November 12, 2012

The voice behind Elmo of "Sesame Street" is hit with a sex scandal. Kevin Clash, who has been providing voice for the beloved puppet for the past 27 years, is accused of having a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old boy when he was 45. Clash has taken a leave of absence from the children show but vehemently denied that he bedded an underage child.

"I had a relationship with [the accuser]. It was between two consenting adults and I am deeply saddened that he is trying to make it into something it was not," Clash told TMZ in a statement, calling the accusations false and defamatory. Sesame Workshop honchos added, "Kevin insists that these allegations are false and defamatory and he has taken actions to protect his reputation. We have granted him a leave of absence to do so."

Actress and singer Nikki Reed was joined by her "Twilight" co-star Ashley Greene at the "The Twilight Saga's Breaking Dawn Part II" Fan Camp Concert held last Saturday November 10 at L.A.'s Nokia Theatre. The two ladies together with other artists who contributed in the movie faced an estimated crowd of about 2, 200 Twihard campers waiting for the movie's premiere.

Reed performed her and hubby Paul McDonald's track for the "Breaking Dawn II" soundtrack titled "All I've Ever Needed". Event organizers also brought in Reed and Greene's co-star Jackson Rathbone, plus author Stephenie Meyer, who signed autographs and posed for pictures with fans for three hours. Singer-songwriter Christina Perri also attended the event and went on stage to perform her "Twilight" track "A Thousand Years (Part 2)".

Being a double agent is taking a toll on Brody when "Homeland" returns with a new episode. He's having a serious meltdown as he struggles to keep his complicated alliances clear, telling Roya in a preview video, "I'm through!"

Jessica puts more pressure on Brody as she demands him to tell CIA to back off. Carrie tries to show her sympathy, bringing him to somewhere where the CIA can't find them. Realizing that Carrie has disabled all surveillance, Estes tells Saul to find Carrie and bring her back as they face an incoming attack.

Shia LaBeouf was fighting over a baseball cap with a student when he recently visited SE14, a dirty and dark student pub in South London suburb. The actor was reportedly mad at the guy, who grabbed his baseball cap and refused to give it back.

According to The Sun, SE14's customers were startled when they saw the famous actor walking into the bar. They then took pictures with the "Disturbia" actor while he spent hours drinking in the bistro. "No one could believe that a well-known Hollywood star had rocked up at a bar in dingy SE14," an eyewitness shared. "Everyone was getting their photos taken with him."

A new trailer for "Beautiful Creatures" has landed online. Compared to the previously released first trailer, this new one focuses more on the villainous Sarafine, a female witch who possesses a very strong dark power. The dark witch is seen causing havoc in Lena's family in addition to spreading some other terrors. Also highlighted in the sneak peek is Lena's romantic relationship with Ethan which is tested since they are coming from totally different backgrounds.

A supernatural love story set in the South, "Beautiful Creatures" tells the tale of two star-crossed lovers; Ethan (Alden Ehrenreich), a young man longing to escape his small town, and Lena (Alice Englert), a mysterious new girl. Together, they uncover dark secrets about their respective families, their history and their town. The story is adapted from Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl's bestselling book of the same title.

Newlyweds Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel were caught on camera Sunday, November 11 as the two were on their way to a movie date at Regal Cinemas in New York City's Union Square. A cab dropped off the couple near the area and they were spotted as sweet as ever, walking hand-in-hand and heading for the screening of the new James Bond film "Skyfall".

Timberlake and Biel were well deserving of the movie treat especially after a very busy Saturday helping out victims of Superstorm Sandy in New York City. They both helped handing out relief goods, food items, and other necessities to the people in the Rockaway, Queens area. The pair also worked together with other volunteers for three-and-a-half hours in unloading large trucks of donations for the victims until they were emptied.

Ludacris sends out some really cool party vibes with his new clip for "Rest of My Life". The upbeat club track is lifted from the rapper's upcoming early 2013 release, "Ludaversal", and features R'n'B star Usher and DJ David Guetta.

The Sims-directed clip is full of positive energy and catchy dance beats from the very start of the video. Its movie-like set shows Usher and Ludacris performing the song at a smoke-covered highway, waving their lighters and just having a knack at urging people to get up, go out, and make their dreams come true. The empowering visuals for the pop/dance-influenced track also includes soaring shots of the sky, crashing waves, mountains and a lot of waving of the American flag.

