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An Italian actor who dubbed the voices of WOODY ALLEN and CHARLIE CHAPLIN in movies has died, aged 81.
Oreste Lionello passed away in Rome, Italy on Thursday (19Feb09) after a long illness, according to his friend director Pier Francesco Pingitore Lionello was Italy’s ‘voice’ of actors Allen and Chaplin, as well as Jerry Lewis, Gene Wilder and other comic stars.
He started out working in theatre as a comic actor and in cabaret, where he was noted for his imitations of veteran Italian politician Giulio Andreotti.
Lionello also worked successfully as an entertainer on Italian TV in the 1970s and 1980s.
The city of Rome plan to hold a wake for Lionello in City Hall, on Thursday (19Feb09) night, with his funeral slated for Saturday (21Feb09).

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Actor RUPERT EVERETT is convinced his sexuality stunted his blossoming Hollywood career - insisting movie bosses stopped offering him leading roles after he announced he is gay.
The British star won a string of lead roles in films throughout the 1980s, but his acting career slowed down after he revealed his homosexuality in 1989.
Everett is adamant that the revelation put an end to a promising career as a movie star, leaving him to play a handful of roles as the ‘gay best friend’.
Everett - who played gay characters in both The Next Best Thing and My Best Friend’s Wedding - also claims he was turned down for the lead role in 2006’s Basic Instinct 2 because of his sexuality.
And the star blames Hollywood executives for being too scared to cast a gay man in a heterosexual leading role.
He tells The New York Times Magazine, "I wanted to be a movie star. I had a difficult set of circumstances to deal with, particularly for a movie career. Being gay, really. It just doesn’t work." And Everett hopes that movie bosses will eventually be able to look past people’s sexual preferences when casting for films, adding, "As actors we don’t play gay, straight… we play human beings."

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British actor SIMON PEGG is to become a first-time father - his wife is five months pregnant.
The Shaun of the Dead star married wife Maureen McCann in 2005, and now the couple is looking forward to becoming parents.
Pegg admits he is excited about the birth and desperately wants a daughter.
He says, "My wife is five months pregnant. We haven’t announced it yet as we want to keep it hush-hush.
"I’m hoping for a baby girl, but I really don’t mind what we have. We’re thinking of having it in America as the baby will then have dual citizenship.
"I’m really looking forward to it. It’s going to be amazing." Pegg is already godfather to Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow’s daughter, Apple.
McCann is due to give birth in June (09).

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DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES bosses are making sure NICOLLETTE SHERIDAN’s exit from the hit show is permanent - her character will be killed off during a dramatic finale.
ABC executives announced last week (begs09Feb09) Sheridan, who plays Wisteria Lane’s resident man-eater Edie Britt, would be written out of the show in the forthcoming season.
Rumours of Sheridan’s departure have been rampant for two years, following a storyline in which her character appeared to commit suicide.
A source tells America’s Us Weekly magazine, "They are killing her off. There is no chance she’ll return." Another source adds, "There are no hard feelings - it wasn’t a dramatic decision." Sheridan has been with the show since it debuted in 2004.

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Pregnant model/actress ANGIE EVERHART is carrying the baby of the man she accused of domestic abuse, according to U.S. tabloid reports.
The Last Action Hero beauty announced her pregnancy last year (08), but has refused to reveal the identity of the baby’s father.
She split from her former fiance Joe Pesci in April 2008, and went on to date struggling actor Chad Stansbury.
Her romance with Stansbury turned sour last July (08), when Everhart called the police, claiming the actor beat and choked her at her West Hollywood home.
After a brief reunion with Goodfellas star Pesci, she went back to Stansbury in October (08) - and the National Enquirer claims that’s when she became pregnant with his child.
The publication alleges Stansbury has been telling pals he is the father of her baby - despite requests by Everhart to keep his identity a mystery in order to heighten interest in her upcoming reality TV show, focusing on her life as a single mum.
A source says, "Chad said Angie told him she’s keeping the father a mystery to generate more interest for her show.
"But most of his friends believe she’s doing it because if Chad actually is the father, she’s embarrassed." The tabloid claims Stansbury is already father to a 17 year old boy from a former relationship - and that he’s failed to play an active role in the teen’s life since he was born.

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Renowned hip-hop producer SOLAR will step behind the mic for the first time on a track for longtime collaborator GURU’s upcoming album.
The beatmaker, the man behind the well-received Jazzmatazz releases, will make his debut as an MC on the song After Time.
The tune will feature on legendary rap icon Guru’s new CD, Guru 8.0 Lost & Found, which will be released on the duo’s own 7 Grand Records and will hit U.S. stores on 21 April (09).

