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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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Spanish rap group OJOS DE BRUJO have been forced to cancel a concert in the U.K. after two Cuban bandmembers were blocked from entering the country.
The Grammy-winning artists were scheduled to perform a short tour, starting at London’s Roundhouse on Monday (27Apr09), but Ojos de Brutos never left Madrid, Spain, after the British consulate there refused to hand Carlitos Sarduy and Enrique Ferrer visas to enter the country. Their Spanish bandmates were allowed to travel under European Union law.
Band manager Jemima Cano tells Billboard, "This is a terrible hassle. London is really important for us, it’s the music capital of Europe. Apparently, the consulate was not happy with the sponsorship certificate, which requires a letter of invitation from the promoter (in London).
"They (also) refused to accept that Enrique and Carlitos had enough money for the visit - it’s absurd, we (the band’s management) were going to pay everything. Enrique and Carlitos are legal residents in Spain, but with Cuban passports.
"The problem in this case is that they are Cubans, and we know how many people in the West view that." Cano has vowed to fight for visas so the band can perform shows in Liverpool and Edinburgh later this week (ends01May09).

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Country star DOLLY PARTON credits her busy touring schedule with keeping her 43-year marriage alive.
The 9 to 5 hitmaker, 63, has been married to husband Carl Dean since 1966 and still giggles with excitement at the thought of jumping into his arms after weeks on the road.
But Parton insists the same busy business schedule that keeps the pair apart is exactly what has made their union so strong - because their long-distance love leaves them both wanting more.
She says, "I stay gone. So when I am home, he’s excited to see me, and I’m excited to see him. He’s a good guy. He loves staying home though."

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Rapper LIL WAYNE has filed suit against the producer of his song I FEEL LIKE DYING, accusing the beatmaker of failing to secure permission to use a sample of musician KARMA-ANN SWANEPOEL track ONCE.
The Lollipop hitmaker, real name Dwayne Carter, Jr., is currently embroiled in a copyright infringement battle with folk singer Swanepoel over the tune, which does not feature on Wayne’s hit album Tha Carter III, but was used in its promotion.
Swanepoel is seeking compensation for the use of her song, and in March (09), Wayne was ordered by a judge to handover all financial records stemming from sales of his Grammy-winning album.
But the hip-hop star has placed blame on producers at the Florida-based Rebel Rock Productions Inc., insisting they are at fault for failing to get clearance for the sample before giving the track to him.
The lawsuit comes one year after Swanepoel took legal action against Wayne.
I Feel Like Dying is not the only song which has landed Wayne in trouble for copyright infringement - he’s faced contention for Mrs. Officer and Playing With Fire, and the release of his upcoming rock album Rebirth has been delayed until June (09) in order to secure all sample clearances.

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R&B superstar BEYONCE has laughed off bizarre reports she sent a look-a-like to visit one of Austria’s top art museums on Tuesday (28Apr09), insisting there’s "only one Beyonce".
The Irreplaceable hitmaker was in the country as part of her worldwide I Am… roadshow and was due to be given a personal tour of Vienna’s Albertina.
But she found herself at the centre of controversy when local newspapers claimed she snubbed the visit to go shopping - and sent a doppelganger in her place.
When alerted to the alleged scam, Albertina spokeswoman Verena Dahlitz said, "What a cheek! We were a little doubtful (if it was Beyonce), but weren’t really sure. It could have been her." However, Beyonce’s representative Alan Nierob has shot down the claims, insisting the singer attended the art museum in person.
He tells WENN, "That’s a real dumb one. (There’s) only one Beyonce."

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THE A-TEAM star MR. T appeared in court on Monday (27Apr09) after he was called up for jury duty in Chicago, Illinois.
The actor, real name Laurence Tureaud, showed up for jury selection at Cook County Circuit Court, sporting his famous Mohawk hairstyle.
But Mr. T managed to escape his civil responsibilities and was dismissed by a judge after several hours of deliberations.

