Joe Jackson suspects Michael 'foul play'

Michael Jackson's father suspects "foul play" in his son's death.

Joe Jackson refused to reveal any details about his concerns, but admitted he was struggling to come to terms with the suddenness of Michael's passing last week.

He said: "Michael was dead before he left the house. I'm suspecting foul play somewhere. He was waving to everybody and telling them he loves them and all the fans at the gate. A few minutes after Michael was out there, he was dead."

Michael died of a suspected cardiac arrest at the Los Angeles home he rented.

An autopsy has indicated no signs of trauma or foul play, but toxicology tests are not expected to come back for four to six weeks. The Jackson family have ordered a second autopsy, and are believed to be keen for police to start a criminal investigation.

Joe claimed the family are yet to decide on the funeral arrangements for Michael, although it has been reported it could take place as soon as Wednesday (01.07.09).

He also confirmed he and his wife Katherine are caring for Michael's three children, Prince Michael, 12, Paris, 11, and seven-year-old Prince Michael II, adding the kids are his "first priority".

The Case Sensitive Unit at the Los Angeles County Department of Child and Family Services visited the children on Friday (26.06.09) to discuss who will be caring for them.

Reports have suggested Michael's ex-wife Debbie Rowe - the mother of his two eldest children - may seek custody, but would need to be thoroughly vetted before any action takes place.

A source said: "This is listed as a 'Caretaker Absence' situation and we are highly sensitised to such a high-profile case. You can't just become a parent - how much contact has Rowe had with the kids? Criminal checks, dietary and immunisation checks will all be done."

Despite Joe's claims his son was in good shape prior to his death, leaked autopsy reports suggest he was frail and almost bald.

The pop legend reportedly weighed just 51kg when he passed away, and his stomach was empty except for partially-dissolved prescription pills.

His hips, thighs and shoulders were covered in needle marks, believed to be the result of narcotic painkillers the singer took three times a day.

There were also four injection sites near his heart - evidence of a failed bid to pump adrenaline directly into the organ in an attempt to restart it.

Michael's personal doctor Conrad Murphy - who is understood to have injected the 50-year-old singer's heart with adrenaline in a bid to save him - has been questioned by police.

It is claimed Murphy - who was due to travel to London with Michael ahead of his 50-date comeback tour - gave Michael an injection of painkiller Demerol shortly before his death. His lawyer Edward Chernoff has denied this and his spokesman has insisted he is not being treated as a suspect.

Speaking about the Demerol claim, Chernoff said: "Not ever, not that day. Not Oxycontin either, for that matter. Michael Jackson had specific medical problems that Dr. Murray as his private physician inherited. As a result of the tour he was doing in Europe, Michael was under a lot of stress. He was doing a lot of dates in a very short time."

Stressing Murphy is as mystified as anyone about Michael's death, Chernoff added: "He didn't have any idea what killed Michael Jackson. From what he knows the death is a surprise and a mystery. He was a frail man, he didn't like to drink or eat. He wasn't exactly healthy to begin with."

It has been suggested Michael's remaining siblings - Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon, Randy, Janet, La Toya and Tito - could form a new version of the Jackson 5 and step in to play one or more of the shows the star was due to perform at London's O2 arena next month.

Rumours of a star-studded tribute concert at the venue have also surfaced.

Meanwhile, Debbie - who was married to Michael from 1996 to 1999 - has denied claiming in an interview that the star wasn't the father of her two children, Prince Michael and Paris.

Debbie's attorney Marta Almli told gossip website RadarOnline: "The interview did not occur. The article is a complete fabrication."
taken from : China Daily

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Johnny Depp's secret language

Johnny Depp gossiped about his 'Public Enemies' co-stars in French.

The 46-year-old actor has revealed he and French beauty Marion Cotillard would speak to each other in the European language so cast and crew members would not know what they were talking about.

He said: "We would sometimes speak French to each other on the set, especially when we didn't want anyone else to know what we were saying!"

However, the 33-year-old actress quickly grew tired of speaking in her native language because she felt it was affecting her acting.

She said: "Johnny's French is excellent. But I could not let myself lapse into speaking a lot of pure French with Johnny. I was working so hard to really perfect the accent of my character Billie Frechette, and that was not easy. She was of mixed heritage - both French and Native American - and supposedly had an accent that was quite different."

Johnny - who lives in the South of France with his long-term partner Vanessa Paradis and their two children, 10-year-old Lily-Rose and Jack, seven - praised his co-star for her acting skills and can understand why his character was attracted to Billie.

He said: "Marion really worked hard on that accent, and I think the way she speaks in the film adds so much to the personality of the character she plays. You can see why Dillinger fell in love with her so easily."

Although Johnny and Marion were happy to gossip off-screen, their co-star Christian Bale admits he was more reclusive.

He said: "I wish to not talk unless we're doing the scene. I enjoy it that way. Johnny seemed happy to do it that way, too. So the answer is, no, we really didn't get to know each other better between each take.

"So I guess I'll have to wait and get to know Johnny Depp someday."


taken from : China Daily

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Michael Jackson's one-day trip in Chinese mainland

Michael Jackson's photoshoots with children during his one-day China trip in Zhongshan of Guangdong, Oct. 23, 1987. [3] Michael Jackson and his tour guide Liu Guangzhi

As Michael Jackson's Chinese fans moan that they will never get to see the King of Pop come to their own homeland, it's a little-known fact that the pop icon actually dropped by a Guangdong tourist attraction once during his vacation in Hong Kong in 1987, according to a report from Guangdong-based Zhongshan Daily on Monday.

Liu Guangzhi, Jackson's guide at the time, couldn't hold back his excitement when speaking of the megastar's one-day visit for a guided tour of his hometown.

"I didn't know whom I was going to pick up until they gave me the tourist name list. Michael Jackson's name was right there, the first on the list," Liu, then 23, recalled.

"To most of his fans here, it's a pity he never visited the Chinese mainland, but little do they know, he was here once 22 years ago," Liu added.

Jackson was a man of few words but very friendly, Liu said of his first impression of the pop icon. "We were not able to have an in-depth talk on any subject, but he mailed me our photo with his autograph on it through his agent later," Liu continued.

Children and the seniors who took photos with Jackson during his tour of their village also received pictures from him. Many of the villagers still keep the photos in store.

Jackson had two of these photos published on his autobiography, commenting under one snapshot, "I can't resist babies. In China,1987."

Liu is grateful to Jackson for the pictures. He said, "it's a cherished memory for us all, and Michael helped us to keep it."

"Though he's not with us anymore, I still remember his kindness. He's the unparalleled King of Pop, and I'll keep the memory of him in my heart forever."

Michael Jackson's photoshoots with children during his one-day China trip in Zhongshan of Guangdong, Oct. 23, 1987.

taken from : China Daily

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Celebrity cheer for launch of 'Lan' jewelry

The opening ceremony of 'Lan' fine jewelry

Yang Lan and Canadian pop diva Celine Dion [File Photo:tiannv.com]

Famous hostess Yang Lan and Canadian pop diva Celine Dion have joined forces to roll out a jewelry brand and the grand opening was held Sunday in Beijing.

Among those in attendance for the stellar event were actresses Zhang Ziyi and Carina Lau. Co-founder Celine Dion sent her wishes through a video link.

Yang Lan conceived the idea of collaborating with Celine Dion after she interviewed the superstar backstage at Dion's Las Vegas show at Caesars Palace hotel-casino in May, 2007.

The two were both surprised to find out they shared so much in common, even the same birthday.

Zhang Ziyi showed up in a black tube dress for the ceremony and was seen picking up a couple of items for herself in the store.

Previous reports circulated online disclosed one photo showing a luxury seaside villa in the US, which is claimed to be Zhang Ziyi's house for her wedding with fiance Vivi Neno.

