28 October 2008
Paris Hilton is scared of going into space - in case she doesn't return for 10 000 years.
The socialite is one of many celebrities - believed to include singer Moby, Star Trek star William Shatner and Alien actress Sigourney Weaver - hoping to board Richard Branson's first-ever commercial space flight, Virgin Galactic, but admits she is worried about going into orbit.
She said: "I'm very scared to do it. What if I don't come back? With the whole light years thing, what if I come back 10 000 years later, and everyone I know is dead? I'll be like, 'Great. Now I have to start all over.' "
An estimated 157 people have signed up to take the flight, paying a deposit of $200 000 for their seat.
The first flight is currently being planned for 2010.
It was recently reported Virgin Galactic had turned down a $1m offer to shoot a sex video in space.
The company declined the offer to film sex scenes while the participants are floating in zero gravity.
Katie Holmes Wears Country Plaid In The City
28 October 2008
Katie Holmes made her way to the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre this weekend for All My Sons work, where she's been rocking Broadway. The actress, who also made
headlines in a sexy Eli Stone appearance recently, has been doing much more than just flouncing around with her adorable Suri in New York: she's also been
adding to her Manhattan nest with Tom Cruise.
The New York Post recently reported that "Cruise and Holmes are buying up lofts in a 12-story building slightlysouth of 14th Street. "Tom and Katie now keep
five units in thebuilding. They turned one into [2-year-old daughte] Suri's playroom. One they use for a gym, and two apartments are for staff." Lucky them!
You'd think Katie would be beaming.Click Continue Reading for All 9 Thumbnails of "Katie Holmes Wears Country Plaid In The City."
Playboy Jude Law out on the town at 1am with myste
11 September 2008
Ladies man Jude Law has been keeping a low-profile in recent weeks but last night the actor was back to his old tricks again as he was spotted leaving a bar
with a mystery woman at 1am.
The brunette – dressed in tan boots, a red dress and black coat – left Jerry's members bar in Soho with the Alfie star who dropped back and appeared to hide
behind his male companion after spotting photographers.
The attractive companion is the latest to be linked to the 35-year-old who is known as much for the notches on his bedpost as he is for his film
work.
Jude was linked to model Lily Cole in July after the flame-haired 20-year-old was pictured leaving his home in the early hours of the morning.
He was also spotted passionate kissing Kimberley Stewart in the VIP area of an Essex nightclub the month before.
Jude was slammed as a love rat after he was caught cheating on fiancee Sienna Miller with his children's nanny Daisy Wright.
He apologised to Miss Miller after the affair was made public and the pair attempted a reconciliation but finally split in 2006.
While the Closer actor has since been single, he has dated a string of women including Harper's Bazaar editor-at-large Kim Hersov.
He was married to fashion designer Sadie Frost for six years before divorcing in 2003, and the pair have three children Rafferty 11, sister Iris, 7, and
brother Rudy, 5.
Kylie Minogue to be paid £2million
11 September 2008
It is the most hotly-anticipated new holiday resort on earth - so what better way to celebrate its opening than with a party to end all parties.
Owners of the sole resort on Dubai's extraordinary Palm Jumeirah manmade island are throwing the most expensive private party ever staged - at a cost of more
than £16 million for the one-night bash.
Kylie Minogue is being paid an astonishing £2 million to perform a 60-minute set for 2,000 A-list guests at the party on November 20, making her performance
among the best paid in entertainment history.
The gig, to open the Atlantis hotel which shoots skyward from the outer ring of the Palm, will be a highlight of the night which also includes a colossal
firework display costing a further £3 million.
The display designers - Grucci's - put on the Beijing Olympic fireworks but promise this display will be 'more expensive, more expansive and more complex'
than both of the opening and closing Olympics firework displays put back to back.
For Cruise, a crisis of commerce
22 August 2008
Who knew Tom Cruise could shake it like a Polaroid picture?
Last week, he rocked audiences with his cameo as a profane, hip-jiggling, Machiavellian movie chief in "Tropic Thunder." The role was designed to show the
world -- and Hollywood insiders -- that the one-time king of Hollywood didn't take himself too seriously and even had comedic chops.
His performance was funny, but somehow as with all things Cruise these days, a black cloud emerged from the silver lining.
His tour de force was overshadowed by yet another hellish publicity week, which included debates over whether "Tropic Thunder" was degrading to the mentally
disabled as well as an inaccurate story that Sony had replaced Cruise in the film "Edwin A. Salt" with "it" girl Angelina Jolie. (According to several
sources close to the project, it was Cruise who refused to commit to a start date, and his next film looks to be "The Tourist," a remake of the French
thriller "Anthony Zimmer," to be directed by Lasse Hallstrom.)
On a more serious front, Cruise is facing the biggest crisis of his side career as a studio mogul with the departure -- also announced last week -- of Paula
Wagner as chief executive of United Artists, the mini-studio the pair co-own with MGM.
Almost two years ago, Cruise and Wagner had taken over the studio with ambitious plans to bring it back to its roots as an artist-run haven. MGM honcho Harry
Sloan was able to negotiate a $500-million film fund for the pair from Merrill Lynch, which required them to release four films a year for five years with
budgets between $40 million to $50 million.
Yet Wagner's inability to greenlight pictures was threatening to jeopardize the Merrill Lynch money. So far, UA had put out only one film, "Lions for Lambs,"
which earned $15 million and appears to be the biggest domestic box-office bust of Cruise's career. (Wagner declined to comment.)
Still, the departure of Wagner had to be a blow. She has worked with the actor for more than 25 years, first as his agent and later as his business partner.
And yet, on some level, Cruise acquiesced to her ouster, as the situation between Wagner and their cohorts at MGM had become untenable.
Three years after his meltdown in which he jumped on Oprah Winfrey's couch, and proselytized about Scientology, Cruise remains at a career crossroads. He's
still a major international star but somehow perennially dodging ill will and innuendo in the New York and Los Angeles media circles. As an actor, he's
attractive to studios but no longer at the top of the Hollywood food chain.
But in an era when money for Hollywood projects is drying up, Cruise personally has access to a vault of cash to make movies. Those close to Cruise say the
actor has no desire to change his role at UA -- and now, he's the one there who can greenlight films, with budgets up to $60 million.
Cruise declined to be interviewed, although Sloan issued a statement that Cruise intended to stay as a "full partner in control of UA." Unlike Viacom head
Sumner Redstone, who tossed Cruise and Wagner off the Paramount lot in 2006, Sloan has been careful to state that Cruise "is in the middle of one of the
greatest careers our industry has ever seen."
Much rides on next films
So much now rides on the success of Cruise's next film, "Valkyrie," for both Cruise the actor and Cruise the studio owner. Directed by Bryan Singer, the film
is the true-life tale of a German military officer leading a plot to kill Hitler. The film has swirled in bad buzz, and the release date jumped around the
calendar.
Last week, however, MGM announced that it was releasing the film Dec. 26, smack in Oscar season, after what UA marketing chief Mike Vollman said was a
stellar test screening in Nevada. Another incentive to move the film's date might be the financial perks associated with releasing "Valkyrie" under MGM's
rich cable distribution deal with Showtime, which is due to expire at the end of the year.
Undeniably, Cruise's next choice of film is an important one, and "The Tourist" is a tony thriller about an international money launderer, his girlfriend and
a man she asks to pose as her husband. The final decision caps months of innuendo and discussion about Cruise's plans.
In addition to "Edwin A. Salt," Cruise also worked on developing "The 28th Amendment," a Warners project that stalled, said an executive there, when the
studio and Cruise disagreed on which of the two leads the actor should play -- and director Phil Noyce bailed to make "Edwin A. Salt." Meanwhile, according
to a Paramount executive, talk of a sequel to "Top Gun" or another "Mission Impossible" is just hoopla.
Five years ago, it would have been unthinkable that a studio wouldn't jump at making another installment of a Cruise franchise, but he faces the reality of
any actor moving into middle age. It's unclear whether he's going to reclaim his popularity or, as his "Tropic Thunder" character says in the movie, become
"a white star heading toward a black hole."
"Tom's the last guy I worry about," publicist Howard Bragman said. "He did the catharsis interview on 'Oprah' (this past May), which was the smart thing to
do and put all that behind him. He has thick skin. You don't get to be his age and his success level without taking some hits, without having some purple
hearts."
While John Travolta had Quentin Tarantino to help make him hip again, Cruise has Ben Stiller for now. The two are still developing the comedy "The Hardy Men"
with director Shawn Levy, about what happens when the Hardy boys -- the beloved detective brothers from the book series -- grow up.
Stiller, who directed and co-wrote "Tropic Thunder," declined to be interviewed, although he e-mailed a quote about Cruise, noting that "he has always been
willing to take chances in his career, and what he did in the movie was amazing to me. He has a great sense of humor and his work elevated the picture."
Britney's life in new TV documentary
21 August 2008
Pop star Britney Spears is set to reveal all the details of her crazy life in a new telly documentary.
The ‘Hit me baby one more time’ hitmaker will spill the beans about her battle with mental illness and her chaotic personal life on the MTV documentary.
However, close ones fear that the programme would turn into a ‘car crash TV show’.
“Britney’s dad is furious, he thinks it’s a big mistake and doesn’t want anything to do with it, but Britney thinks it will help her custody battle for her
two sons,” The Daily Star quoted a source, as saying.
Britney, who has dazed fans with her eccentric antics, plans to appear on the show in a bid to put across her side of the story.
It has also been claimed that Britney wants to appear on the TV show, before her mother’s book is launched, as the popstar dreads it will expose their rocky
relationship.
“This could turn out to be the biggest car crash television moment of all time,” a pal of the popstar said.
Tom Cruise And Sam Raimi Team On Sci-Fi Sleeper
21 August 2008
He may be walking away from the Edwin A. Salt project, but Tom Cruise could now be turning his attention toward another comic book adaptation.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, DC comic Sleeper is close to getting the green light from Warner Bros., with Sam Raimi co-producing and Cruise “loosely”
attached to star.
The comic ran from 2003-2005 and told the story of Holden Carver, a covert operative who is fused with an alien artefact that makes him not only resistant to
pain, but able to store it and pass it onto others through touch.
With all the Scientology business, Cruise would probably be wise to stay as far away as possible from any script with the word ‘alien’ in it.
gushes chat show host DeGeneres as she marries new
Ellen DeGeneres said she was the 'luckiest person in the world' as she walked down the aisle with new wife Portia De Rossi.
The talk show host married her partner at an intimate ceremony at their Beverly Hills home after just under four years together.
'She's officially off the market. No one else gets her. And now she'll cook and clean for me,' DeGeneres revealed to U.S. People magazine.
Both brides wore designs by Zac Posen and after exchanging Neil Lane rings, the couple and their guests sat down to an all-vegan menu.
Meanwhile, De Rossi, 35, couldn't hide her delight at marrying DeGeneres, 50.
Enlarge 'The love we felt from the people surrounding us, and the love we have for each other, made this the most beautiful and emotional day. And one that we'll never forget,' De Rossi said.
A publicist for DeGeneres confirmed the wedding took place but gave no further comment.
And while opponents were calling for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage in California, Hollywood was throwing its support behind the newlyweds.
'One of my favourite people of all time is Ms Ellen DeGeneres,' Katherine Heigl, star of Grey's Anatomy, said.
'So I wish all the best, all the happiness, all the joy that comes with that certificate ... just the joy of being able to stand up and say that.
'In front of everyone you love and care about in front of each other and to walk away legal is huge.'
People magazine hits news stands this week.
Tom Cruise Recast As Angelina Jolie
13 August 2008
Actors offered leading roles get replaced left, right and centre in the big bad movie world. But a leading man being replaced for a leading woman is not so
common - in fact, it’s practically non existent, but definitely refreshing. It has been confirmed that Angelina Jolie will be taking over the role that was
meant for Tom Cruise in Philip Noyce’s upcoming thriller, Edwin A. Salt.
The part was written with Cruise in mind, who was mmming and ahhing about taking on the role, but then decided to turn it down. But Jolie will not be
reprising the role as a dude; the part is set to be rewritten to make the leading character a woman. And the title will be changed as well…
The plot revolves around a CIA agent who is accused by his – sorry - her employers of being a Russian spy, which they do not like, so Salt is forced to go on
the run and clear his – dammnit –her name in true Hollywood style fashion.
The film makers clearly have enough faith in Jolie to pull off a headlining role, and this gender reversal could lead the way for more female actors to get
starring blockbuster roles. Now, who wants to see Gandalf in The Hobbit rewritten for Judi Dench?
Woo war movie sets domestic record in China
13 August 2008
China's costliest film, director John Woo's third-century naval war epic "Red Cliff," has set a new box office record for a domestic movie, putting it within
reach of the country's all-time record-holder, "Titanic."
Earning 302 million yuan ($44.04 million) in the month since its July 10 opening, "Red Cliff" smashed the previous domestic record held by "Curse of the
Golden Flower," a report published late Monday on Sohu.com, said.
"Curse" earned 286 million yuan and got Olympics opening ceremony director Zhang Yimou nominated for an Oscar in 2006.
Red Cliff," an $80 million film starring Tony Leung and Takeshi Kaneshiro, is expected to reach the 360 million yuan haul of "Titanic," an unidentified
official of the China Film Group, Woo's producer and distributor, told Sohu.com.
"Red Cliff" will open the Tokyo International Film Festival on October 18. A sequel is due in December.
Pamela on her new reality TV show
12 August 2008
Pamela Anderson has revealed that her new reality show ‘Pam: Girl on the Loose’ involves a lot of ‘gratuitous sex’.
The former Baywatch star’s E! Entertainment series is about to air and the actress said, "I love gratuitous sex, so there will be lots of that."
Meanwhile, Pamela has roped in pal Sir Elton John to star in the very first episode of the series. "Elton arranges it so Pam is part of his Red Piano concert
in Vegas,” the Mirror quoted a source as saying. “She is seen on five huge screens pole dancing in a tiny gold bikini," the source added.
How George Clooney offers his good friend Barack a
12 August 2008
George Clooney once famously declared he could never run for public office because he’d ‘slept with too many women, done too many drugs and been to too many
parties’.
But now the Hollywood heart-throb has entered the political arena at
the highest level – by becoming an unofficial adviser to US Presidential front-runner Barack Obama.
Oscar-winner Clooney, 47, is said to be helping the Democratic candidate to polish his image at home and abroad.
But he is also sharing with Obama his strong opinions on Iraq and the Middle East.
Sources say the actor has tried to hide the pair’s friendship for fear his Left-wing views and playboy image would hurt the Presidential hopeful’s bid for
the White House.
But Democratic Party insiders have revealed that Clooney and Obama regularly send texts and emails to each other and speak by phone at least twice a week.
One said last night: ‘They are extremely close. A number of members of the Hollywood community, including Brad Pitt, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, offered to
help raise funds for Barack but it was with George that he struck up this amazing affinity.
‘George has been giving him advice on things such as presentation, public speaking and body language and he also emails him constantly about policy,
especially the Middle East.
‘George is pushing him to be more “balanced” on issues such as US relations with Israel.
'George is pro-Palestinian. And he is also urging Barack to withdraw unconditionally from Iraq if he wins.
‘It’s a very risky relationship. His hope of becoming America’s first black President depends heavily on winning over conservative voters and it would be
suicidal for him to be perceived as a tool of a Hollywood Leftie, which is how they regard George.
‘But they text and email each other almost every day and speak on the phone at least a couple of times a week, often more.’
The Ocean’s Eleven star is among many Hollywood figures to have endorsed Obama, including Barbra Streisand, Scarlett Johansson, Warren Beatty and Steven
Spielberg.
One of Clooney’s trusted acquaintances said: ‘George is a master at crafting his own image and he is helping Obama to hone his image both domestically and
abroad.
'He told me he feels Obama is a once-in-a-lifetime leader. He is doing everything he can behind the scenes to bolster support in Hollywood, not just with
other celebrities but with the money men at the studios.’
The acquaintance added: ‘He has tried to keep the true extent of their involvement out of the Press because he is frightened of alienating voters.’
Clooney himself has admitted in an interview: ‘I’ve had the conversation with him saying, “Look, I’ll give you whatever support you need, including staying
completely away from you.”’
The star has never tried to hide his liberal views and last week announced he is making a £15million film about the lawyer who defended Osama Bin Laden’s
former driver, Salim Hamdan, on terror charges.
Clooney’s spokesman Stan Rosen-feld said last night: ‘I know they have spoken. I view it as a private conversation.’ Obama’s Press office did not comment.
Zeta-Jones' death wish
11 August 2008
Catherine Zeta-Jones wants to talk to dead people.
The Mask of Zorro actress says she was thrilled when a psychic was brought in to rehearsals on her new movie Death Defying Acts because she wishes she could
speak to some of her relatives who have passed away.
Catherine said: "I was fascinated by the psychic. I wanted to know what it felt like when you're channelling or doing whatever it takes to get to that state
of mind, so he changed my perspective on it.
"I would love to be able to contact people on the other side.
"If I could speak to my grandmother tonight, I'd be doing it. So I do believe."
Death Defying Acts, a biopic of illusionist Harry Houdini, has flopped at the US box office, taking just $3 560 in its only weekend of showing.
However, Catherine, 38, insists she isn't worried about it damaging her career.
She added: "I haven't actually reached my sexiest point yet.
"I'm not going to be playing a 19-year-old but I'm not going to be playing old grannies any time soon."
Look out Britney! Brand (and an elephant) get a li
11 August 2008
But a glamorous Britney took the teasing in good humour, turning the joke on Brand by pretending she didn't know who he was and calling him 'Russell Brown'.
The pair then entered into an improvised Question and Answer session, during which Brand suggested there was a sexual tension between them - 'I didn't feel
any tension', she answered.
LL Cool J and Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz then joined in the fun, with Cool J calling Brand 'Russell Bland'.
