December 29, 2012

AceShowbiz's annual Kaleidoscope continues with its second part which highlights important things during the second trimester of 2012. In April, a breakthrough was made in music as the late Tupac Shakur was resurrected in the form of a surreal hologram on stage during a live performance. Nearing the end of spring, TV shows were airing their season finales and reality competition series marked the end of another chapter by crowning the winner.

As summer was coming, movie studios were releasing its tentpoles and "The Avengers" had a massive success. The highly-anticipated superhero ensemble film debuted on North American box office with $207.4 million haul, making it the biggest opening in the history of summer movie release in the United States. In the celebrity personal lives, many couples took their relationships to the next level, but some others, such as Heidi Klum & Seal and Tom Cruise & Katie Holmes, took a different path and ended their marriages instead.

Phaedra Parks joins the list of celebrities who are expecting a child. A Bravo representative confirms that the attorney, who has joined "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" since season 3, is indeed having a bun in the oven.

The brunette beauty showed off her baby bump while enjoying a vacation with her family and friends in the Bahamas recently. The unborn baby is going to be her second child with her husband Apollo Nida, joining 2-year-old big brother Aiden.

Mega-platinum artist Taio Cruz comes out with an acoustic rendition of his latest single "Fast Car", performing it on the rooftop of the snazzy Vegas-style Hollywood nightclub, backed by a lone guitarist. "Fast Car" is a track from his album "TY.O", first released in December 2011 in Germany, and this month in the U.K. and the U.S.

Cruz has developed the habit of posting acoustic performances online. He started with simple homemade videos of his Adele and Rihanna covers, then moving up to higher-quality versions with his Bruno Mars covers. Prior to his new "Fast Car" clip, which comes out via ET Online, he also made an acoustic version of his own biggest hits "Break Your Heart" and "Dynamite", the highest-grossing track in the history of Island Def Jam, his own record label.

Jenna Dewan's Teresa appeared to bite the dust in the midseason finale of "American Horror Story: Asylum", but she assures viewers that it's not the last time people see her character on the show. In an interview with TV Guide about her Lifetime TV movie "She Made Them Do It", the pregnant actress reveals she'll appear in another episode.

"Even though it seems as if I'm dead and skinned alive, I'm shockingly in another episode," says the wife of "Magic Mike" actor Channing Tatum. "Anything is possible on that show." Her character, the spouse of Adam Levine's Leo, was featured being the victim of Dylan McDermott's Bloody Face in a flashback.

Katt Williams continues to get entangled in a series of troubles. After being involved in a wild police chase following a traffic violation, the troubled rapper/comedian is hauled off to Valley Jail in Van Nuys from his Woodland Hills house on suspicion of child endangerment.

According to TMZ, the "Friday After Next" star was picked up by cops Friday morning, December 28 after an investigation by the L.A. County Dept. of Children and Family Services revealed that guns and illegal drugs were found in the house creating a safety hazard for his minor children.

Hip-hop artist Tyga will be ending 2012 on a low note as he has just been sued by three women, who appeared in his "Make It Nasty" music video, for exposing their nipples without their permission. Alissa Rae Ross, Azia Davis and Elizabeth Velasquez filed their lawsuits against the rapper on charges of breach of contract, invasion of privacy and fraud.

In their lawsuits, the three models claim that when they auditioned for the video, the casting ad specifically stated that there would be no nudity involved and all the girls would be tastefully shot. However, during the filming of the clip on July 2, 2012, they were asked to appear topless in some scenes, with the assurance that their nipples will be "covered" or "edited out."

As if working in front of camera is not enough for him, Tom Hiddleston admitted that he actually wanted to serve behind the lens for "Thor: The Dark World". The helming duty is now handed out to Alan Taylor, but the Loki depicter opened up that he once casually talked to Marvel boss Kevin Feige if he could replace Kenneth Branagh as the new helmer.

"I did ask, half-jokingly, Kevin Feige about directing 'Thor 2' and he said, 'Do you have something to show me?' I said no," Hiddleston told Empire magazine. "He said, 'If you made something and showed me, I might consider it.' But it's better for the world that he said no. It would be such a responsibility, but I think I'd enjoy it."

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie took a break from their hectic schedules to spend some quality time with their children on Christmas. The powerhouse celebrity couple reportedly took their kids to a secluded resort at the Caribbean island for a family getaway.

New York Post reported the Jolie-Pitt clan stayed at Donna Karan's beachfront house on Parrot Cay. They were joined by his parents Jane and William Pitt, his brother Doug and sister Julie, their spouses and children. "There are 22 people in all in their group. No nannies have been seen," a source said.

Hollywood is mourning the loss of its other talent. Western character actor Harry Carey Jr. died Thursday, December 27 of natural causes surrounded by family at a hospice facility in Santa Barbara, Calif., his daughter Melinda Carey confirmed on Friday.

"He went out as gracefully as he came in," she added. Carey is survived by his wife Marilyn Fix - the daughter of late actor Paul Fix whom he married in 1944, a son, two daughters, three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He was 91.