However Zhang denied the rumors in recent interview indicating she has no house in the United States. She reiterated family, marriage and children are what she wants in life, but stressed she would not give up work for this.

Actresses Zhang Ziyi and famous hostess Yang Lan [Photo:tiannv.com]

taken from : China Daily

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Johnny Depp's accidental island

Johnny Depp accidentally bought a Caribbean island.

The 'Public Enemies' actor - who has two children, 10-year-old Lily-Rose and Jack, seven, with girlfriend Vanessa Paradis - splashed out on the 45-acre tropical paradise after discovering it by chance on a family holiday.

He said: "Like everything else in my life, it wasn't planned, it just kind of happened. After I had done the first 'Pirates' movie I went on vacation to escape with my kiddies and my girl and someone said there was an island down the road for sale. I looked at it, I walked on it and I was done.

So I immediately called my business manager and said 'Please!' And that was it." The 46-year-old star loves spending time on the "perfect" island because it allows him and his family to hide away from the pressures of living in the public eye.

He explained to Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper: "It came at the perfect moment. The island provides me with somewhere I can go where no one is looking at me or pointing a camera or a finger at me.

When we're there we do absolutely nothing. My kiddies don't have any toys there and they build little houses out of shells."














taken from : China Daily

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Paris Hilton sick of 'sissy' soccer star

Paris Hilton dumped Cristiano Ronaldo for being a "sissy".

The hotel heiress - who was spotted canoodling with the soccer star shortly after splitting from Doug Reinhardt - reportedly called off their romance after deciding Cristiano was too in touch with his feminine side.

A source told the National Enquirer magazine: "She likes her guys to be macho - and as far as she's concerned Ronaldo turned out to be a real sissy.

"She likes her men rugged, it's as simple as that. She thought her friends would laugh at her if she dated a guy who walks around with flowers in her hair."

Paris, 28, was also concerned Cristiano, 24, was overwhelmed by the amount of attention she received during the two evenings they spent together.

The source said: "He was just too uptight for her to find attractive. In the end, Paris realised their relationship simply wasn't clicking. Paris got to know him and realised he's not nearly hot enough."

Earlier this month, Paris and Cristiano spent hours "swapping spit" at Hollywood nightspot MyHouse before driving to her sister Nicky Hilton's nearby home in West Hollywood at 3am.

A grinning Cristiano was photographed leaving the mansion at 5am. He and Paris met up for a second time less than 24 hours later.

Earlier this week, Cristiano claimed he put an end to their short-lived fling because he was too busy to spend time with Paris.

He said: "She was a really cool girl and we had a great time talking. She lives thousands of miles away and is busy, and I am busy in Madrid so I am not sure if we will be able to see each other. I am just making the most of the short summer I get."

taken from : China Daily

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"Old Boy" proceeds despite legal scuffle

Actor Will Smith waves after accepting the award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture at the 40th Annual NAACP Image Awards at the Shrine auditorium in Los Angeles February 12, 2009. [Agencies]

TOKYO/SEOUL - Steven Spielberg and Will Smith are moving forward with plans for a remake of "Old Boy" despite a complex, behind-the-scenes rights wrangle involving the Japanese publishers of the original manga and the Korean producers of Park Chan-Wook's 2003 cult hit.

Futabasha, publisher of the manga by Nobuaki Minegishi and Garon Tsuchiya, has filed a case against Show East in Seoul, alleging the Korean company never had the right to negotiate a remake.

The issue is further complicated by the fact that Show East has shut down and its CEO, Kim Dong-Ju, has disappeared. Big Egg, a co-producer of the ultra-violent revenge flick, has also closed up shop, and its former staffers are unreachable.

"We haven't been able to confirm that Show East is bankrupt, and at this stage we're not sure what effect this will have on the legal case," said a spokesperson from Futabasha in Tokyo, who noted that legal proceedings had begun last week.

South Korean sales company Cineclick Asia, which represented Show East's "Oldboy" in international territories, actually negotiated the remake deal with Universal.

Universal brought in Roy Lee's Vertigo Entertainment, which has made a specialty of Asian film remakes, to produce the picture, and then Mandate acquired the rights from Universal.

DreamWorks, in one of its first moves in the wake of its November separation from Paramount, secured remake rights from Mandate, which remains involved in the project.

DreamWorks had no comment on the dispute between Futubasha and Show East.

taken from : China Daily

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Michael Jackson's death stuns fans across nation

Fans remember Michael Jackson at the star they believe belongs to pop star Michael Jackson but that belongs to a radio personality of the same name on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Thursday June 25, 2009 in Los Angeles. [Agencies]

LOS ANGELES – Across the country, people reacted in stunned disbelief Thursday as word spread that Michael Jackson had collapsed and died. Within minutes of Jackson's arrival by ambulance at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center people began arriving by the hundreds, the crowd quickly filling a grassy entrance outside the hospital. Overhead, news helicopters whirred noisily and TV trucks clogged streets.

As word spread a few minutes later that Jackson had died, several people burst into tears. Others stood silently, looking pensive, as they waited for official word from the hospital. Still others whipped out cell phones and began calling or texting friends to pump them for information.

A similar scene played out just a couple miles away, in front of Jackson's tony Holmby Hills home, where a Fire Department ambulance had arrived to take him to the hospital.

"I'm in shock," said Becky Williams, a 26-year-old Jackson fan from Salt Lake City who happened to be visiting her sister just down the street.

"He's gone. The legend of music," Williams said in disbelief as she stood outside Jackson's home.

In Holmby Hills, cars — many of them with stereo systems blaring songs from Jackson's classic "Thriller" album — began go clog the streets.

As people began to leave their cars to snap pictures, a police officer warned them their cars would be towed if they didn't move.

Among those who drove to the neighborhood was Sue Mossell, who was visiting from Georgia with her two sons, 7-year-old Ryan and 12-year-old Jimmy.

Ryan placed a pink flower in front of Jackson's gate.

"He wanted to put a flower down for him," said Mossell, 46, who said she grew up listening to Jackson's music.

taken from : China Daily

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Celebs Twittered about Michael Jackson's death

Since news of Michael Jackson's death today, celebrity friends and fans have released the following reactions on their Twitter accounts:

Arnold Schwarzenegger: We lost a great entertainer and a pop icon. My thoughts and prayers go out to Michael Jackson's family, friends and fans.

Diddy: Michael Jackson showed me that you can actually see the beat. He made the music come to life!! He made me believe in magic. I will miss him!

Samantha Ronson: His music is just as relevant now as it was the day they pressed record, I'm sure it will remain so for generations to come.R.I.P.Mr Jackson.

Dane Cook: I'm dedicating my show 2night to Michael Jackson. THRILLER got me laid. Well... At least thats what I told my friends.

Heidi Montag: the world has suffered a GREAT loss today Michael Jackson my thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and fans God bless.

Ice T: Rest In Peace Mike. People can say what they want but you were 100% original. WE will always love , miss & remember your GREATNESS.

John Mayer: Dazed in the studio. A major strand of our cultural DNA has left us. RIP MJ. I think we'll mourn his loss as well as the loss of ourselves as children listening to Thriller on the record player.

Ashley Tisdale: So sad. Saying a prayer for Michael Jackson.

Miley Cyrus: michael jackson was my inspiration. love and blessings

Ludacris: If it were not for Micheal Jackson I would not be where or who I am today.His Music and Legacy will live on Forever.Prayers to the famR.I.P.

MC Hammer: I have no words.. I loved Michael Jackson.. RIP..

Kelly Rowland: Michael you left such a legacy on this earth, have touched SO MANY!!! We thank you for such a driving inspiration in music & our lives!! This has got to be one of the saddest days in music history!! Michael Rest In Peace! WE miss you!

