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Actress/singer KRISTIN CHENOWETH is the latest celebrity to write about her own life in a forthcoming memoir.
The Pushing Daisies star will discuss growing up as an adopted child, her rise to fame, and her starring role in hit Broadway show Wicked in the book, titled A Little Bit Wicked: Life, Love, and Faith in Stages.
Chenoweth says the project will focus on "how I got where I am so far".
The book is scheduled to hit shelves in April (09).

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Former director of Italy’s La Scala theatre GIULIO BERTOLA has died at the age of 87.
Bertola, who directed the choir at the famed theatre from 1983 to 1991, died on Sunday (30Nov08).
A spokesperson for the opera house said Bertola suffered a long battle with illness, but did not elaborate on the cause of death.
In a statement about his tenure, the spokesperson said: "A complete musician, director and composer, Giulio Bertola was one of the keepers of the great tradition of Italian choral singing, leaving his mark of extraordinary rigour on La Scala." Before joining La Scala, he also directed the choir in a 1983 concert for Pope John Paul II.
Bertola also worked in theatres including the Fenice, in Venice, and the Academy of Santa Cecilia, in Rome.
Information on Bertola’s survivors and funeral arrangements were not available as WENN went to press.

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Cancer-stricken actor PATRICK SWAYZE has lashed out at "shoddy and reckless" reporters who insist he’s losing his battle with the disease.
The Dirty Dancing star revealed he was battling pancreatic cancer at the beginning of 2008 and continues to work hard on his new U.S. TV show The Beast.
He says, "The only thorn in my side being that many tabloids have been consistently reporting lies and false information about me and those close to me. And latest, they’re reporting that I’m on my last legs and saying goodbye to my tearful family! "Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive disease and from the moment I was diagnosed, I knew I was in for the fight of my life. It’s a battle, and so far, I’ve been winning. I’m one of the lucky few that responds well to treatment.
"It’s upsetting that the shoddy and reckless reporting from these publications cast a negative shadow on the positive and good fight I’m fighting. For me, my family, and those close to me, it amounts to downright emotional cruelty. That makes me angry when hope is so precious.
"As always, I appreciate all the love and support people have sent, and continue to send, my way. I thank you."

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BRAD PITT has urged reporters to stop asking him about his family life because talking about it "cheapens" his relationship with partner ANGELINA JOLIE and their six children.
The couple share adopted kids Maddox, seven, Pax, four, and Zahara, three, and biological children Shiloh, two, and baby twins Knox and Vivienne.
And though he admits to understanding the fascination, Pitt insists there’s no way his fans can get a real grasp on his life at home.
In an interview on U.S. show Today he says, "I just feel bad about it when I (talk about them). There’s no way to give it true validity and weight in what it means to you in your life, and it seems to get cheapened somehow as it goes through the filters and the airwaves. Some things you just want to keep close to the chest." But Pitt couldn’t keep the lid on how proud he is of his brood, because he sees "what a difference it can make" raising children from such diverse backgrounds.
He added, "I will say this: I’m really proud of this family. I look at my sons and my daughters - one’s from Vietnam and one’s from Cambodia, and one’s from Ethiopia… and they’re brothers and sisters, man. They’re fighting and laughing and they’re going into hysterics and they’re staying up late and they’re messing with their parents and they’re driving me crazy.
"I feel rich being around them. It’s a rich home and each one of them offers so much to the mix." Echoing Jolie’s statements earlier this year (08) about the couple’s plans to wed, he added, "If we feel it’s important to our kids we will do so."

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THE RACONTEURS bass player ‘LITTLE’ JACK LAWRENCE has launched legal action against his ex-girlfriend, accusing her of owing $10,000 (£6,670) in rent.
Lawrence filed suit in Nashville, Tennessee against a woman known only as Kelly, whom he reportedly dated for 10 years.
But a source close to the woman has hit back at the lawsuit - and accused Lawrence of turning his back on her.
The source tells the New York Post, "During that time (when they dated) she totally supported him and paid for everything. But the second he hit it big with The Raconteurs, he broke up with her and then tried to kick her out of the home she’d lived in for 10 years." A spokesperson for Lawrence did not return calls for comment.

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British singer BOY GEORGE will not give evidence to defend himself against an allegation that he handcuffed a male model to a wall at his London home.
The former Culture Club frontman, real name George O’Dowd, is accused of chaining male escort Audun Carlsen to a hook in a bedroom at his east London apartment after suspecting him of tampering with his computer.
O’Dowd denies one charge of false imprisonment - but will not be taking the witness stand.
The star’s lawyer Adrian Waterman told London’s Snaresbrook Crown Court on Tuesday (02Dec08) that the singer will not be called to give evidence in the case.
The trial continues.

