PR-Inside.com Entertainment News

Former THE O.C. star MISCHA BARTON looks set to be returning to TV screens the actress is reportedly in talks to join the cast of UGLY BETTY.
Barton left the hit teen series in 2006 and went on to land a handful of film roles including 2007’s Closing the Ring and the upcoming Assassination of a High School President with Bruce Willis.
But Barton looks ready to return to her TV roots with a five-episode guest appearance in the fashion sitcom, following in the footsteps of stars including Lindsay Lohan, Victoria Beckham and Naomi Campbell - who have all appeared on the programme.
A source tells British newspaper The London Paper, "Mischa’s career is at a standstill, so this might be great for her. It’s not a done deal yet, but talks continue."

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

Actor ROBERT PROSKY has died at a hospital near his home in Washington DC. He was 77.
Prosky enjoyed a long stage career, and starred in more than 200 Broadway productions and over 100 plays at the Arena Theatre in Washington, a venue close to his heart.
But he will be best remembered by most for his film and TV roles, with appearances in movies Dead Man Walking, Mrs Doubtfire, Hoffa and Far and Away and shows Cheers and The Hill Street Blues.
Prosky’s eldest son Stefan reveals the star died on Monday night (8Dec08) after undergoing a heart procedure.
He says, "He went gracefully last night, not in pain. Everybody knows him as a fairly famous actor. My brothers and I know him as a marvellous father." Prosky is survived by his wife, Ida, and three sons, Stefan, John and Andrew.

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

Biopic MILK is the cream of the crop of Hollywood hits among New York movie experts after claiming three big honours at the 2008 Film Critics Circle Awards.
The movie, about assassinated gay San Francisco, California city supervisor Harvey Milk, has been named Best Film.
Sean Penn picked up a Best Actor prize for his performance in the title role and Josh Brolin was named Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of the politician’s killer.
British film Happy-Go-Lucky was named a two-award winner - Mike Leigh for Best Director and his star Sally Hawkins (Best Actress).
The full list of New York Critics Circle Awards winners is:
Best Picture: Milk Best Director: Mike Leigh (Happy-Go-Lucky) Best Actor: Sean Penn (Milk) Best Actress: Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky) Best Supporting Actor: Josh Brolin (Milk) Best Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona) Best Screenplay: Jenny Lumet (Rachel Getting Married) Best Cinematographer: Anthony Dod Mantle (Slumdog Millionaire) Best Animated Film: WALL-E Best Foreign Film: 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days Best Documentary: Man on Wire Best First Film: Courtney Hunt (Frozen River)
.

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

Pop superstar CHER reportedly used her time off following the cancellation of her Las Vegas show to launch a charity mission for orphans in South Asia.
The 62-year-old singer axed a string of performances at the Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace in October (08) after falling ill from an allergy related to Sin City’s winds.
And when doctors ordered the star to cancel a series of concerts, Cher reportedly refused to rest up and instead jetted off to Nepal to help children in need.
A source tells the National Enquirer, "Cher absolutely hates downtime. She was on heavy antibiotics and her throat was killing her, but she was determined to use her time off to help others.
"Cher genuinely wants to help the less fortunate. She decided that her suffering was nothing compared to the orphans in Nepal who were waiting to see her."

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

Hip-hop star SEAN ‘DIDDY’ COMBS has an unusual phobia - he is frightened of toes.
The rap mogul revealed his bizarre fear on U.S. TV programme The Tonight Show on Tuesday (09Dec08) night, when he appeared alongside Kate Beckinsale.
Combs told host Jay Leno: "I have this foot thing… I really fear a long second toe." And the British actress was keen to tease the star about his phobia, moving one of her feet up to show him her toes, laughing and exclaiming, "You won’t even look at it!" Leno was also keen to find out more about Combs’ fear, asking him whether it affects his love life.
Combs replied: "I somehow get to see the toe on the first date - it’s mandatory. I may not go for a kiss, but I’m definitely going to see if that second toe is long."

