Debt-hit Dubai tries to keep up glitz at filmfest

DUBAI - Once a central player in Dubai's ambitions to be a major world city, its international film festival kicked off this week with the shadow of the emirate's debt troubles hanging over it.

Over 160 films from around the world -- many of them by Arab directors -- play over seven days in the Gulf Arab emirate that shocked global markets last month with its announcement that a state-linked conglomerate was seeking a delay in debt repayment.

The festival was launched to great fanfare in 2004, when Dubai -- a member of the United Arab Emirates federation -- was a boomtown on a mission to become a Singapore-style global trade and tourism center where money was easy and living was fast.

But the tone was more downbeat on Wednesday night.

Gulf Arab, Egyptian and a few Indian actors walked down a red carpet graced in previous years by stars such as George Clooney and Goldie Hawn as Dubai -- promoted as the "vision" of its ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum -- sought Hollywood's eye.

The stars who turned up, including Indian superstar Amitabh Bachchan who received a lifetime achievement award, were in defensive mode about the city of 1.7 million Asians, Arabs and Europeans that has reveled in excess and opulence.

"This festival is something Dubai should be proud of. Everything that's being said about Dubai is not true. We are living in comfort," Emirati actress Hala al-Khatib told reporters.

"It has such energy, this city. I very much enjoy the 'yes we can' attitude in Dubai," said British actress Natalie Dormer, who stars in "City of Life," a drama in English and Hindi about life in Dubai that premieres this week.

The organizers -- who declined to say how much money they were spending this year -- said the festival's aim remained building bridges between cultures of the world.

"We have 200 nationalities here and Dubai goes on with its people and its residents," said artistic director Masoud Amralla Al Ali. "This is not a city of ghosts, everyone is here. Dubai has so much movement it's tiring, it's not a deserted city."

At a lackluster after-party on a windy beach next to the iconic sailed-shaped Burj al-Arab hotel, conversation centered on Dubai's debts of at least $100 billion.

"Everybody's talking about it," said a Lebanese hotel manager, clutching his champagne glass and complaining that festival costs had been pared back. "What's this?" he said kicking the green felt carpet, suggesting it was gaudy.

A few fireworks went off in the unseasonably chilly sky, as hired dancers pranced around the thin crowd -- a contrast to the extravagant launch costing millions of dollars last year for the Atlantis Hotel on the man-made Palm Jumeirah island.

"They still have some money," an Arab television executive said. "It's like the Weimar Republic," a local journalist answered wryly, referring to the doomed German state that collapsed in the 1930s amid skyrocketing inflation and economic ruin. Mandy Moore, the only American name to show, said she was thrilled to be in the enigmatic city. "This is my time in Dubai and it's beautiful," said the singer and actress, wearing a black Escada dress and Cartier jewelry.

taken from : China Daily

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Celebrities Shakira loves lyrical riddles

Shakira doesn't care if her lyrics don't make sense.

The Columbian singer - whose songs have included bizarre lines such as "I'm starting to feel just a little abused like a coffee machine in an office" in current hit 'She Wolf' - admits she struggles to explain the meanings behind the words in her songs.

She is quoted by the Daily Telegraph newspaper as saying: "It's hard to explain my lyrics because sometimes I just write things because they rhyme. I found this metaphor, and I thought it made a lot of sense. A coffee machine in an office has everybody's fingerprints on it. Sometimes I feel like that." Despite holding strong political views, Shakira deliberately doesn't air them in her music because she prefers songwriting to be relaxing.

She said: "Now that I have the chance to sit down with journalists, I can relax when it comes to music and not use it as another instrument of communication.

"When I write, my subconscious somehow finds its way to the surface. It's not such an intellectual process, it's more organic."

taken from : China Daily

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Movies "Avatar" sets audiences on epic, visual ride

PARIS - James Cameron's long-awaited "Avatar," one of the most expensive films ever made, takes off this week in an awe-inspiring display of Hollywood power that has revolutionized cinematic special effects.

