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Hollywood star MICHELLE PFEIFFER has credited her intercontinental heritage for her multi-faceted personality - dubbing herself a "racial mutt".
The 49-year-old was born and raised in Orange County, California - but claims her ancestors originated from all over the world. She says, "Racially, I’m a mutt. My father was Dutch, Irish and German, and my mother is Swiss and Swede - so many things I can’t keep track. "I have a real Irish temper. I’m very organised like the Germans, and I also have the thing that people say Swedes have - of looking like they’re keeping a secret. Have you ever heard of that? I’ve been accused of it."

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HEATH LEDGER’s former fiancée MICHELLE WILLIAMS has spoken out for the first time since the actor’s death, telling the world she is "heartbroken".
Williams, the mother of Ledger’s two-year-old daughter Matilda, broke her silence on Friday (01Feb08) with a brief statement appealing to the media to give Ledger’s friends and family the space and privacy to grieve in peace.
The actress met and fell in love with Ledger on the set of Brokeback Mountain and the couple were together for three years before splitting last September (07).
The short statement from Williams, 27, reads, "My heart is broken. Please respect our need to grieve privately." Ledger was found dead in his New York apartment last week (22Jan08), at the age of 28. An autopsy failed to reveal the cause of death, and police are still awaiting the results of a toxicology test to asses if drugs found in his apartment played a part in his death.
His body has been flown to his native Australia, where a private funeral is expected to take place in his hometown of Perth.

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The motorcade that escorted BRITNEY SPEARS to hospital in the early hours of Thursday morning (31Jan08) cost Los Angeles police an estimated $25,000 (£12,500).
Officials tell the Los Angeles Times newspaper the Crisis Response Support Section of the LAPD started planning the trip from Spears’ Coldwater Canyon home to UCLA Medical Center on Monday (28Jan08) after authorities received worried calls from the singer’s family.
Police sources insist the effort was not specialised because of the celebrity nature of the subject, and that such operations are commonplace in Los Angeles.
The job of the motorcade, which included more than 20 police officers, a helicopter and a team of intervention specialists, was to block off traffic ahead and behind the ambulance carrying Spears to hospital, and to keep the paparazzi at bay.
Lieutenant Rick Wall tells the newspaper, "Most (operations) go exactly as the one (on Thursday morning), without the 200 paparazzi.
"We get calls from family members daily who are worried about their loved ones being a danger to themselves or others." City officials have defended the cost of the Spears motorcade operation, stating a heavy police presence was deemed necessary to control the aggressive paparazzi and prevent traffic accidents on the way to the hospital.
Spears is expected to spend the weekend in the medical centre on a 72-hour psychiatric hold.

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EVA LONGORIA and her husband TONY PARKER were left stunned when their summer (07) wedding was gatecrashed by an American tourist on vacation.
As the couple’s star-studded wedding party floated down the River Seine in Paris, France, toasting the Desperate Housewives star and her basketball player groom, they were pounced upon by an unwitting sightseer.
Longoria reveals, "We took a boat on the Seine and there was a women there and she thought she was on the tour boat, but she was on our boat. She wanted to know where her dinner was - she’d been promised dinner. The boat hadn’t even stopped, so we just kept going. I don’t even think she knew who we were."

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Pre-menstrual pains leave MARY J. BLIGE doubled up in agony for three weeks every month.
Unlike most women, the R&B star reveals she has just one week of looking and feeling great before her body turns against her.
She says, "I get three weeks of mood swings. I’m always on my period. I get (just) one week of being really, really slim and really, really nice."

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MARY J. BLIGE has given up her plans to have children, after falling in love with her stepkids.
The singer took on husband Kendu Isaac’s three kids - aged 20, nine and eight - when the pair married in December 2003, and she now considers them her own.
The 37-year-old says, "It’s great being a stepmother. It has changed me.
Because it’s not all about me anymore.
"I don’t need to have children to love them. It’s like a miracle. These children really love me and I really love them. They even call me mum. I don’t need to have a baby."

