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Actor MATT DILLON has been arrested by U.S. authorities after he was caught speeding down the highway, according to reports.
The Crash star was pulled over by state troopers when he was allegedly recorded travelling at a speed of 106 miles per hour (171 kilometres per hour) on Interstate 91 in Newbury, Vermont on Tuesday night (30Dec08).
Dillon, 44, is due in court in January (09) to face a charge of excessive speed, according to Vermont news network WCAX-TV.

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GIRLS ALOUD star CHERYL COLE won’t be ringing in the New Year at any celebrity-packed parties - she hates the idea of talking to other stars just because she’s famous.
The British beauty, whose profile has dramatically increased since taking over as a judge on hit U.K. TV talent show The X Factor, is often invited to lavish bashes to party alongside a host of other famous faces.
But the singer can’t stand the fake friendships celebrities are expected to have - insisting she’d rather have a quiet meal with bandmate and best pal Kimberley Walsh.
She tells OK! magazine, "All I want to do (after work) is go home. And it’s all such bulls**t, because you don’t really know the people there. It’s like waving across the room, ‘Hello, I’m famous, you’re famous. I don’t really know you but I’m saying hello to you anyway.’ "I much prefer to got to Kimberley’s and have her cook for me. Just natural normal parties where you can let your hair down and no one’s going to start taking your picture on their mobile phones or any of that s**t."

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Singer JORDIN SPARKS will ring in 2009 at a reality-TV wedding - when a fellow AMERICAN IDOL contestant who named Sparks her bridesmaid ties the knot.
Gina Glocksen, who sang in the show’s sixth season won by Sparks, will wed Joe Ruzicka, a high school science teacher from her native Illinois, on Wednesday (31Dec08) night.
Glocksen tells the New York Post, "At the tour (American Idols Live! 2007). I asked all the girls (to be bridesmaids.
"Jordin and (finalist) Haley (Scarnato) carried through with it, the others took gigs. New Year’s Eve is one day you can’t ask a performer to take off." Glocksen, 24, and Sparks, 19, are expected to sing at the wedding.

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Pop star/actress MANDY MOORE and ADAM ‘DJ AM’ GOLDSTEIN have split again, according to U.S. reports.
The couple rekindled their romance after Goldstein was involved in a plane crash tragedy in September (08), which left four people dead.
Moore rushed to be by her ex-boyfriend’s bedside as he recovered from the accident in a Georgia hospital, and the pair started dating again upon the DJ’s return to Los Angeles.
But an insider tells Life & Style magazine, "They split up a couple of weeks ago but kept it kind of quiet. They tried to make it work but decided they make better friends than lovers." The publication reports Goldstein, 35, has already moved on and is now dating 22-year-old model Hayley Wood.

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ADAM ‘DJ AM’ GOLDSTEIN has fired back at reports he’s filed suit against the estates of the pilots killed in his near-death plane crash last September (08) - insisting his intent to sue the insurance companies at fault was "misinterpreted".
Goldstein - who suffered third-degree burns in the South Carolina crash he survived with rocker Travis Barker - filed suit in Los Angeles County Superior Court on 23 December (08).
Online reports suggested the DJ sued the late pilot’s estates, accusing the pair of deciding "to abort and/or reject the take-off in a negligent manner" allegedly being aware one or more tyres had blown as the jet reached take-off speed.
As a result, the plane overshot the runway and exploded into flames, costing two friends and pilots Sarah Lemmons, 31, and James Bland, 52, their lives.
Goldstein writes on his blog at DJAM.com: "Normally, I don’t feel like I need to make a statement like this, but after I read some recently reported untruths I feel like I have to. I would never sue the deceased pilots’ estates or personal holdings. I am more than grateful that I survived this horrible accident and I’d never try to take anything from those that didn’t.
"Despite the misinterpretations of the lawsuit, this suit is against the insurance companies that insured the pilots. I’m not after Sarah’s or James’ personal estates nor their property. Everyone involved in this suit has suffered a great deal, and I would not do anything to make matters worse for the deceased family and friends.
"Daily I live with the guilt and grief of what happened that night, what I saw, who was lost and why I was spared. I have no words to express the pain that comes with knowing four people died, while I lived." Drummer Barker and the mother of his bodyguard, Charles Still, both filed separate but similar lawsuits last month (Nov08).

