PR-Inside.com Entertainment News

MADONNA credits her "normal childhood" for not falling victim to superstardom like MICHAEL JACKSON - insisting having such a credible career so young was "unearthly".
The Material Girl superstar told the world of her grief after hearing of the Thriller hitmaker’s death last week (25Jun09), confessing to fans she couldn’t stop crying in the hours following his passing.
The tragic demise of her most famous contemporary came as an extra shock as she was putting plans in motion to make a special appearance at Jackson’s London comeback gigs.
But the star will never have the chance to perform with Jackson - admitting it is a devastating blow as she has always looked up to him.
She tells Britain’s The Sun newspaper, "I am so terribly sad about Michael Jackson’s death. I don’t know what artist wasn’t inspired by him.
"To be able to do what he did at such an early age was unearthly, everybody grew up in awe of him." Madonna looks back on her short-lived friendship with Jackson in the early 90s with fondness - insisting she loved to "pick his brains" about his musical talents.
She explains, "To work with him and become friends and hang out with him, was exciting for me. I used to love picking his brains about musical stuff." And Madonna recognises she became a completely different person to Jackson despite similarities in their phenomenal success - blaming his tireless entertaining schedule when he was just a child.
She adds, "Obviously we have very different personalities - he was a lot more shy than I am. That’s because I was allowed to have a normal childhood and he wasn’t, so there was a vulnerable side to him that made you want to take care of him and protect him." However, Madonna insists she will always remember both sides of Jackson - admitting the star completely changed when he stepped off stage.
She says, "He was a real paradox, one of the world’s greatest performers and obviously very confident on stage, but in real life he was shy and you really felt for him. " Madonna will pay tribute to Jackson with by involving a Jackson lookalike in her Sticky & Sweet tour when it returns to London’s O2 Arena on Saturday (04Jul09).

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

Hollywood heart-throb ZAC EFRON has cut off his trademark locks in a bid to land more serious acting roles.
The High School Musical star is keen to shed his teen idol image, and wants to move away from the clean-cut movie parts that made him famous.
And the formerly floppy-haired hunk is slowly snipping away at his pretty boy reputation - after showing up on the set of his new movie with a shorter, sleeker crop.
The image overhaul may have something to do with Efron’s forthcoming big screen venture - he is set to star in a "sexy thriller" from the writer of The Thomas Crown Affair.

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

MADONNA misses living in London - and regularly flies back to the U.K. so her adopted daughter MERCY can experience life in Britain.
The star fled to New York following her divorce from second husband Guy Ritchie last year (08).
She tries to split her time between the Big Apple and the British capital but has recently spent much time at her New York residence.
However, since winning her appeal to adopt Malawian tot Mercy James, four, in May (09) the superstar singer has been trying to spend as much time in the U.K. as possible, insisting she still considers London her home.
She insists the regular visits to the city are good for her youngest child - because many of her London-based friends have children of similar ages to Mercy.
She tells Britain’s The Sun newspaper, "A lot of my girlfriends here have kids so she (Mercy) has playdates every day.
"I still think of this as my home. I really miss my house here when I’m away. I love being here. I’ve missed my friends and it’s nice to drive on the wrong side of the road again." And the Material Girl insists Mercy has fitted right in with the rest of her brood - Lourdes, 12, Rocco, eight, and fellow adopted Malawian David, three.
She adds, "She fits right in with her brothers and sister."

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

Organisers of MICHAEL JACKSON’s Los Angeles memorial service have insisted British fans can register for tickets to the event after they were bombarded by complaints from U.K. devotees who believed they had been locked out of the online ballot.
Fans were told during a press conference on Friday morning they could register for free tickets to next week’s (07Jul09) tribute, and hysteria ensued as 120,000 followers visited the official website in the first 90 minutes tickets were available.
As more than 500 million people vied for just 17,500 tickets, the site briefly crashed several times as it tried to cope with the unprecedented demand for access.
During the mayhem, rumours began to circulate that only U.S. residents would be able to join in the tribute, as British fans struggled to get online.
The Staples Center bosses were hit with thousands of complaints as outrage mounted in the U.K.
But a spokesperson for the organisers insist British citizens have as much of a chance as Americans to land the prized tickets.
The rep says, "British fans can register for the memorial." Meanwhile, police chiefs have confirmed they are putting together a huge squad to try and cope with the 700,000 people they expect to descend on L.A. as the tribute takes place.

