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Irish actor COLIN FARRELL had "no choice" but to kick his alcohol addiction because it would have killed him.
The Miami Vice star started drinking at a young age and became heavily dependant on the bottle in the early days of his career.
But he decided to quit alcohol in 2006 when he realised how deadly his addiction had become.
He says, "I had been drinking for 14 years and it was a tough life change.
But I was dying, and I’m one of the lucky ones that, so far, got out of it. For me, there was no choice really to be honest with you. I was pretty sick." And Farrell admits making such a drastic change in his life was a struggle because it was a daily fight to resist the urge to give into booze.
He adds, "At the beginning it was really hard. I began to burrow myself out of the haze that I had buried myself in so deeply.
"I was struggling to keep my s**t together a lot of the time. A lot of my energy was spent trying not to have a complete meltdown."

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KEVIN SPACEY has succeeded PATRICK STEWART as the new lecturer at the U.K.’s prestigious Oxford University.
The American Beauty star will give his inaugural speech as a visiting professor at St Catherine’s College in Oxford on Monday (13Oct08).
And he is delighted to be fulfilling the role as the Cameron Mackintosh Visiting Professor of Contemporary Theatre.
He says, "If my mother was still alive she would be smiling because she was a great Anglophile.
"She loved Britain and this would make her quite pleased." The role promotes interest in contemporary theatre at the university. Spacey will hold the position for one year.

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A party to celebrate clothing giant Diesel’s 30th anniversary was almost spoiled by an over enthusiastic crowd on Saturday night (11Oct08).
Rapper T.I., M.I.A., Pharrell Williams and Hot Chip performed at a concert on behalf of the fashion house in New York when the fire department was called to control the crowds.
Fans climbed onto balconies to view the huge tent on the East River waterfront in Brooklyn, where stars including T.I. teamed up for an unusual collaboration with Franz Ferdinand, and Hot Chip were joined by Chaka Khan to duet on some of her hits.
The New York Fire Department was called to the scene to prevent overcrowding on the balconies, and the gig organisers were able to continue with the show without any further problems.
Diesel has been celebrating its landmark birthday with a succession of parties spanning 17 cities across the world.

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Superproducer MARK RONSON, THE STROKES frontman JULIAN CASABLANCAS and actor GERARD BUTLER have teamed up to open their own restaurant in Los Angeles.
The trio are just some of the celebrity names involved in new Korean BBQ eatery Shin. Other investors in the venture include That ’70s Show stars Laura Prepon and Danny Masterson, his brother Chris Masterson, and DJ Steve Aoki.
Shin, located in Hollywood, is due to be launched on Monday night (13Oct08), with Ronson, Aoki and Danny Masterson, aka DJ Mom Jeans, all DJing at the opening party.

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Late DEF LEPPARD guitarist STEVE CLARK’s alleged manic-depressive episodes led to the rocker’s drug overdose at the age of 30, according to a new tell-all book written by his former girlfriend.
Clark was found dead at his home in 1991, with autopsy reports indicating he’d fallen victim to a lethal mixture of anti-depressants, painkillers and alcohol.
And his former girlfriend Lorelei Shellist is now revealing details of his tortured past and struggle with addiction in her own memoir, Runway Runaway.
She tells the New York Post, "I was 24 when Steve and I met… he was the love of my life." She claims Clark was "living on the other side of glamour" as a rock star, adding, "Nobody talks about the lonely side of it, travelling from city to city living out of a suitcase. I believe (Clark) had serious manic-depressive disorders and OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder). He had a lot of voices he was trying to quiet in his head.
"He was a brilliant musician and songwriter, but he would wake up in the middle of the night and write. He could never get a good night’s sleep… he was haunted."

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BABYSHAMBLES rocker MICK WHITNALL has been arrested by London police on suspicion of drug possession.
The guitarist, 39, was taken into custody on Sunday (12Oct08) afternoon at a bar in the Blackheath area of the city, where he is believed to have had crack cocaine on him, reports NME.com.
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police has confirmed that a 39-year-old man was arrested and taken into custody in a south east London police station, where Whitnall is still being held.
According to the website, officers then raided Whitnall’s home nearby and reportedly found rocks of crack cocaine.
A representative for Whitnall could not be reached for comment as WENN went to press.

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ANGELINA JOLIE has coyly admitted she is rooting for BARACK OBAMA to win the forthcoming U.S. presidential elections - because his administration would be "nice" for her multicultural family.
The campaigning actress, who has adopted three children from impoverished countries, believes the Democratic hopeful will put an end to injustices in the developing world.
And although the actress won’t divulge who she is planning on voting for at the ballot box next month (Nov08), she insists she will not choose a future president because of his "roots".
She tells the German edition of Vanity Fair, "Obama fights for international justice, he wants to militarily intervene in cases of genocide, and close Guantanamo Bay. These are the things that could move me to vote for him, not his roots.
"Naturally, an American president like Barack Obama would be nice for my family." Jolie, who has children from Cambodia, Ethiopia and Vietnam, apparently doesn’t share similar political views to her actor father Jon Voight - he is a staunch John McCain supporter.