Star Jones: Death comes to all. But great achievements build a monument." He IS and WAS the greatest entertainer of all times...Peace to you brother.

Lindsay Lohan: NO OMG ... sending my love and prayers out to Michael and his family ... i feel sick..

Marlon Wayans: My prayers, my love, my heart goes out to michael jackson and the entire jackson family. I pray so hard for them. I'm crushed! Please pray.

Pete Wentz: Prayers and thoughts with michael jackson ... I haven't hope in so long that news isn't true.

Kim Kardashian: Wow I am truly in shock that Michael Jackson has passed away! I love u Jackson family, my prayers are with the whole family!

Ashton Kutcher: Rip Sending love and light to family and friend but especially his kids.

Shanna Moakler: The hard thing about getting older is watching all those who inspired you pass, love to the jackson family..

Rachelle Lefevre: Rest in peace Farrah Fawcett & Michael Jackson. Condolences to their families.

taken from : China Daily

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Ronaldo 'too much of a sissy for Paris'

Paris Hilton dumped Cristiano Ronaldo for being a "sissy".

The hotel heiress, who was spotted canoodling with the soccer star shortly after splitting from Doug Reinhardt, reportedly called off their romance after deciding Cristiano was too in touch with his feminine side.

A source told the National Enquirer magazine: "She likes her guys to be macho and as far as she's concerned Ronaldo turned out to be a real sissy.

Paris, 28, was also concerned Cristiano, 24, was overwhelmed by the amount of attention she re

ceived during the two evenings they spent together.

The source said: "He was just too uptight for her to find attractive. In the end, Paris realized their relationship simply wasn't clicking. Paris got to know him and realized he's not nearly hot enough."

Earlier this week, Cristiano claimed he put an end to their short-lived fling because he was too busy to spend time with Paris.

He said: "She was a really cool girl and we had a great time talking. She lives thousands of miles away and is busy, and I am busy in Madrid so I am not sure if we will be able to see each other. I am just making the most of the short summer I get."

taken from : China Daily

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King of Pop Michael Jackson is dead

In this Jan. 31, 1993 file picture, Michael Jackson performs during the halftime show at the Super Bowl XXVII in Pasadena, Calif. [Agencies]

LOS ANGELES: Michael Jackson, the child star turned King of Pop who set the world dancing to exuberant rhythms for decades, died on Thursday, the Los Angeles Times said. He was 50.

"Pop star Michael Jackson was pronounced dead by doctors this afternoon after arriving at a hospital in a deep coma, city and law enforcement sources told The Times," the newspaper reported on its website.

Jackson had been taken ill at his home and found not breathing by paramedics who rushed him to a hospital, the paper said.

The paper's report followed news of Jackson's death first reported by the TMZ entertainment website, which said that the singer suffered a cardiac arrest. There was no immediate comment from spokespersons for Jackson.

Known as the "King of Pop," for hits that included "Thriller" and "Billie Jean," Jackson's dramatic stage presence and innovative dance moves were imitated by legions of fans around the world.

His one-gloved eccentric style also earned him plenty of critics and another nickname, "Wacko Jacko."

Jackson, who had lived as a virtual recluse since his acquittal in 2005 on charges of child molestation, had been scheduled to launch a comeback tour from London next month.

TMZ said on its website that Jackson suffered a cardiac arrest on Thursday afternoon at his Holmby Hills home and paramedics were unable to revive him. "We're told when paramedics arrived Jackson had no pulse and they never got a pulse back," the site said.

Earlier, the Los Angeles Times said the singer had been rushed to a Los Angeles-area hospital by fire department paramedics. The newspaper said paramedics performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation at the singer's home before taking him to the UCLA Medical Center hospital.

US pop star Michael Jackson gestures during a news conference at the O2 Arena in London March 5, 2009 file photograph. [Agencies]

COMEBACK CONCERTS

Jackson had been due to start a series of concerts in London on July 13 running until March 2010. The singer had been rehearsing in the Los Angeles area for the past two months.

The shows for the 50 London concerts sold out within minutes of going on sale in March.

His lifetime record sales tally is believed to be around 750 million, which, added to the 13 Grammy Awards he received, makes him one of the most successful entertainers of all time.

Michael Jackson's fans gather at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles June 25, 2009. Pop giant Michael Jackson is dead, the Los Angeles Times reported on June 25, 2009, citing city and law enforcement sources. [Agencies]

There were concerns about Jackson's health in recent years but the promoters of the London shows, AEG Live, said in March that Jackson had passed a 4-1/2 hour physical examination with independent doctors.

New Yorkers and tourists in the city's Times Square were shocked at the news of Jackson's death.

"I don't know what to say. It's sad, it's really, really sad," said Nicole Smith, an 18-year-old student from Brooklyn, New York, in Times Square. "My mother was a fan. I listened to his music."

"I'm shocked. I thought someone was lying to me when I first heard it. I was a fan from when he was a little boy and then he got weird," said Sue Sheider, 51, a teacher from Long Island.

CHILD STAR TO MEGASTAR

Singer Michael Jackson is pictured holding a child out of a window as he looks at fans after arriving at a Berlin hotel, in this November 19, 2002 file photo. [Agencies]

Jackson was born on August 29, 1958, in Gary, Indiana, the seventh of nine children. Five Jackson boys - Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael - first performed together at a talent show when Michael was 6. They walked off with first prize and went on to become a best-selling band, The Jackson Five, and then The Jackson 5.

Jackson made his first solo album in 1972, and released "Thriller" in 1982, which became a smash hit that yielded seven top-10 singles. The album sold 21 million copies in the United States and at least 27 million worldwide.

The next year, he unveiled his signature "moonwalk" dance move while performing "Billie Jean" during an NBC special.

In 1994, Jackson married Elvis Presley's only child, Lisa Marie, but the marriage ended in divorce in 1996. Jackson married Debbie Rowe the same year and had two children, before splitting in 1999. The couple never lived together.

Jackson has three children named Prince Michael I, Paris Michael and Prince Michael II, known for his brief public appearance when his father held him over the railing of a hotel balcony, causing widespread criticism.

taken from : China Daily

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Streisand hits jazz on first studio album in 4 years

Barbra Streisand performs on the stage in Berlin June 30, 2007.[Agencies]

LOS ANGELES - Barbra Streisand has joined forces with Canadian jazz singer-pianist Diana Krall on her first studio album in four years, which is set for release on September 29, her record label said on Monday.

Columbia Records said the album "Love Is The Answer" is Streisand's first full-length collection of new studio recordings since 2005's "Guilty Pleasures" and her first album since "Live In Concert 2006."

Last year, Streisand was preoccupied with the U.S. election campaign but the singer-actress said this year she had managed to get back to the business of entertaining with a new president in the White House as she was able to relax again.

"'Love Is The Answer' presents the artist as a cabaret and jazz singer of emotional clarity, depth and maturity," Columbia Records, a unit of Sony Corp, said in a statement.

On the new album, Streisand works for the first time with Grammy-winning Krall and her quartet of guitar, bass, and drums as well as songwriter Johnny Mandel, whom she worked with on her 1993 "Back to Broadway" album.

Song titles for the album have yet to be announced.

Streisand, 67, has blazed an extraordinary trail through music, theater, film and television in the four decades since she became the toast of Broadway.

She is the winner of 10 Grammys, two Academy Awards -- Best Actress, "Funny Girl" and Best song, "Evergreen" -- and numerous Emmys. Last year she was inducted as a Kennedy Center honoree.

taken from : China Daily

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Will.i.am's Black Eyed row

Black Eyed Peas' tour manager has been charged with assaulting Perez Hilton.

The group were warned they would be forbidden to leave Canada until Polo Molina handed himself over to police over the alleged incident, which took place at Toronto's Cobra club in the early hours of Monday morning (22.06.09).

