gossip

Alicia Keys reportedly with child

noreply@blogger.com (yusrizal) — Fri, 28 May 2010 17:13:00 +0000

Keys performs during half time at the 2010 NBA All-Star Game in Dallas, Texas Feb 14, 2010. — Reuters pic

LOS ANGELES, May 28 — R&B singer/songwriter Alicia Keys is expecting her first baby and plans to marry her long-time boyfriend later this year, according to a rush of tabloid reports late yesterday.

The 29-year-old multiple Grammy winner is currently on tour in Europe, and is scheduled to perform at the football World Cup in South Africa next month. Her baby’s due date was not known, and a record-label spokeswoman did not immediately reply to an email seeking more information.

Keys is engaged to 31-year producer/rapper Swiss Beatz, aka Kasseem Dean, who already has a son from his first marriage. The reports said they would tie the knot during a private ceremony.

Her latest album, “The Element of Freedom,” peaked at No. 2 on the US pop chart in December, ending an unbroken string of four chart-toppers. Its first-week sales were 44 per cent lower than those for her previous release, 2007’s “As I Am.” — Reuters

Cowell exit not the only challenge facing ‘Idol’

noreply@blogger.com (yusrizal) — Fri, 28 May 2010 17:11:00 +0000

Cowell (centre) was leaving the top-rated show to start his own. — Reuters pic

LOS ANGELES, May 28 — The finale of “American Idol” drew its smallest audience since 2002 after a lacklustre season that saw America’s most-watched show lose its biggest star and posed challenges over how to recapture its sparkle.

An estimated 24.2 million viewers tuned in to the Fox network on Wednesday evening to watch Lee DeWyze beat Crystal Bowersox, and to bid farewell to British judge Simon Cowell — an 18 per cent drop from last year, according to preliminary ratings figures on Thursday.

The nine-year-old TV singing contest was the No.1 US show of the night and has retained its top rating this season for the 7th consecutive year. But audiences were down nine per cent this season to an average 23.9 million, compared to a 2006 high of about 30.8 million.

Fox entertainment chairman Peter Rice told reporters earlier this month that there was “no bigger question this summer” for the network than the replacement of Cowell.

The acid-tongued British judge has quit to launch his own show on Fox in 2011, saying he was bored after nine years on “Idol.”

Cowell is not alone when it comes to “Idol” fatigue. Media watchers say Fox, a unit of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, and “Idol” producers need bigger fixes if the show is to recapture its buzz and retain its fans.

“If they are smart, they will look at this as a way to re-boot the show from top to bottom, starting with the auditions, which were once funny, to the weekly themes like Elvis and the Beatles, which are getting stale,” Entertainment Weekly’s Michael Slezak told Reuters.

The addition of talk show host Ellen DeGeneres as a judge earlier this year was widely seen as a disappointment.

“Ellen was really dull. After that casting disaster, the Simon replacement is a pretty important one,” said Robert Thompson, professor of popular culture at Syracuse University.

DeGeneres signed a five-year contract with “Idol” and judges Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi have contracts that take them into 2011. But some “Idol” watchers think the entire panel should be thrown out.

“I would be really tempted to clean house on the panel and freshen the show up so much you would have to tune in because you know the dynamic would be so different,” said USA Today music writer Brian Mansfield.

“I think they will be in real trouble if they succumb to the temptation to bring in another celebrity judge,” he added.

Fox has already announced some tweaks to the 10th season, which starts airing in January 2011. The hour-long weekly results show will be cut by half, while contestants will get an extra 30 minutes in later stages of the contest to perform.

Aspiring singers can audition on MySpace for the first time in addition to try-outs before the judges in US cities nationwide this summer, Fox said on Wednesday.

“American Idol” creator Simon Fuller believes the format has life in it yet. “I think ‘American Idol’ will continue for a few more years for sure...It has had a fantastic run, so I am not complaining,” Fuller told Reuters earlier this month.

And Thompson said that although the show has a lot of problems to overcome, “’American Idol’ performing mediocre is better than most series at their best, which is why I think it is probably going to be around for a while. It just may not continue to be No.1 every week.” — Reuters

Lee DeWyze wins ‘American Idol’ as Cowell departs

noreply@blogger.com (yusrizal) — Fri, 28 May 2010 17:11:00 +0000

DeWyze performs at the performance show in Los Angeles yesterday, May 25, 2010. — Reuters pic

LOS ANGELES, May 27 — Former paint salesman Lee DeWyze was the surprise winner of “American Idol” yesterday, beating front-runner Crystal Bowersox on a night that saw all the talent show’s former champions reunite to bid farewell to Simon Cowell.

DeWyze, a 24-year-old Chicago native, won the coveted title and a recording contract after a nationwide phone and text vote based on the contestants’ performances the night before.

“Idol” judges had all but anointed Bowersox the winner after her three songs on Tuesday outclassed a nervous DeWyze. But Americans made up their own minds and chose DeWyze.

“I have never been happier in my life,” said a stunned DeWyze, choking back tears after the result was announced at the climax of a two-hour finale that featured performances by Christina Aguilera, Janet Jackson and Joe Cocker.

Initially shy, he blossomed in later rounds of the show, and emerged as a serious threat to Bowersox after a rousing version of the Leonard Cohen classic “Hallelujah” last week.

His cover of U2’s “Beautiful Day” is expected to be released later this week. His debut album, on a Sony Music Entertainment record label, will likely follow in the fall.

Barry and Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees and Alanis Morissette were also among the guest performers yesterday, while Poison rocker and “Celebrity Apprentice” winner Bret Michaels played his first live gig since suffering a brain haemorrhage in April and a mini-stroke last week.

DeWyze and the show’s high-wattage guests had to share the spotlight with both Cowell, whose departure was described by host Ryan Seacrest as “the end of an era”, and former “Idol” judge Paula Abdul.

Abdul, who quit last year after a contract-renewal dispute, got a standing ovation from the 7,000-strong audience at the Nokia Theatre when she appeared on stage to bid her old sparring partner a teary farewell.