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2008 - like any other 12 months in showbiz - has been a year of blockbusters and flops, marriages and divorces, meltdowns and comebacks.
As a global financial crisis and an American Presidential election threatened to dominate headlines, our favourite stars have stepped up to trump anything politicians could manage.
Whether it’s twin baby-making machines Jennifer Lopez and Angelina Jolie; Madonna and Guy Ritchie’s slow-crumbling marriage; or a rollercoaster year-in-the-life of Britney Spears - the stars have kept us on the edge of our seats all year.
As the year comes to an end, it’s time to celebrate the big winners - so we’ve joined forces with AOL’s PopEater.com website to ask our readers who they want to honour in 2008.
An incredible 150,000 people clicked their mouse, and here’s who they chose: Actress of the Year - Nicole Kidman Kidman’s performance in the epic Australia failed to win over movie critics but film fans were impressed, and have made her our Actress of
2008. The prize crowns a great year for the Aussie star, who also gave birth to daughter Sunday Rose in July (08), her first kid with husband, country music singer Keith Urban
. British actress Kate Winslet landed the second spot, followed by this year’s top-earning actress Angelina Jolie
. Anne Hathaway trailed in at fourth, followed by Jolie’s younger lookalike, Megan Fox.
Actor of the Year - Robert Downey JR.
After such a promising start to his acting career, Downey Jr
. was the black sheep of Hollywood just a few short years ago
. Successive arrests and spells in rehab meant no studios could get him insured to make a movie, even if they were prepared to take the risk
. Someone took that risk, and he has paid them back well
. The 43-year-old finally planted his flag on planet A-list in 2008 with a box office belter of a role in Iron Man.
The movie became one of the big hits of the year, and the critics loved it too.
He made it from junkie drop out to all-conquering superhero in a matter of a few short years
. Which is why WENN readers and visitors to PopEater.com have voted in their droves to hand Downey Jr the Actor of the Year title
. More than 150,000 entertainment junkies voted, and a staggering 47 per cent plumped for the Iron Man star, leaving Leonardo DiCaprio (17 per cent), George Clooney (13 per cent), and Harrison Ford (11 per cent) trailing in his wake.
Comeback of the Year - Britney Spears He may be the comeback king - but Downey Jr had to settle for second place in the Comeback of the Year category - trumped to the top spot by Britney Spears.
Britney started 2008 in dramatic fashion with a 4 January standoff with authorities after refusing to hand over her two sons to their father Kevin Federline.
She’ll end the year with a new album, new look and well on the way to winning back the critics who had her written off just months ago.
Her achievement in dragging herself back from the pits of despair convinced internet users to crown her our comeback queen, with 35 per cent of the vote; ahead of Downey Jr
. with 24 per cent and New Kids on the Block with 11 per cent
. There was even a spot in the top ten for some old rockers – with AC/DC and Guns N’ Roses picking up nine per cent of the vote.
Movie of the Year - The Dark Knight Mr Batman himself, Christian Bale, may be a conspicuous absentee on the Best Actor shortlist, but his powerful performance as the Dark Knight helped the movie of the same name thrill cinema goers around the world this year (08).
It smashed box office records, and topped our poll to be named Movie of the Year
. Teen vampire flick Twilight came in second, followed by Iron Man, Sex and the City: The Movie, and Wall-E.
Hottest New Male - Rob Pattinson Late newcomer Rob Pattinson has stolen this award from the hunks and studs who have toiled and struggled to look perfect and preened for the past 12 months.
The brooding Brit star of vampire film Twilight swept into town in November with his unwashed hair and deep stare and stole the hearts of teenage girls across America
. So much so, he won a staggering 50 per cent of the votes in the Hottest New Male category
. Gossip Girl star Chace Crawford was a brave contender with 40 per cent - but his teen show co-star Penn Badgley lagged behind in third with a sorry 10 per cent.
Hottest New Female - Kristen Stewart Pattinson wasn’t the only young star to use the Twilight tidal wave to sweep home a WENN/PopEater award - his co-star Kristen Stewart has topped the Hottest New Female poll, pipping Juno actress Ellen Page to the top of the pile
. Gossip Girl teen Taylor Momsen managed third place.
Best Female Musician - Taylor Swift 2008 has been the year of the teens
. And one of the big winners this year is country up-and-comer Taylor Swift
. Her music has stormed the charts, and her love affair with Joe Jonas filled gossip columns, as well as providing her with some great material - particularly after he ditched her.
It’s all been enough to convince music fans to give her the Female Musician of the Year award, helping her beat the impressive likes of Beyonce, Rihanna, Katy Perry and Madonna.
Best Male Musician - David Archuleta Archuleta may not have impressed American Idol judges to make him this year’s champ - but he’ll be celebrating after beating his victor David Cook in the Best Male Musician category
. He kept his rival in second place, after scoring 44 per cent of the vote, to Cook’s 38 per cent
. The Jonas Brothers’ poor seven per cent makes it look as though their careers are in decline before they’ve even passed puberty; and Lil Wayne will be disappointed with just six per cent.
Best Album of the Year: Coldplay – Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends 2008 wasn’t all about the teens - Coldplay, now among rock’s elder statesmen, returned this year with a new album, and blew away the competition
. Even Beyonce’s I Am…
. Sasha Fierce and Katy Perry’s cheeky debut One of the Boys couldn’t stop Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends from stealing the Album of the Year prize, with 35 per cent of the vote, 16 per cent more than Beyonce managed
. Guns N’ Roses’ elusive frontman Axl Rose won’t have to come out of hiding to pick up any WENN/PopEater awards - his band’s whimpering comeback managed just seven per cent of the votes, landing Chinese Democracy in a poor sixth place.
Couple of the Year - Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt If it wasn’t already, brand Brangelina has established itself as showbiz’s most stomach-churningly happy couple of the year in
2008. So there was no other choice for this award
. In between a few movies, and a summer vacation in the South of France, the pair managed to pop out a couple more kids, bringing their brood to six
. And it seems to have created no stress or strain for this unstoppable and unflappable duo.
But they have faced competition from some of Tinseltown’s top teams, all in the running for the Couple of the Year prize
. Romantic weddings for Beyonce and Jay-Z, and Ellen DeGeneres and Portia De Rossi, helped them steal second and third places
. Jennifer Aniston and John Mayer’s pairing may not have convinced tabloid critics, but our readers felt fit to offer them fourth place.
Two match-ups left wallowing at the foot of the pile are Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson, and Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, with a poor nine per cent of the vote between them.
The freshly outed gay couple may insist they are happily loved-up - but not everyone is sure they’re the real deal.
Cruise and Holmes seem to respond to the endless rumours their marriage is a sham by making more and more public appearances looking desperately in love.
After this news, we can expect them to buy TV airtime to declare their commitment to each other
. (IG/WN/KL) WENN - THIRD - END-OF-YEAR FEATURE - 31 DECEMBER 2008 ————————————————————————–

