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MICHAEL JACKSON is reportedly demanding an apology from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) - after two comedians compared him to the Irish Republican Army (IRA).
British comics Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis likened the singer to the organisation on BBC Radio 4’s The Now Show earlier this month (13Mar09), saying, "(We) can’t believe which 80s celebrities (we) want back less - Michael Jackson or the IRA?" According to U.K. newspaper The Daily Mirror, Jackson is furious at the comment - which came just six days after two British soldiers were murdered by loyalist gunmen in Northern Ireland.
A source close to the singer tells the publication, "Michael was absolutely appalled. It was a disgusting slur. To compare him to cold-blooded murderers is not funny, it is highly offensive."

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Pop star JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE and girlfriend JESSICA BIEL fuelled reports their relationship is in trouble after they failed to show up at a casino opening.
The couple, dating since 2007, has recently been dogged by rumours they plan to split, with a source telling U.S. newspaper The Chicago Sun-Times: "Things are not going as smoothly as (Biel and Timberlake) would want people to think they are." The stars then added to the speculation when they failed to deliver a scheduled promotional appearance at the launch of an Indiana Live Casino in Shelbyville, Indiana on 13 March (09).
And their absence infuriated many members of the 8,000-strong audience.
Guest Marian Flemming says, "It was ridiculous. They promised us that Justin and Jessica were going to be here, so we came down to check out the new casino and had hoped to see the two stars. When they did not show up, we simply felt cheated."

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Rapper 50 CENT is urging fans to attend his tour with rockers FALL OUT BOY - insisting it will be a "major moment in music history".
The In Da Club hitmaker will share a stage with the band for five dates on their forthcoming U.S. tour, which kicks off in Dallas in April (09).
And the rapper, real name Curtis Jackson, is adamant the shows will be ones to remember.
He says, "This will be a major moment in music history… Joining forces with Fall Out Boy, one of the most dynamic rock bands in the industry, will be an exciting and historic event for rock and hip-hop. This is a chance for me to bring my music not only to hip-hop fans, but to a broader music audience." Fall Out Boy bass player Pete Wentz is similarly excited at the prospect of teaming up with the rap superstar.
He says, "We’ve wanted to do something with him for a whileâ�¦ It’s exciting to bring two different genres together and give the fans a new experience.â��

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Pop star KATY PERRY was left red-faced during a recent photoshoot - after a chimpanzee urinated on her.
The I Kissed A Girl hitmaker was modelling outfits by designer Jeremy Scott when the embarrassing incident occurred.
She writes on her blog, "Jeremy Scott is one of my all time favorites and he shot the pictures while I got to prance around in his creations. I had a chimp on set with me that day. Fun fact, she peed all over me, I had to take a silkwood shower in the middle of shooting."

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Country star SHOOTER JENNINGS has twice turned down the chance to replace SCOTT WEILAND as the frontman of VELVET REVOLVER.
The supergroup, featuring former Guns N’ Roses stars Slash, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum, sacked Weiland after a series of public rows in April (08) and have been looking for a new lead vocalist ever since.
They had earmarked Jennings as the perfect replacement but despite repeated pleas to join the band, the country rocker has decided to concentrate on solo material.
He tells Classic Rock magazine, "It pained my heart not to say yes, because those guys are the best players in the world. They’re literally one of the best bands I’ve ever heard and to be able to sing with them has been amazing.
"But I had a talk with them about it, and I would absolutely still, to this day, get in a room and jam with them, but first of all, I knew I was gonna be doing another record and that what I wanted to do was really special to me, and I didn’t feel I could stifle that.
"I didn’t feel like my next step should to be to go from feeling like my back was broken by Nashville to stepping into the shoes of Scott Weiland and singing that stuff. I kinda said, ‘If you wanna get together and do some stuff, that’d be fine, but I don’t know about me going out and singing those songs, and being the replacement for Scott Weiland, after Axl."

