September 03, 2012

A series of confidential AEG emails to and from Randy Phillips and Tim Leiweke has emerged lately regarding the condition of Michael Jackson during the time he was rehearsing for and promoting his comeback concert "This Is It". The promoters expressed doubts as to whether the artist could pull off the shows.

This series of emails, which consisted of at least 250 pages, was a part of the discovery for a lawsuit between the insurance company that backed the concert series and AEG. In one of the said emails, Phillips wrote, "MJ is locked in his room drunk and despondent," to which Leiweke replied, "Are you kidding me?"

The visuals for Azealia Banks' song "1991" from an extended play of the same name has just been released. It came out just a couple of days before the start of her scheduled U.K. tour this autumn. The new music video begins with a shot of the rapper's physique, followed by several close-up shots of her face's different features. The video also shows her in a massive white room singing and dancing to her own tune.

The rapper, who caused controversy with her Dazed & Confused magazine cover, also revealed the release of her debut album entitled "Broke With Expensive Taste" via a post on her official Twitter account. She wrote, "Broke With Expensive Taste will be out first quarter of 2013 on Feb 12. (2/12)." The album will be preceded by a series of concerts which will start on September 28 at the Machester Academy and end on October 12 at the Shepherds Bush Empire.

"Dredd" hasn't even opened in theaters nationwide, but scribe Alex Garland already gushed about his vision on the film's sequel. In a recent Q&A session with fans on 2000AD Online, Garland revealed details of his plans for the possible follow-up movie, including which character would appear and what the story would be like.

"If I was involved in a second movie, it would be about origins and subversion, and Chopper would feature," he said. "In fact, I think Chopper would start and end the story. Apart from him, my rough plan involves Fargo, Giant, Angel Gang, and a version of Satanus. For a trilogy, add Cal and the dark judges. And Anderson would be in all three. But... just to be clear, this is hugely speculative and also unlikely, for any number of reasons."

"Weeds" is going nostalgic before taking its final bow. In the penultimate episode that will air next week, some of the Botwins, Nancy, Andy and Silas, return to Agrestic which is now called Regrestic and reunite with their old acquaintances, who may or may not welcome them.

Nancy visits Conrad, who alerts her that Guillermo, the man who planned to kill her before, is back in charge and may pose a threat to her family. It's not long before she meets Guillermo, who points a gun to her. Meanwhile, Nancy gets emotional as Andy says he won't return to Connecticut with her.

Despite report to the contrary, it looks like Katy Perry and John Mayer are still pretty much together. The couple was recently spotted watching a music festival in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, September 1. They watched Purity Ring, Sleigh Bells and M83 performing on stage.

Katy and John were joined by some friends and stayed low-key, but a few fans recognized them and took pictures that were later posted online. He wore a cowboy hat and denims, while she had a fedora and floral-print dress. One concertgoer, Jennifer Solorio, tweeted the twosome had "plenty of cuddles and kisses."

Bobby Brown took his plea for prayers to Twitter when his wife of three months, Alicia Etheredge, was rushed to an Orlando hospital after suffering a seizure. He wrote, "The report that my wife was rushed to the hospital is true. She is recovering and in good spirits. Please keep my family in your prayers."

According to Gossip Extra, Brown was doing a soundcheck in preparation for New Edition's 30th anniversary celebration concert when he was informed that his wife, who also serves as his manager, was not feeling well. She had seizure at their hotel room in Kissimmee, Fla., while he was at the Gaylord Palms Resort.

Abed will get a new and hot female friend who shares the same interest with him on "Community". It has been reported that Tricia Helfer will guest star on the NBC comedy as Lauren, a gorgeous fan of fictional cult-hit "Inspector Spacetime".

She will appear in the fourth episode of the upcoming fourth season which focuses on Abed who attends a convention for the so-called "Doctor Who"-esque series. There, Abed meets Lauren and befriends another fanboy, who is played by Matt Lucas.

Katie Melua officially becomes Mrs. James Toseland. The 27-year-old singer exchanged wedding vows with her World Superbike champion beau in the Nash Conservatory at Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, west London on Saturday, September 1.