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R&B singer AKON is desperate to break-up superstar couple JAY-Z and BEYONCE KNOWLES - he wants to team up with the pair separately in the music studio.
The Smack That hitmaker admits the married couple are the last on his list of musicians he wants to work with - after teaming up with legends such as Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie.
But he would insist on splitting the pair up to record because separate tracks would be an unexpected surprise for fans.
He tells WENN, "I haven’t worked with Jay-Z or Beyonce yet. Those are the only people I haven’t worked with. I would definitely work with them separately. Together is too common - it’s already been done, its almost expected."

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BRITNEY SPEARS has turned New York into a Circus show with another hit TV performance, days after wrapping her whirlwind European tour.
The pop star followed televised shows in Germany, France and the U.K. as she tamed the thousands of fans who turned out to see her perform on Good Morning America on Tuesday (02Dec08) - marking her 27th birthday.
Spears showed off her newly-fit figure wearing a belly-baring black top, skin-tight pants and top hat as she took the stage at the Big Apple Circus Tent.
The star unleashed a team of dancers dressed as clowns and circus freaks who were caged behind her, and later re-emerged from a ring of fire wearing booty-bearing shorts, black fishnets and a cropped red top as she continued her lip-synced remix of songs.
But the Toxic hitmaker was in for her own surprise when fellow stars Hugh Jackman, Reese Witherspoon and Taylor Swift wished her a happy birthday in a video montage - and she was then presented with a towering cake.
Smiling, Spears told the roaring crowd, "That’s so sweet thank you," as her two sons, Sean Preston, three, and Jayden James, two, watched from the front row with the singer’s mum, Lynne.
Spears also confirmed her plans to embark upon a North American tour beginning in March (09), with the first show near her hometown in New Orleans, Louisiana.
But preparations will be put on hold as she continues her birthday festivities with a star-studded, "very private, Circus-theme event," reportedly scheduled for Tuesday night at New York nightspot Tenjune.

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LINDSAY LOHAN has hit out at social networking site Facebook - on her MySpace profile page.
The Mean Girls star regularly posts updates for fans on her MySpace site and shuns Facebook because pranksters often pose as her to fool other users.
But Lohan was shocked when she recently logged on to the site and realised bosses had finally taken action against the jokers.
In an entry entitled Upset with Facebook, she says "I signed onto Facebook with my new password because someone keeps hacking into my account, and when I typed my password and ‘log in’ name in, a red sentence came up saying..Account Disabled. Your account has been disabled by an administrator. If you have any questions or concerns, you can visit our FAQ page here.
"Wow! I was in shock. I clicked on the link that they told me to click on and then to another link that said: my account may of (sic) been disabled by mistake. once I got to that it gave a note saying why it was disabled which stated… that it was disabled because they believe that I was a fake of myself. Genius.
"Here I am loving Facebook (as well as myspace-hehe) but going on Facebook to talk to some of my friends and they are thinking that I AM THE ‘FAKE’ OF MYSELF!!! Hahahahahaha.. at first I laughed, and then I got angry. Angry because, with ALL the people that PRETEND to be me on facebook, they decide to say I AM THE FAKE- of myself." The actress continues: "I wasn’t even under my name, I had a fake name on my account because, obviously I didn’t want everyone on Facebook to know it was me.
"Maybe I am just venting, but I am also writing this blog in hopes that the people at Facebook will un-disable my account and allow me to sign in the EXACT same way it was, same friends, same emails, same ‘pets’ and so on.
"Phew! I’m glad I got that off my chest, I needed to let it out somewhere, and MySpace has always been the best place for me to do it, especially if I hope for something to change…." She then affectionately signs off the post with "love love love , Lindsay Dee" and a winking emoticon.

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REESE WITHERSPOON’s latest film FOUR CHRISTMASES has ended QUANTUM OF SOLACE’s four-week reign at the top of the U.K. box office charts.
The romantic comedy, which also topped the U.S. box office after opening over the Thanksgiving weekend (begs29Nov08), took $3.34 million (£2.3 million) on its first weekend while the Daniel Craig spy thriller took $2.24 million (£1.5 million).
Clint Eastwood’s critically acclaimed Changeling, starring Angelina Jolie, opened at number three with takings of $1.79 million (£1.2 million) while the Leonardo DiCaprio-starring Body Of Lies and comedy My Best Friend’s Girl rounded out the top five.
Robert De Niro’s latest movie What Just Happened, meanwhile, opened at number seven with takings of $267,312 (£178,818).

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BRAD PITT’s enigmatic FIGHT CLUB antihero TYLER DURDEN has been crowned the Greatest Movie Character of All Time.
Pitt’s turn as Durden beat Star Wars’ Darth Vader into second place to top the poll by Empire magazine.
Third spot was taken by Heath Ledger’s The Joker in Batman movie The Dark Knight, while Star Wars’ Han Solo came fourth, and serial killer Hannibal Lecter from The Silence of the Lambs was in fifth place.
The top ten was rounded out by Indiana Jones, The Dude from The Big Lebowski, Pirates of the Caribbean’s Jack Sparrow, Ellen Ripley from the Alien movies, and The Godfather icon Vito Corleone.

