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ANGELINA JOLIE has won her dream role - as author AYN RAND’s iconic heroine DAGNEY TAGGART.
Jolie, a longtime fan of Russian-born Rand, has been quietly campaigning to play Taggart in new film ATLAS SHRUGGED - and now she’s landed the role, according to trade newspaper Daily Variety.
The movie adaptation of Rand’s epic tome has been kicking around Hollywood for many years, and, at one point, was set to star FAYE DUNAWAY.
The project sets up a busy 12 months for Jolie, whose next movie will be another epic adaptation, BEOWULF. She’ll also be seen alongside MATT DAMON in THE GOOD SHEPHERD and she’ll also star in the adaptation of MARIANE PEARL’s book about the kidnap and murder of her husband, journalist DANIEL PEARL.

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BRITNEY SPEARS’ former bodyguard and child minder has left the pop star’s Malibu, California, compound to join JUDE LAW in New York City. PERRY TAYLOR took care of Spears’ son SEAN PRESTON and was frequently photographed by the TOXIC star’s side earlier this year (06).
Spears gave birth to her second son, SUTTON PIERCE, last week (12SEPT06), but Taylor has moved on from his diaper duties. Taylor was photographed yesterday (20SEPT06) looking dapper in a suit, while closely guarding his new charge, the COLD MOUNTAIN actor.

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CARMEN ELECTRA is set to add author to her impressive resume after writing a new book revealing her sexy secrets.
The model/actress has written CARMEN ELECTRA: HOW TO LOOK SEXY, which is set to hit bookstores in December (06), according to American publication Life & Style.
A source says, "It’s a guide for how to wear clothes, how to put on the right make-up and even how to do your hair up so you look sexy."

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British director ANTHONY MINGHELLA’s operatic debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City is set to be a star-studded affair when MADAME BUTTERFLY opens next month (OCT06).
Celebrities including MERYL STREEP, SIR SEAN CONNERY, JUDE LAW, DAVID BOWIE and RUSSELL CROWE are among the celebrities who have accepted invites.

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CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION star MARG HELGENBERGER has been honoured in her hometown of North Bend, Nebraska, with her own street.
Local officials renamed Locust Street Helgenberger Avenue when the actress went home to celebrate the little town’s 105th anniversary this summer (06).
Helgenberger says, "They wanted to honour me by naming a street after me, Helgenberger Avenue. It was on the corner that I grew up.
"I was able to tour the home in which I grew up. It was right across the street from the public swimming pool where I was a lifeguard swim instructor."

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Former beauty queen SHANNA MOAKLER’s awful 2006 continues after the estranged wife of BLINK-182 star TRAVIS BARKER was kicked off celebrity TV contest DANCING WITH THE STARS last night (20SEP06).
Moakler signed up to ballroom dance with professional JESSE DeSOTO in an effort to beat her break-up blues - but the couple only made it to the second round.
Still in the competition are actors JOSEPH LAWRENCE, HARRY HAMLIN, MARIO LOPEZ and talk show host JERRY SPRINGER.

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Romantic media mogul TED TURNER was so desperate to land a date with JANE FONDA, he called her the day it was announced she was getting divorced from political activist TOM HAYDEN.
The impatient billionaire had only met the movie icon briefly when he plucked up the courage to ask her out on a date, and when she initially turned him down, he refused to give up on her.
Turner reveals, "I asked her, ‘If you’re going to get a divorce, would you like to have a date?’ I was single at the time.
"She said, ‘I can’t even think about it right now, call me again in six months,’ and I marked my calendar. Six months to the day I called her back." In her memoirs, Fonda recalled the day she first started dating the CNN founder: "He went after me, dropped on his knees and recited poetry he’d written in high school."

