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R&B star KELLY ROWLAND has been left pondering the existence of a JENNIFER HUDSON curse on her and her DESTINY’S CHILD bandmates, after losing out to the Oscar winner for a role in SEX AND THE CITY: THE MOVIE.
Hudson landed the role of Louise, the assistant to Sarah Jessica Parker’s character Carrie Bradshaw, after fighting off competition from singer/actress Rowland.
And the Dilemma hitmaker was stunned to hear she had lost out on the movie opportunity, because she was convinced she had it in the bag.
She tells WENN, "I can’t understand it because I did a really good job at the audition, a really good job! "I hate it, and of course I feel that I should have the part, but then Jennifer Hudson’s just won an Oscar, so maybe she’s better for the role. But I was so bummed at that, I really wanted it." It is the second time in as many years that Hudson has triumphed over the Destiny’s Child girls - in 2006, she was awarded the part of Effie White in the big-screen adaptation of musical Dreamgirls - the role Beyonce Knowles initially wanted to try out for. The Crazy In Love beauty later accepted the smaller part of Deena Jones, in a story loosely based on the rise and fall of The Supremes in the 1960s and 70s.

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TERI HATCHER has hit out at the producers of DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES for axing her onscreen daughter from the show.
The actress was devastated when she discovered Andrea Bowen would not be a part of the regular cast for the next season of the hit show.
In the finale, which aired in America on Sunday (18May08), the cast was transported five years into the future - and Bowen’s character Julie was revealed to be a student at Princeton University.
As a result, the character will be absent from the next season of the show and Hatcher thinks that is a mistake.
She tells USA Today newspaper, "She (Bowen) is somebody who I have done the majority of my work with for four years. I’ve watched her grow up from 13 to 18, get a driver’s license.
"I can’t begin to tell you the depths of how impossibly hard it is for me to think about her not being there.
"This is a totally producer/network decision that I have nothing to do with, and I guess I can go out on a limb and say I don’t support."

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JESSICA ALBA married CASH WARREN in a secret ceremony on Monday (19May08).
The 27-year-old actress’s representative Brad Cafarelli has confirmed to People.com a wedding took place, but no other details are available as WENN goes to press.
Alba is currently eight months pregnant with her first child. Warren, 31, is the father.
The Fantastic Four actress recently said of her relationship with Warren, who she met on the set of the 2005 superhero movie, "It wasn’t lust, or ‘this is my soulmate’. It was, ‘Oh, I’m going to know you for the rest of my life.’ It was easy."

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LATEST: Las Vegas casino bosses are challenging retired basketball icon CHARLES BARKLEY’s claim he has paid off his $400,000 (GBP200,000) gambling debt insisting they have yet to receive a penny from the star.
Barkley vowed to quit his gambling habit after The Wynn Las Vegas Casino filed a civil complaint against him last week (14May08), alleging he had run up the huge debt.
Speaking on U.S. TV on Monday (19May08), the 45-year-old said, "I’ve got to stop gambling… I screwed up and I didn’t pay them in a significant amount of time.
"Could they have handled it differently? Yes. But it was my fault. I have no money problems whatsoever. Nobody’s coming after me for money." But bosses at the Wynn have yet to be paid, and Clark County District Attorney David Roger insists, "We have no evidence to suggest that he has made any payments. We have neither heard from Mr. Barkley nor received restitution from him." According to court documents, casino bosses allowed Barkley to borrow four ‘markers’ worth $100,000 (GBP50,000) each during a gambling spree in October (07).
Barkley faces felony charges if the sum is not paid.

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Hot Hollywood couple REESE WITHERSPOON and JAKE GYLLENHAAL were always destined to be together - they were lovers in a previous life.
Top Tinseltown psychic Kenny Kingston’s spiritual guides have told him the actors were an item when they were both medics in World War One.
Kingston says, "He was a doctor, she was a nurse. They worked closely together and were also romantically involved.
"But too soon, he was called to more active duty and they were separated. So, in this life. they must complete their relationship, both romantically and in some capacity, to work together.
"This (new relationship) will allow the relationship that started during World War One to fully blossom." Witherspoon and Gyllenhaal have been an item since the actress split from husband Ryan Phillippe last year (07).

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SHIA LABEOUF is struggling to evict his dad from the garage of his Los Angeles home.
Vietnam veteran Jeffrey LaBeouf spends his summers living in a teepee in Montana and his winters staying with his movie star son - but this year (08) the actor’s father has yet to move on.
And the Transformers star admits he can’t bring himself to kick his dad out.
LaBeouf, 21, says, "We’ve got this little air mattress set up for him. It’s very comfortable.
"But now it’s not winter anymore and he’s still there. But I can’t go there and go, `Hey dad. Listen it’s time to go back.’ I can’t make him leave."

