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Director DANNY BOYLE was jumping out of his seat on Thursday (22Jan09) - after learning new film SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE secured 10 Academy Award nominations.
The film, which will premiere on Thursday (22Jan09) in Mumbai, counts the coveted Best Motion Picture category among its nods.
Boyle will also compete in the Best Director category for his work on the film, which tells the story of a former street child who wins the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.
Joined by the movie’s stars, Dev Patel and Freida Pinto, Boyle tells U.S. TV show Today via satellite, "The response has been extraordinary - of people saying they want to see it, or have seen it… You’ve got to just live with the moment really - it’s just extraordinary.
"So we can go to our premiere now here, and say that Hollywood has bestowed this kind of honour. It’s absolutely extraordinary, so thank you to the Academy. What a wonderful honour." In addition to Best Picture and Best Director the movie was also nominated in the following categories: Achievement in Cinematography, Achievement in Film Editing, Achievement in Music (Original Score), Achievement in Music (Original Song) (Two Nominations), Achievement in Sound Editing, Achievement in Sound Mixing and Adapted Screenplay.

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STONE TEMPLE PILOTS frontman SCOTT WEILAND is adding fashion designer to his resume - the singer is launching his own men’s clothing collection.
The star has teamed up with fashion mogul, Christopher Wicks, to create a line which embodies’ Weiland’s rock and roll style.
Weiland admits he channelled his musical heroes for the designs, which will be sold under the band name Weiland for English Laundry.
He says in a statement, "From early on, I was inspired by rock icons like David Bowie and Keith Richards who helped in molding my personal sense of style. I am really looking forward to launching this line with Christopher Wicks and English Laundry." The collection which includes vests, t-shirts, pants, hats, ties and scarves will be based on vintage prints from the 1960s rock era and will hit stores in February (09). (LR/WNWCBBM/ZN) WENN - FOURTH - HOLLYWOOD, SHOWBIZ & PEOPLE NEWS - 22 JANUARY 2009

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NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS star MICK HARVEY has announced his departure from the band.
Multi-instrumentalist Harvey, who helped found the group in 1983, is leaving due to undisclosed "personal and professional" reasons - but has promised to work on planned reissue projects expected this year (09).
He says in a statement: "For a variety of personal and professional reasons I have chosen to discontinue my ongoing involvement with Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds.
"After 25 years I feel I am leaving the band as it experiences one of its many peaks; in very healthy condition, and with fantastic prospects for the future.
"I’m confident Nick will continue to be a creative force and that this is the right time to pass on my artistic and managerial role to what has become a tremendous group of people who can support him in his endeavours both musically and organisationally."

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ANNA KOURNIKOVA has sparked rumours she will wed singer ENRIQUE IGLESIAS after the tennis star was photographed with a huge diamond ring on her wedding finger.
The couple, together for seven years, cruised by boat along the coast of Miami, Florida earlier this month (Jan09), when the blonde beauty, 27, was snapped wearing the sparkler.
The pair has shared a home in the city for the last eight months.
A source tells U.S. tabloid Star, "Everyone is talking about Anna getting engaged. She is wearing a gorgeous ring on her left ring finger. Anna is being really coy about the rumours. She isn’t denying anything, and she has a big smile on her face."

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Hip-hop star JAY-Z and rockers ARCADE FIRE are reportedly set to play a private gig for President BARACK OBAMA’s staff - to thank them for their hard work during the politician’s campaign.
The rapper - who performed at several of Obama’s inauguration celebrations will team up with the Canadian band to play at the Armory in Washington D.C. on Thursday (22Jan08), two days after the Democrat was officially welcomed into the White House.
The concert will only be open to staff who contributed during Obama’s long-running battle for the presidency, according to the New York Times.

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BRAD PITT’s THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON and FROST/NIXON are leading the 2009 Academy Awards nominations.
Pitt is nominated in the Best Actor category, competing against Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon), Sean Penn (Milk), Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler) and Richard Jenkins (The Visitor).
Pitt’s movie is in the running for the Best Picture award, alongside Slumdog Millionaire, The Reader, Frost/Nixon and Milk.
Pitt’s partner Angelina Jolie is nominated for Best Actress for her role in Changeling against Kate Winslet (The Reader), Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married), Meryl Streep (Doubt), Melissa Leo (Frozen River).
Heath Ledger won a nomination for his role as the Joker in The Dark Knight; he will battle it out in the Best Supporting Actor category against Josh Brolin (Milk), Robert Downey Jr. (Tropic Thunder), Philip Seymour Hoffman (Doubt) and Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road).
The award nominations were announced by Academy Award-winner Forest Whitaker, who took home the the Best Actor Oscar in 2007 for his role in The Last King Of Scotland, at a press conference in Los Angeles on Thursday (22Jan09) morning.
The Academy Awards ceremony will take place in L.A. on 22 February (09).
(LR//PAW) WENN - BREAKING NEWS - 22 JANUARY 2009 ————————————————————————–