Grammy-winning diva Whitney Houston led a special video montage of the top musicians who passed away this year. Posted by the New York Times, the four-minute video, "The Music They Made", featured the music of artists who died in 2012 in a moving testament to the enormous talent that the music industry lost this year.

Besides the legendary Houston, other musicians featured in the compilation were Adam Yauch of Beastie Boys, jazz great Dave Brubeck, bluegrass pioneer Earl Scruggs, Bill Doss of The Olivia Tremor Control, and Davy Jones of The Monkees. Top session musician Bob Babbitt, disco queen Donna Summer and the recently-deceased Ravi Shankar rounded up the artists included in the video.

Detailed information on Tom Cruise's alleged new girlfriend, Cynthia Jorge, started to unravel. Per New York Daily News, she used to date Seann William Scott who's best known for his role as party-loving Steve Stifler in "American Pie" movie series.

After parting ways with Seann, the 26-year-old restaurant manager reportedly dated another man but they recently called it quits. As for "The Dukes of Hazzard" star, he announced his engagement to model Lindsay Frimodt in March this year.

Test footage for Alex Zamm's "Hong Kong Phooey" and "Marvin the Martian" projects was leaked online amidst presumption that both projects were already shut down by Warner Bros. Pictures. While it's been a long time since fans last heard words on the two films, the footage provides a first look at how Zamm's works will become should the projects are still in development.

The "Hong Kong Phooey" footage sees Penry the dog showing off his martial art skills in front of a non-speaking cat. It then sees a tired joke as the hyperactive dog innocently drinks from a closet and washing his mouth from a urinal. The non-speaking cat looks disgusted while watching the dog in the toilet.

Pop rock band OneRepublic are set to premiere the first single from their newest album "Native" on "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest" TV special on December 31. Entitled "If I Lose Myself", the song is picked out by the band's friends, neighbors and record executives to be the album's debut track, and signifies a comeback for the Colorado-based band who have not released an album in the last three years.

"We're stoked to actually have this thing come out because we haven't put out an album in three years now and frankly I don't really want to do that again," frontman Ryan Tedder told Billboard. "I think the world's changed, musically and that's like the worst thing you can do as an artist today is to just disappear for three years. To just go away."

David Gregory appears to be unfazed by petition seeking arrest on him. The journalist hasn't addressed his controversial move to hold a gun clip on "Meet the Press" and takes to his Twitter account to reveal his guest for the next edition of the show instead.

"Excited to announce that President @BarackObama will be my exclusive guest this Sunday on @meetthepress," so he wrote on Friday, December 28. Gregory is set to visit the White House this Saturday for the interview with the commander-in-chief.

Madonna is slammed by Patricia Field of being a copycat. The famed award-winning stylist of "Sex and the City", "Ugly Betty" and "The Devil Wears Prada" accuses the Material Girl of making a replica of her "Vogue" hat and selling it for tour merchandise without her consent.

"Our own Patricia Field stylist, Hiraku, designed the snap back and we sell it as a t-shirt, headband and a beanie as well," a post on Patricia's official Tumblr reads. "I don't really have anything else to say but...Madonna is a thief! ... Shame, shame for stealing from those that inspire you!"

It's been a half year since Ann Curry was fired from "Today", but people are seemingly still angry at Matt Lauer for causing her departure. NBC sources tell TMZ that the longtime host of the morning program receives constant harassment from people who blame him for Curry's firing.

Words are, people scream things like "You're a bad guy,"and "You got Ann fired. Does that make you happy?" when he walks on the streets of Manhattan. Lauer reportedly feels "miserable" and "abused" over the tirades, believing Curry's exit is not his fault. "It's driving him crazy. He's so unhappy," a source says.

Recently Spike Lee raised people's eyebrows when he openly slammed Quentin Tarantino's slavery era movie "Django Unchained". One of the things criticized by the "Red Hook Summer" helmer was the use of the N-word, which was deemed offensive by some African-American filmmakers. Commenting on the issue, Tarantino said that the criticism was "ridiculous."

Speaking to the Harvard Prof and cultural critic Henry Louis Gates Jr. in a recent interview, Tarantino insisted that using the N-word was unavoidable, but it was not meant to offend anyone. "Well, you know, if you're going to make a movie about slavery and are taking a 21st-century viewer and putting them in that time period, you're going to hear some things that are going to be ugly, and you're going to see some things that are going to be ugly," he explained

Billboard has just released breaking news that Bruno Mars' new hit, "Locked Out of Heaven", has achieved another milestone in the charts this week. It is now the first single in the history of Billboard to rule the Hot 100, Radio Songs, Digital Songs and On-Demand Songs charts all at the same time.

Other artists have had similar success with their chart-topping hits, but not in all the categories where "Locked Out of Heaven" is now reigning simultaneously, as the On-Demand charts was established only in March of this year. Rihanna's "We Found Love" was concurrently at no. 1 in the Hot 100, Radio Songs and Digital Songs back in December 2011, as did Adele's "Rolling in the Deep", Maroon 5's "Moves Like Jagger", and Katy Perry's "E.T." last year.

Newly-unsealed FBI files on Marilyn Monroe have been obtained by The Associated Press, 50 years after her death. In the documents that began in 1955, it's revealed that the Bureau kept tab on the actress because they were concerned about the actress' ties to some suspected communists.

