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Veteran actor HAL HOLBROOK was amazed when SEAN PENN cast him in his recent movie INTO THE WILD, because he hadn’t heard from the actor-turned-director since they co-starred in a 1981 TV movie.
Holbrook and his wife Dixie Carter became fans of the then-shy 20-year-old when they became friends on the set of The Killing Of Randy Webster, but the aged actor felt sure Penn had forgotten all about him.
Then, 26 years later, 82-year-old Holbrook was stunned when Penn phoned him to offer a part in his latest film.
Holbrook says, "He wanted to meet me in the bar and talk. I realised he was coming to offer me a part (in Into The Wild) and it is the best part I’ve had in the movies." Holbrook admits his old friend has really grown since he was the shy kid on a 1981 film set: "He didn’t have much to say (on the set of The Killing Of Randy Webster), he was very non-verbal. But we (Holbrook and his wife Dixie) would watch him and you could see he had talent, something really unusual.
"You know when you are young and nobody tells you you’re good. When you need encouragement, nobody tells you. So I told him. So did Dixie - a little bit here, a little bit there that he really had something special.
"About a week or so after the end of the movie, we get a letter from this young man thanking us for encouraging him, which is by itself an unusual thing.
What never left my mind, though, was the literary quality of the letter.
Because this young man was very quiet, you wouldn’t think of him being able to write such a fine, beautifully composed letter."

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SPICE GIRLS star MELANIE BROWN wants another two kids because she has always dreamed of being a mother of four.
The singer, who has two daughters by ex-husband Jimmy Gulzar and former lover Eddie Murphy, is keen to conceive kids with new husband Stephen Belafonte once the upcoming Spice Girls reunion tour wraps up in February (08).
The 32-year-old says, "Maybe another two (kids). But not just yet, that’s for sure. I’m too busy." She tells America’s Newsweek magazine she cannot believe that she and her fellow Spice Girls have become baby-making machines in the 10 years since they split.
She adds, "Between the five of us, we’ve got seven kids."

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Media mogul OPRAH WINFREY has suffered another embarrassing setback - the author of a children’s book she recommended on her website has been exposed as a white supremacist.
Just weeks after Winfrey was forced to fly to South Africa to address reports a matron at the girls’ school had been accused of molesting and assaulting pupils, the talk show is in the headlines for all the wrong reasons again.
Winfrey has pulled Forrest Carter’s children’s book The Education Of Little Tree from a list of recommended titles on her website, blaming an "error" for including the work of a hardcore racist.
The Education Of Little Tree was described as the real-life story of an orphaned boy raised by his Cherokee grandparents, when it was first published in the mid-1970s.
But the award-winning book was caught up in controversy in the early 1990s when the late author, Carter, was exposed as a leading member of American white supremacist group the Ku Klux Klan.
Winfrey has since removed the book from her recommendations.

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BEFORE SUNSET stars JULIE DELPY and ETHAN HAWKE’s dreams of teaming up again for a vampire spectacular have been dashed - because the actor is too busy on stage.
An American Werewolf In Paris star Delpy wanted her pal to play a cameo in her new vampire film, The Countess, but his schedule doesn’t allow it.
Speaking to internet gossip Marc Malkin, she says, "He’s been out of the picture for a while… He’s doing a play right now, and I’m not going to stop my film for two days of work.
"It’s not a big deal; he was doing it for fun, for me." The couple is currently looking for another starring project to do together.

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SIR ANTHONY HOPKINS is struggling to find time for his acting after finding he’s an in-demand painter and composer.
After years spent meddling with his hobbies at the easel and the piano, The Silence Of The Lambs star is now getting commissions and has to take his pastimes much more seriously.
He explains, "I paint and I sell my paintings at galleries. They seem to go for a lot of money and I give the money to the local charities.
"I paint these paintings and I don’t have any basic training at all. I do it without having anxiety about what people think. It’s a tremendous freedom and it makes me happy." But it’s his music career that’s really taking off - at the age of 69.
Hopkins has a CD, featuring his compositions for new film Slipstream, coming out and he has suddenly become a composer of note.
He adds, "I’ve been asked if I would write symphonic music for a symphony orchestra in Australia. Also I’ve been invited to Prague to write some music there."

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Oscar winner FOREST WHITAKER has teamed up with soda giants Pepsi-Cola to promote soft drink Mountain Dew in a new online game.
The Last King Of Scotland actor conceived and produced upcoming web game Dewmocracy, which allows consumers to create their own flavour of Mountain Dew - to be released next year (08).
Whitaker has also directed a short film, which appears before the game.