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CHRISTINA APPLEGATE was devastated when photographers caught her smoking just months after she won her battle with cancer, because it was a "rare slip up".
Applegate quit the habit after she was diagnosed with the disease last year (08). She underwent a double mastectomy and was given the all-clear last August (08).
Fans were shocked to discover she was smoking again, after she was snapped enjoying a sneaky cigarette earlier this month (Apr09).
But the actress insists it was a minor setback in her battle to quit her nicotine habit after a traumatic past year, during which her ex-boyfriend Lee Grivas died of a drug overdose.
She tells People magazine, "It’s been very painful because I feel it was discounting all the work that I’ve done. The day I found out I had cancer I quit everything that was bad for me that I was putting in my body.
"Over the last year, with everything that’s happened, there have been a couple of times that I’ve slipped up. That was one of those rare occasions - and of course they got the picture."

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Supermodel TYRA BANKS has testified in a New York court against a man charged with stalking the star, admitting she does not "fear for her life" - just the "safety" of those around her.
Brady Green is currently on trial facing charges he stalked and harassed Banks during a months-long bid to meet and seduce the catwalk beauty-turned-TV talk show host back in 2008.
Green, 38, is accused of sending the 35-year-old flowers, packages and notes, and threatening Banks’ assistant when she refused to reveal the star’s address.
Banks took the stand at Manhattan Criminal Court on Wednesday morning (29Apr09) as the first witness for the prosecution, telling the court how she had to bolster her security team as a result of Green’s actions.
According to TMZ.com, she described him as "more aggressive" than a regular fan, adding, "I don’t fear for my life, I fear for my safety, I fear for my staff and people in my vicinity." Green’s lawyer Sydney O’Hagen defended his client as an "overzealous fan" during a court appearance on 17 April (09), insisting he just wanted to appear on Banks’ talk show.
He added that Banks "presents herself as someone her fans can relate to" and invites those "inspired by her shows to reach out to her".
The trial continues. If convicted, Green faces up to 90 days behind bars.

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KATE WINSLET has hit out at critics who assume she had a privileged childhood - insisting her family was so poor she grew up wearing second-hand shoes.
The Titanic star is adamant her famously well-spoken accent is not an indication of a luxurious upbringing.
And she is insists her parents struggled to make ends meet - taking her on cheap vacations in the south-west of England and giving her 15 cents (10p) a week pocket money.
She tells Britain’s Marie Claire magazine, "People think I’m lying… My dad was very much a struggling actor and spent more of his life as a postman, as a member of a Tarmac firm, as a van driver. He’d sell Christmas trees. Anything. That was my dad.
"We had these dreadful second-hand cars that would always die a death, or we’d go on holiday to Cornwall, come back and it would have been nicked (stolen). It’s like a Joe Orton farce, my family. Honestly, it was hand-me-down shoes and 10p pocket money on a Saturday that didn’t go up until I was 11."

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HUGH JACKMAN rewarded hundreds of fans camping overnight to see him at the world premiere of X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE by surprising them all with breakfast.
Followers in Tempe, Arizona won the chance to host the red carpet extravaganza in their desert city after claiming the most votes in an online poll, which Jackman launched himself.
Throngs of Tempe residents proved their dedication when they lined up outside the Tempe Marketplace on Sunday (26Apr09) - a day before Jackman arrived for the premiere on a Harley Davidson motorcycle.
And the generous actor decided to treat the crowd - by personally placing a call to a local cafe and ordering a breakfast of coffee and pastries for 800 people.
Paradise Bakery’s assistant manager Arianna Arroyo says, "We were so surprised and amazed by the gesture, and I was thinking what a big challenge it would be to get everything done over.
"They were thrilled and really excited because they didn’t expect something like that. People had made posters, were screaming at the media and it was so awesome to see.
"There are a lot of people waiting to just see him and it’s pretty amazing what is happening out there just for one man."