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Aussie supermodel ELLE MACPHERSON will find it easy getting into character for her small screen return - she’s been signed up to star as a model in a new TV show.
The leggy lovely, nicknamed The Body, appeared in a string of movies, including The Edge, If Lucy Fell, and Batman & Robin, and also had a recurring role on hit TV series Friends in the 1990s before leaving her acting career behind to focus on modelling.
But now the star has been tempted back to TV with a role on CW’s drama pilot Beautiful Life, alongside former O.C. star Mischa Barton.
Macpherson will play Claudia, a tough-talking 80s supermodel who owns top New York modelling agency Focus Models.

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An ex-mobster whose life story inspired classic gangster movie GOODFELLAS is wanted by police for failing to appear in court on charges of public intoxication.
Henry Hill, 65, faces two $25,000 (£17,000) warrants, stemming from a public drunkenness arrest in May 2008 and another in Los Angeles earlier this year (09).
Hill claims he was unaware he was due to appear at San Bernardino County Court, California on Wednesday (18Mar09) and requested a new hearing date as he was undergoing surgery for a hernia.
He says, "I was hoping the court would understand." Hill spent almost thirty years as a member of a New York mafia gang but turned informer following his arrest on drug charges in 1980, helping to bring down some of the city’s most feared mobsters.
His life story was later used as the main basis for Martin Scorcese’s Oscar-nominated Goodfellas.

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British actress EMILY BLUNT is forever grateful to a teacher at her former school - for inspiring her to take to the stage and cure her childhood stutter.
The Devil Wears Prada star suffered a bad stammer as a schoolgirl, but finally overcame her speech impediment when a teacher urged her to take up acting.
She says, "I did have a bad stuttering problem as a child. I’d try to push the words out, but it was so frustrating. My parents took me to speech coaches and relaxation coaches.
"It didn’t work. Then one of my teachers at school had a brilliant idea and said, ‘Why don’t you speak in an accent in our school play?’ I distanced myself from me through this character, and it was so freeing that my stuttering stopped when I was onstage. It really was a miracle."

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Actress DEBRA MESSING is at the centre of a $25,000 (£17,000) lawsuit over a car accident.
The Will & Grace star has been named as a defendant in a personal injury lawsuit filed earlier this month (Mar09), according to TMZ.com.
The suit alleges another person was driving Messing’s car in 2007 when the vehicle collided with a California Highway Patrolman on his motorcycle.
As the owner of the car, Messing has been named in the suit, with the plaintiff seeking damages in excess of $25,000 (£17,000).

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STAR WARS actor DAVID PROWSE has paid tribute to fellow cancer sufferer JADE GOODY.
The 73-year-old, who played Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy, revealed he was battling prostate cancer earlier this week (16Mar09).
And he has hailed British reality TV star Goody - who is dying from cervical cancer - for helping to raise awareness of the disease.
He says, "I now know what it’s like to go through this treatment, and I have sympathy for anyone in the same position. Jade should be commended for her achievements, and should be thoroughly proud of raising the awareness of cervical cancer.
"She has done more than anyone else in memory to convince women to go for regular tests. If I can do the same for prostate cancer in men, then I will be happy."

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Devastated LIAM NEESON was supported by his actor pals as he attended a moving tribute to tragic wife NATASHA RICHARDSON in New York on Thursday (19Mar09) night.
Theatres on Broadway dimmed their lights for a minute in honour of the Maid in Manhattan star, who died on Wednesday (18Mar09) from head injuries after a skiing accident.
Neeson emerged from his New York home to witness the tribute - and was comforted by his close friends Sarah Jessica Parker and her husband Matthew Broderick.
The Sex and the City star was among the crowds lining Broadway to pay their respects to Richardson, and was seen hugging Neeson as he attended the event with his wife’s mother Vanessa Redgrave and other family members.
Meanwhile, fellow British actor Jeremy Irons struggled to contain his emotions as he spoke about Richardson during a television interview.
Asked for his thoughts on the tragedy on U.S. TV’s The Today Show, Irons said: "It’s… it’s… absolutely terrible. It just reminds us how fragile life is. As a father and as a husband I feel for him - for the family - so, so much.
"I suppose what I have to remember is that could happen to any of us at any time - so make the most of it." Staff at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, where Richardson studied her craft, are to launch a scholarship fund in her memory.

