Entertainment: Movie, Fashion, Music, Playboy, Hollywood, Bollywood, Clebraty News

Cannes Film Festival 2011 Best Dressed Fashion on the Red Carpet Celebrity Picks

2011-05-26T08:35:00.000-07:00

This year's Cannes Film Festival featured a new ingenue walking the red carpet: 19-year-old Eve Hewson. And while you might not recognize her face or her name, you do know her father -- U2 frontman Bono.

Born Memphis Eve Hewson, the young actress is the daughter of Bono (aka Paul David Hewson) and his wife Alison. Eve has one older sister and two younger brothers. Bono has kept his children mostly out of the spotlight, but now Eve is stepping out on her own.

Eve Hewson was at Cannes for the premiere of only her second film as an actress, "This Must Be the Place." It stars Sean Penn as Cheyenne, a reclusive, stuck-in-the-'80s rock star, who sets off to fulfill his late father's obsession with finding a Nazi prison guard. Hewson plays Mary, Cheyenne's teenage friend in his hometown of Dublin.

While Hewson might have had some special insight in playing a character who is close with a rocker, there was one aspect of the role she wasn't ready for. She told the Irish Independentthat she told a "little white lie" in her audition: "Paolo [Sorrentino, the director] asked me, 'Can you skateboard?' and I said, 'Yeah, sure, it's easy,' which is untrue!" After she got the role, she then had to be coached on how to ride in Central Park, which she said "was very embarrassing."

Click ahead to see more of the glamorous arrivals on the red carpet at this year's Cannes Film Fest.

Star Rihanna faces the scanner

2011-04-28T20:06:00.000-07:00

GIVING RIHANNA a close inspection would come close to the top of many men's dream wishes.

And yesterday, at LAX, the songbird was forced to stand to attention so security could give her the once over.

But the Bajan beauty didn't seem to mind - beaming broadly as she raised her arms for the spot check.

Earlier, the 23-year-old enjoyed lunch at an LA restaurant, where she was sporting a pair of super-short Daisy Dukes, a polka dot blouse and high-heeled beige shoes.

Nude Kate gets cheeky for Brazil

2011-04-28T20:04:00.000-07:00

KATE MOSS has stripped nude for a cracking mag cover.

The model shed her clothes for Brazilian Vogue, perching her bare derriere on a wooden bench and showing off the two bird tattoos on her lower back.

The jaw-dropping sight was captured by celebrated snapperMARIO TESTINO when Kate visited Rio de Janeiro with fiancé JAMIE HINCE in February.

Aside from the eye-catching abundance of bare flesh, the catwalk queen scrubbed up nicely for the shoot with significantly blonder crimpled hair and gold cuffs.

Meanwhile, two more ads featuring Kate sprawled out on a settee for Italian label Lui Jo have surfaced.

Pick of the pair is the shot of Croydon's finest with her legs draped over the seat's back and her flowing locks cascading over the front.

She also dons a single-strap black frock for a classy black and white pic featuring Kate perched on a rug, leaning against the arm of a chair.

She'd go down a storm in DFS if this is how she tests sofas.

The booze-swilling party animal no doubt ends up in similar positions after heavy nights on the sauce.

Kate has been in high spirits (and high on spirits) ever since Jamie popped the question earlier this year.

In February she embarked on a 72-hour bender in Paris and was given oxygen by paramedics outside the NME Awards in London.

She's due to wed THE KILLS rocker this summer.

Skinny Chantelle Houghton shows heartbreak

2011-04-28T20:01:00.000-07:00

CHANTELLE Houghton looked worryingly skinny after revealing how she wasn't eating properly following her split from Rav Wilding.

The former Celebrity Big Brother star appeared to have shed pounds when she was spotted out in Essex yesterday.

Last week she seemed to be on the verge of tears as she made her way to meet a friend for a drink in Shenfield, Essex.

She recently admitted that she'd been finding it hard to eat after Crimewatch presenter Rav dumped her on Twitter.

Chantelle said: "I don't know if I can even be bothered to wake up tomorrow. It's been a horrible, horrible time. It's awful. I'm devastated.

"I'm not eating properly. It's a side effect of the bad week I've been having. I just don't feel like eating."

Speaking about her heartbreak, Chantelle added: "You give six months of your life to someone - you don't expect this treatment. Everyone could see it was aggressive. I've had such a horrible week - it's been the toughest of my life.

"For a girl, especially, it's been horrible. No girl wants to go through this. I find it really painful to talk about. I'm hurt - and I don't feel good at the moment."

The pair split two weeks ago after having a public spat in the park.

After snaps of them arguing emerged, Rav officially confirmed their relationship was over on his Twitter page.

He wrote: "Wanted to clarify situation after speculation 2day. Sadly Chantelle & I are no longer in a relationship as I've had to draw a line under it.

"It's been a really difficult week and a lot has gone on, & I appreciate everyone's kind words. The relationship wasn't what I wanted so badly and wasn't the genuine thing I thought it was."

Reports today suggested Rav, 33, thought Chantelle was using their relationship for publicity and had set up photographers to get pictures of them on dates.

But her spokesman has strongly denied the story.

In 2007 Chantelle, now 27, revealed she was suffering from bulimia after her divorce from Samuel Preston, who she met in the Big Brother house.

Sexy Essex lass Lucy’s a top curl

2011-04-28T19:59:00.002-07:00

LUCY Mecklenburgh shows she's a real Essex curl - as she goes out in ROLLERS.

The Only Way Is Essex star, 20, wore a tight-fitting blue-and-black frock to film scenes in Epping Forest.

Smooth Geri is tum-believable

2011-04-28T19:59:00.000-07:00

GERI HALLIWELL is certainly in good nick - but it looks like an airbush may have enhanced her fine form here.

The former SPICE GIRL's midriff and the top of her legs appear to have been smoothed over in these saucy swimwear snaps.

Geri stripped off to model her Summer 2011range of cosies for high street retailer Next.

But regardless of whether she's been touched up or not, the singer has plenty to smile about as she approaches her 39th birthday.

Not only is she settled down with posh boyfriend HENRY BECKWITH, she's also eager to reunite the Spice Girls to perform at the opening ceremony of next year's Olympics.

She said: "The Spice Girls are part of me and always will be. If it happened and felt natural and right, then I'm always open to singing with the other girls.

"Singing at the games is a great idea and would be an amazing opportunity and it's a sign the Brits are back.

"This is our time. Everything is circular and now there's a British pop revival."

Brad Pitt’s six kids cost him £6m A YEAR

2011-04-28T19:56:00.000-07:00

BRAD Pitt and ANGELINA JOLIE spend a staggering £6.1million a year on their six kids, it was claimed yesterday.

They fork out £541,000 just on a nanny each for Maddox, nine, Pax, seven, Zahara, six, Shiloh, four, and Knox and Vivienne, two.

Feeding their tribe costs £22,000, while £38,000 goes on birthday parties, £58,000 on clothes and £92,000 on "activities".

Tutors, who travel the world with the kids, cost £600,000 - while £3.1million pays for private jets.

Pitt, 47, and Jolie, 35, once spent £300,000 on a family stay at New York's Waldorf Astoria Hotel.

A source said: "They donate millions a year to charity - that's how they justify spending so much."

Spokesmen for the Hollywood stars were unavailable for comment.

N-Dubz give the Cold Shoulder

2011-04-28T19:55:00.000-07:00

DAPPY must have wangled his way on to the casting panel for the latest N-DUBZ video.

His band's shoot for new single Cold Shoulder is swamped with women wearing not a lot and dancing round him and FAZER in a nightclub.

Bandmate TULISA drew the short straw this time round - filmed dancing provocatively round a series of men.

Then again, the last thing anyone wants is her cousin Dappy grinding his hips on screen.

BGT’s Talulah’s sexy new snaps

2011-04-28T19:53:00.001-07:00

SIZZLING Britain's Got Talent burlesque dancer Talulah Blue poses for a raunchy new photoshoot.

The 28-year-old wore just a leather harness and boots.

The dancer got through to the next round of the ITV1 show after impressing new judge Baywatch legend David Hasselhoff.

Talulah, from Leicester, said of the new photos: "These pictures are a different style to normal burlesque stuff."

Doctor Who aids Lowe-07

2011-04-28T19:52:00.001-07:00

DOCTOR WHO'S MATT SMITH has been giving girlfriend DAISY LOWE acting lessons - because she wants to be a Bond girl.

The couple have been performing passages from classic books and watching old films in a bid to get the model up to scratch.

A source said: "Being on screen is Daisy's next big challenge. She's wanted to do it for a while but only felt ready recently.

"Her dream job is to be a Bond girl because it's sexy and not too serious. Like a lot of girls, she's always dreamed of being one.

"She and Matt are big collectors of vintage books, which has inspired their role play."

Bet Matt's making sure they act out a few extracts from Mills & Boon.

Daisy's definitely got the looks to be a Bond sidekick.

GEMMA ARTERTON and OLGA KURYLENKO both starred in the last 007 film Quantum Of Solace in 2008, alongside DANIEL CRAIG.

EVA GREEN, HALLE BERRY, TERI HATCHER andURSULA ANDRESS are just a few of the screen favourites before that.

None of them comes close to LANA WOOD as Plenty O'Toole though.

Lindsay Lohan set to act as a teacher

2011-04-28T19:51:00.002-07:00

TROUBLED star LINDSAY LOHAN might teach acting classes at a homeless shelter as part of her community service, it was reported yesterday.

The Los Angeles Downtown Women's Center wants the Mean Girls star, 24, to help with their theatre workshops.

A spokeswoman said they were "extremely interested in having Lindsay contribute her talents".

Sources said Lohan was interested, adding that she believed it would be "a perfect fit for her community service".

She was given 480 hours' community service as part of her sentence for breaching probation.

Priestess Freida is a holy hit

2011-04-28T19:51:00.000-07:00

FREIDA PINTO comes up against a horribly-scarred MICKEY ROURKE in her big screen blockbuster debut.

The Slumdog Millionaire star plays pretty priestess Phaedra in ancient Greek epic Immortals - and we've got the first trailer.

Rourke is evil King Hyperion, who rallies an army of bloodthirsty soldiers and wages war on humanity on his quest to find the legendary Epirus Bow - a weapon of unimaginable power.

However, his destructive plight meets resistance in the form of Freida's visionary alter-ego and a tough sword-fighting peasant called Theseus (HENRY CAVILL).

The goodies also recruit cunning slave Stavros (STEPHEN DORFF) to help them prevent dastardly Hyperion from liberating the imprisoned and vengeful Titans.

Freida - who shot to fame in DANNY BOYLE's Oscar winning 2008 flick - was also required to shoot her first ever sex scene in the 3D movie.

Director TARSEM SINGH admits the saucy shoot was a tough challenge for the Indian beauty.

He said: "Poor girl. It's the first time we see Freida Pinto and guest what - it's a sex scene.

"It's a delicate situation. We're trying to get all of the lights out so we can create an intimate situation. Only 80 people watching you and 20 of them with video cameras!"

Immortals hits UK cinemas on November 11.

Georgia Jagger looks a tanger-dream

2011-04-28T19:49:00.000-07:00

GEORGIA JAGGER was busy plugging a new bag yesterday but she may need to organise a peacekeeping mission to save the ROLLING STONES.

The model was in Dublin launching the accessory in aid of Fashion Targets Breast Cancer but she needs to have a word with dad MICK about his feud with bandmate KEITH RICHARDS.

