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MADONNA’s ongoing bid to adopt a Malawian girl will be heard by the country’s chief justice when the case goes to court next week (04May09).
The pop superstar is appealing a High Court judge’s 3 April (09) ruling, which rejected her request for the interim adoption of three-year-old Mercy James.
The case will be heard by a panel in the capital city of Lilongwe on Monday - and Malawi’s top judge, Chief Justice Lovemore Munlo, has taken it upon himself to preside over the "important" hearing, reports People.com.
High Court and Supreme Court of Appeal spokesman Joseph Chigona says, "Since this involves an infant it will be heard in chambers.
"This is an important case; that’s why the chief justice himself has taken special interest." Madonna, who is recovering after falling off a horse in New York earlier this month (Apr09), is not required to attend the hearing.
The singer is already mother to adopted Malawian tot David, three, and Rocco, eight, from her marriage to Guy Ritchie, as well as 12-year-old Lourdes, from a previous relationship.

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Rapper RICK ROSS has stormed to the top of the U.S. album charts ending Hannah Montana’s one-week reign.
The star’s Deeper Than Rap album sold 158,000 copies in its opening week to debut at the top of the Billboard countdown.
The Hannah Montana: the Movie soundtrack falls a spot to two and Depeche Mode claim their highest charting album in 16 years at three with Sounds of the Universe.
Country trio Rascal Flatts slips to four with Unstoppable and rap sensation Asher Roth debuts Asleep in the Bread Aisle at five.

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The film HEATH LEDGER was making when he died last year (08) is set to premiere at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival in France after becoming a last-minute screening.
Film fans and the media are expected to flock to Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus when it opens on the eve of a day of publicity on 22 May (09).
The film will not be among those competing for film festival prizes.
As well as Ledger, the film features Christopher Plummer, Verne Troyer, Lily Cole and Tom Waits and Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law, who stepped in to complete the tragic actor’s scenes.
Ledger died from an accidental drug overdose in January 2008.

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OASIS star NOEL GALLAGHER has been filmed singing in the shower for pal BONO’s new (Red)Wire online magazine.
The singer/songwriter agreed to perform a solo rendition of the band’s Waiting for The Rapture in a shower room at New York’s Madison Square Garden for the new issue of the downloaded subscription service, which went live in December (09).
Subscribers pay $5 (GBP3.40) per month for one-of-a-kind videos, recordings and celebrity messages.
The fee goes to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
Past Red(Wire) highlights have included U2’s rendition of I Believe In Father Christmas and exclusives from Jay-Z, The Killers and Yusuf Islam.

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R&B star ASHANTI is set to become a Broadway diva in a revival of THE WIZ.
The singer/actress will make her stage debut as Dorothy in the soulful version of L. Frank Baum’s Wizard of Oz fable.
The musical will open at the New York City Center in June (09) and run for a month.
As well as winning Grammy Awards and other accolades as a singer/songwriter, Ashanti has also appeared in films like 2007’s Resident Evil: Extinction and John Tucker Must Die.
It won’t be her first outing as Oz heroine Dorothy - she played the character in 2005 TV movie The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz.
The Wiz was also a cult 1978 film, starring Diana Ross, Richard Pryor and Michael Jackson.

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TONI BRAXTON is suing an insurance company for failing to honour an agreement to cover the cancellation of her Las Vegas concerts in 2008.
The Unbreak My Heart singer was forced to pull the final shows in her two-year Sin City residency at the Flamingo Hotel last August (08), after she was hospitalised for an ongoing heart problem.
Braxton, who has microvascular angina - a small vessel disease, claims she bought insurance from Lloyd’s of London in the event of "non-appearance" or "cancellation", which protects entertainers in case concerts have to be scrapped, reports TMZ.com.
Company bosses are refusing to pay up for the skipped shows, alleging Braxton never mentioned her pre-existing health issue when she signed with them - therefore deeming the insurance cover void.
But Braxton insists she was open about her heart disease and is seeking undisclosed damages.