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Blues singer ETTA JAMES was overcome with pride watching BEYONCE KNOWLES covering her classic song AT LAST for new U.S. President BARACK OBAMA.
Knowles, who depicts James in the drama Cadillac Records, sang the icon’s 1961 ballad as Obama and his wife, Michelle, shared their first dance as America’s President and First Lady following his inauguration ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday (20Jan09).
And James, who watched the performance live on TV in her California home, is delighted her love song has taken a place in history.
Her son, Donto James, tells the New York Daily News, "She was looking forward to seeing it. She was honoured (and) she thought it was great. She’s gotten emotional, just like everybody else." Knowles was one of the headline acts to appear at the politician’s Neighborhood Ball celebration after he was officially sworn into office.
The Crazy In Love hitmaker was visibly moved during her performance and came close to breaking down, telling U.S. network ABC, "I was thinking (about) all the sacrifices Obama and his wife and his children have made, and at last he’s here. I’m sorry, I’m so embarrassed. I’m just so lucky to be a part of this history. It’s probably the most important day of my life, and I’m so grateful."

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New mum NICOLE RICHIE is set to make a return to the small screen with a family-focused reality TV show, according to a new report.
Richie welcomed daughter Harlow with Good Charlotte star Joel Madden last year (Jan08) and is said to have since hatched plans for the project, which she began pitching to studio bosses earlier this month (Jan09).
Madden, his rocker twin Benji and Richie’s dad, singer Lionel Richie, have all signed on to the project, reports U.S. magazine Star.
A source tells the tabloid, "Nicole wants the world to know what it’s like to be a working mom with a rock star boyfriend." Richie starred in several seasons of U.S. reality TV series The Simple Life with best pal Paris Hilton when it was broadcast from 2003-2007.

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A photograph of JOHN TRAVOLTA’s son JETT as he lay dying is allegedly at the centre of an attempt to extort money from the actor, according to new reports.
The Pulp Fiction star was contacted by a pair of alleged extortionists who reportedly demanded "millions of dollars" for the morbid snap - or they would sell the photo to the highest bidder.
The shot is said to show the actor’s 16-year-old son in the back of the ambulance which took him to hospital. The youngster died after suffering a seizure at the family’s Bahamas retreat on 2 January (09).
Two men - including a local politician from Grand Bahama and a man believed to be connected to the ambulance service - are now being quizzed by local authorities over the allegations, according to British newspaper The Daily Mail.
A police source tells the publication, "The investigation is at an early stage. Mr Travolta is co-operating fully."

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SIR BEN KINGSLEY has ruled out a return to the stage - because he feels more creatively fulfilled by acting in films.
The Gandhi star was trained in classical theatre in his native England in the 1960s, and performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company before making a successful transition to movie roles.
And although he acknowledges his theatrical roots, he has no desire to return to plays.
He says, "I’ve done one play in the last 20 years. I’m very much a film actor. I think acting on stage is like landscape painting, and I think acting on film is like fine detailed portrait painting.
"I really love portrait painting, but I find it difficult to pick up that other brush."

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Hollywood couple TOM CRUISE and KATIE HOLMES are considering relocating to London so they can both take roles on the West End stage.
Holmes recently starred in a production of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons on Broadway and is keen to take on more theatre work, according to her famous husband.
The Top Gun star is eager to follow in his wife’s footsteps, by taking on the challenge of a stage show - and he is adamant that London would be the perfect place for them both to work.
He says, "It would be a fantastic move. Katie was absolutely brilliant on Broadway and to work in the West End would be a joy. It is something to consider for both of us. I think we’d love it here (in England) even if it is so, so cold!"

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Supermodel KATE MOSS is reportedly planning to move to America - to help rocker boyfriend JAMIE HINCE launch his career in the U.S.
The British beauty is considering relocating to New York to help Hince’s band, The Kills, concentrate on achieving success in the American charts, according to British tabloid The Daily Mirror.
The publication claims Moss has already drawn up a shortlist of luxury apartments in the city and agreed numerous modelling shoots there.
A source tells the newspaper, "Jamie thinks it would help the relationship.
Plus he fancies the challenge of cracking the U.S. with The Kills. He and bandmate Alison Mosshart are looking into doing a massive tour this year so the timing would be perfect. And Kate already has modelling shoots pencilled in there. It makes perfect sense."

