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11 July 2008

HARTNETT REFUSED TO BUY PHONE

Posted in: Entertainment — PR-inside Entertainment News @ 8:33 pm

Actor JOSH HARTNETT is so terrified of technology, he spent years avoiding the purchase of a cell phone.
The 29-year-old star - who plays gadget-savvy character Tom in new film August - admits that in real life he hates technological advances.
And Hartnett insists his resistance has left him unreachable in the past.
He says, "I’m not an early technology adapter. I resisted having a cell phone for a long time."

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

RONSON ‘OVERWHELMED’ BY WINEHOUSE’S SUCCESS

Posted in: Entertainment — PR-inside Entertainment News @ 8:30 pm

Superproducer MARK RONSON is shocked by the success of AMY WINEHOUSE’s hit track REHAB - as he never expected the song to do so well.
The 2006 song has garnered international critical acclaim, winning Winehouse three Grammy awards and an Ivor Novello prize for songwriting.
And Ronson - who produced the track for Winehouse’s LP Back to Black - had no idea Rehab would become such a phenomenon.
He says, "Doing Back to Black with Amy, we felt no pressure at all to come up with hits. We were in our own bubble, just making music we liked. "So while I knew it was good, I had no idea why her A&R guy saw dollar signs the very instant we first played him Rehab."

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

CAMPBELL GOES GREEN FOR AFRICA

Posted in: Entertainment — PR-inside Entertainment News @ 8:30 pm

NAOMI CAMPBELL has helped raise awareness of environmental issues in Nigeria by taking part in a tree-planting ceremony.
The British supermodel was a special guest at the Abuja Central Park and Botanic Garden on Friday (11Jun08).
The Abuja Green Society’s green initiative aims to plant a tree for every new baby born in the region’s hospital’s in a bid to give them a better future.

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

RICHIE TAKES BOOK TO TV

Posted in: Entertainment — PR-inside Entertainment News @ 8:30 pm

NICOLE RICHIE is to complete her TV comeback by turning her 2005 book THE TRUTH ABOUT DIAMONDS into a drama series.
The Simple Life star recently shot a cameo role for hit sitcom Chuck and now looks set to star in a new production based on her own coming-of-age novel.
Richie has signed up as a producer on the series and will also appear in the show, although it is not yet known whether she will be tackling the lead role.
She tells Eonline, "I would definitely produce and definitely be in the show.
I don’t know if I need to be the star of this show. I’ve got a lot going on right now." The books tells the story of a young girl adopted by a superstar musician who hits the Hollywood party scene and ends up in rehab.
It is thought to be a thinly-veiled memoir of Richie’s own life.
The actress is currently working on her second novel, although she refuses to give away any of the details.
She adds, "I’m not telling you (the plot). It’s not finished."

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

KEYS AND LENNOX DUET AT FUNDRAISER

Posted in: Entertainment — PR-inside Entertainment News @ 8:27 pm

Singers ALICIA KEYS and ANNIE LENNOX helped raise money for a children’s charity by stunning a celebrity-studded audience with a rendition of the EURYTHMICS’ classic SWEET DREAMS.
The superstar pair took to the stage to raise funds for the Keep A Child Alive foundation at a lavish ball in London on Thursday night (10Jul08).
Stars including former Destiny’s Child singer Kelly Rowland, Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson and former The O.C. actress Mischa Barton all paid $2,000 (£1,000) each to attend the bash.
The event, hosted by Keys, aimed to raise $1 million (£500,000) for children suffering from AIDS in Africa.

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

McKELLEN EYES X-MEN SPIN-OFF

Posted in: Entertainment — PR-inside Entertainment News @ 8:27 pm

SIR IAN McKELLEN is hoping to star in a new X-MEN movie featuring his character MAGNETO.
The comic book series has already produced three major action films and a spin-off picture - X-Men Origins: Wolverine starring Hugh Jackman, which is due for release next year (09).
McKellen has revealed that film bosses are already looking over a script for a possible Magneto movie.
And he hopes it will be rewritten to give him a bigger part - as he was the first actor to bring the character to life.
He says, "I think it’s a very good series. There is a script knocking around for a spin-off, but it will be a younger Magneto, so if I were involved it would just be topping and tailing the story."

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

BAKULA RETURNS TO STAR IN NEW TV SHOW

Posted in: Entertainment — PR-inside Entertainment News @ 8:27 pm

Former QUANTUM LEAP star SCOTT BAKULA is resurrecting his television career with a starring role in a new U.S. TV pilot.
The 53-year-old star will play Terry Elliot - a struggling actor dating a younger woman - in the premiere episode for the TNT drama called Men of a Certain Age.
The actor will star alongside comedian Ray Romano and Andre Braugher in the show, as the trio struggle with accepting adulthood.
Romano also acts as writer and executive producer on the programme, which marks his first return to series television since completing the final episodes for his own TV hit Everybody Loves Raymond in May 2005.
Bakula’s most recent TV credits include a recurring role opposite Julia Louis Dreyfus in U.S. series The New Adventures of Old Christine and a brief stint on sitcom Boston Legal this year (08).