After poking fun at Mick's manhood in his autobiography,KEITH RICHARDS has now decided to take a more professional approach in scoring personal points.

Keef has started working on a solo album just as Mick is about to release new material with EURYTHMICS starDAVE STEWART.

The guitarist has been in New York this week working on material with producer STEVE JORDAN and engineerDAVE O'DONNELL.

So that's two new solo projects from the Stones, with no official word on whether there will be anything else done as a group.

A source said: "Keith knows he's probably going to annoy Mick by doing his own album at the same time.

"Management think it could deepen the rift between them, which isn't ideal - especially as there's talk of a huge one-off gig for the Stones' 50th anniversary next year or even an Olympic gig."

It'd be a crying shame if one of the greatest rock bands of all time never performed together again because of a small willy... allegedly.

Paris Hilton in stalker attack at courthouse

2011-04-28T19:48:00.000-07:00

SOCIALITE PARIS HILTON looks in horror as a minder pins down an alleged stalker who lunged at her boyfriend CY WAITS.

She was arriving at court to give evidence against another man, Nathan Parada, 31.

As she walked inside at Van Nuys a man appeared to grab club owner Cy, 34.

He was then wrestled to the ground by the couple's security team on the steps of the courthouse in Van Nuys, California.

The heiress was on her way to testify against a man who was alleged to have attempted to break into her property while wielding a knife an August last year.

And the individual who allegedly attacked the pair yesterday was later identified as James Rainford, who in a separate incident had been arrested for trespassing on Paris' property last October.

Before the shock incident yesterday the socialite tweeted: "On my way to the court house to testify against the intruder. I'm very nervous to see him face to face again. :)"

Soon afterwards she wrote: "Omg @KathyHilton! That other psycho intruder just punched Cy in the back of the head as we were walking into the court house.

"So scary! :( " (sic).

A representative for the star later told E! News: A representative for Paris later told E! News: "After the attack, they realised he is the same intruder that showed up to her home on a bicycle a few months ago.

"They are both a bit shaken up but thankful security acted quickly."

Rainford was arrested on suspicion of battery, and later claimed he had only been trying to get an autograph from Paris and to ask her father, RICK, for permission to ask her to marry him.

He told reporters: "I'm going to marry her. I got permission from her father!"

He is currently still on probation for misdemeanour assault.

There is also a restraining order in place against him requiring that he stay at least 200 yards away from the blonde hotel heiress.

After her court appearance, which went ahead as planned, Paris Tweeted: "So creepy seeing that guy in court today, it sent shivers down my spine.

"Now on my way to @URM to make Mother's Day cards with the kids." (sic).

If found guilty, the accused, Nathan Parada, faces a maximum of three years in prison for felony charge attempted first-degree burglary.

Lauren Goodger's red hot break

2011-04-28T19:47:00.000-07:00

LAUREN Goodger made sure all eyes were on her when she wore a skimpy red bikini on a recent holiday.

The Only Way Is Essex star showed off her curves and tanned skin as she strutted around the pool in her tiny two-piece in Spain earlier this week.

The 24-year-old even seemed to check out her own assets as she climbed out of the pool after taking a dip.

But despite making the most of the heat, Lauren didn't look overjoyed to be in the sunshine.

She barely raised a smile as she showered after her swim and applied more suntan lotion.

Lauren, who is engaged to Mark Wright, was in the Costa del Sol by herself for short break during a gap in filming for the ITV2 show.

The current second series is about to end and will see the Essex gang head to their favourite destination, Marbella, Spain - or as they like to call it, 'Marbs'.

She recently told how she was trying to shed pounds before baring her body for the show when it films overseas - and her efforts seemed to pay off as she flaunted her slim figure.

Her straight-talking fiancé was recently seen telling her that she's "let herself go" and that she needed to get in shape on the show.

Talking about her weight, Lauren said: "I'm one of those people who loses weight quickly, but puts it on just as quickly. If I train and eat healthily you can notice, and if I drink and eat rubbish you can notice.

"I'm being healthy now and use a personal trainer, Nikki Diamond, who was Scorpio on the TV show Gladiators.

"I'm much more toned, and I feel so much more confident in a bikini when I've been working out."

She added: "Thankfully, my tummy stays quite flat but extra weight shows on my arms, face and legs. I've got Beyoncé thighs, but Mark says they're sexy."

TOWIE fans saw Mark, 24, and Lauren go head-to-head against Amy Childs, 20, and James 'Arg' Argent, 22, in a tennis doubles match on Sunday's episode of the show.

The nightclub owner told his fiancée and his best pal Arg that they both needed to do more exercise to lose weight.

Hot Pics

2011-04-28T19:44:00.000-07:00

Brazilian Royalty

Gisele waved during a Thursday event for her clothing line at a store in Sao Paolo, Brazil

Munn Munches a Burger

Olivia Munn joined the likes of Kim Kardashian, Paris Hilton and Audrina Patridge and shot a sexy commercial for Carl's Jr. burgers on Thursday.

Did Vera Design THE Dress?

Leighton Meester teamed up with designer Vera Wang at the Empire State Building in NYC Thursday.

Hello, Future Subjects!

Kate Middleton (in an Issa dress) waved a happy hello outside London's Goring Hotel on Thursday.

She's Outta There

Nicole Richie smiled going through security at LAX on Thursday.

Jennifer's Soon-to-Expand Brood

Jennifer Connelly -- pregnant with her third child -- took a walk with sons Kai and Stellan in NYC on Thursday.

January Jones Is Pregnant!

2011-04-28T19:38:00.000-07:00

Don't tell Don Draper!
January Jones is pregnant. Her rep tells Us Weekly that the Mad Men star "is happy to announce that she is expecting her first child this fall.
The 33-year-old actress dated Saturday Night Live's Jason Sudeikis, 35, from July 2010 until January 2011. Other notable ex-boyfriends? Singer Josh Grobanand Ashton Kutcher.
Jones is keeping the details of her pregnancy private, including the identify of her unborn baby's father.

Charlie Sheen Forms Charity

2011-04-28T19:36:00.001-07:00

He'll donate proceeds from merchandise sales at his San Francisco show to benefit a man who was beaten outside a Giants baseball game.

Charlie Sheen is getting charitable.

The actor has launched Sheen's Korner to "benefit those in need," his rep, Larry Solters, tells The Hollywood Reporterin a statement.

Sheen's Korner will launch its fundraising efforts at Sheen's April 30th San Francisco show at the Nob Hill Masonic Auditorium. All the profits from his merchandising sales will be donated to the Brian Stow Fund, to benefit Stow's family and defray medical costs stemming from the vicious attack against Stow outside a San Francisco Giants baseball game last month. (He was beaten and put into a medical coma; doctors have said he's showing signs of brain damage.)

Sheen also coordinated a bipolar awareness walk and auction at his Toronto show earlier this month.

He hosted several episodes Internet show called Sheen's Korner shortly after being fired fromTwo and a Half Men.

Source: Meredith Vieira Leaving Today

2011-04-28T19:35:00.001-07:00

Changes are afoot at the Todayshow.

Meredith Vieira, who has been rumored to be considering leaving her gig as co-host on the morning show, is indeed moving on, a network source tells PEOPLE.

"Meredith has decided she simply does not want to continue with the grind of a daily morning news show," says the source. "This isn't about leaving to tend to her family – it's about being done with the phase of her career that requires this sort of a daily, on-air commitment. This didn't come out of the blue and is something she's talked about for some time."

Longtime Today show news anchor Ann Curry will reportedly take over as co-host once Vieira leaves, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The network source tells PEOPLE of Curry, "That currently appears to be the plan for the immediate future."

According to another source, a formal announcement of the changes on the morning show will be made Monday.

Vieira, 57, took the job co-hosting alongside Today show vet Matt Lauer in 2006 when Katie Couric left to anchor CBS Evening News.

In a People.com poll conducted earlier this month, 54 percent of readers who participated said they thought Curry should replace Vieira if she left. Curry has been the show's news anchor since 1997.

People: 'Two and a Half Men" creator has a secret plan

2011-04-28T19:34:00.001-07:00

By Tony Hicks

Contra Costa Times

One of the biggest questions in television is how CBS plans to approach the volatile future of "Two and a Half Men." It appears that Chuck Lorre may have an answer.

However, he's not telling us, and apparently won't tell us for some time. In other words, nothing to see here, people. Move along.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the "Two and a Half Men" creator has developed an idea for a rebooted version of the series that excludes original star Charlie Sheen, who was fired -- you may have heard something about it -- back in March.

The trade paper says Jon Cryer would have a key role in the reboot and that a new character would be introduced.

A source told the Reporter that Sheen is still actively working behind the scenes to be reinstated, attempting as late as this week to set up meetings with "Men" cast members, hoping to clear the air and win their support.

Sheen is currently suing Lorre and Warner Brothers TV for $100 million.

Lorre is said to remain uninterested in meeting with Sheen, and Warner's sources are adamant that Sheen will not be invited back.

Reportedly, CBS and Warner Brothers already have begun a very quiet search for an actor to fill the Sheen void. They want an A-list name, but don't want to pay anywhere near Sheen's $1.2 million per episode salary.

The Reporter says candidates include Woody Harrelson, Jeremy Piven and Bob Saget.

One well-connected source told TMZ,

"There really is a good chance the show won't come back." If they're considering Saget, that sounds about right.

While it stands to reason that CBS would want to be able to announce something about the reboot in time for the network's May 18 upfront presentation to advertisers, the trade story says that "Two and a Half Men" may not be ready to return until midseason,

SPEAKING OF TROLLS, WARLOCKS, WINNING AND WHATNOT: Charlie Sheen's tour is taking a softer approach when it arrives in San Francisco later this week, with a donation planned for a Giants fan severely beaten during the Los Angeles Dodgers' home opener.

Sheen's publicist announced Thursday that the actor will donate the profits from merchandise sold at Saturday's show to benefit Bryan Stow, who had to be placed into a medically induced coma after being beaten March 31 outside Dodger Stadium.

Sheen, an avid baseball fan, has drawn cheers for sporting the hometown jersey of whatever city he's visiting on his "Violent Torpedo of Truth" tour.

He's selling T-shirts and other merchandise emblazoned with some of his new catchphrases, including "Duh, Winning."

SAMBORA BACK TO REHAB: TMZ quoted sources close to the situation Thursday who said Richie Sambora has fallen off the wagon and decided to enter rehab either Thursday or Friday.

Sambora has struggled with substance abuse for years. He checked into Cirque Lodge in Utah back in 2007, and again at the UCLA Medical Center that same year.

Sambora pleaded no contest in 2008 to DUI after getting busted in Laguna Beach with his daughter in the car. His probation for that offense just expired last week.

Sambora has a concert scheduled with Bon Jovi on Saturday in New Orleans. No word on whether the show will go on.

FORMER MENUDO MEMBER HAS CANCER: Robi Draco Rosa, a former member of the Latin boy band Menudo, has announced he's been diagnosed with cancer.

Rosa's manager released a statement saying doctors discovered a cancerous tumor in the singer's abdomen, near his liver. The 41-year-old singer is receiving treatment at a clinic in Houston.

Rosa was in Menudo from 1984 to '87. He later worked with former bandmate Ricky Martin, writing and producing "Livin' la Vida Loca" and "She Bangs."

TODAY IN HISTORY

Today is Friday, April 29, the 119th day of 2011. There are 246 days left in the year.

1429: Joan of Arc entered the besieged city of Orleans to lead a French victory over the English.

