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BRITNEY SPEARS’ longtime companion/manager SAM LUTFI is unfazed by her parents’ attempts to keep him away from the star - because he is confident their power struggle will soon be over.
The singer’s father Jamie was granted temporary conservatorship of her medical, financial and legal affairs last Friday (01Feb08) after Britney was committed to Los Angeles’ UCLA Medical Center for psychiatric evaluation.
Jamie immediately imposed a 21-day restraining order against Lutfi, and in a court hearing on Monday (04Feb08) he was banned from having any contact with the pop star.
But Lutfi has dismissed Jamie and his ex-wife Lynne’s attempts to separate him from their troubled daughter.
He tells Usmagazine.com, "It won’t last. They’re never gonna be able to rule her forever." Britney is reportedly unhappy at the appointment of her dad Jamie as conservator and at Monday’s court hearing, her lawyer Adam Streisand attempted to have the ruling overturned, claiming the decision has been causing her "more agitation and distress".
However, his bid was thrown out of court and Jamie Spears will remain in charge of her various legal affairs until 14 February (08), when a further hearing has been scheduled.

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

Actor SACHA BARON COHEN was so determined to give an accurate portrayal of a barber in SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET - he recruited his own personal stylist to give him lessons.
The British star - who plays Italian coiffure Adolfo Pirelli in the film even brought Sicilian-born barber Carmelo Guastella on to the set of the murder musical to ensure his shaving techniques were up to scratch. Guastella says, "Sacha’s very professional. He takes his roles very seriously and does a lot of preparation, so much so that he commandeered me for four days to make sure he really looked like he was shaving on set.
"Sacha did it marvellously, singing a complex song in an Italian accent while lifting the lather from his client’s face like a professional. "He called me to his hotel only for me to find his driver sitting in a chair with foam all over his face and Sacha prancing around him with a blade and singing his song from the film."

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GEORGE CLOONEY is already conceding Best Actor Oscar victory to DANIEL DAY-LEWIS, claiming no one has a chance against the British star.
The pair are on the shortlist for the prize at this month’s (Feb08) ceremony, alongside Viggo Mortensen for Eastern Promises, Tommy Lee Jones for No Country For Old Men and Johnny Depp for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
But Clooney has already given up hope of winning for his role in Michael Clayton - to add to his Best Supporting Academy Award for Syriana - after watching Day-Lewis in his nominated role in There Will Be Blood.
He says, "If you want my honest opinion, I think it’s going to be Daniel Day-Lewis. He sort of irritates all of us because he’s so good. I’ll tell you right now, I don’t like him!"

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Romantic RYAN REYNOLDS once jetted from New York to London just to take a girlfriend out for lunch.
The actor - currently romancing Scarlett Johansson - was desperate to impress a British girl he was dating, so he hopped on a plane, dined with his lady, and then flew straight back.
He tells British radio station Heart, "It was a few years ago, but I once flew all the way to London to have lunch with this girl I was dating.
"She lived in the U.K. and I was in the U.S. obviously. We had just started dating and didn’t really get to see as much of each other as we would have like to because of the distance and work and everything… so I just flew here to have lunch with her." "I had to leave the very same day so it was pretty romantic but expensive. I did let her buy the sandwich though."

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Tearjerker CASABLANCA has been voted the most romantic movie of all time in a new internet poll.
Visitors to Moviefone.com named the 1942 World War II classic their number one, ahead of Titanic in second place and Wuthering Heights in third.
None of the top 10 films were released in the past decade - proving old movies really are more romantic.
The top 10 is as follows:
1. Casablanca
2. Titanic
3. Wuthering Heights
4. An Affair to Remember
5. Gone With the Wind
6. The Way We Were
7. Moonstruck
8. Annie Hall
9. Dr
. Zhivago
10. Ghost
.

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Actor ROBERT ENGLUND has ruled himself out of the upcoming A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET remake - because he’s "too old".
The 58-year-old played movie ghoul Freddie Krueger in the 1984 Wes Craven original and its subsequent sequels, but has not been asked to reprise his role in the big-screen comeback.
He says, "I’m too old for this new version, otherwise it would be Freddie vs.
Viagra." Transformers director Michael Bay is one of the big names behind the planned New Line movies, based on the franchise created by horror mastermind Craven.

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Quirky actress SELMA BLAIR has resigned herself to a career in supporting roles - because she doesn’t have "the face" of a leading lady.
The Cruel Intentions star admits her physical attributes fail to meet Hollywood’s high standards, insisting she would have fared better in the less discriminatory European film industry.
Blair says, "Maybe in Europe, I’d be like Samantha Morton or Charlotte Gainsbourg. But I didn’t choose my quirky career - it chose me.
"I don’t have the face to constantly radiate leading lady energy. There is only one Reese Witherspoon. There is only one Julia Roberts.
"I don’t fit that mould. And you know what else? I don’t want to."

