Britney Spears tells critics read my lips: it's for fans

Singer Britney Spears receives a birthday cake after performing on ABC's "Good Morning America" in New York on December 2, 2008.[Agencies]

MELBOURNE - Britney Spears has a message for the critics who savaged her performance during her first tour of Australia -- it's all for the fans.

Spears' manager and tour promoter rushed to defend the U.S. pop singer after it was reported that people walked out of her first Australian performance last weekend, describing it as boring, stiff, mimed and lacking interaction with the audience.

Now Spears, 27, whose is rebuilding her career after a high profile meltdown and roller-coaster personal life, has responded to the furor.

"I hear there is a lot of controversy in the media about my show," said Spears in a widely reported statement.

"Some reporters have said they love it and some don't. I came to Australia for my fans."

The promoter of Spears' Australian tour, Paul Dainty, earlier this week said the criticism about Spears lip-synching and a lackluster performance had left her "extremely upset" and it was a total fabrication to suggest that fans stormed out.

He added that it was well known that part of Spears' circus-themed concert was lip-synched as the singer danced her way through the spectacular show that promotes her sixth studio album "Circus."

Spears has been at the center of a debate over lip-synching since she arrived in Australia last week.

The Fair Trade Minister for the state of New South Wales, Virginia Judge, called for concert tickets to carry disclaimers about whether parts of concerts were pre-recorded and mimed.

Thousands of Australian fans flooded Spears' personal website and Twitter account to congratulate her on her comeback, describing her performances as "amazing," "awesome" and "brilliant."

Her manager Adam Leber used Spears' Twitter account on Thursday to post a link to a rave review for Spears' latest concert on Wednesday night in the city of Melbourne.

"Britney rocked it in Melbourne last night! And for the controversy, take a look at this!" he wrote.

Spears' tour of Australia ends in Adelaide on November 29.

taken from : China Daily

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Dallerup: 'I will not shower naked'

Strictly Come Dancing's Camilla Dallerup has insisted that she will not shower naked on I'm A Celebrity....

However, the Danish professional dancer, 35, confessed that she is packing a bikini to emulate 2006 contestant Myleene Klass.

"Myleene looked fantastic and I think she did come across so lovely on the show. I think it is important to get a bikini because I certainly will not be showering naked," she said.

"I shall find one that doesn't fall down when you're showering. But, I have heard that the water is quite cold."

Dallerup also revealed that she is hoping to organise a dancing competition for her fellow celebrities.

"I definitely think dancing may need to be brought to the campfire. I think that we will need some entertainment and exercise when we are out there, so as not get too bored," she stated. "I just hope they are up for a dance.

"If the other teammates are up for it, I think it could be great to have a competition. We could have a goal together, sort of a bit of team-building. You do a lot of team-building anyway using dance, and it could be quite fun to see if it could help, especially if we have a bad day or something, a bit of dancing could bring us back and have a laugh."

taken from : China Daily

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Rihanna talks about breaking down and her new CD

Singer Rihanna poses for a portrait in New York Monday, Nov. 9, 2009.[Agencies]

NEW YORK – Rihanna says recording songs on her new album was such an emotional experience that she sometimes had to leave the studio to prevent herself from breaking down.

"I walked out the studio a few times just trying not to be in tears," she said Monday about recording her fourth studio album, "Rated R," to be released on Nov. 23.

"It was about me, and so much so that songs got really personal to the point where it took three months for me to start recording it because it was too deep for me to even listen to," she said.

The CD comes nine months after the 21-year-old singing sensation was attacked by ex-boyfriend Chris Brown. Rihanna said recording helped ease the pain — giving her an outlet to express how she truly felt.

"I got to vent because I didn't really talk a lot. I didn't talk to a lot of people about anything I was feeling. I just did it on the record," she said.

Brown was arrested Feb. 8. He was accused of beating Rihanna after they attended a pre-Grammy party. Brown later pleaded guilty to felony assault and was sentenced to five years' probation, six months of community labor and a year of domestic violence counseling.