“My darling Simon. I’ve worked with a lot of people over the years... but none of them holds a candle to you, my friend.

“I have loved all the fun we had together. ‘American Idol’ is not gonna be the same without you. But as only I can tell you, it will go on,” she said.

Every “Idol” winner since 2002 — from original champion Kelly Clarkson to 2009 winner Kris Allen — appeared on stage singing “Together We Are One” in tribute to Cowell’s part in making them stars.

Pulled on stage after a series of flashback video clips of his funniest moments and most insulting remarks, Cowell seemed genuinely moved.

“I didn’t think I was going to be this emotional,” he said. “I am going to honestly, honestly miss you”.

Cowell announced in January that he would be leaving “Idol” at the end of this season to launch a US version of his “The X-Factor” talent show on Fox in the fall of 2011. His replacement has not been announced.

“American Idol” remains America’s most popular TV show of the last seven years. But this year audiences have slipped by about 9 per cent to an average 23.9 million viewers per episode, compared to a 2006 high of about 30.8 million. — Reuters

Cowell feels the love on ‘American Idol’ send-off

noreply@blogger.com (yusrizal) — Fri, 28 May 2010 17:09:00 +0000

May 27, 2010

Cowell arrives for the season finale of ‘American Idol’ in Los Angeles yesterday, May 26, 2010. — Reuters pic

LOS ANGELES, May 27 — Paula Abdul sat on his lap, and his best insults were turned into a song as a softer Simon Cowell took centre stage yesterday in his last appearance as a judge on “American Idol”.

The British music executive may have become a household name in the United States by trashing wannabe singers, but his send-off yesterday was a love fest.

The season finale was scattered with video clips of memorable Cowell faces, humorous tributes from fellow judges and a song that strung his most famous one-liners together.

Ex-judge Abdul teased Cowell about his haircut and recalled a love-hate relationship on screen that she said made them “America’s most dysfunctional family” before she quit the show last year.

“My darling Simon, I’ve worked with a lot of people over the years, hot cheerleaders, big movie stars, world famous recording artists, even a cartoon cat. But if I’m being truly honest, none of them holds a candle to you, my friend,” Abdul said in a surprise live appearance.

She then perched on his lap on the judges’ podium as seven former “Idol” champions and more than 15 past contestants serenaded him.

Cowell, dragged on stage shortly before the actual 2010 “American Idol” was announced, admitted to feeling emotional.

“When everyone asks who’s going to replace me, who’s going to be the next judge, the truth is, you guys are the judge of this show,” Cowell said, indicating the viewers and voters.

“And you’ve done an incredible job over the years,” he added.

Cowell is leaving “Idol” to bring a version of his British talent show “The X Factor” to the United States next year, leaving producers to find a replacement for him on the top-rated Fox singing show.

“I think they need Darth Vader to take his place or possibly Hannibal Lecter,” rock singer Alice Cooper told reporters before performing yesterday, referring to some of the movie world’s most famous villains.

Former “American Idol” producer Nigel Lythgoe compared Cowell’s departure to when actor Sean Connery left the “James Bond” movie franchise. The movies carried on with a new Bond.

“It’s not just about Simon. It’s about the young talent and I think we’ve just got to stop talking about the judges, which we’ve seem to have done for the last two years, and worry about the talent,” Lythgoe said.

Cowell said during one video clip played yesterday that his nine years on “Idol” had been the best of his life.

“I think he personifies what separates this show from... a lot of other shows that have come before it,” singer Michael McDonald, formerly of the Doobie Brothers, told reporters.

“I can’t imagine a show capturing the imagination of the public like this show has for a long, long time,” he said. — Reuters

‘Sex’ loses zing but still lures fans

noreply@blogger.com (yusrizal) — Fri, 28 May 2010 17:06:00 +0000

Cast members pose for photographers at the premiere of “Sex and the City 2” in Leicester Square, London May 27, 2010. — Reuters pic

NEW YORK, May 28 — “Sex and the City” may have lost the scandalous story lines and antics that once left fans both shocked and delighted, but box office experts and devotees predict that won’t stop fans flocking to the movie sequel.

Women around the world are prepping their wardrobes for cocktail nights out and planning brunches and beauty treatments timed to watch Carrie Bradshaw and her three gal pals return in “Sex and the City 2,” that began its worldwide roll-out yesterday and opens in more than 30 countries by next week.

Similar to the first movie, many US reviews have been less than flattering. USA Today called it a “mortifying mess”, New York magazine “an epic eyesore,” and the Los Angeles Times said “the satire is sagging, the irony’s atrophied and the funny is flabby.”

A few reviews were more positive. The Hollywood Reporter, for one, said the sequel has “more cutting edge humour” than the first film and for “the core audience, there will be no complaints about too much of a good thing. This picture is going to be a smash.”

The first movie about four New York City women dealing with life and love raked in more than US$415 million (RM1.3 billion) worldwide, and box office watchers expect solid ticket sales.

“Even if the movie is terrible, women don’t care,” said Hollywood.com box office analyst Paul Dergarabedian. It’s an event...and I think for a lot of women, this is their ‘Star Wars.’ These are the characters that they love.”

Weeks before the debut, advance tickets were snapped up with more than 50 per cent of early online ticket sales going in blocks of four or more, said Dergarabedian, “which means women are going in groups, they’re making a girls night out of it, and that’s music to the studio’s ears, no question about it.”

Many women long ago planned shopping trips and other outings around the film, and to them reviews don’t matter.

“The show is not supposed to cure cancer. It fulfils that fantasy of what New York City is to the people who don’t live (here) and what it can be for those of us who do,” said 39-year-old New York resident Monica Lozano.

In fact, screenings taking place just after midnight yesterday, raked in US$3 million, according to studio estimates.

The sequel, distributed by Time Warner Inc.’s Warner Bros, sees a return to celebrating the friendship of the four main characters — Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha — who reflect on marriage and motherhood, leaving behind their families for an unlikely extravagant holiday in Abu Dhabi.