The gossip blogger claims he was confronted by Polo and group member will.i.am at the nightspot following an earlier altercation when singer Fergie blasted him over negative comments he had made about their music.

In a video blog entitled My Statement, a tearful Perez - real name Mario Lavandeira - said: "Will.i.am sees me and comes directly towards me like a heat-seeking missile. He was screaming in my face."

Further into the video, he added that Polo "from behind, clocks me in the eye and punches me two or three times".

The blogger admitted deliberately trying to antagonise the rapper by calling him a "f****t".

He said: "He was like, 'You need to respect me.' He was obviously trying to intimidate me and scare me.

"I was like, 'I don't respect you' and I did say this - and I knew that it would be the worst thing I could possibly say to him because he was acting the way he was - I said, 'You know what, I don't respect you and you're gay and stop being such a f****t.' "

Following the incident, the openly-gay writer posted on his Twitter page about the incident: "I am bleeding. Please, I need to file a police report. No joke."

Will.i.am has blasted the claims, saying Perez has blown the incident out of proportion for publicity and wondered why he used the internet instead of calling police.

He wrote on his own blog: "It sounds like somebody wants mad attention and is not really concerned about his health."

Following Perez's Tweet, fans inundated local police with calls and they began investigating the incident.

After handing himself in, Polo was charged and will appear in court on August 5.

Meanwhile, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) have blasted Perez for his use of the word "f****t".

They said in a statement: "We have reached out to Hilton and asked him to apologise for promoting this anti-gay slur. For someone in our own community to use it to attack another person is incredibly dangerous.

"It legitimises use of a slur that is often linked to violence against our community. And it sends a message that it is OK to attempt to dehumanise people by exploiting anti-gay attitudes."

taken from : China Daily

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Big spender Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp left a $4,000 tip at a Chicago restaurant.

The 46-year-old actor was celebrating a red carpet screening of his new movie 'Public Enemies' with a group of friends - including his co-star Marion Cotillard and the film's director Michael Mann - at Gibsons Bar and Steakhouse when he left the mammoth gratuity.

Waiter Mohammed A. Sekhani confirmed to the Chicago Sun Times newspaper: "Depp hosted a party of 15 people, including Mann and Cotillard, and the tip was split 12 ways. Depp is the finest of all the stars I have ever waited on. And he is a true icon, and his ability to respect others is phenomenal. He loves Chicago, and Chicago loves him. Depp is one cool and generous dude."

Johnny partied at the eatery until 2.30am, before paying his bill - which came to $4,400 before the tip - and leaving.

This is not the first time Johnny has shown his appreciation of good service by leaving a huge amount of cash

Last year, he left $1,500 after dining in Wisconsin.

A source said at the time: "Johnny had a big dinner with his friends at one of the local restaurants. When the bill came to $2,600, he decided to leave a $1,500 tip to show how much he had enjoyed himself."

taken from : China Daily

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Katy Perry vs. Katie Perry

U.S. singer-songwriter Katy Perry performs on stage during the 17th Life Ball in Vienna May 16, 2009.[Agencies]

BRISBANE, Australia – Singer Katy Perry's representatives are attempting to block an Australian fashion designer from trade-marking her clothing range with the brand name Katie Perry.

The designer, who started her high-end Katie Perry loungewear label two years ago, initiated a trademark application in September 2008 and recently opened her first outlet in Sydney. But she was hit with a cease-and-desist order from representatives of the EMI-signed artist, in an attempt to halt the "similar name" being used in connection with the clothing label.

The Australian businesswoman was born Katie Jane Perry, but sometimes goes by the name Katie Howell.

EMI said in a statement Thursday that a "routine notice letter was sent to Ms. Howell, as is customary in trademark practice, alerting her of Ms. Perry's intended application" for trademark protection down under.

The American pop singer, whose real name is Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, has become a mainstream star in Australia, scoring a No. 1 hit last year with "I Kissed A Girl" and winning best newcomer at the MTV Australia Awards in March. Her follow-up "Hot N Cold" reached No. 4. She is scheduled to begin in Australian tour on Brisbane on August 12.

taken from : China Daily

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Reality show host Lindsay Lohan

Lindsay Lohan is to star in a new reality show.

The 'Mean Girls' actress is in negotiations with 'American Idol' host Ryan Seacrest to present a philanthropic programme that gives disadvantaged people $1 million to change their lives.

The pair sparked rumours they were dating when they were seen partying at h.wood in Los Angeles last Thursday (18.06.09).

But Ryan insisted the meeting was purely business, writing on his Twitter page: "Met with Lindsay last night about a show idea I have for her. It helps people and gives others a second shot! Still putting it all together."

Lindsay, 22, also mentioned the show on her Twitter account, writing: "Working on a really great project for television -- I am excited! Something meaningful like Extreme Home Makeover on ABC… :) (sic)"

The programme will reportedly give people who are "on the wrong track" a second chance to improve their lives.

Ryan - who produces 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians' and 'Bromance' - believes the 22-year-old actress would be a perfect host and judge for the show.

A source said: "Ryan thinks Lindsay would be a great way to start the series, and Lindsay thinks it will help rehabilitate her image. She's very interested."
taken from : China Daily

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Peas manager charged in Perez Hilton fight

Perez Hilton arrives at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles September 7, 2008. [Agencies]

TORONTO - Toronto police have charged the manager of chart-topping hip-hop band the Black Eyed Peas with assault after a confrontation with celebrity blogger Perez Hilton at Sunday's MuchMusic Video Awards.

Liborio Molina, 36, was ordered to appear at Old City Hall in Toronto on August 5 to answer the assault charge.

Hilton first alerted the police via Twitter that he had apparently been involved in an altercation with the Black Eyed Peas entourage at an awards show afterparty during the early hours of Monday morning.

"I'm in shock. I need the police ASAP. Please come to the Soho Metropolitan Hotel now. Please," Hilton tweeted at around 3 a.m., according to local media reports.

Hilton's next message alleged that he had been assaulted by will.i.am of Black Eyed Peas and his security guards. "I am bleeding. Please, I need to file a police report. No joke," he added.

Will.i.am reportedly created his own Twitter account to deny Hilton's story.

Hilton was a presenter at the MuchMusic Video Awards, and Black Eyed Peas performed and picked up an award for best international video group for their hit "Boom Boom Pow," which has spent 11th weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

taken from : China Daily

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Megan Fox dismisses comparisons to Angelina Jolie

FILE - In this June 15, 2009 file photo, actress Megan Fox poses for photographers as she arrives for the UK premiere of the film 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen' at a cinema in London. [Agencies]

LOS ANGELES – Megan Fox dismisses comparisons between her and Angelina Jolie as the product of a lazy media.

The two actresses are both brunettes with tattoos who are known for their candor — and that has been enough for some to proclaim Fox the heir apparent to Jolie's crown. Fox says the parallels are the product of a lack of media creativity, but adds, "you live with it."

The 23-year-old Fox stars with Shia (SHY'-uh) LaBeouf (lah-BUFF') in the new film "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen." She says she and the actor, who were paired in the first "Transformers" movie, enjoy a brother-sister relationship.

LeBeouf says rumors the two are dating are just that. He described himself as a "red-blooded 23-year-old," but said the connection with Fox is strictly
taken from : China Daily

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"Transformers" aims to recharge U.S. box offices

Actress Megan Fox and actor Shia LaBeouf attend the German premiere of "Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen" at the Sony Center CineStar on June 14, 2009 in Berlin, Germany. [CFP]

LOS ANGELES – Big-budget "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" hits U.S. movie theaters on Wednesday, aiming to recharge box offices in a summer season that has lost momentum after 2009's strong start.

Early reviews are mixed for director Michael Bay's effects-filled story of an alien vs. robot war on Earth that follows 2007 smash hit "Transformers," which raked in more than $700 million worldwide for its backers at DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures, a unit of media giant Viacom Inc.

