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PEARL JAM rocker MIKE MCCREADY is lending his star power to a new bill calling for emergency access to toilets for sufferers of Crohn’s disease.
The guitarist - who himself has been diagnosed with the painful gastrointestinal disorder - testified before a legal committee in Washington on Thursday (29Jan09) in a bid to convince state legislators to allow patients with the condition to use shops’ private restrooms.
McCready claimed there are several businesses he now refuses to patronise after they refused him permission to use an employee toilet, causing "hundreds" of accidents over the last 20 years.
But while he acknowledged the illness has caused him embarrassment, he urged officials to remember the devastating humiliation younger people who have similar disorders must endure.
He said: "I’m 42 years old. I’m doing fine. But when you’re 13 or 14 and you’re going through those years with the shame and indignation - it’s embarrassing…
"Imagine the worst diarrhoea you’ve ever had and then times it by 10, with a knife in it. You have maybe a half a second to find out where a bathroom is."

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Reunited boyband NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK have sparked a bidding war online after putting a self portrait up for auction - all in the name of charity.
Singer Donnie Wahlberg drew caricatures of the five-piece backstage at their O2 Arena concert in London last Saturday (24Jan09) and got all members of the band to sign it.
Wahlberg then donated the artwork, and the marker pen he used to create it, to the No Surrender Charitable Trust, a British organisation that provides support to young adult cancer sufferers.
And the 1990s teen idols have proved they’re still hot property with fans - bidding on the A3-sized picture had reached $1,505 (£1,060) by Friday (30Jan09).
The black pen used by Wahlberg, which the auctioneers state "has been kissed and rubbed all over the body of Donny Wallberg (sic)", is also attracting big bucks - bidding stands at $362 (£255) with five days to go.
The winning buyers will also receive a video blog of Wahlberg creating the artwork on CD to prove its authenticity.
The 11-day auctions will close next Wednesday (04Feb09).

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Rap mogul SEAN ‘DIDDY’ COMBS is "devastated" following the break-up of his girl band DANITY KANE, according to former member DAWN RICHARD.
The group, put together by Combs for his reality TV series Making The Band, confirmed it was no more on Thursday (29Jan09).
Richard claimed she and remaining bandmate Aundrea Fimbres would try to "pick up the pieces" on forthcoming episodes of the show, following the shock departure of singers Aubrey O’Day, D. Woods and Shannon Bex from the group last year (08).
And while Richard insists Danity Kane’s collapse has been difficult to handle, she is adamant her boss Combs is just as hurt.
She tells MTV.com, "I think he’s devastated… He’s just confused. I think that’s what makes him crazy the most. He’s like, ‘I’m the master of all of this, and they totally pulled the wool (deceived me).’ I think he’s bitter and angry." And the star has also blasted rumours Combs kicked O’Day and Woods out of the group in October (08) because he was grooming Richard for a solo career: "No one is in cahoots with Puff (Combs). Puff is in cahoots with himself. Everyone who knows Puff knows Puff rolls with himself. His hustle is money. That’s what he does. I’m just devastated. I wish the rumours were true."

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ELLEN BARKIN’s new TV series about an older woman wrapped up in a bitter divorce is based on her own split from her billionaire ex RON PERELMAN, according to new report.
Hollywood sources reported on Thursday (29Jan09) the actress had been tapped to play a divorcee who finds herself newly single after ending her high-profile marriage in the as-yet-untitled HBO show.
But the project is actually a thinly-disguised series about her own life and her failed relationship with investor Perelman, who served her divorce papers in 2006 before evicting her from his mansion, according to the New York Post.
And the newspaper insists Barkin plans to use the show to exact revenge on her ex - by spilling all the details of their messy parting.
A source tells the publication, "There’s so much source material to work with. The first week, Ellen could be out on the sidewalk in her socks screaming as the movers are loading up her things. In the second week, she could soak Ron with water." Barkin was awarded $60 million (£42 million) after Perelman ended their six-year union - and reportedly pocketed another $20.3 million (£14.2 million) after auctioning off more than 100 jewels he had given her.

