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Two film studios producing new movies including RAMBO, SAW 5 and THE INCREDIBLE HULK have become the latest companies to reach a deal with striking screenwriters.
Lionsgate and Marvel have agreed interim deals with the Writers Guild of America (WGA), whose members have been staging walkouts since November (07), crippling the U.S. film and TV industry.
The temporary truce means work will be able to continue on the studios’ forthcoming projects.
A statement from the union confirmed the news: "We are pleased Lionsgate has joined the growing number of companies that have signed interim agreements with the Writers Guild." Representatives from the studio added, "It was an important time to have our writer partners get back to work." Tom Cruise’s studio United Artists, The Weinstein Company and talkshow host David Letterman’s TV firm have all recently reached agreements with the WGA to allow production to resume.
Writers and producers resumed talks with the WGA in a desperate bid to end the three-month long strike which has seen a variety of movie projects scrapped and TV shows taken off-air.

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Soul legend STEVIE WONDER is to take to the stage at the New Orleans Jazz And Heritage Festival for the first time in 35 years.
The Grammy winner will perform on the second weekend (02May08) of the festival which returns to its original seven-day stretch after being scaled back following Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
The Superstition singer has never headlined the event - only featuring for an impromptu jam session with New Orleans group The Meters in 1973.
Wonder, 57, will join other big names including headliners Billy Joel, Sheryl Crow and country music superstar Tim McGraw, as well as 50 other acts.
Quint Davis, the festival’s promoter, says, "Over the past 20 years, he (Stevie Wonder) hasn’t really been touring, so we feel really fortunate.
"He’s so talented it’s beyond comprehension." (MJ/WNWA/LR) WENN - FOURTH - HOLLYWOOD, SHOWBIZ & PEOPLE NEWS - 25 JANUARY 2008

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Country star GARTH BROOKS insists he will retire for good after playing a series of charity concerts in Los Angeles.
The singer - who announced his retirement in 2001 - agreed to revive his music career and take to the stage for five televised gigs to help raise money for the victims of last year’s (07) California wildfires.
Brooks is happy to assist the charity but is convinced the shows, which sold out in under an hour, will be his last public performances.
He says, "I’m from Oklahoma. I know a lot about grass fires. I know a lot about wind and fire. I’ve never, ever seen wind and fire like I saw on the television.
"(But afterwards) we’re getting ready to now drop off the face of the earth musically. Charity-wise, it never stops." All proceeds from this weekends’s (26-27Jan08) Garth Brooks Live In L.A! concerts will be donated to the Southern California 2008 Fire Intervention Relief Effort (F.I.R.E.).

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LATEST: Singer ALI CAMPBELL has rubbished reports he’s quitting UB40 to pursue a solo career, insisting "intolerable" management wrangles have forced him to leave the band.
Campbell - who will remain with UB40 until the reggae group complete an upcoming February (08) tour of Australia, New Zealand and Uganda - has told fans he’s devastated to be ending his 28-year spell with the Rat In The Kitchen hitmakers.
But Campbell insists dire management decisions have left him with no option.
He writes on his website, "Contrary to some of the misleading, false information and accusations that have been circulating in recent months, the reason for my forthcoming departure from the band is not, as has been stated, due to my wanting to pursue a solo career. That is not the truth!! When I released my current solo album I had every intention to continuing to balance my solo career with my commitment to the band.
"The reason for me leaving the band is that management difficulties, which have been ongoing for almost 5 years, had become intolerable. I have been deeply unhappy with administrative practices and with many decisions that have been made in recent years and I have an ongoing investigation into the handling of my business affairs in relation to UB40. Suffice to say I felt I had no other option but to resign from my band."

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A teenager from northern California has been arrested for allegedly planning to crash a plane into a MILEY CYRUS concert.
The unnamed 16-year-old was detained by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) after smuggling handcuffs, duct tape, rope and other items on to a flight from Los Angeles on Tuesday (22Jan08).
Although there was no incident on the plane, the FBI have accused the boy of hatching plans to hijack the jet and direct it into a stadium in Lafayette, Los Angeles, where the pop star was performing, according to TMZ.com.
A spokesman for the FBI tells the website, "He had some general plans where he was going and indicated where he wanted to die." However, it was later confirmed that the date of Hannah Montana star Cyrus’s concert in Lafayette was actually scheduled for 25 January (08) - three days after the attempted attack on 22 January.
The 15-year-old actress/singer is in the middle of her Best Of Both Worlds tour which will see the star play 69 live shows concluding in Miami, Florida, on 31 January (08).