Following the attack, Rihanna said she was sick of sitting at home and decided to head to the studio.

"I was tired of just being in the house and I just felt like I was wasting so much time and just being lackadaisical, so I just wanted to work again and we started recording," she said.

Rihanna, who won a Grammy for the megahit "Umbrella," says the new album's sound is "darker" than her previous ones because it reflects her turbulent year.

"The recording experience was different because it was from a completely new mind space, from a different perspective. Usually I was thinking of fun stories, things to talk about, different topics that might be cool, but this time is really about my life," she said.

She also said she's excited for fans to hear a song called "Stupid In Love."

"You're blinded by love, love is blind and sometimes you can't see it coming and it's just coming to the realization of the state of a relationship and just saying, 'This is not what I like. It doesn't make me happy,'" she said.

Rihanna said the album is a reflection of Rihanna the woman — not the image we've come to know.

"I feel like my fans, they knew me, they knew what I looked like, but they didn't really know what my personality was. They didn't really know how I think or what I stand for. They didn't really know much about me as a person. They just knew my image and the idea of me," she said.

"But I wanted to give them more of who I really was because I feel like that was a connection I was missing."

Rihanna credits this album with helping her look forward instead of dwelling in past.

"Venting is a part of moving on, like you have to get it out no matter what, and this album for me helped me do that — being in the studio, writing, working with producers and songwriters, making music," she said. "It made it even more special that it came from my heart and my real... my feelings, the exact way I felt."
taken from : China Daily

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Portia de Rossi's Ellen nerves

Portia de Rossi was too nervous to date now-wife Ellen DeGeneres.

The 'Arrested Development' actress said she fell for the talk show host the first time she "laid eyes on her", but couldn't bring herself to ask her out.

Portia, 36, said: "I just walked over to say hello to her and I couldn't believe it, but she turned around and it was like an arrow was shot through my heart.

"I was weak at the knees and I was overwhelmed with how I felt. But then it took me about 10 months to get the courage up to do something about it."

Portia - who married Ellen in 2008 - says it took her a long time to open up to the 41-year-old comedienne about how she felt because she was worried about the public response to her sexuality.

She said: "It took me three years to actually tell her how I felt about her, because I was on 'Ally McBeal' at that time and I was not living as an openly gay person.

"I was closeted and very, very afraid that if I talked about being gay it would be the end of my career. So I wasn't about to then date the most famous lesbian in the world."

taken from : China Daily

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Nicolas Cage's lavish spending

Nicolas Cage once spent $276,000 on a 67-million-year-old dinosaur skull.

The 'National Treasure' actor - who has been forced to put several of his properties on the market after failing to pay millions of dollars of tax - filed a lawsuit in October claiming Samuel Levin, his former manager led him "down a path of financial ruin".

The 45-year-old American actor - whose films have grossed a collective $3.9 billion - owes $6 million in back taxes from 2007 and it is only now his extravagant purchases have come to light.

The most bizarre purchase was in 2007 when he outbid 'Titantic' actor Leonardo DiCaprio for a $276,000 skull claimed to be from a prehistoric beast.

He also owns a jet, two yachts, three castles, two islands in the Bahamas and a number of mansions.

His most expensive car - out of a fleet of 50 - was a $495,000 Lamborghini whose former owner was the shah of Iran.

Cage is a superhero fan - he had to sell his comic collection in 1997 for $1.6 million - and even named his son Kal-El, four, after the Man of Steel.
taken from : China Daily

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"Twilight" leads People's Choice nominations (Agencies)

Fans cheer during a panel discussion for the upcoming movie "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" during the 40th annual Comic Con Convention in San Diego July 23, 2009.[Agencies]

LOS ANGELES - "Twilight" shone at the nominations for the People's Choice Awards on Tuesday, with its three stars, Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner each in the running for a trophy at the event celebrating the most popular stars of film, TV and music.