At a cost of about $400 million to make and market "Avatar," the Oscar-winning director of "Titanic" has created a lush world of dense forest, floating mountains and tremendous creatures in a computer-generated spectacular that transforms much of the cast into giant, blue-skinned humanoids.

The movie, which premiered in London on Thursday and begins landing in theaters worldwide next week, represents a huge risk for the 20th Century Fox studio that backed it and is being watched closely in Hollywood for its impact on the future of movies, special effects and expansion of new 3D technology.

"It's absolutely cinema, but I think cinema redefines itself every few years with new techniques," Cameron told reporters in Paris before the film's launch.

Beyond dazzling audiences with visual effects that plunge the viewer onto the planet Pandora 4.4 light years from Earth, "Avatar" provides a familiar mix of romance, action movie thrills and an old-fashioned battle between good and evil.

"The more fantastic the subject ... the more recognizable and universal, the relationships and people need to be," Cameron said.

"Avatar" shows the forest-dwelling Na'vi fighting for survival against a rapacious colonial mining operation bent on moving them away and stripping their planet.

A crippled ex-Marine is chosen to make contact with the mysterious people as an avatar, a remotely controlled body, which allows him to move freely in the alien world where he falls in love with a Na'vi princess.

SCIENCE FICTION TECHNOLOGY

What makes "Avatar" stand out, however, is the appearance of its three-dimensional forest scenery and the seamless interaction of the human cast with the animated world.

Rigging his actors with specially developed cameras to register every gesture and facial expression as they moved about a bare stage, Cameron and his technical team blended their images into the computer-generated world of Pandora.

"The science fiction of the technology was more science fiction than the story," said Sigourney Weaver, star of Cameron's film "Aliens," who plays a scientist in "Avatar."

"You're aware that a lot of work is going on around you, but you, the actor, just have the responsibility of being in the moment and being in the world," she said.

Cameron, who created many of the special effects with "Lord of The Rings" director Peter Jackson's studio WETA Digital, said the most daunting problem was to ensure the effects did not overwhelm the film and disconnect audiences from the story.

But in Hollywood, performances matter less than results at the box office, and the film industry is closely watching "Avatar" for its impact on film costs and the expanding of 3D technology.

For Fox, a unit of News Corp, the movie represents a huge risk because typically big-budget movies have a fan base from books or other material, like the "Harry Potter" movies.

"Avatar" has no built-in audience, and its effects are costly. A Fox spokesman said it required $237 million to make and $150 million to promote.

When Cameron made "Titanic" for Fox, he drew sharp criticism for its high cost, but the 1997 film made $1.8 billion at global box offices and remains the highest-grossing film of all time.

Last month, Fox studio boss Jim Gianopulos told Reuters he had "no doubt" of making a profit.

If "Avatar" is a big success in 3D, industry watchers expect more theaters to install the new technology quickly and more directors to make movies in the medium.

Early reviews are strong. Show business newspaper The Hollywood Reporter called it a "jaw-dropping wonder."

taken from : China Daily

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Billboard names Taylor, Kanye among year's best

In this Sept. 13, 2009 file photo, singer Kanye West takes the microphone from singer Taylor Swift as she accepts the 'Best Female Video' award during the MTV Video Music Awards in New York.[Agencies]

NEW YORK – They gave us the most memorable music moment of 2009, so it's only fitting that Kanye West and Taylor Swift have been named the king and queen of the charts.

Billboard magazine named Swift the top female artist, while West was declared top male artist. But Swift trumps West overall. She was the top artist of the year, with Beyonce coming in second and Lady Gaga third.

Swift has a sophomore CD, "Fearless," that has sold more than 4.5 million copies.

West and Swift provided one of the most talked-about episodes of the year when West hijacked her MTV Video Music Awards acceptance speech.

Billboard runs its full list of the year's chart-toppers on Friday, as well as the decade's.

taken from : China Daily

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Mariah Carey's esteem issues

Mariah Carey had low self-esteem when she was growing up.

The 39-year-old singer admits she has struggled with confidence issues her whole life and especially when she was a teenager who wanted to be liked.