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HEROES actress HAYDEN PANETTIERE has become the latest star to auction off a date - she’ll take a fan whale watching in return for a hefty charity donation.
The actress will spend a day with the winning bidder and guests on the high seas in August (08).
The whale watchers will be joined by marine expert and conservationist Jeff Pantukoff.
The eBay.com auction, which runs from 20 to 30 May (08), will benefit The Whaleman Foundation, which is Panettiere’s favourite charity.
Panettiere’s deep love for sealife became clear last year (07) when she risked her life by joining protestors in the waters off the coast of Taiji, Japan and attempted to stop fishermen from killing dolphins.
Since then, she has further championed the cause by lending her name to the Save The Whales Again! campaign and heading to Washington D.C. to confront the Japanese, Icelandic and Norwegian embassies about their hunting practices.
The auction is a Save The Whales Again! venture.

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A con artist has cashed in on U.S. comedienne ELLEN DeGENERES’ wedding news by setting up a hoax gift registry at top store Crate & Barrel.
DeGeneres revealed her plans to wed partner Portia De Rossi during her daytime show on Thursday (15May08) - a day after samesex marriages were declared legal in California.
The comic joked that the couple’s gift list would be with Crate & Barrel and one hoaxer chose to use the line to deceive gullible fans.
She says, "I was joking when I released a statement saying we registered at Crate & Barrel.
"Some scam artist tried to take advantage of that and register and said the gifts are going to be sent to me and some people started already buying gifts… and sending (them to) this person." DeGeneres insists she and De Rossi do not want wedding gifts.

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Grammy-winning bandleader BOB FLORENCE has died in Los Angeles after a lengthy battle with pneumonia. He was 75.
As well as becoming one of America’s most respected bandleaders, Florence was also an acclaimed arranger and worked regularly with Andy Williams, Julie Andrews and Jack Jones, among others.
He was also a regular on Williams and Dean Martin’s TV variety shows in the late 1960s.
Florence and his Bob Florence Limited Edition big band won a Grammy in 1999.

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JONATHAN RHYS-MEYERS has come under fire from animal rights activists after his latest co-star, RADHA MITCHELL, let it slip that he ate dog while filming in China.
Mitchell coos about the movie hunk’s "adventurous pallet" but officials at People For The Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) are less than impressed.
The actress insists dining out in rural China, where she and Rhys-Meyers, shot new film The Children of Huang Shi was a challenge - and her co-star decided to go native.
She says, "The challenge was ordering lunch and getting chicken claws, just these weird things that you don’t expect and you’re not used to so you’re constantly adjusting.
"Jonathan did the dog’s meat. We were in some restaurant and there was dog meat on the menu and there was someone next to us just sitting there with their Chihuahua in a handbag.
"I was thinking, ‘That could’ve been dessert.’" But PETA bosses are appalled that Rhys-Meyers, who plays British journalist George Hogg in the Roger Spottiswoode film, sampled man’s best friend.
Spokesman Michael McGraw rages, "Most people are appalled to hear about Jonathan Rhys Meyers eating dog flesh." And he urges anyone sickened by the story to consider turning veggie: "They should take a look at what’s on their own plates. Chickens and cows may not be as cute and cuddly as puppies, but when it comes to their ability to feel pain and suffer, they are no different from animals people call pets.
"The best way to avoid harming any animals is simply not to eat them and go veggie."

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JOAQUIN PHOENIX was forced to cancel an appearance at the Cannes Film Festival after a nasty bout of stomach flu left him unable to board his flight to France.
The Oscar nominee was due to attend the premiere of his new movie Two Lovers at the festival on Monday (19May08), but pulled out at the last minute after doctors banned him from travelling.
His spokeswoman Susan Patricola tells People.com, "Joaquin has the stomach flu. He had his dog boarded, his tux in hand but couldn’t even sit on the plane.
"He did go to the hospital to get hydrated, hoping he could get on the plane… He was so sick - and so sorry he couldn’t be there with everyone."

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PETE WENTZ and ASHLEE SIMPSON’s newlywed bliss was shattered in the early hours of Monday morning (19May08) - by a shock police call.
Wentz’s pal, rapper Tyga, was caught driving the Fall Out Boy star’s Mercedes and pulled over by Los Angeles police - and the authorities had to call the rocker to verify that his friend had permission to use the vehicle.
Wentz says, "I get a call from the LAPD… and they were like, ‘Do you know someone who should be driving your Mercedes?’ and I was like, `Tyga,’ and they were like, ‘What is his real name?’ `I don’t know, Tyga Mann?’ "He wrote me back said if I hadn’t picked up my phone they had him in handcuffs and were arresting him for having stolen the car." Wentz, who wed Simpson on Saturday (17May08), admits he wasn’t thrilled to get the early morning call. He says sarcastically, "Your wife is pretty stoked to get that call at 3.45am."