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BRITNEY SPEARS’ uncle blames the singer’s father JAMIE for her reported battle with alcohol and drugs, because he was "drunk all the time".
William Spears - Jamie’s 49-year-old brother - claims the pop star spent her childhood witnessing her family’s drunken antics, and insists their boozy lifestyle is responsible for Britney’s own reported struggle with the bottle.
He tells British newspaper The Sun, "Just about everyone in the Spears family is a drunk and Britney’s dad Jamie was one of the worst.
"He would drink from daylight to night. Britney saw him drunk all the time…
"Britney grew up thinking it was alright to drink and that you can live with a drinking problem." Jamie Spears checked into rehab in 2004 to kick his alcohol demons and an addiction to painkillers, while 26-year-old Britney had a brief stint at a drug rehabilitation facility in Antigua in February 2007.
William Spears, who lives in a camper van in the star’s native Louisiana, is also a recovering addict and claims he has been sober for over four years. He has since been diagnosed with lung cancer.

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Troubled pop star BRITNEY SPEARS caused confusion at a Los Angeles school when she allegedly turned up and insisted she was there to pick up her kids.
Spears, whose two sons are currently in the custody of ex-husband Kevin Federline, is said to have arrived at the neighbourhood elementary school in Beverly Hills earlier this week (beg21Jan08), telling other parents she had come to collect her children Sean Preston, two, and Jayden James, one.
But when questioned further, the star allegedly changed her story.
A bystander tells Usmagazine.com, "She was just rambling and confused. She said, ‘I’m here to pick up my kids.’ But then she said, ‘They aren’t my kids; I have a new attorney, and I came to pick them up for her.’ All I could think was, ‘Who in their right mind would let her pick up their kids?’" The witness goes on to add that the Toxic hitmaker’s chain smoking, skimpy outfit and erratic behaviour scared the children, insisting "some of the kids were freaked out".
Spears was eventually driven off alone after being escorted out of the school’s back entrance, according to the website.
The star is currently locked in a bitter custody battle with former husband Federline. She was stripped of all her custody and visitation rights earlier this month (Jan08) following a string of bizarre incidents including an apparent breakdown which saw the star hospitalised under a mental health order.

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Actor MORGAN FREEMAN hates doing press to promote his movies - because he’s "no good" at conversing.
The Shawshank Redemption star, 70, admits he still struggles through interviews - despite having a career spanning more than four decades.
He says, "If I could just walk into the theatre without being blinded by the cameras, it’d be terrific. I’m not good at the talking, either. I’ve never been great at that, talking, unless it’s in a script."

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Actress JENNIFER GARNER has prepared herself for the possibility of a life in politics - because husband BEN AFFLECK has a longheld ambition to run for office.
The Juno star - who married the actor in June 2005 - insists she will support Affleck should he ever follow through with his previously stated intent to run for the U.S. Congress. She says, "I think you have to be ready for anything when you’re married to someone like Ben. "But I do believe that after Gone Baby Gone (Affleck’s 2007 directorial debut), he’s going to be stuck in directing for a long time."

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The cousin of PAMELA ANDERSON’s estranged husband RICK SALOMON has slammed his decision to marry the "trashy" actress - insisting he was only with her for her money.
The former Baywatch star served her husband with divorce papers in December (07) after just two months of marriage.
And Salomon’s cousin, Alice Koffer, 78, claims he was crazy to marry Anderson in the first place - and probably only embarked on the relationship for financial gain.
She tells the Palm Beach Post, "His poor mother must be spinning in her grave! She tried so hard to raise him right.
"I don’t know what he sees in that trashy woman. The kid is nuts. (Anderson) must have some money or he wouldn’t be with her."

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Actress HELEN MIRREN was livid after learning an American version of U.K. crime drama PRIME SUSPECT was planned - because she was last in line to play the lead role.
The Oscar winner, 62, played DCI Jane Tennison in the series which aired on British network ITV for 15 years, but was devastated when she found out she failed to be considered for the same part in a U.S. remake.
She says, "There was once going to be an American version of Prime Suspect and my name was at the bottom of the list to play Jane Tennison.
"I was so furious, I am Jane Tennison!"