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Bubbly actress/singer KRISTIN CHENOWETH wants RAY star KERRY WASHINGTON to play her lesbian lover in a new DUSTY SPRINGFIELD biopic.
Chenoweth will play the British soul star in a movie she’s developing - and she’s hoping to land Washington as her leading lady.
She says, "I want Kerry Washington to play my girlfriend. Dusty had a relationship with an African-American woman and she was supposedly very attractive. Kerry is a great actress and I think we’d be amazing together."

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DITA VON TEESE has urged her fellow burlesque stars to defy a crackdown on shows in London - because that’s what makes risque dance routines "exciting".
The sexy performer hit out after officials in the U.K. capital introduced new legislation forcing club owners who stage burlesque nights to apply for a lapdancing licence.
But Von Teese is adamant strippers should always strive to bend the rules - as it is a tradition in the saucy trade.
She says, "It’s not unusual for burlesque to be regulated because it always has been, and the stars of burlesque from the past had to deal with it. The challenges of getting around the laws and the risque element were always a part of what made burlesque exciting.
"I’ve been stripping since 1991 and have travelled all over the world and had to be aware of the laws. Sometimes I complied and sometimes I didn’t.
"Perhaps these clubs will install the historic ‘red light, green light’ that they had in burlesque clubs to tell the performers whether the cops were in the house or not."

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MICHAEL J. FOX stunned BACK TO THE FUTURE devotees at the weekend (25Apr09) when he showed up at a fan convention unannounced.
The actor flew to Los Angeles from New York for a week of promotional activities and discovered there was a fan convention dedicated to his time travel film a short drive away from his hotel.
He says, "Somebody told me there was a Back To The Future convention and then I heard that (co-star) Chris Lloyd was gonna be there and Lea Thompson, who I hadn’t seen in years.
"They had asked me, I guess, before if I would go and I said no and then I heard Chris and Lea were gonna be there and I thought, ‘I’ll drop by for 10 minutes and say hello’. They didn’t know I was coming. I was the only guy there who wasn’t paid." But he quickly realised his impromptu appearance at the convention was a bad idea: "I was naive - I thought I could go by, say hi." Fox was mobbed by fans, dressed just like his character, Marty McFly: "I didn’t know they still made those puffy vests… There were people there with the bad Guess jeans with the high waist… It was suspenders, the whole nine yards." But he had a great time hooking up with old friends from the cast: "The clock tower lady was there - remember ‘Save the clock tower.’ And James Tolkan, who played Strickland, the principal.
"I took some pictures… and then I kinda went, ‘OK, this seemed like a good idea at the time,’ and left."

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CHRISTINA APPLEGATE has prompted speculation she could be heading down the aisle with rocker boyfriend MARTYN LENOBLE, after confessing she dreams of marrying again.
The actress divorced her first husband Johnathan Schaech in 2007, and began dating new beau Lenoble last May (09).
As they approach their first anniversary together, Applegate is convinced he’s the one - and hints wedding bells could be on the horizon.
The 37-year-old star says, "He’s been a friend for about 13 years. Our relationship gets stronger and stronger. I’m really lucky." When asked about marriage, she admits, "Absolutely. You go into relationships hoping they’ll last forever, so that’s the hope. I was always looking for what my perfect type was, and I never really found it until now. He’s an angel."

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LIEV SCHREIBER pulled out of the Los Angeles premiere of his new movie on Tuesday (28Apr09) so he could be at his son’s bedside in a New York hospital.
Schreiber, who plays Victor Creed/Sabretooth in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, was a noticeable absentee from the screening, but he had a very good reason not to be there - his eldest son was admitted to hospital for respiratory problems.
The tot was released on Wednesday morning (28Apr09), reports People.com.
Schreiber’s representative Ina Treciokas confirms, "Sasha got home today and is feeling much better after being hospitalised on Tuesday night." The youngster was taken to hospital by his mother, actress Naomi Watts, when she discovered him struggling to breathe.

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The world’s fastest man, USAIN BOLT, has been hospitalised after a car crash in his native Jamaica.
Bolt, who won gold and set new world records in the 100 and 200 metre events at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in China, was taken to a clinic in Spanish Town after the smash on a rain-soaked road.
Neither he nor his female passenger were seriously injured, according to initial reports.