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SCRUBS star ZACH BRAFF has been taking secret flying lessons in an effort to join HARRISON FORD, MORGAN FREEMAN, ANGELINA JOLIE, TOM CRUISE and JOHN TRAVOLTA in the celebrity skies.
Braff admits his interest in becoming a pilot surprises everyone, including himself, because he’s normally a person who likes to keep his feet on the ground.
He explains, "I’m by no means a daredevil, rollercoaster kind of guy but the idea of getting a private pilot’s license has always been intriguing to me.
"I’ve had a couple of people inspire me to go for it and so I’ve been doing it.
"It’s something so out of my box; it’s so out of character for me. I want to challenge myself in that way. Some people say they want to run a marathon. I have a ruptured disc so I can’t run marathons, but, for me, flying is the equivalent of that because it’s such an undertaking and such a challenge and so much to learn.
"I have a lot of family in the Bay area (northern California) so the idea that I can visit my folks and be in Oakland in two hours is really cool." But Braff is taking no chances as he takes to the skies - his plane of choice is the same super safe one Jolie uses.
He adds, "I’m flying on this special plane that Angelina Jolie is learning to fly on as well. It has an ‘Oh s**t factor’ that if things are really going horribly, you pull a giant lever and a rocket shoots an enormous parachute out of the plane and it’s small enough because it’s a single engine plane and light enough to float to the ground.
"They’re called Sirius planes and they’re kind of like the Mercedes Benz of single engine planes. Once I found out they had that safety feature I went for it."

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PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN star ORLANDO BLOOM is thrilled he is considered a Hollywood heart-throb, because he feels like he’s following in the footsteps of his icons.
The star appreciates his large female following, but insists his acting aspirations go beyond parts where he is just considered a romantic leading man.
Regarding being called a heart-throb, he says, "That doesn’t bother me. Name any of my heroes, and they were hotties. "(MARLON) BRANDO was a pin-up, so was JAMES DEAN, PAUL NEWMAN. I’m not going to (rest) on my "teen hottie" laurels. "I have aspirations to do more than that. (Still) they’re very loyal fans, those teenage girls! I definitely appreciate them!"

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Czech model PETRA NEMCOVA was once so desperate to lose weight to land modeling jobs, she went on brutal diets and regularly downed laxatives.
Nemcova, who is dating singer JAMES BLUNT, says she struggled with weight in order to be a US size zero so she would be booked for catwalk jobs. She explains, "I went through so many diets in my life. I’ve been very, very skinny. I’ve been a size zero but I’m naturally more curvy.
"I just ate vegetables, carrots, tomatoes. I went from a just-protein diet to just eating apples to eating no carbs. I took laxatives. I went through all of it just to be able to model." Nemcova made her comments in the wake of a decision earlier this month by Madrid Fashion Week officials, who set off an international media frenzy when they announced that models participating in Fashion Week had to meet a certain weight standard to help prevent models from becoming dangerously thin.

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NICOLAS CAGE is making sure he doesn’t inherit the remnants of the past when he moves into his new German castle - he’s asked the former owner to auction off his family heirlooms.
Cage has authorised an auction of all the fixtures and fittings in the 500 year old Bavarian Castle Neidstein, which he bought for $2.3 million (£1.2 million) earlier this year.
The sale, which took place yesterday (20SEP06), raised almost $500,000 (£275,000) for the castle’s former owner ALEXANDER CON BRAND.
Among the 291 items on sale were a 16th century tapestry of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, which sold for 30,000 Euros ($36,000/£20,000); two large 18th century oil paintings of the castle itself, which sold for 11,000 Euros ($13,500/£7,500), an 18th Century dresser and a number of baroque sculptures.
Cage wanted the derelict 28-room castle emptied so he can begin a massive renovation, to turn it into a spectacular summer retreat. He needs to replace draughty windows, a leaky roof, dangerous electrics and sanitary facilities that haven’t been updated since the 1960s.