The "Twilight" movie series, which enters its second installment on November 20 with the "New Moon" sequel, also won a nod for best franchise among its leading seven nominations.

Voted on by the public, the awards will be given out on January 6, in one of the earliest shows in Hollywood's awards season.

Pattinson, who plays vampire Edward Cullen in the "Twilight" series, was nominated for favorite movie actor and Stewart was nominated for favorite movie actress. Lautner, 17, was nominated for favorite breakout movie actor.

Last year, the People's Choice Awards nominees were announced 11 days before "Twilight" was released. The movie went on to make nearly $384 million at worldwide box offices, becoming one of 2008's biggest surprise hits.

This time, "Twilight" will compete for favorite movie franchise against "Harry Potter," "Star Trek," "Transformers" and "X-Men."

In the music categories, singer Britney Spears won nominations for favorite pop artist and favorite female artist, competing against Taylor Swift, the top selling artist of 2008.

Sandra Bullock, who starred in the romantic comedy "The Proposal" after a two-year absence from movie screens, was nominated for favorite movie actress.

Vampire-themed shows "True Blood" and "The Vampire Diaries" also picked up nominations in the television category along with veterans including "CSI" and "House" and teen shows "The Hills" and "Gossip Girl."

Winners at the People's Choice Awards will be chosen by a public online vote at the websites peopleschoice.com and myspace.com/peopleschoiceawards. Voting for most categories ends on December 8.

taken from : China Daily

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Lindsay Lohan dating Ledger when he died?

Lindsay Lohan was dating Heath Ledger when he died, according to the actress's mother Dina.

In a leaked phone conversation between Dina and her ex-husband Michael, she claims that Lindsay is "f**ked up" by the actor's fatal drug overdose.

Radar Online quotes Dina as saying: "She was dating Heath when he died. I don't know if you know that, but I know 'cause I would drop her off and they were friends, very, very close... That f**ked her up."

She also feared that Lindsay would suffer the same fate as Ledger, adding: "When she's drunk or takes an Adderall (prescribed stimulant) with it she will do something like Heath Ledger did in a second without thinking. She cannot be alone. When she sleeps here, she sleeps with me... she has fears from being little."

Michael is believed to be leaking the taped discussions with Dina, Lindsay and her ex-employee Jenni Munro in a bid to convince the Mean Girls star to seek help for her alleged drug addiction.

taken from : China Daily

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Rihanna refuses gift

Rihanna sent back a $10,000 bottle of champagne because she didn't know the people who had bought it for her.

The ‘Umbrella' singer was partying at Los Angeles nightclub The Bank at Wonderland when American Footballer Braylon Edwards and his teammates sent the expensive drink over to her table.

However, Rihanna refused to accept the gift because she had no idea who they were.

One partygoer said: "She didn't know who they were, so she sent it back."

While Rihanna is bought drinks when she goes out, Kiefer Sutherland buys his fans a beverage.

The ‘24' actor stunned bar staff when he bought all of their customers a drink after he and some crew members of the hit US drama series popped into The Spot in San Pedro, California, after finishing a shoot at seven in the morning.

According to an employee, Kiefer was enjoying scotch and cokes and decided to buy everyone in the venue - about 30 people - leaving him with a $500 bar bill.

He then gave staff an impressive $200 tip when he left.

taken from : China Daily

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Taylor made? All eyes on Swift at CMA awards

FILE - In this Sept. 17, 2009 file photo, Taylor Swift poses before the Tommy Hilfiger spring 2010 collection is shown at New York Fashion Week. [Agencies]

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Kenny Chesney has made the very hard work of dominating country music look easy.

And Taylor Swift is paying close attention.

The 19-year-old sensation has the record sales. She beat out every living artist — no matter the genre — this year with more than 3 million copies of her "Fearless" CD sold and counting (only Michael Jackson has sold more). The album remains No. 3 after 51 weeks on the charts.

