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American TV presenter/producer DON CORNELIUS has been sentenced to three years’ probation after entering a no contest plea on misdemeanour spousal battery charges.
The 72-year-old former Soul Train host/creator was arrested last October (09) after police were called to his Hollywood home to deal with a domestic incident involving his wife Viktoria.
He was charged in November (08) on three counts; spousal battery, one of dissuading a witness from filing a police report and one count of assault with a deadly weapon.
According to court documents, Cornelius’ legals entered the no contest plea on his behalf on Wednesday (19Mar09).
At a court appearance in December (08) he had pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
The remaining misdemeanours are included in plea agreement. He must also attend a domestic violence course.
It is not know if the two-restraining orders Viktoria took out against the star in 2008 still stand.

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

TWILIGHT director CATHERINE HARDWICKE has patched up her rocky relationship with the movie’s studio Summit Entertainment - she has signed on to helm its new fantasy film IF I STAY.
The moviemaker stunned fans when she decided not to take charge of the vampire franchise’s sequel New Moon - despite scoring the biggest ever debut for a female director with a box office opening of $69.6 million (£49 million) in late November (08).
She was quickly replaced by American Pie director Chris Weitz amid rumours she was sacked, but later revealed she quit the project due to Summit’s demands for an early 2010 release - leaving Hardwicke with just a few weeks to prepare for the job.
But the auteur has proved that there is no bad blood between her and the studio - she has agreed to direct Summit’s new children book adaptation, which sees a teen musician forced to choose between life and death after a tragic car accident.
And Summit boss Erik Feig insists there was only one choice for the job: "When we were thinking of the perfect director to capture the emotion, grace and passion of this beautiful book, one filmmaker became the clear and only choice: Catherine Hardwicke."

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

Comedian DANE COOK’s half-brother and manager DARRYL MCCAULEY has been indicted of embezzling millions of pounds from the U.S. funnyman.
McCauley was arrested in Massachusetts in December (08), accused of siphoning off funds from the stand-up and movie star.
He allegedly transferred Cook’s funds into his own personal accounts without permission, and is also accused of forging a $3 million (£2 million) cheque to himself.
Earlier this week (begs16Mar09), McCauley was charged with eight counts of larceny, including forgery and larceny by continuous scheme.
McCauley’s lawyer Robert Goldstein has claimed his client has denied stealing from Cook.

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

GREY’S ANATOMY actor T.R. KNIGHT has been involved in a car crash which left a man and woman needing hospital treatment.
Knight was taking a left turn in an area of heavy construction in Hollywood on Thursday (19Mar09) when he collided with another vehicle.
According to TMZ.com, the star was unhurt in the accident, but a man and a woman were reportedly taken to nearby Olympia Medical Centre in Los Angeles.
No further details were available as WENN goes to press.

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

REESE WITHERSPOON has been forced to ban pork from her diet, after buying her young daughter a pet pig.
Nine year old Ava has fallen in love with the hog and named him after legendary civil rights leader Booker T. Washington - and pressured her mum to banish all pig products from the Witherspoon household.
The actress explains, "His name’s Booker T. Washington - my daughter is studying American history. She won’t eat pork, she won’t eat bacon, and I have to be very careful with what I eat."

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Actress ROBIN GIVENS has urged hip-hop heroes DIDDY and USHER to speak out about domestic abuse - because so many young African-American boys look up to them, and follow their lead.
Givens, who was allegedly physically abused by her ex-husband Mike Tyson, was left sickened by news of R&B star Chris Brown’s alleged assault on his girlfriend Rihanna last month (Feb09) - and now she is calling on music’s black heavyweights to demand an end to domestic violence, which claims the lives of over 1,000 women in America every year.
Speaking on Thursday’s (19Mar09) Oprah show in the U.S., Givens, the spokeswoman for America’s National Domestic Violence Hotline, said, "We can’t ignore the fact that young people are watching; my son is watching P. Diddy and Usher and loving them - they’re his heroes. I’m mentioning them because they are very much so role models.
"It would mean a lot for me… and the women that I deal with and talk to constantly for men (like that) to get appalled."