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50 CENT is hitting back at rival rapper RICK ROSS in a new song after the MC took aim at the IN DA CLUB hitmaker in a scathing track.
Ross first hit out at the G-Unit star - real name Curtis Jackson - in his song Mafia Music, when he referenced a fire which ravaged a home owned by 50 and lived in by the rapper’s son and ex-girlfriend last year (08).
He rapped: "I love to pay ya bills, can’t wait to pay ya rent/ Curtis Jackson baby mama, I ain’t looking for a cent/ Burn the house down, you gotta buy another/ Don’t forget the gas can, jealous, stupid muthaf**ker." But 50 Cent has refused to ignore the attack - and has now unleashed his lyrical wrath against Ross.
In the song, entitled Officer Ricky (Go Head, Try Me), the hip-hop star pokes fun at Ross’ history as a prison officer, a career move he initially tried to deny but eventually admitted to in October (08).
50 Cent’s response starts with him repeatedly chanting Officer Ricky, before he rhymes: "I put a razor through your face/I put a nine on my waist."

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British singer LILY ALLEN is back on the booze - because performing live is too nerve-racking without alcohol.
The Smile hitmaker vowed to stop drinking and curb her partying ways last year (08) after an onstage spat with Sir Elton John at the GQ Men of the Year Awards in Britain.
But Allen admits she needed alcohol to steady her nerves before her first London show in two years at the KOKO venue on Wednesday night (28Jan09) - and is now back drinking as she undergoes a tour of the U.K.
She tells British newspaper The Sun, "Yep, I am drinking again. Last night (Wednesday) I had my first drink. There’s no way I can get on stage without a drink. I think I’m funnier when I’ve had a few.
"I didn’t find it difficult to stop drinking, I didn’t even think about it. I haven’t really needed a drink but now I’m on tour, it’s fun drinking sometimes. But some things have changed. I’m not drinking any cheap stuff now - only expensive wine will do this time. I’ve gone upmarket."

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KATE BECKINSALE’s childhood dreams of becoming a big sister were ruined by her father’s untimely death.
Richard Beckinsale, beloved star of classic U.K. TV sitcoms Porridge and Rising Damp, died from a heart attack in 1979, when his daughter was just five-years-old.
And now the actress has revealed her parents were planning on having another child together just before her dad passed away, aged just 31.
And the star is proud of the fact she was the reason her actress mum Judy Loe wanted more kids.
The Underworld star, who has a half-sister, called Samantha from her father’s first marriage to Margaret Bradley, tells Hollywood Life magazine, "I used to pester my mother for another baby when my father was still alive. She ended up having an eight-hour operation to unblock her tubes and things like that.
"The operation was a success, but my father died while she was having it, so it was really ironic, terrible timing." The actress, who is a mum to nine-year-old Lily, admits she’d rethink her plans about having more kids if her daughter asked for a sibling.
She adds, "If Lily was begging me for a brother or sister I’d be more inclined (to have another)." Lily’s father is Beckinsale’s ex Michael Sheen. The actress is currently married to moviemaker Len Wiseman.
The actress’ daughter turns 10 on Saturday (31Jan09).

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WHITNEY HOUSTON is so happy, she has refused to record any sad songs for her comeback album, according to collaborator NE-YO.
The singer hasn’t released a record since her 2003 Christmas offering, One Wish: The Holiday Album. Her last original studio album was Just Whitney, released the same year (03).
The vocal superstar is currently working on an LP to relaunch her career, which is expected to hit record stores later this year (09).
And R&B star Ne-Yo, who has been helping the star put her new album together, insists it won’t feature any downbeat ballads - because of the improvement in Houston’s personal life.
He says, "People are expecting something fantastic and I think they are going to get it. Whitney doesn’t want any sad songs on this record. She isn’t going for tear jerkers. She’s happy raising her children and wants her music to reflect that. It’s already sounding great." Houston endured a messy public divorce in 2007 when she split with her husband of 15 years, Bobby Brown, as well as battling a string of alleged drug problems.
Houston has full custody of the former couple’s 15-year-old daughter, Bobbi Kristina.