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EWAN MCGREGOR struggled with jail scenes for new movie I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS - because he and co-star JIM CARREY filmed with real prisoners as extras.
In the film, inspired by true events, Carrey stars as jailed con artist Steven Jay Russell who falls in love with his cellmate, Phillip Morris, played by McGregor.
In a bid to capture the atmosphere of an authentic prison, the actors were hauled to an actual penitentiary filled with convicts in New Orleans, Louisiana.
And McGregor admits he was "shocked" by his criminal co-stars and his confining surroundings.
He says, "I had never been in a prison before
. I had an idea from movies what it would be like, but the intensity was quite shocking from the moment I arrived in the morning through bars and barbed wire.
"A lot of the prisoners live in dormitories and are quite calm
. It took us a couple of days to get used to the fact our extras were real prisoners." And funnyman Carrey managed to turn the filming into a positive experience by cracking jokes with the hardened outlaws.
He adds: "We had 100 people in this prison and we are in the centre of them.
I asked the warden, ‘What are these guys in here for? Infractions?’ He said, ‘They’re rapists and murderers.’ "I guess we were kind of fun
. We were something to do for them
. They talked to me
. I would find myself between takes surrounded by 20 guys just talking and laughing
. I don’t know what I did, but somehow I could see the most hardened person’s face turn into a kid
. And go, ‘Hey, man’.
"They were their best selves around me, maybe
. It was nice
. It was a great atmosphere
. It really was." But Carrey realised the severity of their situation when filming ended: "There was no air-con in there
. New Orleans is hot
. And you start thinking about when we leave, what those guys have to do to survive in there."

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Actor MARK RUFFALO is preparing to make his debut as a feature filmmaker - just a month after his brother was shot dead.
Ruffalo’s brother, Scott, was found outside his home in Beverly Hills with a gunshot wound to the head at the beginning of December (08). He died in hospital a week later (08Dec08) after he was taken off life support.
Now the actor, who pulled out of a movie project immediately after the tragic incident, is putting his career back on track by directing and starring in indie movie Sympathy for Delicious.
The project was indefinitely postponed after Scott’s death but sources tell E! Online filming has been re-scheduled to start next week (begs26Jan09).
The film, about a paralysed DJ who develops the ability to cure the ill, will also star Pirates of the Caribbean actor Orlando Bloom and Laura Linney.

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TAKE THAT star GARY BARLOW feels guilty for failing to spot the warning signs when ROBBIE WILLIAMS was on the verge of a breakdown during their time together as bandmates.
The pair - along with fellow members Jason Orange, Mark Owen, and Howard Donald - formed the group in 1990 and released several chart-topping singles in the U.K., including Relight My Fire and Never Forget.
Williams quit the boyband to pursue a solo career in 1995 - and also began a highly-publicised battle with alleged substance and alcohol abuse.
But Barlow admits there were "a series of events we should have spotted" that indicated the Angels hitmaker was troubled before he left the band.
He tells U.K. newspaper The Sun, "That’s my one regret. I missed the signs. I think we all did." And Donald was so troubled by the fact he failed to support Williams, he has since apologised to the star: "I said I was sorry I never took the time to notice he was drinking a bottle of vodka a day."

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Rockers FRANZ FERDINAND missed their chance to perform live with T.I. after the rapper cut short a gig because of his court-imposed curfew.
The Take Me Out hitmakers recently played back-up for T.I., who is due to begin a prison sentence this year (09), on his single Live Your Life while onstage at the Diesel xXx party in New York in October (08).
The band desperately wanted the hip-hop star to repay the favour by rapping over their track Ulysses - but his federal curfew ruled he couldn’t stay out late.
Drummer Paul Thomson says, "He was going to do it but had to go home. He had to be tucked up in bed by 2am because of the curfew." T.I. was sentenced to jail time after pleading guilty to illegal possession of three machine guns and two silencers following his 2007 arrest.

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Singer NEWTON FAULKNER is recovering well after breaking his arm in a freak accident last month (Dec08).
The Dream Catch Me rocker was terrified he would never play the guitar again after crushing his limb in a fall.
He says, "I was having a lovely Christmas when I slipped and fell on Boxing Day morning. I spent the whole day in A&E (the emergency room) and it was pretty scary.
"My whole career is dependent on my hands - plus I’m right-handed so I really panicked." But the star was relieved after doctors told him he hadn’t done any permanent damage: "I have a metal plate in my arm now, which might be interesting going through airport customs. I’ve been told I’ll make a full recovery but I can’t put a date on it yet."

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ROLLING STONES rocker RONNIE WOOD is considering leaving his native London to take up permanent residence with his young lover in Los Angeles.
The veteran guitarist parted ways with Jo, his wife of 23 years, after his affair with Russian waitress Ekaterina Ivanova, 20, was exposed last summer (08).
Wood is said to be looking for a new home to share with Ivanova - and has been tempted by the warmer climes of L.A. after recently spending time there with his reformed 1970s band The Faces.
He says, "We had a great time over there recently. We managed to record most of the new album and I’m going back in a couple of weeks to finish it off.
"I would never have dreamt of living there before because I never used to like the whole vibe of the place.
"But it’s much more mellow now and I could definitely see myself living there."

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