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

SIMMONS’ EX DEFENDS SPLIT

Posted in: Entertainment — PR-inside Entertainment News @ 8:24 pm

RUSSELL SIMMONS’ former girlfriend has blasted reports the hip-hop mogul’s controlling ways led to their split - calling him her "best friend".
Former Star Search model Porschla Coleman came to Simmons’ defence on Friday (11Jul08), hitting back at claims his demanding personality put a strain on their relationship.
She tells the New York Daily News, "I am not prepared to go into detail, but Russell is my best friend.
"There is no anger on either of our parts. It was a mutual decision. We just decided to be friends, and we’re both very happy." Coleman adds Simmons has even helped her redecorate her new apartment, now that she is moving out of the pair’s shared home.
She says, "It’s around the corner, and he helped me pick it (the furniture) out." The couple began dating last year (07) but split last month (Jun08). Simmons was previously married to his former Phat Fashions colleague Kimora Lee. They split in March 2006.

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

TISDALE’S TEARS OVER HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL

Posted in: Entertainment — PR-inside Entertainment News @ 8:24 pm

ASHLEY TISDALE burst into tears while filming her final scenes for HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3: SENIOR YEAR - because she is devastated her part in the franchise is over.
The actress has been involved in all three of the hit teen movies so far, but won’t be playing Sharpay Evans for a fourth time.
And she insists she wasn’t the only one to shed a tear on the last day - her castmates Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens and Corbin Blue all got emotional too.
She says, "We went into the last day thinking, ‘It’ll all be fine ’cause we’re all really good friends and we’re so close.
"It wasn’t even the last scene - we couldn’t even get through it. We were crying and just so emotional over the whole thing.
"We’re so attached to each other. We’ve had such fun doing these movies. It’s definitely something that’s tough to leave and say goodbye to." Tisdale also confirms she is not the only one who will miss out on a further Disney follow-up.
She adds, "I heard they’re going to do a High School Musical 4, but we have nothing to do with it. I think we’re all doing other projects and moving on."

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

LENNON’S LYRICS SOLD AT AUCTION

Posted in: Entertainment — PR-inside Entertainment News @ 8:24 pm

LATEST: Former BEATLE JOHN LENNON’s lyrics for GIVE PEACE A CHANCE have sold at auction for $833,654 (£416,827).
The valuable notes went under the hammer on Thursday (10Jul08) at London auction house Christie’s, alongside a collection of a rock and pop memorabilia.
They were written during Lennon’s 1969 bed-in protest for peace at the Queens Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Canada.
The musician gave the music sheet to then 16-year-old Gail Renard in 1969, after Renard and a friend posed as journalists and ended up spending the rest of the week with the late Beatle and his widow Yoko Ono.
Lennon gave Renard a few mementos including the lyrics, according to a Christie’s spokesperson, telling her: "One day they will be worth something".

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

SONY BMG MERGER APPROVED BY EU COURT

Posted in: Entertainment — PR-inside Entertainment News @ 8:21 pm

Bosses at record giant SONY BMG have won a ruling at Europe’s highest court throwing out a challenge to the 2004 merger of two of music’s biggest labels.
Sony and Bertelsmann Media Group won the decision in The European Court of Justice on Thursday (10Jul08) - overturning a 2006 decision.
The proceedings determined a lower court had made "errors of law" by ruling against the merger.
Legal battles have ensued since the companies joined forces in 2004 - after independent labels complained that the shrinking number of major music firms would reduce competition.
The media group’s lawyer John Boyce insists the decision won’t have a "real commercial impact" on Sony BMG, although the decision helped to clarify the European Union’s merger process.
Approval for the media group to combine its music units led to the creation of the world’s second largest record label.
The formation of Sony BMG has joined labels including Arista, Jive, Epic and Columbia and houses artists including Shakira, George Michael and Avril Lavigne.

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

JAZZ MUSICIAN DURHAM DIES

Posted in: Entertainment — PR-inside Entertainment News @ 8:21 pm

Jazz musician BOBBY DURHAM has died at the age of 71, after losing his battle with lung cancer.
The highly-sought after drummer - who played alongside some of jazz’ greatest legends throughout his career - passed away on Monday (07Jul08) in Genoa, Italy.
Durham performed with artists including Duke Ellington, Oscar Peterson, Lionel Hampton and Ella Fitzgerald, who he accompanied from 1973 to 1980.
The Philadelphia-born musician began playing drums with his junior high school band and was playing professionally by the age of 16.
Durham’s wife, Betsy Perkins, died in 1996.
He is survived by two daughters, Valarie Ahrar and Robbin Carver, and four grandchildren.