One of her pals with leftist views mentioned in the file was Frederick Vanderbilt Field. She reportedly met him in Mexico on shopping trips. The encounter was described in a chapter titled "An Indian Summer Interlude" by Field himself in his autobiography "From Right to Left".

Matt Damon brings attention to social and environmental issues through his latest film "Promised Land", which opens this Friday, December 28. Playing a corporate salesman who tries to buy a land in a rural U.S. town to drill oil with a controversial method known as "fracking," Damon discusses his personal point of view on the subject.

Speaking to Reuters, the "We Bought a Zoo" star shares that he wants the new film to raise awareness on the issue. "The point is that the movie should start a conversation," so he says. "It's certainly not a pro-fracking movie, but we didn't want to tell people what to think." Still, he notes that scribe John Krasinski never set out to make a socially conscious movie, noting that the "fracking" subject was added later as a backdrop to the story.

"Project Runway" has yet to wrap up its second "All Stars" edition, but a sneak peek at the upcoming eleventh season has been released. Making its way out via The Hollywood Reporter, the video features host Heidi Klum announcing the new twist to 16 contestants that they will be competing as teams instead of individuals for every challenge.

"My heart just dropped" and "We all need to work together, 'coz we all need to move forward" are some of their reactions. One contestant is not amused by this twist as saying, "I'm not really a team player." As the game has the biggest challenge ever for the players, the show promises an explosive and cut-throat competition that includes backstabbings.

A new unique trailer for "John Dies at the End" has been dropped, giving a strong warning of anti-piracy. Packed with violent-laden scenes, the promo video suggests that anyone who dares to pirate the material will end up getting killed in a gruesome way. "Before pirating JOHN DIES AT THE END be sure to watch the video below as stealing the film could result in severe health issues," so it says in an accompanying note for the trailer.

"Those with an erection lasting over 4 hours after viewing JOHN DIES AT THE END please consult a physician," it continues. "Support independent films. Support something different...all without leaving your home, heck your bed. It's so simple even a meat monster could do it."

Congratulations are in order for Matthew McConaughey and his wife Camila Alves. TMZ reported the "Magic Mike" actor and the brunette model, who got married in June this year, welcomed their third child on Friday morning, December 28.

Rumor has it, the Brazilian-American model gave birth to the bundle of joy at a hospital in Austin, Texas, where she shares a home with her husband. The newborn, whose gender and name are yet to be known, joins big brother Levi, 4, and big sister Vida, 2.

Justin Bieber announced on Thursday, December 27 night that his new EP, "Believe Acoustic", will have two additional tracks. The pop star has written "some more new ones" to bring the initially-planned 8 tracks to 10 songs in total.

"8 wasnt enough. had to write some more new ones. now im putting out 10 SONGS on #BELIEVEacoustic . Im telling u. PREORDER it now :)" he wrote. In another tweet he said, "Every song has a new guitar arrangement..1 w/ piano. everything feels new and #KIDRAUHL - u guys r gonna like it. PREORDER #BELIEVEacoustic."

Lucky fans will have the chance to join Beyonce Knowles in the biggest sports event of the year. The singer announced a photo contest that allows 100 fans to appear with her at the halftime of Super Bowl XLVII performance on February 3.

Beginning Saturday, December 29, fans can submit images of themselves in various poses. These images will then be used in a TV commercial for Beyonce's performance. From 100 images, half will then be chosen to personally join the singer on stage. These 50 people are also allowed to bring a friend with them.

For saving his elderly mother from a house fire last year, Kate Winslet was bestowed a trip to the space by Sir Richard Branson. The actress was gifted a ticket worth $200,000 for a journey in his Virgin Galactic shuttle.

Winslet became a hero in August 2011 when she rescued Branson's 90-year-old mother from a burning house at 4 A.M. The private residence on Necker Island in the British Virgin Island was reportedly struck by lightning during a tropical storm. "I'm just so glad that everyone is safe. And this very easily could not have been the case," Winslet said after the incident.

Shakira was still very much pregnant when her boyfriend Gerard Pique tweeted the news of their son's birth. Pique was simply following a Spanish tradition of Dia de los Inocentes which is equivalent to April Fool's Day.

A lot of sites fell into the prank when Pique wrote on his Twitter and Facebook account Thursday night, December 27, "Ya ha nacido nuestro hijo! Estamos muy felices! Gracias a todos por vuestros mensajes!" which is translated "Our son was born! We're very happy! Thank you all for your messages."

Now that his latest movie "Django Unchained" is out in theaters, Quentin Tarantino is free to talk about his next project. In an interview with The Root, the director discussed his plan on making "the third of the trilogy" that toy with the world's history and it would be connected to his 2009 movie "Inglourious Basterds".

"I don't know exactly when I'm going to do it, but there's something about this that would suggest a trilogy. My original idea for Inglourious Basterds way back when was that this [would be] a huge story that included the [smaller] story that you saw in the film, but also followed a bunch of black troops, and they had been f**ked over by the American military and kind of go apes**t," Tarantino said elaborately.