She told Paper magazine: "I have had very low self-esteem my whole life. When I was 12 or 13, I remember walking up the driveway, and this guy who was 20 - which may have been highly inappropriate - said to me, 'I like your pants,' and I was like, 'Oh, that looks good? Oh, OK, I will wear tight pants now.' "

Mariah - who is married to TV presenter Nick Cannon - admits she struggled to get over her breakdown in 2001 following her critical and commercial flop film 'Glitter' and album of the same name and complaints of being "overworked".

The pop diva claims people lost perspective and became intensely interested in her life, which is why she felt the need to step back from the public spotlight to recharge.

Mariah - who checked into hospital in 2001 - explained: "I didn't have the right support system around me. It was after September 11. A lot of people taking shots at me had no place to go. We are friggin' ADD, this country (America)."

taken from : China Daily

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Jessica Simpson dating Pumpkin

Jessica Simpson is dating Billy Corgan. The 29-year-old singer-and-actress is said to have "fallen hard and is smitten" with the 42-year-old Smashing Pumpkins singer since they started "officially dating" some months ago - much to the disapproval of her friends.

A source told 'E!': "They think he's too old for her. No one takes any of her boyfriends seriously anymore because she has had so many. They're sick of all of them being 'The One.' "

The pair were first romantically linked in November when they met at a party in Los Angeles.

A source said: "She has completely fallen for Billy and his easygoing, smart attitude. She says she wants to take things a lot further.

"She had secretly been crushing on him for months and felt there was a connection at the party.

"As the night went on things got more intense and they talked with their faces just inches apart."

In September, Jessica revealed her admiration for Billy.

She wrote on her twitter page: "My friend, Billy Corgan, has a pure and enlightening outlook on faith. Go to his new website!"

taken from : China Daily

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Celebrities Shakira loves lyrical riddles

Shakira doesn't care if her lyrics don't make sense.

The Columbian singer - whose songs have included bizarre lines such as "I'm starting to feel just a little abused like a coffee machine in an office" in current hit 'She Wolf' - admits she struggles to explain the meanings behind the words in her songs.

She is quoted by the Daily Telegraph newspaper as saying: "It's hard to explain my lyrics because sometimes I just write things because they rhyme. I found this metaphor, and I thought it made a lot of sense. A coffee machine in an office has everybody's fingerprints on it. Sometimes I feel like that." Despite holding strong political views, Shakira deliberately doesn't air them in her music because she prefers songwriting to be relaxing.

She said: "Now that I have the chance to sit down with journalists, I can relax when it comes to music and not use it as another instrument of communication.

"When I write, my subconscious somehow finds its way to the surface. It's not such an intellectual process, it's more organic."

taken from : China Daily

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Supermodel Bundchen and QB Tom Brady have baby boy

FILE - This is a May 4, 2009, file photo showing New England Patriots' Tom Brady and his wife, model Gisele Bundchen arriving at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute Gala in New York.[Agencies]

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and supermodel Gisele Bundchen have welcomed a baby boy.

Brady announced the birth Wednesday. He said the boy was born Tuesday and that he and Bundchen had not chosen a name. He called it "a wonderful experience in my life."

"Everyone's great," Brady said. "I didn't get much sleep."

Brady also has a 2-year-old son, Jack, with actress Bridget Moynahan. Bundchen is a mother for the first time. The birth was first reported by People.com.

Brady and Bundchen were married in February in Los Angeles in a small ceremony. In April, they held another wedding ceremony in Costa Rica for friends and family.

On Wednesday, Brady showed up 16 minutes late for his weekly media availability. Asked what was new, he said, "a normal week," and smiled.

The Patriots have lost three of their last four games to drop to 7-5. They lead the AFC East by one game and play at home Sunday against the Carolina Panthers. Brady said it was important for him to come to work Wednesday.