1916: The Easter Rising in Dublin collapsed as Irish nationalists surrendered to British authorities.

1945: During World War II, Adolf Hitler married Eva Braun and designated Adm. Karl Doenitz president.

1961: "ABC's Wide World of Sports" premiered, with Jim McKay as host.

1974: President Richard M. Nixon announced he was releasing edited transcripts of some secretly made White House tape recordings related to Watergate.

1991: A cyclone struck Bangladesh, claiming an estimated 138,000 lives.

1992: Deadly rioting erupted in Los Angeles after a jury in Simi Valley acquitted four Los Angeles police officers of almost all state charges in the videotaped beating of Rodney King.

2006: Liberal economist John Kenneth Galbraith died in Cambridge, Mass., at age 97.

BIRTHDAYS

Actress Celeste Holm (94), R&B singer Carl Gardner of the Coasters (83), poet Rod McKuen (78), country singer Duane Allen of the Oak Ridge Boys (68), singer Tommy James (64), comedian Jerry Seinfeld (57), actress Kate Mulgrew (56), actor Daniel Day-Lewis (54), actress Michelle Pfeiffer (53), actress Eve Plumb (53), singer Carnie Wilson of Wilson Phillips (43), actress Uma Thurman (41), tennis player Andre Agassi (41), rapper Master P (41), rock musician Mike Hogan of the Cranberries (38).

-- Associated Press

'Fast Five' expected to throttle box office

2011-04-28T19:33:00.000-07:00

By ANDREW STEWART

Box office pundits are forecasting summer like conditions at the global B.O. this weekend, with Universal's "Fast Five" expected to become 2011's best-yet Stateside debut and Paramount's tentpole "Thor" opening in virtually every major overseas market.

"Fast Five," which launches today at 3,643 locations, including 244 Imax runs, has been tracking solidly with U.S. auds for several weeks now and is expected to top the domestic frame handily with a launch of $60 million-$70 million. Par's "Thor," having already debuted in Australia with $5.7 million, launches a week before its Stateside bow on May 2 in a total 57 overseas markets.

Last year's summer B.O. sesh similarly kicked off overseas a week before the U.S. with "Iron Man 2," though 2010 lacked an early Stateside tentpole comparable to "Fast Five."

U is saying the weekend figure for "Fast Five" could be lower than industry predictions -- somewhere around $50 million -- especially given this year's depressed box office. But that still would be more than enough to outstrip the year's benchmark, Fox's "Rio," which opened earlier this month to $39.2 million.

Expected to debut more modestly are Disney's tween-targeted "Prom," at 2,730 locations, and the Weinstein Co.'s 3D toon sequel "Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil," at 2,505, of which approximately 1,800 -- or 72% -- are 3D-equipped.

Freestyle Releasing is also opening supernatural spoof "Dylan Dog: Dead of Night" at an aggressive 862 locations.

Though the summer box office season typically begins the first weekend in May, it's been creeping up in recent years with early overseas bows like "Iron Man 2." Universal has positioned "Fast Five" as the kick-off to the summer season, marketing the film as the summer's first major blockbuster.

"Fast Five," budgeted at a pricey $125 million, opened last weekend in four international territories with $23.5 million. Pic expands this weekend to 11 new markets, including Germany, Russia and Spain.

Domestically, "Fast Five" should score best with its core male demo as well as ethnic auds. Movie has drawn strong interest among Hispanics and African-Americans, both of whom are expected to help lift the film's opening take, including a wide midnight jumpstart on Thursday.

The franchise's fourth installment, which cost $85 million, bowed in early April 2009 to a stellar $71 million -- one of U's biggest three-day openings ever -- and wound up grossing $363 million worldwide. It's uncertain whether "Fast Five" will be able to reach similar opening heights as "Fast and Furious," though most B.O. observers say it's certainly possible; storms in the South are a concern, however.

The week's other two openers, "Prom" and "Hoodwinked Too!," will look to benefit as counterprogramming to the male-driven "Fast Five."

Reportedly budgeted at just less than $10 million, the PG-rated "Prom" should play best with girls and young teens, as well as potential mother-daughter outings. "Prom" marks the first pic to hit multiplexes that was greenlit under Disney topper Rich Ross' tenure. Pic also fulfills the Mouse's mandate for releasing modestly budgeted films with cross-promotion potential.

Disney expects "Prom" to debut at $7 million-$9 million, as does Weinstein with "Hoodwinked Too!" That pic from Kanbar Entertainment cost around $15 million and is being handled as a service deal by Weinstein. The first "Hoodwinked" grossed more than $50 million in 2005.

Fox's toon holdover "Rio" will continue to occupy families' attention, which doesn't bode too well for "Hoodwinked." "Rio" has cumed $87 million domestically, and after last weekend's steady hold, down just 33%, the toon should play well in its third frame.

The frame's soph players, Fox's "Water for Elephants" and Lionsgate's "Madea's Big Happy Family," will look to maintain ground but will have to compete against "Fast Five," which could attract general auds based on franchise popularity. "Water for Elephants" has cumed $21.8 million through Wednesday, while "Happy Family" reached nearly $30 million at Stateside plexes.

Contact Andrew Stewart at andrew.stewart@variety.com

Casey Abrams proves too quirky for "American Idol"

2011-04-28T19:31:00.000-07:00

By Chris Michaud

NEW YORK

(Reuters) - "American Idol" judges used their once-per-season save on Casey Abrams weeks ago, but fans of the hit talent show decided his time was finally up and eliminated him on Thursday during the show's Carole King week.

Host Ryan Seacrest teased at the top of the show that "a lot of fans are going to be disappointed" by the results, hinting that a popular finalist would go.

Abrams, 20, an unconventional but versatile musician who plays piano, guitar and upright bass, had not appeared in the bottom three since the judges trumped fan voting and decided to keep him in the running on March 24.

But the bearded California singer, who received less-than raves from the judges on Wednesday, got the boot after fans cast the fewest votes for his quirky twist on King's song "Hi-De-Ho."

Jacob Lusk, and 17 year-old country crooner Scotty McCreery were also among the last to hear their fate after Seacrest announced the results were being read out in random order.

Lusk has skated on thin ice several times, but McCreery has been a consistent favorite. Randy Jackson on Wednesday had praised his romantic rendition of "You've Got a Friend" as "flawless".

Abrams went out with a stirring performance of "I Put a Spell on You."

Seacrest paid tribute to the singer saying, "This is what talent looks like."

Thursday's show featured performances by last season's runner-up Crystal Bowersox, who sang "Ridin' With the Radio," and R&B singer Bruno Mars who did "The Lazy Song."

The five remaining finalists are rocker James Durbin, Lauren Alaina, Lusk, Haley Reinhart and McCreery.

"Idol," the nation's top-rated TV show, has recovered from several years of flagging ratings this season with new judges Jennifer Lopez and rocker Steven Tyler.

The finale airs on the Fox network May 24 and 25, when viewers will choose the next winner and he or she lands a recording contract.

Past winners such as Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, as well as runners-up like Clay Aiken and Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson, have gone on to successful careers on Broadway and in film.

(Editing by Jill Serjeant)

World watches as William weds Kate

2011-04-28T19:29:00.000-07:00

(UKPA)

The world will watch in fascination as Prince William marries Kate Middleton in a ceremony combining royal pomp and tender romance.

Months of meticulous preparations will come to fruition when the couple say their vows in Westminster Abbey in front of 1,900 guests and a global television audience of two billion.

Forecasters' warnings of rain showers over central London failed to dampen the mounting excitement about the long-awaited royal wedding.

Scores of well-wishers have been camped outside the ancient gothic church for days to get the best spot for the first full view of the bride's dress when she steps out of the Rolls-Royce carrying her to the service.

Miss Middleton, 29, will walk up the aisle on her father's arm as a commoner. Just over an hour later she will leave, with her new husband by her side, as an HRH, a Princess and a future Queen.

Invited guests include David and Victoria Beckham, Sir Elton John and Guy Ritchie and Prime Minister David Cameron. A host of politicians, clergy, military chiefs, ambassadors and more than 45 foreign royals will begin filling the abbey from 8.15am. There too will be William's proud grandparents the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh, his father the Prince of Wales and stepmother the Duchess of Cornwall, joined by some 40 members of the British royal family, as well as close friends and confidantes of the couple.

William, 28, and his brother Prince Harry, 26, who is his best man, will arrive at the historic 1,000-year-old church at 10.15am. By then the second-in-line to the throne may have been given a new title by the Queen, in a traditional gesture, to mark his wedding.

The groom, an RAF search and rescue helicopter pilot, will be dressed in red, wearing the famous scarlet tunic of an Irish Guards officer, rather than an Air Force uniform.

The world will hope to get the first glimpse of Kate's dress, which has been kept a closely-guarded secret, when she leaves for the abbey exactly nine minutes before the service starts at 11am. However, they may have to wait, as the hotel has erected screens to ensure no-one catches a glimpse before she arrives at the abbey.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, is marrying the couple, the Bishop of London, the Rt Rev Richard Chartres, will give the address, and the Dean of Westminster, the Very Rev Dr John Hall, is conducting the service.

Beyonce Splits with Manager... Her Father!

2011-03-29T09:09:00.000-07:00

Beyonce Knowles has called it quits with her long-time manager and father, Mathew Knowles, according to RadarOnline.

Britney's "I Am the Femme Fatale" Teaser

2011-03-29T09:07:00.001-07:00

It's officially Britney Mania! Her much-anticipated album "Femme Fatale" drops today, and this morning GMA aired her San Francisco show, which included performances of "Hold It Against Me," "Big Fat Bass," and "Till the World Ends." Plus, she announced that she'll be going on tour with Enrique Iglesias!

As if that's not enough, MTV was with Brit this past week leading up to her shows in both Vegas and San Fran and got a chance to get up close and personal with the pop star. The footage will be seen in an upcoming show, "Britney Spears: I Am the Femme Fatale," and will give fans a taste of what it's like to be Ms. Spears. The exclusive trailer premieres tonight on MTV at 7:58 pm ET, but in the mean time, check out the teaser below. Britney's back!

Rosie O'Donnell Is Moving Into Oprah Winfrey's Studio

2011-03-29T09:06:00.000-07:00

BY SARAH DURHAM WILSON
The Titans of Talk unite!
Rosie O'Donnell posted big news on her blog Monday night when she announced that her eagerly-anticipated talk show will callOprah Winfrey's OWN Network home this fall.

"I just wanted to say hi, and I'm coming to Chicago," O'Donnell said in the video blog. "It's a huge thrill for me, and I'm beyond the beyond," said the actor, writer and comedienne, who won six Emmys in a row for her previous talk show, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, which ran from 1996-2002.
The former host of The View – who openly clashed with the politics of co-hostElisabeth Hasselbeck – showed no nerves about filling in for Winfrey, who steps down this fall after 25 years. Instead, O'Donnell was brimming with anticipation and gratitude. "Thank you Oprah, and thank all of you who will be sticking around and helping us make a kick-ass show for the Oprah Winfrey Network," she said, even stopping at one point to tell her child, "Quiet. Mommy's working."

It seems Winfrey's Harpo Networks have plenty of confidence in O'Donnell: the Chicago-based studio has already purchased 130 episodes of future talk show.

Said Winfrey in a statement: "I'm delighted to welcome Rosie to the studio I've called home for so many years. Speaking from experience, she will be working with the best team in television in one of the greatest cities in the world."