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SALT-N-PEPA star SANDRA ‘PEPA’ DENTON has reached out to RIHANNA following her violent bust-up with CHRIS BROWN - begging the singer not to make the same mistake of sticking with an abusive partner as she did.
The 1990s hip-hop star was allegedly beaten at the hand’s of her ex-husband Anthony Criss throughout their decade long relationship.
And Denton admits it pains her to see a similar cycle happening to the Umbrella hitmaker - who was allegedly assaulted by Brown in a fight last month (Feb09), but, after a brief split, reconciled with the star.
She tells Essence magazine, "I know people will say I have a lot of nerve advising her when I stayed with my ex-husband for ten years and suffered abuse, but that’s exactly why I can talk to her.
"I thought I loved him, but I had to finally realize that wasn’t love. Thankfully, I lived to talk about it, but some women don’t." And the rapper urges Rihanna to turn her back on the troubled relationship as she is sending the wrong message to her young female fans.
Denton adds, "At the end of the day, your life is on the line when you’re dealing with abusive men, and your life is more important than any man. Don’t rationalise or internalise abusive behaviour because love doesn’t hurt.
"You are an icon to so many young girls and your actions are telling them you don’t love you enough. Take time out and love yourself and thank God that you survived it." Brown faces almost five years behind bars if he’s convicted of assaulting Rihanna. He’s due in court for his arraignment in Los Angeles next month (Apr09).

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LIMP BIZKIT frontman FRED DURST is still reeling from BRITNEY SPEARS denying their alleged brief romance in 2003 - insisting he is "in no way a liar".
Six years ago the rocker told fans via his website that he was enjoying a fling with the pop superstar after he had been roped in to help write tracks for her album.
However, despite Durst’s revelations, the Toxic star subsequently told now defunct MTV show Total Request Live that she wasn’t dating the star, nor was she particularly close to him.
And Durst is still slightly bruised by the knock-back - insisting the whole affair was a "fiasco of madness".
He tells MTV.com, "I always stay true to my heart and true to everything I did and my intentions, and I am in no way a liar." "It just became a fiasco of madness. I look back on it as very interesting how things have been sort of unravelling for her since. It is what it is. I can sleep at night knowing I made decisions that I wanted to make.
"I just guess at the time it was taboo for a guy like me to be associated with a gal like her."

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Hollywood legends DAME HELEN MIRREN and MERYL STREEP are the latest acting greats to express their sadness at the death of British star NATASHA RICHARDSON.
The tragic actress died after a fall while skiing on the slopes of Mont Tremblant in Montreal, Canada on Monday (16Mar09) that left her with a serious brain injury.
She was flown to New York by her husband Liam Neeson on Tuesday (17Mar09) where relatives, including her actress mother Vanessa Redgrave and sister Joely Richardson, stayed by her bedside until her life support machine was switched off on Wednesday (18Mar09). She died hours later, aged 45.
A legion of stars of stage and screen have sent messages to her grieving family while Broadway dimmed its bright lights as a mark of respect to the beloved Brit on Thursday (19Mar09) night.
And acting pals Mirren and Streep are both devastated by the loss.
Mirren says, "Natasha was a great actress, a fantastic mother, a loving wife and a whirlwind of energy, with an infectious love of life expressed firstly by her wonderful deep laugh.
"Anyone who knew her will be in mourning today. I hope that Liam and her sons are helped in their pain by the great love and sympathy that is coming to them from people all over the world." Streep adds, ""Tash (Natasha) was the warm sun in the center of a large constellation of family, friends, all of those lucky enough to know her - she is irreplaceable in our lives; she gave us so much, so generously - her legacy is the love that connects us all."