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

SIMMONS: ‘CONDOLEEZZA RICE IS VERY SEXY’

Posted in: Entertainment — PR-inside Entertainment News @ 8:21 pm

KISS rocker GENE SIMMONS has developed a crush on U.S. Secretary of State CONDOLEEZZA RICE.
The pair met in Sweden in May (08) when they were staying in the same hotel.
Kiss were performing in the capital Stockholm and Rice was meeting with politicians to discuss Iraq.
Simmons was stunned to discover the 53-year-old Republican is a fan of his band - and he reveals they bonded over a private meeting.
Rice said at the time, "I was thrilled. It was really fun to meet Kiss and Gene Simmons." And Simmons, who claims to have seduced 5,000 women, adds, "She told me it was OK to call her Condi, and that she was a fan. I find her very sexy."

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

DJ LET-DOWN FOR WINEHOUSE FANS

Posted in: Entertainment — PR-inside Entertainment News @ 5:51 pm

AMY WINEHOUSE disappointed fans who arrived at a London nightclub to hear her DJ - by not playing a single record.
The Back To Black singer was due to hit the decks at the launch of her own regular club night at the Monarch in Camden, London on Thursday (10Jun08) night.
Winehouse was expected to show off her new mixing skills at the event, but she baffled the crowd by merely dancing around the DJ booth while a friend controlled the music.
A source tells British magazine Glamour, "It was just the other guy. He was good, so good but Amy didn’t start DJing at all.
"It was a really good atmosphere but she didn’t get on the decks at all."

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

DUNST THIEF PLEADS GUILTY

Posted in: Entertainment — PR-inside Entertainment News @ 5:48 pm

A burglar who stole KIRSTEN DUNST’s handbag during a hotel raid is facing jail.
Jarrod Beinerman, 34, broke into the penthouse suite of New York’s SoHo Grand Hotel while Dunst was staying there last year (07).
He admitted illegally entering the hotel suite and taking Dunst’s $13,000 (£6,500) Marc Jacobs handbag.
But he claims he never meant to target the actress, who was in the Big Apple filming upcoming movie How to Lose Friends and Alienate People.
Beinerman entered a plea to second-degree burglary on Thursday (10Jul08), according to the New York Post.
He is now facing four-and-a-half years in jail.
Beinerman’s lawyer said: "He’s looking to put this all behind him."

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

DJ AM SUES OVER RICHIE STORY

Posted in: Entertainment — PR-inside Entertainment News @ 5:48 pm

NICOLE RICHIE’s ex-fiance ADAM GOLDSTEIN has launched legal action against a New York newspaper over a story about the former couple’s break-up.
Goldstein - who goes under the moniker of DJ AM - proposed to the socialite in 2004 but the couple called off their engagement the following year (05).
Now the DJ is suing the New York Daily News for libel and invasion of privacy over a story about the split.
In papers filed at Los Angeles’ Superior Court on 27 June (08), Goldstein has hit back at the article, which focused on his financial affairs and his DJing career.
The lawsuit states, "DJ AM’s career has continued to thrive. Even though a minimal amount of research would have, at the very least, caused Daily News to have entertained serious doubts about the credibility of its supposed source(s), defendants appear to have elected time to publish the sloppy and false article." Goldstein is seeking at least $10 million (£5 million) in damages, and a permanent injunction banning further publication of the information included in the Daily News article.

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

SNOOP WALKS THE LINE WITH CASH

Posted in: Entertainment — PR-inside Entertainment News @ 5:48 pm

Rapper SNOOP DOGG is continuing his love affair with country music - by reworking JOHNNY CASH’s classic track I WALK THE LINE.
The hip-hop star - who dedicated his new single My Medicine to the legendary musician - has signed up to work on an album of Cash covers.
The new disc, to be produced by the late singer’s son John Carter Cash, will see a variety of stars giving Cash’s songs their own personal touch.
And Carter Cash insists his father would have approved of Snoop Dogg’s contribution.
He says, "He would have loved this remix record. While it stays true to the original recordings, this CD touches on undiscovered ground.
"This is what my father was about: staying true to tradition while creating groundbreaking new music."

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

BROADWAY MUSICAL PASSING STRANGE CLOSES

Posted in: Entertainment — PR-inside Entertainment News @ 5:45 pm

SPIKE LEE has failed to save Broadway musical PASSING STRANGE, it will close in New York the day after the director films it for a TV special.
Last week (07Jul08) it was revealed the film maker would spend $2 million (£1 million) shooting the show, about a young black musician who travels to Europe.
The play won a Tony Award this year (08) but has suffered poor box office sales, and it was rumoured that Lee’s intervention was intended to boost the show’s profile.
But producers have announced performers will take their last bow on 20 July (08), reports Daily Variety.
Lee’s filmed version is expected to appear on a cable TV network later this year (08).

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

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