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Studio bosses at the helm of SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE have confirmed the film’s child actors will be flown from Mumbai, India to Los Angeles for Sunday’s (22Feb09) Academy Awards.
The film’s producers and director Danny Boyle were recently accused of underpaying the movie’s young stars - who were plucked from obscurity by Boyle after he first visited the Indian slums to set the scene for his picture.
Rubina Ali and Azharuddin Ismail, who played Latika and Salim in the early scenes of the film, received $725 (£500) and $2,465 (£1,700) respectively for their work.
Boyle and executives at Fox Searchlight came to the defence of the film 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 a spokesperson for the studio has confirmed the two youngsters will receive A-list treatment when they are whisked over to the glitzy ceremony at Hollywood’s Kodak Theatre at the weekend - where the film is up for 10 nominations.
Fox Searchlight representative James Finn says, "Everybody is really excited about it. It’s nice the whole gang will be together." Rubina Ali and Azharuddin Ismail will travel with relatives and will be put up in a five-star hotel for two days.

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Actress CONSTANCE MARIE has given birth to her first child - a baby girl.
The former George Lopez star, 43, and yoga teacher partner Kent Katich welcomed the tot on 5 February (09) at a Santa Monica, California hospital.
The baby, named Luna Marie, weighed in at 8 lbs., 13 oz, according to People.com.
And just before the birth, the star was ecstatic about the prospect of becoming a first-time mum - because she had spent so long playing maternal characters during her career.
She explained, "After 10, 11 years of playing a mum, starting with (1997 biopic) Selena and then to the George Lopez show, I think I finally decided that I wanted to be one in real life!"

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A leaked document listing the winners of the 2009 Academy Awards is a fake, according to an Oscars spokeswoman.
Papers alleging to be the complete list of Sunday’s (22Feb09) Oscar winners has been published on the internet.
The list was at first believed to be authentic as it is branded with the signature of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ president Sid Ganis.
The list reports the night’s main winners will be Mickey Rourke (Best Actor), Kate Winslet (Best Actress), Heath Ledger (Best Supporting Actor) and Amy Adams (Best Supporting Actress).
The paper also shows British filmmaker Danny Boyle will be handed the Best Director award, and his Slumdog Millionaire named Best Picture trophy at the glitzy Hollywood event at Los Angeles’ Kodak Theatre.
The document goes on to warn insiders to handle the winning names "with extreme care".
But Oscar bosses have dismissed the list as nothing more than a hoax - insisting the votes are still being counted.
The Academy’s spokeswoman Leslie Unger says, "The document is a complete fraud.
"PricewaterhouseCoopers is still counting the ballots and there are only two people there who will know the complete list of winners in advance of the envelopes being opened during the ceremony. The Academy’s president is not advised of the winners in advance and no such list is created." It is not the first time this awards season (09) that a purported winner has been leaked - a star next to Anne Hathaway’s name on the Golden Globes’ website’s list of nominees led to speculation she was to take home the prize for Best Actress. In fact, it was Kate Winslet who went on to win the award.

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DOROTHY BRIDGES, the matriarch of Hollywood’s famous BRIDGES family, has died. She was 93.
The actress/poet, wife of late veteran actor Lloyd Bridges and mother to The Fabulous Baker Boys co-stars Jeff and Beau Bridges, passed away at her Los Angeles home on 16 February (09).
Lloyd Bridges, famous for his role in TV show Sea Hunt and comedic turns in Hots Shots and Airplane, met Dorothy at university and they married soon after in 1938. They were together for 60 years until his death in 1998.
The pair studied acting together at the Actors Lab in New York, but moved back to L.A. when Bridges won a contract with Columbia Pictures.
Dorothy was a respected poet, performing for Bob Hope at the Hollywood Bowl and publishing the story of her romance with Bridges in the book You Caught Me Kissing.
She starred in several TV shows and films, appearing opposite her husband in Sea Hunt and with her four times Oscar-nominated son Jeff in See You In The Morning. She was also directed by three-time Emmy winner Beau in The Thanksgiving Promise.
She is survived by her two actor sons, her daughter Lucinda and 11 grandchildren.

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IL DIVO star CARLOS MARIN has divorced his wife of nearly three years.
The operatic singer split from Geraldine Larrosa last month (Jan09), and the divorce has gone ahead, according to a representative for the classical crossover quartet.
The couple married in a lavish union at Disneyland, California, in June 2006. They had been together for 13 years prior to their nuptials.
However, Marin’s spokesperson insists the split was amicable, and the singer will continue to produce his singer ex’s music.