But movies like "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" are widely considered to be immune from negative criticism in their first weekend at box offices because, generally speaking, their core audience of mostly young men rarely read reviews.

In fact on Monday, movie ticket site Fandango.com reported that hundreds of midnight showings ahead of Wednesday's debut already are sold out, and advance sales on Fandango are double what they were at this same time ahead of "Transformers."

That is good news for Hollywood and for DreamWorks and Paramount. The movie cost $195 million to make, Bay told reporters at a news conference last week.

"Year-to-date box office is great, but summer-to-date we're actually down in attendance ... I don't think there is anything wrong with movies, it's a typical summer season, but the first quarter was so strong," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Hollywood.com Box Office.

SUMMER HEAT?

Hollywood's summer films, which can make up as much as 40 percent of overall annual box office tallies in the United States and Canada, started the first weekend of May with the launch of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine."

Since then, about $1.68 billion worth of tickets have been sold, which is roughly equal to the same point one year ago. Attendance, however, is off 2.1 percent and the average ticket price is up to $7.35 compared to $7.18 last year.

Year-to-date, U.S. and Canadian ticket sales remain up a strong 10 percent at $4.8 billion compared to $4.3 billion at the same point last year and attendance is up about 8 percent.

The difference, box office watchers said, was 2009's first quarter, which was exceptionally strong with surprise hits such as "Paul Blart: Mall Cop." May and June saw a few key films like "Angels & Demons" fail to make a big mark with fans.

"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" features toy cars that transform into robots and battle aliens who are looking to control Earth. Shia LaBeouf returns to his starring role as Sam Witwicky, a geeky boy with a sexy girlfriend (Megan Fox) and an otherworldly Camaro that shifts into an alien-fighting robot.

Critics say LaBeouf does an able job, but with a dizzying array of alien robots loudly morphing into military hardware and blasting away at enemies, he's given too little to do.

Variety called the movie "longer, louder and perhaps 'more than your eye can meet,'" compared to its 2007 predecessor.

Others blasted the story. "Characters and comedy are in short supply in a plot that's basically an Indiana Jones-style search for a buried treasure," the Hollywood Reporter said.

A few reviewers noted that movies like "Transformers" were made to emphasize action more than acting.

"It's a thrill ride, plain and simple. And it delivers," TotalFilm.com's Mark Samuels said.

taken from : China Daily

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Chris Brown gets probation for assault on Rihanna

R&B singer Chris Brown

pop star Rihanna

LOS ANGELES - R&B singer Chris Brown pleaded guilty on Monday to assaulting his former girlfriend, pop star Rihanna, in an agreement with prosecutors that calls for him to spend five years of probation and attend courses on domestic violence.

Brown, singer of the hits "Run It" and "Kiss Kiss," will be formally sentenced August 5. He had faced four years in prison if convicted in a trial on charges of assault and a making a criminal threat. There was no plea deal on a second charge.

In addition to the probation and the domestic violence course in his home state of Virginia, Brown also must perform 180 days of community service.

He was ordered to keep his distance from Rihanna, 21, who was in the courthouse on Monday and prepared to testify against him.

Brown, 20, showed no emotion as his high-profile defense lawyer Mark Geragos told Los Angeles Judge Patricia Schnegg of the plea agreement with prosecutors.

Dressed in a gray suit, the singer was accompanied into the courtroom by his mother and an entourage of supporters.

"I think it's commendable that you took responsibility for your conduct, sir," Schnegg told Brown.

He was accused of beating Rihanna, whose hit songs include "Umbrella," in a rented Lamborghini after the two attended a swanky music industry party in February on the eve of the industry's Grammy Awards.

A police photo of Rihanna's bruised and battered face taken after the incident was leaked to the media but details of what happened that evening have been scant. Brown's plea means that evidence against him will not be heard in an open court.

"Rihanna believes this is a fair and just resolution to this case," her attorney Donald Etra told reporters outside the courthouse following the hearing. He said Barbados-born Rihanna learned of the plea about an hour before the hearing was set to begin Monday afternoon.

L.A. District Attorney spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said the plea was similar to other cases for first-time offenders like Brown and prosecutors had discussed it with Rihanna.
taken from : China Daily

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Alba follows apology with donation to United Way

FILE - In this May 20, 2009 file photo, Jessica Alba arrives for the opening of the exhibition 'Between Eternity and History: 1884-2009' on the occasion of Italian luxury jewelry maker Bulgari's 125th anniversary, in Rome's Palazzo delle Esposizioni palace. [Agencies]

OKLAHOMA CITY – Jessica Alba has made a donation to the United Way in Oklahoma City, where she ran into trouble for attaching a poster to one of the charity's billboards.

The United Way of Central Oklahoma announced Alba's donation Thursday.

Spokeswoman Erin Brewer says Alba's lawyer asked the charity not to disclose the amount, but that Alba qualified for a program that recognizes donors who give $500 or more. Brewer deemed it "generous" and "appropriate."

The 28-year-old actress had been in Oklahoma City filming the movie "The Killer Inside Me."

She previously apologized for putting up posters aimed at raising awareness about the declining population of great white sharks. Police have said she will not face criminal charges.

taken from : China Daily

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Lady Gaga sick of socialising

Lady Gaga is fed up of celebrity parties.

The 'Poker Face' singer - who is known for her party girl lifestyle and outrageous fashion choices - claims she prefers to stay in and concentrate on new material than spend time with her famous peers.

She is quoted as saying: "I'm not a go-out-and-party girl. I'm actually taking every minute I have to myself to write music and be in the studio right now. "I don't have much time to relax but I don't have much time for celebrities either, so I'm happy."

The 23-year-old singer - who is dating a businessman named Speedy - recently claimed she would "die" if she wasn't famous and has vowed to focus her attention on her career and not her love life.

She said: "There are times when it can be a lot to deal with but always when I get up in the morning I try to find that very joyful place that reminds me that I would die if someone took it all away. If someone did that I wouldn't be a person any more. "

Right now the only thing that I am concerned with in my life is being an artist. I had to suppress it for so many years in high school because I was made fun of but now I'm completely insulated in my box of insanity and I can do whatever I like."
taken from : China Daily

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Miley Cyrus fights scalpers with paperless tickets

U.S. actress Miley Cyrus arrives for the German film premiere 'Hannah Montana-The Movie' in Munich April 25, 2009. [Agencies]

NASHVILLE - As Miley Cyrus prepares to hit the road this fall, the spotlight is shining on what was once a relatively minor piece of the touring puzzle: the ticket.

Or in this case, the lack thereof. Cyrus' tour will use paperless tickets, and that's causing a commotion, mostly among the scalpers who infamously made so much money from her last tour.

The 2007-08 Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus Best of Both Worlds trek grossed $55 million and sold about 1 million tickets to 70 shows reported to Billboard Boxscore. But it also provided outraged parents with a bitter introduction to secondary vendors, who scooped up tickets and sold them at huge markups. The resulting controversy made Cyrus the poster child for what many perceived as an out-of-control resale market.

Now Cyrus' fall tour will make history as the first arena-level trek to embrace paperless ticketing in an attempt to thwart resellers. As is the case with airlines, those who purchase the tickets must be on hand with their credit card to gain admission.

"The focus was, 'How do we take all the information we gathered last time out and do a better job of it?'" says Jason Morey, Cyrus' manager and president of Morey Management Group, an affiliate of Ticketmaster Entertainment's Front Line Management. "It was important to us to address the issue of demand. We thought that of every single option that was available out there, this was a really viable option, to go with the paperless ticketing."

Those associated with the tour say public feedback has been generally favorable and that tickets are selling well, with nearly 500,000 purchased already. The fact that they're not blowing out immediately as they did on the last tour is evidence that brokers aren't flooding the system, they say.