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Rock legends the EAGLES have beaten BRITNEY SPEARS to the top of the U.S. album charts just three days after they stunned Britain by doing the same thing there.
The group’s first studio album in nearly 30 years, Long Road Out Of Eden, was expected to come in a close second to Spears’ comeback album Blackout - but the final results weren’t even close.
The rock veterans soared to the top of the new Billboard 200 with a staggering 711,000 sales of their new release, while Spears lagged behind with 290,000 sales.
Her new album is Spears’ only release not to debut at number one, and, to make matters worse for Spears, the Eagles’ new album was only available through Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club stores - and the band’s website.
The group’s success marks the first time Billboard officials have allowed an album that is only available through exclusive retailers to appear on their charts.
Previously, titles that were not generally available at retailers were not eligible to appear on The Billboard 200.
Last week’s chart-topper, Carrie Underwood’s Carnival Ride, falls to number three on the new countdown, while rockers Avenged Sevenfold and country singer Josh Turner’s new releases debut at four and five respectively.
And the Backstreet Boys might be rethinking comeback plans after their new release, Unbreakable, debuted at seven with just 81,000 sales. The pop group’s last album, Never Gone, opened with 291,000 sales in its first week in 2005.

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BRITNEY SPEARS and KEVIN FEDERLINE are close to coming to an agreement over custody of their sons - and it’s all thanks to the pop star’s mother.
Lynne Spears, who has been estranged from the Toxic singer for much of 2007, reveals she has quietly been mediating between her daughter and her former son-in-law in a bid to end the hostility between the exes.
She tells American publication Life & Style, "Here are two parents who care about their kids. They’re good people.
"With my daughter’s, Kevin’s and the boys’ interests at heart, I’m trying my best to bring them together, to bridge the gap. I think things are getting good." Federline won physical custody of his sons, Sean Preston, two, and Jayden James, one, last month (Oct07), after Spears failed to meet a series of court-appointed requirements related to the case.
Spears has since been granted three monitored visitations a week with her boys.
Meanwhile, Lynne insists she and her daughter are no longer estranged.
She tells the publication, "We’ve reunited. We’re friends (but)… I also have a 16-year-old to look after. I can’t be there for Britney all the time.
"I pray and know everything is going to be good."

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CHARLIE’S ANGELS star LUCY LIU’s new TV fashion drama CASHMERE MAFIA has been stalled amid the Hollywood writers strike.
The new series from Sex & The City creator Darren Star was scheduled to begin later this month (Nov07) but the show, about four female executives struggling to balance careers with family in New York City, has been indefinitely delayed.
A show source says, "They (executives) want to give it a good shot."

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VINCE VAUGHN’s new role as Santa Claus’ brother in new movie FRED CLAUS has upset his young nephew - the four-year-old is angry his uncle hasn’t introduced him to Father Christmas.
The actor’s nephew spotted his Uncle Vince on a poster for the seasonal film and immediately wanted to know how long Vaughn had known Santa Claus.
Vaughn says, "My nephew Dexter saw a (Fred Claus) poster of me. My sister’s really upset with me because he’s four and obviously she wants to keep the Santa Claus thing going.
"And he was like, `How does Uncle Vince know Santa Claus? And why hasn’t Uncle Vince introduced me to Santa Claus?’ He thought I was holding out on him." But Vaughn has discovered a benefit to knowing Santa personally - his nieces and nephews fear he’s got a hotline to the North Pole.
The Wedding Crashers star adds, "I like to be the fun uncle, I don’t like to discipline anybody. But when you get some of them together, if they don’t share toys, sometimes you’re forced to lay down the law. So now I’ll say, ‘Listen, I know the big guy. Don’t make me call him, don’t make me stop the toy train that’s going to happen for you guys this year.’"

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ASHLEY JUDD is set to become the latest celebrity to design a clothing line after bosses at U.S. retail giant Goody’s asked her to create a charity range for them.
Sales of the actress’ new line will benefit education charities across America.
She says, "At first, I wasn’t interested. In my view there is already enough stuff in the world, but when they told me it would raise funds for schools, I changed my mind.
"Our schools are in dire need. With my eco-friendly, moderately priced clothes, Goody’s will give away a half a million dollars to schools in need.
And that’s just the first year."

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JACK NICHOLSON hit the editing room to give his critically-slammed CHINATOWN sequel a much-needed makeover for the film’s DVD special edition re-release.
The movie icon directed and starred in 1990 film The Two Jakes and admits he was never truly happy with the end result.
So when he got the chance to re-edit the film for the re-release, he jumped at the chance.
Nicholson tells MTV News, "I couldn’t look at The Two Jakes because of the quality of the television print. I would see this horrible orange hair on (actress) Meg Tilly, and I’d want to shoot myself. I literally couldn’t watch it.
"I loved doing the print for this thing. It’s a major improvement. I didn’t want to fix any of my mistakes on Two Jakes but I couldn’t help myself. In a few spots I did change a few things. I did a total colour correction. I took some of the narration out, and there were too many music cues in it.
"I want to do it for the other two films I directed too because things get away from you and nobody cares. When I get the time I’m going to redo the sound and picture on them." And his work on the re-release has brought talk of a third Chinatown film forward.
He reveals screenwriter Robert Towne already has an outline for the story, called Gittes vs Gittes, which was to revolve around Hollywood recluse Howard Hughes.
Nicholson says, "I certainly would consider it. I would imagine Bob would as well. But the second film left a few bruises (and) I don’t know how Paramount would be about it. The timing is about right."