Britney's appearance in the advert has led to rumours that she will be joining the comedian onstage on the night.
Ladies' man Brand would surely welcome this - he told one interviewer 'I'm planning to have lesbian kisses with Britney and Madonna individually. It's not
going to be easy with my genitals, but God, I will try.'
Britney may well be receiving an award on the night. The singer is nominated for Best Female and Best Pop Video for Piece of Me.
Brand, who came to fame presenting Big Brother's Little Brother, is known in America for his small role as Aldous Snow in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. But his
relative obscurity has led some to question if he is a good choice for the high-profile presenting spot.
Past hosts have included Jack Black, Chris Rock, P Diddy, and Jamie Foxx.
Brand, however is well known to MTV. His first job was as a presenter on English MTV, from which he was fired for turning up dressed as Osama Bin Laden on
September 12, 2001.
Johnny Depp up for Riddler role
6 August 2008
Johnny Depp has reportedly been approached to play a villain in the next Batman movie.
The actor wanted to portray The Riddler in the sequel to The Dark Knight, according to studio bosses.
A source said: "Johnny would be amazing as The Riddler. The studio knew they needed someone who could match or even top the late Heath Ledger's performance
as The Joker in the most recent film The Dark Knight, and think Johnny has the potential to do so."
The Riddler is a manic supervillain who baffles Batman with his cryptic criminal clues. He first appeared in the comic book series in 1948, and was portrayed
by Frank Gorshin in the 1960s US TV show, a role which earned him an Emmy nomination.
More recently, The Riddler was played by Jim Carrey in the 1995 movie Batman Forever.
Studio bosses are also said to be keen to get Philip Seymour Hoffman to play The Penguin in the new movie.
DiCaprio could play Lenin in new Russian black com
6 August 2008
Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio could take on the role of Soviet revolutionary leader Vladimir Lenin in a new black comedy, a Russian screenwriter has said.
"As we compared his (DiCaprio's) photos with those of Lenin ... the similarity was striking. I should even say that Leo could play the role of the
revolutionary leader without make-up," said Russian screenwriter Alexander Borodyansky on Sunday.
The director of the Moscow International Film Festival, Natalya Semina, said, "It is common knowledge that DiCaprio has Slavic roots. His ancestors on his
mother's side emigrated from Russia to Germany."
"Lenin's Brain" (the film's working title) is a black comedy with a $20 million budget. According to the plot, in the late 20th century, Russian scientists
create Lenin's clone. He then comes to the United States and sparks a socialist revolution there in 2024.
DiCaprio, 33, shot to fame for his role in the 1997 blockbuster "Titanic." He was the fifth highest paid actor in Hollywood last year, earning $45 million,
according to Forbes magazine.
The embalmed body of Bolshevik leader Lenin has been on public display in a glass case in a mausoleum on Red Square since his death in 1924. His continuing
presence in the heart of Moscow has been an ongoing source of controversy since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Morgan Freeman in 'good spirits' after car crash
5 August 2008
Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman was in "good spirits" and confident of making a full recovery after a serious car crash left him with multiple broken
bones, his spokeswoman said Monday.
The 71-year-old star, who won an Academy Award for his role in 2004's "Million Dollar Baby," was being treated in hospital in Memphis following the single
vehicle accident late Sunday near Ruleville, Mississippi.
Freeman's spokeswoman Donna Lee told AFP in a statement Freeman had suffered a "broken arm, elbow and minor shoulder damage" but was talking and in "good
spirits" when she spoke to the actor earlier Monday.
"He is having a little bit of surgery this afternoon or tomorrow to help correct the damage," she said. "He says he'll be OK and is looking forward to a full
recovery."
A spokesman at the Memphis Regional Medical Center treating Freeman earlier said the actor was in a "serious" condition. The condition of a female passenger
traveling with the actor was unknown.
"Mr. Freeman is listed in serious condition but we have no information on the condition of his passenger," hospital spokeswoman Kathy Stringer told AFP.
Freeman, who is currently starring in Batman blockbuster "The Dark Knight" was hospitalized after the car he was driving went off the road and flipped
several times, reports said, citing the Mississippi Highway Patrol.
Freeman and his passenger were airlifted to hospital.
Freeman won the statuette for best supporting actor for his role as former boxer Eddie "Scrap-Iron" Dupris in Clint Eastwood's boxing drama "Million Dollar
Baby," and is famous for his authoritative, calm voice that has been used to narrate documentaries and commercials as well as film roles.
The prolific actor, born in the southern US state of Tennessee, began acting in theater productions in 1967 before moving on to film, where he has carved out
a career from playing wise and determined characters.
He played the US president in the disaster flick "Deep Impact" (1997) and portrayed an even more powerful character -- God -- in "Bruce Almighty" (2003), a
comedy starring Jim Carrey.
Freeman earned the first of his four Oscar nominations with his 1987 role as a tough pimp in "Street Smart." Although he failed to win best supporting actor,
he was rewarded for his role by US film critic associations.
His moving portrayal of a chauffeur in the segregated US South in "Driving Miss Daisy" (1989) won him a Golden Globe in the United States and a Silver Bear
at the Berlin film festival. He also earned his second Oscar nomination for the film, this time for best actor.
In the moving 1989 drama "Glory," Freeman played a soldier in the first all-black volunteer company to fight for the North in the US Civil War.
He starred alongside Kevin Costner in "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" (1991) and with Brad Pitt in the crime thriller "Seven" (1995).
The father of four earned his third Oscar nomination, a best actor nod, for his role in "The Shawshank Redemption" (1994), based on a Stephen King novella
about a banker who is wrongly convicted of murder.
Freeman is currently working on another collaboration with Eastwood, "The Human Factor," where he is due to play former South African president Nelson
Mandela in a film based on the 1995 Rugby World Cup.
Jessica Simpson strips for beau
5 August 2008
Hollywood actress Jessica Simpson has found a new way to keep her man Tony Romo hooked on to her completely — using a web cam to transmit her sexy pictures
to him when he is away.
The Dukes of Hazard actress, who was earlier, married to singer Nick Lachey has moved on in life and is pretty happy with Dallas Cowboy beau Tony Romo. “Jess
has no problem showing Tony her favourite ‘Pussycat Dolls’ routine, she will dance in front of her camera until she makes her man happy,” British tabloid The
Sun quoted one of Jessica’s friends as saying.
The pal said that the sexy actress also tries to ensure that her saucy pics are viewed only by her beau and not by any of his buddies. “Jess does get
paranoid, making sure Tony doesn’t have any of his Cowboys buddies peeking in on the show,” the source said.
Why he is got the right stuff
1 August 2008
Dennis Quaid rocketed to fame playing an astronaut, but fell back to earth with a bump. Now he's riding high again and loving it, he tells LESLEY O'TOOLE
It was probably not a coincidence that Dennis Quaid, famously a purveyor of effortless masculinity on screen, garnered the best reviews of his career for
playing a 50s, closeted homosexual in 2002's Far From Heaven. He also won three American critics' groups awards, was nominated for Screen Actors Guild and
Golden Globe awards and his career hasn't faltered since. The same year he graced the well-liked studio family film The Rookie, and two years later had
another mainstream blockbuster, The Day After Tomorrow, plus the winning indie film In Good Company.
Smart People is the second of Quaid's five 2008 releases, a year he calls, not without good reason, "a perfect storm".
Quaid didn't understand why director Noam Murro offered him the role of the lugubrious, isolated college professor Lawrence Wetherhold in Smart People (which
also stars girls of the moment Sarah Jessica Parker and Ellen Page). He was so intrigued that he agreed to a meeting with him just to ascertain why.
"I was thinking, 'I really don't get it at all', and 'Why do you see me playing this?'." He half-admits now that he was scared. "I really was going to bow
out of it. I hate to use the word 'risk', because what's risky about acting? Being in combat, now that's risky. I felt I needed to do something that maybe I
was afraid to do, or felt I wasn't quite right for. To step out into the ether and do something new.
"And I did identify with him emotionally, in some ways, in terms. I think I had been at different times in my life, to a certain degree, more or less sort of
emotionally stuck, or shut down."
This is not the self-important chatter of a movie star who has had a few box office disappointments. Quaid is a survivor, professionally and personally, and
today breathes almost meditatively as he takes in the Santa Monica ocean view. "Can't be bad," he murmurs. He might indeed be talking about life as a 54-
year-old with 6-month-old twins and a third wife, estate agent Kimberly Buffington, from his home state Texas, with whom he seems blissfully happy, or
talking about the state of his career.
"There were just so many great scripts that it was hard to pass on," he says; not the sort of thing you often hear Hollywood actors say. "Movies seem to be
happening to me rather than me going out there and saying, 'Well, I'm going to play this'."
Earlier this year Quaid starred in British director Peter Travis's Rashomon-style thriller Vantage Point, in which he played a secret-service guy not averse
to jokes about his age. This summer he will star in his latest summer blockbuster, GI Joe, opposite Sienna Miller and Victoria's Secret model Karolina
Kurkova. "It's a three-movie deal," he jokes. "A big popcorn type of tent-pole action movie. It's not deep. Action and cleavage." His other 2008 releases are
The Horsemen ("I call it a horror movie with a heart," he says) and The Express (an old-fashioned, feel-good American sporting tale).
Being black in Hollywood still exception, not the
1 August 2008
Will Smith has made epic blockbusters a Fourth of July tradition, and Denzel Washington is one of the most recognized faces in show business.
But according to some iReporters who watched CNN's "Black in America," these well-known actors' roles are not typical of how black people are shown on TV and
in the movies.
Brad Bailey of Los Angeles, California, was one of the many viewers of the two-part documentary who continued the dialogue on iReport.com. The overwhelming
response prompted CNN to initiate deeper explorations into the issues touched during the show.
Bailey held a viewing party at his home with friends who have been involved in acting and film production. He concluded that while he thought the documentary
covered about as much ground as a special can, one of the issues remaining to be addressed was the image of blacks projected into theaters and living
rooms.
Bailey says there aren't enough black roles on TV and in movies, which deprives people of all races from seeing black people in non-stereotypical roles or
having their appearance become a normal, everyday aspect of filmmaking. Actors, too, struggle when they can't fit narrowly prescribed roles. iReport.com: See
stories about being black in America
He cites a lack of black screenwriters as contributing to underrepresentation of blacks on television.
"For me, I think it's about who creates these roles," Bailey said. "I've only been successful when it came to roles that were specifically designed for being
black."
Bailey himself has been on multiple sides of the same coin. He's auditioned for roles in the past as well as made his own projects. Now, he's moved to a
documentary focus.
Blacks have a harder time fitting into roles than most people in an already-tough acting market, he said.
The Yale and Princeton graduate recalls one occasion when he auditioned for a role as an Ivy League "secret society type." He figured he'd have a good shot
since he'd been in a secret society himself. He didn't get the role and noticed that it was given to a blond-haired white man.
"They were looking for the stereotypical version of what Ivy League was 50 years ago," Bailey said.
Still, no one ever came out and said why the choice was made, and he can only assume the reason behind the selection.
"Nobody ever says that directly," Bailey said. "They sort of go around it in coded language in order to say that."
He said he's had trouble auditioning for roles in which he would be dating a white person or married to a white person because directors look to match
couples who look alike. People aren't used to interracial couples, but he thinks this image would change if people saw it more often.
"Maybe just seeing those pictures up there, maybe they won't react so strongly to it," he said.
Robyn McGee of Long Beach, California, singled out black women as a misrepresented group in film and television. Female film roles are prone to stereotype,
she said.
She conceded that Smith's appearances in diverse films such as "Independence Day," "Men in Black," "I Am Legend" and "Hancock" were groundbreaking. Notably,
Halle Berry won an Oscar in 2002 and Jennifer Hudson did so as well in 2007. But she said these examples of achievement are unique and must be built
upon.
"Frequently, black women are still portrayed as loud, bossy or fat," she said. "The Pine Sol lady in commercials is a throwback to this mammy
stereotype."
McGee wrote a book about black women's body images in 2005 and says she takes great interest in the subject of their appearances in film and TV.
She sent a photo of herself with her family and asked fellow iReporters, "Why are black women portrayed on TV, the movies, in magazines and online as loud,
angry and desperate for love?"
Music videos of the 1990s influenced a new interpretation of women on TV in roles she characterizes as "hypersexual gold diggers."
These images, as well as portrayals of young black men, contribute to an identity crisis for teens in search of role models, says Beto Mario Lopez of
Oakland, California.
Lopez said actors like Smith and Washington have carved a niche for themselves, but they don't speak to younger audiences the way TV and hip-hop culture do.
Teens may feel like they have to act a certain way to fit in, when they might otherwise prefer a different style, he said.
"Kids are growing up today thinking you have to be hip-hop," Lopez said. "You've got regular 16-year-olds ... they're taking it too far with what you see on
television."
He wishes more diverse filmmaking was available and said Spike Lee's comments in the special struck a chord. During his appearance in "Black in America," Lee
said he has an easier time obtaining funding for projects including black stereotypes than for films that tackle more nuanced subject matter.
iReport.com: Watch Lopez talk about Spike Lee's interview and the perils of filmmaking
Young black males need to look at the media and see something with which they can identify, he said. Instead, he feels black men are portrayed in a negative
light.
"You think, 'Oh look, there's another stereotype of a black going through problems.' "
Bailey said the importance of film imagery can't be ignored. He feels people are used to seeing black people as policemen, for example, but not necessarily
in other capacities.
Everyone needs to see diverse representation in films for their own education, he said, and this need spreads beyond the United States.
"Hollywood starts these trends, but in these instances popular culture reacts to them," Bailey said. "Those images that are projected on screen are projected
to the rest of the world."
Beckham lends his name to marker brand
31 July 2008
FAMED footballer David Beckham wants to urge people to write out loud and he is partnering with Sharpie permanent markers for two years to promote the
product.
Sharpie, which has never collaborated with any international personalities before, decided to collaborate with Beckham because of his international fame.
“Beckham is an international celebrity and we needed someone to introduce Sharpie outside of the US,” Newell Rubbermaid (M) Sdn Bhd regional general manager,
South East Asia, Danny Yong said.
He added that Beckham was often bold and inspirational when he played and this was what made the collaboration a match made in heaven.
“He fits the profile of the product perfectly and that is why we have approached him to endorse our markers globally,” Yong added at the launch at Zouk Kuala
Lumpur.
The launch of the David Beckham and Sharpie global collaboration was simultaneously introduced around the world.
Sharpie permanent markers are the preferred markers used by celebrities when signing autographs and have long been a favourite of Beckham’s.
“I have always enjoyed signing autographs for people, especially since I used to love getting my hero’s signatures when I was younger,” Beckham said in a
statement released by Newell Rubbermaid.
“I love to use Sharpie’s markers so it’s a natural choice for me to partner with them,” he added.
Sharpie comes in 12 colours and can be used on virtually any surface.
“Sharpie is for individuals who want to leave a bold colourful signature that represents their true self,” Yong said.
Sharpie has a long list of sports sponsorships that include NASCAR’s Dale Earhardt Jr, and Pro Football wide receiver Terrell Owens.
Ewan McGregor finds African trek oddly peaceful
31 July 2008
Actors Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman braved the specter of armed kidnappers and fierce hyenas when they set out on a motorcycle journey in Africa but
what they encountered was quite different: little violence and curious kids.
A documentary film, "Long Way Down," which shows just how peaceful their journey was, will enjoy a brief run in theaters starting on Thursday, then appear on
television on the Fox Reality Channel beginning on Saturday.
McGregor, 37, star of the recent "Star Wars" movies, said the documentary of his three-month trek from Scotland to South Africa upends many past portrayals
of Africa.
"We are bombarded with two things, images of famine and wildlife, and we (McGregor and Boorman) always felt that there's a lot of other sides to that
continent and I hope that we showed that," he told Reuters.
Shot in 2007, "Long Way Down" is a follow-on to McGregor and Boorman's 2004 journey from London eastward to New York. On that trip, they passed through
Europe, Asia and North America. That trip was captured in the documentary "Long Way Round."
"Long Way Down" starts with McGregor and Boorman in England gearing up for the trip by taking a survival course. One instructor warns them to sleep with
their heads in their tents to avoid hyena bites. In a life-like training scenario, armed kidnappers ambush the celebrities.
But McGregor said all the concern about dangers proved to be overblown. "We didn't come across any trouble at all, contrary to a lot of the advice we got,"
he said.
CURIOUS KIDS, FLOWER FARMERS
Instead, they met crowds of curious children, the European owners of a thriving flower farm, a talkative tribe of bushmen and a fervent Rastafarian who
believes in an Afro-centric movement involving a return to Africa from Jamaica.
The two actors biked around the often-visited pyramids of Egypt but they also cut through back roads -- suffering bumps and falls from riding over rocks and
soft sand.
While they saw no violence, McGregor and Boorman did witness the result of tribal conflict when they visited a school in Kenya where children bore scars from
a shooting.
"It's very difficult to take it in, that those kinds of things can happen, that people can murder children en masse like that," McGregor said. "You're right
away feeling very confused about it, with a kind of hope that those people have rebuilt their lives," he said.
Born in Scotland, McGregor had a breakout role as a heroin addict in the 1996 movie "Trainspotting." He also starred as the Jedi knight Obi-Wan Kenobi in
"Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace," "Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones" and "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith."
Boorman, 41, is a friend of McGregor and an actor and motorcycle enthusiast. The British-born actor starred in the 2001 movie "The Bunker" and the 2004 movie
"In My Country," which was directed by his father, John Boorman.
Dan Diamond, vice president of National CineMedia Fathom, which books special events in theaters, said his company will show "Long Way Down" in more than 430
North American theaters on Thursday, in a special one-day screening series meant to bring together motorcycle riders and anyone interested in McGregor and
Boorman's journey.