And she's moving concert tickets as fast as they can print them.

That might be enough to sway the more than 5,000 members of the Country Music Association, who decide who gets the trophy for entertainer of the year, the CMA's highest honor, at the CMA Awards on Wednesday night (the broadcast will air live on ABC).

She's the youngest ever nominated for the award and the first solo female act since Faith Hill in 2000, and she's faced a lot of questions about whether either is a limiting factor.

"I think you have to do the work and put in the effort and do the touring that it takes to win entertainer of the year," she said in an interview with The Associated Press. "And I don't really think it has anything to do with gender. I think if you want to compete with the boys, play on a level that they're playing at."

And the guys in this category are playing at the highest.

Using a combination of unparalleled album and ticket sales, Chesney has dominated the CMA Awards' most prestigious category with three straight wins and four of the last five. A fifth win would move him past Garth Brooks for most in the 43 years of the awards. This is the eighth straight year he's sold more than a million concert tickets, and fans are drawn to his brand of Caribbean cool like no other.

Brad Paisley leads all nominees with seven and is entering his second year as co-host with Carrie Underwood. His album "American Saturday Night" debuted at No. 2 on the album charts when it was released earlier this year and he's had 11 straight No. 1 singles on the country charts.

Keith Urban's supercharged live show has made him one of country's most bankable stars and his album "Defying Gravity" hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200. He's the only artist to interrupt Chesney's recent domination in the category, winning in 2005.

And then there's George Strait, a two-time winner in the category and CMA's career leader in nominations (79, with Alan Jackson) and wins (22) whose "Twang" also debuted as the nation's No. 1 album. Paisley said he's put together the kind of career and rapport with his fans that's really only possible in country music, and that "always" makes him a contender.

"Look at George Strait," Paisley said. "It's just unbelievable. He first won entertainer of the year 20 years ago in 1989. Isn't that crazy?"

But 2009 might be Swift's year — and she could soon be in the company of icons like Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire, three of the six other female acts to win entertainer of the year.

But tell that to Swift, and she modestly dismisses the idea: "Don't fill my head with that."

"It's so wonderful when people come up to me and say that I have a shot at winning. It actually is really, really a wonderful thing when people do that," she said. "But my parents raised me to have the mindset that the world doesn't owe me anything and you can't feel entitled to winning, you can't feel entitled to success."

It's statements like those that have won Swift fans within the industry as well — not to mention a few votes.

"I will say I did vote for her," McEntire said. "The obvious is that she is a female and I do tend to support my female friends and artists in the business, but also because I think she is the one who's done the most this year — television, touring. She is an extraordinary person and I think she highly deserves it."

taken from : China Daily

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Fantasy flick opens festival

The annual Golden Horse Film Festival, the top film event in Taiwan, has opened with local filmmaker Cheng Wen-Tang's crime drama Tears and mainland director Tian Zhuangzhuang's fantasy feature, The Warrior and the Wolf.

Japanese heartthrob Joe Odagiri, lead actor in Wolf, was the highlight photo opportunity on the festival's red carpet.

Presided over by Taiwan's leading director Hou Hsiao-Hsien, the month-long festival will screen more than 100 Chinese and foreign films divided in categories such as anti-domestic violence, independent Chinese filmmaking, and classic films.

The festival will close on Nov 28 with the Golden Horse Awards ceremony, known as the Chinese-language Oscars.

taken from : China Daily

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Demi Moore: ‘I’d Prefer To Be Called A Puma’

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Demi Moore isn’t happy for being the poster child for older women who happen to like younger men.

“I’m certainly not the first person to be in a relationship with a younger man, but somehow I was plucked out as a bit of a poster girl,” Demi, 47, who is married to Ashton Kutcher, 31, told the latest issue of W magazine. “I don’t know why that is. But I just kind of step back sometimes and say, ‘There is some reason, and what is it that I have to share in a positive way?’”