Though some people responded pessimistically when Ashton Kutcher was first cast as Steve Jobs in "Jobs" back in April, co-star Josh Gad promised that the "Two and a Half Men" star's performance as the gadget mogul would not be a disappointment. The actor playing Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak in the movie even said that Ashton's makeover would make people think that Steve "never passed away."

"I think it's going to be pretty wonderful," Josh said to Us Weekly about what fans could expect from Ashton in the Steve Jobs biopic. "Ashton is going to blow a lot of people away. His performance was absolutely transformational," he gushed before adding, "If he looked any more like Steve Jobs, I think it would just confuse a lot of people in thinking Steve Jobs never passed away. It's that uncanny."

Are Emma and Mary Margaret getting closer to home? A preview for the next episode of "Once Upon a Time" sees Aurora dreaming about Henry, and the dreams may hold a key to bring Emma and Mary Margaret back to Storybrooke.

Realizing that Emma and Mary Margaret need his help, Henry decides to be a hero though what he does may put his life in risk. Meanwhile, in order to protect Henry from further danger, Regina and Mr. Gold must put David's life in jeopardy.

This year's MTV European Music Awards proved to be another huge event in music that will go down in history. The awards night in Frankfurt, Germany put together memorable performances from some of today's biggest names in the music scene including Carly Rae Jepsen, Taylor Swift, PSY, No Doubt, Fun., Rita Ora and Alicia Keys.

British singer, Rita Ora, opened the program with a smashing production number for her hit single "R.I.P". She looked attractive in an all-red sparkling jumpsuit while she and her group of back up dancers carried out their dance moves in the middle of cascading sparks and lights effects.

After spending some time feeling suspicious about each other, Michonne and Merle finally fight off in an upcoming episode of "The Walking Dead". The sword-wielding heroine is seemingly leaving Woodbury and Merle is going after her in the woods.

Elsewhere, Rick is seemingly still struggling to deal with his latest loss by keeping himself busy. A clip from the new episode sees him returning to prison and checking on Carl, only to leave shortly after.

Demi Moore made sure her 50th birthday, which falls on November 11, would be a wonderful moment. The veteran actress jetted off to Abu Dhabi, and spent time in a glamorous getaway with a bunch of buddies including florist Eric Buterbaugh earlier this month.

The star of "Margin Call" was seen lounging poolside on November 3 together with her friends in a cabana facing the ocean at extravagant Monte Carlo Beach Club, a hideaway in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Demi and the gangs reportedly ate seafood and drank champagne for brunch.

"Life of Pi" unveils more clips leading to its U.S. release on November 21. One of the clips focuses on a touching scene where the child version of titular character first met the tiger he would embark on an adventure with when he grows up.

Their first encounter happened in the zoo, in which Pi tries to understand the soul of the tiger by giving him food directly from his hand. However, an angry zookeeper stops the kid from doing so and leaves the tiger terrified.

Frontman Chris Martin will lead his band Coldplay as they ring in the New Year with a series of shows in the United States. The group is set to put up three-night concerts with hip-hop mogul Jay-Z co-headlining their December 31 stint at New York's Barclays Center.

Coldplay's upcoming concerts mark the band's first shows in New York since 2005. They have spent most of the year going on an international tour and are very much looking forward to their return in the States.

Christina Aguilera returns feistier than ever with a brand-new album "Lotus" this year. Two years in the making, the CD reflects her rebirth after the release of her 2010 chart-busting effort "Bionic" that was followed by her divorce from then-husband Jordan Bratman.

"This album represents a celebration of the new me, and to me the lotus has always represented this unbreakable flower that withstands any harsh weather conditions in its surroundings, that withstands time and remains beautiful and strong throughout the years," the mother of one gushed.

MTV has pulled the plug on its long-running reality show "America's Best Dance Crew". The Mario Lopez-hosted dancing competition series wrapped up its seventh installment in June this year and will not return for another new season as the network decided not to renew it.

"We are grateful to Randy Jackson and Warner Horizon for having brought our audience seven amazing seasons of dance with ABDC," so MTV announces in a statement, "and look forward to more successful and dynamic entertaining collaborations in the future."

Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" has already shown success after it was screened in just 11 selected cinemas in the United States. For those who have watched the Abraham Lincoln biopic, they would find that the movie didn't depict John Wilkes Booth, the man who assassinated the iconic President on Good Friday, April 14, 1865. Apparently, Spielberg had his own reason for excluding the three-part assassination attempt on Abe in his movie.

