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JESSICA ALBA is lining up a stint on the Broadway stage next year (08) - in a bid to beat an actor’s strike.
Alba is in talks to star in a production of David Mamet’s Speed-the-Plow, playing Karen - a role debuted on the New York stage in 1998 by Madonna.
The actress hopes the show will coincide with a planned actor’s strike - so she doesn’t have to be out of work.
Alba told U.S. morning TV show Live with Regis and Kelly, "I have been asked.
It’s perfect timing because of the strike.
"There might be an actor’s strike in June. So if they don’t resolve, I can do theatre."

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Oscar winner SIR BEN KINGSLEY has hit out at critics of his marriage to much younger actress DANIELA BARBOSA de CARNEIRO, insisting they are equals in every way.
The 63-year-old claims he and the 33-year-old waitress-turned-actress have matured at different speeds.
He says of his fourth wife,"We all mature at different stages in our lives.
it’s taken me a longer journey to be equal to her. We see each other as equals."

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SIR BEN KINGSLEY is desperately searching for a movie project he can share with his new wife.
The actor has set up a production company with waitress-turned-actress Daniela Barbosa de Carneiro, his fourth wife, and 30 years his junior.
Kingsley, 63, tells the New York Daily News, "I am in a very good place. I have the most amazing partner.
"We’d love to find a project together. We’re both moved by similar things.
We’re both looking for truth."

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Rock chick BETH DITTO has defended BRITNEY SPEARS against claims she is a bad parent - insisting she’s just following southern traditions.
Ditto was brought up on an odd diet, which included eating squirrels, and claims southern American families have an alternative approach to parenting.
She tells the New York Daily News, "She’s from Louisiana, I’m from Arkansas.
When I go home, guess what’s in those baby bottles? Mountain Dew. I’m not saying it’s right, but it’s just normal. People fail to see that regional culture is a massive part of a person’s experience."

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Hollywood star GEORGE CLOONEY has paid tribute to a U.S. airforce veteran who was a victim of the communist witchhunt in the 1950s.
Milo Radulovich, who died last week (ends23Nov07) aged 81, was discharged from the airforce in 1953 when his father and sister were accused of being communists.
His story was aired by pioneering journalist Edward R. Murrow, played on screen by George Clooney in Good Night, and Good luck.
Clooney says,"Milo stood for everything good that this country represents. He taught us all what it’s like to be a true American. We won’t see the likes of him again."

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BRITNEY SPEARS has appealed to a Los Angeles judge to postpone her court hearing for driving without a valid licence until next year (08), to allow her attorney more time to prepare.
The pop superstar was charged with the traffic offence after a hit and run incident in August (07), when she scraped another motorist’s car while trying to park her Mercedes Benz on 6 August (07). She has since settled the hit and run charge with the car’s owner.
But Spears’s lawyer, Michael Flanagan, appeared in a Van Nuys court on Monday (26Nov07), where he requested to have the case postponed until 2 January (08) so that he could fully examine all the evidence against his client, reports TMZ.com.
Spears has pleaded her innocence in the case, but faces a sentence of 12 months’ probation if she is found guilty.

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Actress LAURA LINNEY wants to go back to school to brush up on her history after discovering how much she doesn’t know on the set of her new period mini-series.
The Oscar-nominee plays the wife of America’s second president in John Adams, which is produced by Tom Hanks.
Linney was shocked by her own ignorance about that period in history.
She says, "History should be taught again to adults, as it’s wasted on the youth. There was an embarrassingly large amount of American history that I didn’t know about."

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WHOOPI GOLDBERG has hit out at presidential candidates JOHN EDWARDS and BARACK OBAMA’s wife MICHELLE, for boycotting her talk show THE VIEW.
The pair backed out of appearing on Monday’s (26Nov07) edition of the topical TV show, claiming an allegiance to the striking members of the Writer’s Guild Of America.
But Goldberg is angry at the suggestion she and co-hosts Barbara Walters, Joy Behar and Sherri Shephard aren’t supporting the strike.
She told the TV audience, "It could have been handled differently. Because what they said made it look like we don’t care. We support the writers strike."