As O'Donnell stated earlier this month when buzz around her show began to grow: "I want to build on what Oprah began and excelled at for 25 years, in my own style and with new adaptations and ideas. I would like this show to make a difference in viewer's lives, to be real, uplifting, authentic and focus on life, love and laughter."

Bad girls

2010-08-14T03:37:00.000-07:00

Been naughty? One flip through these bad-to-the-bone styles should set you straight. Check out the divalicous stars who are donning leather, lace and skintight rubber in a new wave of dominatrix chic.

Katy Perry may dress like a bad girl, but she's all good on the inside. The songstress says she used a simple trick to tame her famed British ladies' man Russell Brand – she denied him sex.

In the August issue of Esquire UK, the sexy 25-year-old singer opened up about her husband-to-be as she posed topless in leather pants, her finger placed seductively in her mouth.

Though she is willing to flash some skin and shoot whipped cream from her bra, Perry revealed that she refused to have sex with Brand on the day they first met (on the set of 'Get Him to the Greek'). In fact, she appears to have thrown a bottle at Brand from across the room when he propositioned her.

It 'hit him smack dab on the head,' she told Esquire. "Can you imagine the horrible feeling he had, when he was used to getting everything he wanted? I was like, 'You've met your match.' "

The pop songstress forced her now-fiancé, who 'used to basically be a professional prostitute,' to take her out on a date. A week later, the duo was on vacation in Thailand.

According to the 'California Gurls' singer, Brand proposed to her in Jaipur, India, by getting down on one knee and organizing fireworks and a painted elephant. They are set to wed in October.

As for domestic life, Perry told Esquire that she and Brand are "two divas in one house," but that they are the perfect fit. "I'm like, 'Oh my God, I am you. You are me,'" she told the magazine. 'I always needed someone stronger than me and I am, like, a [expletive] strong elephant of a woman. I say that hopefully in the humblest way I can.'

See what other Tinseltown starlets are proving it's good to be bad ...

Lady Gaga may not think she's a diva, but she's certainly a bad girl. The singer's recent raunchy behavior, flipping the bird to photographers at Citi Field and strutting around the Yankees' clubhouse in little more than her underwear, was apparently her character - not her.

'This is showbiz for me,' said the former Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta in the cover story of this week's Rolling Stone. 'I don't want people to see that I'm a human being.'

Well, Gaga, most people don't go around sporting MACHINE GUN BRAS, so we think you're in the clear.

Bandanna? Check. See-through top? Check. Leather chaps complete with tottering platform boots and a cape? Dear lord, who came up with those?! Nobody does bad quite like Lady Gaga.

The best reason to go see 'Get Him to the Greek' isn't because of Russell Brand, P. Diddy or Jonah Hill. We're fairly sure crowds will be flocking to the theater to catch a glimpse of the flick's hottest new star: Rose Byrne. The sultry Aussie sheds her good girl image to play raunchy pop star Jackie Q, whose explicit songs would make Lil Kim blush.

Oh, and her sexy spread in GQ ain't bad either.

Helllooooo Kylie Minogue! Another Aussie siren goes kinky, donning a naughty Jean Paul Gaultier outfit, complete with a ridiculously high slit, dangling handcuffs, a sexy black glove and thigh-high black stockings.

Good girl Rihanna has truly gone bad ... at least with her on-stage clothing choices. The 'Rude Boy' singer left little to the imagination at Radio One's Big Weekend in Bangor, North Wales, flashing her gams and a lot more in a daring leather playsuit (a bodysuit with short sleeves and short shorts).

Riri got the crowd going by shaking her booty at the audience in a hooded black leather suit with red, green and yellow stripes. To accessorize, the Barbadian beauty donned fishnets and two metal crosses.

If there was any inkling that Christina Aguilera is a boring soccer mom, the singer's new jaw-dropping music video has squashed that notion. In her new single, 'Not Myself Tonight,' the sexy singer sheds her Hollywood glamor facade for a revamped look reminiscent of her 'Dirrty' days.

Wearing a variety of bejeweled bondage wear, leather undies and latex garb, Aguilera turns her three-minute music video into a montage of fetish gear with props including diamond handcuffs, a collar and a ball gag.

Mean girl sidekick no more! Due to the hit TV show "Big Love," and flicks like "Dear John" and "Mama Mia!," Amanda Seyfried has become a bonafide starlet. With her new leading lady status, 24-year-old actress has ditched her good girl persona, donning a dangerously plunging neckline for her "Dear John" premiere, and doing a saucy photo shoot for Esquiremagazine, in which she sports a full body stocking. She'll even have a nude scene in her upcoming film "Chloe," in which she plays an escort.

Leighton Meester is clearly on a mission to distance herself from prim and proper Blair Waldorf. The "Gossip Girl" star, performing here at the z100 Jingle Ball on Dec. 11, is proving to be a legitimate rocker chic-in-training. All she needs to do now is trash a hotel room.

We're not quite sure what you'd call this look ... although it definitely doesn't scream Upper East Sider.

But nobody does bad quite like a Black Eyed Pea ...

Thigh-high leather boots - check. Sexy rocker leotard - check. Fergie's stage presence at a Dec. 29 concert just screams naughty.

Sometimes you know not to mess with Fergie ...

Rihanna has taken good-girl-gone-bad to the next level with the artwork for her single, "Russian Roulette" off her new album, "Rated R." The daring singer goes nearly topless, covered only by barbed wire.

Blindfolded and smoking a cigarette, January Jones in a lacy bodysuit and thigh-high stockings in the November issue of GQ practically defines bad girl. As complex housewife Betty Draper on AMC's "Mad Men," the 31-year-old stunner has been called one of the best dressed characters on TV. But in these shots by photographer Terry Richardson, we'd say she's more like the small screen's best un-dressed.

Above, uber-sexy Audrina Patridge gets down on all fours to prove she's the hottest bad girl of them all. "The Hills" star bares almost-all in a spread shot by photographer Steve Shaw for the October issue of Maxim.

Abs-olutely hot! Stomachs of the stars

2010-08-14T03:28:00.000-07:00

In a town built on ego as much as it is box office, it's no surprise celebs have the time - and money - to get buff beyond belief. What's even less surprising is that these camera-loving stars manage to find the time in their busy schedules to show off all their hard work.

Shakira may have hips that don't lie, but she's truly the queen of ab muscles ...

BY JOANNA SLOAME

If you think the sexy singer's tummy is taunt, check out the rest of Hollywood's most enviable midsections ...

Christiano Ronaldo may be a great soccer player, but his best attribute is clearly his sick six pack.

How can someone look this good while working out?! British model and actress Kelly Brook shows how to get her enviable midsection.

Russell Brand may be embarrassed to run around in his undies while filming 'Arthur' in NYC, but he's got nothing to be ashamed about in the stomach region. Wait, who are we kidding, Russell Brand doesn't get embarrassed.

Yowza! Supermodel Bar Rafaeli shows off her rockin' beach bod in a teensy pink bikini .

There ain't no stomach like a Situation stomach. Period.

But Pauly D's abs are nothing to be ashamed of.

... while 'Dancing With the Stars' pro Cheryl Burke flaunts her dancer's bod in a turquoise bikini in Las Vegas.

We'd take our shirt off too if our stomach looked like Flo Rida's.

Gilles Marini of 'Brothers and Sisters' shows off a washboard that mysteriously attached itself to his stomach.

Adrianne Curry may not be doing much work these days, but she must work out like a fiend for those abs!

Rafael Nadal breaks out a six-pack to enjoy his day off from tennis.

Gisele Bundchen poses in a bikini, two months after giving birth. Yeah, seriously.

Lookin' good, Jude Law!

It's unbelievable, but with all that partying, Lindsay Lohan still has a great stomach.

'House' star Jennifer Morrison takes a break from filming to run for the Padres Contra El Cancer Annual 5K Walk.

Looks like being a Vegas girl has done Holly Madison good!

Yum! Take a look at soccer hunk Cristiano Ronaldo, sans baby boy and on holiday with girlfriend Irina Shayk.

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, aka Megan Fox's replacement in 'Transformers 3,' poses on the beach for Victoria's Secret.

No wonder the designer put Tyson Beckford in a shirtless outfit ...

'90210' starlet Annalynne McCord and her sister, Angel show how California girls have more fun ... and more abs!

Who better to inspire investing in a gym membership than a trio of Victoria Secret Angels?! While the rest of us are stuck at the office, Miranda Kerr, Candice Swanepoel and Alessandra Ambrosio flaunt their super-toned tummies poolside. Life's simply not fair.

While shooting her new flick, 'Bad Teacher,' Cameron Diaz gives Tinseltown's drivers a show, parading around on the side of the road in a pair of short shorts and a cropped plaid shirt.

Dina Lohan needs to come to terms with being the driving force behind Lindsay's breakdown

2010-08-14T03:03:00.000-07:00

JOANNA MOLLOY

Matt Lauer earned every bit of his reported $16 million salary at NBC's "Today" show yesterday as he kept his cool with the laughable and slappable Dina Lohan.

The 47-year-old momager is so in denial about her hospitalized daughter/client Lindsay that she either lied to Lauer about how many times Lindsay has been in rehab - or she's lost count.

"This is the fourth time ..." started Lauer.

"No, actually, not ... " Dina cut in.

"How many times has she been in rehab?" he asked.

"Two," pronounced Dina.

"My notes had four."

"No, I don't know where you're reading this."

Later, Lauer pressed again: "You said this is her second stint, but she was in Wonderland ... in Promises ... in Cirque Lodge ... and now UCLA. This is the fourth time she's been in some kind of rehab."

"Oh. You said court-ordered," Dina lied, or denied.

"That's a lot of times to be in and out without some sort of success," Lauer said.

"What do you mean by 'success'"?

Um, how about not getting busted for drunken driving with cocaine in your pocket two weeks after getting out of Promises, as the "Freaky Friday" star did in July 2007? Rehab might have been more successful earlier that year if Dina hadn't brought an "Entertainment Tonight" camera crew along on her visit to Lindsay.

"Clearly, rehab didn't work," Lauer said.

"When you say 'works' or 'not works,' I don't know where you're getting this from."

Dina Lohan is as defensive as Martin Short's tightly wound character Nathan Thurm. It's everybody else's fault. In just eight minutes, Dina blamed the "Hardball" judge, her ex-husband Michael, the tabloids, the paparazzi, L.A. - even the Internet. Guess it was some guy at Google who painted "F--- U" on Lindsay's fingernails just before her court appearance. Next, Dina will be blaming the middle-aged woman Lindsay was chasing in her car the night of her 2007 DUI bust for fleeing too fast.

Dina will simply not admit to her role in this, putting Lindsay - indeed, all four of her children - to work as models or actors or reality-show oddities. Lindsay was bringing home paychecks from 100 major commercial campaigns by the age of 10, when Dina switched her job to soap opera acting.

"I don't know what a stage mom is," Dina told Lauer yesterday. "I was an entertainer."

Now, with Lindsay looking frayed at 24 and not such a cash cow, Dina can't seem to figure out where it all went wrong. She doesn't smile; she bares porcelain. At least Michael Lohan admits there's a problem and his role in it. He told me yesterday, "Dina and I caused this and we need to fix it. Professionals have recommended that Linds needs family therapy with us, but Dina won't do it."

Dina purports that it's all part of a plan, that Lindsay's calamities fit into her philosophy of child rearing. "As a parent, you have to let them go a little bit," she said yesterday. "To live and fail and survive. Without failure, there's no success."