Supporting characters from the TV series, such as Carrie’s former boyfriend Aidan, appear in the sequel, and stars from Liza Minnelli to Miley Cyrus make cameo appearances.

And, of course, on display are many glamorous outfits that are sure to tantalise women everywhere who love fashion.

Much of the “Sex and the City” success is owed to the idea that it made women believe there was no reason to be embarrassed about feeling good about your body and flaunting it, said Elle Magazine’s fashion director Anne Slowey.

The show had a “phenomenal influence on the fashion industry,” she said. “And it’s a lot of fun. That’s the bottom line. Fashion is fun. ‘Sex and the City’ is fun. It’s the perfect marriage.”

Cast members and trend experts said the influence of the franchise on pop culture has been nothing short of incredible since the groundbreaking TV series first aired in 1998.

“It’s beyond anything that I could have hoped, dreamed for, pondered,” Sarah Jessica Parker (Carrie) told Reuters. — Reuters

Leighton Meester in colorful dress

noreply@blogger.com (yusrizal) — Fri, 28 May 2010 17:05:00 +0000

Casual yet beautiful, Gossip Girl star Leighton Meester is back in action to her show The Gossip Girl. Leighton Meester together with a new comer was on the set of Gossip Girl in New York to film the season three of the said show, with and airing schedule. Wearing her colorful haltered dress and casual sleepers, Meester looks extremely beautiful and girly in these photos and probably stands out in the set. The denim pants and off-shoulder blouse shows the casual beauty of Leighton. Aside from Gossip Girl, Leighton Meester is also busy doing her two upcoming movies that includes the Roommate and Date Night. More images after the break...

‘Glee,’ Stones eye top of albums chart

noreply@blogger.com (yusrizal) — Sun, 23 May 2010 12:31:00 +0000

Dianna Agron poses at the premiere of the second season of “Glee” in Los Angeles April 12, 2010. — Reuters pic

LOS ANGELES, May 21 — It’s “Glee” versus the Glimmer Twins on next week’s US pop album chart, as the latest release from the TV series vies for top honours with the reissue of the Rolling Stones’ “Exile on Main Street.”

Industry gurus think the “Glee: Showstoppers” soundtrack will debut at No 1 on the Billboard 200, selling perhaps 80,000 to 100,000 copies by week’s end on May 23 — enough to unseat current champ Justin Bieber. Rankings will be released on Wednesday.

The cast of “Glee” notched its first No 1 recently with “The Power of Madonna,” when that seven-song mini-album arrived in the penthouse with 98,000. “Showstoppers” is the third proper full-length soundtrack from the hit Fox TV show. The first two volumes arrived in quick succession last November and December.

But another album looking for a high placement on the Billboard 200 next week is the Stones’ 1972 album “Exile on Main Street,” which is being reissued with rare bonus tracks.

There’s a chance that the set — which spent four weeks at No 1 on the chart that year — could give the “Glee” album a run for its money for No 1 next week. The set was co-produced by the Glimmer Twins, the nom de plume of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.

Other sets expected to debut high on the Billboard 200 next week include Black Keys’ “Brothers,” Band of Horses’ “Infinite Arms,” Nas and Damian Marley’s “Distant Relatives” and LCD Soundsystem’s “This Is Happening.”

Bieber’s “My World 2.0.” sold 60,300 copies during the week ended May 16, the second-lowest sales tally for a No 1 album since tracking firm Nielsen SoundScan started keeping data in May 1991. — Reuters

Tearful James says threw away marriage to Sandra Bullock

noreply@blogger.com (yusrizal) — Sun, 23 May 2010 12:25:00 +0000

Bullock (right) and James arrive at the 41st Annual NAACP Image Awards at the Shrine auditorium in Los Angeles, Feb 26, 2010. — Reuters pic

LOS ANGELES, May 23 — The soon-to-be-divorced husband of Sandra Bullock says he is probably the “most hated man in the world” for having cheated on the popular actress.

A tearful Jesse James, giving his first TV interview since the March split with Bullock, took the blame for the break-up of what had seemed a happy marriage.

“I took a pretty amazing life and amazing success and marriage....and threw it away by my own hands,” the custom motorcycle maker told ABC News show “Nightline”, according to excerpts released on Friday.

James, 41, admitted cheating on his wife of five years. According to media reports, he had affairs with at least four women — one of them while Bullock was away last year filming what would be her Oscar-winning role in drama “The Blind Side.”

Bullock, 45, had given emotional speeches at the Oscars and other Hollywood awards shows thanking James for his support.

Bullock, the star of romantic comedies “The Proposal” and “Miss Congeniality”, left their southern California home when the cheating allegations broke in the media in March, just days after she won her first Oscar.

She has since filed for divorce, despite revealing that the couple had adopted a baby together in January. She told People magazine in an April interview that she would raise the baby alone.

Asked by “Nightline” interviewer Vicki Mabrey whether he was “the most hated man in America” — as some US celebrity magazines have labelled him for cheating on Bullock — James replied: “I think ‘the most hated man in the world’ now.”

The interview with James will be broadcast on “Good Morning America” on May 25 and on “Nightline” later that day. — Reuters

Simon Cowell speaks of depression, admits mistakes

noreply@blogger.com (yusrizal) — Sun, 23 May 2010 12:21:00 +0000

Cowell said he once lost everything because he “believed my own hype”. — Reuters pic

LOS ANGELES, May 21 — Simon Cowell showed Americans his softer side yesterday, telling Oprah Winfrey he suffered from depression and that he had made “some absolutely horrific mistakes” in the past.

The normally abrasive “American Idol” judge said during an appearance on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” that he was prone to dark moods.

“I get very, very down,” Cowell said “Pretty much depression. (But) what I always say is, ‘You’re taking yourself too seriously, so stop it.’ At the same time, you should never put a painted smile on. When you’re feeling down, you’re feeling down.”

Cowell, 50, who also has his own record label and created the TV shows “America’s Got Talent” and “The X-Factor,” said he sometimes felt drained by the demands of his work.