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LEONARDO DiCAPRIO’s model girlfriend BAR REFAELI has been tipped to front a revival of the U.S. TV series HOUSE OF STYLE.
The popular show, which ran from 1989 to 2000, focused on fashion and design and was originally hosted by supermodel Cindy Crawford.
Now MTV is planning to bring the show back to the small screen - and producers hope to land the Titanic star’s lover or catwalk stunner Chanel Iman to take over presenting duties, according to New York gossip column PageSix.
Neither of the beauties has officially signed on to the project.

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KATE WINSLET was desperate to work with her husband SAM MENDES on a movie project after TOM HANKS lavished praise on the filmmaker.
Hanks worked with the director on 2002 drama Road To Perdition and was so thrilled by the experience, he urged Winslet to star in one of her spouse’s movies.
But the actress failed to find a film she and Mendes could collaborate on - until she came across the script for Revolutionary Road.
She says, "Wonderful actors like Tom Hanks would tell me that Sam was so great to work (with).
"I’d be telling them to shut up because I was starting to get a bit jealous. I wanted to experience the side of him and when I did it was as if the final piece of a puzzle of who my husband really is slotted into place." And it seems the husband-and-wife team’s efforts paid off for Winslet - she won a Best Actress Golden Globe and is nominated for a slew of prestigious industry awards for her turn in Revolutionary Road.

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JESSICA SIMPSON donned skin-tight leather trousers and blasted criticism of her weight gain during her first performance since the media mocked her fuller figure.
The singer made headlines after she was pictured looking notably curvier on-stage at a concert in Pembroke Pines, Florida on Sunday (25Jan09).
The photos prompted criticism of her weight gain - and the star’s sister Ashlee branded the media attention "embarrassing and belittling" in an angry rant on her blog.
But stepping to the stage again, Simpson seemed to take the controversy in her stride - strutting across the stage in black leather trousers as she opened for Rascal Flatts in Charlottesville, Virginia on Thursday (29Jan09).
She told the crowd: "I feel like in our world today we focus on so many things that are completely pointless. Please remember, no matter what you go through in life, somebody else might have it harder. So just appreciate." And although the Irresistible singer avoided directly referencing her weight gain, she did thank fans for getting behind her.
She announced at the end of her set: "Thank you for your support. Stay positive, and pray out loud! I love you guys, good night."

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BROOKE SHIELDS has mocked the stage manager who was arrested after allegedly stealing $30,000 (£22,010) worth of designer goods from the set of LIPSTICK JUNGLE - branding him "not very bright".
Arthur Moreira, 27, was charged with theft last week (23Jan09) after officers purchased missing set items online in a sting operation, according to New York’s Brooklyn district attorney’s office.
A range of expensive items from the U.S. show’s cast wardrobe - including an Oscar de la Renta snakeskin bag, Gucci coats and designs by French fashion house Sylvia Toledano - had earlier gone missing.
Toledano employees first alerted police after finding limited items by the designer for sale on eBay.com - and it has now emerged that Shields’ wallet was also stolen from her dressing room.
But the actress sees the funny side, because the thief stole her cheap wallet and left behind her expensive purse.
She tells New York gossip column PageSix, "The same guy… stole my wallet out of my dressing room last season, right out of my purse! "He’s not very bright, because the purse was worth more than the wallet."

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The father of a young actress who appears in SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE has leapt to the defence of the film’s makers - following criticism from fellow parents over low wages paid to the young Indian actors in the Oscar-nominated movie.
Relatives of Rubina Ali and Azharuddin Ismail, who played Latika and Salim in the early scenes of the film, have accused movie executives of underpaying the youngsters - who received $725 (£500) and $2,465 (£1,700) respectively for their work.
But movie bosses at Fox Searchlight came to the defence of the picture, which was shot in the slums of Mumbai, insisting they were paid three times the average local annual adult salary, were enrolled in school for the first time, and a fund was established for their future welfare.
And Rafiq Qureshi, whose seven-year-old daughter, Rubina, appears in Danny Boyle’s acclaimed movie, is adamant that the makers of the film have adequately rewarded his child.
He says, "Whatever a parent could have done, they have done much more than that." And Rubina’s mother, Munni Qureshi, also agreed her daughter’s experience had been a positive one, adding, "I felt very happy that my daughter had become a star."