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British actor TIM ROTH was left so disturbed by his experience on horror movie FUNNY GAMES U.S., he has pledged never to watch the film.
The Reservoir Dogs star plays a father who is forced to watch his wife and two young sons fight for their lives after they are taken hostage.
Roth insists the role drew too many similarities to his own life - as he is married with two boys.
He says, "I’ll never see that movie. It damaged me.
"That was one of the hardest things I’ve done as an actor. And as a parent the boy bears a strong resemblance to one of my own children." Roth also has a 24-year-old son from a previous relationship.

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Academy Awards President SID GANIS is positive the Oscars will go ahead despite the threat from the current Hollywood writers strike.
Ganis has fuelled speculation the Writers Guild of America (WGA) walkouts could be nearing an end by declaring that "things are looking very, very good now" for the 24 February (08) ceremony to go ahead.
Members of the WGA walked out in November (07) in a protest over royalties and so far negotiations to break the deadlock have proved unsuccessful.
However, talks have been stepped up ahead of this month’s (Feb08) Oscars ceremony, which many fear will be cancelled if the union refuses to grant organisers a waiver.
Last month’s (Jan08) Golden Globes, which usually takes the form of a glittering star-studded ceremony, was reduced to a televised press conference after the union announced plans to protest at the event, forcing the majority of attendees to vow not to cross the picket line.
Speaking at a luncheon to celebrate this year’s (08) nominees, Ganis insists if the Academy Awards are cancelled, it will be a major blow to the movie industry.
He says, "The Oscars exists to shine the brightest possible light on you and your work, and it would be such a terrible shame, through no fault of yours and no fault of ours, if the current conditions prevented us from shining that brightest possible light." It was reported at the weekend (02-03Feb08) that WGA officials and film bosses have sketched the outline of an agreement on how much writers will be paid for Internet broadcasting of their work.
If a deal is reached, it will have to be approved by the Guild’s board and then ratified by the union’s 10,500 members.

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British rockers DIRTY PRETTY THINGS are terrified about their musical comeback - after creating a "different sound" with dance outfit THE PRODIGY.
The musicians - fronted by former Libertines singer Carl Barat - hired The Prodigy’s DJ Nik Lemen to produce the record and have spent a year crafting their second LP.
But the band are worried about reactions to their new musical direction, fearing fans will hate the change.
Barat, 29, says, "It’s a different sounding record so we’re quite nervous.
We’ve used lots of unusual instruments and a fair bit of social commentary.
"We’re not giving you techno yet, although give us another six months and you never know."

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Canadian rockers TRIUMPH will be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at the Juno Awards in April (08).
The Rock ‘N’ Roll Machine group peaked in the 1970s and 80s, establishing a huge fanbase in their home nation.
They will follow the honour with a major reunion in 2008.
Frontman Rik Emmett says of the tribute, "It’s a tremendous honour to be part of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. In one way, the reunion is like a surprising, surreal whirlwind. In another sense, it is also very humbling.
"I lost my brother to cancer last year, and he was always one of my biggest supporters - and a huge fan of Triumph - so an award like this also pays tribute to an enduring relationship with music lovers everywhere." Triumph will join previous inductees Bryan Adams, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young.

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Superproducer TIMBALAND has put an end to his feud with SCOTT STORCH after hearing of the beatmaker’s rumoured financial woes.
The pair has been locked in a bitter dispute since early 2007, when Timbaland - real name Timothy Mosely - made reference to Storch on the track Give It To Me.
He rapped: "I’m a real producer and you just a piano man… I get a half a mil (million) for my beats you get a couple grand…" Storch hit back with the song Built Like That, in which he accused Mosely of taking credit for beats crafted by others.
But Mosely insists he has now put the rivalry behind him after calling Storch to personally apologise for his insults and to extend an offer of help.
He says, "I reached out to Scott just a couple days ago. ‘Cause all this stuff I been hearing in the press about him, I just called him and said, ‘Look man, we been friends for so long and I’m here for you. All that stuff that I’ve done, I’m sorry. I just know that you need a friend. And I just wanna be there for you ’cause I know people turn their backs on you." And Mosely admits his sudden turnaround shocked an emotional Storch: "I reached out to him and went over to his house and he was almost in tears ’cause he thought I would be the last person that would call him. When he went against me he said that that shut a lot of doors for him." Storch has been plagued by recent reports claiming he is in financial difficulty after it was revealed he is in arrears on more than $400,000 (£200,000)-worth of tax payments for his Miami, Florida, mansion. He is also being sued by his ex-girlfriend for late child support payments after reneging on monthly cheques of $7,500 (£3,750) to help care for his 21-month-old son Jalen, from his on/off relationship with Dalene Daniel.