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LATEST: Reality TV star ANNA NICOLE SMITH’s son DANIEL had only "therapeutic levels" of the antidepressant Lexapro in his system when he died, according to initial toxicology reports.
Daniel was found dead in his mother’s hospital room on 10 September (06) after flying to the Bahamas three days after the birth of his step-sister. According to Dr CYRIL WECHT, the pathologist hired by Anna Nicole to perform a second autopsy, the dosage is "nowhere near a toxic range".
Wecht tells American publication People that he has not yet completely ruled out an accidental fatal overdose of drugs because more tests have to be done. The initial findings are from the first toxicology tests performed by the coroner in the Bahamas, not from Wecht’s own tests. Those results are expected next week (begs25SEP06). Additional toxicology tests are being conducted to check for the sleeping pill Ambien. Wecht says Daniel’s Los Angeles-based doctor had given him a sample, but it’s not clear if he actually took the drug.
Wecht says, "There’s no reason to believe there’s going to be a significant level of Ambien in him. It is not a powerful drug. "You’d have to take a lot of it. It’s not the best drug if you want to drive, but putting you to sleep is one thing - killing you is another." Wecht says of the tests that have already been conducted, "Everything was ruled out in the major category of drugs. "They tested for tranquillizers, barbiturates, opiates. It would cover almost all the anti-depression, anti-anxiety drugs."

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BRITNEY SPEARS’ husband KEVIN FEDERLINE has been re-signed as the face of Five Star Vintage Jeans after fronting the company’s successful autumn (06) advertising campaign.
Federline, who is preparing to launch his debut album next month (OCT06), as well as fitting in various acting gigs, can now add successful model to his list of projects.
Company executives dubbed his fall campaign an "overwhelming success" and immediately decided to sign him up for the winter 2006 ad campaign as well.
The ads will feature Federline in a black "New York"-emblazoned hooded sweater and a signature track suit. The campaign will kick off with ads in magazines next month.

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JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE has extended his rule at the top of the US charts by scoring a fourth week at number one on the Pop 100.
The pop superstar’s new album FUTURESEX/LOVESOUNDS debuted at the top of the album charts yesterday (20SEP06) and now his hit SEXYBACK doubles up his success.
But the former ‘N SYNC star has some major competition - rapper LUDACRIS has shot up the charts from 15 to number two with his MONEY MAKER collaboration with PHARRELL WILLIAMS.
Meanwhile, teen idol JOJO’s TOO LITTLE TOO LATE scores a new chart record by shooting up the charts from 66 to number three. The hit becomes the biggest jump into the top three in chart history.
The previous record was MARIAH CAREY’s LOVERBOY, which jumped up the chart from 60 to number two in 2001.
NELLY FURTADO’s MANEATER is the new Hot 100’s top debut at number 62.

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LATEST: R&B star USHER has extended his run as BILLY FLYNN in CHICAGO to 14 October (06) so he can celebrate his 28th birthday on Broadway, New York City.
The YEAH! singer, who is the youngest star ever to play the singing lawyer in the show, is also adding dates in the hope it will allow him more time to break Broadway’s longest note record.
Usher is aiming to hold a note in the song THEY BOTH REACHED FOR THE GUN for more than 26 seconds - the current record.

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"I’m preparing myself for the tabloid’s next covers." JESSICA SIMPSON fears she won’t be able to avoid reports she’s dating LUKE WILSON when he plays her love interest in WORKING GIRL remake BLONDE AMBITION.

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LATEST: TOMMY LEE’s new supergroup have been forced to change its name after resolving a trademark dispute with another band.
California act SUPERNOVA sued the group after learning Lee, JASON NEWSTED and GILBY CLARKE planned to tour using the same name, after finding a frontman through a hit reality TV talent show.
As part of the settlement, Lee’s band will now be called ROCK STAR SUPERNOVA - the full title of the TV show.
Rock Star Supernova are recording their debut album and the four-piece plans to debut its live act in Las Vegas, Nevada, on New Year’s Eve (31DEC06).

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The owners of The Station nightclub in Rhode Island, where 100 people were killed in a blaze sparked by pyrotechnics at a GREAT WHITE gig in 2003, have pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter.
But the victims’ families have been left outraged by a decision to only put one of the brothers partly responsible for the fire accident behind bars.
In court yesterday (20SEP06), MICHAEL and JEFFREY DERDERIAN were handed their sentences for their part in the tragic blaze.
Michael will serve four years in a minimum security prison, while his sibling has been handed a suspended 10-year sentence.

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