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Hollywood stars GEORGE CLOONEY and EWAN McGREGOR’s latest film shoot was interrupted by a strong earthquake which shook their Puerto Rican set on Saturday (11Oct08).
The pair was on location in the Caribbean to film their forthcoming anti-war satire Men Who Stare At Goats, when they were jolted by the powerful quake.
The new movie, in which Clooney sports a moustache and long hair, is set in Iraq, but Puerto Rico was chosen as the best location to match the war-torn country’s landscape.
Bizarrely, the quake, which is the country’s strongest in 20 years, comes on the 90th anniversary of the worst ever tremor recorded in Puerto Rico, which left 118 people dead.
No one was reported as injured after the weekend’s quake, according to officials.

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HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL star ASHLEY TISDALE has blasted the lengths the paparazzi go to get a lucrative snap - accusing one photographer of breaking into her house.
The actress was forced to call police to her Los Angeles home after a snapper forced his way into her house in a bid to get exclusive video footage.
And the star has called for all paparazzi to be assigned identity badges, because she fears it’s too easy for stalkers to become part of the media scrum.
She tells Access Hollywood, "They broke in, they came into my home before.
They don’t want middle America to know this is what they do to try and get pictures. The police were there and they (told me), you could say it’s a robbery. I’ve never seen the guy again, but they go to an extreme for pictures." She adds, "I wish they had badges. It could be a random stalker. They’re like 40-year-old men following us girls around."

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Cult 1980s sci-fi show V is set to return to the small screen.
The iconic show, about alien lizards taking over Earth, has been picked up by American network ABC, who will finance the project, and will reportedly hit screens in the U.S. as early as next year (09).
Sci-fi screenwriter Scott Peters will pen and executive produce the new spin on the original series.
The show originally aired to huge viewing figures from 1984 to 1985.

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O.J. SIMPSON is convinced he will win the appeal in his armed robbery and kidnapping trial - because jury interviews show he was "railroaded" by the court judge.
Simpson, 61, was found guilty of all 12 counts in the trial earlier this month (03Oct08), stemming from a heist he took part in at the Palace Station Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas last year (Sep07).
He and his co-defendant Clarence Stewart, are currently being held in a Las Vegas jail where they face life imprisonment when they are sentenced on 5 December (08).
But his attorney Yale Galanter insists his client is confident he will be freed from behind bars, blaming the ruling on Clark County District Judge Jackie Glass’ decisions during jury selection and her instructions to the panel.
Galanter tells the New York Daily News, "He is really very hopeful now, especially after the jury interviews. He knows that he was absolutely railroaded." Simpson was convicted of armed robbery and kidnapping after he and his accomplices stormed a Las Vegas hotel room to seize memorabilia from collectors.
His lawyers filed motions seeking a new trial on Friday (10Oct08), claiming insufficient evidence and judicial errors.

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LATEST: HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL star VANESSA HUDGENS has dismissed reports her co-star and boyfriend ZAC EFRON was attacked during a recent night out in London - insisting she was the one who was set upon by a middle-aged man.
The 20-year-old hunk was said to have been making his way through a throng of screaming fans as he left the Apollo Theatre with Hudgens on Wednesday (08Oct08) after checking out Hollywood star Josh Hartnett’s performance in a stage adaptation of Rain Man, when a man in his 40s pushed through Efron’s security team and tried to grab the star’s hair.
But Hudgens insists the man attacked her - and left her with a cut and bloody cheek.
She tells Access Hollywood, "I actually got hit in the face! If anything, I was the one who got attacked, not Zac." "There was a guy who was walking down the street and I think he was a little drunk and he got pushed into the craziness of it all. He was blocking the door so our bodyguard had to push him aside." She adds, "I looked in the mirror and got a huge scratch and I was bleeding." And Efron also admits he wasn’t at the centre of attack, insisting he didn’t even realise the man had set upon them until he saw Hudgen’s wound in their car.
He adds, "I just heard about it. I was just focused on (the) van door - I’ve gotta get to it. I got in the van and we drove away… I don’t remember getting harassed."