"I owe it to the guys in the locker room to really focus on what I need to do for this team," he said, "and put all these emotions aside and kind of come in here with a great sense of determination on what we have to do as a team. So, as a captain and a leader of this team, the last thing they need from me is to be really not focused on the job at hand. There's plenty of things for me to really be doing here this week."

taken from : China Daily

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Nicolas Cage's ex-girlfriend sues for millions

FILE - In this Aug. 3, 2006 file photo, actor Nicolas Cage arrives at the world premiere of the film 'World Trade Center', in New York. [Agencies]

LOS ANGELES – Nicolas Cage's ex-girlfriend is suing the actor and his former business manager, claiming she is owed more than $13 million and a house the actor promised her.

Christina Fulton, who is the mother of Cage's adult son, Weston, sued the Oscar-winner in Los Angeles on Tuesday. She claims Cage promised her a home in Los Angeles' Hancock Park neighborhood, but that she has now been ordered to leave the property.

Fulton is seeking the title and rights to the house as well as money for a series of debts she claims were caused by Cage's former business manager, Samuel J. Levin.

Cage's attorney, Marty Singer, called Fulton's claims against the actor absurd and said Cage has given her far more than the $6,000 per month he was required to pay her under a court order. Cage has paid $3 million per year on behalf of Fulton in recent years, he said.

"From Nic's standpoint, this is really a case of 'No good deed goes unpunished,'" Singer said.

He noted that many of the claims are leveled against Levin, whose attorney, Joseph Schleimer, did not respond to a phone message seeking comment on Wednesday.

Fulton's lawsuit is the latest in a string of financial woes for Cage, who stated in a $20 million lawsuit against Levin that he is being forced to sell properties around the world to make up for financial mismanagement. The Internal Revenue Service has filed more than $6.6 million in tax liens against the actor this year, records show.

Levin has countersued Cage, claiming the star owes him money and failed to heed his advice to curb his lavish spending habits.

Fulton and Cage's son was born in 1990, and the couple split about four years later, her lawsuit states.

Cage bought her a home in 2001 and told her she would own the title to the property, according to the lawsuit. It wasn't until earlier this year — when the actor told her in an e-mail that she should sell the home if she was having financial problems — that Fulton states she discovered her name wasn't on the title.

Foreclosure proceedings have begun on the home.

Fulton accuses Levin of failing to properly review credit statements and spot fraudulent charges. She also accused the accountant of exposing her to other debts, including a $1 million in government liens.

Public records show Levin has been a licensed certified public accountant in California for nearly 25 years and has no public record of disciplinary actions.

Cage is known for his dramatic roles in films such as "Leaving Las Vegas" and "Adaptation" as well as action turns in "The Rock" and "Con Air."

taken from : China Daily

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Rihanna announces UK arena tour

Singer Rihanna poses while performing at an outdoor concert in New York's Times Square during an appearance on ABC's Good Morning America, November 24, 2009.[Agencies]

LONDON - Rihanna will play a tour of eight U.K. arenas, including the O2 Arena in London, in May. The Barbadian R&B artist recently launched her new album, "Rated R" (SRP/Def Jam), in the U.K. with a November 16 show at the O2 Academy Brixton featuring guest spots from Jay-Z and Young Jeezy.

The U.K. tour dates are: Birmingham LG Arena (May 7), Liverpool Echo Arena (May 8), London O2 Arena (May 10), Sheffield Arena (May 13), Nottingam Arena (May 14), Manchester Evening News Arena (May 16), Newcastle Arena (May 17) and Glasgow SECC (May 19).

Tickets go on sale Friday (December 11).

taken from : China Daily

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Bryant Gumbel says he's had cancer surgery

FILE-This Nov. 16, 2009 file photo shows Bryant Gumbel attending the premiere of 'The Road' in New York. Gumbel says he's recovering from lung cancer surgery and treatment.[Agencies]

NEW YORK – Bryant Gumbel shocked a television audience with the news that he's recovering from cancer surgery and treatment.

The former "Today" show anchor, 61, said a malignant tumor and part of his lung were removed two months ago. He revealed his condition to Kelly Ripa while subbing for Regis Philbin on Tuesday's edition of "Live With Regis and Kelly." (Philbin recently had hip replacement surgery.)

