added, "In my life it was not that I want to be an entertainer, it's in my family bloodline. I can't help it. It is something that God said this is what you do. To me it's not a comeback, it's innate, it's natural."

Lana Del Rey recently visited "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" to make her first performance on TV since her shaky performance on "Saturday Night Live". The Internet sensation performed "Video Games", the same single she sang on the variety show.

Wearing a white mini dress, Del Rey looked more comfortable and delivered an improved performance than the last time she took the "SNL" stage. Though she remained a tentative performer, her voice sounded more stable when singing the somber tune.

Bryan Fuller's "Hannibal" has been given a greenlight by NBC. The peacock has reportedly ordered the TV project direct-to-series, picking up 13 episodes of the thriller featuring the iconic serial killer Hannibal Lecter from Thomas Harris' novels.

"Hannibal" will focus on FBI agent Will Graham and his mentor Dr. Hannibal Lecter. According to a logline obtained by Entertainment Weekly, the two characters featured in Harris' novel "Red Dragon" will be "re-introduced at the beginning of their budding relationship."

Chris Brown couldn't stay quiet when it comes to criticism over his comeback at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards. Just hours after deleting a tweet in which he brags about his win as response to his critics, the "Wet the Bed" singer wrote on his Twitter, "I'm so OVER everyone's opinions.. Really!!!"

On Monday, February 13, celebrities like Miranda Lambert, Jack Osbourne and Eric Stonestreet expressed their dismay that Breezy got to perform twice and win Best R&B Album at the Grammys. In her tweet, Lambert tweeted, "Chris Brown twice? I don't get it. He beat on a girl... Not cool that we act like that didn't happen."

Meryl Streep continued to receive more award, thanks to her acclaimed acting in "The Iron Lady". After winning the Best Actress prizes in this year's Golden Globes and BAFTAs, the veteran movie star was honored with a top prize at the Berlin International Film Festival on Tuesday, February 14.

The actress playing former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the Oscar-nominated drama received an Honorary Golden Bear for lifetime achievement at the 62nd Berlinale. Presenting the award for the 62-year-old actress was jury member Jake Gyllenhaal, who jokingly introduced her as an acting treasure and a terrifying "Hank's mom."

"Saturday Night Live" may once again pay homage to Whitney Houston in an upcoming episode. It has been reported that the show is considering to include a skit which will feature host Maya Rudolph impersonating the late singer in this week's edition.

NBC, however, has not confirmed nor denied the report first brought into attention by TVLine. "As you know, the show never comments on potential show content," a representative for the network said. "As Maya impersonated Whitney, it's a natural question, but one [to which] we do not have an answer."

With summer fast approaching, Bonnaroo announces its 2012 lineup. Fresh off their performance at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards, The Beach Boys are tapped as musical guests along with this year's Grammy Best New Artist Bon Iver. They are also joined by Radiohead and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

The music festivity will be made merry by more than 80 acts. In addition to the four bands, there will also be Phish, The Avett Brothers, Foster the People, Skrillex, Aziz Ansari, Feist, The Roots, Alice Cooper, Ludacris, Mac Miller and The Civil Wars among others.

Jennifer Aniston has landed the cover of GQ with her "Wanderlust" co-star Paul Rudd, and is using the opportunity to clarify the rumors that have been bugging her. "I'm not having triplets. Not having twins. Nor am I having one baby," the 43-year-old tells the magazine in an interview for the March issue.

Asked how the baby rumor started, the girlfriend of actor/screenwriter Justin Theroux says, "Well, I recently quit smoking, and you do put on some extra pounds. It makes a difference, especially if you're not 20." She goes on to acknowledge, "I think people maybe want me to have a kid now."

While fellow stars chose to commemorate Whitney Houston in the wake of her death, Bill O'Reilly ripped the singer by suggesting that her death was a choice. The conservative pundit said on the Monday, February 13 edition of his show, "Whitney Houston wanted to kill herself."

In the "Reality Check" segment of "The O'Reilly Factor", O'Reilly began by noting his viewers about Houston's achievements before saying, "like so many pop stars, she became addicted to drugs." He also wanted to contradict the fact that Tony Bennett suggested the legalization of drugs, emphasizing that only prescribed drugs were found in her hotel room and arguing that it was merely a self-destructive behavior done by Houston.

Justin Bieber had a pre-Valentine celebration with a cancer-stricken fan. The singer had six-year-old Avalanna Routh flown in to New York from Boston, Massachusetts, to meet and spend a day with him. "BEST PART OF MY DAY," Bieber tweeted after the meeting and posted a photo of him kissing Avalanna on the cheek.

Avalanna, who has been battling a rare form of brain cancer since she was a baby, had one last wish to meet Bieber in person. Her mom started a Facebook campaign called "Get Avalanna to Meet Justin Bieber" which quickly gained 12,000 supporters. Bieber heard about the little girl and flew her and her parents to the city on Monday, February 13 to play board games, eat cupcakes and candy.

Wishing that she would witness a wild life in a close range, Shakira got what she wanted at a price. In a Facebook post titled "Special Report: Attacked by a Sea Lion", the Colombian pop singer revealed that she got attacked by a sea lion while vacationing in Cape Town, South Africa, over the weekend.

Shakira, who was traveling with a group, decided to get closer to sea lions and seals because she thought they were cute. But one of the sea lions thought her shiny phone was its meal. "Suddenly, one of them jumped out of the water so fast and impetuously that it got about one foot away from me, looked me in the eye, roared in fury and tried to bite me," she wrote. "Everyone there screamed, including me."

While her recent Grammy performance is still making a buzz, Nicki Minaj releases the audio for her new single, "Starships". With RedOne on board as the producer, "Starships" is expected to be a party anthem for its infectious beats and radio-friendly lyrics.

"Starships were meant to fly/ Hands up and touch the sky/ Can't stop 'cause we're so high/ Let's do this one more time," Minaj sings on the hook. The song contains a brief sample of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star".

Contradictory to an earlier report, Whitney Houston's funeral will not be held until Saturday, February 18 at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey. The owner of Whingham Funeral Home confirmed that it will take place in the noon and there would be no wake nor public memorial at Newark's Prudential Center.

The funeral would be invite-only, reportedly 300 seats, because the family wish to keep it private. "They have shared her for 30 some years with the city, with the state, with the world. This is their time now for their farewell," Carolyn Whigham told reporters. "The family thanks all the fans, the friends and the media, but this time is their private time."