“You just become aware that a lot of people depend on you, rely on you, or you’re not giving people the time you should be giving them. It’s almost like a guilt thing, and that does drain me,” he said.

Often seen as arrogant because of his stinging put-downs to aspiring singers, Cowell admitted that he had a strong ego.

But life hasn’t always been kind. He recalled the time 20 years ago when he lost his job, car and home and had to move back to live with his parents in Britain when a business deal went wrong.

“I made some absolutely horrific mistakes. I believed my own ego, believed my own hype, believed my own abilities, and lots of times it came crashing down,” he said. “I thought I was absolutely untouchable.”

Cowell’s interview with Winfrey was broadcast a week before the May 26 finale of “American Idol”, which will mark the end of his eight year association with the most-watched TV show in the United States. — Reuters

Lindsay Lohan back in LA for court showdown

noreply@blogger.com (yusrizal) — Sun, 23 May 2010 12:17:00 +0000

Lohan managed to evade paparazzi on her return. — Reuters pic

LOS ANGELES, May 23 — Lindsay Lohan returned to Los Angeles from France last night, two days after missing a probation hearing that caused a judge to briefly issue a warrant for her arrest.

Wearing dark hat and sunglasses, Lohan, 23, flew into Los Angeles and gave the slip to many of the paparazzi who had been stalking around the air terminal all day, according to media reports, after a week of partying at the Cannes film festival.

The “Mean Girls” actress missed a court hearing in Beverly Hills on Monday for failing to complete alcohol education classes imposed for a 2007 drunken driving case, angering the judge overseeing her case. She blamed a stolen passport.

But Judge Marsha Revel issued an arrest warrant for Lohan on Thursday, and later it was revoked after her legal team posted bail of US$100,000 (RM320,000).

The judge said Lohan must now undergo random drug and alcohol testing, get fitted with an alcohol monitoring bracelet and not drink any alcohol until she turns up in court.

Revel extended Lohan’s probation last October and warned her then that she risked being sent to jail. The alcohol education classes are part of the actress’s sentence for a 2007 arrest for drunken driving, reckless driving and driving under the influence of cocaine.

Lohan was considered one of Hollywood’s most talented young actresses after films like “Freaky Friday” and “Bobby”. But despite three stints in rehab in 2007, her movie career has slumped and her frequent night-clubbing has become a staple of celebrity gossip columns. — Reuters

Gene Simmons says KISS costume prevents ‘grinding’

noreply@blogger.com (yusrizal) — Sat, 15 May 2010 09:43:00 +0000

LOS ANGELES, May 15 — KISS bassist Gene Simmons yesterday denied brushing up against a make-up artist and “grinding” against her, saying his codpiece-style stage costume made that impossible.

Simmons’ legal team filed court papers in Los Angeles asking a judge to declare that accuser Victoria Jackson has suffered no harm from the star of costume rock and reality television.

Simmons’ lawyers said Jackson has threatened to sue over the “alleged assault that never occurred” unless he pays her US$185,000 (RM590, 613).

The dispute stems from a November 2009 appearance Simmons and fellow band member Eric Singer made on the ESPN television show “SportsCenter”.

Jackson has stated in a letter to Simmons, 60, that he hugged and “grinded” her in a hallway at ESPN studios in Los Angeles, when he was there for “SportsCenter.”

But Simmons’ lawyers say Jackson’s grinding allegations are “implausible if not impossible” because he was in his KISS costume with a codpiece that sits over the groin.

KISS began its career in the 1970s and scored hits with “Detroit Rock City” and “Rock and Roll All Nite.” Simmons has since become a reality TV star on “Gene Simmons: Family Jewels”.

An ESPN spokesman said the company was not involved in the lawsuit. — Reuters

Cannes shaping up a winner for movie industry

noreply@blogger.com (yusrizal) — Sat, 08 May 2010 12:20:00 +0000

CANNES, May 8 — Days before the curtain rises on the world’s biggest film market at Cannes, festival organisers say the recession-hit film industry looks set to slide out of the doldrums.

“There are signs of a timid recovery,” festival director Thierry Fremaux told AFP. “Cannes will probably reflect that.”

With some 10,000 business types and 400 companies from 97 countries in town for the Cannes Market on May 13 to 22, held on the sidelines of the festival, the market is the globe’s top movie business place — with wheeling and dealing for rights to some 4,000 movies, either finished or in the planning stage.

Market director Jerome Paillard, who has run the sector for 14 years, said that days before the start of business, registrations were up six per cent from belt-tightening 2009.

“Everyone is watching very closely how things go this year,” he told AFP. “Professionals are showing optimism once again but we will see whether this translates into hard fact.”

Favourable currency exchange rates, he added, had helped buoy the US presence this year after a difficult edition, thanks to the financial crisis.

Some 16 per cent of buyers and sellers are from the United States, with around the same numbers from Asia and 62 per cent from Europe.

The number of producers signed up to attend has risen 10 per cent to 2,000.

“You can tell that people have more visibility and more readiness to project into the future,” he added. “And both distributors and television networks need to buy films after having had to survive on stocks for a year, which is encouraging.”

Paillard said however that while a number of countries were back on the buyers’ market, offers were pegged to price levels seen two to three years back.

“This is a lasting trend that the market will have to take into account,” he said.

With 2,000-odd completed films up for sale this year, the Market offers 33 cinemas located in the central festival building famed for its red-carpeted steps, as well as in luxury hotels on the palm-fringed Croisette seaside walk and in city cinemas.

Ten of the cinemas have been equipped for 3-D screenings, increasingly popular since James Cameron’s blockbuster “Avatar” netted record ticket sales of US$2.7 billion (RM8.6 billion).

“3-D productions are spreading everywhere, they’re not just being made in Hollywood but also in Europe and Asia,” Paillard said.