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Cult singer-songwriter FEIST’s THE REMINDER has been named the most under-rated album of 2007 after claiming America’s Shortlist Prize.
The release beat Arcade Fire’s Neon Bible, LCD Soundsystem’s Sound of Silver, Wilco’s Sky Blue Sky and M.I.A.’s Kala, among others to win the honour, given to albums released between January and November 2007 that sold below 500,000 copies in America.
And the star also made history with her Shortlist Prize win - the U.S.
equivalent of Britain’s Mercury Music Prize - she is only the second female to claim the honour, after 2006’s winner, Cat Power took the gong for her album The Greatest.
It looks like being a great February for the Canadian 1, 2, 3, 4 hitmaker, who is also up for a string of Grammy awards this coming Sunday (10Feb08), including Best New Artist.

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LATEST: The SPICE GIRLS are facing a backlash from fans in Australia after reneging on plans to take their reunion tour Down Under.
The Wannabe stars were due to play concerts in Cape Town, South Africa; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Beijing, China; and Sydney, Australia later this month (Feb08) - but due to the high demand for extra performances in London and the U.S., their tour schedule changed and subsequent dates were never officially set.
The band - comprising of Emma Bunton, Geri Halliwell, Melanie Brown, Melanie Chisholm and Victoria Beckham - announced last week (01Feb08) that the final leg of their concerts had been pulled due to "family and personal commitments".
But devotees Down Under are not impressed and many fans have been bombarding unofficial websites like SpiceGirls.co.uk, as well as the group’s official MySpace webpage with messages of abuse.
One fan writes: "They have known all along when their kids go to school or whatever. It’s a crappy excuse, really it’s all just about money… they’ve made enough now so who cares about anywhere else right?" And other fans have turned their backs on the pop stars for good.
Another adds: "I am absolutely disgusted in them. Most of us have been waiting years for this and they have just ruined it all for us. As far as I am concerned, they have just lost another fan. So much for girl power."

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

Homegrown artists CELINE DION, MICHAEL BUBLE and AVRIL LAVIGNE will compete for the big prizes at this year’s (08) Juno Canadian Music Awards.
The trio will go head to head in the Artist of the Year, Album of the Year and Fan Choice categories.
Celine Dion picked up a total of six nominations, including two albums in the Album of the Year category - for D’elles and Taking Chances - while Buble and Lavigne boast a total of five nods.
There were also nominations for Canadian rockers Arcade Fire, singer Feist and perennial favourite Nelly Furtado.
Elsewhere, Bon Jovi’s Lost Highway, Fergie’s The Dutchess, Josh Groban’s Noel, Rihanna’s Good Girl Gone Bad and Timbaland’s Timbaland Presents Shock Value will compete for the International Album of the Year award when the ceremony takes place on 6 April (08) in Calgary.

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Rapper 50 CENT was forced to leave a shopping mall in Scottsdale, Arizona last week after security guards objected to members of his entourage carrying weapons through the building.
The In Da Club hitmaker was in Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall on Thursday (31Jan08) for an appearance at Paris Hilton’s pre-Super Bowl bash that night.
But he had to cut short his shopping trip when mall security realised some of 50’s crew were in possession of guns, according to the Scottsdale Police.
The hip-hop star and his entourage happily obliged and left the mall without incident.

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SIR MICK JAGGER’s ex-wife JERRY HALL has a new job - promoting a drug for men with erectile deficiencies.
The former supermodel has been unveiled as the Global Ambassador for Levitra.
According to the drug’s website, Hall’s duties will include "touring the world as part of Levitra’s campaign to encourage women to strike up a conversation with their partner to start discussion and ultimately treat erectile dysfunction".

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Pop superstar MICHAEL JACKSON will appear at the Grammy Awards on Sunday (10Feb08) - but he won’t be singing at the ceremony.
Jackson was rumoured to be attending the Los Angeles bash to promote a 25th anniversary re-release of his seminal album Thriller, and organisers were keen for the star to duet on hits from the LP with a number of contemporary performers, including Will.I.Am, Akon, Kanye West and Fergie.
But Jackson - who hasn’t performed live in seven years - was reluctant to take on such a big project at short notice.
A source tells the New York Post, "Michael can’t go along with that. He needs more time to rehearse new versions of the songs. And everything requires new choreography." The Post reveals that Grammy producer Ken Ehrlich backed down and consented for Jackson to just appear onstage.

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