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R&B singer ESTELLE is dating a member of her band.
The star was recently forced to dismiss rumours she was romantically involved with her American Boy collaborator, Kanye West.
But the British star admits she has found love - with an unnamed keyboardist who works on her live shows.
She says, "I have (got a boyfriend) but I’m not saying who he is. He plays keyboards and works with me and my band. He’s really cool.
"He’s a nice guy and very supportive."

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Rapper LUDACRIS has personally apologised to failed U.S. presidential candidate JOHN MCCAIN after blasting the Republican in a controversial track last year (08).
The Area Codes star slammed McCain in a song entitled Politics (Obama Is Here), which championed Democrat Barack Obama’s bid for the White House.
But Ludacris was publically chastised by Obama for including the lyrics: "McCain don’t belong in no chair unless he’s paralysed." Now E! Online reports the hip-hop star has made peace with McCain and his wife Cindy after meeting the couple during the NBA All-Star Weekend (13-15Feb09) in Phoenix, Arizona, where he expressed his sorrow and regret at his actions.

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Hip-hop mogul RUSSELL SIMMONS is convinced his ex-wife, fashion mogul KIMORA LEE SIMMONS, will be a wonderful mother to her unborn child with actor DJIMON HOUNSOU - because the former couple’s two children are so "well-behaved".
The pair’s 10-year marriage officially came to an end when their divorce was finalised last month (Jan09).
Baby Phat designer Lee Simmons obtained sole legal and physical custody of the couple’s two young daughters, Ming, nine, and Aoki, six.
And Def Jam co-founder Simmons has lavished praise on his ex’s parenting skills as she prepares to welcome her first child with boyfriend Hounsou.
He tells America’s OK! magazine, "She’s an excellent mother, and I’m inspired by the way she’s raising our children. They are well-behaved and well-spoken. They are always well-groomed."

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Rap newcomer SOULJA BOY contemplated taking his own life to escape his problems after he was robbed at gunpoint in December (08).
The hitmaker, who shot to stardom in 2007 when his single Crank That (Soulja Boy) became an international chart smash, was with pals at his Atlanta, Georgia home when six armed men stormed the property on 30 December (08).
He and his pals escaped unharmed - but the terrifying incident was enough to make the rapper, real name DeAndre Ramone Way, re-evaluate his life in the limelight.
And he admits he felt like dying would be the only solution.
In a recent interview with satellite radio Shade 45’s Angela Yee, he says, "After that (the robbery), that was the first time I thought to myself: ‘If I die right now, all of my problems will go away." But the 18-year-old insists the experience has forced him to grow up and has made him more appreciative of his fame and fortune.
He adds, "The life I’m living right now is crazy. How I’m living life, being a celebrity and going through all the things that I go through, I don’t ever really think about it. Like never.
"I do things but I never really just think about it. After that situation happened that night, I really was just sitting thinking like, ‘I’m Soulja Boy and my life has changed’… I never thought like that before."

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Pop legend CHER "lives like a nun" during her Las Vegas run of concerts and doesn’t speak for days on end - because the dry desert atmosphere could wreck her singing voice.
The singer has taken up residence in the Nevada’s Sin City, performing regular shows at Caesar’s Palace Hotel & Casino.
But Cher insists she isn’t able to enjoy the fun on offer in Las Vegas, because just opening her mouth could ruin her voice.
Instead, the Believe hitmaker spends her days communicating with friends and family via email and text messages.
She says, "I didn�t anticipate the dryness getting to my throat the way it does. So when I�m in Las Vegas, I have to kind of live like a nun and not talk during the day.
�It�s so hard for me, I just really have to think about it and just not speak, but I have to remind myself about 100 times a day, because I�m not the kind of person that doesn�t want to talk.
�So I text and I e-mail, which is kind of the only saving grace.�

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Details of MADONNA’s divorce from GUY RITCHIE will be made public within weeks, according to reports.
The former couple’s six year marriage ended in 2008, and they thrashed out a deal in the British courts to share custody of their two children Rocco, eight, and adopted David, three.
They joined forces again last week (13Feb09) to file papers at Manhattan Supreme Court, asking a U.S. judge to approve the agreement - which will keep the two boys jetting between Ritchie in England and Madonna in the Big Apple.
The stars had hoped to keep details of their arrangements under wraps, but because the case has now moved to New York, it means future hearings regarding the children’s care will be open to the public - unlike in the U.K. where family law courts are closed.
Details of previous hearings in Britain could also be revealed during the U.S. courtroom proceedings, according to London’s Evening Standard newspaper.
A source tells the publication, "There is going to be a hearing next month and the papers that have been filed will be available then. The New York hearing will confirm the English proceedings.
"There will be revelations, but the divorce remains amicable and intelligently handled." The case is due to be heard on 2 March (09).