“Today people are wondering whether 3-D will spread beyond action movies and genre films to more intimate arthouse fare.” — AFP-Relaxnews

Oliver Stone targets banks in ‘Wall Street’ sequel

noreply@blogger.com (yusrizal) — Sat, 08 May 2010 12:18:00 +0000

Douglas and LaBeouf in a scene from ‘'Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps’. — Reuters pic

LONDON, May 8 — Director Oliver Stone turns his sights on the US banking system later this year in the sequel to “Wall Street,” his examination of 1980s excess, with Michael Douglas reprising his Oscar-winning role as Gordon Gekko.

While in the 1987 film Stone cast the unscrupulous corporate raider Gekko as the bad guy, it is the big banks which are the villains of “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps,” to be unveiled at the Cannes film festival later this month.

“The original ‘87 movie was about these bandits (like Gekko) who came into the system,” the three-time Oscar winner told Reuters in a telephone interview.

“It wasn’t about the system itself, it did not question the banks. The investment banks were not playing the same role back then,” he added.

According to Stone, in the real world Gekko’s role was taken on by hedge fund managers and then by investment banks, something he opposes.

“Banks used to be boring, and there’s something to be said very strongly for keeping them that way,” said Stone, who has a reputation for tackling tough themes from the Vietnam war to the assassination of John F. Kennedy and the 9/11 attacks.

He referred to the so-called “Volcker rule” proposal in the United States which aims to limit proprietary trading by banks.

“(This) is what our movie is a lot about, trading for themselves, for profits for themselves, and not for their clients. They (the banks) have lost their agentary function which was their original purpose,” said Stone.

While addressing serious issues, Stone stressed that “Wall Street 2” was chiefly a piece of entertainment.

“I wouldn’t have headed into this thing unless I could have made it exciting,” he explained.

“I think one of the things I’ve been able to do over the years is take arcane subject matter ... and make it accessible and entertaining and the kind of movie where you want to know what happens next and which is suspenseful.”

Hitting theatres on Sept 24, the movie stars Shia LaBeouf as Jake Moore, a successful trader who is in a relationship with Winnie (Carey Mulligan), Gekko’s daughter.

Frank Langella plays Moore’s mentor whose investment bank is stuck with billions of dollars in toxic debt, and Josh Brolin portrays Bretton James, who seeks to take over the business for a fraction of its worth.

Gekko is out of jail, where he served time for securities fraud, and promoting his new book “Is Greed Good?” while at the same time seeking a rapprochement with his daughter.

Stone said he was not interested at first when he heard that Douglas and producer Edward Pressman were keen to return to Wall Street in 2006.

“I was lukewarm to the idea because I wasn’t that interested in the celebrity culture of wealth. There was a draft written and it didn’t work out for me.”

But after the financial crash of 2008, the project became more attractive, particularly with the sub-plot of Gekko’s relationship with his daughter thrown in.

Stone said he believed that the movie, from News Corp unit Twentieth Century Fox, would not have been made were it not for the success of the original Wall Street.

“It was still that name that drove it. It’s ironic to say that we created ... a sort of franchise, but it does help enormously around the world.” — Reuters

Kristen Stewart heads ‘On the Road’

noreply@blogger.com (yusrizal) — Sat, 08 May 2010 12:15:00 +0000

LOS ANGELES, May 7 — Brazilian director Walter Salles has cast Kristen Stewart (pic) (‘The Twilight Saga’ films, The Runaways) along with Sam Riley, Garrett Hedlund for the film adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s 1957 seminal novel “On the Road”.

Salles directed “The Motorcycle Diaries or Diários de Motocicleta” with Gael Garcia Bernal portraying Che Guevara on a road trip with a friend.

To prepare for this much-anticipated project, Salles travelled across the US following Kerouac’s footsteps and shooting a documentary. His Oscar-nominated writer on The Motorcycle Diaries, Jose Rivera, wrote this script.

Hedlund (Friday Night Lights, Tron Legacy) plays Dean Moriarty — based on Beat Generation icon Neal Cassady and Stewart plays his wife Mary Lou. Sam Riley (Control) plays Kerouac’s alter ego, Sal Paradise, in the autobiographical tale.

The production begins filming this August for a planned release in 2011. — afprelaxnews.com

Kristen Stewart heads ‘On the Road’

noreply@blogger.com (yusrizal) — Sat, 08 May 2010 12:15:00 +0000

Salles directed “The Motorcycle Diaries or Diários de Motocicleta” with Gael Garcia Bernal portraying Che Guevara on a road trip with a friend.

The production begins filming this August for a planned release in 2011. — afprelaxnews.com

Prosecutors oppose release of Polanski transcripts

noreply@blogger.com (yusrizal) — Sat, 08 May 2010 12:13:00 +0000

Polanski remains under house arrest in Switzerland. — Reuters pic

LOS ANGELES, May 7 — Prosecutors in the sex crime case of Roman Polanski said yesterday they oppose a defence request seeking the release of documents the film director’s lawyers say would aid his fight against extradition.

Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney David Walgren said similar requests have been denied three previous times.

“The defendant ... obviously running out of options to avoid extradition, makes completely baseless and reckless allegations apparently orchestrated as part of a public relations campaign, rather than being premised on any legal or factual foundation,” Walgren wrote in his court filing.

Last week, Polanski’s California attorneys asked the court to release sealed transcripts of a deposition by a former Los Angeles prosecutor. The lawyers argued that those transcripts will prove the request to bring him back to the United States was based “upon false and materially incomplete statements.”

A judge is expected to hear arguments in the case on Monday.

Polanski, 76, is under house arrest in Switzerland waiting to learn if officials there will return him to Los Angeles to face sentencing in the more than 30-year-old sex crime.

In 1977, the director of “Rosemary’s Baby” pleaded guilty to having unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl in Los Angeles, but he fled the United States in 1978 when he believed the judge, who has since died, would sentence him to more time in jail than he had already served. — Reuters

Hollywood eyes another RM12 billion summer

noreply@blogger.com (yusrizal) — Sat, 08 May 2010 12:09:00 +0000

LOS ANGELES, May 6 — Four billion dollars over four months, four years in a row. Those are figures that might make the ego of “Iron Man” Tony Stark swell even bigger.