Meanwhile, secondary market players are crying foul, protesting that they're being shut out from buying Cyrus tickets, or at least hindered, and predicting entrance chaos, and a consumer backlash, at concerts.

Sean Pate, director of communications at the secondary market leader StubHub, says the number of tickets sold by resellers during the 2007-08 tour has been overstated. "There was a lot of misperception that brokers had gobbled all the available inventory and posted it on StubHub or anywhere else," he says. "The reality was that StubHub sold roughly 5%-6% (of seats) at any one of the venues she played in terms of the total seats in the arena."

Don Vaccaro, CEO of the secondary ticket aggregator Ticket Network, wonders aloud whether paperless ticketing might violate antitrust laws.

"Ticketmaster's actions are trying to restrain the secondary market from dealing in Miley Cyrus tickets and restraining consumers from being able to sell their rights to admission to that venue," Vaccaro says.

Morey disagrees. "Scalping is a really important issue to Miley," he says, "but really the focus is about giving the regular fan an opportunity to buy a really good ticket at face value."

Cyrus is not the first major touring act to turn to paperless ticketing. For AC/DC's North American tour last year, some 3,000-4,000 tickets per show were paperless. At a Metallica show in September at the O2 arena in London, all tickets were paperless. Both operations went smoothly, according to Ticketmaster chief technology officer Brian Pike.

"Most of the lines ran at roughly the same speed as a normal night," Pike says. "When people come with four tickets, it's actually sometimes faster than scanning four different pieces of paper. We think this technology has been well-tested and is ready for this challenge."

Chuck LaVallee, director of music relations for StubHub, begs to differ. "On AC/DC they were swiping cards and shoving fans through," he says. "If they didn't have time to check IDs on 3,000 tickets, they're not going to have time to check them on 18,000. I think the whole thing's a mess."


In many ways a Cyrus tour is the perfect test market for paperless ticketing. Not many 11-year-old girls have credit cards, but their parents do, and many of them will surely be on hand for the shows. "Not many parents would send a 10-year-old to Staples Center (in Los Angeles) and drop them off for a concert," AEG Live president Randy Phillips says.

The Cyrus tour was sold in three stages: a Miley World fan club presale Monday, an American Express presale Wednesday and the general public on-sale Saturday. Prices range from $39.50 to $79.50, with I Love All Access (a division of Front Line) premium seats in the first 25 rows with perks like merchandise and services selling for about $295.

"Nobody cares about (the add-ons), they just want their tickets in the first 25 rows," LaVallee says.

Forty-five shows put on sale have sold slightly fewer than 500,000 tickets. "This is what on-sales used to look like before brokers got into our business," says Debra Rathwell, senior VP at AEG Live, which is promoting the tour. "Now you're dealing with the public, the public has their own time that they go about doing things, and I think we're off to a fantastic start."

The fact that tickets didn't blow out is a sign that brokers aren't flooding the system, Rathwell adds. "I can tell you last time brokers went in with their machines and it was ugly," she says. "That had to be shut down and stopped this year. The good news is the best tickets in all of these venues are in the hands of the public."

But LaVallee thinks the fact that the tour didn't sell out immediately means one of two things. "Either Miley Cyrus is not as hot as they thought she was," he says, "or the fans have spoken and they don't like paperless."

StubHub isn't carrying any Cyrus tickets for "philosophical" reasons," LaVallee says.

"Our company prides itself on being able to fulfill any ticket we sell, and we guarantee our client base that they will always get what they want," he says. "We couldn't guarantee (that to) our customers and Miley Cyrus fans who chose to buy tickets on our site. I do believe, had the paperless tickets been transferable, we would have done a healthy business on it."

RESELLERS STILL ACTIVE

Rathwell acknowledges that paperless ticketing hasn't completely shut down resellers, who can buy more than one ticket and then accompany their buyers to a venue. "I saw some of their postings," she says. "$2,600? Get a life. I don't think the big companies have postings, but you're always going to drag around the dregs."

LaVallee argues that paperless ticketing hasn't prevented brokers from buying up the same number of tickets as they normally would.

"The only thing this is going to do is shore up the local broker, take the business right back into the dark alleys, increase the amount of fraud," he says. "Joe Blow Broker in St. Louis doesn't have a 'fan protect.'"

And how would this Joe Blow Broker get his paperless tickets? "They're buying a crappy seat in the upper bowl and then some good seats below to walk people in," LaVallee says, adding that the potential for fraudulent tickets increases "exponentially" without a company like StubHub involved.

Fans who want to avoid fraud should go to Ticketmaster or the primary ticketer if it's not a Ticketmaster building, Morey says. "We've made this the most safe experience for a consumer to go to Ticketmaster, buy a face-value ticket and not deal with the chance that you go to a secondary site and either buy a fake ticket or meet somebody in a parking lot," he says.

In terms of pulling this off, it certainly can't hurt that the management company and ticketing company in question share an owner.

"There's definitely synergy," Morey says. "Ticketmaster wants to please us just like they want to please their other clients. This isn't something Ticketmaster tried to shove down my throat, this is something that I requested. They've literally moved mountains to try to make this right for this tour."
taken from : China Daily

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Brad Pitt baseball drama strikes out

Cast member Brad Pitt attends a news conference for the film "Inglourious Basterds" by Director Quentin Tarantino at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival May 20, 2009. [Agencies]

LOS ANGELES- Just days away from the start of shooting, Columbia has taken Steven Soderbergh's baseball drama "Moneyball" starring Brad Pitt off the field.

Pulling the plug this close to production is extremely rare for studios but sources said Columbia's president of production Amy Pascal wasn't comfortable with the script, which had changed considerably since the movie was greenlit.

The decision, which was made Friday, mystified many since the picture was crewed up and scheduled to start shooting this week, with some wondering how issues with the script could give a studio cold feet so late in the game.

Steven Zaillian and Soderbergh wrote the screenplay (with the most recent barely a week old), adapting Michael Lewis' nonfiction book about the Oakland Athletics and their GM Billy Beane, who assembled a contending ballclub despite having a payroll much lower than other Major League teams.

Pitt and comedian Demetri Martin were the major actors cast, with other roles to be played by actual baseball players. Soderbergh also shot interviews with real baseball figures, which were going to be interspersed between the narrative.

Pascal had not seen the interviews and some insiders suggest there was a disconnect about the kind of baseball drama the exec and the filmmaker wanted to make. Pascal was leery, the sources said, fearing the film lacked emotion.

Pascal is a big fan of the book and allowed Soderbergh to shop the project over the weekend to Warner Bros., which once housed Soderbergh's shingle Section Eight, and Paramount, home to Pitt's Plan B. The companies would have to act fast as the production and its staff can only sit idle so long. If no one snags the package, Columbia could take another crack at it, and try to sync up Soderbergh's and the studio's vision.
taken from : China Daily

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Sean Penn takes career break

Sean Penn has pulled out of starring in new films 'The Three Stooges' and 'Cartel' because he wants to take a break from Hollywood to spend more time with his family.

Sean Penn has pulled out of two films because he wants to take a break from Hollywood.

The Oscar-winning 'Milk' star has decided against appearing in 'The Three Stooges' and crime thriller 'Cartel', so he can focus on his family.

The actor's representative Mara Buxbaum said: "We informed both productions that Sean was not available now. If, for whatever reason, the start dates on these productions were to be postponed, Sean would happily remain involved."

The news of Sean's hiatus - which is of an undetermined length of time - comes nearly two months after he filed to legally separate from his wife of 13 years, Robin Wright Penn.

Less than four weeks after filing his initial claim on April 24, citing "irreconcilable differences", he withdrew it again saying he had made an "arrogant mistake".