"They're not riding superhighways down through Africa," he said. "They're riding down into places where people haven't had the chance to go."
Johnny Depp To Play Mad Hatter In Burton’s Alice I
30 July 2008
One of the movie industry’s most successful partnerships continues to go strong as Tim Burton teams up once again with Johnny Depp for the remake of Alice in
Wonderland.
Fresh from the success of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street, Burton has chosen Depp to play the Mad Hatter in the multi-million pound live
action remake, which will be shot in 3D. The Lewis Carroll adaptation, which is to begin production next year, will be Depp’s seventh movie with Burton. He
will be starring alongside Australian actress Mia Wasikowska, who has been cast as Alice.
The Burtonised Alice will be financed by Disney, and should hit our screens in Summer 2010.
Now, who is willing to bet money that Danny Elfman – film score composer frequently attached to Tim Burton’s movies, especially those which have starred
Johnny Depp (except Ed Wood and Sweeney Todd) – will also be involved in the project?
Hanks and wife drop lawsuit over big fat profits
30 July 2008
Actor Tom Hanks, his wife Rita Wilson and other co-producers of the 2002 sleeper hit My Big Fat Greek Wedding dropped their lawsuit against Gold Circle Films
for alleged unreported profits, according to court papers published.
Lawyers for Hanks, Wilson, Gary Goetzman and other co-producers, along with actress Nia Vardalos, who wrote the screenplay, requested the dismissal in a
document filed "without prejudice," meaning the lawsuit could be reopened at any time.
The movie cost some US$5 million (HK$39 million) to make and netted an astounding US$368 million in worldwide box office receipts, according to Box Office
Mojo website.
However, Gold Circle, which co- financed the hit movie, reported total receipts of US$287 million, according to the plaintiffs, and refused to pay the
producers for the alleged difference.
The plaintiffs' lawyers did not explain in their request the reasons for dropping the lawsuit, court documents showed.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding, which satirizes expatriate Greek communities, earned Greek-Canadian actress Vardalos an Oscar nomination.
Angelina has her claws out
30 July 2008
Angelina Jolie is reportedly being lined up to star as Catwoman in a new movie.
The 33-year-old actress - who gave birth to twins earlier this month, the fifth and sixth children she is raising with partner Brad Pitt - is said to be in
final negotiations with studio bosses to play the feline villain who first appeared in the Batman comics.
Angelina has already been approved for the role by Julie Newmar, who played Catwoman in the Batman TV series from 1966 to 1968.
Julie, now 74, said: "Angelina would own the part. My industry friends tell me she has already made enquiries about the role. I can understand how it would
pique her interest. Catwoman is Batman's one true love.
"She is tremendously popular with women because she's both a heroine and a villainess."
Since the TV series, other actresses to take on the role of Catwoman include Michelle Pfeiffer in 1992 movie Batman Returns, while Halle Berry's portrayal of
the villain in 2004 film Catwoman was panned by critics worldwide.
Angelina was recently tipped to be starring in The Thomas Crown Affair 2 alongside Pierce Brosnan, but has been ordered by bosses to put on 14kg for the
role.
Haifa Wahbi congratulates Madline Matar
17 june 2008
Lebanese artist Madline Matar met with journalists and broadcasters for two days at the office of producer Muhammad Al Sabki in Cairo in anticipation of the
launching of her first film “Akher Kalam” (Last Talk). The new comedy will be screened in June.
According to the London daily Elaph, Madline plays the role of ‘Amirah,’ a young woman who dreams of becoming a famous singer, yet her father, played by
Hasan Husni refuses to consent.
Amirah become a successful singer when her father is ill, and he then discovers that his daughter is talented.
Madline sing two songs in the Egyptian dialect in the film.
Madline said there is no conflict between her and the famous Lebanese singer Haifa Wahbi.
Haifa did read many scripts for films with Muhammad Al Sabki, but this specific film was not made for Haifa, said Madline.
Haifa congratulated Madline and the cast and crew of the film.
“Akher Kalam” is written by Muhammad Hifthi and Muhammad Al Qoshti and directed by Akram Farid. The film also stars the Egyptian actors Hasan Husni, Mina
Arafa, Rida Hamed and Muhammad Maher.
After the screening, Madline will be free to work on her upcoming album and various music events.
Algerian police arrest Maysam Nahas
17 june 2008
Lebanese artist Maysam Nahas appeared as a guest on the Algerian television show “Dazayer Sho,” hosted by Sofyan Dani.
According to the London daily Elaph, Maysam’s trip to Algeria was delayed after she contracted a mysterious virus upon her return from Lebanon from Dubai.
The political crisis in Lebanon also prevented her from traveling. Maysam called the producer of the program and told them that it would be impossible for
her to leave her family behind as such time.
During her stay in Algeria Maysam also advertised for her new album “Mahdoom” (Adorable), which is becoming a hit in Algeria.
While in Algeria, Maysam was arrested by the police for not wearing a seatbelt while driving. Maysam went to the police department willingly and sang her new
song “Mahdoom” for the chief of police.
Maysam said that she is happy the police in Algeria take their laws seriously and treat everyone equally.
Nancy more popular than Asala in Morocco
29 May 2008
Lebanese superstar Nancy Ajram stole the spotlights at the seventh “Mowazeen” Moroccan Music Festival.
According to the London daily Elaph, the festival drew almost 50,000 fans to hear the adorable singer.
Nancy performed her songs “Shakhbat Shakhabeet” (Scratch Doodle) and “Shater Shater” (Well Behaved), as her fans sang along. Two little girls went up on stage and presented her
with flowers.
Nancy was more popular than her Syrian colleague Asala Nasri who drew only half the number of fans the night before, although they were very enthusiastic. Asala appeared on
stage wearing a Moroccan traditional dress called an “Al Kaftans.”
Mai Al Hariri as Queen Petra
29 May 2008
Lebanese artist Mai Al Hariri has finished her new album that includes songs in the Egyptian, Khaliji (Gulf) and Lebanese dialects.
According to the London daily Elaph, Mai is scheduled to launch her fist song from the album called “Isbou” (A Week), in the Khaliji dialect. It was written by Ali Al Khawar,
composed by Fahed Naser and distributed by Muhammad Saleh.
Mai has filmed a video clip for the new song with the Jordanian director Hussein Duabis, their first collaboration. Filming lasted for three days in Jordan in Wade Ram, Hamamat
Maeen and Petra, where Mai played the role of Queen Petra in he clip.
Nawal and Masari sing for love in Lebanon
27 May 2008
The second to last episode of the music talent show “Star Academy” set forth a positive image of Lebanon and how the Lebanese people are full of life.
Lebanese singer Diana Haddad was supposed to be the guest of honor, but since the airport was closed in Beirut due to the crisis, the show had to invite Lebanese superstar
Carole Samaha. Graduates of “Star Academy’s” previous season like Shatha Hasoon and Josef Atyeh also filled in spots.
During the episode before last the airport was still closed; therefore, no guest from outside of Lebanon could be invited and organizers of the show invited Lebanese singer
Nawal Al Zoghbi who couldn’t turn them down.
According to the London daily Elaph, Nawal said that the Lebanese people will find a way to get through this rough time out of love for their country.
The Canadian Lebanese artist Masari managed to come to Lebanon to appear on the show, despite the crisis. He asked the Lebanese people to maintain peace.
Nawal performed her song “Albi Isaloh” (Ask My Heart) with the Egyptian contestant Shahinaz. Then she sang a remix of her song “Gheeb Ani Gheeb” (Stay Far Stay). Nawal then
returned once more with Shahinaz to sing “Mishtalak” (I Miss You).
Masari and the contestant Nader performed the songs “Real Love,” “Say You Love Me” and “Be Easy.”
Nawal arrived the night before the show went on air with her three children. They sat among the audience during the show.
Nawal also filmed a video clip for her song “Sho Hal Alb” (What Kind Of Heart Is this) from her new album with the director Toni Qahwaji on the Academy stage. The song will be
aired on LBC channel soon.
Doliseema releases first song
27 May 2008
According to the London daily Elaph, the Lebanese singer Doliseema has filmed a video clip for her first song “Layali Badak” (The Nights when you are far), written by Ahmad Abed
Al Nabi and composed by Jad Mhana. The video clip was directed by Claude Barakat.
The director Calude Barakat wanted Doliseema to carve her way to stardom with her only weapon her voice.
She was successful in portraying a love story in the new clip.
Doliseema is one of nine singers who were chosen by ‘Rotanan’ to produce an album for each artist. The group is known as the “Rotana Academy.”
Diana Haddad in Morocco
27 May 2008
Lebanese superstar Diana Haddad will leave Dubai and travel to Morocco to participate in the “Mawazeen” festival in Al Rabat. Over 40 countries will participate in the
festival.
The first concert will be held on May 17 with the Syrian singer Asala Nasri. Lebanese singer Nancy Ajram will perform on May 18.
The third concert will be held by the Lebanese singer Fadel Shaker on May 20, and May 21 is set for the famous Egyptian superstar Amer Diab. Diana Haddad is scheduled right
after Diab and the Tunisian singer Saber Al Ribaie will be host the final concert on May 23.
According to the London daily Elaph, Diana is preparing for her new album, mostly sung in the Khaliji dialect. She is working hard to have the album in stores by next month.
Holmes to make Broadway debut
21 May 2008
Actress Katie Holmes will make her Broadway debut in a revival of Arthur Miller's All My Sons, starring alongside Oscar winner Dianne Wiest and Tony winner John Lithgow.
Holmes shot to fame on the US television series Dawson's Creek before marrying actor Tom Cruise with whom she has a two-year-old daughter, Suri. Most recently she starred in box
office flop Mad Money.
All My Sons is due to open on Broadway this autumn.
The play is based on a true story about a successful businessman who knowingly sold the government defective aircraft parts during World War II with tragic consequences.
The truth comes out and his life unravels when his son marries his business partner's daughter, played by Holmes.
Najwa Karam Music career and marriage don’t agree
9 May 2008<>/b>
Lebanese singer Najwa Karam recently appeared as a guest on the entertainment show “Mahatat” (Stations), aired on “Al Arabiya” satellite channel.
During the show Najwa talked about her music career and that she started when she was 18-years old. She said that she wanted to quit several times, but persevered.
According to the London daily Elaph, Najwa is known for her traditional Lebanese songs, sung in the Lebanese dialect. She has tired to add different styles to Arabic
music.
Najwa also talked about money, power and her opinion on marrying an artist.
Najwa has led a unique and successful music career, yet when it comes to marriage, Najwa said that “marriage and art don’t agree with each other.”
Najwa is enthusiastic about recording the songs for her new album, to be released by the end of May. She has worked with a number of composers, like Imad Shams Al Deen, Wisam
Al Amir, Nizar Francis and the famous musician Melhim Barakat.
Tom Cruise reveals more to Oprah Winfrey
9 May 2008<>/b>
Katie Holmes loves getting manicures with her two-year-old daughter Suri.
Katie's husband Tom Cruise revealed Suri likes nothing more than going to the beauty salon with her mother.
In an exclusive two-part interview with US TV talk show host Oprah Winfrey, Tom said: "I'm just amazed by Suri. She likes to dance and sing, get her nails done with mom - really
beautiful."
The programme - to mark Tom's 25th anniversary in the movie industry - also featured interviews with Tom's friends and co-stars.
Victoria Beckham revealed she always has fun when she goes out with Tom and Katie, and recalled one incident in a restaurant in Madrid.
She said: "We all conga-ed around. Those two really know how to have a laugh!"
The Spice Girls star also revealed she and husband David went to see Tom's film Jerry Maguire on their first date. When Victoria told Tom, he sent her a souvenir from the
set.
She added: "We told Tom and he sent us the jacket that he wore in one of the scenes, and he signed it. David hasn't taken it off since. I make him wear it!"
Meanwhile, Tom launched his official website tomcruise.com over the weekend.
It features a filmography, news, biographical information and a personal greeting to fans, reading: "In celebration of this occasion, I created this site as a thank you, to you,
for sharing the journey with me and to invite you to continue to explore what the future will bring."
Brad Pitt retaliates!
9 May 2008<>/b>
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have hit back at claims that their Hollywood neighbours are sick of the tabloid attention they have brought to their exclusive gated community.
Other residents of Los Angeles’ exclusive Franklin Village are reported to be “outraged” by the photographers who now swarm around the area, desperate for a glimpse of the
couple and their four children.
According to reports, a number of homeowners are rallying to try and force the Pitt-Jolie family out of the neighbourhood. But Pitt doesn’t believe the reports and is insisting
he gets on well with his neighbours.
He said, “This is the first I’ve heard of this, which tells me it’s mostly not true. I have lived and worked in the same location off and on since 1995 and have never had any
problems with my neighbours.”
Haifa Wahbi and Rula Saed win and loose
2 May 2008
Lebanese singer Haifa Wahbi filed a lawsuit against Rula Saed, Rula’s manager Karim Abi Yaghi, and journalist Nidal Al Ahmadyeh.
Oddly, both parties announced that the court ruled in their favor.
The judge determined there was insufficient evidence against Rula Saed, Karim Abi Yaghi and Nidal Al Ahmadyeh and dismissed the case.
According to the London daily Elaph, Haifa has yet to comment on the court decision, since she is outside of Lebanon. Haifa did say that she had to take her case to court, because there was a distributed video containing pornographic scenes of her. It had a negative effect on her career, said Haifa.
Circulating rumors claim that Haifa married a well-known Egyptian businessman. Haifa denies the news.
Other rumors claim that Haifa’s daughter has gotten engaged. Haifa responded that it is shameful to spread news about her daughter who is only 11- years old.
Elissa advertises for her perfume line
2 May 2008
Lebanese singer Elissa is working touring gulf countries to advertise for her new perfume line called ‘Elissa.’
Elissa started her journey a few days ago in Qatar at the Marina Hotel, where hse launched the perfume. She then went to the Miftah Shopping Center, and
later held a dinner party at the Four Seasons Hotel.
Elissa then made her way to Kuwait where she was joined by Accel Pierre, the manager of a French company in the Middle East.
Pierre said that Elissa selected her own scent for the perfume.
The scent of Elissa’s perfume is a rare combination of glamour and femininity, said Pierre.
Nicole champions women cause
29 April 2008
Oscar-winning Hollywood superstar Nicole Kidman was at the UN headquarters in New York to spearhead a drive to raise awareness of violence against women.
"One in three women will encounter violence in some way, shape or form against them in their lifetime," said Kidman, the goodwill ambassador for Unifem, the
United Nations Development Fund for Women.
Kidman, who is seven months' pregnant, held a press conference to kick off the UN-sponsored "Say No to Violence Against Women" campaign.
"So much of it is shrouded in silence. What we are trying to do is say this is something that needs to be addressed," the actress said. "A lot of it is
taking away the stigma, creating awareness and not making it a silent pandemic."
"I want to encourage people of all nations to unite behind our call to end violence against women," she said on Tuesday, urging people to sign on to the
Unifem campaign at www.saynotoviolence.org.
Organizers said 210,000 people had already signed on to the online petition campaign and expressed hope that many more would follow suit.
Kidman also appealed for increased financing for the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women, which gives grants for innovative efforts in developing
countries to help combat the scourge.
Unifem provides financial and technical assistance to innovative programs and strategies to foster women's empowerment and gender equality.
Pamela is horrified by hotdog rumours
29 April 2008
Canadian born actress and an animal rights activist Pamela Anderson was horrified by some recent rumours making the rounds on the internet that she was
caught eating a meat hotdog.
The former Baywatch babe was appalled by the rumours of her being caught and photographed with a non-vegetarian hotdog at her sons’ baseball game near their
home in Malibu recently. “It’s like Hotdoggate,” a website quoted her as saying. “Clearly, it’s a veggie dog. They’ve been serving veggie dogs and veggie
burgers at my kids’ baseball games for years now,” she said.
Anderson has been trying her best to get the ballpark to offer the meat alternatives. “Lovely John, who runs the hotdog stand there from the Kiwanis Club,
has been so wonderful to me and my kids. And I eat veggie burgers only,” she added.
Did Haifa Wahbe loose her case against Rula Saed?
25 April 2008
The fans of Lebanese singer Haifa Wahbe were happy to receive the news that their beloved has won her lawsuit.
Haifa filed the complaint against Lebanese singer Rula Saed, her manager Karim Abi Yaghi and Nidal Al Ahmadyeh (who is this?), claiming they distributed a CD
in stores that was said to be damaging Haifa’s reputation.
Haifa’s press office released the news that she has won, but wanted more time to review official court documents.
According to the London daily Elaph, Rula’s manager Karim Abi Yaghi said that he, Rula and Nidal Al Ahmadyeh had won the case.
Either way the case is longer in the court system to he heard.
Assi Hilani replaces Asala with Shayma
25 April 2008
Lebanese singer Assi Hilani intended to sing a song with the Syrian singer Asala Nasri. He later changed his mind and decided to replace Asala with the “Star Academy” star Shayma.
The song will be released solo, before the Assi’s next album.
Hollywood star Brad Pitt gets a geek chic makeover
25 April 2008
Brad Pitt has always been keen to escape his movie star looks in a bid to be considered a serious actor.
And it looks as if he has, as the Hollywood star received a 'geek chic' makeover for his latest film.
Widely considered one of the best looking men in the world, Brad Pitt's golden locks have been shaped into an oddly coloured flat-top haircut for his role as humble gym employee Chad Feldheimer in movie 'Burn After Reading'.
The father of four, was seen on set sporting the disastrous hair style, and bad suit - in the name of comedy of course.
Pitt is set to re-team on screen with his close friend and Ocean's Thirteen co-star George Clooney, who has also signed on for the new project directed by the Coen brothers.
Clooney joked recently: "I'm working with Brad right now on this Coen brothers movie, which kills me, because he's going to steal the movie and I'm going to murder him!"