In fact, Demi would actually like to be called by another cat-like name.

“I’d prefer to be called a puma,” she told the mag. “[I] Twittered it out. People wrote back hilarious stuff, saying, ‘I’m going to get T-shirts that say puma power.’”

Regardless of titles, Demi said she has a deep connection with her husband of four years, Ashton.

“The most overwhelming part of meeting someone that you already felt you had such a deep and old connection with is that your feelings are greater than the time you’ve had to actually be with one another,” she said. “Now we’ve had the physical time together. The love he has for me makes me a better person by giving me the courage to take risks. I can fail and have someone who loves me just the same. I never knew it was quite possible.”

And Demi has another close connection – with her fans online – brought to the actress by the powers of social networking Web site, Twitter.

“People are much more interested in what I have to say directly… and that really changed the whole dynamic I have with fans,” she said.

“I can’t impress enough the difference in how people are perceiving me,” she added. “They’re getting to see who I am.”

taken from : China Daily

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Megan Fox's appearance ignorance

Megan Fox doesn't notice people finding her attractive.

The 'Transformers' star - who is regularly voted among the world's sexiest actresses - claims she leads too much of a quiet life with on/off boyfriend Brian Austin Green to notice other people's responses to her appearance.

She said: "I don't really experience it because I've been in the same relationships forever.

"I stay at home most of the time, but I guess I'm not complaining. Nobody in their right mind would complain. It's great."

Megan - who has dated the actor since they met on the set of US TV show 'Hope and Faith' in 2004 - has often claimed to be insecure about how she looks, and hit out at good-looking celebrities who use their beauty as a "mask".

She said: "I've met endless so-called beautiful people who don't seem to have personalities or a direction in life.

"They've never been forced to develop their characters because they're viewed as being so attractive. So I think beauty can be a mask."


taken from : China Daily

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Victoria Beckham's modelling venture

Victoria and David Beckham

Victoria Beckham is set to start her own modelling agency.

The singer-turned-designer - who already has her own successful fashion label - is reportedly in talks with her manager Simon Fuller to set up a new business venture in New York.

A source said: "Simon knows that Victoria is very savvy when it comes to fashion. His first foray into fashion was to team up designer Roland Mouret and Victoria, which was a huge success.

"Victoria is a key asset to Simon and he wants her to take on a major role."

Simon - who was the manger of Victoria's former group the Spice Girls - already has a 51 per cent controlling stake in London agency Storm Models and wants something similar in the US.

Meanwhile, Victoria's eldest son Brooklyn is about to embark on his first charity trip with Save The Children.

Brooklyn - her 10-year-old son with soccer star husband David Beckham - will visit poverty-stricken US state Kentucky after learning about it at his exclusive school in Los Angeles.

A source said: "Victoria and David sat down and had a chat with Brooklyn about charity and what good it could do and he completely got it.

"Victoria was thrilled Brooklyn wanted to go on the trip. The Beckhams want all three boys to have a real sense of value. She thinks it will help Brooklyn keep his feet on the ground too."

The couple - who live in Beverly Hills - have two other sons, Romeo, seven, and four-year-old Cruz.

taken from : China Daily

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Carrey's 'Christmas Carol' wraps up $31M weekend

In this film publicity image released by Disney, Ebenezer Scrooge, voiced by Jim Carrey, is shown in a scene from 'A Christmas Carol.' [Agencies]

LOS ANGELES – Jim Carrey's Scrooge collected holiday donations from movie fans with his new take on "A Christmas Carol," which took in $31 million to open as the weekend's top movie.

The Disney animated version of the Charles Dickens classic knocked the King of Pop out of the No. 1 spot as "Michael Jackson's This Is It" slipped to second place with $14 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Sony's "This Is It," presenting rehearsal performances Jackson shot before his death last June, raised its domestic total to $57.9 million. Worldwide, "This Is It" has taken in $186.5 million.