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Basketball icon-turned-political hopeful CHARLES BARKLEY has been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence (DUI).
The former athlete, who announced in August (08) his plans to run for Alabama state governor, was held by the Gilbert Police Department at a DUI checkpoint in Arizona on Wednesday (31Dec08).
Barkley, 45, had his blood tested on the scene by a mobile DUI task force. He was released shortly afterwards and took a taxi home, according to a report on TMZ.com. (PAW/WNWCZM/ZN) WENN - LATEST NEWS - 31 DECEMBER 2008 ————————————————————————–

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Rockers KINGS OF LEON have followed in the footsteps of AMY WINEHOUSE - by scooping a small fortune to play a private gig for Russian billionaire ROMAN ABRAMOVICH.
The Sex on Fire hitmakers interrupted their Christmas break at home in Nashville, Tennessee to perform a special set for the business tycoon and his family at a lavish New York venue.
And the group, including brothers Caleb and Nathan Followill, and cousin Matthew Followill, didn’t come cheap - they were paid a staggering $450,000 (£300,000) for the gig, reports Britain’s The Sun.
In June (08) Abramovich, who owns U.K. soccer team Chelsea FC, persuaded troubled star Amy Winehouse to perform a five-song set at the opening of a Moscow art gallery - by offering her $1.5 million (£1 million).
It obviously pays to get on the right side of Abramovich’s musical tastes he splashed out $350,000 (£200,000) for electro-pop foursome the Klaxons to play at his daughter Anna’s 16th birthday in May (08).