"It's nothing to hide from," Gumbel said. "They opened up my chest, they took out a malignant tumor, they took out part of my lung and they took out some other goodies."

Even with the surgery, some aggressive cancer cells had escaped, "so I went through some treatment and it's done now," he said.

The tumor was not in Gumbel's lung, but next to it, said Sean Cassidy, a friend of Gumbel's and president of DKC, a New York public relations firm. Gumbel is not a smoker, he said.

Gumbel said he and his wife, Hilary Quinlan, had wanted to keep the news private. He said he had even kept his staff at the HBO sports newsmagazine "Real Sports" in the dark. HBO said Gumbel didn't miss an episode, taping shows on both Sept. 15 and Oct. 27.

"We hope," he said. "We HOPE, it's over."

Gumbel was host of "Today" for 15 years, ending in 1997, as the show became a ratings juggernaut. He worked first with Jane Pauley, briefly with Deborah Norville, then with Katie Couric. He moved to CBS for a prime-time newsmagazine. After that did poorly, he moved back to the mornings, hosting "The Early Show" from 1999-2002.

He's receded from the public eye since then, concentrating on "Real Sports," an Emmy-winning monthly magazine that takes a newsy look at sports issues.

Until he was called out by Ripa, there's some question about whether Gumbel's health news would still be under wraps. At the opening of Tuesday's show, Ripa told Gumbel that "you just made me almost faint."

The two had been talking backstage and Ripa mentioned that she wanted to dance with him to accompany a segment with a woman who dances for exercise. Gumbel demurred, and when Ripa pushed it, he said he was not allowed to dance. Then he told her the reason, she said.

Gumbel said he's meeting with his surgeon and oncologist next week and hopes to be cleared to play golf.

taken from : China Daily

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Beyonce talking Vegas shows with Wynn, but no deal

This photo taken June 22, 2009 shows singer Beyonce Knowles posing for pictures at a press conference in New York. Wynn Las Vegas officials say they're in preliminary talks with Beyonce to bring the superstar singer back to the Las Vegas resort. [Agencies]

LAS VEGAS – Wynn Las Vegas officials say they're in preliminary talks with Beyonce to bring the superstar singer back to the Las Vegas resort.

Wynn Resorts spokeswoman Jennifer Dunne says there's no deal yet, despite published rumors of a lucrative, long-term contract.

Beyonce (bee-AHN'-say) appeared at the resort from July 30 through Aug. 2 this year while filming a concert DVD. Her shows helped boost visitation to Wynn and its sister Encore Las Vegas resort during a typically slow tourist season in Las Vegas.

Beyonce sang in the Encore Theater, where country star Garth Brooks plans to play a series of solo acoustic shows starting on Friday. Brooks' deal puts him in Las Vegas 15 weeks a year for possibly the next five years.
taken from : China Daily

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Helen Mirren no nude prude

Dame Helen Mirren says getting naked has got easier as she gotten older.

The 64-year-old actress - who has stripped on screen in several films - insists baring all in front of the camera is "liberating" and she gets through it by refusing to think of the response from male fans.

She said: "As you get older naked stuff gets easier. It's more to do with the role than what men in the audience think. There's a liberation about it."

The 'Queen' actress also spoke about her first encounters of sex, admitting she is still angry about losing her virginity.

She said: "It was the calumny of young men... My trustful romantic nature was badly let down, my feminism confronted... I am still p***ed off, actually."

Despite her unsatisfying first sexual experience, Helen insists she has learned something from every man she has ever dated.

She said in an interview with Broadcast Now: "Ken Cranham, like all the men I have had a proper relationship with, left me a better person than he found me."

Helen married her husband, American director Taylor Hackford, in 1997, 11 years after they started dating, and credits his fiery nature and honesty with keeping them together.