There is no competition between the pair, Clooney insisted: "Honestly, though, I don't like the idea of competing; it's a weird thing, but you try not to compete in art.
"It always seems kind of strange. I could never do the things that Brad does."
While director and writer Joel Coen said: "The film is about the culture of the Central Intelligence Agency [CIA] and the culture of physical fitness in Washington, D.C., and what happens when those two worlds collide. And it's also about Internet dating."
Meanwhile, Pitt and partner Angelina Jolie are preparing for the birth of twins.
The couple are already parents to Maddox, 6, Pax, 3, Zahara, 2, and Shiloh, 1.
Of his brood, 43-year-old Pitt has said: "We're not done. They say, 'Any plans for a fifth?' And I say, 'And a sixth, and a seventh, and an eighth, and a ninth.' That's my answer."
Asala postpones acting and hopes to be pregnant
23 April 2008
Syrian singer Asala Nasri will perform a new duet with the young singer Rami Sabri on her upcoming album.
The new duet will be called “Mish Faker Leek” (I Don’t Remember About You.” The new album will also include the song “Infarij An Nafsak” (Ease Yourself),
written by Khaled Taj Al Deen and composed by Khaled Iz.
On the other hand, Asala’s first cinema project has been postponed until the end of this year. She said that she hopes to be pregnant when she starts
filming, because there are scenes n which her character is pregnant.
According to the London daily Elaph, Asala talked about her last performance at the “Hala Febryer” (Welcome February) festival that was held in Kuwait.
She was please by her success and surprised by the enthusiasm of the audience when she sang the songs from her latest album “Sawaha Albi” (My Heart Did It).
Asala has recorded more than 40 songs so far and she will choose the best of them to include on her new album. She was hoping that it would be released
around her birthday on Mat 15th, but she thinks that the music production company ‘Rotana’ will release it in June.
Elton John introduces Broadway's Billy Elliots
23 April 2008
The three young men who will alternate as the stars of Billy Elliot the Musical were introduced Tuesday by the show's composer, Elton John, in the
auditorium, appropriately enough, of New York's Professional Performing Arts High School.
"It's one of the greatest joys of my life," said the pop superstar, dressed in basic black and red eyeglasses, as he talked about the show and presented the
boys who will be the backbone of the $18 million musical opening Nov. 13 at the Imperial Theatre. Preview performances begin Oct. 1.
The trio includes David Alvarez, 13, born in Montreal and now living in New York; 14-year-old Kiril Kulish of San Diego, and Trent Kowalik, 13, of Wantagh,
N.Y., and already an alum of the show's London production.
Billy Elliot is based on the successful 2000 movie about a young boy who longs to dance but lives in the bleak coal-mining area of Northern England. His
story is set against the backdrop of a bitter miners' strike.
"I was completely wiped out," he said. "I had to be helped out sobbing from the screening because it mirrored, in a way, my personal journey and my
professional journey ... my father really never approved of what I was going to do either. ... This journey of Billy's reminded me of what I went
through."
Within the hour and at the urging of his partner, David Furnish, John said he was talking about writing the music for a stage adaptation. It opened in London
in 2005 to rave reviews and has been running there ever since.
Casting the New York Billys was an arduous process, taking more than a year with auditions being held all over the country.
But then, as Stephen Daldry, who directed both the film and the stage version, said: "It is the most unique and demanding role ever asked of a young
performer in the history of musical theater. ... It's a little like asking a child to play Hamlet and run a marathon at the same time."
Daldry then proceeded to enumerate why:
The lad, who is never off stage during the nearly three-hour show, has to:
_ be proficient at ballet enough to get into the Royal Ballet School.
_ be a tap dancer good enough to impress Savion Glover and/or Tommy Tune.
_ have extraordinary contemporary dance skills.
_ be an extraordinary acrobat.
_ have the skill to sing Elton John ballads.
_ do the whole show in a very particular accent.
"And on top of all that, they need to have that ... difficult thing to define ... charisma, X-factor or whatever you want to call it ... that allows 1,500
people a night to cheer for this child," the director said. "It's an extraordinary mountain to climb."
Jomana Murad marries Samer Al Masri
22 April 2008
Syrian actress Jomana Murad was part of a fashion show for designer Emanoush. She modeled a wedding dress that wowed the audience.
According to the London daily Elaph, Jomana finished filming the Syrian television drama series “Haik Tjawazna” (This How We Got Married), written by Mazen
Taha and directed by Amar Radwan.
number of famous Syrian actors also star in “Haik Tjawazna,” like Solaf Fawakhirji, Samer Al Masri, Basil Khayat, Nadine Tahseen Beek, Ayman Rida and Nidal
Nijem.
The new series is the third production by Jomana. She previously produced “Al Khaet Al Abyad” (White Threat) and “Intiqam Al Wardah” (Flower Revenge). The
new series is a comedy consisting of thirty individually titled episodes.
Jomana has started filming the third part of the Syrian television drama series “Bab Al Harah” (Neighborhood Door), directed by Basam Al Mala. Jomana will be
playing the role of Sharifa who is deeply in love with the character Al Akid Abu Shhab played by Samer Al Masri. At the end the lovers get married.
In the third part of “Bab Al Harah” the character Abu Isam , played by the famous Syrian actor Abbas Al Nouri, dies.
Jomana declined to comment on the decision not to allow Arab actors to star in more than one project per year, made by Ashraf Thaki head of the Egyptian
Artist Association. Jomana does not think the new decision applies to Syrian actors like herself.
Sex scenes exhaust Ewan
22 April 2008
Ewan McGregor says the endless sex scenes in his new movie left him exhausted.
The Scottish actor - who plays a boring accountant who discovers a wild sex club in thriller Deception - spent days shooting steamy scenes with a host of
beautiful naked women.
He is quoted by Britain's Daily Express newspaper as saying: "I would be introduced to a girl, do sex scenes with her, go back to my dressing room, have some
coffee, come back, then it's 'Hello, 'I'm Ewan' to another girl, clothes off and off we go again.
"I've done my fair share of sex scenes in my career, believe me. But this was something else!"
Ewan - who married French production designer Eve Mavrakis in 1995 - also revealed he is worried the title of his new movie will stop fans from going to see
it.
The 37-year-old star added: "'Deception' is just a horrible title. It sounds like a bad movie. So I think they have fucked it up already."
Berry mental issues
22 April 2008
Oscar-winner Halle Berry will play a woman struggling with multiple personality disorder in a psychological drama that she is co-producing, industry daily
Variety has reported. The 41-year-old African-American actress will play a woman with a racist, white alter-ego messing with her mind, Variety said.
Dominique confirms her pregnancy
21 April 2008
Lebanese singer Dominique confirmed that she is pregnant.
Dominique has tried to keep her personal affairs, especially concerning her husband and his family out of the media spotlight.
She and her husband will celebrate their first anniversary on November 11, 2008. She will wear a dress designed by Ropier Abi Nader that will be decorated
with diamonds, and is priced at half a million dollars.
The couple intend on holding a grand celebration at a beach resort to celebrate their union.
Madonna adoption reports create some concern
21 April 2008
India has just gotten the biggest publicity blitz for its adoption drive after reports that Madonna is adopting an Indian baby.
Every time celebrities such as Angelina Jolie or Madonna appear in the headlines, interest in the countries they've adopted from seems to rise, says Cathy
Lopston, administrator at the Family Services of Greater Vancouver adoption agency.
"I think those really increase the profile of those countries," she said.
However, psychologists at the University of Liverpool in Britain say research suggests that celebrity adoptions fuel a rise in the number of children left at
orphanages.
"Closely linked to the Madonna effect, we found that parents in poor countries are now giving up their children in the belief that they will have a 'better
life in the west' with a more wealthy family," Professor Kevin Browne told Britain's Telegraph newspaper.
Alba's new role: mother hen
21 April 2008
Jessica Alba is in nesting mode, trying to get her home ready for her new baby with fiance Cash Warren, according to people.com.
The actress says she's taken on the bulk of the duties because she's taking an acting break.
"I'm used to having to be somewhere all the time, and it's kind of the first time in my life where I really haven't been working in a while, and now it's
just about the baby being healthy, the house being ready, and nesting. It's really different," she told People.
"It's cool – I feel like I'm fully absorbing the whole experience."
Elissa advertises for album on El Beit Beitak
18 April 2008
Lebanese signer Elissa appeared as a guest on the entertainment program “Al Beit Beitak” (The House is yours), hosted by Egyptian journalist Mahmoud Saed.
According to the London daily Elaph, Elissa’s appearance on the show is her first since the release of her latest album “Ayami Beek” (My days with you), that
has ranked first place since its release.
Elissa explained that she is in love with the Egyptian dialect and that “it is just like the Lebanese dialect” for her, although she finds it difficult to
sing the Khaliji “Gulf countries” dialect.
Elissa said that she chooses her songs according to her own feelings and emotions, and when she likes what she hears she goes for it.
At the beginning of her career Elissa appeared in several musicals. She hoped to be discovered for her singing voice, over her ability to act.
She also talked about how a famous Lebanese director who didn’t believe in her talent and how he had canceled their contract a short while after signing it.
Elissa believes that a good video clip is what makes a song successful. She has yet to film a video clip for any of the songs from her new album.
Elissa recently received the World Music Award. She asserted that she deserved the award. Rumors claimed that she had paid money to receive the
award.
Elissa loves living in Lebanon. “I will never leave,” she said.
Introducing Angelina Jolie as a 16-year-old swimsu
18 April 2008
The bee-stung lips, bedroom eyes and long dark locks were obviously there from the beginning.
But these pictures of Angelina Jolie, taken when she was 16, highlight just what has changed since she became a star.
Though she clearly missed out on puppy fat, the teenage Miss Jolie did have rounded hips and soft fleshy arms.
Today, they have gone the same way as those of any other A-lister - to mostly skin and bone. At the same time, interestingly, her chest size has increased.
Her unblemished skin is also a distant memory. Miss Jolie, now 32, is understood to have at least 13 tattoos decorating her body, including the geographical
co-ordinates of her children's birthplaces etched on to her left shoulder.
Angelina's teens proved a tumultuous time for her - at 14, Angelina was permitted to move in her older boyfriend into her mother Marcheline Bertrand's LA
home and later dropped out of acting classes at Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute.
Estranged from her father, she has since admitted to suffering bouts of depression, but went on to return to theatre studies and graduate from Beverly Hills
High School.
Of that time, she has said: "I had that problem early on when I couldn't feel a bond with another human being. Mostly it was all about trying to connect."
While the star made her best effort to put her feminine wiles on show during the shoot, the images are positively demure compared to what was to come in the
following years.
As well as a shock red carpet kiss with her brother James Haven, Angelina had a bisexual relationship with a Calvin Klein model Jenny Shimizu and famously
wore a vial of her then husband Billy Bob Thorton's blood around her neck.
However in the last five years and with an Oscar under her belt for Girl Interrupted, Angelina has tamed her wild child ways, successfully transforming
herself into a box-office star, UN goodwill ambassador and mother of four.
Angelina, who has three adopted children, Maddox, Pax Thien, Zahara and a biological daughter Shiloh, is currently pregnant with another child.
The 32-year-old recently revealed that despite world wide interest in her and Pitt, her children just see them as very ordinary parents.
She said: "I think our kids will look back on all that as being really funny when they get older, because they think of us as being really dorky - in fact,
the dorkiest people on the planet!"
Britney Spears to pay her lawyers at least $372,50
18 April 2008
A court commissioner on Thursday authorized various lawyers representing Britney Spears and her family to be paid more than $372,500 out of Spears'
funds.
Commissioner Reva Goetz ordered the attorneys paid from Spears' assets, which are under the control of her father, James Spears, and attorney Andrew Wallet.
They have had control of the pop star's finances and estate since she was hospitalized twice in January.
Goetz scheduled the next conservatorship hearing for May 29.
Haifa sings for Hani Shaker daughter
17 April 2008
The Lebanese singer Haifa Wahbe was invited to sing at the wedding of the Egyptian singer Hani Shaker’s daughter. Dina married the Egyptian councilor Majdi
Ma’moun.
Haifa performed several solos songs. She also sang two songs with Hani Shaker and later sang with Egyptian singer Ehab Tawfiq.
There were many stars at the wedding like Nadia Al Jundi, Nabila Obeid, Mahmoud Yasin and his wife Shahira, Majida Zaki and her husband Kamal Abu Reyh,
Khaled Zaki, Mirvat Amin, and Nilly.
Haifa just finished filming her latest video clip for the song “Ma Tolish Lihad” (Don’t Tell Anyone). The filming spanned three days at the Adma studios in
Lebanon. Haifa’s clothes were designed by Nicola Jibran from Lebanon.
Cameron Diaz thanks fans for support following fat
17 April 2008
Cameron Diaz has thanked fans for their support following the sudden death of her father.
Emilio Diaz passed away suddenly early Tuesday morning after a bout of flu developed into pneumonia. He was just 58 years old.
"My mom, sister and I are deeply appreciative of the overwhelming outpouring of love and support during this difficult time for us and all of our family,"
the 35-year-old actress said in a statement.
"My dad was loved by so many people and his humour and spirit will always live on in our hearts."
Sources close to the family described the sudden loss as "shocking", as Emilio was in "terrific health".
Cameron, 35, learned of her father's passing on the set of her forthcoming film My Sister's Keeper. Production on the movie was shut down
immediately.
Emilio, who lived in Seal Beach, California, was a second generation Cuban-American who worked as a foreman for an oil company.
Emilio was always a proud supporter of Cameron's career and he even had a bit part in his daughter's 1998 film There's Something About Mary.
He is survived by his wife Billie and their two daughters, Cameron and Chimene, 37.
New music video Web site features major label arti
17 April 2008
A company backed by investors including Will Smith and major record labels has launched a new Web site offering 10,000 free, high-definition music
videos.
Universal Music Group announced Wednesday that it has joined EMI and Sony BMG in backing Santa Monica-based PluggedIn.
The Web site features music videos from artists such as Gwen Stefani, Green Day, Coldplay and Norah Jones and is powered by a new media player that supports
full-screen high-definition video.
PluggedIn also announced a partnership with Smith's production and management company Overbrook Entertainment.
Wael Kfoury opens Aqaba celebration
16 April 2008
Lebanese singer Wael Kfoury hosted a live concert in the Jordanian coastal city of Aqaba.
More than 4,000 college students from various Jordanian universities attended the concert, many of them traveled from Amman to enjoy the superstar’s songs.
According to the London daily Elaph, amidst loud cheers and clapping the famous Lebanese singer went up on stage and opened with his song “Bihin”
(Homesick).
The students were thrilled hear Wael’s old and new songs.
Ceremony for JLo twins
16 April 2008
Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony reportedly baptised their twins on Saturday.
The couple held the intimate ceremony for seven-week-old twins Max and Emme at a church in Long Island, New York.
They then hosted a reception attended by guests including their closest friends and family members at their nearby Brookville home.
A source close to the couple said: "They didn't want it to be a big ceremony, so they only invited their very best friends and immediate family. Max and Emme
didn't cry at all - they were really good, and Jennifer and Marc looked extremely proud."
It was recently reported that Marc bought his 38-year-old wife a $300 000 eight-carat yellow canary diamond ring to celebrate the birth of the twins.
Jennifer recently revealed becoming a mother is the best thing that has ever happened to her.
She said: "Your heart is connected to them. With all the things that Marc and I have accomplished in our lives, this is the biggest thing that will ever be."
George Clooney's Pitt put-off
16 April 2008
George Clooney says seeing close friend Brad Pitt become a father has reminded him why he doesn't want children.
more stories like thisThe 'Leatherheads' actor - who is dating former cocktail waitress Sarah Larson - revealed spending time with Brad and his four children
with partner Angelina Jolie makes him "nervous".
He said: "Even one kid running around my villa makes me nervous, so I'm definitely not a candidate for father of the year!
"If I need to surround myself with children and feel like I have this big extended family, I can always call Brad and Angie and ask them to stay with me,
just to remind me why I'm so happy without."
George, 46, also said he is unlikely to invite the celebrity couple to stay in his villa on Italy's Lake Como this summer because he doesn't have the room to
accommodate their ever-expanding brood.
He added to Britain's Heat magazine: "I really don't have enough space for all their children. Also, Brad and Angelina need a security deal of about 20 guys
wearing dark suits and carrying walkie-talkies, and that tends to attract attention."
Brad and Angelina - who is reportedly pregnant with twins - have three adopted children, three-year-old daughter Zahara, six-year-old son Maddox and son Pax,
four. They also have a 22-month-old biological daughter Shiloh.
Nawal Al Zoghbi refuses to sing a duet
15 April 2008
Lebanese singer Nawal Al Zoghbi has refused to work with another music artist on a new duet.
Nawal and Lebanese superstar Wael Kfoury previously sang a duet together “Meen Habibi Ana” (Who Is My Love), which was very successful.
Nawal said that despite the success of her previous duet, she feels that she has moved beyond performing with another artist.
Wael Kfoury has proven himself as a talented singer amongst his generation, said Nawal.
Maysam Nahas releases Adorable
15 April 2008
Lebanese singer Maysam Nahas has released a new album called “Mahdoom” (Adorable). Her fans were waiting for the release for a year and a half.
The new album features 8 songs that were written by Kamal Qabisi, Rafi, Jihad Farah, Milhem Saab and Yaser Jalal. Maysam also worked with a number of
composers like Yehya Al Hasan, Rafi, Jihad Farah, Yaser Jalal and George Mrdirosyan.
The songs on the new album are “Mahdoom” (Adorable), “Bahlam Beyounak” (I Dream About Your Eyes), “Hatrooh Beed O Inseetak” (You’ll Go Far And I’ll Forget
You), “Batfa’al Feek” (You’re My Lucky Charm), “Bishar Layali” (Staying Up At Night), “Mujarad So’al” (Only A Question) and “Habib Al Rooh” (The Love Of My
Soul).
