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Child star FREDDIE HIGHMORE has signed up to star in a new superhero movie with a twist.
The Charlie and the Chocolate Factory actor, 16, will play a teenager who uses a fictional comic book hero to help him escape his battle with leukaemia.
Death of a Superhero, based on Anthony McCarten’s best-selling novel, is due to begin shooting in New Zealand later this year (09).

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

Reality TV star LAUREN CONRAD will quit THE HILLS after filming wraps on the upcoming fifth season.
The MTV show focuses on Conrad and her friends as they go about their daily lives in Hollywood.
However, Conrad admits she is keen to move on from the programme that has made her a star - and will make the next season her last.
She tells Seventeen magazine, "My biggest thing with the show was that I wanted to walk away from it while it’s still a great thing.
"I always want to remember it that way. I gave MTV a deadline and said, ‘This is as long as I can do it and stay sane.’"

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Movie tough guy VINNIE JONES faces an April Fools Day (01Apr09) he won’t be smiling about - he’s due in court to face assault charges.
After four delays, the Snatch star’s attorneys met South Dakota prosecutors in court on Wednesday (25Feb09) for a hearing, and a plea date was set for 1 April (09).
Jones has been charged with three counts of assault following a bloody fight in a Sioux Falls bar, which left him with 48 stitches in his face.
The former soccer star was not in court in Minnehaha County, South Dakota for the hearing.
Justin Barrera, Jones’ fighting foe in the brawl, was arrested on drug charges earlier this month (Feb09).
Barrera reportedly smashed a glass in Jones’ face.

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Pop star LILY ALLEN is still in regular contact with ex-boyfriend ED SIMMONS - despite their emotionally difficult past.
The Fear singer fell pregnant in late 2007 with the Chemical Brothers star’s baby - but suffered a miscarriage in January 2008.
The couple split shortly after the tragedy.
But Allen insists she is still on friendly terms with Simmons, even though their shared experiences evoke painful memories.
She tells Q magazine, "We still speak two times a week, he texts me all the time, making sure I’m alright.
"We never were not friends, it just became… difficult. Because there was so much pain associated with everything that happened, for me I just needed to get away, you know?"

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LINDSAY LOHAN has risked fuelling rumours she has an eating disorder - by posing for a series of topless shots which show off her bony frame.
The Mean Girls star peeled off for an arty photoshoot with celebrity snapper/fashion designer Hedi Slimane, using her hair and arms to shield her breasts from the camera.
But the black and white shots reveal Lohan’s painfully thin torso - and in some pictures, her shoulders and hip bones are noticeably protruding.
The star’s parents recently expressed concern at her plummeting weight, and several magazines have speculated she is possibly suffering from an eating disorder.
Lohan, 22, recently denied the claims, putting her weightloss down to "working a lot, stress… and lack of sleep when I travel".

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Welsh rockers BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE have scrapped a festival appearance in their homeland due to recording commitments.
The band have cancelled their headlining slot at rock festival Hammerfest, due to be held in North Wales in April (09), due to conflicting schedules, according to the group’s official website.
The Scream Aim Fire stars state the festival’s organisers have promised fans full refunds for tickets already purchased.
However, the band have organised an appearance at another music event - they will take part in Sonisphere at Knebworth, south-east England, in August (09) alongside rock giants Metallica and Linkin Park.

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Singer CHARLOTTE CHURCH’s rugby star boyfriend GAVIN HENSON has apologised for his involvement in a disturbance at a Welsh pub.
The sports star was questioned by police after he allegedly angered patrons at the Queen’s Vault pub in Cardiff, Wales by "jumping up on the pool table and taking peopleâ��s (pool) cues off them".
Welsh ace Henson was celebrating a recent win against England’s rugby team with fellow players Lee Byrne, Mike Phillips and Andy Powell when authorities were alerted to his "particularly rowdy" behaviour earlier this month (15Feb09).
Phillips apologised to other revellers for Henson’s behaviour and Henson was escorted out of the pub - where he was confronted by police, who reprimanded the men.
The matter was passed on to the Welsh Rugby Union for investigation - and now Henson has apologised for his loud antics.
A statement on the Union’s website reads, "Henson, in particular, wants to ensure that his apology reaches any member of the public he offended."

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AUBREY O’DAY would consider reuniting with her former DANITY KANE bandmates - insisting she would "never say no" to working with the now disbanded group again.
The quintet, put together by Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs for his reality TV series Making The Band, fell apart in January (09) after the shock departures of singers Aubrey O’Day, D. Woods and Shannon Bex from the group last year (08).
Remaining members Dawn Richard and Aundrea Fimbres claimed they would try to "pick up the pieces" of the group, but Richard later admitted she found herself with no choice but to write music for other artists after her own music career was put on ice.
But despite the messy demise of the Damage hitmakers, and the fact she was fired by Combs, O’Day insists she has fond memories of her days as a member of Danity Kane - and would seriously consider a return in the future.
She tells MTV.com, "Danity Kane was a wonderful group, and like all things, nothing is forever. We had a great run and we were very successful.
"I have so much respect for that situation, if there was ever interest in me coming back …and making music with the girls, I would never say no to something like that."