I shivered when she announced that Lindsay would probably get out of rehab early and they'd move back to New York. Then I howled with laughter when Dina uttered this gem: "She'll be focusing on charity ... and save the next victim of the tabloids." How? With ads saying, "You can save this celebutante with your donation ... or you can turn the page"?

How about this bit of philosophy, from Socrates: "The unexamined life is not worth living."

If Dina Lohan really wants to save her talented daughter's life, she should look in the mirror. And not to adjust her false eyelashes.

jmolloy@nydailynews.com

Pam Anderson bares her insecurities

2010-05-29T07:31:00.000-07:00

Pamela Anderson donned a barely-there swimsuit on the catwalk as she promoted her new fashion line this week -- but she doesn't really think much of her body.

The busty former "Baywatch" babe -- who joined designer Richie Rich to launch new line A*Muse -- told Page Six that despite years of baring her famous flesh, she still doesn't think she looks that good.

Right after taking to the catwalk in a revealing metallic bathing suit for their show Wednesday night at Amnesia, she said, "I never feel confident. I really don't love my body."

The busty former "Baywatch" babe joined designer Richie Rich to launch new line A*Muse.

Pamela Anderson despite years of baring her famous flesh, she still doesn't think she looks that good. Right after taking to the catwalk in a revealing metallic bathing suit for their show Wednesday night at Amnesia, she said, "I never feel confident. I really don't love my body."

When the stars lost their V-cards

2010-05-29T07:29:00.000-07:00

Megan Fox lost her virginity at 17 to her first love, whom many assume is current boyfriend Brian Austin Green. "I've had plenty of awkward sex, but that first time was not awkward. I was in love with him and it was nice."

Although Britney Spears' never revealed a date herself, Justin Timberlake said that the self-proclaimed virgin was pulling everyone's leg following their bad breakup in 2002. "She lost her virginity a while ago -- and I should know."

It's also safe to say that once Kevin Jonas married Danielle this past December, taking off his purity ring was the first order of business.

Same goes for Jessica Simpson, who married Nick Lachey on Oct. 26, 2002. "I promised God, my father and my future husband that I would remain a virgin until I got married. I just always knew it was something I wanted to do."

Other stars, like Christina Aguilera, have made no bones about their desire to, well, bone. "I'm a proud, sexual girl -- a woman, actually," she said in 2001. "All this do-not-touch nonsense is not me. I'm no virgin, I'm all for female sexuality and taking the sexual power away from the guys. They've had it for way too long."

Unlike Diddy, Fergie didn't have trouble losing it -- she had trouble keeping it! "I've always been a very sexual person. I've always had to hold myself back - I lost my virginity at 18. But that took a lot of willpower."

Eighteen was also the magic number for Shia LaBeouf.

"For some reason, I was trying to portray myself as a man who had [had sex] many times in the past. I didn’t tell the girl I was a virgin. I was all, ‘Don’t worry, babe. I’m gonna handle it tonight.’ And meanwhile I was shaking in my boots. Getting naked was very strange. It was the first time I’d been naked in the light, in front of a girl, with no hiding place. I remember putting a pillow underneath her because I had seen that in a porn movie…[It] put her at a weird angle, where I couldn’t get in correctly. I’m not extremely well-endowed…and clearly this wasn’t the move.”

Some stars wish they could have "done it" earlier, like Brooke Shields. “I think I would have lost my virginity earlier than I did at 22. I had the public and all this pressure, and I wish I had just gotten it over with in the beginning when it was sort of OK. I think I would have been much more in touch with myself.”

Awkward, disappointing sex stories are dime a dozen in (and out of) Hollywood. “I was 15 and it was with an older man I was absolutely besotted with, so I was very willing," Shirley Manson has said. "Unfortunately, it was a nothing experience, in his friend’s super low-fi bachelor pad with dirty pants and half-eaten bowls of cereal around the bed. It lasted 40 seconds. And I remember the words ‘Is that it?’ spinning around my head, cause, if that’s what it’s all about, someone has been telling me fibs.”

Jaime Pressly revealed to Howard Stern that losing her virginity at 14 was a big mistake and the guy she was with “never finished.”

The Life of Jennifer Aniston

2010-05-29T07:16:00.001-07:00

Jennifer Aniston, perhaps the sexiest 41-year-old ever, shows off her amazing figure in a hot bikini while filming "Just Go With It" in Hawaii.

Jennifer Aniston, strut her stuff in a hot pink bikini while filming "Just Go With It" in Hawaii.

Jennifer Aniston filming scenes of "Just Go With It" in a white dress while shooting cabana scenes with Adam Sandler & Nick Swardson in Hawaii.

Jennifer Aniston wears white on the set of "Just Go With It." in Hawaii.

Jennifer Aniston attends the premiere of the film "Le chasseur de Primes" at Cinema Gaumont Marignan in Paris, France.

Jennifer Aniston attends the New York premiere of The Bounty Hunter.

Jennifer Aniston departs "Good Morning America" in Times Square.

Jennifer Aniston filming The Bounty in Astoria Queens.

Jennifer Aniston filming on location "The Bounty" in the Brooklyn borough of New York.

'Lost' finale recap, part two: Step into the light

2010-05-29T07:15:00.000-07:00

Love, death, redemption, mystery, faith, allegory -- yep, that's the show we've known and loved for six seasons

By Jeff Jensen

If I had to rank my favorite scenes of the Lostfinale, Jack Shephard's Island death march — crosscut with the afterlife launch of the castaway soul cluster in the Sideways world — would be my clear number one. There was a lot of blood under his nose at one point. Did you wonder if exposure to the Source had given him the time travel brain-scramble that cooked poor Charlotte in season 5? During Jack's death rattle, do you think his mind was toggling between his Island head and his Sideways construct, yo-yoing between misery and bliss the way George Minkowski did in season 4? And didn't Jack's sacrifice in the radioactive engine room of The Island remind you of Spock's death at the end of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn? If John Locke could have been given a Shatneresque eulogy for his friend and ideological foe, he would have ended it like this: ''Of all the man-of-science souls I have ever encountered in my travels, his was the most... [pause to stifle sob]... faithful.''

A number of scenes are duking it out for No. 2 on my list. I loved Jack's long-awaited confrontation and reconciliation with his father. We had been anticipating this moment since ''White Rabbit,'' when Jack went chasing after Christian's ghost and found his father's empty casket. I had always imagined a slightly angry encounter, with Jack using the opportunity to settle some old scores with his dad. Instead, it was all about Prodigal Son joy. It spoke to and for any parent and child, young or old, who hopes for an afterlife where they can see their family again, especially their parents, and especially if they parted company with too much unsaid, too much unresolved. I know that some people found the Jack/Christian moment to be ''mawkish'' and ''sentimental.'' Not me. I thought — and felt — that the moment was painfully honest. It was direct and knowing about the very real and very frightening prospect of eternal separation and loss. I felt and could relate to the pain and the anguish and the yearning of both the father and the son. And it left me energized to be a better husband, father, son, and friend. I appreciate stories that can give me that inspiration, because I need it in my life. I'm thankful for Lost for the soul boost.

We had learned from Christian that the castaways had become — or always were — bonded on a spiritual level, a ''soul cluster'' to use a phrase given to me by a reader whose name I'll credit in a later column when I can dig up the correct e-mail. This cluster was a living thing unto itself, and a thing with great power. It had the ability to create a world, the Sideways world, from which they could meet anew after death and journey together into whatever comes next. Now, up this point, I have written this recap from the perspective and, admittedly, personal bias that the castaways moved into the ''afterlife,'' which I have called ''heaven,'' although it could be called other things, and we must consider that not all of the castaways went to the same ''place.'' But upon reflection, I'm realizing this is probably not the perspective or mythology of the show. Most likely, the castaways returned to the Source, the hub of life, death, and rebirth, and their energy was recycled back into creation. Does anything of their unique person endure and survive? Now that's a conversation! Let's go dutch on coffee one day and have it!

Farewell, FlashForward: 5 Reasons It Should Have Stayed on Air

2010-05-29T07:13:00.000-07:00

By Hugh Hart

With its cinematic sweep, huge ensemble and mind-crushing premise FlashForward started off last fall with great promise. Sadly, the time-warped soap opera crashes and burns Thursday with a series finale that brings the curtain down on the mysterious conspiracy that triggered a 2-minute, 17-second global blackout enabling people to see six months into the future.
The biggest mystery is why ABC renewed its disappointingly generic alien drama V but pulled the plug onFlashForward. With the exception of Morena Baccari as lead alien Anna, V is the weaker show, dragged down by uninspired acting and cardboard dialogue.
To be sure, FlashForward (8 p.m./7 p.m. Central) suffered from uneven scripts and an over-reliance on “who-cares?” soap opera complications. Most damaging, the expensive-to-produce series took a dive in the ratings this spring.
Still, it’s a shame the show won’t be coming back. Here are five reasons FlashForward should have lived to see another season.
The bad guys were good actors.
Though they got killed off quickly, villains Dyson Frost/D. Gibbons (played by Michael Massee) and Flosso (Ricky Jay) hit the ground running with crazy flow charts and lines like “Let the wild rumpus begin.” As covert brainiacs, these actors had menacing smarts to spare.

The puzzle was tight.
Most of the breadcrumbs sprinkled throughout the early episodes paid off later. For example, all those dead blackbirds discovered in Somalia in 1991? Explained. Suspect Zero, the only man caught on surveillance tape who managed to stay awake during the global blackout? Also sorted.

The cast had color.
True to the blackout’s global dimensions, FlashForward expanded beyond the network standard of white heroes to rope in a broad range of black and Asian characters. John Cho was especially strong as Dmitri, the FBI agent with the inexplicably Russian name.

Dominic Monaghan.
Whenever the relationship angst faced by characters destined to die or betray each other threatened to drag FlashForward into the soggy morass of doomed love, viewers could count on Dominic Monaghan to drive a stake into the show’s sentimental heart. As the arrogant genius Simon, the Lost star cranked upFlashForward’s voltage every time he appeared onscreen.

The autistic guy
Recent episodes showcased a breakout performance by British actor James Callis (Battlestar Galactica) as twitchy idiot savant Gabriel McDow, who’d been brainwashed by the flash-forward masterminds. The character added a much-needed quirkiness factor that would have been a boon in future episodes.

What’s your take on FlashForward? Did the series overstay its welcome? Did it stink from the start? Or do you wish the show had been given a second season to tease out the space-time conundrums even further? Weigh in below.
Ensemble pictured above, left to right: Jack Davenport as Lloyd Simcoe, John Cho as Demetri Noh, Sonya Walger as Olivia Benford, Zachary Knighton as Bryce Varley, Christine Woods as Janis Hawk, Joseph Fiennes as Mark Benford, Courtney B. Vance as Stanford Wedeck, Peyton List as Nicole Kirby, Dominic Monaghan as Simon and Brian F. O’Byrne as Aaron Stark.
Images courtesy ABC.

Follow us on Twitter: @hughhart and @theunderwire.

At P. J. Clarke’s, the Bartender of Your Dreams

2010-05-29T07:10:00.000-07:00

By FRANK BRUNI

My mother had eyes in the back of her head; Doug Quinn must have them in the palms of his hands. How else to explain the way he muddled mint for a mojito — and went on to make the rest of the cocktail — while glancing alternately at the door to see if anyone new was coming in, at the far end of the bar to see if anyone was telegraphing thirst, and at the guy in front of him, who was babbling anew about something or other? Not once did Mr. Quinn look down at the drink. It was like bartending in Braille.