The songs from Maysam’s new album are sung in a mix of Lebanese, Egyptian and Khaliji “Gulf countries” dialects.
Photographer Wasim Rahal presents Maysam in a new look on the new album cover. Maysam’s sister Elda designed the cover.
According to the London daily Elaph, Maysam chose the song, which holds the album’s title “Mahdoom” (Adorable), to film in the form of a music video with the
famous Lebanese director Fadi Haddad.
Fadi is becoming a favorite among of many singers, now competing with established directors throughout the Arab World.
Pete Wentz denies Ashlee Simpson is pregnant
15 April 2008
Rocker Pete Wentz on Monday denied that his fiancee, pop star Ashlee Simpson, is pregnant as reported in celebrity magazines days after they announced their
engagement, according to a story on MTV.com.
Earlier in the day, Us and OK! magazines published stories on their Web sites claiming Simpson was pregnant. OK! went so far as to say the baby was due in
October.
But Wentz, the bassist for rock band Fall Out Boy, told MTV News in an e-mail: "There is a witch hunt for people to be pregnant whenever they get engaged in
Hollywood ... I mean we're engaged, that's true, and happy about it."
In a separate e-mail, MTV News said it asked Wentz if he was denying the reports of Simpson's pregnancy, and Wentz answered "Yeah."
A representative for 23-year-old Simpson, the younger sister of actress and singer Jessica Simpson, issued a statement confirming the engagement and adding
"beyond that, there is nothing to add."
Ashlee Simpson has been romantically linked to Wentz, 28, since 2006. On Thursday, the couple posted a statement at the social networking Web site
friendsorenemies.com in which they announced they would be getting married.
In addition to her career as a singer, Simpson had a role in the U.S. television show "Seventh Heaven." Her new album, "Bittersweet World," is to be released
this month.
Wentz co-founded Fall Out Boy in 2001, and the band has built a loyal following with albums like 2005's popular "From Under the Cork Tree."
Ragheb Alameh signs new contract
14 April 2008
Lebanese superstar Ragheb Alameh has signed a new contract with the international production company ‘Virgin,’ after fierce competition amongst production
companies for the lucrative contract.
The new album,called “Bashak” (I’m In Love with You), features 12 songs and will be released at the end of April.
According to the London daily Elaph, Alameh did not want to sign with a production company that exclusively holds the rights to his albums. If the deal is
successful it may usher in a comeback for foreign production companies to the Arab market.
Britney Spears unhurt after minor accident on the
14 April 2008
Britney Spears' adventures behind the wheel continue.
The pop star was involved in a minor traffic accident late Saturday, but no one was injured, authorities said.
Spears was driving her 2008 Mercedes on the eastbound Ventura (101) Freeway just east of the 405 freeway about 8:20 p.m., said California Highway Patrol
Officer Patrick Kimball.
Spears was in stop-and-go traffic when her car struck a 2006 Nissan in front of her that had stopped. The Nissan then pushed forward into another vehicle. No
damage was noted to any of the vehicles.
The CHP took a report and no one was cited.
An after-hours e-mail sent to Spears' publicist was not returned early Sunday.
In 2006, Spears was photographed driving with her son on her lap.
A misdemeanor hit-and-run charge from an August 2007 parking lot crash was dismissed after she paid an undisclosed amount to the car's owner.
In October, she pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor charge of driving without a valid driver's license and later obtained a temporary California license.
Cate Blanchett Gives Birth to Third Son
14 April 2008
Actress Cate Blanchett has given birth to her third child, a spokesman said Monday.
Blanchett, 38, delivered son Ignatius Martin Upton on Sunday in Sydney, said Tim McKeough, media relations manager at the Sydney Theatre Company, where
Blanchett and her playwright husband are co-artistic directors.
"All are well and very happy," McKeough said.
The newborn weighed 7.94 pounds, he said.
Blanchett and husband Andrew Upton have two other sons: Dashiell, 6, and Roman, 3.
The Academy Award-winning actress next appears with Harrison Ford in the movie "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," due in theaters in May.
Marwan Khouri angry with ‘Rotana’
11 April 2008
After the success of his album “Kol Al Qasaed” (All the Poems) the Lebanese signer Marwan Khoury has earned his place as one of the most important composers
in the Arab World.
Now he is working on a new album called “Ana Wa Lail” (The Night And Me) and will film a new music video clip for the album.
According to the London daily Elaph, the new album is a collection of romantic songs. Critics have compared the style to that of Iraqi singer Kathem Al
Saher and Lebanese singer Fadel Shaker.
Marwan has been less than pleased with the comparison, because he feels that he has his own style of music.
“To be a successful composer you must try not to be repetitive and always look for new rhymes,” said Marwan.
He enjoys working with his brothers Claude and Danny because he truly feels they are talented, he added.
Rumors claim there is a conflict between Marwan and music production company Rotana over the album.
Marwan asserts there is no conflict, just a delay in releasing the album.
He did express his dissatisfaction over the delay in producing his music video and that ‘Rotana’ had set a lower budget for the video clip than what he
expected.
Marwan is also composing songs for various artists, like Lebanese singers Elissa, Majida Al Romi, and Maya Nasri, along with Iraqi singer Shatha Hasoon, and
Maha Al Reem.
Beyonce Knowles pregnant?
11 April 2008
Beyonce Knowles is reportedly expecting her first child with new husband Jay-Z.
The singer — who tied the knot with the hip-hop mogul last week — was spotted in New York sporting what appeared to be a baby bump. A source close to the
couple revealed, “I’ve heard from at least two people that Beyonce is pregnant.”
Following the couple’s ceremony, actress Vivica A Fox revealed it wouldn’t be long before they started a family, adding, “I wish them many, many years of
happiness and some babies. I think she will be really pretty pregnant, just like Jennifer Lopez and Halle Berry.” Beyonce and Jay-Z have yet to confirm their
nuptials, and the 26-year-old singer is doing everything she can to keep people guessing.
Moby wants to marry Britney
11 April 2008
Moby wants to marry "weird" Britney Spears.
The 'Go' singer revealed his feelings for the 26-year-old 'Toxic' star increase with every drama in her troubled life.
He said: "Britney is like this Tennessee Williams tragic figure. The fatter she gets, the weirder she gets, the more I love her. I found her moderately
appealing in the late 90s, but now I would marry her in a heartbeat!"
Moby recently said he thought most of Britney's problems - which involve losing custody of her two children after refusing to return them to ex-husband Kevin
Federline - are down to the fact she was a child star.
He said: "She became an international icon aged 16. In a weird way she's challenging people, but it's breaking my heart because ultimately she's not doing
things on a symbolic level. Cutting your hair off is symbolic. Losing your children and becoming a drug addict is not."
Johnny Depp's summer wedding
10 April 2008
Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis are getting married on June 14, it has been claimed.
more stories like thisThe pair - who have been together for over 10 years and have two children, eight-year-old Lily-Rose and six-year-old Jack - have always
insisted they don't feel the need to legalise their relationship, but French singer Vanessa is now keen to tie the knot.
A source close to the couple is quoted on website MSNBC as saying: "Vanessa recently told Johnny that she would love to have a wedding. Johnny loves Vanessa
very much, and he said if that's what would make her happy, then he would marry her."
'Pirates of the Caribbean' star Johnny - who recently said the couple were "for all intents and purposes married" - is planning to have the ceremony in
Georgia to make it convenient for his family who live in Florida.
The source added: "Lily-Rose and Jack are really excited about it. Actually - the whole family is excited. They're going to send out invitations in a few
weeks."
Johnny has previously admitted he would be reluctant to tie the knot because he loves Vanessa's surname.
He said: "It would be a shame to ruin her last name! It's so perfect - Vanessa Paradis. So beautiful. It would be such a drag to stick her with Paradis-Depp.
It's like a flat note!
"But if she ever said, 'Hey, let's get hitched', I would do it in a second. We'll do it if the kids want us to, or maybe when the kids are old enough to
enjoy it witmore stories like thish us."
Mum-to-be Jessica Alba dresses 'Britney style' for
10 April 2008
With her oversized sunglasses, scrapped back hair and thrown together outfit, Jessica Alba could easily be mistaken for Britney Spears.
The pregnant actress, 26, ditched her usual designer wardrobe for a low-key combination of jeans, sundress and flip-flops - a familiar staple of Spears'
wardrobe - for a busy day in Los Angeles.
Alba, who is expecting her first child in June, opted for laid-back comfort as she shopped in West Hollywood, before visiting her doctor.
The Sin City star and interior designer Kari Whitman visited several furniture shops together in preparation for decorating her baby's nursery.
After looking for inspiration for her home, Alba visited a medical centre for a pre-natal check-up.
On Sunday, Alba invited celebrity friends Jaime King, Rashida Jones and Kim Kardashian to her baby shower party at the Ever After Teahouse in LA.
During the lunchtime party, a blooming Alba told friends she is expecting a baby girl, People magazine reported.
Alba's fiancé Cash Warren, arrived late at the party to help the actress carry her many gifts to the car.
Among the presents Alba received were prams, cradles and a giant white toy rabbit.
Alba and Warren started dating in autumn 2004 after meeting on the set of the Fantastic Four, where Warren was working as a director's assistant.
The couple were reported to have briefly split last July, but reunited the following month.
They announced Alba's pregnancy and their engagement in December.
Man who says he was a bodyguard for Lindsay Lohan
10 April 2008
A man who says he worked as a bodyguard for Lindsay Lohan has sued the actress and her company, claiming he is owed more than $55,000 in unpaid
wages.
David Kim filed a lawsuit Monday in Superior Court against Lohan, her Crossheart Productions and 50 unnamed defendants alleging the star employed him for 19
weeks then refused to pay him.
Calls to Lohan's publicist Leslie Sloane-Zelnik were not immediately returned. A representative for Lohan told People.com that the person had no connection
to Lohan.
In court papers, Kim claimed breach of oral contract and violation of four California labor codes, in addition to fraud and infliction of emotional distress.
The lawsuit claimed Kim was hired from October 2006 until March 2007 by Lohan, 21, and her agents or employees based on "various oral representations and
text messages."
He claimed he is owed $4,000 a week for two weeks of 24-hour personal security, and $2,800 a week for 17 weeks of evening duty.
Kim said his duties included protecting Lohan from fans and the paparazzi, accompanying her to industry events and obtaining VIP tables at clubs and
concerts.
Kim also claimed he arranged additional security at various concerts at his own expense.
Elaine Khalaf with a new single
09 April 2008
Lebanese singer Elaine Khalaf met with Lebanese distributor Hadi Shararah to put the final touches on her latest single “Farhat Ayni” (The Happiness of My
Eyes), to be released soon. The new song is written by Ahmad Madi and composed by Yehya Al Hasan.
According to the London daily Elaph, Elaine did not select the director for the music video clip for the song. She will travel to Egypt to meet with
production companies that she is considering.
Elaine will travel to Morocco at the end of this month to host three live concerts.
Kidman and Urban buy $7m nest in LA
09 April 2008
NICOLE Kidman and Keith Urban have bought a multi-million-dollar mansion in Los Angeles, raising speculation that the couple's first child will not be born
in Australia.
The $US7 million ($7.6 million) contemporary-style, five-bedroom home is in the exclusive westside suburb of Brentwood.
The Los Angeles Times reported that the home was where Kidman and Urban "expect to welcome their first child".
Kidman, 40, is due to give birth in July.
The Oscar winner appears to be following the path of longtime friend and fellow Hollywood star Naomi Watts, who moved to a multi-million-dollar home in
Brentwood shortly before giving birth to her son, Alexander, in Los Angeles last July.
There were reports that Kidman would give birth in her home city of Sydney.
Prince of Wales hospital and the Royal Hospital for Women, where her sister, Antonia, has given birth to four children, were previously reported as the
Sydney locations where the actor would likely give birth.
The Brentwood home is the latest addition to the Kidman-Urban portfolio.
With Australian property prices high, buying in the US's depressed market is not a bad investment for Kidman, who earned $US17million for starring in last
year's horror flop The Invasion, and Urban, who is one of country music's most prolific artists.
Last month, the couple bought a $US3.47 million, 1000sqm home in a gated community in Nashville, Tennessee. Kidman and Urban paid $US2.45million last year
for an 11ha ranch, 50km outside Nashville, where they plan to build their dream home. Kidman also has a home in Sydney.
The actor is no stranger to Brentwood. After her split from Tom Cruise, Kidman sold their home in the neighbourhood for $US10.5 million.
Looks like Jay-Z and Beyonce are married
09 April 2008
appears that Jay-Z and Beyonce have finally tied the knot.
There was a swirl of activity Friday at the rap mogul's Tribeca apartment. Delivery trucks funneled in and out of the building, dropping off silver
candelabras and white flowers. A white tent was set up on the roof, and stars including Beyonce's former Destiny's Child bandmates, Kelly Rowland and
Michelle Williams, along with Gwyneth Paltrow, were spotted arriving.
A swarm of media camped outside the building was in a state of frenzy, snapping and shouting at any sport-utility vehicle that drove down the cobblestone
street.
The Web sites of celebrity magazines People and Us Weekly reported the couple married and threw a lavish but small party at the apartment Friday, citing
unnamed sources who are friends with the pair. The Web sites reported their families attended the party.
Rumors circulated all week about the event after a report that the couple had taken out a marriage license in Scarsdale, N.Y. Representatives for Beyonce
Knowles and Jay-Z declined to comment on reports ahead of the event. Jay-Z's publicist had no comment Saturday.
The couple, who have apparently been dating for six years, have never publicly acknowledged they are together. Knowles, 26, and Jay-Z, 38, whose real name is
Shawn Carter, have collaborated on the songs "03 Bonnie and Clyde" and "Crazy In Love."
It's been a big week for the hip-hop mogul. On Thursday, concert promoter Live Nation Inc. said it was in talks with Jay-Z over a potential business deal.
The Los Angeles-based company stopped short of confirming published reports that the deal would give Live Nation a stake in virtually every aspect of Jay-Z's
career and land him a potential windfall in excess of $100 million.
A person familiar with the negotiations between Live Nation and Jay-Z told The Associated Press that the proposed 10-year deal was worth about $150 million
and would cover three albums.
The person requested anonymity because of the confidential nature of the ongoing talks.
Live Nation is currently producing a tour with Jay-Z and Mary J. Blige.
Haifa Wahbi and Tamer Hosni sing for Oscar
08 April 2008
According to the London daily Elaph, the ‘Oscar’ satellite channel had an agreement with Lebanese superstar Haifa Wahbi and Egyptian superstar Tamer Hosni to
air live performances at the celebration marking the launching of the new channel officially.
The celebration will be held at the Chinese Garden in the International Seminar Hall in Cairo on April 28, known as Spring Day.
celebration was the first of many to come featuring Arab singers. The channel will air a number of television drama series, an average of three series a
day, said Abu Khashba.
The drama series “Awan Al Ward” (Flower Time) starting famous Egyptian actress Yusra and Hisham Abed Al Hamid, “Al Doo Al Shared” (Escaped Light) starting
Mamdouh Abed Al Aleem and Muna Zaki and Korean drama series “Jawharit Al Qaser” (The Castle Jewel) will be among the first series to be shown on the new
channel.
Who is that guy with wild hair, accent?
08 April 2008
About a third of the way through "Eyes Wide Shut," Stanley Kubrick's final movie, Tom Cruise wanders into an all-night costume shop looking for an outfit for
a sex party.
A heavily accented man prevails on him to rent something, and in passing seems to be, what's this, pimping his daughter to a group of Japanese businessmen?
It's weird, all right, but what stands out in memory is that heavily accented man -- familiar-looking in his wild gray hair and beard, distinguished yet
corrupt, perhaps clever and perhaps just amoral.
You can't help but wonder, "Who is that guy?"
"I hear that a lot," says Rade Sherbedgia, on the phone from the Los Angeles suburb of Westwood. Then he chuckles. "I think it's because no one knows how to
say my name."
When Hollywood goes looking for a Russian nuclear scientist, homeless immigrant or Ukrainian mobster, Sherbedgia is on the short list.
Since he left his native Croatia in 1992, the Serbian actor and musician has become one of the world's most noticed character actors. From the Russian
demagogue in "The Saint" with Val Kilmer, to "Eyes Wide Shut" and "Mission Impossible II" with Cruise, even "Batman Begins," "Snatch," "The Shooter," and a
recurring role in Day 6 of Fox TV's "24" -- Sherbedgia has arrived.
His latest film, "Fugitive Pieces," for Canadian writer and director Jeremy Podeswa, plays Thursday at the Sonoma Valley Film Festival. Sherbedgia will be
there, along with two of the film's other actors, Ayelet Zurer and Rachelle Lefèvre.
Zurer is an Israeli actress who plays the protagonist's love interest, and Lefevre is a Canadian who introduces the two. It stars Stephen Dillane as the
grown writer through whose memories the story is told.
Sherbedgia's role in the post-war drama is pivotal. He plays a Greek archaeologist who rescues a young Polish boy on the run from the Nazis after his family
has been captured and killed -- or worse. Sherbedgia adopts the boy, teaching him to trust and, eventually, to become a writer. It's a serious, moving film,
already in release in Europe, where Sherbedgia won a best actor award at the 2007 Rome Film Festival.
It's a kind of second wind of fame and fortune for Sherbedgia, who was born in 1946 in Croatia, then part of Yugoslavia, the son of a policeman who hewed to
the Communist Party line.
Though his parents had little interest in the arts, Sherbedgia attended the University of Zagreb and took to the stage, his robust good looks and talent
landing him leading roles as Peer Gynt, Don Juan, Hamlet and Richard III, among others. He also directed stage plays, wrote four books of poetry and became a
singer (a skill he used in the 2001 ABC-TV version of "South Pacific," playing the lead opposite Glenn Close).