Speaking to Collider, the A-list filmmaker explained, "The decision was a pretty easy one to make. Had we taken it right up to the assassination, the film would've, for the first time, become exploitation. And I didn't want to go anywhere near that."

Judy Garland would be happy if she knew that people still commemorate her role in the legendary "The Wizard of Oz" about 70 years ago. Her signature white shirt with blue plaid apron, which her character Dorothy Gale donned in the movie, broke the record as the highest sale during two days of Hollywood memorabilia auction on Saturday, November 10, in Beverly Hills, Calif. It fetched $480,000, according to auction house Julien's Auctions.

Another relic of the 1939 fantasy adventure movie was also highly valued. A collection of studio and publicity images of the film nabbed $33,750. The identities of the purchasers were not mentioned.

A solemn Prince William and Kate Middleton joined Queen Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip to pay respect to Britain's war dead on Remembrance Sunday. The Duke of Cambridge donned his RAF uniform, while the Duchess wore a coat decorated with poppy-style jewelry.

William laid a wreath of red poppies at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, London, after the Queen and her husband placed theirs to remember the country's fallen soldiers who died in the World Wars and other conflicts. Kate stood in a balcony and watched alongside his aunt, Sophie, Countess of Wessex.

When "Revenge" returns with a new episode after taking a hiatus on November 18, people will see where Victoria gets that devilish gene in her. Her wicked mother Marion, portrayed by Adrienne Barbeau, will appear in the said outing just in time for the Graysons' Thanksgiving dinner.

Victoria's life as a 15-year-old girl will be seen in flashbacks as creator Mike Kelley said, "We're explaining how Victoria became Victoria." She added, "If you think Victoria's bad, wait until you see how she got that way." The moment was "right at the point where you know the events happening around her are going to change her into the wicked woman we know."

As it gets closer to the nationwide screening of "The Twilight Saga's Breaking Dawn Part II", Michael Sheen took some time to discuss his role as Aro, who plays a major part in the final "Twilight Saga" movie. In a lengthy interview with Collider, Sheen dished on his take on the antagonist, which he claimed to be more comedic than what was described in Stephenie Meyer's book.

Explaining why he decided not to portray a "scary" Aro, Sheen said, "Well, one of the things I always liked about the character, that Stephenie [Meyer] had written, or hinted at in the book, was the idea that he thinks of himself as being this sentimental old fool." He added, "He just enjoys watching the young people having fun, and then likes to kill them. So, I like the idea of someone who, instead of just being the big bad guy, has something a bit more fun about him."

Rihanna is on a promotional spree as she unveiled a new single titled "Stay" on "Saturday Night Live". The straight-up and simple ballad is from her upcoming seventh studio album, "Unapologetic". The 24-year old singer also performed her previously released track, "Diamonds", which official music video was premiered on Thursday, November 8.

Riri's "Diamonds" performance was set up against a green screen background with lots of random images and graphics appearing behind the singer and her live band members. Visuals of palm trees, electronic space lights and a rotating human body were projected onto the screen as the Barbadian beauty crooned her way through the song and the odd production stage.

Paul McCartney and his wife Nancy Shevell almost got into a fatal helicopter crash. The incident happened when the couple returned to their East Sussex home at night in a chartered nine-seater helicopter after attending his daughter Mary's book launch in the West End.

The near-fatal incident occurred in May, but it was not revealed until recently. Sir Paul and his wife failed to land on a helipad surrounded by woodland at their estate when the pilot of their chopper became "disorientated" due to "low cloudbase, poor visibility and rain."

"Silver Linings Playbook" has thrown its New York premiere on Sunday, November 11. Stealing the show at the special screening event, which took place at Florence Gould Hall Screening Room, was none other than the film's beautiful leading actress Jennifer Lawrence.

The Katniss Everdeen of "The Hunger Games" looked very gorgeous though she opted for a simple look. Sporting darker hair, the Oscar-nominated actress rocked an all-black Dior number from head to toe. She looked sexy in a plunging bustier under a sleek blazer that she paired with a silky scarf. Finishing off her look with tailored trousers, she opted for a pair of strap shoes to team her elegant outfit.

Justin Bieber thinks his breakup with Selena Gomez is not a big deal. The Canadian teen heartthrob and the "Wizards of Waverly Place" actress have broken up many times before and they always weathered the storm together. He's confident the recent split is no exception.