But the US$4 billion (RM12 billion) is what Hollywood’s studios will be aiming to collect at box offices during their lucrative summer film season that kicks off on Friday, starting four straight months of some of the year’s biggest movies and biggest stars.

The show begins with “Iron Man 2,” about defense industry billionaire Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) who builds an ultra high-tech suit that serves as a weapon. It will be followed by nearly 100 more films including a pair of remakes of 1980s titles “The Karate Kid” and “The A-Team.”

Before the season ends in September, Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz will battle evil in “Knight and Day,” Russell Crowe rob from the rich to give to the poor in “Robin Hood,” the ladies of “Sex and the City 2” will go shopping in Abu Dhabi, and Jake Gyllenhaal will wield a mighty sword in action-packed Jerry Bruckheimer flick “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.”

“When you really sit down and think of how Bruckheimer works, he knows a really successful movie like this has to focus on a really succesful story,” Gyllenhaal told Reuters, talking about the producer of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies.

Yet in the past it has been action and adventure that have boosted summer ticket sales. Last year’s No. 1 summer flick, “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” helped push the 2009 season’s ticket sales to just under US$4.2 billion.

Paul Dergarabedian of Hollywood.com believes this year’s box office takings will top that figure, nudged along by nine sequels and seven 3D films, including “Shrek Forever After” and “Toy Story 3.”

“With the 3D component, we could have another record-breaking summer in revenue,” he said.

Bring on the popcorn

But for fans, the season is less about the money — unless they’re talking popcorn and sodas — and more about movies.

Through the first half of the summer, Hollywood’s studios usher at least one major release into theaters each week, culminating on June 30 with “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse,” starring heartthrob Robert Pattinson as vampire Edward Cullen and Kristen Stewart as the love of his immortal life, Bella Swan.

The first two movies in the “Twilight” series took in a combined US$1.1 billion but the second, last November’s “New Moon,” took its knocks from fans for being a bit too slow and moody. “Eclipse,” directed by horror moviemaker David Slade, promises to be dark and action-packed.

“The biggest (challenge) is keeping the series fresh and exciting — for actors, for the crew but most importantly for the audience,” said producer Wyck Godfrey. “A new filmmaker brings a new vision.”

On the romance front on May 14 comes comedy “Just Wright” starring Queen Latifah as a physical therapist training a suave basketball player and “Letters to Juliet,” in which Amanda Seyfried portrays an American tourist who finds love in Italy.

They are followed one week later by the first 3D movie of the summer, “Shrek Forever After,” the “final chapter” in the series about the gentle, big green ogre and his princess Fiona.

3D films have had a major impact on box offices this past year (see “Avatar”), and Dergarabedian, for one, thinks they will be a big factor in the summer box office when children pack theaters while school is out.

“Clearly they are going for that kid audience,” he said. “3D really matters to kids.”

Comedies abound too, with titles such as the “Saturday Night Live” spin-off “MacGruber” and madcap rock ‘n’ roll film “Get Him to the Greek” starring Russell Brand and Jonah Hill.

June 11 has been dubbed “80’s week” by fans because action adventure “The A-Team” and action drama “The Karate Kid” go head-to-head, seeing which film can out-action the other.

Finally, in those first two months before the U.S. Independence Day holiday on July 4, plenty of low-budget and independently-made movies will screen in theaters.

Among the more buzzed-about titles are documentaries “Babies,” “Restreppo” and “Casino Jack and the United States of Money,” as well as Sundance drama “Winter’s Bone” and comedy “Cyrus.” — Reuters

Enrique Iglesias, Lionel Richie team up on new song

noreply@blogger.com (yusrizal) — Tue, 04 May 2010 10:21:00 +0000

Enrique seems ready to party all night long with the veteran richie

MADRID, May 4 — US pop star Lionel Richie has collaborated with Enrique Iglesias on the Spanish singer’s new English-language single “I Like It” which was previewed yesterday on the Internet.

The upbeat song, which was uploaded to the web site of Spanish television channel Telecinco, features a sample of Richie’s 1983 hit single “All Night Long”.

It was recorded with Lady Gaga producer Red One and it will be included on Iglesias’ as-yet-untitled new album which will be released in July.

“I can’t wait to finish making this album. It’s like nothing I’ve ever done before. It taps into so many different styles of music. It has been really exciting for me to experiment and explore new territory,” he said last month.

Iglesias, 34, and Richie, 60, worked together before on the 2002 hit duet “To Love A Woman”.

The song first appeared on Richie’s ‘live’ album “Encore” and Iglesias’ special edition release of “Escape”.

Since bursting on to the music scene in 1995, Enrique has become one of the biggest selling Spanish artists of all time, selling over 55 million albums. — afprelaxnews.com

Actress Lynn Redgrave dies in Connecticut at 67

noreply@blogger.com (yusrizal) — Tue, 04 May 2010 10:19:00 +0000

NEW YORK, May 4 — Lynn Redgrave, a leading member of a British acting dynasty who was nominated for Oscars in 1966 for “Georgy Girl” and in 1998 for “Gods and Monsters,” has died of breast cancer, her family said today.

Redgrave died at the age of 67 on Sunday night at her home in Connecticut, her publicist Rick Miramontez said.

“Our beloved mother Lynn Rachel passed away peacefully after a seven-year journey with breast cancer,” her three children Ben, Pema, and Annabel said in a statement.

“The endless memories she created as a mother, grandmother, writer, actor and friend will sustain us for the rest of our lives.”

Redgrave, the London-born youngest child of actors Sir Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson, brought to the stage her reflections on one of Britain’s most celebrated and complicated theatrical families.

Her elder brother Corin Redgrave, also an actor, passed away less than a month earlier and her niece, Natasha Richardson, died after a skiing accident in 2009. She is survived by her sister, the actress Vanessa Redgrave.

She made her professional debut in London’s Royal Court Theatre’s 1962 production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and her Broadway debut in 1967 in “Black Comedy” with Michael Crawford and John Clark, whom she married soon after.