He filled beer mugs without watching what he was doing. He could apparently tell, by the weight of them, when to stop. He plucked bottles from their perches without pausing to check labels. He apparently had, in his head, the whole liquor layout at P.J. Clarke’s, on the East Side.

And he remembered what my companion and I were drinking, even though we had ordered just one round so far, and there were at least 35 people clumped around the bar on this early May night, and he was dealing — alone — with all the tickets from all the servers in the adjacent dining rooms, and he wasn’t writing anything down, not that I could see.

“Another?” was all he asked, and a half minute later I had a Hendrick’s gin martini, up, with olives and jagged little floes of ice, just like the martini before it. My companion was sipping a second Manhattan with rye, not bourbon, per his initial request. Mr. Quinn works quickly, and he works without error.

It is legend, this efficiency of his. I learned of it one night at PDT, a faux speakeasy in the East Village — secret entrance, abundant taxidermy — that’s about as far in spirit (and spirits) from the blunt, timeless rough-and-tumble of P. J. Clarke’s as you can get. I asked Jim Meehan, the cocktail shaman there, whom he and other celebrated young mixologists of the moment looked up to.

Without hesitation he named Mr. Quinn, 42, and not because Mr. Quinn had pioneered some clever infusion or paired two ingredients no one had thought to pair before. Mr. Quinn, he said, did right by the classics and could handle (and coddle) a teeming crowd. He had speed, stamina, dexterity, personality and an awe-inspiring memory: the essentials of bartending, without which the cheeky chemistry is meaningless. Mr. Quinn was the bartenders’ bartender.

Dale DeGroff, arguably the city’s dean of mixology, told me that if he’s not away on business, he drops in on Mr. Quinn at least once a week, often past 2 a.m., when bartenders getting off work elsewhere congregate at P. J. Clarke’s — the original one on Third Avenue at 55th Street, not the spinoffs near Lincoln Center or at the World Financial Center. It serves food until 3 a.m. and drinks until 4 a.m., the legal limit, and isn’t as jammed in the wee hours as it is between 6 and 11 p.m.

“You’re not going to get a yuzu gimlet from the guy,” Mr. DeGroff said. “Ain’t going to happen. But you’re going to get a damned good martini.”

Mr. DeGroff actually prefers Glenlivet on the rocks, and said that a freshly made one will be waiting for him by the time he walks from the entrance to a barstool. More than that, he knows that if there’s someone at the bar whom he might enjoy talking to, Mr. Quinn will figure that out and make it happen, a master of human mixology above all.

You need to see him in action, not least because his 126-year-old stage is one of the city’s classic bars, what he calls “the Vatican of saloons,” a living diorama of a certain era and sensibility, with its penny-tile floors, carved mahogany bar, tin ceiling and stained-glass transoms.

Other servers there wear white shirts with dark neckties; Mr. Quinn wears pastels, sometimes with French cuffs and cufflinks, and always, always with a vividly colored bow tie — it’s his thing, plus a bow tie never flies up, flaps around or otherwise slows him down. A forelock of his hair, glistening with product, usually dangles low across his brow. He should be in a carrel at Oxford.

Or on a cricket field there. Along with the coordination of an athlete, he has the build of one: 6 feet 2 inches, broad-shouldered, trim. He has been known to leave P. J. Clarke’s after his 6 p.m.-to-4 a.m. shift, which he works Monday through Friday, and hit the 24 Hour Fitness club nearby before heading to the Upper East Side, where he lives with his wife and their sons, ages 5 and 3.

He grew up in Rockland County, majored in economics at Vassar, began bartending before graduation and never stopped. He popped up behind the bar at P. J. Clarke’s in 2003, when it reopened after a meticulous restoration.

It’s a lucrative gig. On many nights about 500 customers will cycle through, and while there are stretches when he has help, there are also stretches when he doesn’t. Most customers have more than one drink. Virtually all leave tips.

But to talk to him — as I did after two stealth visits when I merely drank and watched — is to know that money isn’t his main thing. He’s testing himself. Performing. Making people marvel at him. Making people love him.

“When they come here, they’re in my home,” he said. “They’re in my church.”

He packs a double-wide opener so he can flick the lids off two beer bottles at once. When smoking was allowed, he carried 10 lighters, because some would get wet and some lost, and he didn’t want to lose a second or a step by having to fetch another.

But being armed and agile isn’t the half of it. “A great bartender will get you a date for the evening, get you a job and get you a new apartment,” he said.

He is proudly anachronistic, calling female customers “doll,” “darling” and “baby,” a term of endearment he also uses for male customers, along with “brother” and “man.”

Of course he met his wife, an advertising executive, when he was behind the bar. “She was probably one of the most beautiful women who ever set foot in here,” he said. “She couldn’t take her eyes off me. She’ll tell you I hit on her.”

He certainly proceeded to, dispatching a barback to a nearby bodega to fetch a dozen roses for her the third time she came in. For a while she resisted his requests for a date, but then she brought her mother around. Showtime.

“Usually, I put the hook in someone’s mouth,” he said. “I had the hook in her mom’s belly.”

He said there aren’t any cheats or tricks to his memory, which one P. J. Clarke’s regular, a trial lawyer named Paul Hanly, described to me as “canny, totally uncanny — truly as photographic as it gets.”

He will brighten or dim the lighting if he senses the need, and he will nix Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” if the jukebox starts to play it when the bulk of the crowd are in their 20s and 30s.

But he has boundaries. “I try to teach people how to behave in a saloon,” he said. “Don’t ask for a Red Bull and vodka. You want an energy drink? I have coffee.”

`Diff'rent Strokes' star Gary Coleman dies

2010-05-29T07:09:00.000-07:00

By JENNIFER DOBNER (AP)

PROVO, Utah — Gary Coleman once said he wanted people to think of him as something more than the chubby-cheeked child star from television show "Diff'rent Strokes," that he wanted to escape the legacy of character Arnold Jackson, whose "Whatchu talkin' 'bout?" became a catch phrase of the 1970s and '80s.

He spent his later years still keeping a hand in show business, but also moving away from it, marrying and settling in Utah, far away from Hollywood's sometimes all-too-bright lights. Still, he was dogged by ongoing health problems and struggled with legal woes.

After suffering a brain hemorrhage, Coleman was taken off life support Friday and died, his family and friends at his side, said Utah Valley Regional Medical Center spokeswoman Janet Frank. He was 42.

"He has left a lasting legacy," tweeted singer Janet Jackson, who appeared on several episodes of "Diff'rent Strokes. "I know he is finally at peace."

Coleman chafed at his permanent association with "Diff'rent Strokes" but also tried to capitalize on it through reality shows and other TV appearances.

His former manager, Vic Perillo, called the diminutive star "everybody's kid" and expressed regret for all the trouble that marked the end of Coleman's life.

"It's unfortunate that this young man should go down in history as someone that will be seen as bitter," said Perillo, who helped launch Coleman's career from Chicago in about 1977 and worked with him for 15 years. "If everybody knew what a joy he was and the joy he brought me ... that's kind of lost in all of this."

Coleman suffered the brain hemorrhage Wednesday at his Santaquin home, 55 miles south of Salt Lake City. Frank said he was hospitalized because of an accident at the home, but she had no details.

In a statement read by brother-in-law Shawn Price, Coleman's family said information would be released shortly about his death. It said he was conscious and lucid until midday Thursday, when his condition worsened and he slipped into unconsciousness. Coleman was then placed on life support.

"Thousands of e-mails have poured into the hospital. This is so comforting to the family to know how beloved he still is," Price said.

"Diff'rent Strokes" debuted on NBC in 1978 and drew most of its laughs from Coleman, then a tiny 10-year-old with sparkling eyes and perfect comic timing.

He played the younger of two African-American brothers adopted by a wealthy white man. Race and class relations became topics on the show as much as the typical trials of growing up.

"Diff'rent Strokes" lasted six seasons on NBC and two on ABC; it lives on thanks to DVDs and YouTube. But its equally enduring legacy became the troubles in adulthood of its former child stars.

In 1989, Todd Bridges, who played Coleman's older brother, Willis, was acquitted of attempted murder in the shooting of a drug dealer. The then 24-year-old Bridges testified he became depressed and turned to drugs after "Diff'rent Strokes" was canceled.

Dana Plato, who played the boys' white, teenage sister, pleaded guilty in 1991 to a robbery charge. She died in 1999 of an overdose of painkiller and muscle relaxer. The medical examiner's office ruled the death a suicide.

"It's sad that I'm the last kid alive from the show," Bridges said.

Coleman was born Feb. 8, 1968, in Zion, Ill., near Chicago.

His short stature — he reached only 4-foot-8 even in adulthood — added to his child-star charm but stemmed from a serious health problem, kidney failure. He got the first of at least two transplants at age 5 and required dialysis.

In a 1979 Los Angeles Times profile, his mother, Sue Coleman, said he always had been a ham. He acted in some commercials before he was signed by T.A.T., the production company that created "Diff'rent Strokes."

After the show was canceled, Coleman continued to get credits for TV guest shots and other small roles over the years but never regained more than a shadow of his old popularity. At one point he worked as a security guard.

Coleman played upon his child-star image as he tried to resurrect his entertainment career in recent years, appearing on late-night shows and "The Surreal Life," a VH1 show devoted to fading celebrities.

His role as a car-washing plantation slave in the 2008 conservative political satire "An American Carol" was cut from the final print. The actor also appeared in last year's "Midgets vs. Mascots," a film that pits little people against mascots in a series of silly contests for a chance to win $1 million. Coleman met with producers of the film earlier this year to ask them to remove a brief scene of frontal nudity that he says he didn't authorize.

Coleman was among 135 candidates who ran in California's bizarre 2003 recall election to replace then-Gov. Gray Davis, whom voters ousted in favor of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Coleman came in eighth with 12,488 votes, or 0.2 percent, just behind Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt.

Running for office gave him a chance to show another side of himself, he told The Associated Press at the time.

"This is really interesting and cool, and I've been enjoying the heck out of it because I get to be intelligent, which is something I don't get to do very often," he said.

Last fall, he had heart surgery complicated by pneumonia, said his Utah attorney, Randy Kester. In February, he suffered a seizure on the set of "The Insider."

Legal disputes also dogged him. In 1989, when Coleman was 21, his mother filed a court request trying to gain control of her son's $6 million fortune, saying he was incapable of handling his affairs. He said the move "obviously stems from her frustration at not being able to control my life."

In a 1993 television interview, he said he tried to kill himself twice by overdosing on pills.

He moved to Utah in fall 2005, and according to a tally in early 2010, officers were called to assist or intervene with Coleman more than 20 times in the following years. They included a call where Coleman said he had taken dozens of Oxycontin pills and "wanted to die."

Some of the disputes involved his wife, Shannon Price, whom he met on the set of the 2006 comedy "Church Ball" and married in 2007.

In September 2008, a dustup with a fan at a Utah bowling alley led Coleman to plead no contest to disorderly conduct. The fan filed a lawsuit claiming that the actor punched him and ran into him with his truck; the suit was settled out of court.

In February — on his 42nd birthday — he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor criminal mischief charge related to an April 2009 domestic violence incident at his home.

Associated Press Writer Doug Alden, AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen and AP Movie Writer Christy Lemire contributed to this story.