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EMINEM’s representatives have denied the rapper is involved in a battle with his record label Universal over digital download royalties - insisting he is "not party" to the lawsuit.
The Without Me hitmaker, real name Marshall Mathers, reportedly sued Universal bosses via his F.B.T. Productions company in 2007, challenging how much he is entitled to when the label sells his music to third-party distributors, like Apple’s iTunes downloading website.
The royalties suit went to trial on Tuesday (24Feb09), almost two years after it was first filed in a California Court.
The move could set a precedent for the music industry as hundreds of millions of dollars is potentially at stake for other artists whose songs have been made available for the service.
However, Mather’s spokesperson has dismissed reports of the rapper’s involvement in the suit, telling SOHH.com: "Eminem is not a party to this lawsuit." In fact, F.B.T Productions is a company the star worked alongside in the early days of his career, according to the website.
Representatives for Universal have denied the allegations filed against them. In a statement, they say: "The claims made by F.B.T Productions are completely baseless as a matter of fact and meritless as a matter of law, and we look forward to presenting our side in court."

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Asian gay rights activists have blasted a Hong Kong-based satellite TV network for its coverage of the 2009 Academy Awards - after the words "gay" and "lesbian" were censored from the broadcast.
Oscar-winning Milk screenwriter Dustin Lance Black gave an impassioned speech on equal rights for homosexuals as he collected his trophy at the Hollywood event on Sunday (22Feb09).
Black, who penned the screenplay for Gus Van Sant’s biopic of San Francisco, California’s first elected gay politician Harvey Milk, was prompted to deliver the speech after anti-gay protesters took to the streets outside the Kodak Theatre to demonstrate against the film.
Viewers who watched the ceremony via recorded telecasts on Asian satellite channel STAR were aware that the sound was removed from the footage each time Black and Milk’s Best Actor Oscar winner Sean Penn mentioned homosexuals.
Now, bosses at the TV station - which is owned by media mogul Rupert Murdoch - has been forced to apologise to viewers after leading equal rights advocates complained that it "sent a message that gays and lesbians are still shameful things to be".
Jannie Poon, STAR’s Hong Kong-based spokeswoman insists the broadcaster didn’t intend to offend any viewers, but that the channel’s executives felt "a responsibility to take the sensitivities and guidelines of all our markets into consideration".

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Award-winning magazine editor NONNIE MOORE has died after suffering complications following a choking accident. She was 87.
Moore, born Marjorie Eilers, is credited with helping to launch the careers of famed fashion designers and modernising fashion magazines. She died in Manhattan, New York on Thursday (19Feb09).
A fashion editor of Harper’s Bazaar and Mademoiselle - where she began her career working as a secretary - Moore nurtured budding designers, including Perry Ellis and Issey Miyake.
In 1984, Moore became fashion director at men’s magazine GQ, in what seemed like an unusual move - only to receive a lifetime achievement award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) for her accomplishments a decade later.
Current GQ Creative Director Jim Moore says, "She was not from menâ��s wear, so people said she was an odd choice, but she was actually the perfect choice… the pages had been filled with a more casual look.â�� Further details about the fateful incident were unavailable as WENN went to press.
Moore is survived by two sons, Thomas and Peter, her sister, Dossie Thayer and two grandchildren. Her husband of 38 years, Thomas L. Moore, died in 1990.

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Reality TV star KIM KARDASHIAN has issued an apology for posting "insensitive" pictures of her family posing with their new pet chimpanzee in the same week an American woman was brutally mauled by a crazed ape.
The Keeping Up with the Kardashians star posed with her mother, Kris, sisters Khloe and Kourtney, and three-year-old chimp Suzy for the snap, which was posted on her website on Friday (20Feb09).
The siblings rented the ape for a week as a prank on their mum, but their laughs were short lived when critics lashed out at Kim, who posted the snaps days after a 14-year-old, 200-pound (90.91 kilogramme) chimp left 55-year-old Connecticut woman Charla Nash near dead on 16 February (09) following its escape from the home where he had been raised since infancy.
Kardashian says, "I understand my timing was not appropriate and it was insensitive of me. What happened to the woman that was attacked by the chimpanzee was devastating. In no way did I mean to insult or offend anyone by posting these pictures." Nash remains in critical but stable condition in a Cleveland, Ohio clinic.
The incident prompted Washington lawmakers to pass a bill on Tuesday (24Feb09) banning the sale of chimps, gorillas, monkeys and orangutans across state lines.