The bride was gorgeous in an off-white, embroidered and beaded dress by bridal designer Claire Pettibone, while the groom looked dapper in a gray three-piece suit. They tied the knot in front of 200 guests consisting of family members and close friends.

Screen Gems reveals another fresh clip from "Resident Evil: Retribution". Just like the previously-released snippets, the new video offers an action-packed scene involving Alice and her partner Ada Wong. This time around, the two heroines go wild as they fight two gigantic axemen on the city streets.

In the upcoming "Resident Evil" movie, the Umbrella Corporation's deadly T-virus continues to ravage the Earth, transforming the global population into legions of the flesh eating Undead. The human race's last and only hope, Alice, awakens in the heart of Umbrella's most clandestine operations facility and unveils more of her mysterious past as she delves further into the complex.

Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepsen let her Twitter followers composed of more than 2.6 million people know about the tracks on her album via tweet. The pop star, who became a sensation because of her song "Call Me Maybe", posted the tracklist that shows 16 songs written in a girly doodle. She tweeted, "So excited to reveal the track list for #Kiss!"

The third-place winner of the fifth season of "Canadian Idol" has already made a record on Billboard Hot 100 as her catchy tune had been in the top spot of the charts for nine consecutive weeks. It still holds, so far, the most number of weeks in the number one spot.

Dionne Warwick mourns the death of songwriter Hal David, who wrote a number of hits like "I Say a Little Prayer" for her. "Words cannot express the sorrow i feel learning of hal's transition," she sent her condolence in a message on Facebook.

"I feel as if i have lost another family member but knowing i will always have him with me each time i sing the lyrics written for me by him will continue to bring me a sense of him being with me always," she continues. "May he now rest in peace."

Despite its starry cast ensemble, Terrence Malick's latest drama "To the Wonder" couldn't win the heart of some movie critics. Premiered at the 2012 Venice Film Festival on Sunday, September 2, the romantic movie drew mixed reactions from reviewers. Some of them even dubbed it "disappointing."

Malick and the A-list actors of the movie were noticeably absent at the screening event. The director has been busy working on "Voyage of Time" and another yet-to-be-titled project. Ben Affleck and Javier Bardem were also said to be busy with each of their new gigs.

After three multi-platinum albums, Matchbox 20 are back with their fourth studio installment "North" which is due September 4 Stateside. Marking their first record with all-new material since 2002's "More Than You Think You Are", it has been teased with the release of the first single "She's So Mean".

Dropped in June, the Rob Thomas-written track has peaked at No. 49 on Billboard Hot 100 and No. 8 at Billboard Adult Pop Songs chart. In Australia where the album has been released since August 28, "She's So Mean" even has already got a gold certification for selling 35,000 units.

Big Sean gives his fans another sneak peek of his mixtape in a music video for the title track "24 Karats of Gold". He collaborates with J. Cole, born Jermaine Lamar Cole, who was awarded with the UMA Male Artist of the Year because of his second mixtape, "The Warm Up".

The video begins with nothing but a dark screen followed by sounds of crying babies. After that, Sean is shown making music in a recording studio and enjoying a car ride while he is on his way to a four-year bid to prison. These clips are backed by his smooth sounding voice playing the whole time.

Jesse Williams' love life is the complete opposite of his on-screen romance on "Grey's Anatomy". While his hunky character Jackson Avery suffers heartbreaks, the actor gets a happy ending in real life as he ties the knot with his longtime girlfriend, real estate broker Aryn Drake-Lee.

The couple got married in Los Angeles on Saturday, September 1. "Jesse was beaming with joy throughout the entire ceremony," a guest told PEOPLE. "It was the perfect night with lots of smiling, laughing and emotion. You could feel the love they have for each other. They're madly in love!"

"Coma" promises thrilling scenes that will keep audience awake this Labor Day, according to Geena Davis who stars on the A&E miniseries. In a chat with Entertainment Weekly, the actress who portrays chief of psychiatry Dr. Agnetta Lindquist says the show is "very disturbing," thanks to the advanced technology used in the show.

