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Actor JUSTIN LONG was left squirming for answers on ELLEN DEGENERES’ talk show this week (ends30Jan09) when the comedienne cornered him into addressing the status of his relationship with ex-girlfriend DREW BARRYMORE.
The pair, who split last July (08) after one year together, both star in new movie He’s Just Not That Into You.
And DeGeneres made sure she got all the gossip about their romance by making him squirm on her couch in front of her TV audience.
Quizzing Long, she asked him, "Is that hard? Now you’re on a press tour with someone you were in a movie with, in a relationship with and now you’re seeing each other. And if it’s not, I’ve just made it more awkward." Long laughed, "Up until this point, it’s been not awkward at all." But the actor was full of compliments for the Charlie’s Angels star, and credits her with making their post-romance friendship so seemless: "She’s effortlessly charming and easy to be around. She has this amazing ability to make anyone feel at ease." The interview, which will air in the U.S. on Monday (02Feb09), comes just two days after Barrymore laughed off reports of a reconciliation with Long, insisting they are "absolutely just friends".

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

Fans of director JOHN CARPENTER’s horror movie THE THING are in for a treat - plans are afoot for a prequel.
Studio bosses at Universal have revealed they are working on a new movie with screenwriter Ronald D. Moore, the man behind the relaunch of sci-fi series Battlestar Galactica, to explain how the shape-shifting alien came to be discovered.
The project will be helmed by filmmaker Matthijs Van Heijningen, according to Variety.

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

British rockers KASABIAN are backing a campaign to save a music venue in their hometown.
Frontman Tom Meighan has promised to add his and his bandmates’ names to a petition hoping to keep Leicester, England hotspot The Charlotte open, after its owners were forced into administration.
Meighan told a local newspaper, "If we can help, we will. At the end of the day, it’s a legendary venue."

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

Showbiz pals of COLUMBO star PETER FALK are backing his wife’s fight for the right to care for the actor as he battles Alzheimer’s disease.
Last month (Dec08), Falk’s adopted daughter, Catherine Falk, filed papers claiming her father has dementia and Alzheimer’s disease and can no longer care for himself. Catherine is asking the court to name her his conservator.
But last week (20Jan08), Falk’s second wife, Shera, fought back by filing her own court papers, insisting he should be allowed to remain at home with her.
She alleges her husband of 32 years never attended Catherine’s wedding and has never even met her children.
And a clutch of close friends, including actress Gena Rowlands, actor Joe Mantegna and late TV host Johnny Carson’s ex-wife Joanna, have rushed to support Shera.
In court documents, Rowlands insists, "Shera has taken extremely good care (of Falk) over the years", while Godfather: Part III star Mantegna adds, "Shera is the closest person to Peter in his life… there is no person second to her."

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

Country singer TAYLOR SWIFT has slashed the ticket prices of her upcoming tour to help fans cope with the world’s struggling economy.
Swift, 19, will kick off her first headlining tour later this year (Apr09), taking on 52 cities in the U.S. and Canada over six months, with American Idol star Kellie Pickler serving as the show’s opening act.
The singer, who will launch a line of budget dresses for discount retailer Wal-Mart next month (Feb09), has set the cheapest tickets for her Fearless tour at $20 (GBP14).
She says, "I want to be sure that everyone has the opportunity to come see my show." The tour is scheduled to kick off on 23 April (09) in Evansville, Illinois.

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

The judge in music mogul PHIL SPECTOR’s murder retrial has threatened to jail members of the producer’s entourage if they don’t stop taking photos in court.
A confrontation between Spector’s wife and a courthouse employee on Thursday (29Jan09) sparked the warning.
Rachelle Spector grabbed a camera, belonging to one of her husband’s bodyguards, from a public information officer who had caught the minder taking shots of his boss as he entered court.
The courthouse employee was explaining that the photography violated court laws.
The music producer’s wife insisted the shots had been deleted.
Last month, the judge told Spector’s lawyers that photos taken in the hallway outside the court and posted on a website linked to Rachelle Spector were illegal. She stated she was unaware that what she was doing was wrong.
The prosecution in the murder trial rested last week (ends23Jan09), and Spector’s legal team began calling witnesses earlier this week (beg26Jan09).
The music icon is accused of shooting Lana Clarkson in his Alhambra, California mansion in 2003. Spector’s attorneys maintain the actress killed herself.

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

Troubled rapper DMX has been sentenced to three months behind bars for theft, drug possession and animal cruelty.
The 38-year-old - real name Earl Simmons - was arrested in Miami, Florida on 9 December (08) after missing a court appearance in Phoenix, Arizona.
He was sent to jail in Maricopa County, Arizona, where he pleaded guilty on 30 December to felony counts of theft, possession of marijuana and possession or use of narcotics, and one misdemeanour count of animal cruelty.
According to local reports, after entering the courthouse for his sentencing on Friday (30Jan09) Simmons complained of pain in his feet and knees, claiming he was suffering gout.
Handing down the sentence, Maricopa County Superior Court Commissioner Phemonia Miller told the star, "I don’t know DMX. Mr. Simmons, it’s time you do something different. What you have been doing is not working." The rapper will be allowed to serve his sentence in Florida, as requested by his defence team, but will not be given credit for time served, and will not be released until April (09) - whereupon he will must spend least 18 months’ under supervised probation.
DMX’s charges all stem from a raid on his Phoenix home in August 2007. Cops found three dead dogs and evidence of animal abuse as well as a collection of guns, ammunition and drug paraphernalia.

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