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Fashion mogul TOMMY HILFIGER is to be a dad for the fifth time, two months after wedding second wife DEE OCLEPPO, according to U.S. reports.
Hilfiger, who has four children from a previous marriage, wed his girlfriend of three years in a private wedding ceremony in December (08).
And according to the New York Post, Ocleppo "is three months pregnant" with the couple’s first child.
Hilfiger, 57, proposed in February (08). The couple had planned to wed in August, but postponed the nuptials.
The designer’s marriage to Susie Hilfiger ended in 2005.
Ocleppo also has two children from a previous relationship.

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Actor JEREMY PIVEN will face a union grievance committee on Thursday (26Feb09) to defend himself against theatre bosses’ complaints over his sudden departure from DAVID MAMET play SPEED-THE-PLOW.
Piven’s Broadway debut was cut short after the actor fell ill late last year (08), forcing him to bow out of the play.
He claimed high levels of mercury in his bloodstream, brought on by eating copious amounts of sushi, was the cause of his departure.
The producers of the show - who replaced Piven with William H. Macy in January (09) - filed a complaint with Actors’ Equity, the union which represents theatre actors, sparking an investigation over his withdrawal.
Producers argue his abrupt departure in December from the $3.5 million (£2.4 million) production jeopardised show earnings.
Piven is scheduled to go before the union’s grievance committee, composed of five actors and five producers, on Thursday.
The actor agreed to take a blood test administered by a doctor hired by Speed-the-Plow producers in January (09) to check his claims, which have been mocked by Mamet. The results of the test have not yet been revealed.
An insider involved in the proceedings tells the New York Post, "It’s my understanding that he’ll be there - unless he has too much sushi on the plane from L.A." Piven faces a financial settlement with producers if the grievance committee rules against him.
If he refuses to abide by the committee’s decision, he can be expelled from the union. Producers will then be allowed to pursue the case in civil court.

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Late actress/singer EARTHA KITT’s former publicist has lashed out at Oscar producers for omitting her from a segment paying tribute to stars who had passed away over the past year.
Kitt died on Christmas Day (25Dec08) after losing her battle with colon cancer, aged 81.
Best-known for her role as Catwoman in the original 1960s Batman TV show, the Santa Baby singer also co-starred in movies with Nat King Cole, Sammy Davis Jr. and Sidney Poitier.
And the Emmy winner’s former publicist, Andrew Freedman, is outraged her glittering career was overlooked during Sunday’s (22Feb09) telecast.
He tells the New York Post, "The producers are either 12 or have been living under a rock for the past 60 years. It’s clear that they thought that publicist Warren Cowan was more of a household name. Go figure." The Academy Award’s In Memoriam segment featured Charlton Heston, Paul Newman, Sydney Pollack and dozens of stars who passed away in 2008.

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ISLA FISHER was so terrified about starring in CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC, she’d wake up in the middle of the night worrying about filming.
The 33-year-old took on her first leading role in the big screen adaptation of Sophie Kinsella’s books about Becky Bloomwood, a financial journalist who struggles to keep her shopping addiction under control.
The responsibility was a lot for the petite actress to shoulder - and she found herself waking at the crack of dawn to mentally prepare for a day on-set.
She tells Moviehole.net, "(I would wake up) between 4.30 and 5.30.
"I’d never been the lead in a movie before, obviously there’s the fear that goes along with being responsible for the tone of the film, then there’s the actual physical endurance side, and that was sort of like running a marathon."

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RIHANNA will face her ex-boyfriend CHRIS BROWN in court when his criminal threats case goes to trial, according to U.S. reports.
The R&B singer was arrested and charged following an alleged attack on the Umbrella hitmaker after a pre-Grammys party on 8 February (09).
The pair has both gone into hiding since the incident, with Rihanna only surfacing in public en-route to her 21st birthday celebrations in Hollywood last week (ends20Feb09).
Rihanna and Brown have released separate statements via their representatives, but both have refused to comment on the alleged fight at the request of authorities investigating the case.
But the Bajan beauty - whose injuries were shown in a leaked photo to TMZ.com - will have to take to the stand once Brown faces the charges in court on 5 March (09), according to the New York Daily News.
A source tells the publication, "She’ll be there - she has to testify."

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Embattled R&B star CHRIS BROWN has reportedly enrolled in anger-management classes in a bid to try and control his temper after he was arrested for allegedly beating girlfriend RIHANNA.
Brown’s career has taken a nosedive since he was charged with making criminal threats following the alleged attack on the Umbrella singer on 8 February (09).
He has been dropped from ad campaigns for Wrigleys and America’s Got Milk? promotion, while his music has been removed from several radio stations’ playlists.
The furore surrounding the incident has only heightened since a photo of what appears to be a badly bruised Rihanna was leaked to celebrity website TMZ.com last week (ends 20Feb09).
Now, Brown’s representatives have advised the singer to take anger-management lessons in a bid to salvage his damaged public image, according to the New York Daily News.
The publication reports the singer attended his first class on Monday (23Feb09) in California in preparation for his court date on 5 March (09).
A source tells the publication, "Chris doesn’t actually have to go by law, but he believes it will make him look better to the public, and he wants to try to get in a few classes before March 5."

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