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Actress EVAN RACHEL WOOD is begging her ACROSS THE UNIVERSE co-star JIM STURGESS to join her in the blockbuster SPIDER-MAN musical - because he’s the perfect choice to play a singing PETER PARKER.
Wood has reteamed with her Across The Universe director Julie Taymor for the spectacular - and both want Sturgess to sign up.
Wood says, "It’s a year commitment… I did the workshop with Jim Sturgess, but he’s not sure if he can make that year commitment but we’re trying to get him to do it. I want him to do it so bad." And the actress insists that Spider-Man: The Musical won’t be the joke some critics think it will be: "They’re taking stuff from the first and second films and some stuff from the comic book and how Spider-Man came to be so there’s gonna be a new villain.
"When you first hear the title, Spider-Man, The Musical, you think, ‘Oh what’s that gonna be like?’ The deal was that a man would never sing in spandex on stage, so, rest assured, Spider-Man will never sing in tights, only as Peter Parker. Only Julie Taymor can bring it to that place. She’s bringing it to the next level like she did with The Lion King. There’s all new flying technology.
"I learned all the songs by Bono and The Edge. I didn’t know how they were going to write for the stage but I think it’s the best work they’ve done."

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EVAN RACHEL WOOD has blamed THE WRESTLER co-star MICKEY ROURKE for fuelling reports the odd couple was dating - by kissing her at the film’s premiere.
The actress admits she has had a crush on Rourke, who plays her estranged father in the film, for years - and he decided to show his affection with a full on smooch at the film screening.
She tells WENN, "I knew I needed to earn Mickey’s respect, which is why we bonded to the point where people thought we were romantically involved.
"But you can blame Mickey for that one
. He pulled an Adrien Brody on me at a premiere
. I went to kiss his cheek and he turned and kissed my mouth
. For a split second 500 cameras went off." And she admits the pictures really upset her then-boyfriend Marilyn Manson: "He really loved that at the time..
. I felt bad that he (Manson) had to see all that but it comes with the territory; life goes on."

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JENNIFER ANISTON is to ring in the New Year (09) with best pal COURTENEY COX in Mexico.
The actress arrived in Los Cabos over the weekend (27-28Dec08), and plans to celebrate the New Year there with Cox and her husband David Arquette, according to People.com.
Aniston’s boyfriend John Mayer will join them.
The actress is currently celebrating after breaking Christmas Day (25Dec) box office records with her new film Marley & Me.

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BRITNEY SPEARS will ring in 2009 with wedding bells - the star’s brother BRYAN is reportedly set to walk down the aisle on New Year’s Eve (31Dec08).
The Toxic singer’s older sibling is set to marry Graciella Sanchez in New Orleans, Louisiana on Wednesday, according to U.S. website X17online.
The entire Spears clan, including pop star Britney, is expected to attend the ceremony.
Sanchez is the manager of Bryan and Britney’s 17-year-old sister Jamie Lynn.

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One of ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER’s most famous one-liners will forever haunt movie buffs - his sci-fi film THE TERMINATOR has been added to the U.S. National Film Registry.
When the 61-year-old actor-turned-politician delivered his catchphrase "I’ll be back" for the first time in 1984, millions caught on, imitating the former bodybuilder.
And The Library of Congress has given the California Governor a nod, announcing on Tuesday (30Dec08) it will be one of 25 films added to the list, which now boasts a total of 500 preserved in a $250 million (£170 million) archive.
Other titles added to the registry this year (08) include Richard Brooks’ 1967 film adaptation of Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood and the 1972 film Deliverance.