But he always chafed against the totalitarian practices of communist Yugoslavia, which attempted to erase the ethnic distinctions of the populace. In 1992,
when the Yugoslav Federation began to fracture into ethnic and regional wars, Sherbedgia and his wife left Zagreb, without any passports.
"We went to Slovenia, which was the first Yugoslav republic to be recognized (as independent) by the European community," he says. "I tried to act in
Slovenian movies, but my accent was too thick -- Slovenian is a very soft language. My wife told me, 'If you must act with an accent, go to London, everybody
speaks English with an accent there.' " So with their new Slovenian passports, in the winter of 1993 they arrived in London.
His acting career slowly got "on its own two legs" again, he says, when he took the role of Alexander in "Before the Rain" (1994) by Macedonian director
Milcho Manchevski. It's the story of an award-winning photographer who gives up his life in London and returns to his home village in Macedonia, where he
reluctantly confronts the animosity between former friends and lovers as Serb is pitted against Albanian, Christian against Muslim.
"Before the Rain" became an international hit and was nominated for an Academy Award as best foreign film. Sherbedgia thought it a good time to move to
L.A.
And the rest, as they say, is history -- if somewhat obscure, film geek history, for those who wait around for the credits to roll to find out who is that
guy with the wild hair and heavy accent.
Media swarm around rumored Beyonce-Jay-Z wedding
07 April 2008
Rumors of a marriage between hip-hop mogul Jay-Z and singer-actress Beyonce drew swarms of media to the street outside his penthouse today, even as
speculation swirled about the possibility of a hoax.
Throngs of photographers, TV crews and onlookers crowded around the garage entrance to the apartment building in Manhattan's Tribeca district where the
wedding ceremony was thought to be taking place.
A parade of sport utility vehicles with tinted windows was seen coming and going from the garage late in the afternoon, one of them carrying two people
dressed in chef's uniforms carrying large, square, white boxes on their laps.
And men dressed in tuxedos were spotted on the roof of the building, where a white tent was erected.
As night fell on the scene, word spread through the crowd that several celebrity guests had been spotted arriving by car, including Beyonce's former
Destiny's Child cohort Kelly Rowland and actress Gwyneth Paltrow.
People magazine touched off the celebrity wedding watch this week when it reported the couple, who have been dating for several years, had taken out a
wedding license in Scarsdale Village, New York, that is valid for 60 days.
Media swarm around rumored Beyonce-Jay-Z wedding
07 April 2008
Rumors of a marriage between hip-hop mogul Jay-Z and singer-actress Beyonce drew swarms of media to the street outside his penthouse today, even as
speculation swirled about the possibility of a hoax.
Throngs of photographers, TV crews and onlookers crowded around the garage entrance to the apartment building in Manhattan's Tribeca district where the
wedding ceremony was thought to be taking place.
A parade of sport utility vehicles with tinted windows was seen coming and going from the garage late in the afternoon, one of them carrying two people
dressed in chef's uniforms carrying large, square, white boxes on their laps.
And men dressed in tuxedos were spotted on the roof of the building, where a white tent was erected.
As night fell on the scene, word spread through the crowd that several celebrity guests had been spotted arriving by car, including Beyonce's former
Destiny's Child cohort Kelly Rowland and actress Gwyneth Paltrow.
People magazine touched off the celebrity wedding watch this week when it reported the couple, who have been dating for several years, had taken out a
wedding license in Scarsdale Village, New York, that is valid for 60 days.
Leonardo DiCaprio buys eco-friendly New York City
07 April 2008
The actor, who espouses environmentally conscious views, has purchased an apartment in Riverhouse, an eco-friendly building overlooking the Hudson River.
The purchase was confirmed Friday by Christopher Daly, president of Sheldrake Organization, the developer of the Battery Park City complex in New York.
Occupancy is scheduled for this summer.
The 264-unit condominium glass tower overlooks the river and a park and boasts low emission paints, a 24-hour fresh-filtered air system, a water treatment
facility and rotating solar panels.
Cage, Turner settle libel suit
Nicolas Cage has settled a libel suit in a London court against Kathleen Turner, who claimed in her autobiography that he had twice been arrested for drunken
driving and had stolen a dog.
Neither of the stars attended the hearing at Britain's High Court, where Turner's lawyer, book publisher and the Daily Mail, which ran an excerpt, all
apologized to Cage and agreed to pay his legal costs and make a donation to a charity of his choice.
Cage's lawyer, Simon Smith, dismissed as "utter falsity" a section of Turner's book "Send Yourself Roses," describing the actors' experience working together
on the set of the movie "Peggy Sue Got Married" in 1986.
Carole Samaha glows in Qatar
04 April 2008
After her play “Zanobia” in Beirut came to a close, Lebanese singer Carole Samaha traveled to Qatar to participate in the launching of a new line of
cars.
According to the London daily Elaph, Carole hosted a live celebration at the Ritz Carlton hotel, and was thrilled by the enthusiasm of the guests. She
performed a half hour longer than her scheduled time.
Carole glowed in a dress that was designed by Zuhair Murad.
The Egyptian actress Bosi was one of the guests at the celebration and Carole welcomed her with a big hug and a kiss.
Carole left Qatar and traveled to Dubai to host a concert. She will end her tour in Egypt where she will perform at a private wedding before she returns to
Lebanon.
Carole will return to Beirut in time for her appearance on the talent show “Star Academy.” Carole will sing her Egyptian song “Yama Layali” (So Many Nights)
for the fist time on television.
The song was written by Muhammad Jomah, composed by Muhammad Rahim, and is distributed by Tamim and Hovaness K.
Carole just finished filming a video clip for the song with French director Terry Verne.
Dad blasts Lohan's Manson move
04 April 2008
Lindsay Lohan's father blasted the actress for agreeing to star in a new movie about murderer Charles Manson called Manson Girls.
Her dad Michael thought his daughter - who would play Nancy Pitman, a cult follower of the notorious Manson who was convicted of seven counts of murder in
1971 - should stick to the "mainstream films" which made her a star.
He said: "I really hope that Lindsay gets back to the kinds of films that led to her success. I'd like to see her do more mainstream films.
"Some of the movies she has done recently were geared to a specific audience. But when you're the kind of star Lindsay is, you have to appeal to a general
audience, not just a specific audience."
Manson was originally given the death penalty after masterminding a series of gruesome murders, including that of pregnant actress Sharon Tate, the then-wife
of director Roman Polanski.
His sentence was reduced to life imprisonment after the state of California abolished the death penalty.
Although Lindsay's character didn't participate in the murders, she was believed to have accompanied Manson to the scene of the crime afterwards to help
remove evidence.
Lohan could next be seen starring alongside Jared Leto in Chapter 27 - a controversial new film documenting Beatles legend John Lennon's assassination in
1980.
Gibson wants no 'Passion' disclosure
04 April 2008
Mel Gibson, who's being sued by a writer over payment for the "The Passion of the Christ" screenplay, wants to keep financial information about the
blockbuster movie out of the public eye.
Benedict Fitzgerald claimed in his February lawsuit that Gibson misled him into accepting a small payment for writing the script by saying the movie would
cost between $4 million and $7 million.
Fitzgerald, who shared screenwriting credits with Gibson, claimed he agreed to "a salary substantially less than what he would have taken had he known the
true budget for the film," which the lawsuit claimed was $25 million to $50 million. The lawsuit claims fraud, breach of contract and unjust enrichment, and
seeks unspecified damages.
In court filings Tuesday, attorneys for Gibson and his production company asked the court to seal the movie's financial records and only allow Fitzgerald's
lawyers access to them. The information details the movie's domestic and foreign box office receipts, production costs and distribution expenses.
The defense is also seeking to dismiss some of Fitzgerald's claims, including fraud, which if proven would allow Fitzgerald to seek punitive damages.
Jan Saliba defends Haifa Wahbi
03 April 2008
Egyptian musician Jamal Salameh has filed a complaint against Lebanese singer Haifa Wahbi.
Salameh accused Haifa of stealing the rhythm of the song “Masir Ya Awal Noor Fe Al Donia Shaq Thalam Al Lail” (Egypt you are the first to in the world to be
a light through darkness) that he composed, demanding that the singer is banned from performing in Egypt until the case is settled.
According to the London daily Elaph, the song, “Masir Ya Awal Noor Fe Al Donia Shaq Thalam Al Lail”, was written by Abed Al Rahman Al Abnodi and sung by
Muhmmad Tharwat several years ago.
Haifa then created her version “Ana Haifa Ana” (I Am Haifa). Salameh claims that she never asked for permission.
Haifa’s legal representative said the matter is being investigated.
The composer of Haifa’s song “Ana Haifa Ana,” Jan Saliba, denies stealing the song and questioned why Salameh waited so long to file his suit.
Saliba said that he never heard of Muhammad Tharwat or Jamal Salameh before the suit, and also never heard of the song he is accused of stealing.
Saliba said that he is the only one responsible, not Haifa, since he composed the song. Saliba believes if there is a case then it should be referred to him
only.
Saliba suggested that Salameh only filed the suit to get back into the spotlight and to try and make money.
Saliba also produced Lebanese singer Elissa’s album “Badi Doob” (I want to melt).
Beyoncé and Jay Z have applied for a licence to ge
03 April 2008
Following months of rumours, R&B queen Beyoncé could finally be set to marry long-time beau Jay-Z. A source has told a US magazine that the couple have
allegedly taken out a marriage licence New York.
A source told US magazine People, the pair obtained a licence yesterday morning, which is now valid for 60 days.
Beyoncé, 26, and Jay-Z, 38, have been dating since 2002, though the couple have been reluctant to discuss their relationship publicly.
Rumours about their romance began circulating after the singer appeared on Jay-Z's song 'Bonnie & Clyde' followed by collaborations on Beyoncé's solo hit
'Crazy in Love' in 2003.
While the two have remained tight-lipped about the state of their romance, by no means has Beyoncé brushed off talk of marriage.
In December 2006, the singer told InStyle, "You can't rush a man into anything – whether it's a relationship, marriage or having children."
Earlier that month the pair were besieged by rumours that they would wed in the Caribbean – a rumour that was quickly shot down by their publicists.
Beyoncé's spokesperson declined to confirm or deny the story.
Pitt explores role of British adventurer
02 April 2008
Brad Pitt could portray a 1920s explorer in search of a mysterious civilisation in the Amazon in The Lost City of Z. Hollywood studio Paramount has bought
the rights to the forthcoming non-fiction book by David Grann with a view to make it as a starring vehicle for the Fight Club actor. The plot tells the tale
of the attempt by British explorer Colonel Percy Harrison Fawcett to find the City of Z before disappearing without trace in 1925. Over the next 70 years,
several expeditions tried, unsuccessfully, to retrace Fawcett's journey.
The American director Jules Dassin, who helmed the 1955 crime classic Rififi and the Cannes Palme d'Or winner Never on Sunday, has died at the age of 96 in
Athens. Dassin had to leave Hollywood in the 1950s after he was blacklisted as a communist. He moved to France where he won widespread acclaim for his films,
including Rififi, which features a celebrated extended heist sequence devoid of dialogue. He won a directing prize for the film at Cannes, where he met his
second wife, the Greek actor Melina Mercouri. Together they made Never on Sunday, the story of an academic who wants the improve the life of a prostitute he
is infatuated with. That movie earned him two Oscar nominations, for directing and adapted screenplay. Dassin died in Athens, where he spent the second half
of his life and dedicated much time the recovery of the Elgin Marbles from Britain.
The first pictures of Woody Allen's next film, Vicky Christina Barcelona, his first film shot in Spain, have been released online. The movie describes the
adventures of an American student in the Catalan capital, portrayed by Scarlett Johansson, opposite Spanish stars Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz. Vicky
Christina Barcelona continues in the vein of recent Allen films, shot in Europe rather than in the US, such as Match Point and Scoop.
Madonna expected in Malawi over adoption next week
02 April 2008
American pop star Madonna is due back in Malawi next week for what is expected to be a final court ruling on whether she can adopt a child from the southern
African country, airport officials said on Tuesday.
A senior official at Lilongwe International Airport told Reuters her jet was cleared for landing from April 8 and she was expected around that time.
In February, Malawian Information Minister Patricia Kaliati praised Madonna's efforts to rally support for orphans in the impoverished country and said it
would be wrong for the government to deny the pop star's adoption of a child there.
Madonna is in the process of adopting a Malawian boy, David Banda.
She began adoption proceedings in 2006 after meeting the boy in a local orphanage. The toddler is living with Madonna and her film director husband Guy
Ritchie in London.
The adoption has been controversial, with critics accusing the government of skirting laws that ban non-residents from adopting children in Malawi, which has
been badly hit by the AIDS epidemic and is one of the poorest in the world.
There are an estimated 1 million orphans in the country, many of whom are infected with the HIV virus. Malawi's government is amending its adoption laws.
Eva obsessed with butt
02 April 2008
Eva Longoria is obsessed with "working on her butt".
The Desperate Housewives star revealed she sticks to a special exercise regime to maintain her pert derriere.
She said: "I love doing squats in the gym. When I do them my butt beefs up and I fill out my jeans better.
"I'm constantly working on my butt because of, you know, gravity."
The 33-year-old actress - who married basketball star Tony Parker last July - fears it will become harder to keep her bottom in trim after she has had
children.
She said: "I'm nervous about what's going to happen back there when I have children. I'm full of fear. I don't want anything happening to the butt."
Eva has frequently expressed her desire to start a family.
She previously said: "I've always loved the idea of having lots of children. If I'm around any baby, I'm like, 'Aaaaahhhh, babies!'
"I was pretty ambitious when I moved to Hollywood and I succeeded. But now I've found new ambitions - I want to work, I want to be a great wife and I want to
have children."
Amal Hijazi not officially banned from Kuwait
01 April 2008
Lebanese singer Amal Hijazi recently filmed her latest music video clip for the song “Ya Ahla Ma Fe Al Ayam” (You’re What’s Best In the Days), directed by
Randa Al Alam.
The New clip is from her latest album “Keef Al Qamar” (How’s The Moon), scheduled to be released at the end of the month.
According to the London daily Elaph, Amal was surprised to read in several Kuwaiti newspapers that she was banned from entering Kuwait for the past year and
a half, yet the Lebanese singer never received any formal notification from Kuwaiti authorities.
Amal has not publicly commented on the matter. She read the article when she was in Kuwait last year to film an advertisement.
Amal said that she has great respect for the Kuwaiti people and hopes to meet them in person very soon.
Ricky Martin visits Cambodian center
01 April 2008
Ricky Martin met with victims of sexual exploitation Saturday during a visit to Cambodia to promote the fight against human trafficking.
more stories like thisMartin held infants and listened to a 14-year-old rape victim's song during his visit to a shelter in the northwestern city of Siem
Reap, home of the famed Angkor temples.
"She sings like an angel," Martin said after the girl finished a song she composed about the plight of trafficking victims.
The girl was among 65 victims sheltered at the rescue center of Afesip, a French non-governmental group working to combat human trafficking in
Cambodia.
The pop star also held the 3-month-old daughter of a 22-year-old woman who was sold by her father to a brothel and is now HIV-positive. The woman broke down
in tears as she urged Martin to keep fighting against human trafficking.
"I'm not going to stop," Martin said, pounding his fist on his knee as he sat on a tiled floor. "All of you are my heroes. You are a gift of my
life."
Martin, who arrived in the country Wednesday, met with Interior Minister Sar Kheng and visited various projects run by non-governmental organizations
fighting child trafficking and sexual exploitation.
Martin learned of Cambodia's child trafficking problems in February during a three-day U.N. conference in Vienna. He joined Oscar-winning actress Emma
Thompson, Egyptian first lady Suzanne Mubarak and other dignitaries in calling for action.
In its annual human rights report released recently, the U.S. State Department called Cambodia "a source, destination and transit country for men, women, and
children trafficked for sexual exploitation and labor."
Still, Martin praised Cambodia as an example of some "solid and concrete" efforts against human trafficking.
"The fact that you have 200 non-governmental groups working in the country working on human trafficking is unheard of," he said.
Martin said he plans to take what he learned in Cambodia and use it to "motivate people, organizations, governments in Latin America" in their efforts to
combat the same problems. The Ricky Martin Foundation does most of its work in Latin America.
Chris Brown denies Rihanna relationship
01 April 2008
Rihanna and Chris Brown both walked the orange carpet at the Kids' Choice Awards. Separately. "We're not in a relationship or anything," Brown told The
Associated Press before Saturday's slime-filled ceremony.
more stories like thisRumors have been swirling for weeks the R&B singers are dating, but Brown was quick to squash such gossip, insisting he was single and
Rihanna was just a friend. The 18-year-old "Kiss Kiss" crooner, clad in a custom-made orange hoodie emblazoned with a blingin' Nickelodeon logo, later
collected a trophy for favorite male singer.
Rihanna, 20, bypassed the press line before the awards ceremony, strutting down the carpet in a polka-dot corset top.
Miriam Faris – I’m not selfish
31 March 2008
“Ana Mish Ananyeh” (I’m Not Selfish) is the new title for the Lebanese singer Miriam Faris’ new video clip.
The clip was directed by Laila Kanan who put the spotlight on Miriam the actress along with Miriam the singer. In the clip she plays a romantic who tries to
hold on to her lover.
According to the London daily Elaph, the lyrics were written by the poet Mustafa Mursi and composed by Samir Sofair who also sings part of the song with
Miriam. The new clip will be aired on music channels soon.
Katie Holmes - Broadway star?
31 March 2008
The 29-year-old actress is reportedly in final negotiations to star in a New York revival of Arthur Miller's post-World War II play All My Sons alongside
stage veterans John Lithgow and Dianne Wiest.
Britain's Daily Mail columnist Baz Bamigboye revealed: "The actress has committed to taking part in a private workshop of the play in May. She will play the
part of a woman who visits her former neighbours, the family of a missing pilot she once loved."
