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SIR ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER, SMOKEY ROBINSON, DOLLY PARTON, STEVEN SPIELBERG and conductor ZUBIN MEHTA have all been selected to receive this year’s (06) Kennedy Center Honors.
The awards will be bestowed on 2 December (06), followed by a gala performance the next night (03DEC06) at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC.
Kennedy Center chairman STEPHEN A SCHWARZMAN said the five artists "have transformed the culture of our country and of the world." The honorees are selected by the center’s board of trustees from recommendations submitted by an artists committee and past recipients. The gala will be taped and broadcast on the US network CBS at a later date.

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SIR ELTON JOHN is going hip-hop on his next album because his record label boss, JIMMY IOVINE, wants the ROCKET MAN to work with DR DRE and EMINEM.
The British rocker is a longtime fan of hip-hop and admits he’s thrilled to get the chance to work with the genre’s biggest names.
He says, "I’ve got plans to do another album which will be completely different. I wanna do a hip-hop album with some people.
"It was a suggestion. It was Jimmy Iovine, who runs my record company; he said, ‘Listen, I want to put you in with Dr Dre and with Eminem, and with PHARRELL (WILLIAMS) and with TIMBALAND and all the best people and I just think it’s a great idea."

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Renowned Cuban musician RICHARD EGUES, who was famed for his songwriting and flute playing, has died in Havana. He was 82.
Egues reportedly suffered from a brain lesion before his death.
Cuban-controlled news outlet Granma said the musician died on 1 September (06).
According to Cuban music scholar RAUL FERNANDEZ, "He had a very sweet sound.
"He was really the first person in all of Cuban popular music who was an upfront soloist, replacing the vocalists who had been the stars until then." Unlike some of his contemporaries, Egues remained loyal to the Cuban revolution and made news this summer (06) when he expressed his support for communist leader FIDEL CASTRO as he underwent surgery.
The ailing musician said at the time, "If it’s necessary to give him life, I will offer mine."

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Singer LIONEL RICHIE is terrified his daughter NICOLE will suffer the same fate as the late DIANA, PRINCESS OF WALES, because she is relentlessly hounded by the paparazzi.
The ALL NIGHT LONG hitmaker is afraid the constant media circus surrounding THE SIMPLE LIFE star has spun out of control and may be putting her life in danger.
He says, "I live with the constant fear that Nicole is going to become the next Princess Diana.
"Just to give an example of how crazy everything has become, I always know when Nicole is on her way home because she is always followed by a helicopter and seven cars.
"It’s harassment. Many times, (the paparazzi) manipulate pictures of her.
"She’s shown me the difference between the original and what’s published in the newspaper. They make her look much worse."

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Comedienne JOAN RIVERS has launched a scathing attack on egotistical Hollywood celebrities who have become "too grand" to say hello to her.
The acid-tongued star, notorious for her blunt put-downs, is disgusted by the superior attitude stars such as TOMMY LEE JONES and RUSSELL CROWE have towards her considering their lowly starts in Tinseltown.
She fumes, "ANNETTE BENING is very grand and will not say hello, even though I remember when she used to serve me pizza. She’s scared I’ll bring it up.
Tommy Lee Jones is another, and especially Russell Crowe.
"I just feel sorry for someone who is so miserable in their life that they won’t even say hello. But don’t worry, in ten years no one will want you anyway. On the red carpet you see them all come and go."

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MARLON BRANDO’s son CHRISTIAN insists he’ll never forget how ROBERT BLAKE tried to blame him for the murder of his wife BONNY LEE BAKLEY.
The BARETTA star’s lawyers suggested Christian was involved in the murder of Bakley, a former girlfriend, back in 2001, but he has always maintained he had nothing to do with the crime.
And, five years later, Christian admits he’s still outraged by the ludicrous allegations.
He tells the New York Daily News, "When Blake’s wife was murdered, I was under nine tons of logging truck (in Washington State), but they tried to pin that on me." Bakley once claimed her baby ROSE was Christian’s before DNA testing proved Blake was the legitimate father.
Blake was acquitted of her murder last year (05).