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Comedienne-turned-chat show host ELLEN DeGENERES’ crafty plan to sell her coastal home in Montecito, California has paid off - a viewer has bought the property.
The comic announced she was selling her two-storey Spanish Colonial on her show last month (Oct07) - a year after buying it for an estimated $16 million (£8 million) as a retreat for her and partner Portia De Rossi.
Before that, DeGeneres put the house on the market for $25 million (£12.5 million) earlier this year (07) - but had little interest, according to website CelebrityBabylon.com.
After telling viewers all about the home, she then taped segments for her show in which she showed viewers around the sprawling estate.
The comedy open house tours featured DeGeneres pretending to find money on a tree in her garden and joking about the proximity of neighbour Oprah Winfrey’s home.
One wealthy viewer in San Francisco, California liked what she saw - and has since snapped up the home for $20 million (£10 million).

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American football star SEAN TAYLOR is fighting for his life in a Florida hospital after he was shot in his home on Monday morning (26Nov07).
Authorities were called out to Taylor’s Florida home at 1.45 am local time and the Washington Redskins player had to be airlifted to hospital following the incident, in which he sustained a gunshot to the groin, reports TMZ.com.
Another report from Miami broadcasters ABC-TV 10 claims a family friend told them that Taylor had been shot twice.
Police spokesman Lieutenant Nancy Perez confirmed Taylor had been shot, but admits authorities have yet to determine the motive.
She says, "It could have been a possible burglary, it could have been a possible robbery. It has not been confirmed as yet."

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Former basketball star DENNIS RODMAN has denied accusations he sexually harassed a Las Vegas hotel employee, insisting he would "never hurt or harm anyone".
Sara Robinson, a former bar manager at the Hard Rock Hotel, has filed a lawsuit against the sportsman over a March 2006 incident, claiming he slapped her on the bottom and rubbed himself against her at the resort.
The lawsuit alleges, "As Robinson stepped around the bar, Rodman grabbed her, pulled her towards him and rubbed his body against hers.
"Robinson tried to get free from Rodman’s grasp at which time he assaulted her by reaching down and slapping her open-handed on the bottom." But Rodman’s manager, Darren Prince, insists the star "just wants everyone to have a good time" and has questioned why Robinson waited until now to file a lawsuit over the incident.
In an exclusive statement issued to website TMZ.com, he adds, "Security was watching the whole incident and apparently did nothing. The hotel knows Dennis very well, and if they felt this woman was in harm’s way, then why didn’t they do anything about it? And waiting a year and a half is very peculiar. Anyone that knows Dennis knows that he would never hurt or harm anyone." It’s not the first assault allegation faced by the sports star - in September this year (07), Rodman faced a police investigation over claims he smacked a waitress’ bottom at a restaurant in Los Angeles.

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KIMORA LEE SIMMONS is being sued by department store giant Macy’s, for overcharging the firm for her beauty products.
Simmons signed to sell her KLS range in its stores in September 2006 several months after her split from rap mogul Russell Simmons.
But Macy’s claims she raised the price - and then refused to pay back the extra profit she made.

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Rocker ZAC HANSON’s wife KATE is pregnant with the couple’s first child.
The 11th member of the Hanson clan is expected in May (08), Zac has revealed.
The 22-year-old says, "I am utterly thrilled at the thought of becoming a father. I can’t wait to meet this person." Kate adds, "This is the most amazing time for us. It’s the most romantic thing we’ve ever done." The new addition will join Zac’s four nieces and nephews - the children of his older bandmates Taylor and Isaac.
He adds, "It will be really fun to see five little ones grow up together. I know watching them is going to inspire a lot of music."

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The widow of opera star LUCIANO PAVAROTTI is suing two of the late tenor’s close pals for defamation in a $44 million (£22 million) lawsuit.
Nicoletta Mantovani’s lawyer revealed on Monday (26Nov07) that the 37-year-old had filed the lawsuit against Franca Corfini Strata and Lidia La Marca in October (07), after refusing to tolerate speculation about the state of her marriage to the star.
Strata is the wife of Pavorotti’s dietitian, while Marca is the wife of conductor Leone Magiera, who frequently performed with the star.
Pavarotti died after a battle with pancreatic cancer on 6 September (07), aged 71, and Mantovani was alleged to have been feuding with Pavarotti’s three grown daughters from his first marriage over the singer’s will.
Friends of the tenor - who had four-year-old daughter Alice with Mantovani also claimed the Italian maestro was unhappy in his second marriage towards the end of his life - a claim Mantovani is disputing.
Attorney Anna Maria Bernini says, "Since the comments did not cease - and were, in fact, reiterated - Mantovani had no choice but to file the lawsuit.
"She is doing it to protect her sense of respectability - privately for the sake of her daughter and the memory of the maestro; publicly for her image and any future professional activity." Mantovani is seeking $22 million (£11 million) from each woman and intends to donate any winnings to charity, according to Bernini.
A hearing for the lawsuit has yet to be set.