"I remember the movie that came out...with Michael Douglas in it. And it's very visually arresting the way they portrayed the medical things and the people in comas," she says when comparing the original 1978 film with the upcoming miniseries. Admitting the movie "was really creepy and spooky," she goes on claiming that the new take is "even creepier and spookier."

The process of finding Tom Cruise a girlfriend by Scientology church was revealed in Vanity Fair's October cover story. According to special correspondent Maureen Orth, Shelly Miscavige, the wife of Scientology head David Miscavige, led a secret audition to find a suitable woman to be the actor's wife after he split from Nicole Kidman.

Actresses who were Scientology members were called for the audition process held under the guise of "a new training film." Iranian-born actress Nazanin Boniadi passed the first stage of the audition and had a month-long preparation including undergoing a makeover and signing a confidential agreement before being sent to go on a date with Cruise.

Which 2012 movies have the most mistakes so far? Continuing its tradition to compile the list of errors in movies, Movie Mistakes releases its "Mistakes in 2012" chart, which is topped by three of the biggest superhero blockbuster flicks this year.

It is none other than "The Amazing Spider-Man" which tops the list with a total of 27 mistakes. Most of the film's errors include technical continuity points, such as the inconsistencies with properties and wound placement. For examples, a vertical wound suddenly appears as diagonal, and the dust on Peter Parker's jacket disappears and reappears inconsistently.

Another promo for "The Walking Dead" season 3 has shared what the survivors will experience once they get into a prison they're heading to in last season finale. Looking cautious, Rick and his group hold flashlights while walking in dark corridors of the building, where a horde of zombies are lurking in a corner.

In addition to the said teaser, there is a promo video which is unleashed to remind viewers how gory the show can be. It features a quick glimpse at a walker attacking a man in the bushes and ripping open his body.

Song selections for Kanye West's much-anticipated compilation album "Cruel Summer" have been revealed via Tower Records and HMV Japan. The album is expected to feature 12 tracks and to be released on September 18 after being pushed back a couple of times.

Some tracks on the said album have already been played in radio stations, including "Mercy" which features Big Sean, Pusha T, Kanye and 2 Chainz. The said song has already been performed at the BET Awards in Los Angeles earlier this year as well.

Chris Pine recently took time to discuss the highly secretive sequel to "Star Trek". Without revealing plot details of the anticipated movie, the James T. Kirk depicter shared director J.J. Abrams' vision for the film. He claimed that the filmmaker didn't aim to follow the footsteps of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, which was presented in the pitch of "like the original, but darker."

Speaking to Total Film, Pine dished that "Star Trek 2" would feature comedic element rather than straight-faced retake. "We're not making Batman. That's not our deal," he said. "There's comedy, which I think J.J. does a great job of, but, like the first one, there's some serious issues being dealt with. And I'd say the threat is even greater in this one."

Kim Kardashian won't get a Hollywood Walk of Fame star she has been dreaming of anytime soon. A representative for the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which administers the Fame, says the reality TV star needs to have a real acting career to meet the requirements needed to become a candidate.

"Part of criteria in being honored is receiving awards such as Emmys, SAG Awards, Oscars etc. in the category of Television, Live Stage Performance or Motion Pictures," the rep says as quoted by The Hollywood Reporter. "They have to have a career in the business of acting for five years or more."

A new soap drama, "Devious Maids", is coming to Lifetime in 2013 and the network has already given a look at it by releasing some sneak peeks. As hinted by the title, the show revolves around several Latina maids who have some secrets.

In a promo video, Rebecca Wisocky's Evelyn Powell warns a maid to stay away from her husband before the maid is seen falling into a swimming pool with blood coming out of her body. Meanwhile, another preview sees four other maids talking about whether or not they should go to police and reveal something that might have something to do with her death.

After wrapping the filming in Australia, "The Wolverine" has officially kicked off its production in Japan. Unveiling a first look at lead actor Hugh Jackman on the Tokyo set of the Marvel film, a set of photos featuring the Australian hunk as he filmed a scene at the Zojoji Temple have made their round onto the web.

Instead of sporting unkempt long hair and scruffy look just like when he was filming in Australia, Jackman was spotted rocking Wolverine's trademark haircut and beard. Looking dapper, he donned an all-black ensemble while filming a scene with a number of Japanese men at the said Buddhist temple.