She explained: "Taylor can be turbulent, irrational and explosive. He has made me cry on many occasions... He is also the most unsexist man, looking women directly in the eye with no curtain of assumptions or prejudices to cloud his view. He is brave, loyal and supportive."
taken from : China Daily

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Celebrities Leona Lewis gets 150k pay day

Leona Lewis was reportedly paid $150,000 for a private concert.

The 'Happy' singer was flown by private jet to Monte Carlo for the birthday party of Romania's richest man on Saturday (05.12.09).

Leona sang a short set for 25 guests in the exclusive show at a private banqueting suite in the state's Hotel De Paris.

The singer then flew to Germany where she wowed millions of TV viewers with a performance on hugely popular show 'Wetten Dass', for which she wore a short white dress.

Although she agreed to perform at the private party, Leona has previously turned down other lucrative earning opportunities. Last month, it emerged Leona had been offered over $1.5 million to appear naked in men's magazine Playboy.

Although she was "flattered" to have been asked to appear in the pages of the publication, Leona is simply too shy to strip off for a shoot.

She has previously said: "I'm not that confident! I just don't think I could pose nude, because I'm not that brave."

Leona is not the only pop star to cash in with a private performance.

Rihanna is reportedly set to earn $500,000 to perform at a New Year's Eve party (31.12.09).

The 'Umbrella' singer has been asked to sing at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi to help revellers see in 2010 in what will be her first performance in the Middle East.
taken from : China Daily

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Celebrities Billy Joel's daughter out of hospital

LOS ANGELES - Singer Billy Joel and his daughter, Alexa Ray Joel, are staying together at an undisclosed location following her release from a New York hospital over the weekend, a spokeswoman said on Monday.

Alexa Ray, 23, daughter of Joel and his ex-wife Christie Brinkley, was hospitalized after taking an unknown amount of pills, according to police.

Claire Mercuri, a publicist for both Billy Joel and his daughter, who is also a musician, has declined to comment on specifically why Alexa Ray was admitted to hospital.

Billy Joel, of course, is the singer of hit songs "Piano Man," "My Life," and "Just the Way You Are," among others.

Alexa Ray this year debuted her song "Invisible," and she performed on television's "The Wendy Williams Show."

taken from : China Daily

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Penelope Cruz's faint fear

Spanish actress Penelope Cruz almost ''passed out'' with shock at the Oscars and has no recollection of what happened at the prestigious award ceremony.

Penelope Cruz almost "passed out" at the Oscars.

The Spanish actress - who won a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award earlier this year for her role in 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona' - has revealed she has no recollection of the evening because she felt faint with tension.

She explained: "I feel frustrated that I can't remember, because it was beautiful how your family and your people can feel so happy for you. I felt I was on the border of passing out from tension. That I can remember very well."

However, the brunette beauty can recall tucking into 300 canapes, crying for half and hour and being confused about what was going on.

She explained to Britain's The Times newspaper: "I remember thinking, 'What am I doing here? How did this happen?' "

Despite her glowing movie career, the 35-year-old starlet still has problems with her self-esteem.

She explained: "I don't want to like myself too much in my work, because if the camera sees that, it's the thing it will hate the most, seeing an actor that likes himself too much.

"I have always been very self-critical. It's one of those things I don't feel I should try to change. I think you need that to keep growing and improving.

"It is in my nature to worry, about anything. I have always been like that, but now I try to control it and to be more positive. But I worry a lot."

taken from : China Daily

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Britney Spears to regain control

Britney Spears could be set to regain control of her affairs from her father Jamie now her 'Circus' tour has ended.

Britney Spears' conservatorship could end soon.

The 28-year-old singer's father Jamie Spears - who was made co-conservator of her personal and professional affairs after her public breakdown in 2008 - has met with lawyers and wants a judge to review the conditions of the agreement now Britney's 'Circus' tour has ended.

According to gossip website TMZ, there have been "several lengthy meetings recently between the lawyers and the court commissioner in the commissioner's chambers".

Although they've met with the judge, Jamie and Britney's lawyers cannot decide whether or not the conservatorship ends.

Instead, a "capacity expert" - a court-appointed psychiatrist - will evaluate Britney and submit his results to the court commissioner.