'So You Think You Can Dance' Recap: Let's Get Contemporary

2010-05-29T07:07:00.003-07:00

By Sandrine Milet

With Thursday night's (May 27) big premiere of the new season of "So You Think You Can Dance," the show made its first stops in the audition rounds on the east coast in both the Big Apple and Miami. Following a heavy, overly dramatic introduction, host Cat Deeley kept reminding us that season seven is going to be the toughest and most competitive season yet (most likely due to the all of the rule changes). But at least the auditions reminded us that some things just always stay the same: People still screech, "I'm going to Las Vegas!" and there continue to be very bizarre (and questionable) auditions.

Of course we only get to see a select few of these auditions, but from what I could tell, New York definitely produced some interesting characters, which always makes for great entertainment (if not necessarily for top-shelf dancing). The most memorable was the hazardous waste fluid cleaner (or something of that sort) who basically cleans up blood for a living. His job alone made him worth mentioning. And then there was the low-budget horror film director who cross-dressed wearing fruits and vegetables (and eventually threw a broccoli that was taped to his chest to the judges). Apparently he had just gone vegetarian.

But with the delusions aside, there were some pretty fantastic and emotional auditions. One that really stood out was from the 18-year-old Teddy Tedholm, who auditioned last season but unfortunately didn't make it during the Vegas week. I'm crossing my fingers that this year he'll live up to what the judges expect of him. His performance was truly filled with raw emotion and impressive choreography, which brought Mia Michaels to tears (but that was expected of her).

Miami, however, didn't bring as much heat. Save for an outstanding audition from the 24-year-old Tyrell Rolle (who has only been dancing for seven years), the most exciting part was that Sonya Tayeh was judging. Towards the end it went from bad to horrible, with a painfully awkward audition where a girl danced an uncomfortable routine with her father.

One trend that was noticeable was the invasion of contemporary dancers. There were a few b-boys and the occasional Latin ballroom dancer, but it was apparent that the majority was auditioning in the contemporary style. There weren't even any tap dancers! While the balance may be off a bit, it looks like the changes (both in rules and in styles) will make for another great season of the show.

What did you think of the first round of auditions? Is contemporary becoming the dance norm for the show? Let us know in the comments!

Megan Fox replaced by Victoria's Secret model in Transformers 3

2010-05-29T07:07:00.001-07:00

CANWEST NEWS SERVICE

The removal of Megan Fox from Transformers 3 has left a babe-shaped void in the cast, but if there's one thing we know about Michael Bay, it's that the director doesn't procrastinate when it comes to finding female eye candy for his big-budget blockbusters.

According to Deadline Hollywood Daily, producers have narrowed their search for the next Megan Fox down to three women: Sarah Wright (The House Bunny), Brooklyn Decker and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. The fact that those last two are both Victoria's Secret models should hint that Bay is still more concerned with skimpy outfits than acting ability.

And now it appears Bay has made his final choice: Deadline reports that Huntington-Whiteley has officially been offered the part, so barring any snags during contract negotiations, the 23-year-old will be playing Shia LaBeouf's love interest in Transformers 3. The British model has exactly zero acting experience, aside from Victoria's Secret's fashion shows and a one-time appearance on Britain's Next Top Model, but it's unlikely Bay cared about anything other than her 32-24-32 measurements.

Production on Transformers 3 began May 17 in Los Angeles, but Huntington-Whiteley won't begin filming for another two weeks.

Hayley Williams Twitpic: Internet Security Expert Offers Advice On Protection

2010-05-29T07:06:00.001-07:00

Safe passwords, avoid sexting are among the recommendations.

By Gil Kaufman

When private pictures go public it's always embarrassing, especially when you're a celebrity and the whole world wants to look.

The latest star to fall prey to a nude-pic hack is Paramore's Hayley Williams, who told her 600,000-plus Twitter followers on Thursday that someone had jacked her account. The Tweet was in response to a topless photo of the 21-year-old singer that began making the rounds that day, which Williams alleged was sent out without her consent by someone who cracked her Twitpic account, but which some online reports suggested may have been accidentally posted by the singer and then quickly removed — but not before it began rocketing across the Internet.

Internet privacy and security lawyer Dr. Parry Aftab — who was one of the experts in MTV's recent "Sexting In America: When Privates Go Public"special — said on Friday (May 28) that there are a number of relatively simple ways to make sure your private business stays that way.

"It all starts with good digital hygiene," said Aftab. "It's like brushing your teeth twice a day so you won't get cavities and won't offend the person sitting across from you. The first step is picking a password that easy to remember but hard to get." Aftab said the mistake most people make is choosing a password from the "20 questions" list, which include such obvious things as your middle name, favorite sports team, the street you live on or your pet's name, all information that is easy to obtain if you are a public figure. That, she noted, is how a kid from France was able to hack President Obama's Twitter account earlier this year by guessing that the leader of the free world used the First Dog Bo's name as his password.

"If you don't use a password that's hard to guess, anyone can figure it out, but you also don't want one that's so hard for you to remember that you have to write it down, because then someone can find it," she warned.

The other hygienic practice she recommends is not pre-saving passwords on computers, iPads or other digital devices. Though it is a time saver and might help you avoid fumbling for the right password, Aftab said if anyone else uses the device, it could spell trouble. "If you have an assistant or you share the device with a friend — or someone you think is your friend — it allows them access to all your special stuff," she said. "And that's like pre-saving your ATM number. You just don't want to store that on any device that someone else can access. It's like locking your door instead of leaving it wide open."

And while Aftab recommends keeping intimate moments completely private, if you are going to sext, she said to remove the salacious images from any device where they can be shared. "If you're taking a naked picture, the best thing is not to text it," she said. "You're better off printing it out and handing it to him, but even that can be scanned and texted out. Anything in a digital format exists forever, and you can never really protect it. It's the law of negativity in the universe: If it's there, it will be found."

If you are a victim of a sexy picture gone viral, Aftab said the next best thing you can do is stop it as fast as you can. "When you're on Twitter and your followed by a gazillion people you can't really stop it," she said. "But you can try to delete it. If someone hacked it or it got sent out by accident, which happens all the time, that's why you don't keep it in a place where it can be sent out accidentally by clicking a button."

Aftab doesn't just issue warnings and advice, she has also been working with Twitter on a Verified Twitter program that is now in beta testing and is similar to the one she set up Faceook called the Certified Celebrity Program. "My consulting firm [Wired Trust] is doing it as a free service for celebrities to confirm who they are, so Facebook will protect those pages and nobody can try to take them over unless they're authorized though a special thing we have set up through Facebook," she said.

Like the Facebook program, the new Twitter tool will allow celebrities to keep their profiles on lock and, if need be, act quickly in case something goes awry.

"If Twitter knows you're a verified celebrity and something happens, there's a special contact that can shut things down in a heartbeat," she said.

Duchess of York to appear on Oprah Winfrey show

2010-05-29T07:05:00.002-07:00

The Duchess of York is expected to appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show in the US, days after she was filmed allegedly trying to sell access to her ex-husband.

She has already apologised after she was shown on video allegedly offering an undercover reporter access to the Duke of York, a UK trade envoy.

The duke has denied any knowledge of his ex-wife's activities.

The duchess is in the US promoting her range of children's books.

On Sunday, the News of the World reported that she had agreed a £500,000 ($723,000) deal with a reporter posing as a businessman.

She was en route to the US when the story was published, and mentioned it at a charity event that night where she received an award for working with underprivileged children.

'Judgement lapse'

In a statement issued on Sunday, the Duchess of York said she was "sincerely sorry" for her actions and admitted her financial situation was "under stress".

"I very deeply regret the situation and the embarrassment caused," she said.

"It is true that my financial situation is under stress. However, that is no excuse for a serious lapse in judgement and I am very sorry that this has happened."

Her ex-husband, Prince Andrew, has "categorically" denied knowing about the meeting with the reporter, and Buckingham Palace said he carries out his role as a UK trade envoy with "complete and absolute propriety and integrity".

Late shift good for Leno, NBC newscasts

2010-05-29T07:05:00.000-07:00

By Johnny Diaz

Comedian Jay Leno’s return to late night in March has helped NBC and its affiliates recover some of their late news audiences after his short-lived prime-time variety show crippled ratings.

Managers at NBC affiliates such as Boston’s WHDH-TV (Channel 7) and Providence’s WJAR-TV (Channel 10) said viewership for their late newscasts has steadily risen since NBC moved Jay Leno from prime-time back to late night. In March, Leno returned to “The Tonight Show’’ and NBC replaced his earlier “The Jay Leno Show’’ with scripted dramas and a reality show to lead into local stations’ late newscasts.

When Leno began airing at 10 p.m. last September, the peacock network lost about 4.6 percent of its prime-time viewers. A study by research firm Harmelin Media estimated that audiences for most NBC affiliates’ late news — the most lucrative in terms of ad dollars — plunged an average of 25 percent among the key 25- to 54-year-old audience.

Earlier this year, the network said it would return Leno to late night on March 1. At that time, NBC went back to its typical prime-time lineup with dramas such as “Law & Order,’’ and added two new shows, including the drama “Parenthood’’ and a reality show featuring comic Tom Papa called “The Marriage Ref.’’

Since then, Leno has been back on top: averaging 4.45 million viewers compared with 3.44 million for “The Late Show with David Letterman,’’ according to Nielsen Co., the ratings service company. In Boston, Leno has beaten Letterman, averaging 98,800 viewers to Letterman’s 57,100 since March.

Industry analysts have said that Leno’s variety show didn’t serve as a strong lead-in for a local newscast because viewers generally tuned in for the beginning of the show, such as the monologue, and then tuned out, depending on that night’s guests. With scripted dramas, viewers usually watch from beginning to end, and then watch the station’s following newscast.

Indeed, the change in NBC’s programming has boosted WHDH. During the first month of Leno’s variety show, WHDH’s 11 p.m. viewership dropped by almost half in the 25-54 demographic. With a ratings boost from the Winter Olympics and Leno’s return to late night, the station came back to win in that demographic at 11 p.m. in February, March, and April, but lost that lead in May to WCVB-TV (Channel 5) by 2,500 viewers.

“When they pulled Jay Leno and patched those holes, things started to look up, including ‘The Tonight Show’ going back to No. 1,’’ said Robert Thompson, a television professor at Syracuse University.

Last week, NBC said it was adding a slate of new dramas at 10 p.m., and NBC affiliates say they are looking forward to that fall lineup. Among the new shows: “Law & Order: Los Angeles,’’ “Chase,’’ a Jerry Bruckheimer production about US marshals hunting down fugitives, and “Undercovers,’’ a J.J. Abrams series about married former CIA agents who run a catering company.

“There is no question that they invested more money this year than they have in previous years,’’ said Chris Wayland, vice president and general manager of WHDH. “They invested with producers that have been very successful on multiple networks.’’

It was WHDH’s owner, Ed Ansin who publicly objected last year to NBC’s plans to move the Leno show to 10 p.m. Ansin had wanted to air a local newscast at that hour instead because he believed Leno’s show in prime-time would serve as a weak lead-in for WHDH’s 11 p.m. newscast. But a week later, Ansin reversed his decision when NBC threatened to pull his station’s network affiliation.

WHDH’s Wayland said that NBC is on the right trajectory with the new shows, which could further advance his late newscast. “As NBC launches these new programs, it’s only going to help us,’’ he said.

Lisa Churchville, general manager of the NBC affiliate in Providence, agrees. Her station’s ratings for the 11 p.m. newscast dropped 36 percent last November compared with the year before. For the May ratings period, she said that her late news audience is down only 13 percent but the station is winning again at 11 p.m.