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KINGS OF LEON rocker JARED FOLLOWILL’s girlfriend is accused of causing trouble backstage at the Brit Awards - after she allegedly soaked a girl the star was flirting with.
The family band, brothers Caleb, Nathan and Jared, along with cousin Matthew, were celebrating their double-victory at the ceremony at London’s Earl’s Court on Wednesday (18Feb09); they walked away with trophies for Best International Group and International Album for Only By The Night.
And bassist Jared got carried away after the group’s storming performance - by getting cosy with a rival act’s female backing singer.
According to Britain’s Daily Mirror newspaper, the rocker’s girlfriend didn’t approve of her man’s new admirer, and caused a furore by throwing her drink over the stunned girl.
A source tells the publication, "Jared’s girlfriend was not happy. She went ballistic and the next minute more than 20 people had all piled into the bust-up.
"The lads had been tucking into the free booze and things got a bit lairy (loud). They are known for having fiery relationships with their girlfriends and with each other. It wasn’t surprising there was a bit of scrap (fight)."

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Country singer JOSH TURNER is expecting his second child with wife JENNIFER.
The Everything is Fine star is looking forward to becoming a second-time father in the summer (09), according to People.com.
The pair already has a two-year-old son, Hampton.
And the new tot is sure to be welcomed into the family business - his mum plays keyboards and sings back-up vocals in Turner’s band.

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The second jury in the ongoing PHIL SPECTOR murder retrial toured his Los Angeles home on Thursday (19Feb09) where actress LANA CLARKSON was killed six years ago.
The legendary music producer is being retried on charges of murdering 40-year-old Clarkson at his Alhambra, California mansion in February 2003.
In the final phases of the re-trail, 12 jurors, as well as six alternates, were taken to Spector’s mansion to investigate the scene of Clarkson’s death.
Central to the case is the estate’s outside water fountain, since Spector’s legal team claim the producer’s chauffeur may have been mistaken in his testimony that he overheard the music mogul say, "I think I killed somebody," due to noise of the burbling water.
On the first jury’s visit, the prosecution accused Spector of attempting to increase the fountain’s volume in a bid to suggest his chauffeur could not have overheard an alleged murder confession.
However, the judge overseeing the case allowed a second visit, as it was discovered there was no way of changing the volume or speed of the water feature.
Unlike the first set of jurors, the new jury were shown the bloodstained chair where Clarkson was found dead.
A replica of the limousine the chauffeur had used was also positioned in the driveway, but the judge did not allow jurors to sit inside it as it was not the original vehicle.
Spector and his lawyers were present throughout the hour-long tour.
The original trial ended in 2007 with a deadlocked jury. Spector is charged with second-degree murder in relation to Clarkson’s death.

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U.S. racing driver DANICA PATRICK has dealt a savage blow to JENNIFER ANISTON, insisting the actress is too old to play her in a movie.
And, to make matters worse, Aniston’s former love rival, Angelina Jolie, is speedy Patrick’s first pick for a future biopic.
The racer says, "I’ve always said Angelina Jolie would be great because she’s an action star, although I don’t quite look like her." And as for Aniston, the 26-year-old says, "I don’t think that’d be age appropriate - she’s older than me." Aniston turned 40 on 11 February (09).

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The JONAS BROTHERS’ new family compound is right next door to the estate JENNIFER LOPEZ is trying to sell.
The siblings bought their sprawling new plot in the Hollywood Hills six months ago - just before Lopez put her place on the market.
The Jonas boys are planning to spend the spring renovating their new Los Angeles base, once their promotional duties for new movie Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience are complete.
Little is known about what’s going on behind the high walls of Camp Jonas, but insiders claim their new estate includes the former home of movie Tarzan Johnny Weismuller, which has laid empty for over 20 years.
A source says, "It’s a boy’s own dream - Tarzan’s broken down mansion. It’ll be like a magical playground for the brothers."

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Designer MICHAEL KORS has spoken out in defence of pal HEIDI KLUM after a German stylist branded the model "too heavy" to model.
Bitter Wolfgang Joop called Klum fat in a recent Bild.com article, prompting the 35-year-old catwalk stunner to accuse her fellow countryman of trying to "revive his sagging career" last week (ends13Feb09).
And now Kors, who is a judge on Klum’s TV fashion show Project Runway, is sticking up for the model.
He says, "Heidi has the body that, quite honestly, most women and most guys would definitely consider a 10-plus." And Klum’s Project Runway cohort Tim Gunn reveals Joop isn’t the only German fashion foe taking aim at Klum - Karl Lagerfeld has also poked fun at the model’s size.
He adds, "They (Lagerfeld and Joop) need to go to an ophthalmologist right away."