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SYLVESTER STALLONE envies former Hollywood hardman ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER -because the Californian governor is so ambitious, he’s "a freak of nature".
The Rambo star admits he is impressed by Schwarzenegger’s career focus which has seen him carve out a successful career in American politics.
And Stallone insists the former Mr. Universe has the potential to make it to the White House - if he was eligible for election.
He says, "Arnold definitely played his career better than I did, he’s a freak of nature. He’s brilliant - he’s had three stellar careers, and he was the epitome of greatness in each of them.
"His ambition is frightening, if they changed the U.S. Constitution he could become President."

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Actress DIANE LANE is shocked by rumours her sex scenes with OLIVIER MARTINEZ in movie UNFAITHFUL were for real, insisting the claims are just "wishful thinking".
Steamy shots in the 2002 thriller were made to look so lifelike, internet gossips claimed the adulterous pair took simulated sex one step further.
But Lane - who is now happily married to Josh Brolin - insists the rumours are not true.
She tells U.S. talk show host Tyra Banks, "Really? Mercy me, no no, no. That was wishful thinking on somebody’s part. That’s not for me. That’s a whole different thing, and I like this industry better than that one."

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Rappers LIL’ WAYNE, T.I. and hip-hop star DJ DRAMA are among the nominees for prizes at the 2008 Mixtape Awards.
Lil’ Wayne and the Bring ‘Em Out MC will compete against Rick Ross, Young Jeezy and the late Pimp C for the title of Best Dirty South Mixtape Artist, while T.I.’s official DJ Drama is up for three gongs - Best Dirty South Mixtape DJ, Best Mixtape DJ: Kay Slay Award, and Mixtape of the Year for his Gangsta Grillz series.
Drama - real name Tyree Simmons - will battle it out against peers like DJ Khaled and Chuck T for the Dirty South award, while Mick Boogie and Big Mike are among those vying for the Kay Slay honour.
Other releases nominated for the Mixtape of the Year prize include Joe Budden’s Mood Muzik 3, The Game affiliate Juice’s Death Certificate, and Lil’ Wayne’s Da Drought 3.
Budden will also compete for the Best East Coast Mixtape Artist award, but will face tough competition from Styles P, Papoose, Saigon and Uncle Murder.
The 11th annual Mixtape Awards will take place in New York City on 21 February (08).

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Rapper REMY MA will stand trial later this month (Feb08) to face charges of assault and witness tampering.
The hip-hop star - real name Remy Smith - is accused of assault, criminal possession of a weapon, gang assault and witness intimidation in relation to the shooting of 23-year-old Makeda Barnes-Joseph outside a New York nightclub in July (07).
Smith appeared in a Manhattan, New York courtroom on Thursday (31Jan08) when a judge set the date of 25 February (08) for the start of the trial.
Smith has pleaded not guilty to all charges, reports AllHipHop.com.

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Actress EVA MENDES has reportedly checked into the Utah rehab facility where LINDSAY LOHAN spent last summer (07).
Reports suggest the Hitch star is battling substance abuse issues, but full details weren’t available as WENN went to press.
Sources tell TMZ.com that Mendes was admitted to Cirque Lodge earlier this month (Jan08).
Mendes’ publicist was not available for comment. (KL/WNWCMZ) WENN - BREAKING NEWS - 01 FEBRUARY 2008 —————————————————————-

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BRITNEY SPEARS’ longtime companion/manager SAM LUTFI has given up trying to work through the troubled star’s problems with her parents JAMIE and LYNNE SPEARS - because he has "no more respect for the family".
Spears’ estranged parents and Lutfi were reported to have joined forces to have the singer admitted to Los Angeles’ UCLA Medical Center on Thursday morning (31Jan08), where she was placed on 72-hour psychiatric hold.
But Lutfi is now claiming Britney’s parents are more concerned with money and their image than their daughter’s wellbeing, branding them "incapable of telling the truth and incapable of sympathising".
In an exclusive interview with E! News - which will air in the U.S. on Friday (01Feb08) night - he insists he has "a moral obligation" to protect the 26-year-old like he would with any of his three sisters.
He also maintains he has never been paid by Spears and "never accepted money from the media" for tip offs about the star’s whereabouts.
And Lutfi explains his constant presence beside the singer is due to her desperate requests: "You meet her and she cries, and she begs (you) not to turn on her."