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Hollywood newcomer HOLLY VALANCE is praying a film featuring her and PARIS HILTON never sees the light of day.
The actress is embarrassed by 2004 movie NATIONAL LAMPOONS PLEDGE THIS!, which has never been released - and Valance hopes it stays under lock and key.
She says, "One can only hope (it’s not released). It’s pretty… special." Nevertheless, she has no regrets about making the film, explaining, "When you first go to LA, if someone offers you a film that’s going to be seen by a lot of people because Paris Hilton’s in it, you’re going to take it.
"Everyone’s allowed one or two. We were at home once watching this s**t film with SCARLETT JOHANSSON killing giant spiders. So whenever I think I’ve done something bad, my mum reminds me that it could have been a giant spiders film."

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Celebrity chef GORDON RAMSAY has attacked Parisians for making him feel like "a tortured child" while he served his apprenticeship in the French capital.
Ramsay is still bitter about his treatment as a trainee chef when he worked in the kitchens of GUY SAVOY and JOEL ROBUCHON, and says he would love nothing more than opening British-themed restaurants in the notoriously patriotic country.
Speaking just before the launch of his first restaurant in New York, The London NY, he says, "I am not trying to take New York by storm. I would love to go back to Paris, to be honest.
"You know how arrogant the French are - extraordinary. They make us all look so normal. I got such abuse there, I was like a tortured child. So the idea is to go back to Paris, staff the restaurant all with English and call it Roast Beef."

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Taiwanese singer/actress MENG GUANGMEI has sparked fury over remarks she made about mainland Chinese culture, including the revelation she had to use a public toilet without any privacy.
Guangmei spoke about her experiences on Chinese talk show Red Wind last month (AUG06). She claimed she used a public toilet without partition walls between stalls and earned no money hosting programmes on China Central Television (CCTV).
She also scorned poor English language skills in mainland China, claiming the word for "dried food" in Chinese is translated to "f**k goods".
Clips of the show were soon posted on the Internet, where Guangmei’s words have caused uproar.
What brought the most criticism was her belief that the Nanjing Massacre of 1937, during which 300,000 Chinese were killed by Japanese troops, was "an historical affair" and "should not become the basis of opposition between China and Japan". Her words were condemned as "inappropriate, sneering and scornful", by thousands of Chinese Internet users who have drafted petitions attacking her.
She has since made a video calling for an end to the verbal abuse, claiming she made grammatical errors.

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Director SPIKE LEE is furious that US history lessons refuse to acknowledge slavery in America.
MALCOLM X director LEE is angry slavery is still not being dealt with in schools and is demanding children know the first US president GEORGE WASHINGTON owned slaves.
He says, "Black, African-American, and white Americans, we still have not dealt with slavery. When kids are in school and they’re learning about motherf**king George Washington, say the motherf**ker owned slaves.
"Let’s stop with the lies. Let’s talk about the genocide of the Native Americans. If you don’t want to talk about black and white, all right, let’s leave that aside. Let’s talk about the blankets with smallpox that were given to Native Americans. Let’s talk about the landgrab. I want to make a movie about CUSTER. I want to show Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull kicking a*s."

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Actor BEN AFFLECK has slammed reports he’s abandoning Hollywood for a political career.
Affleck supported Democrat candidate JOHN KERRY in the run-up to the November 2004 Presidential election.
However, the PEARL HARBOR star, married to actress JENNIFER GARNER, insists he would never enter politics - as the US political system is corrupt.
Affleck fumes, "I’m not leaving anything. I’m doing more directing. I’m doing different kinds of acting rather than acting for money or for blockbusters.
"But politics, I mean, that’s different - if you think Hollywood is depressing and corrupt, politics is really depressing and corrupt and fuelled even more than Hollywood by money if that’s possible. So that’s not an imminent plan, no."

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LATEST: The father of CROCODILE HUNTER star STEVE IRWIN has confirmed his son will have a low-key private funeral rather than a big state ceremony.
Internationally acclaimed conservationist Irwin died on Monday (04SEP06) after being stung in the chest by a stingray while diving on the Great Barrier Reef.
The news of his tragic death shocked the world and sparked a huge outpouring of grief, particularly in his homeland Australia.
The country’s prime minister JOHN HOWARD said Irwin’s death was "a huge loss to Australia" and offered a state funeral for the charismatic naturalist.
But Steve’s father BOB insists his son would have wanted a simple funeral, because "he’s an ordinary guy, and he wants to be remembered as an ordinary bloke".
Irwin’s funeral will be held in Australia within the next seven days (begs07SEP06), while a public memorial service will be held within the next two weeks.

