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Former child star MARTY YORK has defended himself against allegations he beat up his girlfriend over Easter - insisting he only "backhanded" her in self-defence.
The Sandlot star was arrested, booked and released on a charge of felony corporal injury following the incident on Easter Sunday (12Apr09).
But York claims he was the real victim after being attacked by his lover as they drove home from a Los Angeles nightclub.
He tells TMZ.com, "She got violent and started attacking me in the car… it caused me to swerve all over the road… I almost crashed and got in an accident… so I backhanded her." York alleges the arresting cops took note of his "black eye", but "her injury looked worse", resulting in his booking.

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

An overzealous fan of actor/director TYLER PERRY has officially been charged with felony aggravated stalking following her arrest last week.
Dawne Wilson was taken into custody by Atlanta, Georgia police on 15 April (09) after ignoring a restraining order taken out against her by Perry.
According to the order, filed in March 2008 and obtained by TMZ.com, Wilson had been contacting Perry "in a menacing manner" and had even threatened to murder the star, leaving him fearing for his life.
But the police report of Wilson’s arrest reveals the obsessed fan managed to get close enough to come face-to-face with Perry.
The documents state Wilson "was seen talking today (15Apr09) to Mr. Perry at his studio in Atlanta" and told cops she was "called to come to the studio by an employee there and assumed it was alright to be there".
The Fulton County District Attorney in Georgia has now officially charged Wilson with the felony. She is still being held behind bars and, if convicted, faces a 10-year prison sentence.

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

Former teen star MELISSA JOAN HART considered baring all in a raunchy shoot for men’s magazine Playboy during her heyday in TV hit SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH.
The actress was desperate to shed the good girl image she earned though roles in kids TV hits Sabrina and Clarissa Explains It All, and came close to accepting Playboy boss Hugh Hefner’s $1 million (£689,000) offer.
She tells NYPost.com’s PopWrap blog, "They came around and offered me a million dollars, which I had to seriously consider. Initially it’s like, ‘Yeah, I’ll take my clothes off for a million bucks, are you kidding?’ It’s the big question: what will you do for a million dollars?" Hart, now a 33-year-old mother-of-two, turned down Hefner, but agreed to strip to her underwear for rival magazine Maxim.
But she soon regretted her decision when she saw the humiliation it caused for one of her younger brothers.
Explaining her decision, she says, “I was 23-years-old… and I went through a time where I was a little wild. I actually showed up at the photoshoot from The Playboy Mansion, so it was like, ‘Oh big deal - bra and panties, that’s what I saw everybody in all night.’ I had no idea how big that was going to be. (From that experience) I learned that I didn’t want to do Playboy. But I decided that because of the reaction I got from Maxim I wasn’t comfortable - and my brother had that cover shoved in his face for months. That made me say no."

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AMY WINEHOUSE is set for an agonising wait to find out if her estranged husband BLAKE FIELDER-CIVIL is to become a dad - he has demanded a paternity test from his alleged lover.
Gilleen Morris is adamant she is expecting Fielder-Civil’s baby after a brief fling while they were being treated at the Phoenix Futures Rehab Centre in Sheffield, England in February (09).
The news has reportedly devastated Winehouse - but she will have to wait for official confirmation as her estranged husband is denying Morris’ allegation and demanding a DNA test to establish the truth.
His mother, Georgette Civil, says: "We need more information." Fielder-Civil filed for divorce from Winehouse in January (09) over allegations she had cheated on him during a sunshine break in St. Lucia.

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CHARLIE SHEEN and his wife BROOKE MUELLER found it tough to enjoy the opening night of Peepshow in Las Vegas on Saturday (18Apr09) - because it was the first time they had left their twin babies at home.
The couple welcomed sons Max and Bob on 14 March (09), two weeks before their due date.
The new parents had a minor health scare earlier this month (Apr09) when little Max was admitted to a Los Angeles hospital, but Sheen assured fans the tot was fine and had simply not gained the adequate weight for his size. He was discharged from hospital days later.
Sheen and Mueller left the babies’ sides on Saturday to enjoy some time to themselves at the Sin City show’s premiere - but Mueller admitted being apart from the kids was much harder than she thought.
She told Usmagazine.com, "It’s the first time we’ve been away from them for an hour, let alone a night! I’m struggling more than he (Sheen) is."

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CHRISTIAN BALE is stepping into the boxing ring with MARK WAHLBERG - the actors have signed up to co-star in new film THE FIGHTER.
Bale will play boxer Dicky Eklund in the movie, about the path to redemption from a life of drugs and crime he discovers by helping his half-brother, Wahlberg’s character ‘Irish’ Mickey Ward, to win the world lightweight championship.
Director Darren Aronofsky had previously lined up Matt Damon and Brad Pitt for the role, before Bale was poised as a replacement.
Production is scheduled to begin in July (09), reports Daily Variety.