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HEATH LEDGER’s BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN co-star KATE MARA has spoken of her grief following the actor’s untimely death last week (22Jan08).
Mara played Ledger’s onscreen daughter in the latter stages of the movie when her character Alma Jr. was aged 19 - and formed a close friendship with the tragic star on-set.
Speaking at an AIDS charity gala on Thursday (31Jan08), Mara, 24, said, "I got the chance to spend some time with him, and he talked a lot about his family, because I have the same name as his sister.
"It is so sad, and I just hope his family are given the chance to grieve." Ledger was found dead in his New York apartment on 22 January (08).
An autopsy failed to reveal how he died, although police believe his death could be drug-related as five different bottles of prescription drugs were found around his apartment.

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LATEST: A longterm producer pal of HEATH LEDGER was cruelly scammed by the man pretending to be the late actor’s father.
An unknown man masquerading as Kim Ledger has obtained the contact details of a number of Hollywood’s biggest stars and has contacted them since Ledger’s death, seeking condolences and requesting they attend the 28-year-old’s funeral. Tom Cruise is among those reportedly conned.
And now it has been revealed Australian producer Lance Reynolds - who knew Ledger for 10 years - has become a victim.
Reynolds says, "If it wasn’t heartbreaking enough, this just really takes your breath away. It’s been a couple of years since I spoke to Kim, and I assumed it was him because he was so grief-stricken. In hindsight, it didn’t sound like him." Reynolds spotted the ruse when the man gave him a British telephone number to contact him on.
Ledger’s funeral is expected to take place in secret in his hometown of Perth, Australia, next week (begs03Feb08).

Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)

British pop star NATASHA BEDINGFIELD has made American chart history after her POCKETFUL OF SUNSHINE LP debuted at number three in the U.S. album charts.
The These Words singer is tied with soul sensation Joss Stone as the highest-ever U.S. chart debut for a U.K. female soloist.
The 26-year-old shifted 500,000 copies of her sophomore LP in the first week of release (22-28Jan08).
However, the singer’s success in America has forced the star to scrap a planned tour of her native U.K. due to record label pressures to further promote the disc in the U.S.

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Comedian BILL COSBY is set to record a hip-hop album - despite his stance as a long-time critic of certain forms of rap music.
The 70-year-old will address current social issues, such as parenting, teen pregnancy and drug abuse on State Of Emergency - his 35th album since releasing his first comedy LP Bill Cosby Is A Very Funny Fellow in 1963.
The actor will reportedly completely avoid the use of profanity in his lyrics - a topic he has been very vocal about in the past, according to AllHipHop.com.

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Academy Award nominated director JULIAN SCHNABEL has been honoured for his fundraising efforts for an AIDS research organisation.
The artist-turned-filmmaker was presented with the amfAR’s Award of Courage for his charity work at a star-studded event hosted by The Foundation For AIDS Research in New York on Thursday night (31Jan08).
Schnabel donated his artwork to raise huge funds for the cause.
Others honoured by the foundation this year (08) include French Vogue’s editor Carine Roitfield and Kennedy Clan member Bobby Shriver, the brother-in-law of action star-turned-governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

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Theatre impresario ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER blames his heavy reality TV workload for delaying the much-anticipated launch of his PHANTOM OF THE OPERA sequel.
The composer has been working on the music for the untitled extravaganza, but regrets his busy schedule - working on such reality TV shows as How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? and Any Dream Will Do - has prevented him from finishing the project.
Although the story - set on Coney Island, New York - is ready and primed for the stage, other sections of the score and production are far from complete.
He tells WENN, "We haven’t even got a working title for it yet. The actual story’s written; most of the individual songs are written. It’s not going to be complete as a piece of writing ’til late autumn, early winter because I’ve got so much so much other work going on all the time. It’s difficult finding the time to finish it." But fans desperate to see the next Phantom installment should be able to scribble it into their 2009 diaries.
Lloyd Webber adds, "My plan is that it will either get produced in the summer next year or probably more likely autumn next year. It also all depends on theatre availability."

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