Her first feature film appearance was in the bawdy comedy “Tom Jones” in 1963, but her breakout role came with a starring performance as the naive young Georgy in the 1966 movie “Georgy Girl,” which earned her an Oscar nomination for best actress.

With her tall frame, striking dark red hair and blue eyes, her notable roles in the 1970s included playing The Queen in Woody Allen’s “Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Sex” and the title role role in “The Happy Hooker” in 1975.

She returned to further critical acclaim in a series of films in the late 1990s, including a small role in the independent film “Shine” and then “Gods and Monsters,” for which she was nominated for an Oscar as best supporting actress.

Although lacking the stature of her more famous older sister Vanessa, she enjoyed a distinguished and varied career that included television and radio performances in Britain and the United States, including her last TV credit for an appearance on “Ugly Betty” last year.

Redgrave also lent her voice to many audio books.

She received one of several Tony nominations for her 1993 play, “Shakespeare For My Father,” in which she delves into her efforts to bridge the gap with her aloof father. Corin Redgrave revealed in a later biography that their father was bisexual.

She subsequently wrote and performed other plays, including a one-woman show “Nightingale,” inspired by the life of her maternal grandmother.

Her private life hit headlines in the late 1990s and 2000s, when she discovered that her husband had fathered a child with the future wife of their son, Benjamin. She and Clark, who had also acted as her agent and manager, divorced in 2000.

She was also known for openly discussing her emotional and weight problems, including a battle with bulimia as a young girl, and served as a spokeswoman for Weight Watchers.

After undergoing a mastectomy for breast cancer in 2003, she released a book in 2004 with her daughter Annabel called, “Journal: A Mother and Daughter’s Recovery From Breast Cancer.”

A private funeral will be held later this week. — Reuters

Sandra Bullock reveals secret baby, files for divorce

noreply@blogger.com (yusrizal) — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 15:32:00 +0000

LOS ANGELES, April 29 — Oscar-winning actress Sandra Bullock yesterday revealed she had secretly adopted a baby boy, but was divorcing her cheating husband and would raise the child on her own.

In a lengthy interview and photoshoot with People magazine, Bullock (picture) spoke of her joy at being a mother for the first time, and her sadness at ending her five-year marriage to motorcycle maker and reality TV star Jesse James.

“Yes, I have filed for divorce,” Bullock, 45, told the celebrity magazine. “I’m sad and I am scared.”

She said she had adopted a son, three-and-a-half-month-old Louis Bardo Bullock, who she now planned to raise as a single mother and put her acting career on hold for awhile.

The “Blind Side” star said she and James had been working together on the adoption for four years. They welcomed the baby into their home in January but decided to keep it a secret until after Hollywood’s awards season that ended with the Oscars on March 7, where Bullock was named best actress.

The People magazine spread marked the first time Bullock commented publicly on numerous reports that James had cheated on her during their marriage.

The reports surfaced just 10 days after Bullock won the Oscar. She left the southern California home she shared with James and went into seclusion, taking Louis with her.

James has been publicly linked with at least four women, including a California tattoo model, and he has admitted to causing Bullock “pain and devastation.” Photos of him also surfaced in the media wearing the cap of a Nazi officer.

Bullock told People she had no idea of his infidelities until she learned that another magazine was printing a story about James and the tattoo model.

“Never in a million years did I foresee something like this happening. I wish I hadn’t, and it still doesn’t seem real,” she said.

“I did the only thing I could do, and that was pack enough clothes to live on, get all of Louis’ things and get out of town.”

James, 41, recently spent 30 days in a rehab facility for an undisclosed addiction. He told People that “the decision to let my wife end our marriage, and continue the adoption of Louis on her own, has been the hardest.

“Sandy is the love of my life, but considering the pain and devastation I have caused her, it would be selfish to not let her go.”

Bullock filed for divorce in Austin, Texas on April 23, citing irreconcilable differences. They were married in 2005 and James had three children from previous relationships.

The actress described Louis — who she said was named after musician Louis Armstrong — as “the most beautiful man I know” and said she wanted to enjoy being a mother for a while.

But she showed little anger towards James, describing their current relationship as “a different one. A bittersweet one. One of new understanding. One of forgiveness. One of support for his recovery.” — Reuters

Siobhan Magnus voted off ‘American Idol’

noreply@blogger.com (yusrizal) — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 15:30:00 +0000

NEW YORK, April 29 — The music of country singer Shania Twain spelled Siobhan Magnus’ downfall yesterday, leaving only one woman among the five remaining finalists on “American Idol.”

After 33 million votes Magnus, a tattooed, punk-styled singer from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, was eliminated from the hit television show’s ninth-season despite the judges’ overall praise for her rendition of “Any Man of Mine.”

Magnus showed very little emotion at being voted off the singing contest, saying she had done her best before launching a farewell performance of “Think.”

The other two singers at the bottom of this week’s pack were Casey James and Michael Lynche. All of the performers had landed in the bottom three in past weeks, and Lynche was actually voted off by fans before being spared by the judges, who used their once-per-season save to keep him singing.

The other remaining finalists are teenager Aaron Kelly, Lee Dewyze and Crystal Bowersox, this season’s last woman singing and a strong contender to win, despite uncharacteristically tepid feedback from the judges this week.

Yesterday’s live broadcast included several musical performances, including Rascal Flatts singing “Unstoppable” before they teamed up with Colombian pop singer Shakira, debuting her new single “Gypsy.”

Sons of Sylvia, introduced by season No. 4 winner Carrie Underwood, sang “Love Left to Lose” while Lady Antebellum took to the stage for “Need You Now.”

Cameron Diaz and Antonio Banderas also made a brief appearance to promote their new movie “Shrek Forever After.”

Harry Connick Jr. will next mentor the finalists for a songs-of-Sinatra themed week.

The finale airs in May, when the next “Idol” winner lands a recording contract and enviable media exposure.