Katie, who last tread the boards in high school, has assured the play's British-born director Simon McBurney and producer Eric Falkenstein that she is
serious about working in the theatre.
The former Dawson's Creek star is desperate to be recognised for her acting skills and not just the wife of Tom Cruise.
Kate - who married the Top Gun actor in November 2006 - received critical acclaim for her performances in Batman Begins and Thank You For Smoking, but
decided to take a break from acting after giving birth to the couple's first child Suri in April 2006.
The brunette beauty made her big screen comeback in the comedy heist Mad Money alongside Queen Latifah, which was released in the US earlier this year
Lohan in dark role
31 March 2008
Actress Lindsay Lohan is to portray one of the cult followers loyal to convicted murderer Charles Manson, in a movie called Manson Girls.
E! News said it had learned Lohan, 21, would star as Nancy Pitman in the film, produced by Brad Wyman of Junction Films.
Pitman was a teenager who fled her wealthy Malibu home at age 16 to join the followers of Manson, who is now 73 and serving a life sentence for first-degree
murder. Four other defendants were also convicted with Manson for the 1969 murders including that of pregnant actress Sharon Tate.
Pitman stayed at the Manson ranch instead of accompanying the crew that committed the murders, though she is believed to have gone with Manson to the house
later to tamper with the scene.
Manson was sentenced to death but the sentence was commuted to life in prison after California courts abolished the death penalty.
Ragheb Alameh in Dubai
March 28 2008
Lebanese superstar Ragheb Alameh will perform at the Iranian New Year’s celebration in Dubai at the ‘Dubai Tennis Courts.’
A large turnout is expected to see Alameh and four other Iranian singers. Alameh is popular amongst Iranian fans after the success of his duet “Yala Ya
Shabab” (Come On Guys), with fellow Iranian ‘Andy,’ released three years ago.
According to the London daily Elaph, Alameh and Andy will perform their duet for the celebration scheduled from March 24 to 28.
Iranian singer “Ghoghosh” will give a live performance at the celebration, one of the main attractions.
From Mr Bean to Dickens
March 28 2008
Rowan Atkinson is to play Fagin in the West End production of Oliver! after cutting his teeth for the part in a little-known run of the musical at his son's
preparatory school.
Atkinson, whose most famous TV characters include Mr Bean and Blackadder, took the musical production at his son Benjamin's £16,000-a-year Summer Fields
School in Oxford by storm.
The actor took two weeks off work to rehearse for the production of the Charles Dickens classic in July 2005 which he waived any fee for.
But it is likely the fee will be considerably larger when he resurrects the part for Cameron Mackintosh's production from December.
Atkinson, 53, said last night: "In the 1980s I enjoyed doing a lot of West End theatre and since then have been distracted very much by Mr Bean and film
making.
"I had been thinking for some time about returning to the stage and the idea of the role of Fagin, which has long intrigued me (some time ago I even played
the role in a school production), seemed like too good an opportunity to miss."
Mackintosh said: "I'm thrilled that Rowan Atkinson has finally reviewed the situation and succumbed to his long-held ambition to play Fagin.
We have been discussing the possibility on and off for many years and to me this idea has always promised the perfect marriage of a brilliant mercurial role
with a brilliant mercurial comic actor."
The production will feature three new Olivers and a new Nancy picked from the BBC's reality show I'd Do Anything, which Andrew Lloyd Webber is a judge of.
The production will also take place at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane which Lloyd-Webber owns.
The 1994 London Palladium production of Oliver! played 1,366 performances over three years and grossed more than £40 million at the box office, breaking the
then record for the longest run at that theatre.
The new show will feature a 100-strong cast and orchestra and songs including Food Glorious Food, Consider Yourself, You've Got to Pick-a-Pocket Or Two, I'd
Do Anything, Oom Pah Pah, and As Long As He Needs Me.
In 1981, Atkinson, whose film credits include Johnny English, Four Weddings And A Funeral, and Love Actually, became the youngest performer to have a one-man
show in the West End.
Robin Williams facing divorce
March 28 2008
Comedian Robin Williams' second wife, whom he met when she was his nanny, has filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences, court documents showed.
Marsha Garces Williams filed her petition in a San Francisco court late last week.
The couple has been separated since December 31, and she is requesting joint custody of their 16-year-old son, Cody, according to the filing.
The couple have been married since 1989 and have two children. Their daughter, Zelda, is 18 years old. They first met when she took care of Williams' son
with his previous wife, Valerie Valardi.
Garces Williams has worked as a producer on her husband's films and co-owns their production company, Blue Wolf Productions.
Kylie to marry actor
PRAGUE: Australian actress turned pop diva Kylie Minogue will announce her marriage to French actor Olivier Martinez at a concert on May 12, a Czech website
said yesterday.
Minogue, who turns 40 in May, will announce the marriage in Prague, Czech organiser Jarda Hainzel was quoted as saying in the website www.idnes.cz, adding
that the number "of VIP tickets demanded by Kylie's team for the show surpassed the usual number." Minogue launched her singing career in 1987 with the album
Locomotion, which sold 14 million copies.
In 2006 she was forced to cancel her 'Showgirl' tour due to breast cancer, making a comeback after her recovery.
Pair win 'maths Nobel'
OSLO: The world's leading mathematics award, the Abel Prize, was awarded yesterday to Jacques Tits of France and John Griggs Thompson of the United States
for their pioneer work on algebra.
The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters said Tits, 77, and Griggs Thompson, 75, had been given the so-called "Mathematics Nobel" because of their
"profound achievements in algebra and in particular for shaping modern group theory." They will share a prize of $1.2 million (BD45,360).
Artist vanishes
BERLIN: A Russian artist who provoked outrage with an exhibition in Moscow in 2003 that ridiculed the Orthodox Church has disappeared from her home in
Berlin, police in the German capital said yesterday. Anna Mikhalchuk, 52, has been missing since last Friday when she left her home near the Lietzensee lake
in the west of the city.
Rapper admits weapons offence
ATLANTA: Rapper T.I. has pleaded guilty to federal weapons possession charges, and is to be sentenced in one year, after completing a period of community
service. In the year that he is awaiting sentencing, T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris, must complete at least 1,000 hours of a total 1,500 hours of
community service.
Remy Ma convicted of assault
ATLANTA: NEW YORK: Grammy-nominated rapper Remy Ma was convicted of assault, weapons possession and coercion yesterday for shooting a woman in the abdomen in
a dispute about money in New York.
He faces five to 25 years in prison.
Haifa Wahbi sings for education
March 27 2008
Lebanese superstar Haifa Wahbi hosted a charity concert for the Al Rija Education and Cultural Association in Beirut.
The nonprofit association helps students in need to finance their education at various levels.
According to the London daily ELaph, Haifa held a live concert at the ‘UNICCO Cultural Theater’. All proceeds were donated to the association. Haifa sang a
collection of her songs as her fans cheered.
The Association was grateful to Haifa, known for her charity work.
'Lucky' stars for US candidates
March 27 2008
The US presidential candidates may have star qualities - and they also have stars in their families, according to a genealogical study linking HILLARY
CLINTON to ANGELINA JOLIE and BARACK OBAMA to BRAD PITT.
The New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) in Boston yesterday released a study in which it traced the family trees of all three presidential
candidates to find they all had famous relatives, both dead and alive.
It found Obama, whose mother is from Kansas, can claim at least six US presidents as distant cousins, including GEORGE W BUSH and his father, GERALD R FORD,
LYNDON B JOHNSON, HARRY S TRUMAN, and JAMES MADISON.
But other cousins include British Prime Minister SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL - and Pitt who is a ninth cousin linked back EDWIN HICKMAN who died in Virginia in
1769.
"Obama's maternal ancestry includes the mid-Atlantic States and the South," said CHRISTOPHER CHILD, a genealogist with NEHGC.
Meanwhile, his rival Clinton shares a common ancestor with Pitt's partner, actress Jolie.
Clinton and Jolie are ninth cousins twice removed linked by JEAN CUSSON of St Sulpice, Quebec, who died in 1718.
Clinton was also a cousin of a number of famous people with French Canadian ancestry, including MADONNA, CELINE DION, and ALANIS MORISSETTE, as well as
author JACK KEROUAC. Another cousin is CAMILLA PARKER-BOWLES, wife of PRINCE CHARLES.
"It is common to find people of French Canadian descent to be related to large numbers of other French Cana-dians, in-clud-ing these notables," Child
said.
Republican nominee, Arizona Senator JOHN MCCAIN, is a sixth cousin of LAURA BUSH but it was hard track other ancestors.
"McCain's ancestry is almost entirely southern," said Child, adding this made notable connections harder to trace because of challenges to genealogists in
that region. Child said having famous cousins makes for interesting conversation but it "should not influence voters."
Owen Wilson and Kate Hudson go public with their o
March 27 2008
Their reconciliation was the worst kept secret in Hollywood, and now Owen Wilson and Kate Hudson have finally gone public with their on-again
romance.
The couple were spotted holding hands as they headed off for a low-key date in Miami last week, where they caught a session of crime drama The Counterfeiters
at a cinema.
It's the first time the pair have been photographed together since rekindling their relationship at the Oscars in February.
Kate, 28, and Owen, 39, began dating in 2006 after filming You, Me and Dupree and dated for a year. Soon after they split Owen allegedly attempted suicide at
his Los Angeles home.
The two also spent Easter together, along with Kate's 4-year-old son Ryder.
They headed out for a bike ride in South Beach on Saturday before making a pit stop at Starbucks.
"They looked like a family on an afternoon outing, taking advantage of the balmy weather and doing some errands," an observer told American magazine People.
Owen is in Miami shooting his new movie Marley & Me, which co-stars Jennifer Aniston.
Ruby stars in a new film
March 26 2008
These days, Egyptian controversial singer Ruby is preparing to star in a new film titled “Wa’id” (Promise). According to the Egyptian daily, Al Masri Al
Youm, the new film will star Asir Yaseen, Mahmud Yaseen, Syrian actor Ghassan Mas’ud and Ruby.
The film is written by prominent writer Waheed Kamil and the budget for the production has been set to be around 10 million Egyptian pounds.
On a different note, Ruby is also preparing for the release of a new album scheduled for release during the summer. The new album will feature twelve songs,
one a patriotic and the other a political.
The political song is titled “Ash Sha’ib Al Arabi” (The Arab people) and Ruby anticipates that it will cause commotion because the words of the song describe
in details the current conditions the Arab world is living.
Ruby revealed that she will also film the song in the form of a music video to release it along with the album.
Mr Right should have celebrity good looks and know
March 26 2008
He has the eyes and hair of George Clooney, Brad Pitt's smile and the body and jaw-line of James Bond stars' Daniel Craig and Pierce Brosnan. But all the
celebrity good looks in the world still doesn't make the perfect man...unless he can make a woman laugh.
According to a new survey, Mr Right has the physical characteristics of some of the world's most famous pin-up actors.
But attractiveness alone is not enough for today's modern woman.
Being able to hold a conversation and having a good sense of humour are apparently more important for those looking for the perfect partner than money or
good looks.
He must be compassionate and caring, intelligent, protective towards her and faithful. Mr Right will also be good with children and get on well with a
woman's friends and family.
Researchers asked more than 3,000 women what traits and characteristics made up their ideal partner. When it comes to looks more than two-thirds said it was
important their man was well groomed, with great hair. More than 1,000 said George Clooney had the perfect haircut and he also came out top for the most
preferred eyes, followed by Johnny Depp.
Only 31 per cent said it was important for their man to have a great body, but most said 007 star Daniel Craig had the best physique, followed by David
Beckham and Brad Pitt.
Although five per cent said it was very important that their Mr Right was good looking, the majority said it was not important at all or only fairly
important to them.
Instead almost all the women surveyed - 94 per cent - said it was much more important that their partner could make them laugh or hold a decent conversation.
Almost half said being able to talk to their partner was more important than sex, making money, DIY or cooking.
More than 34 per cent also said he should be compassionate and caring and 70 per cent said it was important he was protective.
The poll, commissioned by women's magazine Woman & Home and men's aftershave Aramis, quizzed women aged between 20 and 60 - the majority of which were
married.
Two-thirds of the women questioned earned above £30,000 and more than 90 per cent admitted it was important to them to be treated as an equal in their
relationship.
However, with more modern women taking home decent salaries and, in some cases, being the main breadwinner, wealth is no longer a vital quality in their
perfect man.
The survey found that 39 per cent of them thought money was not important at all when it came to Mr Right. Two-thirds said they didn't care if their man had
a nice car or a clapped-out banger, but almost all said it was important that he liked their friends and family.
Faithfulness also ranked highly, with 86 per cent demanding loyalty from their perfect man and saying an affair with another woman was still a relationship
breaker.
Sue James, editor of Woman & Home, said: "It's fascinating to see how ideas about the 'perfect' man have altered over time as women's earning power has
increased and they've become the main breadwinner or earning an equal salary as their partners.
"Some things never change though... George Clooney is still most women's fantasy pin-up."
Can Lohan's Acting Trump Her Troubles?
March 26 2008
Lindsay Lohan could be the new Tom Cruise: An A-list star whose "they did/said-what???" tabloid appeal has overshadowed their acting career.
Three years ago, Lohan was dubbed one of Hollywood's most promising up-and-coming actresses. Now, she's lucky to get a headline that doesn't involve a
romantic tryst, rehab or otherwise negative insinuations.
With the opening of 'Chapter 27' this week, Lohan's chops and appeal will be tested. In her first box office appearance since the diastrous 'I Know Who
Killed Me,' which opened shortly after her summer arrests and rehab stint, Lohan plays a friend to Mark David Chapman (played by Jared Leto) in a drama
leading up to the assassination of John Lennon.
While reviews of 'Chapter 27' have yet to trickle in, much of the pre-release talk has been about Leto's performance, including his massive weight gain to
bulk up to the size of Mark David Chapman. This factor, along with Leto's normally-strong turns, could help to overshadow Lohan's role.
Lohan's last few takes at the big screen haven't fared well. Aside from the 'I Know Who Killed Me' debacle, Lohan's on-set behavior during the filming of
'Georgia Rule' prompted a studio bigwig to write a nasty letter to her, which was made public. Upon its release, Lohan's involvement did nothing to boost
interest for the movie.
Lohan has been trying to counter any distractions lately -- including a rumored-then-debunked sex tape -- by going on the offensive and speaking openly about
her past issues. Lohan admits she was putting herself "in the wrong situations," like drinking while driving and being photographed passed out in the
passenger seat of a car over the summer of 2007.
Rula fails
March 25 2008
These days Lebanese artist Rula Saed is going through a very rough time, due to the failure of her new film “Al Ghorfah 707” (Room 707) that did not meet
expectations. the famous singer is mad and depressed for the small amount of profit that “Room 707” made.
Despite the intense advertisement for it in the streets, movie theaters and even on many satellite channels; many movie theaters are taking it down from its
lists. The movie only made a profit close to 700 thousand Egyptian pounds in the two weeks that it was played in movie theaters.
Rula held the production company for the failure of the film, because it was responsible for not releasing it during the beginning of the year for the
middle of the year holidays. Rula adds that she prepared herself three times for the releasing after she finished with the filming. Rula was surprised to see
that it was released in February, and as she puts it “It was bad timing.”
“Room 707” stars Rula, Majdi Kamel, Sami Al Adel, Samir Muhsin, Tareq Al Tilmsani and a large number of new actors. The film is romantic and at the same
time social, where it was taken from the well-known story of “Romeo and Juliet”.
Jessica Alba's face of thunder shows the strain of
March 25 2008
A heavily-pregnant Jessica Alba looked like she wanted to go home - and fast - after dining out with her fiancé in New York.
The normally cheerful beauty, who is reportedly expecting twins, looked miserable in the Big Apple at the weekend.
With her due date not until June 8, the Fantastic Four actress still has almost three months to go before she gives birth.
Perhaps it was being in the city that never sleeps and not home in California, that put 26-year-old Alba in such a bad mood, as her demeanour was a complete
contrast to her previous glowing comments about pregnancy.
"It's (being pregnant) awesome. It's the best time ever," she said.
Of her changing figure, she added: "When you're pregnant, your breasts are engorged and your stomach is getting bigger by the second."
Do your homework: Charlize Theron
March 25 2008
Oscar winning actress Charlize Theron offered some stern advice to the paparazzi to do their homework before interviewing her at press junkets.
The 32-year-old actress revealed that she’s often left offended by comments reporters make when they chat to her about films in interviews.
"It bothers me that if you're gonna come in, especially to these junkets... and you're gonna be covering this industry, you should go and do your homework a
little bit,” Contactmusic quoted her as saying.
"I understand that there's a sense of entertainment and everybody wants the quick soundbite, but, at the same time, especially when you're dealing with
material that's serious... Don't come to me and tell me that North Country was a transformation; it's dirt on my face.
"I got to a point... where somebody (said)... 'You love playing ugly people...' and I take such offence to that.
"Part of me almost wants to go, 'Y'know what, that's actually me... with no make-up, and I'm somewhat offended right now because you're basically saying I'm
ugly,'" she added.
Worker accuses Wael Kfoury of pointing a weapon in
March 20 2008
A construction worker in Lebanon, Farid Khoury, has accused famous Lebanese singer Wael Kfoury of pointing a weapon in his face.
There seems to have been a misunderstanding between the two over the construction worker’s salary for services he performed at Wael’s villa at the Ghazir
area in northern Lebanon.
According to the London daily Elaph, Wael has signed an agreement to film a music video clip for a song from from his latest album, “Biheen” (During), to be
aired on various music satellite channels. Wael chose the song “Badi A’ref Sho Mbakiki” (I Want TO Know What Makes You Cry), written by Munir Bo Asaf and
composed and distributed by Jan Meryrichi.