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

A North Carolina Sheriff’s Office is preparing to auction one of AMERICAN IDOL winner FANTASIA BARRINO’s U.S. homes to reimburse a loan used to pay her taxes, according to new reports.
The singer, who landed the TV talent competition crown in 2004, purchased the six-bedroom house in Charlotte, North Carolina in March 2007 for $1.3 million (£878,378).
Reports on Tuesday (09Dec08) suggested Barrino faced eviction if she was unable make the necessary payments on the mansion - which has been slated to hit the auction block on 12 January (09) by the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office.
The Broward Energy Partners company agreed to pay more than $68,000 (£45,945) of the Grammy winner’s taxes in 2006 and bosses claim they have not been fully compensated.
Sheriff supervisor Sergeant J.W. England says, "Her people never got in contact with us. We could have gone in another direction if she would have communicated with us. I hope it doesn’t go to that extreme. We’re hoping she’ll pay this thing and we’ll be out of the picture." Records obtained by Internet blog Realestalker show Barrino’s other Charlotte home - bought in July 2004 for $740,000 (£500,000) - is not in financial trouble.
A spokesperson for Barrino had not yet issued comment as WENN went to press.

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

Pop singers BEYONCE and SOLANGE KNOWLES have been forced to cancel an upcoming holiday benefit in their hometown of Houston, Texas due to "scheduling conflicts".
The sisters were set to host the Beyonce and Solange: Hope for the Holidays’ benefit on Tuesday (09Dec08), in a highly anticipated performance to air on U.S. television network FUSE.
The event was to benefit the victims of Hurricane Ike, which struck the city in September (08).
In a press release, the pair cited "irresolvable scheduling conflicts" as reason for cancelling the performance.
A statement from their record label adds, "Beyonce and Solange regret the cancellation of their Houston-area holiday concert and urge their fans to support the efforts of The Gulf Coast Ike Relief Fund and the Survivor Foundation." Rescheduling details were not made available as WENN went to press.

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

Items of memorabilia from MICHAEL JACKSON’s personal collection are set to go under the hammer next year (09).
The pop superstar is selling off more than 2,000 personal belongings in a live TV auction on 21 April 2009.
Items for sale include the singer’s glittery black glove which featured in his 1983 video for Billie Jean, and the gates which once led to his beloved Neverland Ranch.
The property was transferred to an investment firm last month (Nov08) whose bosses will rename it in a joint venture with the pop star.
Jackson plans to donate a portion of the proceeds from the auction to MusiCares, a charity which aims to help musicians in need. The sale will be broadcast live in the U.S. on Auction Network.

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

R&B star BOBBY BROWN snorted so much cocaine he thought he was AL PACINO’s legendary SCARFACE movie character TONY MONTANA.
The singer, who divorced Whitney Houston in 2007 after 15 years of marriage, has fought a widely-publicised battle against drugs.
And he admits that at the height of his habit, he mirrored the Scarface anti-hero - who snorts mountains of cocaine on his office desk and has the motto "The World Is Yours".
Brown tells MTV.com, "I had a desk like Scarface’s in my room, and I kept (cocaine) piled up on it. Every time I walked past my desk, I’d make a line of coke from one end to the other.
"I’d take a straw and snort a line the same way Scarface did it in the movie.
You couldn’t tell me nothing. I felt like I was Tony Montana! The world was mine! "I never had to look for coke; I kept it plentiful. There was times when I went on my binges and would lock myself up in a room for days at a time just getting high."

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

Hollywood star TOM CRUISE is searching for his missing cellphone, after reportedly losing it during a movie junket in Canada.
The actor misplaced his trusted BlackBerry between interviews in Toronto to promote his new movie Valkyrie - and he is desperate to track it down, before all his emails, text messages, and the phone numbers of all his celebrity pals, are leaked online.
According to the National Post, Cruise’s assistants have scoured TV studios across the city but failed to find the missing accessory.

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

KIM BASINGER is set to follow in JESSICA SIMPSON’s footsteps - her new movie will only be released in Texas at Christmas (08).
Simpson’s film flop Major Movie Star was a limited release in her native Texas at the end of 2007, and now Basinger is set to follow suit.
Her new picture, While She Was Out, opens in the state on 12 December (08), ahead of its DVD release in the New Year (09).

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

British actress EMMA WATSON is in a dilemma whether to pick an acting career over a university degree - because movie bosses keep plying her with roles.
The Harry Potter star is keen to improve her education and has applied to a number of universities, both in the U.K. and America, to start her studies next year (09).
But she is fearful she may be tempted to halt her degree to take on a new film.
She tells Britain’s Style magazine, "I’m at a strange age. I’m not a woman yet, but I’m not a girl any more.
"(Film companies) say, ‘Oh, in a couple of years you’ll be perfect for this.’ I’ll be like, yeah, but I want to be studying English then, so it’s going to be quite tough to choose between the two."

