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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".

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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.

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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."

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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."

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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.

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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.

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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.

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AMY WINEHOUSE is not too tearful about the burglary at her London home - because she has her most prized possession, a special guitar, with her on vacation in the Caribbean.
The Rehab hitmaker has been enjoying a sunshine break in St. Lucia since December (08), but while the star has been working on her tan, her property in Camden, north London has been targetted by thieves.
Burglars broke into her house in the early hours of Thursday (29Jan09) and stole her flat screen television, five guitars, and digital recording equipment.
But the singer is glad thieves didn’t manage to get their hands on her favourite instrument - a gift from her record bosses at Universal after scooping five Grammys at 2008’s event.
Her representative Chris Goodman says, "Amy is upset, of course. But everything can be replaced.
"From her point of view, her favourite guitar is with her in St. Lucia. It was a special present, given to her by Universal for winning the Grammy awards last year."

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Pop star-turned-restaurateur JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE is expanding his eaterie empire with a second New York City hotspot.
The Tennessee-born singer opened BBQ restaurant/bar Southern Hospitality on Manhattan’s Upper East Side in 2007.
It quickly became a hit among locals and Timberlake’s fans flocked to check out his take on southern favourites like chicken wings, pulled pork, and macaroni and cheese - all taken from the Timberlake family recipe book.
It’s been so successful, the star and his business partners Trace Ayala and Eytan Sugarman are in talks to take up a second location in Chelsea.
According to New York Magazine, the trio are have singled out a space on 6th Avenue for a rent of around $35,000 (£24,650) per month.

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SIR PAUL McCARTNEY will make his first-ever U.S. music festival appearance headlining this year’s (09) Coachella.
The former Beatle has received top billing at the three-day fest, and will be joined by rockers The Killers and Amy Winehouse, who are scheduled to kick off the event’s second night.
Winehouse has not played a show in the U.S. for more than a year after suffering numerous health problems throughout 2008, which included a stint in rehab and several prolonged stays in hospital.
Other artists scheduled to perform include Morrissey, Public Enemy, Franz Ferdinand and The Cure - who will headline the third and final night.
The 10th Annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is scheduled for 17-19 April (09) in Indio, California.

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New CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION star LAURENCE FISHBURNE has tipped his actress wife GINA TORRES to join him on the U.S. TV drama - five years after she guest starred on the show.
Fishburne joined the crime series’ cast in October (08), marked by the departure of the show’s longtime cast member, William Petersen.
And the actor, who plays an investigator on the series, is itching to get Torres back on set since her brief stint on the show in 2004, two years after the pair married.
In an interview with America’s Star magazine, he says, "My lovely wife actually did an episode called Double X a number of years back. I would be more than thrilled if she came back."

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Emmy Award winning TV writer SHARAT SARDANA has died at the age of 40.
British-born Sardana collapsed at his father’s home on Friday (23Jan09) after suffering from a streptococcal virus. He passed away on Tuesday (27Jan09) at London’s Whipps Cross University Hospital, surrounded by family and friends.
Sardana penned cult U.K. TV comedy Goodness Gracious Me, and won a coveted International Emmy award and three BAFTA nominations for its follow-up, The Kumars at No.42.
He was believed to be working on a new TV series, billed as a male version of Sex & The City, when he died.
No further details were available as WENN went to press.

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Indian actress FREIDA PINTO gave American TV viewers a treat on Wednesday (28Jan09) when she danced across a talk show stage in an impromptu Bollywood-inspired performance.
The Slumdog Millionaire star, 24, gave Late Late Show host Craig Ferguson a quick lesson during an appearance on his programme to promote the Oscar-nominated film.
And Pinto admitted she’d already made director Danny Boyle a fan of the elaborate Indian productions after working with him on the new movie.
Counting as she showed Ferguson how to move, she said, "We have a little bit of dance at the end of the film, but I’d like to teach you some moves. This is Danny Boyle’s favourite."

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Cartoon hero HE-MAN is to be brought to life on the big screen in a new movie.
Warner Bros has joined forces with action filmmaker Joel Silver and Kung Fu Panda director John Stevenson to create a live action version of the 1980s series.
Masters of the Universe will tell the story of a prince who transforms into a warrior to challenge the villainous Skeletor and save his magical land.
It’s not the first time He-Man has appeared on the big screen; Dolph Lundgren played the hero in a 1987 movie, opposite Frank Langella as Skeletor.
It’s unknown who’ll take the lead role in the new adaptation.

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Fugitive filmmaker ROMAN POLANSKI has found a cunning way to shoot his new movie in the U.S. and U.K. without landing in jail - he is building giant replicas in a German film studio.
The Polish-born director has lived in Paris, France for the past 32 years since fleeing America, after he was convicted, in 1977, of having sex with a 13-year-old girl.
His new movie The Ghost has crucial scenes set in New England and London, England - but Polanski is unable to return to the U.S. without being arrested, and if he sets foot in Britain he’ll be extradited back to be sentenced.
So the 75-year-old is constructing look-a-like locations at the Studio Babelsberg in Potsdam-Babelsberg.
The movie, based on Robert Harris’ novel, will begin shooting later this year (09), starring Pierce Brosnan, Kim Cattrall, Ewan McGregor, Tom Wilkinson, and Jim Belushi.

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Blind soul legend STEVIE WONDER is calling on technology firms to make gadgets more accessible for people with sight disabilities.
The Superstition singer, who has been blind since birth, wants companies to make small alterations to existing products to increase their appeal among the visually impaired.
He says, "Being more accessible is always a plus. For various companies that are working with this technology and making it exciting and accessible for people who can see, it would take very little to make it accessible to everyone.
"I encourage all the manufacturers to do that. When you can… make it accessible and make it possible, you should just include that in the overall picture."

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Rap superstar LIL WAYNE has settled a legal battle over his use of a ROLLING STONES sample in a song on his latest album.
Executives at record company Abkco sued the star, claiming he used Play With Fire on his track Playing With Fire from his disc Tha Carter III.
The firm owns the rights to the Stones track, which appeared in the 1965 album Out of Our Heads, and insisted Wayne should have sought their permission.
After the lawsuit was filed, Wayne removed the song from the online version of the album - and he has now reached an out of court settlement with Abkco, the details of which have not been disclosed.
A statement from both parties confirms, "All parties expressed themselves satisfied with the amicable settlement."

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MADONNA will take her children to the U.S. to live after reportedly winning a residency battle with ex-husband GUY RITCHIE.
The singer has received temporary permission to take her two sons - Rocco, eight, and adopted three-year-old David - to her native U.S, according to London’s Evening Standard newspaper.
The decision is expected to be made permanent in mid-February (09).
A source tells the newspaper, "Everything is going to be resolved in the next couple of weeks. Everything is going well. It’s pretty amicable at the moment. Things are progressing." The couple announced their separation in October (08) - with the superstar citing Ritchie’s "unreasonable behaviour" as reason for divorce - and was granted a preliminary split on 21 November (08).
It was undecided if their sons would live with Ritchie in the U.K., where the family resided before the split, or with the singer in New York - but now the court has reportedly decided in Madonna’s favour.
The publication alleges the boys will divide their time between London and the Big Apple, and receive their education in the U.S.
Lourdes, the pop star’s 12-year-old daughter from another relationship, will remain with her mother.

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