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Veteran actress SHIRLEY MacLAINE has called on the U.S. government to make its files on Unidentified Flying Objects (U.F.O.s) public.
The Oscar winner was delighted when her close friend and Republican presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich revealed he believes in alien spacecraft in a recent interview.
And the 73-year-old hopes his confession will prompt lawmakers to follow the lead of other countries by opening up their U.F.O. files.
She says, "I thought that was terrific, that a presidential candidate admitted it (the presence of U.F.O.s).
"It’s time. Many countries have released their files - Argentina has, Brazil, France. Let’s do it."

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American soap star KIRSTEN STORMS has pleaded no contest to drink-driving in a Los Angeles courtroom.
The Days Of Our Lives star was ordered to attend 12 Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, sentenced to three years probation, and had her driving licence suspended for six months in court on Wednesday (07Nov07).
If Storms, who was also fined $390 (£195), fails to comply with the court’s ruling she will serve 13 days in jail.
The 23-year-old was pulled over in her Mercedes in September (07) after a traffic cop spotted her throwing a cigarette out of her window.
She was arrested after officers "noticed the odour of an alcoholic beverage emitting from the vehicle" and taken into custody in California’s Van Nuys Jail.

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FARRAH FAWCETT is fighting death with a smile, joking that Germany is "full of Germans" in her first public comments since she was diagnosed with anal cancer earlier this year (07).
The ageing Charlie’s Angels star was caught leaving a Santa Monica, California hospital by a news crew on Tuesday night (06Nov07) - and took a moment to discuss her cancer battle.
The actress has been jetting back and forth to Germany, where she has been receiving controversial stem cell treatment which is banned in the U.S., and she joked when asked what the European country is like.
Fawcett quipped, "You know, it’s filled with Germans." She then got serious when the reporter asked for an update on her treatment, and revealed, "It’s ongoing… (It’s) tiring, yes. I felt much better when I was sick. (But) it’s curing it… I have to get well (because) so many people are praying." The actress revealed her main concern now is recovering her physical strength.
She added, "I’ve been doing Pilates and weights."

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LATEST: Celebrity fashion designer ANAND JON is set to walk free from a Los Angeles jail within days after a Los Angeles judge set bail of almost $2.1 million (£1.05 million).
Superior Court Judge David S. Wesley ruled on Wednesday (07Nov07) that Jon must stay away from women under the age of 21, wear an electronic monitor and remain inside Los Angeles county while he awaits trial on 59 counts of sexual assault.
According to the designer’s lawyer, Anthony Brooklier, Jon is "anxious to get out of jail… We think we are prepared to post his bail." Indian-born Jon is accused of targetting females between the ages of 14 and 27 from November 2002 to March 2007. He has been charged with 59 counts of sexual assault, including rape, sexual battery and committing lewd acts on a minor.
Jon is next due in court on 6 December (07).

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Actor DAMON WAYANS has defended disgraced U.S. radio DJ DON IMUS for referring to a mostly-black women’s basketball team as "nappy-headed hos", insisting his views should be protected by freedom of speech laws.
The African-American star claims he would rather know what Imus, who was fired from CBS Radio earlier this year (07) for his remark, thinks than for his controversial opinions to be censored.
In an interview on U.S. TV show The View on Wednesday (07Nov07), Wayans said, "Freedom of speech, what happened to that? What happened to expressing yourself? At least I know where he stands.
"And you know what? When he called them nappy-headed ho’s, I went, ‘Wow, he’s right!’ "Black people at home are laughing right now. White people are going, ‘That’s not right!’ It’s all cultural." Single Wayans then went on to explain how he’s searching for a woman who can cook, much to the outrage of the show’s four female hosts and mainly female audience.
He said, "Women today, most women I run into, don’t want to do the fundamentals. They don’t cook… I make the money so she can make something to cook."

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Former ‘N SYNC star JOEY FATONE knew pal LANCE BASS was gay before their bandmates after he stumbled in on him kissing another guy.
Fatone reveals he agreed to keep Bass’ secret, but advised him his family would be upset.
Bass recalls the encounter with his bandmate in his new book Out Of Sync, and Fatone feels the revelation gives him the chance to publicly recall the moment he realised his pal was gay.
Fatone tells Parade.com, "I was one of the first to find out that Lance was gay when I saw him with another guy.
"Lance wrote something like, ‘Joey knew right then and there I was gay, but he really didn’t care one way or the other.’ "I think I said to him, ‘I still love you like a brother,’ but I also said, ‘If your mother finds out, she’s going to kill you.’" Bass eventually ‘came out’ as a homosexual last year (06) after months of internet speculation.

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