“They are spending money. It’s an investment,’’ said Churchville. “We are very hopeful for an absolute total recovery. I am very excited about the fall lineup.’’

Johnny Diaz can be reached at jodiaz@globe.com.

50 Cent Confirms Dramatic Weight Loss, Explains How & Why He Did It

2010-05-29T07:04:00.000-07:00

By Allen Starbury

Since leaking shocking photos of himself with a dramatic amount of weight lost, 50 Cent has proven the lengths he's willing to do a job right. In this case, for an acting role.

If you haven't seen the pics yet, Fif' leaked two pics of himself to his ThisIs50.com website earlier this week, showing a much light version of himself ... 54 pounds lighter that is.

He lost all the weight for his role in the upcoming film "Things Fall Apart," where he plays a football player diagnosed with cancer.

Some thought the photos may have been photoshopped, but the rapper did a little press this week to talk about them. In an interview with Rap-Up.com, he confirmed their authenticity.

"Yeah, they're absolutely real," 50 said. "I shot the first half of the film for eight days and then I left for my international tour, and I spent that time training to lose weight. I had a week and a half after coming back to really intensely train to get down to 160 for the last half of the film project, Things Fall Apart.

"It was a lot for me to actually get there. After the second week, it was crazy. They say it takes 30 days to make a habit, but man… I was on the Internet and I was looking at Christian Bale, while The Machinist was out, he almost killed himself. I was feeling like maybe I’m overdoing it and I'm dropping 54 pounds, but I was in such a good physical state prior to me deciding to go down on the weight."

Despite his unrecognizable appearance in the photos, Fif' says you won't see him in the flesh like that. He's already up to nearly 200 pounds, and is planning to start weight training to get back to where he was.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll never go out looking crazy like I just smoked something [laughs]. I'm trying to get myself back together immediately," 50 tells the mag.

Aside from movies, 50 launched his Invitation Tour on Friday (May 28) in Cleveland, and will continue for 18 more dates, hitting Detroit, Chicago, Houston, and New York.

Below are confirmed dates and venues:

5/28 - Cleveland, OH @ Wolstein Center

5/29 - Detroit, MI @ Chene Park Riverfront Amphitheater

5/30 - Chicago, IL @ UIC Pavilion

6/1 - Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium

6/3 - San Francisco, CA @ Warfield Theatre

6/4 - Los Angeles @ Club Nokia at L.A. Live

6/6 - Las Vegas, NV @ The Pearl Concert Theater at The Palms

6/7 - Phoenix, AZ @ Celebrity Theater

6/10 - Kansas City, KS @ Midland Theatre

6/11 - Dallas, TX @ Music Hall at Fair Park

6/12 - Houston, TX @ Arena Theater

6/15 - Miami, FL @ The Fillmore

6/17 - Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle

6/18 - Myrtle Beach, SC @ House of Blues

6/19 - Raleigh, NC @ Walnut Creek Amphitheatre

6/22 -New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom

6/23 - Wallingford, CT @ Chevrolet Theater

6/24 - Boston, MA @ House of Blues

6/25 - Atlantic City, NJ @ House of Blues

Brooklyn Decker Hot Photos

2010-05-29T07:03:00.000-07:00

PACIFICCOASTNEWS.COM

Brooklyn Decker shows off her bikini body while on the set of the upcoming film "Just Go With It" in Maui.

SPLASH NEWS

Brooklyn Decker films "Just Go With It" in Hawaii.

Brooklyn Decker wore her smallest bikini to film scenes for her new movie "Just Go With It."

Brooklyn Decker has some fun playing with her young castmates while in between takes while filming "Just Go With It."

WILL BINNS, PACIFICCOASTNEWS.COM

Brooklyn Decker walks on the beach in Hawaii to watch her tennis star husband Andy Roddick go for his morning run.

893 / SPLASH NEWS

Brooklyn Decker arrives at the Marchesa fashion show in Chelsea in New York City.

9 of 14

WALTER IOOSS JR./SPORTS ILLUSTRATED

Brooklyn Decker, in another teeny yellow bikini, is the 2010 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover model.

PACIFICCOASTNEWS.COM

Brooklyn Decker tries not to topple in the sand in her high-heeled peep toe shoes after visiting "The Dan Patrick Show" in South Beach.

JOHN SCIULLI/WIREIMAGE.COM

Brooklyn Decker attends a party to celebrate the launch of Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue.

Clinton-Blair years focus of HBO's 'Relationship'

2010-05-29T06:57:00.000-07:00

By LYNN ELBER (AP)

LOS ANGELES — Dennis Quaid and Hope Davis, starring as Bill and Hillary Clinton in a new HBO film, have a civilized difference of opinion about a Monica Lewinsky-driven quarrel that was edited out.

Quaid thinks the clash should have remained in "The Special Relationship," which focuses on Bill Clinton and then-British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Davis is relieved it was cut from the movie that debuts this weekend (including 9 p.m. EDT Saturday and 6:15 p.m. EDT Sunday).

"We shot a really good scene but I'm happy it was left out," said Davis ("American Splendor," "In Treatment"), who uses a wig, pantsuits and accent to convincingly evoke Hillary Clinton.

In a preview copy of the film, Bill Clinton is shown confessing to his wife that he lied about his dalliance with White House intern Lewinsky. Davis' Hillary listens stoically, and the scene ends without the ensuing row that was filmed.

"It put them in such a vulnerable place. I don't want to see them, I don't want to see her, in that position," Davis said. "We know all we need to know. We know how it wrecked his presidency and how hard it was for them to get through."

Ultimately, she said, she thinks the filmmakers and HBO wanted to be sure the film stood up to scrutiny and avoided allegations of inaccuracy or treating the Clintons disrespectfully.

HBO said the shots that were trimmed wasn't germane to the movie that is primarily about Bill Clinton and Blair.

Quaid, who once spent a weekend at the Clinton White House and golfed with the president, believes the confrontation was fair game and of dramatic value.

"I think it captured the spirit of the relationship and that's the most important thing," he said. "People are fascinated by (screenwriter) Peter Morgan's work because we get to be a fly on the wall behind closed doors."

Quaid almost said no to the project because "I didn't want to do an homage and I didn't want to do an indictment of the guy."

"It was really the writing ... that convinced me to do it," said Quaid, who dons makeup and hits Clinton's raspy Southern drawl dead-on. But he was careful, the actor said, to avoid mimicking him a la the well-known "Saturday Night Live" impersonation.

Morgan is in familiar territory when it comes to Blair: He wrote the Oscar-nominated script for "The Queen," about Blair and Queen Elizabeth (Helen Mirren, who won an Oscar for the role), and wrote "The Deal," about Blair and fellow Labour Party rival Gordon Brown, who recently resigned as prime minister.

Michael Sheen takes his third turn as the famously charming politician, with Helen McCrory as his wife, Cherie Blair, whom she played in "The Queen." Richard Loncraine is the director.

The title of the film, which will be released theatrically outside the United States, refers to Winston Churchill's characterization of the cultural and historical U.S.-Britain ties as a "special relationship."

The drama focuses on political-spectrum soulmates Clinton and Blair in the mid- to late-1990s and how the Lewinsky scandal and the Kosovo crisis divided them. It ends with news footage of Blair striking up a new partnership with incoming President George W. Bush.

Blair's subsequent support of America's Iraq policy eroded his support at home, where some labeled him "Bush's poodle" for backing the war that was unpopular in Britain.

Sheen said he was able to approach the man anew because the film looks at the Blair and his career "from a completely different point of view."

Would he be willing to tackle a film about Blair during the Bush years? No, Sheen said, because "Special Relationship" well explores Blair's desire to influence U.S. foreign policy and his stalwart confidence in himself and knowing "the right thing to do."

"All you're going to see is a downward curve," Sheen said. "All the choices have already been made. It's like the note has been struck and all you're going to hear is the note echoing."

___

Online:

http://www.hbo.com

Charlie Sheen preparing to plead guilty to assaulting wife

2010-05-29T06:54:00.001-07:00

NEWSCORE

U.S. actor Charlie Sheen will likely plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of assault after his 2009 Christmas Day arrest in Aspen for allegedly assaulting wife Brooke Mueller, US Weekly reported Friday.

The "Two and a Half Men" actor could spend up to 45 days in an Aspen jail as part of the plea deal he agreed to with prosecutors in Colorado. Prosecutors would drop the felony menacing charge in return for Sheen pleading guilty to a misdemeanor.

Sheen is scheduled to appear in an Aspen court on June 7 to enter his plea.

Sheen's lawyer reportedly tried to negotiate for Sheen to have smoking privileges at the Aspen Pitkin Country Jail, where Sheen would likely serve his sentence. The county jail has a no smoking policy but allows inmates to wear nicotine patches, US Weekly reported.

Sheen and his wife are currently living separately but the couple have not officially filed for divorce, according to media reports. Sheen and Mueller have one-year-old twins Bob and Max.

"Sometimes when couples are trying to work things out, it's better if they don't reside under the same roof," Sheen's rep told People Magazine. "There are no plans for either party to end their marriage."

Sheen also has two daughters -- Sam and Lola -- with ex-wife Denise Richards, who has full custody. He has a 25-year-old daughter, Cassandra, with former girlfriend Paula Profit.

Alicia Keys And Swizz Beatz: A Timeline Of Their Romance

2010-05-29T06:53:00.000-07:00

Pair have been dating for at least a couple of years.

By Jayson Rodriguez

Alicia Keys and Swizz Beats announced late Thursday evening that they're engaged, and that the Grammy-winning singer is expecting the couple's first child together.

The news might have been a surprise to some: Keys is an R&B/pop superstar who has performed at President Barack Obama's inauguration, while Swizz (real name: Kasseem Dean) is a Ruff Ryders alumnus and a veteran hip-hop producer who's laced Jay-Z and DMX with some of their grittiest tracks.

But the musical couple have been dating for a couple of years, at least since 2008, when rumors of their union began to swirl — and recently whispers about the two ratcheted up when photos of Keys with what appeared to be a baby bump appeared online.

Here's a timeline of the couple's relationship:

» In 2008, music-industry insiders began buzzing about a pairing between Swizz — then married to R&B chanteuse Mashonda — and Keys, but the speculation turned public when gossip blog TheYBF.com published a post detailing their union, citing a source close to the singer.

» Later in 2008, Alicia Keys threw a surprise birthday party for the art-collecting producer (who by then was separated from his wife) at New York's Guggenheim Museum. Although they wouldn't appear in public together until the following year, the shindig solidified that the two were an item.

» In 2009, Swizz Beatz all but confirmed his relationship with Keys through a remix verse he added to Drake's hit, "Best I Ever Had," rapping, "She gave me a party at the Guggenheim ... What's next? The ring? The baby? She really loves me."

» Throughout the year, Keys and Swizz (engaged in a messy divorce from Mashonda, including public spat on Twitter) were spotted together at a bevy of events, including his pre-Grammy Awards event, game three of World Series (where she performed alongside Jay-Z), and a swank Whitney Houston album preview event; the musical pair worked together to produce the Houston single "Million Dollar Bill."

» This year, the duo have been frequently photographed together, both domestically and abroad; pics of Keys performing across the Atlantic caused a stir online as the singer's loose-fitting clothing led many to believe she was hiding a baby bump.

» On Thursday, a spokesperson for the couple confirmed that they were engaged and are expecting their first child together. The baby will be her first and his third: The producer has two other children from previous relationships.

What do you think about Swizz Beats and Alicia Keys' relationship? Let us know in the comments!