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Hollywood actress JULIA ROBERTS has urged U.S. lawmakers to ban the paparazzi from taking pictures of celebrities’ children - insisting she is "sickened" by the practise.
The Pretty Woman star goes to extreme lengths to protect her three kids - four year old twins Hazel and Phinnaeus, and 20-month-old Henry - from the camera lens.
And Roberts is outraged reporters are so keen to critique and compare famous offspring.
She tells Allure magazine, "I don’t know what is going on with this crazy, bloodthirsty child hunt. Honestly, I think it should be against the law to take a picture of a celebrity’s child. And all the, ‘Who’s got the cutest baby?’ "I had to reinstate my faith in people when, one night, I was on the computer, and I ended up stumbling upon some pictures I had never seen of my children playing at a park. What upset me was all these comments like, ‘One is cute; that other one sure is ugly.’ Even commenting nicely, what are you doing critiquing a child? It sickened me. Fortunately, it’s a rare occurrence for us."

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Departing DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES star NICOLLETTE SHERIDAN was the belle of the ball in Vienna, Austria on Thursday night (19Feb09) after she was named the guest of honour at the annual Opera Ball.
Every year businessman Richard Lugner invites a leading lady to be his date to the glitzy event, and this year he chose Sheridan, who recently learned she would be getting the axe from her hit TV show.
Lugner’s past invitees have included Paris Hilton, former Spice Girls star Geri Halliwell, Pamela Anderson, Andie MacDowell, Sophia Loren and Dita Von Teese, who accompanied him in 2008.

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Moviemaker TYLER PERRY has given JENNIFER HUDSON a boost as she attempts to bounce back from family tragedy - he has written a film around her.
Perry insists he’ll wait until the Oscar-winner is ready to get back to acting after her mother, brother and nephew were shot dead last October (09) - and that won’t happen until Hudson completes an upcoming tour with Robin Thicke.
But Tyler is patient.
He tells People.com, "I just wrote a movie for her that I’m really excited about. I’m hoping she’ll be able to do it.
"Looking (at) and talking to her, there’s sadness in her eyes, but my thoughts and prayers are always with her. That’s one of the reasons why I want her to do this role, because I think it’d be really cathartic for her to take it on and work through some things.
"(Jennifer) says that she’s been wanting to work with me for a a very long time and I definitely want to work with her. We just have to find the right time."

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Oscar nominee ANNE HATHAWAY is to open the Academy Awards with a song-and-dance routine, according to reports.
The Rachel Getting Married star was spotted rehearsing for a variety number at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on Thursday (19Feb09) and insiders claim she’ll perform with Oscars host Hugh Jackman to kick off Sunday’s (22Feb09) show.
The actress will be one of many stars who are set to join Jackman onstage, if reports are to be believed; Beyonce Knowles and High School Musical couple Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens are rumoured to be teaming up with the host for musical numbers.

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The LED ZEPPELIN rollercoaster at South Carolina’s Hard Rock Park has been saved.
The park’s owners filed for bankruptcy in September (08), just five months after the Myrtle Beach tourist attraction opened and Zeppelin’s The Shake, Rattle & Roller Coaster first took a spin.
But the Hard Rock Park was saved from bankruptcy and liquidation on Wednesday (18Feb09) after a new ownership group stepped in to buy the amusement park.
FPI MB Entertainment purchased the park for $25 million (£17.8 million). The new owners hope to re-open the park this summer (09).

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British R&B star ESTELLE is unfazed by her reputation as a "diva" - insisting it’s justified because she "throws a strop" every day.
The American Boy hitmaker admits she often lashes out at her management and record label employees, and wouldn’t be surprised if her staff "hate her".
But the Grammy winner is adamant she never behaves badly without good reason and blames her temper tantrums on her perfectionist nature.
She says, "I throw diva strops every day. My team probably hates me 20 per cent of the time. It may be higher.
"But I don’t go diva for no reason - I only make myself heard so we get things done and it looks the best it could look. They all understand."

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Pop star KATY PERRY is urging fans to pray for her so she can beat a nasty bout of influenza in time for her European tour dates, which start on Sunday (22Feb09).
The I Kissed A Girl hitmaker left her sick bed in London on Wednesday (18Feb09) to attend the Brit Awards - and now she’s really suffering.
In a posting on her website, Perry admits her hotel room "smells like death" and she’s doing everything she can to get well for her upcoming dates.
She writes, "I can’t tell you how bad I feel right now. Last night I was sweatin’ it out… I have the doctor on speed dial if the fever gets over 101/102.
"I thought I was invincible and then my body decides to show me otherwise. I’m stuck in bed for the next couple of days as I should be… I’m gonna go back to sweatsville and try and sleep it off some more… I gotta get better; I’m starting (a) tour on Sunday here (in London)… so say a little prayer if you think of it."

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