Featuring Carrey as Ebenezer Scrooge and also as the three holiday ghosts that show Scrooge the error of his miserly ways, "A Christmas Carol" came in on the low end of Disney's expectations for opening weekend.

On the other end of the spectrum, Lionsgate's acclaimed drama "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" had a spectacular start, pulling in $1.8 million in just 18 theaters, averaging $100,000 a cinema. That compares with an $8,418 average for "A Christmas Carol" in 3,683 theaters.

"Precious" had a record average for films opening in 10 or more theaters. Others that have averaged $100,000 or more typically debut in only a few cinemas.

The weekend brought a rush of other new movies, led by George Clooney's comedy "The Men Who Stare at Goats," which finished at No. 3 with $13.3 million. The Overture Films release is a satiric look at U.S. military efforts to create "warrior monks" who can predict the future or walk through walls.

Debuting in fourth place with $12.5 million was Universal's "The Fourth Kind," starring Milla Jovovich as a psychologist studying alien abductions in Alaska.

Cameron Diaz and James Marsden's sci-fi tale "The Box" opened at No. 6 with $7.9 million. The Warner Bros. thriller centers on a couple given a mysterious box that can provide them $1 million, but at the cost of a stranger's life.

With nearly two months of playing time through the holidays, Disney is counting on steady business for "A Christmas Carol," particularly over Thanksgiving weekend and in the buildup to Christmas itself.

"You have to play these things for the long term," said Chuck Viane, Disney's head of distribution. "You've got to have the patience and you've got to pick the right weekend. For us, the days when the malls turned to Christmas stores is when we wanted to go."

Director Robert Zemeckis shot the movie using the same performance-capture technology used on his 2004 holiday offering "The Polar Express." Carrey and his co-stars acted on a bare soundstage as digital cameras caught their performances, with computer animators later adding costumes, sets, props and other effects.

"A Christmas Carol" came in ahead of "Polar Express," which had an opening weekend of $23.5 million. But it fell well short of the $55.1 million opening for Carrey's previous holiday tale, "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" in 2000.

Holiday-themed films tend to hold up well through the season, among them Disney's "The Santa Clause" comedies. After its modest start, "The Polar Express" went on to become a $160 million hit by the end of its run and has become a holiday perennial in rereleases in huge-screen IMAX theaters.

"A Christmas Carol" did three-fourths of its business in theaters showing 3-D versions. Huge-screen IMAX theaters, which represented only 5 percent of the theater count, accounted for $4.5 million, or 14.5 percent, of the movie's total gross, said Greg Foster, IMAX chairman and president.

"Precious," which won the top awards at last January's Sundance Film Festival, stars newcomer Gabourey Sidibe as a Harlem teen who gradually rises above an upbringing of incest, abuse and illiteracy.

After Sundance, Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry signed on as executive producers, helping to spread the word on "Precious," which has earned acclaim from critics and audiences at other film festivals. The film has Academy Awards buzz as a best-picture contender, along with Oscar prospects for Sidibe, co-star Mo'Nique and director Lee Daniels.

The movie started in only four cities — New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Chicago. Lionsgate plans to expand it this Friday to five more — Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Dallas and Houston, then take it into wide release Nov. 20.

"A lot of movie-goers are not happy with the release plan right now, because it's not in their cities yet," said David Spitz, head of distribution for Lionsgate. "That's always a good sign."

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "A Christmas Carol," $31 million.

2. "Michael Jackson's This Is It," $14 million.

3. "The Men Who Stare at Goats," $13.3 million.

4. "The Fourth Kind," $12.5 million.

5. "Paranormal Activity," $8.6 million.

6. "The Box," $7.9 million.

7. "Couples Retreat," $6.4 million.

8. "Law Abiding Citizen," $6.2 million.

9. "Where the Wild Things Are," $4.2 million.

10. "Astro Boy," $2.6 million.

taken from : China Daily

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Pamela Anderson's permanent trailer

Pamela Anderson's kids want to live in a trailer forever.