The 48-year-old actor and Wright, 43 - who have two children together, daughter Dylan Francis, 18, and son Hopper Jack, 15 - also separated between December 2007 and April 2008.

Penn was due to play Larry in 'The Three Stooges' - a film based on the US comedy trio which sees Jim Carrey cast as Curly and Benicio del Toro as their other brother Moe.

Shooting is due to start on in August, but Sean's decision has thrown the future of the project in jeopardy.

Universal Studios, which is behind 'Cartel', have already announced they will be recasting Sean's role.

The film's plot follows a man who does everything he can to protect his son after his wife is murdered by Mexican drug cartels.

taken from : China Daily

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Kate Moss' cigarettes supply

Kate Moss reportedly demands her personal assistant keeps every room in her house stocked with cigarettes because she and her friends smoke so much.

Kate Moss insists on keeping 100 cigarettes nearby at all times.

The supermodel - who is dating The Kills rocker Jamie Hince - loves smoking so much she reportedly makes her personal assistant leave a packet of her favourite Marlboro Lights on every table in her home before she goes to bed.

A source told Britain's Daily Express newspaper: "Kate has five coffee tables spread between her living room, kitchen, office and bedroom so that's a lot of cigarettes.

"She also has a special tennis ball with holes for cigarettes to stick out from so visitors can relax with a smoke."

The party-loving star also keeps her fridge stocked with at least two bottles of champagne and two bottles of vodka to ensure her guests have a good time.

However, friends are worried 35-year-old Kate's hard partying lifestyle is beginning to take its toll.

The source added: "The cigarettes are starting to show on Kate's face. She is apparently chain smoking more than ever now and gets through up to two packs a day."

Kate's most recent wild night at her London home was a cocktail making and drinking evening with 'Not Fair' singer Lily Allen.

A source said: "Kate and Lily each made up various cocktails and had a competition to see how many they could drink."

Kate was crowned the winner at around 4am and is awaiting a mystery prize from the 23-year-old singer.

taken from : China Daily

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Heidi Klum: pregnancy giving her "love handles"

Model Heidi Klum arrives at the 2009 CFDA Fashion Awards in New York June 15, 2009. [Agencies]

Model Heidi Klum arrives at the 2009 CFDA Fashion Awards in New York June 15, 2009. [Agencies]

Heidi Klum - who is expecting her fourth child - has revealed her pregnancy is making her gain weight in very unflattering places.

Heidi Klum says pregnancy is giving her "love handles".

The German supermodel - who already raises three children, Leni, five, Henry, three, and two-year-old Johan, with husband Seal - is expecting a daughter later this year and is gaining weight in some unflattering places.

She said: "I tend to be rounder with girls. The love handles are peaking in the back!"

However, the blonde beauty insists she is enjoying every moment of her pregnancy.

She told In Touch Weekly magazine: "My mood is the same this time as with all the other pregnancies. I always feel great! I never really change."

Heidi recently revealed her weight is increasing all the time, making her look like a "Buddha".

She said: "You get used to all the changes of your body. It's not like I'm going, 'Oh my God!' I'm used to that part of it. You feel like a Buddha!"

But Heidi - who posed for lingerie giants Victoria's Secret two months after giving birth to Henry - has no concerns about regaining her pre-pregnancy figure, insisting her body will spring back into shape.

She said: "I know my body will go back again!"


taken from : China Daily

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Miley Cyrus surprises Ga. fans with impromptu show

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Miley Cyrus wins Best Song from a Movie for "The Climb" in "Hannah Montana: the Movie" at the 2009 MTV Movie Awards in Los Angeles May 31, 2009. [Agencies]

TYBEE ISLAND, Ga. – Miley Cyrus took a break from shooting "The Last Song" on the Georgia coast by borrowing a guitar and treating fans to an impromptu, two-song performance on the patio of a beachside seafood restaurant.

"By the time she finished the first song, there must have been 50 little girls and their moms who came rushing up," said Ray Rogers, owner of StingRay's restaurant on Tybee Island. He caught Miley's surprise gig on video.

Rogers said the 16-year-old "Hannah Montana" star dined on snow crab legs with a friend after wrapping up Monday's first day of filming of the Walt Disney Co. movie.

Then she got up and asked a local acoustic duo playing music if she could sit in. Miley stepped up to the microphone and strapped on a guitar to sing the Tim McGraw and Faith Hill duet "It's Your Love," then added a new song of her own.

"She played those and then we got her out of here," Rogers said. "We asked her, `What do you wanna do?' and she said `I want to get out of here.' So we walked her to a side entrance nobody knew about and got her in her car."

"The Last Song" will be filming on Tybee Island and in nearby Savannah until mid-August, stirring interest among locals and tourists alike. The movie features Cyrus as a teenage girl struggling with her parents' divorce who tries to reconnect with her father during a summer at his home in a quiet beach town.

The movie's publicist, Rachel Aberly, did not immediately return a phone call and e-mail message seeking comment Wednesday.
taken from : China Daily

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Meet Rainie Yang in Bangkok

Bangkok, THAILAND - I couldn’t believe my eyes when the girl who once starred as Xiao You in the hit Taiwan idol TV drama “Meteor Garden” - was standing right in front of me. I confess I was a big fan during my university days.

Dressed in a black loose suit and a pair of star-studded flat sneakers, Rainie Yang (Yang Chenglin), who is presently shooting her latest horror movie “Child’s Eye” in Bangkok, seemed even more sweet and adorable than on the screen.

Our conversation started with her current movie that is being directed by “horror movie veterans” the Peng Brothers. “Child’s Eye” is a story about two lovers (co-starring Shawn Yue) who come across something strange when they travel to Bangkok.

“What made me take it is that it is not a horror movie which takes ‘scaring’ as a purpose. It has an attractive storyline,” Yang said. “As the heroine of the movie, I will not scream as it’s usually like in some other movies of the same kind.”

And the movie tries a new production technique that Asian movies have never used before, according to her.

It is the third time Yang has worked on a movie and the first time she has starred in a horror movie. She made her movie debut in “Merry-Go-Round” in 2001, acting as a nice and ordinary girl named Carlily.

Coming to what she feels like acting in a horror movie, the 25-year-old singer and actress, often dubbed as the “Cute Queen” because of her sweet and pure screen image said it was quite hard for her at the very beginning because she has never tried it before.

Comparing it to her previous work, including TV series and movies, she has to employ all her imagination in the current one to achieve the effects the movie itself needs.

“But I feel lucky that I could try such a special role which others may want to try but could never have a chance,” Yang told China Daily in the interview Tuesday night.

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Being a singer who has already published four albums and an actress whose idol series proved to be a primetime hit, Yang was confident of her multitasking.

“It’s not a problem for me to balance between being a singer and an actress. I always enjoy shifting between different areas, which makes up for my simple private life. To meet with different people and do different things everyday just makes me feel happy,” Yang, once a host for a popular entertainment TV program “Guess Guess Guess” said.

Yang, often known for her diversified choices in her career, acted as Xiao Lv in a lesbian-related movie “Spider Lilies” with another Taiwan actress Isabella Leung in 2007. The movie won a “Teddy Bear Award” (in the homosexual movie category) at the 57th Berlin International Film Festival.

“Trying a different genre, like Spider Lilies and the current movie poses a challenge to me. But this challenge would give me more experience in acting,” she said.

Being asked about her movie career, Yang considered herself as a rookie.

“I’m still very new to movies. I’m not so sure whether I could handle it or not,” she confessed.

After finishing this current movie, Yang will return to Taiwan for her next idol drama alongside a “well-known and popular” actor, in her words.

Yang also wants to try her luck in Japan and South Korea where the idol series markets are hectic.