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BRITNEY SPEARS drew a crowd of 3.7 million viewers who tuned in to watch her TV documentary on Sunday (30Nov08).
The pop star talked about the series of public meltdowns that led to her two hospitalisations earlier this year (08) in MTV special Britney: For the Record.
Spears welled up with tears during the 70 minute interview, as she spoke about losing custody of sons Sean Preston, three, and two-year-old Jayden James, and her failed marriage to former dancer Kevin Federline.
The show’s ratings surpassed nearly every major show with the exception of the annual Video Music Awards, according to network bosses.

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DAKOTA FANNING is glad she sacrificed a normal childhood to pursue her movie career - as the teenage actress always wanted to be different from her peers.
The 14-year-old shot to stardom in 2001’s I Am Sam, alongside Sean Penn, and has since starred on the big screen with Tom Cruise and Julia Roberts.
And Fanning is adamant that she has learnt more from her movie experiences than she would have done as an ordinary schoolgirl.
She says, "I don’t want to be normal. This is my childhood. I’ve been to Australia, travelled and learned about different cultures - some people never leave the country in their entire lifetime. My job has opened my mind up and enriched my childhood."

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A former U.S. college athlete has been arrested after allegedly threatening to murder tennis ace MARIA SHARAPOVA.
Leonard Taylor, 32, is accused of making a series of abusive phone calls to his former mentor Barry Alvarez in which he claimed the Russian beauty had "done him injustices".
He allegedly told Alvarez that he planned to marry the sports star - and then kill her and her family.
Taylor played as a defensive back for the University of Wisconsin football team for three years until 1998.
Alvarez - who was Taylor’s head coach and now works as the university’s athletic director - is believed to have been a confidante of Taylor’s.
It is claimed the former footballer left 29 messages on Alvarez’s voicemail last month (Nov08) in which he hurled abuse and made threats against Sharapova and Alvarez.
According to police documents, the messages contained "excessive profanity, threats against Alvarez, and references to how professional tennis player Maria Sharapova (had) done (him) injustices in various ways." Taylor, of Indianapolis, was arrested on Friday (28Nov08) and faces charges of stalking and telephone harassment.

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THE SOPRANOS actor LILLO BRANCATO JR.’s ongoing murder trial took an unexpected turn when a juror selected to decide his fate went missing - after he was held for assault.
The 34-year-old male juror was arrested and charged at the weekend (beg 29Nov08), according to court officials.
Supreme Court Justice Martin Marcus waited for hours for the panel member, holding up Monday’s (01Dec08) proceedings as the man remained in police custody in the Bronx.
A courthouse source tells the New York Post, "That’s where we found him, right across the street in jail." Brancato is on trial for the murder of police officer Daniel Enchautegui, who was shot during an attempted burglary in 2005.
Brancato’s co-accused Steven Armento was convicted and jailed for life for his role in the murder in October (08).
The trial continues.

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Rock star daughters KIMBERLY STEWART, LEAH WOOD, and PEACHES GELDOF have been photographed naked for a cover shoot - by singer-turned-snapper BRYAN ADAMS.
The three girls, who are the offspring of legendary British rockers Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood, and Bob Geldof, stripped off for the January (09) front cover of British society magazine Tatler.
Canadian musician Adams, who has sold an estimated 65 million records worldwide, is also an acclaimed photographer who has had pictures published in upmarket magazines such as Vanity Fair and Vogue. (AV/WNWCSU/ZN) WENN - FOURTH - HOLLYWOOD, SHOWBIZ & PEOPLE NEWS - 02 DECEMBER 2008

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R&B star AKON is one step ahead of SEAN ‘DIDDY’ COMBS and JAMIE FOXX as they compete to become the first black JAMES BOND - he’s slated PUSSYCAT DOLLS singer NICOLE SCHERZINGER to be 007’s next sexy sidekick.
The Smack That hitmaker has admitted his desire to break into acting by becoming the first black star to play the secret agent.
The pair teamed up for Scherzinger’s solo project, and Akon insists she would be his first choice for a Bond girl, because the Hawaiian-born singer’s beauty transcends race.
He says, "She would definitely be my Bond girl. She’s perfect, she’s exotic, she can fit with every nationality."

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THE RAMONES drummer MARKY RAMONE has exposed one of rock’s most famous stories as a myth - legendary producer PHIL SPECTOR never pulled a gun on the band.
According to rock ‘n’ roll folklore, the famed ’60s hitmaker held the punk pioneers at gunpoint during recording sessions for their 1980 album End Of The Century.
Bass player Dee Dee Ramone even claimed Spector levelled a pistol at his heart when he threatened to quit the studio.
But Marky Ramone has finally shattered the myth by declaring it never happened.
He tells NME.com, "There were no guns pointed at anybody. They were there but he had a licence to carry. He never held us hostage. We could have left at any time. We had the keys."

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