While Britney could soon be in control of her personal life, her business interests are likely to be protected for longer.

TMZ reported: "There are actually two conservatorships - one over Britney, the person, and the other over Britney's business affairs. We're told the business conservatorship will likely continue. The issue on the table is whether to end the conservatorship over Britney, the person. Again, no decisions have been made, but it's all moving in that direction."

taken from : China Daily

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Underwood aims for family fun with variety show

FILE - In this Nov. 22, 2009 file photo, Carrie Underwood arrives at the 37th Annual American Music Awards in Los Angeles. The country music star hosts Monday's 'An All-Star Holiday Special' on Fox, and believes it's just the tonic for the regular TV lineup. [Agencies]

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The variety show was once a television staple, and Carrie Underwood thinks it might be time for a resurgence.

The country music star hosts Monday's "An All-Star Holiday Special" on Fox, and believes it's just the tonic for the regular TV lineup.

"I think it's really great they're making a comeback because I think it's really good family programming, and nowadays it seems like every show is about, like, murder or police and people shooting at each other," Underwood said.

The 26-year-old Oklahoma native was too young to catch the golden age of the variety show. It once was as common as the reality show with stars like Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell sisters, Sonny and Cher, and even The Muppets mixing music and comedy to draw in a family audience.

But Underwood did her research before shooting her show in Los Angeles earlier this fall.

"I remember a little bit of the Mandrell sisters and I have gone back and seen episodes of their show just to kind of, I don't know, get some ideas and kind of see how it's done from a master's perspective," she said.

She also had variety show veteran and country music star Dolly Parton on the set to lend advice. Underwood said she'd never met Parton until they did the show together, and the two hit it off right away — especially when they realized they lived close to each other.

"I told her and she was like, 'You don't live far from me, let's get together. Do you like Southern cooking? You don't look like you eat,'" Underwood said.

Brad Paisley, fellow "American Idol" winner David Cook, "Idol" host Ryan Seacrest and Neil Patrick Harris also appear in the special, along with Underwood's mother and sister.

The show caps quite the year for Underwood. She won the Academy of Country Music entertainer of the year award in the spring, and her new album, "Play On," debuted at No. 1. She also hosted the Country Music Association Awards for the second straight year.

After a quiet holiday with family, she'll turn her attention to touring in the new year, hitting the road next spring.

"I think my whole life next year will be revolving around touring," she said.

taken from : China Daily

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Rihanna's emotional LP

Rihanna got so emotional making her new album she had to keep leaving the studio.

The 21-year-old singer - who was assaulted by her ex-boyfriend Chris Brown at a pre-Grammy Awards party in February - has revealed the recording process for LP 'Rated R' was very personal because of the subject matter of the songs.

Rihanna said: "It's the closest album to me, to my heart. I opened up a lot on it and got a little vulnerable and let my emotions out on it. Everything's documented on the album."

It's only now the album is finished that Rihanna can listen to it without getting upset.

She said: "I'm able to listen back to it now but in the beginning it was really weird. I couldn't listen to demos or anything. It was too deep for me. I kept leaving the studio when people wanted to listen to the songs."
taken from : China Daily

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Lady Gaga's sex terror

Lady Gaga once had a fear of sex.

The 23-year-old singer - who is currently single - said the songs on her new album 'The Fame Monster' were written at a time when she was experiencing a phobia of intimacy.

She said: "I'm just really happy being single at the moment, working on my music and travelling. I think there is a time for that but it's just not now for me. And anyway, I have no confidence when it comes to men.

"Each song represents a different monster I have encountered on my travels; a fear of sex, a fear of alcohol, a fear of love, a fear of death, it goes on...

"I'm so proud of my new music but I feel during all this time - while my dad was having open heart surgery - it was a really difficult time for me personally and that is what this album is all about."

Lady Gaga has previously revealed that her new song 'Telephone' is about her strict work ethic and fear of fun.

She told MTV: "Something that I have or fear is never being able to enjoy myself."
taken from : China Daily

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