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

Hollywood stars UMA THURMAN, MEG RYAN, WHOOPI GOLDBERG and ADRIEN BRODY will head up the judging panel at this year’s (09) Tribeca Film Festival in New York.
The actors will be joined by fellow celebrities James Franco, Mary-Kate Olsen, Bradley Cooper, Melissa Leo, Parker Posey and Morgan Spurlock, who are all among the 32 jurors at Robert De Niro’s movie event, which kicks off on Wednesday (22Apr09).
The line-up was announced at a press conference in the Big Apple on Tuesday (21Apr09), which featured Thurman, director Spike Lee and festival founders De Niro and Jane Rosenthal.
And New York resident Thurman is delighted to play such a key role in the eighth annual festival.
She says, "For me and people who enjoy films, Tribeca has been a major event for which all look forward to with major anticipation. As a New Yorker, it’s wonderful to see the impact it has on the city.
"This year is especially exciting because I get to be a part of it as a juror." De Niro founded the event with Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff to help revitalise the lower Manhattan area after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 - and he is proud to continue celebrating New York City as a major film-making centre.
He adds, "It’s great to see how much the festival has grown since we started it in 2002 and how it has impacted this neighbourhood." The Tribeca Film Festival, which will host the world premiere of Woody Allen’s new movie Whatever Works on Wednesday, runs until 3 May (09).

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

MADONNA is fighting fit and heading back to the gym on Tuesday (21Apr09) - just three days after she was hospitalised for falling off a horse.
The pop superstar was treated at Southampton Hospital on New York’s Long Island on Saturday (18Apr09) after taking a tumble at the home of her friend Steven Klein.
She was discharged hours later but Madonna’s representative, Liz Rosenberg, claimed the singer would undergo "further tests and continues to remain under observation by doctors".
However, Madonna’s trainer Tracy Anderson insists the Material Girl’s injuries are minimal and would not disrupt her exercise schedule as she prepares for the summer jaunt of her ongoing Sticky & Sweet world tour.
Anderson told Usmagazine.com on Monday (20Apr09), "She’s going to be fine. She fell on her butt. She’s fine.
"We’re going to train tomorrow. We have our set training. She’s like a professional athlete. She can’t mess around with her training. I mean, she has to be able to perform in front of 70,000 people who are sucking the life out of her, and she’s singing and dancing. There are no shortcuts when you’re training in that way."

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

Singer/actress ASHLEY TISDALE has laughed off rumours she’s embarked on a new romance just days after splitting from boy band star JARED MURILLO, insisting she’s still "single".
The High School Musical star, 20, ended her year-long relationship with V Factory’s Murillo in early April (09), but sparked rumours she had already moved on after she was snapped stepping out with music video director Scott Speer.
But Tisdale has dismissed the claims and is adamant there is nothing romantic about her friendship with Speer, who she worked with for her new single It’s All right, It’s OK.
She tells E! News, "He’s a really hot, good friend of mine. I’m not in a relationship. I’m single.
"We have a really good, creative relationship."

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

LIAM GALLAGHER has laughed off his brother NOEL’s damning comments about their turbulent relationship - putting the outburst down to his overly sensitive emotions.
Noel Gallagher told Britain’s Q magazine that rockers Oasis are set to take a five-year break from recording because he can’t stand working with his younger brother.
The pair is famed for its feuding, but Noel insists they have hit an all-time low - and that Liam hasn’t even met his 19-month old nephew Donovan, Gallagher’s son with Sara MacDonald.
The guitarist told the magazine, "He’s never seen my little lad, just pictures. To a stranger it sounds ludicrous, but you wouldn’t have him in the house if he spoke to you the way he speaks to me and my family.
"Liam is… rude, arrogant, intimidating and lazy. He’s the angriest man you’ll ever meet. He’s like a man with a fork in a world of soup." But Liam has taken to his personal Twitter.com page to downplay the comments - and poke fun at Noel for his recent radio show with controversial comedian Russell Brand.
He writes, "Noel Gallagher, Russell Brand, f**king hell…what a pair of old housewife’s (sic) LG" before responding to Noel’s Q comments by adding: "Is it that time of month again? LG".

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

A Dutch music publishing company has purchased the rights to the songs and musicals of legendary team RICHARD ROGERS and OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN for a reported $300 million (£206 million).
Bosses at The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization confirmed on Monday (20Apr09) a sale agreement had been signed with the Imagem Music Group for an undisclosed price.
Insiders estimate the sale was for as much as $300 million, according to the New York Daily News.
The group now owns the rights to popular stage and film musicals including Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, and The Sound of Music.