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TYLER PERRY is bringing some soul to the big screen - he has signed R&B superstar MARY J. BLIGE to star in his next movie I CAN DO BAD ALL BY MYSELF.
The filmmaker has cast the No More Drama hitmaker opposite Oscar-nominee Taraji P. Henson in the movie adapted from one of his early plays.
Blige will play a nightclub manager who is best pals with Henson’s character.
It’s the singer’s first return to acting since she guest starred in U.S. TV hit Entourage in 2007.
The movie is slated for a September (09) release.

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Former THE STONE ROSES guitarist JOHN SQUIRE has completely shut the door on the possibility of reuniting with the British band - insisting he doesn’t want to live in the past.
The Fools Gold hitmakers were said to be planning a live comeback at festivals in the U.K. this summer (09).
Squire quickly cast doubt on the rumours of regrouping with his former bandmates Ian Brown Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield and Alan ‘Reni’ Renn when he announced he would be working on four art exhibitions over the year (09).
Former frontman Brown also dismissed the reports, insisting the only performance plans he had were solo ones.
Now, Squire has made an appearance on BBC current affairs show Newsnight to finally nail the coffin closed on the reunion rumours.
When asked by presenter Gavin Elser if there was any chance of the group coming together in the future, he replied, "None whatsoever." He adds, "I’d rather live my life than attempt to rehash it. It would be pointless. I find art far more challenging and rewarding." And Squire admitted the main reason he appeared on the show was to stop people from pestering him about the reports.
He explains, "That’s the whole point of the visit to your studio - I’m trying to stop the phones ringing. I think music is a young person’s game and I don’t think us old fogey’s should get in the way of that."

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Korean pop superstar RAIN has been ordered to pay a Hawaiian concert promoter $8 million (£5.7million) in damages for cancelling a concert in 2007.
A jury on Thursday (19Mar08) found the pop star, his managers and two South Korean promotion companies guilty of breaching contracts linked to a cancelled gig at the Aloha Stadium in Honolulu on June 2007.
A judge ordered the star and his agency, JYP Entertainment Co., to pay a sum of $2.4 million (£1.7million) each, with another $1 million (£700,000) awarded for fraud and an additional $2,286,000 (£1,630,000) for a breached contract.
Rain’s lawyer Jon Crocker told reporters, "We’re obviously very disappointed with the jury’s decision in this matter.
"We maintain our position that both JYP and Rain fulfilled all their obligations with regard to the Hawaii performance. We will continue to vigorously defend them, wherever these promoters bring these baseless lawsuits." It’s not the only suit Rain is facing stemming from cancelling a string of gigs on 2007’s Rain’s Coming U.S. tour - a Los Angeles promoter is seeking $30 million (£21.4 million) plus punitive damages after the singer called off a show at the city’s Staples Center.

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Former AMERICAN IDOL production staff are suing the hit U.S. talent show’s distributor FremantleMedia North America over claims they were overworked.
Three ex-employees filed suit aganist the production giant at Los Angeles Superior Court alleging the company had consistently overworked its staff, had falsified time cards and failed to offer subsidised meals and breaks.
The trio’s statement in court documents reads, "For each reality television series subject to this suit, defendants hired plaintiffs based on a flat weekly or daily pay rate.
"Plaintiffs were required to falsify their time cards … worked in excess of 40 hours per week during virtually every week of their employment, but they never received any premium overtime play … plaintiffs were routinely denied appropriate meal and rest periods as required." Lawyer for the former FremantleMedia employees, Jonathan Biddle, adds, "There’s no Hollywood glamour for the below-the-line people who work on ‘American Idol’ and other reality shows who are grossly underpaid, worked 24/7 and receive no rest or meal breaks and no health coverage - contrary to California labour laws." The case is similar to a previous employee action against reality TV production companies and broadcasters launched in conjunction with the Writers Guild of America. That suit was recently settled for $4 million (£2.8million). (MJ/WNWCHR/AV) WENN - SECOND - INTERNATIONAL MUSIC NEWS - 20 MAR 2009

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