The former 'Baywatch' actress has spent millions of dollars renovating her Malibu home, but says that Brandon, 13, and Dylan, 11 - her sons with ex-husband Tommy Lee - have got so fond of their temporary accommodation in the family's guest house trailer that they don't want to leave.

She said: "It's where all my motorcycles, surfboards and all the fun stuff for the kids is kept, but now that we are in there the kids don't want to leave.

"Even though my house is almost done and we are getting through this contractor hell."

The actress is being sued by five building firms over unpaid bills, allegedly owing over £690,000 for work on her property that she is unable to pay due to having just £2,300 in available funds.

She has spent over £1 million renovating the £850,000 house - spending thousands on gold pool tiles and £33,000 sofas - but it does not yet have a working sewage system or electrics.

The actress has repeatedly been forced to deny she is close to bankruptcy.

In a statement released by her management team, the 42-year-old star said recently: "These reports are crazy and I cannot believe this has become a media issue. It is true that I am in a dispute with some of the contractors working on my home.

"This is because after paying millions of dollars to build the house I continue to get bills from the contractors. My lawyers are reviewing the work done to see if the bills are fair. If they are, they'll be paid. If they aren't, they won't be."

taken from : China Daily

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Faithful partner Mel Gibson

Mel Gibson's girlfriend is confident he will never cheat on her.

Oksana Grigorieva - who gave birth to the couple's first child, a daughter Lucia, last week - knows her beau is a sex symbol to many women but says he isn't interested in that.

She said: "If he wanted to go down that road he probably would have done so by now, and I think he is a very solid and faithful person."

Oksana - who has a 12-year-old son Alexander from her relationship with actor Timothy Dalton - says she was attracted to the 53-year-old star mainly because of his sense of humour.

She added to Britain's Glamour magazine: "I thought he was wonderful - and, of course, extremely handsome. Also so versatile as an actor and a very talented director. But what I really liked was how funny he could be.

"His a big kid himself, really - a real practical joker. We laugh so much."

Mel already has seven children with his estranged wife Robyn, who he split from in 2006 but divorce proceedings weren't started until earlier this year.

taken from : China Daily

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Heidi Klum's slimming struggle

Heidi Klum is finding it hard to lose her baby weight.

The German supermodel - who gave birth to daughter Lou last month - admits she has struggled more to get back into shape than she did after having her other children, Leni, five, Henri, four, and Johan, three.

She said: "I wouldn't say I'm back in shape yet. Everything changes when you get older. It was different when I was 31 with the first one and now being 36 with the fourth one."

She is now hitting the treadmill and eating sensibly in a bid to get back in shape as she fears she will remain bigger forever if she doesn't act now.

She added: "I think that if you wait too long and it sticks there it stays that way forever. I have to be motivated."

Meanwhile, her husband Seal has also spoken out about his family, admitting he was initially unsure of the impact having another baby would have on their lives.

He told website Celebrity Baby Blog: "It's a funny thing, having another child, because you have three kids who you love dearly and you think to yourself how could you possibly find any more love to give anyone else?"

"The first time you hold your baby in your arms there is this overwhelming sense of otherworldliness that is very, very difficult to describe."

Seal and Heidi have also been hit with exhaustion looking after their newborn - but agree it's worth it.

Seal added: "Sleep deprivation is kind of pretty much neutralised by what I call the amnesia gene. They look at you and you forget that when you have more kids."

taken from : China Daily

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Beyonce nets three prizes at MTV awards in Berlin

Beyonce celebrates with the trophy for 'Best Video' during the MTV Europe Awards ceremony in Berlin November 5, 2009. [Agencies]

BERLIN - Singer Beyonce scooped three prizes at the MTV Europe Music Awards on Thursday at a ceremony in Berlin marking the 20th anniversary of the fall of the wall that once divided the city.