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AMY WINEHOUSE is turning her back on her native England to set up home in the Caribbean, according to a U.K. newspaper The Back To Black hitmaker enjoyed an extended holiday in St. Lucia earlier this year, before returning to London in March (09).
She spent just 33 days back in the capital before heading back to the paradise island.
And Winehouse is keen to call St. Lucia home - she’s looking to buy a property to live there permanently, reports British newspaper The Sun.
A source tells the publication, "Amy is fed up with all the stress and trauma that comes with being in London. She has made so many friends in St. Lucia and says it feels like home. When she returned to the U.K. in March she felt like a total outsider.
"She has her heart set on one house in particular. It is massive, right on the beach and has its own big garden, too."

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Troubled actor LANE GARRISON is a free man - he was released from a California prison early on Wednesday (29Apr09).
The former Prison Break star was locked up in November 2007 for a drink driving incident in December 2006, which left a 17-year-old passenger dead.
He was due to serve 40 months behind bars on charges of vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence after alcohol and traces of cocaine were found in his system, but he won an early release for good behaviour.
Garrison was met by friends and family as he left California Correctional Institute in rural Tehachapi in the early hours of Wednesday.
A source tells Eonline.com, "He’s done his time and now he’s looking forward to trying to move on with his life." According to the website, Garrison will now enroll in a rehabilitation facility to help kick his drug habit and shorten his probation period.
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokesperson Terry Thornton reveals the rehab stint will be a continuation of the treatment he has been receiving in prison.
The rep says, "He was sentenced to three years and four months, but inmates, including Mr. Garrison can earn credits that reduce the time that they spend in prison.
"He received half time - meaning that for every day that he participated in a rehabilitative programme, he got a day off his sentence." Garrison recently settled a civil suit with the family of his victim Vahagn Setian. The details of the deal have not been disclosed to the public.

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R&B star USHER is giving teenage singer JUSTIN BIEBER a helping hand by making the wannabe his protege.
The Yeah! hitmaker met Canadian Bieber by chance last year (08) and he was so impressed by the 15-year-old’s vocals, he set up an audition for the youngster with Def Jam Records boss Antonio ‘L.A.’ Reid.
Bieber, who has gained a strong fanbase after posting videos of himself on YouTube.com, landed a recording contract with Def Jam last October (08) and Usher officially introduced the teen to industry professionals at a Los Angeles bash on Monday (27Apr09).
And Usher has high hopes for the young talent: "(Bieber)’s a young phenomenon. He’s definitely a priority for me and Island Def Jam."

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Pianist/composer YANNI pulled out of a concert in Pennsylvania on Tuesday night (28Apr09) after encountering production issues.
The musician was due to play at the Wachovia Arena in Wilkes-Barre but the show was cancelled due to "unforeseen" problems, according to the venue’s website.
Ticketholders have been advised to contact their point of sale for refunds.

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Former DANITY KANE singer AUBREY O’DAY is set to find love on reality TV - she’s in talks to appear on MTV show A SHOT AT LOVE.
O’Day, who was fired from rap mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ girl band last year (08), is hoping to use the dating programme to launch herself as a solo star and attract interest from record label executives, according to reports.
A source tells PerezHilton.com, "She’s in final negotiations. Aubrey will be singing the theme song and hopes this opportunity will help her launch a solo recording career."

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Renowned Polish pianist KRYSTIAN ZIMMERMAN has vowed never to tour the U.S. again after condemning the country’s government for wanting to "control the whole world" during a gig in Los Angeles on Sunday (26Apr09).
The critically-acclaimed musician announced his show at L.A.’s Walt Disney Concert Hall would be his last in the States, because he is strongly opposed to the country’s military presence abroad.
Before playing the final tune in his set, Zimmerman told the audience, "Get your hands off of my country", according to the Los Angeles Times.
The star also denounced the U.S. detention camp in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, but his comments were met with mixed views - with some crowd members reportedly shouting obscenities back at Zimmerman and walking out of the show.

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