Past champions such as Kelly Clarkson and Underwood have achieved major stardom, but last year’s winner Kris Allen has been overshadowed by runner-up, glam-pop singer Adam Lambert. — Reuters

YouTube’s most-watched this week

noreply@blogger.com (yusrizal) — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 11:46:00 +0000

APRIL 18 — A young Taiwanese man’s version of Whitney Houston’s I Will Always Love You, an iPad turned to dust, and a new Tiger Woods commercial dominate this week’s worldwide YouTube charts.

1) Taiwanese Lin Yu Chun Sings Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” LIVE — Taiwan´s Susan Boyle. 5,387,259 views.

2) Will It Blend? - iPad — After marbles and golf balls, Blendtec’s Tom Dickson takes on the iPad, testing his blender’s capability of turning the gadget to dust. 5,386,775 views.

3) New Tiger Woods Commercial: Earl and Tiger —Nike’s new filmed ad has a voiceover of his late father

4) Kobe Bryant points at Jeff Van Gundy — After Van Gundy said Bryant’s left-hand hook shot was the worst he had ever seen, the NBA star proves him wrong. 2,781,453 views.

5) F***ING BIRDS!! — Vlogger Ray William Johnson fills you in on what you missed on YouTube this week. 2,087,207 views.

6) Annoying Orange: Excess Cabbage — Vlogger Orange loses his mojo, but Cabbage does his best to help get it back. 2,067,388 views.

7) THE TALKING TWINKIE!?! —Vlogger Shane Dawson’s own personal food war. 1,851,658 views.

8) Lin Yu Chun Sings Whitney Houston’s ‘I Will Always Love You’ — Another clip of Chun’s TV breakthrough. 1,817,911 views.

9) Pool Flip FAIL — A woman attempts to do a handstand flip into the pool. 1,502,566 views.

10) Prank Call WIN — A caller brings up an awkward subject on a live sports show. 1,364,000 views. — AFP-Relaxnews.com

Chris Rock’s ‘Good Hair’ documentary gets judge’s OK

noreply@blogger.com (yusrizal) — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 11:44:00 +0000

Actor Chris Rock poses while promoting the documentary “Good Hair” during the Sundance Film Festival in January this year. — Reuters pic

LOS ANGELES, Oct 20 — Comedian Chris Rock’s documentary movie “Good Hair” can open across the US this week after a judge yesterday ruled against a filmmaker who accused the comedian of stealing her idea for the film.

US District Judge Dale Fischer said in court that before coming to her decision, she watched both Rock’s “Good Hair” and Regina Kimbell’s 2006 documentary “My Nappy Roots.”

Fischer said the films “don’t seem to be made for the same audience,” and that portions of them “are not similar at all.”

Kimbell had sought to block Rock and HBO Films from releasing “Good Hair” without her approval on the grounds that it stole from her own film.

Kimbell asked for US$5 million (RM16.8 million) in damages in her lawsuit, which accuses Rock of copyright infringement and unfair competition, and states that her film “My Nappy Roots” was the basis for “Good Hair.”

Rock has said that his inspiration for “Good Hair” was actually his 7 year-old daughter, who once asked him, “How come I don’t have good hair?”

The movie takes a humorous path to exploring race and identity, while examining the industry behind black hair products, as it shows the pains some black women endure to have straight hair.

Kimbell’s lawsuit can still move forward, despite the judge’s ruling to allow “Good Hair” to open across the US.

Rock starred on “Saturday Night Live” from 1990 to 1993, before going on to work in movies, several HBO comedy specials and co-create the TV sitcom “Everybody Hates Chris” in 2005.

“Good Hair,” which includes interviews with civil rights leader Al Sharpton, author Maya Angelou and rap star Ice-T, garnered buzz on the film festival circuit this year, and opened in limited release on Oct 9.

It will broaden its release across the United States on Friday. — Reuters

Chris Rock sets comic sights on devilish credit

noreply@blogger.com (yusrizal) — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 11:41:00 +0000

LOS ANGELES, APRIL 18 — His new movie opened in theaters on Friday, but already comedian Chris Rock (picture) has set his sight on a new film venture that takes aim at consumers’ love of credit, which Rock calls the devil.

“Credit and debt is the root of all evil, and you can trace almost every bad act in this country and the world, to people’s financial status at the time,” he told Reuters in an interview for his new film, “Death at a Funeral.”

Rock, whose satirical wit has made audiences laugh on TV and in movies, was touring theaters last year with his film documentary “Good Hair,” about hair care products.

When asked if he had another nonfiction film in his future, Rock said he did. It may take years to reach theaters, but already Rock has a title in mind, “Credit is the Devil.”

“You know, documentaries take like three years — you start, you stop, you start, you stop,” he said.

After the past two years of financial market meltdown, economic recession and a nascent recovery, debt problems are something that many people around the world know a lot about. But Rock said he has escaped any personal credit crunch.

“I’ve been lucky. I made money early on, and I don’t spend money either, so this is it,” he said, pointing to his everyday wardrobe. “This plastic bracelet is my big expenditure.” — Reuters

Lars von Trier casts Dunst in ‘Melancholia’

noreply@blogger.com (yusrizal) — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 17:08:00 +0000

LOS ANGELES, April 17 — Since Penelope Cruz left Melancholia to jump aboard Pirates of the Caribbean’s next instalment, Kirsten Dunst (Spider-Man, Marie Antoinette) will take the lead role in the next film of Lars von Trier (Antichrist).

A sci-fi disaster film that will shoot July through September in Southern Sweden will bring together Charlotte Gainsbourg (Antichrist), Kiefer Sutherland (Monsters vs. Aliens) and Charlotte Rampling. Stellan Skarsgaard (Angels and Demons), Alexander Skarsgaard and Udo Kier are also cast.

Dunst will star next in All Good Things with Ryan Gosling. Her short film “Bastard” will premiere at the Tribeca Film Fest and be screened at Cannes.

Kiefer Sutherland, star of the hit US television show 24, which ends this season, may see a film version of the series. Rampling appears next in Never Let Me Go with Carey Mulligan and Keira Knightley. — afprelaxnews.com