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THE KOOKS frontman LUKE PRITCHARD is teaming up with French band THE DØ to record an album of cover songs.
Singer Pritchard kicked off his rock career playing his own versions of classic songs in a band called Covernote, which toured the club scene across London.
And now he’s set to revive even more versions with rock duo The Dø.
He tells NME.com, "We’re just going to do covers. If we have time to write anything we might, but I don’t think so. We’ll just see how it goes. We’ll probably release it a little bit more in France." And the star insists he will shun a big budget production: "I want to do it a bit like, trashy The Velvet Underground And Nico kind of vibe. We’re going to try and get a vibe and get a sound in the room and not over-complicate things with the production."

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THE STREETS star MIKE SKINNER has blasted a British energy supplier after he was forced to scrap a London gig when the power failed.
The British rapper was due to play a show at the city’s O2 Brixton Academy on Thursday (29Jan09) night, but arrived to find the venue had no electricity.
Fans were disappointed after queueing to enter the building only to be turned away just hours before the set was expected to start.
And Skinner was left furious when the energy company failed to help the venue’s owners turn the lights back on.
He writes on his MySpace.com blog, "Tonight’s Brixton show has been cancelled due to a power cut. Gutted. Not sure what to say really. I was really excited, turned up and no lights in the whole building.
"They (staff) phoned the power company, who weren’t very helpful unfortunately. I’ll keep you all posted but the sight of you all outside queueing is heartbreaking."

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Country star FAITH HILL has praised JENNIFER HUDSON for choosing the upcoming Super Bowl in Tampa, Florida for her first public appearance since her mother, brother and nephew were shot dead.
Hudson will perform the U.S. National Anthem in front of millions of viewers before the big game on Sunday (01Feb09), marking her return to the spotlight after the brutal murders of her family members in October (08).
And Hill, who will also be performing before the showdown between the Arizona Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers, believes Hudson chose the perfect event to mark her comeback.
She says, "She is a strong girl, a girl of faith. I believe to come and perform the National Anthem, which is this country’s favourite song, at a time that our country is stepping up and moving forward for future generations - I think it’s just the perfect choice." Hudson’s mother Darnell Donerson and brother Jason Hudson, 29, were shot dead last October (08) in Donerson’s Chicago, Illinois home. The body of the Oscar winner’s seven year old nephew, Julian, were found in a car elsewhere in the city three days later.
William Balfour, the estranged husband of Hudson’s sister Julia, has pleaded not guilty to charges of first degree murder and home invasion.

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JOHN LENNON’s son JULIAN has blasted reports he is set to perform with his half-brother SEAN at a United Nations event in February (09).
Fox News columnist Roger Friedman recently reported that the singing siblings were to team up onstage for the first time at the UN Millennium Goal Awards in New York.
But Julian - Lennon’s son with his first wife Cynthia - has moved swiftly to quash the rumour, insisting it was made up by the journalist.
In a posting on his MySpace.com blog, he writes: "Sorry to say, but the news today about Sean & I playing together at the UN Awards came directly out of Roger Friedman’s ass! "Do they ever tell the truth at FOX? He/they didn’t even attempt to get in touch with either of our reps or the producers of the UN event to find out whether this story was true or not. So you know what they represent." Lennon’s murder in 1980 reportedly led to a rift between the two siblings, with Julian and his mother left to battle Sean’s mum Yoko Ono through the courts for a share of the singer’s estate.
But the pair is said to have grown closer in recent years, bonding over their shared love of music.

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Singer AMY WINEHOUSE’s London home has been targeted by thieves while she is on holiday in the Caribbean.
The singer has been enjoying a sunshine break in St. Lucia since December (08) and is reportedly set to fly back to Britain to start work on her new album.
But while the star has been away, her property in Camden, North London has been broken into - with burglars stealing her flat screen television and five guitars, as well as digital recording equipment.
Police were called to the property earlier this week (beg26Jan09) following early morning reports that the residence had been raided.
A source tells British newspaper The Sun, "Amy is devastated. Some of the guitars are irreplaceable due to their sentimental value. The flat is in a real state. It has been cleaned up in preparation for her return. Now she will have to start from scratch to replace what has been stolen." A police spokesman confirmed the news, telling the publication, "No arrests have been made and our enquiries continue."

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