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Jurors in the R. KELLY child pornography trial have been told they’ll have to watch an explicit sex tape.
As opening statements got underway in Chicago, Illinois on Tuesday (20May08), prosecutors told the jury members the taped evidence they’ll be shown features an "underage child performing sex acts that you have never seen before." Cook County prosecutor Shauna Boliker added, "A child doesn’t choose to be violated and placed on a videotape, a videotape that will live on forever long after this child becomes an adult." Kelly stands accused of videotaping himself having sex with a 13-year-old girl.
The R&B singer maintains he isn’t the man on the tape, and the girl in the video, who is now, 23, insists she isn’t the girl in the footage.

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THE MAVERICKS frontman RAUL MALO has paid tribute to late country icon EDDY ARNOLD with a touching appreciation of the singer/songwriter in the Los Angeles Times newspaper.
The There Goes My Heart singer’s letter to the Times credits Arnold with writing "some of the most beautiful music ever".
In the appreciation, which appears in Tuesday’s (20May08) Times, Malo writes, "There were no rhinestone suits, no affairs with movie stars, no drug problems, no nothing… just great music.
"Early in my career, I had the pleasure (or audacity, really) of singing (Arnold hit) Make The World Go Away for a television show.
"Several months after that, I had the good fortune of meeting Arnold. He leaned into me to tell me how much he enjoyed my version of his song.
"I bragged about that for months. Apparently I haven’t stopped." Arnold died on 8 May (08). He was 89.

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Actor KIEFER SUTHERLAND and rocker BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG have been named and shamed in a new drink-driving-inspired advertising campaign.
The American Beverage Institute (ABI) took out a full page ad in the New York Times newspaper on Tuesday (20May08) featuring Sutherland and Armstrongs’ DUI mugshots.
The ad praises in-car breathalyzers, new technology that will prevent drunk drivers from starting up cars - but also raises alarm bells about plans to install them in every car in America, which the ABI claims will bring an end to legal drinking and driving.
It reads, "Ignition interlocks, or in-car breathalyzers are a great tool for getting hard-core drunk drivers off our roads.
"However, activists now want to put one in every car in America - and they will be set well below the current legal limit of .08 BAC (blood alcohol content). That means the end of moderate and responsible drinking prior to driving: no more champagne toasts at weddings, no more wine with dinner, no more beer at ballgames. Let’s make our roads safer by targetting drunk drivers, not all Americans." Sutherland spent last Christmas (07) in jail in California after a DUI arrest violated his probation. Green Day frontman Armstrong was arrested for driving under the influence five years ago. A website dedicated to the ABI’s campaign also names DUI-convicted stars Michelle Rodriguez, Glen Campbell and Chris Klein.

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Misdemeanour drug possession charges against WHITNEY HOUSTON have been dropped by a Hawaiian judge, following a substance abuse assessment of the star.
Houston, 44, was suspected of possessing marijuana while travelling through a Hawaiian airport in 2000 with ex-husband Bobby Brown.
The pop superstar allegedly disposed of less than half an ounce (28 grams) of the drug and three partially smoked marijuana cigarettes, before boarding a United Airlines flight from Keahole-Kona airport to San Francisco, California.
The assessment, submitted in February 2008 by a New Jersey substance abuse counselor, stated Houston does not require treatment for substance abuse. She is now cleared of all charges.
Rumours of drug abuse have surrounded the star since her marriage to R&B singer Brown, and she spent time in rehabilitation facilities in 2004 and 2005.
Houston’s record label bosses maintain she has been clean of all illegal substances since her most recent stint three years ago.

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LINDSAY LOHAN’s little sister ALI hopes her new reality show LIVING LOHAN will shatter myths about her famous family, and convince the world her mother isn’t a "crazy freak".
The programme will follow manager mum Dina as she steers the careers of Ali, 14 and her brother Cody, 11.
And Ali is determined viewers should learn the truth about the much-talked about and much-criticised clan.
She says, "The tabloids said I got a nose job. That really annoyed me. Look at my nose, look at my mom’s nose. We all have the same nose." Ali adds, "I want everyone to know that my mum is not a crazy freak who’s just trying to be famous and be in the spotlight. She’s not. She’s just helping her kids follow their dreams in life, just like any other mum would." Lindsay Lohan was recently banned from appearing in the show by Dina, who claimed it would damage her career.

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Socialite PARIS HILTON is so broody, she’s set herself a baby deadline - she wants to start a family with boyfriend BENJI MADDEN in 2009.
The hotel heiress has been dating the Good Charlotte rocker for three months, but already has marriage and babies on her mind.
And although she insists she is not currently pregnant, Hilton admits she hopes to be with child in 12 months’ time.
She tells Britain’s Heat magazine, "I do want a baby. Pretty soon. Not yet because I’m so busy, but next year." Hilton’s close friend and Simple Life co-star Nicole Richie gave birth to her first child - with Benji’s twin brother Joel Madden - in January (08).

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