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QUIET RIOT rocker KEVIN DUBROW has been found dead in his Las Vegas home. He was 52. The 1980s heavy metal frontman was discovered by a neighbour on Sunday (25Nov07) at around 5.20pm local time.
The Clark County Coroner has confirmed they are currently examining Dubrow’s body to try to determine the cause of death, reports website TMZ.com.
Although the group has yet to issue an official statement, fellow band member Frankie Banali posted a note on his website saying: "I can’t even find words to say. Please respect my privacy as I mourn the passing and honor the memory of my dearest friend, Kevin DuBrow." Quiet Riot was the first metal band to top the U.S. charts and are best known for their cover of Cum on Feel the Noize.

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Indie rockers HAWTHORNE HEIGHTS have been left stunned by the death of guitarist CASEY CALVERT.
The 25-year-old’s bandmates are still trying to come to terms with the tragedy after Calvert was found dead on the group’s tourbus outside a Washington, D.C. club on Saturday (24Nov07).
A statement from the band reads, "At this time we’re not sure what exactly happened." The tragedy could not have come at a worse time for Hawthorne Heights, who kicked off their Wintour 2007 dates on Friday night (23Nov07).
Washington, D.C. authorities are awaiting results of an autopsy before determining the cause of death.
In website postings, the band call Calvert their "quirky and awesome" best friend, adding, "Today is probably the worst day ever." The band is also asking fans not to "succumb to any gossip you may hear" out of respect for Calvert and his family, and they state, "We can say with absolute certainty that he was not doing anything illegal. We don’t want his memory to be tainted in the least." The show Calvert was in Washington, D.C. to perform on Saturday night was cancelled. As WENN went to press there’s no news available about the remaining Hawthorne Heights tour dates.
Speaking to the Cincinatti Post newspaper, Calvert’s stepmother said her son was "a very good and kind young man, and right now there aren’t any answers." The guitarist wed his childhood sweetheart, a schoolteacher, last year (06).
(KL/WN&WNWC) WENN - BREAKING NEWS - 26 NOVEMBER 2007 —————————————————————-

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Troubled pop star BRITNEY SPEARS and her ex-husband KEVIN FEDERLINE are both under investigation by the Los Angeles County Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS), according to reports.
The former couple are due back in court on Monday (26Nov07) to continue child custody negotiations, and according to website TMZ.com, the DCFS will appeal to Commissioner Scott Gordon to open the files regarding the care of their young boys, Sean Preston and Jayden James.
The department’s concerns are said to be "frivolous", but the DCFS have a legal obligation to investigate any such claims.
This is not the first time Spears has been investigated for child abuse by the DCFS - her former bodyguard Tony Barretto made an official complaint against the star in October (07), just one month (Sep07) after she was cleared of similar allegations from an anonymous tip-off.

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British rocker PETE DOHERTY has imposed an alcohol ban on his band’s tourbus to ensure he is not tempted back to booze and drugs.
The Babyshambles frontman took the dramatic step of banning anyone in his group from drinking in front of him, in a bid to remain focused for their current U.K. tour.
Bassist Drew McConnell says, "He’s insisted on it (the alcohol ban). I thought it was a joke at first but it’s true - we’re having to hide bottles of beer under our pillows! I think it’s indicative of Peter’s resolve to sort himself out." The 28-year-old has vowed to remain clean after pictures emerged of him injecting heroin and snorting cocaine, on separate occasions, earlier this month (Nov07). Prior to this incident, he narrowly escaped prison for drug and driving offences - but was handed a two-year suspended sentence, an 18-month supervision order and a 12-month drug rehabilitation order.

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