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Actor ALAN CUMMING will embrace his Scottish roots in April (09), when he leads New York City’s annual Tartan Day Parade.
The stage and screen star has lived in the city for a number of years and was sworn in as an American citizen last November (08).
But he will be a proud Scot for the day and serve as grand marshall, leading a procession of bagpipers and dignitaries along Manhattan’s Sixth Avenue, at the 4 April event.

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GOODFELLAS star FRANK SIVERO had links to real life mafia bosses and hitmen, a mob informant has testified in court.
On Wednesday (18Feb09), a New York court was shown photographs of Sivero posing with Charles Carneglia, who is on trial charged with five murders, including the slaying of an off-duty cop.
Prosecution witness Kevin McMahon claims Sivero - who played Frankie Carbone in the 1990 movie - was a regular visitor at the Brooklyn junkyard where cops believe Carneglia dissolved the bodies of his victims in acid.
And he suggested the 57-year-old actor, who is not accused of any crime, used his underworld connections to settle vendettas. McMahon, a former associate of jailed New York crime boss John Gotti, told the court, "(Sivero) had some kind of problem with somebody in jail, I am not exactly positive." When approached by the New York Daily News, Sivero’s agent Mitchell Shankman declined to comment.

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Former THE WONDER YEARS star DANICA MCKELLAR is to marry her longtime boyfriend next month (Mar09).
The former child star, who played Fred Savage’s sweetheart Winnie Cooper on the hit 1980s/early ’90s TV show, will wed film and TV composer/visual effects artist Mike Verta on 22 March at La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club in California.
And according to the National Enquirer, the couple is keen to have babies as soon as possible.
A source says, "Danica and Mike want to start a family immediately.
"They’ve been living together long enough and feel they’re ready to take their relationship to the next level. They both would love to have a child soon." McKellar, 34, and Verta, 36, have been dating since 2001 after being introduced by mutual friends.

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Fashion designer GIORGIO ARMANI is donating a staggering $1 million (£694,000) to help fund a New York arts programme.
The generous pledge will create the Armani Arts Institute, which will help finance creative initiatives in many of the city’s poorest school districts.
In a statement, the big-hearted designer says it was �an investment in the future generations of New York City".
He adds, "What excites me most is that we are not just providing the wood for dance floors and the oil paints for our future artists. More importantly, we are giving young kids a chance to dream.� The donation will also help the Fund for Public Schools, a non-profit organisation collecting money to support the school system.

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Under-fire Hollywood star CHRISTIAN BALE is a "wonderful human being", according to rapper/actor COMMON, his co-star in the new TERMINATOR movie.
Bale was shamed last month (Jan09) when an audio tape of him yelling foul-mouthed abuse at a crewmember on the new sci-fi film was leaked online.
After a flurry of negative press, the British actor emerged to apologise and admit that his behaviour was "inexcusable".
And Common, who plays the right hand man of Bale’s character John Connor in Terminator: Salvation, insists his co-star is misunderstood.
He tells the New York Daily News, "Working with him was excellent. He’s a wonderful human being, just a really great guy."

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The sprinklers set off by TRACY MORGAN’s apartment fire flooded the home of his neighbour and 30 ROCK co-star SHERRI SHEPHERD.
Firefighters were called to Morgan’s pad on New York’s Upper West Side on Wednesday morning (18Feb09) after a bulb in the comedian’s fish tank blew.
They were able to extinguish the flames and even rescue Morgan’s fish - but not before the building’s sprinkler system switched on, flooding the homes of those living below Morgan, including Shepherd, who plays his wife in the Golden Globe-winning show.
The comedienne was shooting U.S. talk show The View, which she co-presents, when her son called to tell her water was seeping through their ceiling - and her first concern was her huge collection of wigs.
She tells the New York Post, "I said, ‘Baby get all my hair. Baby, I can’t live without my hair.’ My apartment is all flooded." But she promises to forgive Morgan - as long as he pays for the damage. She adds, "I love my husband - he’s my TV husband. And if any of my clothes got messed up, I’m sure Tracy will pay for them."

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