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SIR ELTON JOHN’s New Year’s Eve party at London’s O2 Arena is suffering the effects of the credit crunch - organisers are offering cut-price ticket sales in a last minute bid to entice revellers.
The Rocket Man legend is performing part of his Red Piano tour at the concert in the capital and the event’s bosses expected huge demand for the show - which will be broadcast on TV networks worldwide.
John will be joined by singer Will Young and recently crowned X Factor champion Alexandra Burke to ring in 2009.
But despite a huge publicity campaign for the show - which has room for 17,000 guests - tickets have failed to sell out in time for 31 December (08).
And in a desperate bid to flog seats, organisers at the O2 Arena are offering a four-for-three deal for paying customers, leaving the entry price for the gig $111 (£74) per person - reduced from $165 (£110).

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TOM CRUISE has gotten an unexpected boost for his role as a Nazi assassin in new movie VALKYRIE - after the film won over German critics who protested the project during filming.
Cruise plays injured World War II Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, who led a plot to assassinate Nazi leader Adolf Hitler in 1944.
German reviewers were initially suspicious of the controversial film, fearing Cruise’s performance would mock the seriousness of the plot - with von Stauffenberg’s own son calling for the actor to "keep his hands off my father" and bow out of the role.
Warming to the project, German public broadcaster ZDF says, "Valkyrie is neither scandalously bad nor the event of the century. Neither is it the action thriller we feared, but it is a well-made and serious film.
"Cruise plays his part decisively, coolly - a solid performance, though he won’t have a sniff at an Oscar."

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MADONNA has proved her devotion to Kabbalah - she donated more than $2.6 million (£1.8 million) to the religion in 2007.
The Material Girl showed her generosity by giving away $3.1 million (£2.1 million), the bulk of which went to the Kabbalah Centre in Los Angeles - a steep rise from the $250,000 (£172,000) she donated in 2006.
Tax papers for the singer’s Ray of Light Foundation for the year 2007 show she also handed out $250,000 (£172,000) to Mobilization Against AIDS, $15,000 (£10,000) to the TJ Martell Foundation for Leukemia and Cancer Research, and smaller donations to All Saints Church in Pasadena, California, as well as several health groups.
She also gave almost $23,000 (£16,000) to an organisation that sets up playgrounds in Russia - but there was reportedly no listing of any donation to charities in Malawi, the African republic from which she adopted son David Banda in 2006.

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ROSARIO DAWSON has urged Los Angeles motorists to take more care on the city’s roads because she’s tired of having to avoid airheads who swerve into her lane while painting their nails behind the wheel.
The actress was taught the rules of the road by her motorcyclist father and she’s strict about what she does and doesn’t do when she’s driving - but is annoyed others aren’t as diligent.
She complains, "I moved to L.A. three years ago, so the whole driving thing is very new to me… I’m really not big on being on the phone in general, but I’m definitely not big on it in the car.
"I always take the opportunity to listen to music and look around me. I like driving a lot. I’ve been driving and there’s a woman wading into my lane and she’s painting her toe nails as she’s driving! "People that are born in L.A. think they can drive with their eyes closed but you can’t. My dad’s a motorcyclist and I like riding motorcycles so I’m really aware of the road.
"I can’t believe there are still so many people on the phone, despite all the laws. I mean, ‘You can wait five minutes or go to a stop sign or pull over, or wait 20 minutes to get to the location to send a text?’"

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British actor TERENCE STAMP refuses to use a cellphone - because brain surgeons don’t own mobiles.
The Wanted star has always dreamed of becoming a brain surgeon and quizzes the top doctors whenever he meets one.
He explains, "I don’t have a cellphone because brain surgeons don’t have them and I’m curious why. I kind of wanted to be a surgeon and I have real surgeon’s hands so whenever I meet them, I quiz them." But his lack of a cellphone has often almost cost him movie work - he almost missed out on a role in Tom Cruise’s new World War Two drama Valkyrie.
His manager had to call a driver on another film set to try and get hold of Stamp: "I was impressed that she found me." Stamp took the role in the new Hitler assassination movie when he realised director Bryan Singer had really done his homework.
He adds, "I had met a woman who knew Hitler when I was doing a Saturday morning show in England and she had told me after the show over coffee that he was a redhead, so that popped into my mind. I said to Bryan Singer, ‘Did you know he was a redhead?’ And he said, ‘Yeah, I did hear that,’ and that sort of impressed me. I thought, ‘If he knows that, he must really know what he’s talking about.’"

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