She received prizes for best female, best song ("Halo") and best video ("Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It") on one of pop music's biggest nights outside the United States.

"I have to dedicate this award to all the other beautiful artists," Beyonce said after being named best female, the second of her three prizes. "Thank you MTV for this wonderful honor."

To coincide with MTV's awards show, Irish rockers U2 treated 10,000 fans to a free concert in front of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate, where the music channel's first Europe Music Awards were held in 1994.

Lead singer Bono performed hits such as "One," "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "Beautiful Day" during a 30-minute set and greeted the crowd in German with the words: "Berlin, Du bist wunderbar."

Hours later he was at the O2 World concert venue to pick up the best live act award on behalf of the band.

Beyonce's husband, hip hop star Jay-Z, was also a winner on the night, topping the best urban act category.

Wearing a black leather jacket and sunglasses, he referred to the theme of the Berlin Wall, saying: "I look forward to the day when all those walls come down."

The wall, a symbol of the Cold War that split the city, was opened on November 9, 1989, leading to the reunification of East and West Germany 11 months later.

U.S. DOMINATION

Beyonce took to the stage after her husband's acceptance speech, appearing in a red heart and wearing a scarlet bodice and garters to perform the hit "Sweet Dreams."

Best male act went to Detroit rapper Eminem, who thanked his supporters in a video message.

The winners are chosen by MTV viewers online, and the music channel, part of Viacom, said more than 100 million votes were cast in 2008. As the list of winners this year underlined, the MTV Europe Music Awards tend to be dominated by big U.S. names.

One of the few exceptions was Germany's Tokio Hotel, beating the likes of Black Eyed Peas and Kings of Leon to take the best group award.

Green Day, who performed the opening song on the night, were named best rock act.

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taken from : China Daily

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Role model Miley Cyrus

Miley Cyrus doesn't want to be "an idol" for her young fans.

The "Hannah Montana" star insists she would rather be a role model who people look up to than an idealistic figure that teenagers want to be like.

She said: "If you look at me as a role model I agree with it. If you look at me as an idol, I don't agree.

"An idol for me is someone that you want to replicate. You want to be them.

"I don't wish that on anyone, to lose what they have personally, because that's when your spark goes."

Miley, 16 - whose controversial behaviour has included appearing in racy photos published in Vanity Fair magazine, dancing with a stripper pole during this year's Teen Choice Awards, and seemingly grabbing her crotch during a concert - also revealed she is planning to undertake charity work in Indonesia next year.

She told Britain's Daily Record newspaper: "I've been planning going to Indonesia since I was eight.

"It's something I've always wanted to do, and I was never old enough to go with my church when they all headed out there."

Miley was recently voted Worst Celebrity Influence by a teen website.

taken from : China Daily

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Robert Pattinson gets a leading lady for 'Bel Ami': Nicole Kidman

During this year's Cannes Film Festival news broke that "New Moon" star Robert Pattinson would take on a very different "amoral character" in the film "Bel Ami," an adaption of Guy de Maupassant's 1885 short story. Today we learn the identity of Rob's leading lady: Nicole Kidman.

According to Screen Daily.com, the film centers on journalist Georges Duroy (played by Rob) and his "rise to the top of Parisian high society in the 1890s, via the beds of the city's most glamorous and influential women."

Though it's not specified which character Nicole will take on, it's safe to assume she'll play Madeline Forestier, Georges' one-time mentor who later becomes his wife. Nicole has plenty of period-piece experience with her upcoming release "Nine" and starring roles in Baz Luhrmann's "Australia" and "Moulin Rouge!," but does anyone else find this pairing a little, well, odd?

Perhaps it's the almost-20-year age difference between the two leads. Or maybe we're just so used to seeing Rob alongside "Twilight" costar Kristen Stewart, that it's hard to imagine him with another leading lady.

Shooting begins February 2010, so let‘s hold our final judgment on this pairing until the film's 2011 release.

taken from : China Daily

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