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SEAN PENN has filed for legal separation from his wife of 13 years, ROBIN WRIGHT PENN.
News of the split comes just two days after the couple’s 13th wedding anniversary (27Apr09), and just months after they reunited. Penn originally filed for divorce back in 2007.
The actor first fuelled rumours of a second split when he failed to mention Wright Penn during his Best Actor acceptance speech at the Academy Awards in February (09).
Then last month (Mar09), he was rumoured to be romancing actress Natalie Portman.
Those reports were denied by sources close to Penn, but on Friday (27Apr09) he filed court documents to make their separation official, according to ExtraTV.com.
The couple share 18-year-old daughter, Dylan, and 15-year-old son Hopper. They sought joint custody of their kids during their 2007 divorce proceedings.

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SHIA LABEOUF is in talks to take over CHARLIE SHEEN’s role as a desperate young stockbroker in the forthcoming sequel to 1987 film WALL STREET.
LaBeouf is negotiating with bosses at 20th Century Fox to join Michael Douglas, who’s been recast by director Oliver Stone for Wall Street 2, a follow-up to the Oscar-winning drama, reports Variety.
Sheen starred as Bud Fox in the original, about a young broker struggling to get to the top while surrounded by greed and corruption.
The original film’s stars received mixed reviews. Douglas won an Oscar for Best Actor for his role as ruthless Wall Street player Gordon Gekko while Daryl Hannah’s performance earned her a Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actress.

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Action man-turned-California Governor ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER has declared a state of emergency following the swine flu epidemic currently gripping America.
More than 10 cases of the killer flu have been reported in California and Schwarzenegger hopes his plea for help will cut through red tape and speed up attempts to respond to the new strain, which claimed the life of a Mexican infant in Texas on Monday (27Apr09).
As WENN went to press, there are 94 confirmed cases in 11 states.
A statement from Schwarzenegger’s office reads, "While there is no need for alarm, it is the Governor’s top priority to limit swine flu’s spread as quickly and effectively as possible."

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RIHANNA has won her battled to have $1.4 million (£965,520) in borrowed jewellery returned to her after police seized the gems as evidence following her alleged fight with ex-boyfriend CHRIS BROWN.
The pop superstar filed a court request to have the items returned to her by the Los Angeles police - because they were loaned to her to wear to a pre-Grammy party on 8 February (09) - the night of the famous bust-up, which left Rihanna with a bruised face and Brown facing assault charges.
A judge ruled on Wednesday (29Apr09) Los Angeles police would take photos of the gems, including a pair of earrings and three rings, in case they are needed as evidence in the event Brown’s case goes to trial.
The Kiss Kiss singer pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of assault likely to cause great bodily injury and making criminal threats on 7 April (09).
If convicted, Brown faces almost five years behind bars.

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CHRIS BROWN is seeking to have his felony assault case stemming from his alleged fight with ex-girlfriend RIHANNA dismissed due to "outrageous governmental misconduct".
The Kiss Kiss singer was charged with assault likely to cause great bodily injury and making criminal threats following the incident on 8 February (09), which reportedly left Rihanna battered and bruised.
Brown pleaded not guilty to the charges on 7 April (09).
The R&B singer was represented by his lawyer, Mark Geragos, at Los Angeles County Court on Wednesday morning (29Apr09), when he reiterated the singer’s desire to avoid a trial, reports TMZ.com.
As he left the courtroom Geragos said, "Leaks can form the basis for a motion to dismiss the case in regard to outrageous governmental misconduct." After Brown entered his plea earlier this month (Apr09), Rihanna’s attorney, Donald Etra, told reporters the Umbrella hitmaker "would be pleased if this was over quickly".
Brown is due back in court on 28 May (09). If convicted, he faces almost five years behind bars.

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Swedish rockers THE WANNADIES have finally called it quits, seven years after the release of their last album.
The group embarked on a lengthy hiatus after Before and After hit stores in 2002, only releasing one track - 2007’s Kill the Musikk - since.
And now they’ve decided to split for good, with frontman Par Wiksten embarking on a solo career.
According to Planet Sound, a Best Of album is being prepared for release.

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