“My company is trying to spread my idol series to the Japanese market now. But it’s not ambitious. And the branch office in Japan helped launch my blog in Japanese on my birthday this year,” she said. “I write it by myself and they translate it into Japanese.”

With a sweet and cute image, Rainie Yang, who got her English name from her singing group “4inLove”, has won a huge young fan base in both Taiwan and mainland China.

Yang gained popularity in her idol drama “Devil Besides You” in 2004 after her tough early years in entertainment circles. She rose to stardom in 2005 when her first album “Intimacy”(ai mei) hit No1 only two weeks after going public.

As a fan of Yang, I don’t expect to meet her, let alone in Bangkok. Aside from her adorable image I previously had about her, she left me an impression of “humble and steady” after the one-hour interview.

“Have an easy mind and do what I should do,” just as she said.

taken from : China Daily

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Determined daddy Michael Douglas

Catherine Zeta-Jones has revealed Michael Douglas asked her to give birth to his children when she first met him.

Michael Douglas told Catherine Zeta-Jones he wanted to father her children when they met.

The 'Traffic' actor instantly knew he was meant to be with the British beauty when the pair were introduced at a film festival in 1998.

Catherine, 39, said: "Straight away he was very direct that he wanted to be the father of my children. So that was it.

"My very first impression was that he was very funny and very charming."

Catherine and Michael, who is 25 years her senior, tied the knot in New York in 2000.

The couple have two children - eight-year-old son Dylan and daughter Carys, six.

Catherine previously revealed she knew she was smitten with the Hollywood legend because she agreed to show him her dance moves on one of their first dates.

She said: "I'd always talked to him about how I could tap dance and he didn't believe I could. So one day I wanted to show him but I didn't want to ruin the floor so he said to do it in the bathroom. I said, 'That's just too weird. I'm not tap dancing in your bathroom. What are you going to do, sit on the toilet or tub and watch me?' But I did it. I must have been in love right then!"

taken from : China Daily

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Orlando Bloom moving in with model

Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerr are moving in together.

The 'Pirates of the Caribbean' actor and his model girlfriend were seen looking at a $13 million Malibu mansion last weekend.

A source told X17 Online: "The couple looked so in love and so relaxed. They seem so happy together - a perfect match. You could see Miranda getting all dreamy-eyed when they looked at this house. It was beautiful - right on the beach. I could totally see those two settling down and raising a family there."

Rumours the couple - who have been dating for around 18 months - are set to announce their engagement were fuelled at the Cannes Film Festival when the model was pictured sporting a huge ring on her engagement finger.

Miranda's spokesperson fuelled the speculation by refusing to deny the reports.

She said: "I am aware of the images. However, I am not in a position to comment."

The Victoria's Secret model recently said that although she wants to marry and have children with the 32-year-old actor, she isn't ready to settle down just yet.

Miranda, 26, said: "It's definitely something, one day down the track, I want. But for now, I'm happy. I'm just too busy with work that I can't be thinking of that right now."
taken from : China Daily

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Bruce Willis struggled to be single

Bruce Willis hated being single.

The 'Die Hard' actor - who split from wife Demi Moore in 1998 - struggled being alone and only found happiness again when he met new wife Emma Heming.

He told W magazine: "I went from 'F**k love' to 'Love is truly the answer.'

"I spent the last 10 years single and, for the most part, unhappy. In a dark place. I never thought that being with someone else was the answer.

"I would say, 'I'm alone, but I'm not lonely.' But I was just kidding myself.

"Then I started hanging around Emma, and on a day-to-day basis my life became much happier."

Despite their split, Bruce and Demi have maintained a friendly relationship for the sake of their three daughters, Rumer, 20, Scout, 17, and 15-year-old Tallulah.

Bruce admits their unconventional set-up may seem strange to others.

Talking about the relationship he and Emma have with Demi and her husband Ashton Kutcher, Bruce said: "We've become like a tribe.

"It's generated a lot of interest because everyone can understand resentment and envy in the break-up of a marriage, but they don't understand how I can get along with my ex like that. Demi and I made a choice to put the kids first, and we're really lucky that it turns out we all have fun together."

taken from : China Daily
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Kylie Minogue wants Catholic wedding

Kylie Minogue is converting to Catholicism.

The 41-year-old singer reportedly has her heart set on a traditional church wedding to Spanish model Andres Valencoso - who she has been dating since last November - and is even considering adopting his faith in order to have the ceremony of her dreams.

A source said: "She enjoyed the sense of community Andres' family share thanks to their faith. Kylie is so intent on including the traditional aspects of a Catholic mass that she's thinking of converting."

Kylie and Andres are reportedly planning to tie the knot in Spain at the Parador de Cardona, a 9th century castle on the Costa Brava.

The pair are also keen to throw a second celebration in Australia, near the singer's Melbourne family home.

The source added to Britain's Grazia magazine: "It will be a larger affair in Australia - there will be a few more people invited. But it will still be very private.

"Both Kylie and Andres would prefer a gorgeous, intimate wedding to anything flashy."

Although Kylie is yet to confirm her engagement, the '2 Hearts' singer is said to have been discussing her outfit for both weddings with stylist William Baker.

The source explained: "Kylie has got tons of ideas about her dress. The betting is she'll go with Dolce and Gabbana, as she's worked with them for years. She doesn't want anything super-sexy - she wants to look sophisticated and refined."
taken from : China Daily

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Guy girl Emily Blunt

Emily Blunt would love to voice a character in animated series 'Family Guy'.

Emily Blunt is desperate to feature in 'Family Guy'.

The British actress is a big fan of the hit US TV animated series and would love to lend her voice to a new character.

She said: "'Family Guy' is my favourite show. It's absolutely appalling, and I love it. Tell them I would love to do it!"

'Family Guy' focuses on a dysfunctional family in the fictional town of Quahog, Rhode Island.

The programme was cancelled in 2000 and again 2002, but strong DVD sales persuaded TV bosses to broadcast the series again.

This isn't the first satirical cartoon Emily has expressed an interest in.

The 26-year-old beauty - who is currently dating 'The Office' star John Krasinski - recently voiced a part for 'The Simpsons'.

Emily portrayed Juliet in an episode entitled 'Lisa the Drama Queen', in which Juliet and Lisa Simpson created a fantasy world called 'Equalia' where they were queens.

The episode also featured an end credit theme performed by Fall Out Boy.

taken from : China Daily

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Brooke Shields' gambling daughter

Brooke Shields has revealed her six-year-old daughter Rowan defied the odds at the Kentucky Derby by winning $6,000 after backing the 50-to-1 long shot.

Brooke Shields' six-year-old daughter won $6,000 at the Kentucky Derby.

The actress revealed little Rowan defied the odds when the pair, along with Brooke's husband Chris Henchy and three-year-old daughter Grier, went to the world famous US horse race.

She said: "We went to the Kentucky Derby for the first time as a family, and of course my older one picked the winner.

"We tried to talk her out of it. It was 50-to-1. She said, 'I like the name Mine That Bird and I think it's good,' and I said, 'Now honey, it's 50-to-1. Those aren't good odds.' But she said, 'Mom, I like it.' And I was like, 'Alright, whatever.' She got like $6,000."

However, Rowan didn't get to spend all her winnings as her parents have put the money away for her future.

Brooke revealed to America's OK magazine: "We put it in her college fund and she appreciated that. Her biggest thing was that she got a Kentucky Derby Barbie."

Brooke, 41, has also revealed her daughters make her feel special.

She said: "I'm amazed how beautiful they think I look.

"Because you live with them all day long, and then tonight I was all dressed up, and the little one, Grier, said to me, 'Mom!' and so Rowan said, 'You look beautiful.' Honestly, it's because there's sparkle, not because it's classy. And then the little one said, 'You look stunning!', and I was like, 'Stunning? You're my favourite human beings.' "

taken from : China Daily

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