According to TMZ, sources close to Bieber deny rumors circulating on the web that the "Boyfriend" hitmaker is involved with another female. He did pose with a Victoria's Secret model during his gig at the latest fashion show of the lingerie line, but there was nothing going on between them.

Now that "Transformers 4" has found its leading man in Mark Wahlberg, speculations about the plot of the movie start swirling as well. Giving a tidbit about details of the upcoming autobot war film, director Michael Bay hints that the movie will likely be related to its predecessor "Transformers: Dark of the Moon".

Speaking to TMZ during a live show for the site, the 47-year-old filmmaker dishes, "The movie is going to continue four years from the attack on Chicago, which was in the last movie." He goes on, "It's going to have the same lineage, but it's going in a full new direction."

It was a big night for pop music as two if its most prominent ambassadors, Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber, ruled the recently concluded MTV European Music Awards 2012. The young singers each took home three awards at the event held in Frankfurt, Germany on Sunday, November 11.

Swift won in the Best Live and Best Look categories. The 22-year-old singer also had some pretty tough competition in her third award for Best Female, besting other contenders like Pink, Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry and Rihanna.

Anne Hathaway delivered her take on Showtime's hit series "Homeland" during her "Saturday Night Live" hosting gig. In a sketch aptly titled "Homeland", the "Alice in Wonderland" actress' version of Claire Danes' Carrie Mathison was emotionally unstable and deemed incapable of doing an interrogation.

Bill Hader's Saul tried to convince Carrie's boss David, played by Keenan Thompson, that Carrie should do the interrogation, saying, "She's only let me down every time I've trusted her, give me one reason not to trust her again." However, everything she did only proved otherwise as she was seen getting obsessed with her corkboard and making out with a suspect in an interrogation room.

Red carpet was rolled out outside the Festhalle in Frankfurt, Germany to welcome big stars attending 2012 MTV Europe Music Awards. The likes of Taylor Swift, Kim Kardashian and Heidi Klum were among the beauties who stole attentions with their primed looks upon their arrival through a large velvet-curtained porthole.

Taylor dazzled in J. Mendel grey lightly-beaded long gown with V-neck and patterned detailing. The 22-year-old country music singer completed her look with Neil Lane jewels, sultry smoky eyes and wavy locks. She ditched her signature red lipstick with a nude one, but was back with the bold color when taking the stage to receive her first award later in the evening.

As many have predicted before, "Skyfall" rules the North American box office with an impressive result on its debut weekend. The twenty-third installment of the James Bond film franchise grabs $88.3 million in its first week, marking Sony Pictures' ninth No.1 movie in 2012.

The Sam Mendes-directed movie also scores the biggest North American opening for a 007 movie so far. Back in mid-November 2008, "Quantum of Solace" took in $67.2 million on its first weekend, while in November 2006 "Casino Royale" opened to $40.8 million. Premiering overseas a few weeks before being screened Stateside, the latest Bond film has reached $518.6 million worldwide so far.

It seems that Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez have really split because he could not give a definite answer to the question about their status. In an interview a day after the report that their break-up went public, Bieber said he doesn't "know what to say".

"I don't know what's going on in my life," Bieber told the radio hosts of Open House Party on Saturday, November 10 when asked about the rumor. "To even assess that it doesn't make sense 'cause I have not made any comment."

Newlyweds Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel went straight to the scene to help the Hurricane Sandy victims. The couple, along with rapper Timbaland, volunteered to clean up Rockaway, Queens and hand out supplies on Saturday, November 10. They stayed for three and a half hours, spending their time chatting with the victims as well.

Timberlake and his wife went to CVS shopping center where food and other necessities in backpacks were unloaded for the victims. Timberlake could be seen carrying big boxes out from a truck. The neighborhood was one of several areas devastated by the superstorm two weeks ago.

Season 11's contestant of "American Idol" is called a home wrecker. Elise Testone who finished sixth in the Phillip Phillips victory year, reportedly has broken up a six-year marriage of "Idol" guitarist Errol Cooney whom she traveled with on the show's annual summer tour.

Errol's wife Erin filed for divorce in LA County Superior Court last week, TMZ reported. She cited "irreconcilable differences" but her representative said that it was the affair between Errol and Elise that broke them apart. The rep added that Errol confessed to everything after Erin confronted him about some incriminating emails between him and Elise.