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ROD STEWART has scuppered plans to reunite THE FACES in 2009 once and for all - by announcing his own tour plans.
The rocker regrouped with old bandmates Kenney Jones, Ian McLagan and Ron Wood last year (08) to rehearse for what fans hoped would become a reunion tour - but plans broke down over Christmas (08).
Wood has since confirmed that Stewart no longer wants a part of any comeback, and McLagan recently revealed the other three Faces are now considering a tour without him.
Nailing the coffin shut on any Faces reunion, Stewart has denied reports that he and Wood have written an album’s worth of new material that was to proceed a tour - and now he has announced plans for his own North American solo tour.
A spokesman for Stewart says, "There’s no plans for a Faces reunion tour this year."

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Supermodel HEIDI KLUM, JESSICA SIMPSON and rapper/actor ICE-T have been tricking fans by posing as pizza restaurant cashiers, computer store clerks and grocery assistants for an upcoming April Fool’s Day (01Apr09) U.S. reality show.
The celebrities have been filmed trying to convince diners and shoppers they are not stars for I Get That A Lot.
Klum, who worked behind the counter of a pizza parlour in New York, says, "It was quite awkward and intimidating for me."

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Rap sensation SOULJA BOY’s ex-girlfriend has ‘outed’ the SUPERMAN star in a Twitter.com post online.
Few knew sexy actress Meagan Good had been dating the young hip-hop star until she bashed him in a ‘tweet’ on Tuesday (17Mar09), accusing him of preferring boys to girls.
Asked by a fan if she and Soulja Boy were still an item, Good wrote, "No, me and Soulja Boy aren’t together… That ship has sailed. Apparently, he doesn’t like chicks." And, responding to a message from her ex, the actress/model later tweeted, "You’re young, rich and over-rated. You think you can have anyone." The sex scandal was first picked up by urban news website Bossip.com.

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Pop star FERGIE has put an end to speculation she’s pregnant by dying her hair.
The London Bridge hitmaker showed off her dark side on the red carpet at the March For Dimes Beauty Ball in Beverly Hills on 12 March (09), admitting she had grown bored of her blonde look.
The Black Eyed Peas star had been dogged by baby rumours ever since she exchanged vows with actor Josh Duhamel in January (09) - but the new hair colour puts the story to bed; mums-to-be are advised to stop smoking, drinking and dying their roots, among other things, when discovering they’re pregnant.
However, Fergie insists she didn’t change her hair to stop the reports: "I’ve always been a risk taker."

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

OZZY OSBOURNE’s son JACK has returned to the rehab centre where he kicked his addiction to painkillers - to film a new news special.
The reality TV star revisited his home from home at Visions Adolescent Treatment Center in Malibu, California with cameramen from U.S. show Access Hollywood to tape a segment about his recovery, which aired in America on Thursday (19Mar09).
Jack Osbourne admits he was full of "pain and sadness" and "suicidal thoughts" before he checked into rehab to address his "problems with pharmaceutical drugs, marijuana and alcohol" seven years ago (02) - when he was just 16.
The TV star admits he knew he had a serious problem when his mum Sharon was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2002 - and he struggled to cope.
He explains, "When things were getting bad it was when my mum was really sick with cancer… It was chaos." Osbourne insists the rehab centre, where he spent almost 50 days, was the perfect place for him, revealing, "It’s kinda homely… You don’t feel like you’re in some sterile hospital.
"You spent very little time in your bedrooms." He recalls studying at Visions, which houses just 10 troubled teens at a time, and attending equestrian therapy at a nearby ranch to help him deal with trust issues.
Osbourne was not allowed to use phones for the first week and had to be under the supervision of a staff member at all times - but he understands why the strict rules had to be applied: "Why should a drug addict be rewarded with such issues." He admits he still longs for "a beer" when he’s out with friends, but has never slipped up because he doesn’t want to slide back into bad habits.