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

Jazz musician CHUCK MANGIONE will hold a performance fundraiser for the families of his two former bandmates who were killed in a tragic New York plane crash earlier this year (09).
Gerry Niewood and Coleman Mellett were among the passengers flying from Newark, New Jersey to upstate New York’s Buffalo Niagara International Airport on Continental Connection Flight 3407 on 12 February (09).
The 74-seat aircraft, operated by Colgan Air, crashed into a house and exploded just five miles (eight kilometres) from its destination. All 49 people on board lost their lives in the accident, as well as one person in the home.
The band’s concert in Buffalo the following night (13Feb09) was cancelled as a result of the loss.
But Mangione will return to the stage next month - he is scheduled to perform for the charity event on 1 May (09) with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, reports the New York Post.

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Tony Award-winning lighting designer THARON MUSSER has died at the age of 84.
Musser, whose lighting designs were featured in more than 150 Broadway shows, died on Sunday (19Apr09) at her home in Newtown, Connecticut. She suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, but the cause of death had not been determined as WENN went to press.
Her work on hit musicals during the 1970s and 80s including Follies, A Chorus Line, and Dreamgirls, earned her three Tony Awards for Best Lighting Design. She was nominated for seven more of the prestigious theatre awards during her Broadway career, which spanned from 1956 to 1999.
Musser is survived by her partner, lighting designer Marilyn Rennagel.

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Actress NATASCHA MCELHONE has vowed to continue with her late husband MARTIN KELLY’s pioneering charity work to keep his legacy alive.
Plastic surgeon Kelly died from a heart attack after he was found slumped on the doorstep of the couple’s London home in May last year (08).
Kelly and fellow surgeon Norman Waterhouse set up Facing the World in 2003, a charity which offers surgery to third-world children with facial disfigurements.
Following his sudden death, the future of the organisation seemed in doubt - but the Californication star has pledged to continue raising money and awareness for the charity.
She says, "I’m still trying my best to bring money in for that and to raise its profile whenever I can. His legacy. I try and do as much of that as I can, in and out of our home."

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The stars of HARRY POTTER caused chaos on the streets of London on Monday night (20Apr09), when they stopped traffic to film scenes for the latest movie.
Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint were all on-set in the U.K. capital to shoot an action sequence for the first instalment of two-part film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which is due for release next year (10).
The actors, along with 400 extras, took over London’s famous Piccadilly Circus and the surrounding roads to film scenes in a cafe and on the streets.
Watson, who plays clever Hermione Granger in the wizard franchise, was wearing a glamorous red dress and heels, while Radcliffe and Grint, who play Harry Potter and his best friend Ron Weasley, both donned smart suits for the scenes.

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Celebrated scientist and author PROFESSOR STEPHEN HAWKING is "comfortable" and expected to make a full recovery after he was admitted to a hospital in Cambridge, England with a mystery illness.
The wheelchair-bound 67-year-old, who has suffered Motor Neurone disease since the 1960s, was taken to the city’s Addenbrooke’s Hospital by ambulance on Monday (20Apr09), when he was said to be "very ill".
No further details about his ailment have been released to the press, but it’s reported Hawking has been unwell for the past two weeks after cancelling an appearance at Arizona State University on 6 April (09) due to a chest infection.
However, a spokesperson for Cambridge University, where he teaches, has now revealed Hawking’s condition is improving.
The rep says, "Professor Hawking is being kept in for observation at Addenbrooke’s Hospital this morning. He is comfortable and his family is looking forward to him making a full recovery." Hawking, the writer of A Brief History of Time, is one of the longest surviving sufferers of the neurological condition. He is paralysed and can only speak using a voice synthesiser.

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

HARRY POTTER star EMMA WATSON has finally stepped out in public with her boyfriend - after more than a year of dating.
The 19 year old showed off Jay Barrymore, who is eight years her senior, as she filmed Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the final installment of the wizard franchise, in Scotland over the weekend (18-19Apr09).
And the actress wasn’t shy about being seen with the 27 year old financier, who she has been in a relationship with since March 2008 - she was photographed openly kissing and cuddling her blond boyfriend.

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SIR PAUL McCARTNEY has changed his stance on illegal downloading on the internet - condemning the practise just months after insisting he "doesn’t mind" fans obtaining music for free.
In November (08) the Beatles legend aired his views on illegal downloads, admitting he was not bothered by music fans who use illicit methods to stock their digital music collections.
He explained, "It’s weird for me (the concept of downloading). I’m not from that. I’m from going into a shop and buying a 45. We’ve come through vinyl, tapes and CDs - it’s all the same, except people don’t pay for it (now). I don’t mind. It works out." But the veteran musician has now reversed his opinion on the subject in a new interview, suggesting he is opposed to the practise because it deprives new artists of their income.
He says, "If you get on a bus you’ve got to pay. And I think it’s fair, you should pay your ticket. The problem is you get a lot of young bands coming up and some of them aren’t going to last forever. So if they have a massive hit that’s going to pay their mortgage forever, they’re going to feed the children on that and if they don’t get that money, if they don’t see that money, I think it’s a bit of a pity."

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