The crowd of nearly 50,000 people in Philadelphia, PA was treated to a live Rocky-like moment as rap superstar and mogul Jay-Z made his way through the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum. The Brooklyn Nets' part-owner surprised the crowd as he bounced up and down while his song "Made in America" was playing in the background. He performed "99 Problems", "Dirt Off Your Shoulder" and "Empire State of Mind" among other songs.

After he performed "Public Service Announcement", the first cameo appearance of the nights played via a pre-recorded video. It was the President of the United States, Barack Obama, now known over the internet as POTUS, encouraging the crowd to vote for him this coming election. Part of Mr. President's video also referred to Jay-Z's story as "what Made In America means," pertaining to the famous rapper's rags-to-riches story.

"The Possession" tops the North American box office on Labor Day weekend. Opening with $17.7 million, the Sam Raimi-produced horror movie performs better than Lionsgate Films' $14 million expectation. It is also poised to become one of the biggest Labor Day openings ever.

Receiving a "B" CinemaScore, the movie attracts to mostly female moviegoers who make up 59% of the audience. Around 54% of the ticketbuyers are under the age of 25.

Seal clarified his comment about Heidi Klum "fornicating with the help." Contrary to reports on the web, he insisted that he never meant to accuse his estranged wife of cheating on him. According to his rep, he just noted that she should have waited for them to get officially divorced before she went public with her new romance.

The representative said in a statement, "Seal would like to clarify that he was not implying his wife was cheating while they were together, but he was merely pointing out that their separation and divorce were not final and they are still legally married."

Kristin Chenoweth has returned to the set of "The Good Wife" after deciding to drop out of the show following the injuries she sustained on the filming location last July. The Broadway star tweeted on Friday, August 31, "I was able to go back a shoot a short scene with Alan Cumming on The Good Wife. #blessing!"

She additionally posted a picture of her with another series regular, Josh Charles. "My director today! the real deal," the April Rhodes of "Glee" wrote in a caption of the photo. It's unclear, however, if her return to the set is temporary or if she will complete her multi-episode arc as planned before.

The latest Batman installment has officially become the 13th movie of all time to reach $1 billion in box office. Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight Rises" hit the milestone on Sunday, September 2, grossing $431.2 million domestically and around $574 million internationally. They amount to $1.005 billion.

Consequently, WB's "Dark Knight Rises" is doing even better than its predecessor "The Dark Knight" which raked in $1.0003 billion worldwide in 2008. However, this is because "Rises" is more exposed to international market than "Dark Knight".

PETA has launched a verbal attack against Rihanna and Lady GaGa for including animal products in their fashion. The animal rights organization called the singers "freaks" after they spotted Rihanna wearing a pair of knee-high snakeskin boots and GaGa wearing "turncoat".

"Rihanna may not have a clue that snakes killed for boots are often nailed to a tree and skinned alive," a spokesperson for PETA said in a statement, adding, "Of course, they can't go on Oprah to cry about it."

President Obama had no comment about Clint Eastwood's 12-minute improvised speech at the Republican National Convention, but he admitted to be a fan of the veteran actor. "I am a huge Clint Eastwood fan," Obama told USA Today while campaigning in Iowa.

Eastwood recently 'interviewed' an empty chair that represents "invisible" Obama and an absentee president. Mitt Romney responded by laughing at Eastwood's act, thinking it was "funny". Meanwhile, Obama chose to joke about it by tweeting, "This seat's taken", and posting a photo of him from behind, sitting on the leather chair for president of United States.

Responding to the numerous job offers in the porn industry, teen bride Courtney Stodden said she has no interest in them. She continued she'd rather try something more classy like a spread on Playboy, tweeting "No to porn ... yes to @Playboy ;) xxx".

Problem is, the adult magazine wants nothing to do with the sexy 18-year-old. Sources of Playboy told TMZ that no offer or invitation has been extended to Stodden because she "doesn't meet the standards of a Playboy model" and is too "enhanced". The source added, "[Playboy] would NEVER take her. I don't think anybody really wants to see that anyway."