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One-time pop-star PARIS HILTON is a good singer - according to the co-stars of her new movie.
The star’s eponymous 2006 album failed to win over the critics, but Repo! The Genetic Opera choreographer Tre Armstrong insists the socialite impressed him with her vocal prowess.
He says, "I was surprised that she could sing. Honest to God, I will never crack on Paris. I haven’t. From what I hear from what they did, I like how she sounded." And Armstrong isn’t the only one praising Hilton’s talents - R&B star Keyshia Cole, who appears alongside Hilton in Repo!, adds, "I like the way she sings. I do."

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American TV star WILLIE AAMES "never once felt frightened" when a gun-wielding mugger robbed his family in Los Angeles earlier this month (Jan08).
The 47-year-old actor was out in Hollywood with his wife, Maylo Upton, and 27-year-old son Christopher when a man dressed in a black jacket and blue jeans threatened them with a firearm and demanded cash.
The stunned trio handed over their wallets and cash totalling just $15 (£7.50).
But Eight Is Enough star Aames insists he wasn’t scared in the slightest.
Aames says, "He yelled, ‘Which one of you wants to die?’ I remained calm, moved closer, and he started backing off.
"I never once felt frightened."

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British TV presenter JEREMY BEADLE is in intensive care battling pneumonia.
The 59-year-old has been joined at his bedside by wife Sue, 60, and daughters Cassie, 21, and Bonnie, 19, after being admitted to a North London hospital earlier this week (begs21Jan08).
A source tells British newspaper The Daily Mirror, "Pneumonia is a very serious illness but he is being well cared for. Everyone is hoping he can shake it off and be back to his normal self. "We’re all worried about him, but he is a strong character and we hope he will be out of hospital soon." It is not the first time Beadle has been hospitalised with health problems he was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2005 just 10 months after undergoing surgery to remove a cancerous kidney.

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The five-week-old son of British royal PRINCE EDWARD, the Earl Of Wessex, has been rushed to the hospital with a serious mystery illness.
Edward’s wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex, was seen arriving through the back entrance of London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital on Thursday (24Jan08) accompanied by bodyguards.
The 42-year-old is reportedly holding a vigil in a private ward while doctors conduct various tests on baby James to determine his condition.
A source tells British newspaper The Daily Express, "Sophie arrived just after 3pm. You could tell by the looks on their faces that they were very concerned. "They rushed upstairs and went straight into a consultant’s room." A royal spokesman declined to comment on the hospitalisation, describing it as a "private matter".
James - who was born by Caesarean section on 17 December last year (07) - is officially titled Viscount Severn and is eighth in line to the throne.

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Actress KIRSTIE ALLEY "would be dead" without Scientology, according to a video clip promoting the faith.
The star gives a testimonial for the religion in Orientation: A Scientology Information Film, alongside various other Scientologists and the movement’s founder, L Ron Hubbard.
Identified on screen only as an actress, Alley tells viewers in the footage posted on Defamer.com, "Honest to God truth, without Scientology, I would be dead. Personally, I recommend it." Alley is the latest star to appear in a video promoting Scientology - earlier this month (Jan08), Tom Cruise received a barrage of bad press after a pro-Scientology video featuring the actor was leaked on the Internet.

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Welsh rockers SUPER FURRY ANIMALS are giving fans the opportunity to decide what songs they perform at their forthcoming gigs.
The band - who are currently touring the U.S. - are inviting fans to vote for their favourite songs and potential set list on the group’s website.
According to the site, "The results are being tracked in real-time - Super Tuesday style - and will be fed to the band as they course around the U.S. in support of (album) Hey Venus." Super Furry Animals’ North American tour concludes on 25 February (08) in New York.

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Irish boy band BOYZONE are determined to get in shape and revamp their image so they can achieve the reunion success of pop group TAKE THAT.
The Love Me For A Reason hitmakers are gearing up for a comeback tour - and have reportedly hired Batman actor Christian Bale’s personal trainer in a bid to compete with their former Nineties peers, who have regained their status as hit-making heartthrobs since their 2006 reunion.
Boyzone member Mikey Graham says, "Yes, some of us have put on a few pounds over the past eight years. We know what we’re up against with the likes of Take That back touring. "But we’re going to be trim and slim and we want to be bigger and better than before. I’ve been with the lads this afternoon and everything is going great.
Of course things are different - it’s slowly morphing into a new thing as we’re men now, not boys."

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