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LATEST: PARIS HILTON has blamed a 24-hour work day and a lack of food for her drink driving arrest in Hollywood this morning.
The socialite released a short statement upon being released from jail earlier today (07SEP06), admitting she "regrets" the incident "occurred".
She told reporters outside the Hollywood police station, where she was taken after her arrest, that she had been "up for 24 hours" prior to the incident, shooting a video, and hadn’t eaten. She was tired and hungry.
Her spokesman/lawyer ELLIOT MINTZ, who was among the first people to visit Hilton in jail, has confirmed his client had attended a charity event earlier in the evening and hit a nightclub.
Mintz claims she had a single drink - a margarita - and shortly afterwards she was stopped by police.
This is Hilton’s first drink driving offence and, as such, is likely to be treated as a misdemeanour.
If convicted, she could be given three months probation, ordered to enter an alcohol programme and have her driving license restricted.

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Homosexual British pop star WILL YOUNG has confessed to being "in love" with Hollywood star ORLANDO BLOOM.
The singer has a huge crush on the THE LORD OF THE RINGS star and uses his passion for Bloom as inspiration for most of his love songs.
Young says, "Unrequited love’s wonderful. You can just sit there and wallow in it and write about it.
"I have huge unrequited love for Orlando Bloom. I did actually see him in a pub once and I couldn’t finish my food; it was so embarrassing."

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Officials are providing $5 million (£2.8 million) to build a visitors’ centre for the LOUIS ARMSTRONG House Museum in Queens, New York City.
The huge complex will be built on an empty lot across the street from where the legendary musician once lived - and the hunt is on to find an architect to build it.
Director of Louis Armstrong House Museum and Archives MICHAEL COGSWELL says the new centre will offer more space for exhibitions, concerts and lectures.
He adds, "We’ll be able to provide more to our visitors and that will bring more of them in. It’s very exciting for us. Creating a visitors’ centre will allow the museum to realise a full array of programs and services."

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BOY GEORGE’s mother was so concerned about her son’s safety sweeping the streets of New York City recently, she offered to do the community service herself.
The former CULTURE CLUB singer, real name GEORGE O’DOWD, was given the five-day sentence after being found guilty of wasting police time when he falsely reported a burglary at his Manhattan apartment in October 2005.
When he told his mother about the punishment she immediately urged him to accept some extra help.
George recalls, "I’m a nightmare, I tell her everything. She still gets shocked by the things I do.
"My mum wanted to come out and help me. She gets worried about things.
"She hears things in the news and people ring her up and tell her, ‘Boy George is doing this or that’." George completed his sentence last month (18AUG06).

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Scottish indie band ARAB STRAP have split after 10 years, according to Internet reports.
The duo, comprising vocalist AIDAN MOFFAT and instrumentalist MALCOLM MIDDLETON are both keen to pursue solo careers. However, the band confirms the release of a compilation album of b-sides, rarities and demos will still go next month (OCT06), titled TEN YEARS OF TEARS.

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LATEST: THE BEATLES have a secret weapon that could be vital in their bid to sue record label EMI - a top secret document showing how the label distributes its income.
The band have filed a £10.5 million ($19 million) lawsuit in Britain for alleged lost earnings and are planning to sue the company in the US courts also.
The Beatles’ legal team are believed to have access to a document that details how EMI and its sister companies distribute worldwide income between each other.
The Inter-company matrix agreement (MEA) will reveal how the band’s revenues are distributed and the profits are shared. It will play a vital part of The Beatles’ case, as the legendary group claim a recent audit showed that EMI reneged on its deal to grant increased royalty rates in 1989.
According to the band, EMI and Capitol falsely classified many copies of Beatles recordings as destroyed or damaged, before selling them in secret. The dispute around the audit relates to the period 1994 to 1999, a time that would have been particularly lucrative to both parties because it included the CD release of Greatest Hits albums 1962-1966 and 1967-1970 and the release of the three double ANTHOLOGY albums.
The Beatles and company Apple Corps are also now suing - in the US court for the return of their master recordings.
The record company will file its defence, providing there is no appeal, before the end of the year (06) in the US action, while the legal process in Britain has already begun, with an amended defence to be lodged on 3 November (06).

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