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Reggae legend ALTON ELLIS has died after losing his battle against cancer. He was 70 years old.
Ellis, who is known as one of the leading pioneers of Rocksteady music, passed away in a London hospital on Saturday (11Oct08).
The singer, who moved from Jamaica to Britain in the 1970s, was well known in the Reggae world, with a string of hits - including I’m Still In Love and Dance Crasher - throughout his 50-year career.
According to his manager, officials in his native Jamaica are considering giving Ellis a state funeral.
He was awarded the Order of Distinction medal in the country in 1994.
Ellis is survived by his wife and over 20 children. (MJ/WNWA/PAW) WENN - SECOND - HOLLYWOOD, SHOWBIZ & PEOPLE NEWS - 13 OCTOBER 2008

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Renowned celebrity photographer WILLIAM CLAXTON has died aged 80.
The celebrated snapper, who is best known for his work with jazz musicians in the 1960s, died from heart complications at a Los Angeles hospital on Saturday (11Oct08).
Throughout his long career, Claxton photographed Bob Dylan, Steve McQueen, Joni Mitchell and Tom Jones.
Claxton also helped found the Grammy Awards - working with others to establish the organisation that runs the annual ceremony.
In 2003, Claxton won the Lucie award for music photography at the International Photography Awards.
He is survived by his wife, former model Peggie Moffitt, and a son, Christopher.

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Rocker NOEL GALLAGHER has dismissed rumours his band are preparing to write the score for an OASIS musical.
The group were reportedly set to pen a staged musical adaptation of their inspirational rise to fame - from their tough upbringing in Manchester, England, to the height of their Brit Pop success.
The musical was alleged to be in a similar style to Queen’s We Will Rock You stageshow - which has proved a huge hit with theatre-goers in London’s West End.
But the musician doesn’t believe his backstory would be a good musical mocking the idea of a huge Liam Gallagher statue outside a well-known theatre.
He tells BBC 6 Music, "It would have been funny to have that theatre with Freddie Mercury in front (but instead) a big Liam with his hands behind his back." "Live Forever a.k.a. Mad For It The Musical. The rags to riches story of four lads from Burnage who shook the end of the street."

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BRITNEY SPEARS has stunned fans with her music video for new single WOMANZER after appearing naked in a sauna in the sizzling promo.
In the hot new footage the Toxic star opens the video posing totally nude in a steamy sauna, prompting fans to brand the clip her sexiest to date.
And the video is so risque, TV bosses decided to censor the video before it premiered on U.S. news show 20/20 on Friday night (10Oct08) - to ensure younger fans didn’t catch sight of the sexy scenes.
Spears, who made a triumphant comeback by winning three gongs at the MTV Video Music Awards last month (Sep08), also plays a sexy chauffeur, a leather-clad, tattooed waitress and a flirty secretary in the video.
Womanizer is the first track to be released off Spears’ forthcoming album Circus, which the singer brands "her best work yet".

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A controversial new book about late Beatle JOHN LENNON charges the musician was so convinced his widow YOKO ONO would be unfaithful he forced her to remain at his side - even when he went to the bathroom.
Author Philip Norman interviewed Ono for his biography about the star, entitled John Lennon: The Life.
Ono and Lennon’s former Beatles bandmate Sir Paul McCartney have since both distanced themselves from the book, prompted by allegations made by the writer questioning Lennon’s heterosexuality and claiming he harboured sexual feelings for his mother.
But according to Norman, Ono recounted she was "deeply offended" by the musician’s first attempts at cheap romance, in interviews taken before she retracted her support of the book.
Norman recalls the rocky start of their relationship: "One of the Beatles’ entourage then drove the two of them to a nearby flat and, without preamble, began folding out a sofa into a bed. It was clearly an established procedure for John’s conquests." According to Ono, the pair quickly became infatuated with one another, prompting Lennon to constantly question her commitment to remain monogamous despite his own transgressions.
Ono reportedly tells Norman: "People said I followed him to the men’s room, but he made me go with him. He thought that if he left me alone with the other Beatles even for a minute, I might go off with one of them." Remembering one night Lennon cheated in her presence, she reportedly continues: "She didn’t come on to him at all, he just pulled her and went into the next room. And then they were groping and all that, and we were all quiet.
"Then one of the other guests was very kind and put a record on, Bob Dylan or something, so that we don’t hear it. But we heard it anyway. And everyone had their coats in the next room, where John and this girl are making out so nobody can go home."

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JENNIFER LOPEZ and MARC ANTHONY have renewed their wedding vows in a secret Las Vegas ceremony - four years after they first walked down the aisle.
According to People.com, the couple held their new nuptials at Caesars Palace’s Forum Tower Penthouse at 3:15 a.m. (GMT) Sunday (12Oct08), with two pals acting as witnesses.
A source tells the website: "It was totally a spur of the moment thing. They decided around 12:30 in the morning that they wanted to do it and started calling for ministers." The couple welcomed their first children together, twins Max and Emme, in February (08).

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