Clooney to screen new movie in Ky
March 20 2008
For one night, Maysville will be Hollywood along the Ohio River, thanks to George Clooney.
The 46-year-old actor-director will visit the northern Kentucky town Monday night for a special screening of his new movie, "Leatherheads," his father, Nick
Clooney, said Tuesday.
"The whole town is abuzz," said Maysville Mayor David Cartmell.
Clooney, who won an Oscar for his role in "Syriana," grew up in the town of Augusta, about 16 miles west of Maysville.
The setting has special significance for the Clooney family. In 1953, "The Stars Are Singing," starring Rosemary Clooney, George Clooney's aunt, premiered in
Maysville.
"He knows all about that, and he is very interested in kind of connecting the dots as far as family history," Nick Clooney said. "He thinks that would be
kind of cool for the family, and one hopes for the town, too."
Nick and Rosemary Clooney were born in Maysville. George Clooney was born in Lexington, and the family moved several times before settling in
Augusta.
"Leatherheads," which also stars Renee Zellweger, is a romantic comedy set in the world of 1920s professional football. The film will be in theaters April
4.
The movie will be shown at the Washington Opera Theatre, Nick Clooney and Universal Studios said Tuesday.
Cartmell said Monday night's screening will probably be the biggest event in the town of about 9,000 since the premiere of "The Stars Are Singing."
It will also be the hottest ticket in town.
Nick Clooney said about 300 seats will be available. The opera house seats about 450 people, but equipment needed to show the movie will take up space in the
balcony, he said.
Cartmell said he expects the town to catch Hollywood fever.
"Next week, we'll be Hollywood on the Ohio," he said.
Walid Tawfiq honored in Morocco
March 18 2008
Lebanese singer Walid Tawfiq has received an invitation from the Moroccan Free Musician Union to attend a festival at the “Dar Al Bayda” (Casablanca).
According to the London daily Elaph, the festival will take place on March 27, 28, and 29 and Walid will be honored at the celebration. A number of music
artists from across the Arab world will attend.
March 18 2008
Halle Berry, 41, has given birth to a daughter, and both she and the newborn are "doing great," her publicist told People magazine on its Web site. The girl,
born Sunday, is Berry's first child. The father is the model Gabriel Aubry, 32. The couple met while shooting a Versace ad in Los Angeles two years ago.
Berry won the best-actress Oscar in 2001 for "Monster's Ball."
Sam Lutfi, the self-styled manager for Britney Spears, has agreed to stay away from the pop singer for at least another month, delaying a hearing that could
have made a restraining order against him permanent, his spokesman said. The agreement, reached Sunday between Lufti and the conservators for Spears's
estate, a group that includes her father, was to be approved by a judge Monday.
The flu season is taking a heavy toll on opera singers in New York, but it's a boom time for debuts at the Metropolitan Opera. Ermonela Jaho, an Albanian
soprano, stepped in Saturday night for an indisposed Ruth Ann Swenson as Violetta in "La Traviata." She sang opposite the tenor Jonas Kaufmann, as she had
done in January when she replaced Anna Netrebko in the same role at the Royal Opera House in London. Hers was the third Met debut in a lead role in two days,
after Gary Lehman replaced Ben Heppner, and Janice Baird took over for Deborah Voigt midperformance in the Met's revival of "Tristan und Isolde."
A new museum of contemporary art, the CaixaForum, has opened in Madrid near the Prado, the Reina Sofía and the Thyssen-Bornemisza museums, The Art Newspaper
reported. The building was designed by the Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron, and a wall of the square in front of the building has a 25-meter, or 80-foot,
vertical garden designed by the botanist Patrick Blanc that features 15,000 plants of 250 species. Artists represented in its opening show, running through
April 6, include Cindy Sherman, Anselm Kiefer and Georg Baselitz.
A former pilot for Nazi Germany's air force writes in a forthcoming book that he believes he shot down the author of "The Little Prince," Antoine de Saint-
Exupéry, although he cannot be certain. Horst Rippert, in his book, "Saint-Exupéry, the ultimate secret," said he shot down a Lockheed Lightning P-38 on July
31, 1944 - the type of plane Saint-Exupéry was flying the day he disappeared. The wreckage of his plane was later found off the Mediterranean coast of
France. But, Rippert added: "I didn't see the pilot, and it would have been impossible for me to know that it was Exupéry. I hoped, and I still hope, that it
wasn't him." Excerpts from the book were published in Le Figaro Magazine this past weekend.
Carrie Underwood will be joining the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, as its newest member, The Associated Press reported. Underwood, 25, a former
"American Idol" winner, was invited to join by Randy Travis, after she performed his song "I Told You So" at an Opry show this past weekend. Her debut album,
"Some Hearts," released in 2005, has sold more than six million copies in the United States, and her latest album, "Carnival Ride," released in October,
includes the hit "All-American Girl," her sixth consecutive No. 1 song on the country charts. Underwood has also been named the female vocalist of the year
by both the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association. She will be inducted on May 10.
The American jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater was honored with an award from France's National Order of Arts and Letters. Bridgewater, 57, an American who has
spent many years in France, was named a commander in the order - one of its highest ranks, and one she shares with two other Americans, the director Clint
Eastwood and the choreographer William Forsythe - last week.
"Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!" made its U.S. box-office debut at No. 1 with an estimated weekend draw of $45.1 million, the best opening so far this year,
according to The Associated Press. Jim Carrey provides the voice for "Horton." Last weekend's box-office winner, "10,000 BC," fell to No. 2 with $16.4
million for the three-day period.
Elton John to raise money for Clinton
March 18 2008
Elton John will help Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton raise cash for her presidential campaign with a solo concert next month at Radio City Music Hall in New
York.
"I'm not a politician but I believe in the work that Hillary Clinton does," the British musician said in a statement released by the Clinton campaign Monday.
Tickets for the Elton and Hillary: One Night Only performance April 9 go on sale Wednesday. Prices start at $125 for mezzanine seats, $250 for seats near the
orchestra.
Last October, Clinton held a star-studded fundraiser to celebrate her 60th birthday. Comedian Billy Crystal and rockers Elvis Costello and the Wallflowers
headlined the event at New York's historic Beacon Theater, which raked in more than $1.5 million for Clinton's presidential bid.
Majida congratulates Carole on her role in Zanobia
March 14 2008
Lebanese singer Majida Al-Romi was invited by Lebanese singer Carole Samaha to attend her play “Zanobia.”
According to the London daily Elaph, Majida entered the theater just minutes before the curtains were raised in an effort to go unnoticed. Despite her fame, Majida is very down to earth and does not like to take the spotlight from other artists.
Majida gave Carole a bouquet of flower for her performance. Carol thanked Majida and stopped a journalist from photographing the two. Carole also stopped one of her colleagues from taking photographs.
Carole said that she did want to seem like she was taking advantage of her invitation to Majida.
Paris Roots for Sis at L.A. Fashion Week
March 14 2008
It was a Hilton family affair. Kathy, Rick and Paris Hilton - along with Paris' current squeeze Benji Madden - were front and center Tuesday at the Mercedes
-Benz L.A. Fashion Week show for Nicky Hilton's high-end Nicholai line.
Before the models took the runway, mom Kathy mingled with the crowd, dad Rick snapped iPhone photos and big sis Paris exchanged whispers with Madden, the
Good Charlotte guitarist.
The latest designs from the younger Hilton sister included trench coats, knit tops, houndstooth accents and lots of leather trim. Nicky debuted the more-
expensive Nicholai line at New York Fashion Week last year. She launched her first clothing line - the casual Chick by Nicky Hilton - in 2004.
At the end of the Nicholai show, Nicky's boyfriend David Katzenberg presented her with a bouquet of white roses.
Botox is turning Nicole Kidman into a 'bat face',
March 14 2008
With frizzy red hair, milky white skin and a dusting of freckles, Nicole Kidman was never considered a conventional Hollywood beauty.
But she is now. And as well as a smooth golden hairstyle and perfect skin she has a freeze-frame face, free of even the faintest expression lines.
Not that cosmetic surgeons are lining up to take the credit. One claimed her unfortunate "bat face" look was putting other women off cosmetic treatments.
The 40-year-old Academy Award winner is so "over-Botoxed" she is giving the industry a bad name, Dr Martin Braun told a conference of medical experts.
Miss Kidman has always denied using Botox injections. "I am completely natural," she said in a recent magazine interview. "I have nothing in my face or
anything."
But Dr Braun, who runs the biggest Botox clinic in Canada, was convinced Miss Kidman had been an "enthusiastic user".
Botox paralyses facial muscles for between four and six months, softening the appearance of any wrinkles.
"Nicole seems to get her Botox done two or three weeks before a big event, so when she for instance, goes up on stage to collect her Academy Award she looks
frozen and strange," Dr Braun told a cosmetic medicine conference in Queensland, Australia.
As she was: Nicole as a fresh faced 24-year-old, before she allegedly had Botox
"She looks like a bat with too much of an (outer) brow lift. The middle of the brow's been dropped. She's crying when she accepts her Oscar, but nothing is
moving."
Dr Braun claimed users should be injected two to three months before a big event to allow the effect of the drug to wear off. Actors in particular should use
a minimal amount of the product.
He effectively blamed Miss Kidman and other stars for undermining his business.
"That's really doing nothing to help our job because we've got women coming to us saying: 'That's what we don't want to look like'," he said.
After the conference Dr Gabrielle Caswell, from the Cosmetic Physicians Society of Australasia, said she believed Miss Kidman had stopped using Botox in
pregnancy. She is expecting a baby in the summer.
"She was using a little too much, especially in the forehead," said Dr Caswell. "Obviously she's not at the moment because she's pregnant; the photos show a
lot more expression."
Last night, a spokesman for Miss Kidman said she had no comment.
Hollywood gossip websites have speculated that celebrities such as Celine Dion, Madonna, Cher and Sylvester Stallone have been injected with botox but only a
few admit it - including veteran comedienne Joan Rivers.
Sir Cliff Richard has also admitting trying it, but giving it up after his eyebrows "seemed to drop and I didn't like the look of it."
After Najwa…Nancy has Fadi Haddad’s signature
March 13 2008
Lebanese director Fadi Haddad is working on a new project with Lebanese singer Nancy Ajram to film her new video clip for the song “Resala Ela Al Alam” (A
Letter To The World).
The song is from here latest album and the clip was filmed in total secrecy.
According to the London daily Elaph, Haddad recently worked with Lebanese singer Najwa Karam on her song “Low Ma Btiktheb” (If You Don’t Lie). Haddad
presented Najwa in a new and different look, making the clip a success.
Zeta-Jones goes blonde
March 13 2008
Catherine Zeta-Jones will soon find out if blondes have more fun when she takes on the role of Hollywood bombshell Lana Turner.
The 38-year-old star has been cast as Turner in the upcoming movie Stompanato, about the actress' stormy relationship with Los Angeles underworld figure
Johnny Stompanato, who was stabbed and killed by Turner's 14-year-old daughter.
Zeta-Jones has played brunettes throughout her career, and admits it was a little weird to see herself as a blonde.
While the script is still in development, Zeta-Jones said she was looking forward to discussing the role with her father-in-law, Kirk Douglas, who starred
with Turner in the 1952 film The Bad and The Beautiful.
Melhim Zain engaged to daughter of former Yemeni P
March 12 2008
The Lebanese young artist Melhim Zain, graduate of the first “Super Star” talent show, has announced his engagement on the daughter of the former Yemeni
president Ali Salem Al Beed last Thursday in Masqat, Oman.
His fiancé Tamami, 22, has a computer science degree and is fluent in Arabic, English, French and Spanish.
Melhim and his fiancé met in Lebanon at her birthday party four years ago where Melhim and Asi Hilani sang.
The wedding is scheduled for the end of the coming holly month of Ramadan.
Rula Wahbi follows in sister’s footsteps
March 11 2008
Rula, the sister of Lebanese singer Haifa Wahbe, announced that she is starting a singing career is looking for a strong producer to make her successful.
Rula became known two years ago when she spoke publicly about details of Haifa’s personal life. Many newspapers were attracted by what Rula had to say about
the reasons behind Haifa’s divorce and how her husband forbid her from seeing her daughter. She also talked about Haifa’s relationship with other men and
about Haifa’s jealousy of other female singers, especially Rula Saed.
Rula says that she does not approve of her sister’s behavior and that she will not follow Haifa’s footsteps, using seduction to sell music.
Yara between Oman, Dubai and Kuwait
February 28 2008
According to the London daily Elaph, young Lebanese singer Yara will participate in the Dubai Shopping Spree Festival along with young Egyptian singer
Muhammad Hamaqi. The two will perform at the Festival’s celebration.
Yara will also participate in the “Hala Febryer” (Welcome February) Festival held in Kuwait, along with Kuwaiti singer Abdullah Al Rowaished and Lebanese
singer Fadel Shaker.
Previously Yara held a live concert with famous Emirati singer Hussein Al Jismi on Valentine’s Day at the Masqat festival in Oman. There were over 3000 fans
at the concert.
Yara will not separate from Tariq Abu Jodeh
February 06 2008
During a press conference held in Qatar for the 9th annual Doha musical festival, Lebanese singer Yara said that she was very pleased to be part of the
Festival.
“I am happy to be standing next to many famous Arab singers from all over the Arab world, I dreamed of this chance for a long time,” said Yara.
According to the London daily Elaph, Yara is happy to be working with musician Tareq Abu Jodeh and the two “will not separate.” Abu Jodeh was present with
Yara at the press conference.
The singer is upset with the Lebanese media, asserting they are not reporting positively about her, damaging her career.
Yara says that her song “Sodfah” (Coincidence) is her “lucky charm,” from her new Khaliji (Gulf) album which features 16 songs.
Yara recently performed a successful duet with Fadel Shaker and hopes to perform another. She says that her success in singing in Khaliji dialect is because
she loved that style of music since she was a child.
She revealed that she recently held a grand performance at the Egytpian Opera House along with other singers, like Egyptian singer Shireen, to sing the song
“Al Damir Al Arabi” (The Arab Conscious).
Yusra speaks about friendship with Arafat
January 22 2008
This week a special episode of the ‘Al-Arrab’ show with host Nishan was aired on the Arab satellite television channel MBC, where prominent Egyptian actress
Yusra and Lebanese singer Assi Hilani were held guest.
The show began with the song “Jan Jnoni” (Gone crazy), sung by Asi Hilani. Afterward Nishan welcomed Yusra and described her as elegant, like the Italian
actor Sophia Loraine.
According to the London daily Elaph, Nishan compared the entrance of Asi to that of a knight.
After giving each guest a rose, Nishan discussed the Arabic meanings of their names. Yusra means ‘rose’ in Turkish, and Assi said that his name means the
river that flows through his home town in Al-Biqa, Lebanon.
Nishan then moved on to the person that is considered Al Araab “the founder” for Yusra, whom she stated was prominent Egyptian comedian actor Adel Imam and
her discovery was at his hands. She added that since he introduced her to the world, she and Imam have made several noteworthy Egyptian films together.
On the other hand Assi’s Araab is someone close to him who is his own mother Maryam Al Hilani, who passed away late last year.
Assi’s mother’s death had affected him greatly. “She taught me to be a man and to rely on myself,” said Asi, describing her as a strong woman with a strong
personality. She was married at a young age and had 12 children - she had a great responsibility, he explained.
Assi performed his popular new song “Bab Am Yebki” (The Door is Crying) and dedicated it to his late mother.
Yusra also discussed her relationship with her mother, describing the two as close friends.
Nishan mentioned that Assi and Yusra have close ties to Arab leaders, Assi with Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and Yusra with the late Palestinian
president Yasser Arafat. She said Arafat had a good sense of humor and was a very down to earth person.
Assi performed his song “Bhibik Wibghar” (I Love you and I’m Jealous) and Yusra performed her song “La Vie Un Rose” (Life is A Rose) from her film “Amarit
Yakobian” (Yaqubian Building), along with her song “Khali Al Nas Theb” (Let People Love).
Assi said he would like to enter the acting world with a historic role, although presently he does not enough time with his busy schedule.
Both guests were asked personal questions in the ‘isolation room,’ as part of the show. Yusra declined to answer the question, and would not even disclose
what it was to the audience. Assi answered his question, stating that he would sing in any Arab country, including and Syria, which has great and long
connections to Lebanon.
10 August 2010 Government Commissioner to the military court Magistrate Saqr Saqr on Tuesday pressed charges of spying for Israel against Fayez Karam and referred him to Military Magistrate Riad Abu Ghida for questioning and the issuance of an arrest warrant against him.
Fayez Karam, 62, a retired Lebanese army officer and a senior official with Michel Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement, was arrested earlier this month on suspicion of spying for Israel.
10 August 2010 Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel said Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's evidence was not convincing and that the international tribunal would only take the new revelations into consideration if it didn't have enough proof.If the international tribunal had evidence on ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's killers, then it could continue its operations without taking into consideration.
10 August 2010 Israel has dismissed Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's accusations of the Jewish state's involvement in ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's assassination.
"The international community, the Arab world, and most importantly, the people of Lebanon all know that these accusations are simply ridiculous," a senior Israeli official told The Associated Press.
10 August 2010 Hizbullah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Monday unveiled footage allegedly intercepted from Israeli surveillance planes of the site of the 2005 murder of former premier Rafik Hariri prior to his assassination.
10 August 2010 A senior government official said Tuesday that Lebanon is contacting the U.S. government to provide assurances that American weapons supplied to the Lebanese army are not falling into the "wrong hands."
The chairman of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee said Monday he placed a hold on $100 million in assistance to the Lebanese Armed Forces over concerns that Hizbullah may have influence over the army.
9 August 2010
Lebanon said on Saturday it was committed to building up its armed forces after complaints by Israel about Western assistance to the military following a deadly border clash between the two countries.