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

STEVEN SODERBERGH’s four-hour CHE GUEVARA epic is to be slashed in half for European and Australian movie audiences.
The filmmaker has refused to cut his biopic about the Latino revolutionary, prompting cinema chains in the U.S. to add an intermission to screenings in January (09).
But outside of America, the picture, titled Che, will hit cinemas in two parts.
Soderbergh tells WENN, "I took a cue from nature that when a cell gets too big it divides to survive and I felt that’s what needed to be done. Fortunately distributors who were enthusiastic about it wanted to re-do the deal for the two films.
"In the back of our minds, if we could pull it off and people could see it with an intermission then that would be the altered States version in four and a half hours to get the best sense of the physical stamina required to pull this off.
"As it turns out, just in the States, it’s gonna be seen like that, with the intermission. Everywhere else in the world, they’re cutting it in half." The new film stars Benicio Del Toro.

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

The man accused of attacking British actor VINNIE JONES with a glass in a bar fight has escaped criminal charges.
The Hollywood tough guy was arrested and booked for misdemeanour simple assault last week (ends07Dec08) after finding himself at the centre of a scrap at Wiley’s Tavern in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
The star was so badly hurt in the showdown he had to be admitted to hospital, where he needed 48 stitches across his nose and face. No charges were brought against Jones following the brawl.
And Jesse Bickett, 24, who was booked on three counts of aggravated assault following the incident, has now had the charges against him dismissed.
Minnehaha County State’s attorney Dave Nelson tells TMZ.com, "After we had an opportunity to review all the evidence, we thought that the incident with which Mr. Bickett was charged was a result of a mutual combat situation."

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

Filmmaker TYLER PERRY has been cleared of accusations he stole the idea for his movie DIARY OF A MAD BLACK WOMAN from a Texan playwright.
Donna West’s case against the actor/screenwriter was dismissed after jurors in a Texas court on Tuesday (09Dec08) found she did not present enough evidence to support her claim of copyright infringement.
West launched legal action against Perry in 2007, insisting he lifted material from her play, Fantasy of a Black Woman, to use in his 2005 blockbuster.
The play was performed three times in 1991 in Dallas, and West contended Perry could have gained access to the script in 1998 when he presented his plays at the Dallas Black Academy of Arts and Letters.
She asked the courts to award her damages as well as the entire profits from the movie, believed to be around $50 million (£34 million).
But the lawsuit was dismissed following a trial at a court in Marshall, Texas.
And Perry - who testified during the proceedings - is delighted by the verdict, according to his attorney, Veronica Lewis.
She says, "We are very pleased that the jurors understood that Tyler Perry is an incredibly talented person who has no need to copy the work of others."

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

The four men who helped O.J. SIMPSON rob a Las Vegas hotel room have escaped jail sentences The gang - Michael McClinton, Walter Alexander, Charles Erlich and Charles Cashmore - were all put on probation for their roles in the September 2007 raid, a light sentence compared to the 15-year jail term handed to Simpson. The disgraced sports star’s co-defendant Clarence ‘C.J.’ Stewart was sentenced to a minimum of seven and a half years in prison.
When issuing the probation orders, which range from one to seven years, Clark County judge Jackie Glass, told the quartet, "How stupid. But also criminal.
You all broke the law and now you’re paying for it.. because you’re all convicted felons now." Simpson, meanwhile, has started his sentence at a medium security prison in Nevada. He will be eligible for parole after nine years behind bars.

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

LIZA MINNELLI’s former husband DAVID GEST wants to stay in the U.K. permanently - he is applying for British citizenship.
The promoter-turned-reality TV star grew up in southern California and later moved to Memphis, Tennessee.
But he has been spending more and more time in the U.K. since his divorce from Minnelli in 2003 - and has now decided to sell his home in the U.S. and make London his full-time residence.
He says, "London (is my home now). I’ve applied to become a British citizen.
I love living here and everyone is so kind to me. I had a home in Memphis but I’ve put it up for sale."

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

PUSSYCAT DOLLS star NICOLE SCHERZINGER is working hard on her relationship with boyfriend LEWIS HAMILTON - because she is convinced they will eventually marry.
The singer has been dating the British Formula 1 ace since they met last year (07) and the pair have openly declared their feelings for each other.
And Scherzinger is keen to settle down with her beau - because it’s how she sees her life mapping out.
She tells Britain’s Fabulous magazine, "Well, everybody wants that in the future. So it’s about working towards that and not just wishing it to happen."

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