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

U.S. federal prosecutors have requested a six-month prison sentence for a man who has pleaded guilty to illegally posting unreleased GUNS N’ ROSES tracks online.
Kevin Cogill confessed to the cyber crime in December (08) and was charged with a misdemeanour, but now prosecutors want him to serve hard time behind bars.
Federal agents raided Cogill’s Los Angeles apartment last August (08) after he posted nine tracks from the then-unreleased Chinese Democracy album on his website, antiquiet.com.
The 28 year old revealed he had received the tracks online and without asking for them. He removed the songs as soon as he was contacted by representatives for the band, but, by then, more than 1,000 rock fans had downloaded the tracks - and crashed his website.
In new court documents, prosecutor Craig H. Missakian writes, "Making a pre-release work available to the worldwide public over the internet where it can be copied without limit is arguably one of the more insidious forms of copyright infringement." Prosecutors have calculated Cogill’s actions cost Guns N’ Roses and their record label almost $400,000 (£285,700) in download sales alone.
Cogill’s attorney insists his client’s actions do not warrant jail time. Cogill is scheduled to be sentenced on 4 May (09).
Officials at the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) have demanded Cogill should appear in a public service announcement warning people not to download music illegally.

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

Golfer ANNIKA SORENSTAM has wasted no time in starting a family after announcing her retirement - she’s pregnant.
The Swedish champion, who announced her plans to give up the professional game last May (08), and her new husband, Mike McGee, will become first-time parents later this year (09).
Sorenstam, 38, and McGee wed in January (09).

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An angry woman who bought NEW JACK CITY star MARIO VAN PEEBLES’ former home is suing the actor for lying about the place she’s now living in.
Adel Bebaway purchased the star’s condo in Playa Del Rey, Los Angeles, for almost $1.4 million (£1 million) two years ago (07) and has since discovered the floors are uneven.
She claims the former owner and his realtor lied during the sale, and she’s seeking unspecified damages, according to TMZ.com.

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Oscar winner CELESTE HOLM has announced she’ll be retiring from big screen roles after her latest film, MY GUARANTEED STUDENT LOAN.
The 92-year-old star won Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 1948 for Gentleman’s Agreement.
Her final film will be shot in Illinois and Manhattan next month (Apr09), and will also feature Lucille Ball’s granddaughter, actress Katharine Luckinbill.

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A U.S. reality TV stylist has revealed her 10-year-old son’s father is model/actor TYSON BECKFORD.
April Roomer has become a hit on TV show Candy Girls and her sudden fame has brought questions about her son, Jordan.
The stylist has revealed her kid is the product of a romance with Beckford.
She tells America’s In Touch magazine, "I’ve never talked about Tyson… (He’s just) daddy, that’s Tyson, not supermodel Tyson." Roomer, who has styled stars like Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre, reveals she met Beckford when she was working as a waitress in a Los Angeles restaurant, and the pair began a torrid romance.
She credits Beckford for standing by her when she discovered she was pregnant with his son, and admits neither of them wanted to wed.
She adds, "We were on and off for years after Jordan was born. Being on different coasts and so busy with our careers, the timing wasn’t right… Maybe later, down the line, we’ll get it together and figure it out.
"Tyson’s been very supportive of my career. We’re still friends and good parents, which is most important."

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STEVEN SPIELBERG and MARTIN SCORSESE will toast what would have been late moviemaker AKIRA KUROSAWA’s 99th birthday at a gala in his honour on Monday (23Mar09).
The two directors have recorded emotional video messages which will be shown at the Cherry Blossom Gala in Los Angeles.
The event will serve as the official launch of the Akira Kurosawa Film School at California’s Anaheim University and various members of Kurosawa’s family are expected to be at the tribute.
The revered Japanese filmmaker’s movies, like Red and Seven Samurai, inspired moviemakers like Spielberg, Scorsese and George Lucas - and films like Star Wars, The Magnificent Seven and A Fistful of Dollars.
The director died in 1998.

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YOKO ONO is revealing almost all in a new gallery exhibit featuring a rarely seen video shot the year before she met JOHN LENNON.
The artist/singer has offered a 1965 performance art film, featuring footage of an assistant cutting off her clothes, to the Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation in Paddington, Australia - where it has become a highlight of the venue’s new View From Elsewhere exhibition.
The video, titled Cut Piece, was shot as Ono sat before an audience. Her sidekick hacks off various items of clothing until Lennon’s widow is left sitting in her underwear.

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