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

A former doctor and close confident of MICHAEL JACKSON has denied he recently provided the late star with medication - as it emerges he wrote fake prescriptions for the star’s sister JANET JACKSON.
Dr. Allen Metzger was Jackson’s personal medic on his 1996 HIStory tour, and even filmed the star’s nuptials to first wife Debbie Rowe.
But as America’s Drug Enforcement Administration help the Los Angeles cops hunt down doctors who could have abused their position to help provide the Thriller hitmaker with prescriptions, Metzger’s history of providing the superstar clan with drugs in fictitious names has come to light.
Speaking to TMZ.com, the physician admits he wrote a prescription for Janet Jackson in the name of her then chef Ricardo Macchi. The medication was for diuretics - used to help the patient pass water.
He also confesses to writing a prescription - in Macchi’s name again - for a Hepatitis B injection for the Nasty singer, but insists it was a precautionary measure and the singer didn’t have the virus at the time.
But Metzger soon came under scrutiny - when Macchi sued him over the fictitious notes, the doctor received a strongly-worded reprimand from the U.S. Medical Board in 2000 accusing him of "fraudulent medical practise" involving an "international entertainer".
Metzger is adamant he used Macchi’s name to save Janet Jackson any embarrassment: "I had done this for Janet for her anonymity." And the doctor has vehemently denied he was medically involved with Michael Jackson in recent years - but refuses to confirm if he provided the star with prescription drugs during his time as his personal physician.
He tells TMZ.com, "I am not at liberty to discuss Michael’s medical care. I have not treated him for ages. I have not treated Michael Jackson for many years.
"I have nothing to do with this tragedy with Michael. I have not prescribed any medication in relation to what happened to him."

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

TOM CRUISE celebrated his 47th birthday with a sports game - in his ex-wife NICOLE KIDMAN’s native country Australia.
The actor swapped a Hollywood birthday bash in favour of some quality time with his third wife Katie Holmes and daughter Suri Down Under as he turned 47 on Friday (03Jul09).
Cruise caught an AFL match - Aussie rules football - from a private box before heading off for a quiet family meal in Melbourne.
The star became a huge fan of the game when he split his time between America and Australia during his ten-year marriage to Kidman.
And it looks as though Cruise will be spending a lot more time in his ex-wife’s country - current partner Holmes is filming her next movie, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, in Melbourne.

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

EMMA WATSON is set to break the heart of her HARRY POTTER co-star RUPERT GRINT - after admitting she was "desperate" to get the pair’s on-screen kiss out of the way.
The Brit actress, who plays swot Hermione Granger in the wizard franchise, locks lips with Grint - Ron Weasley - in the forthcoming instalment, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
But Watson admits the scene was anything but sexy - insisting she couldn’t wait to get the smooch over and done with.
She tells British chatshow host Jonathan Ross, "I pounced on him, I was so desperate to get it over with." The comment will come as a devastating blow to Grint, after he admitted he and fellow co-star Daniel Radcliffe have competed for Watson’s affections since they started filming the movie aged 11.
He told FHM magazine, "Emma’s a pretty girl. Have Daniel or I ever hit on Emma? Well, she’s quite popular with the cast. As for who has the worst crush on her - me or Radcliffe - I’d rather not say."

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

MICHAEL JACKSON’s first home in Gary, Indiana has become the latest memorial site for the late pop superstar.
The house at 2300 Jackson Street in the city became a shrine on Thursday (02Jul09) as hometown fans marked the one week anniversary of the King of Pop’s death by posting signs, teddy bears, messages and flowers at the site.
Even city Mayor Rudy Clay made a visit, speaking to local reporters under the Jackson Street sign.
He said, "We have truly lost the world’s greatest entertainer. Gary has truly lost a legend." Clay is spearheading a campaign to launch a Jackson family museum in Gary, and met with the King of Pop’s brothers Marlon and Tito in May (09) to discuss ongoing plans.
Police has blocked off the street leading to Jackson’s childhood home, fearing the area could become a traffic nightmare over the Independence Day weekend.
City officials are in talks with the Jackson family in the hope of securing an officially-sanctioned memorial for the late star next week (begs06Jun09).

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

Music mogul RICHARD BRANSON has opened up his hotel in the Atlas Mountains for top secret world leaders group The Elders - and group member PETER GABRIEL insists the cool air helped him and other great minds solve a host of global issues.
Branson’s Moroccan hotel, Kasbah Tamadot, hosted last month’s Elders meeting and the rocker insists the chill in the air and the beautiful location helped him and great thinkers including Desmond Tutu and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter get creative.
He says, "I have a theory about cool air in that it is quite useful for brain activity - computers run faster when they’re cold, and I think our brains do as well.
"I remember when we spent time in Senegal, I would sit sometimes in the heat, which was so intense, I would have a towel on my head, fill it with ice… I would freeze the towel. It wasn’t truly effective.
"That was when I started to think about heat and creativity and productivity." Gabriel insists the latest Elders summit was a great success as world leaders and great thinkers came together to discuss religion and its part in suppressing women’s rights.
The former Genesis star is so convinced The Elders is a worthwhile idea, he plans to donate the $126,000 (£84,000) he’ll receive next month (Aug09) when he is awarded the 2009 Polar Music Prize in Sweden.
Gabriel helped establish The Elders with Branson to solve global problems.

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

COURTNEY LOVE is slipping back into her rock ‘n’ roll ways - she reportedly trashed a hotel room in a matter of hours.
The former Hole singer descended on New York with her daughter by late rocker Kurt Cobain - Frances Bean - and stayed in swanky hotel The Inn on Irving Place.
But playing mum seemingly didn’t stop Love from expressing her wild side - after she caused more than $5,000 (£3,300) worth of damage in her suite, according to New York Post gossip column PageSix.
The publication reports the former drug addict littered her room with various items including female hygiene products, as well as flooding the room.
A source tells PageSix, "She caused so much damage in eight hours and wreaked so much havoc. It was actually kind of funny… minus the $5,000 in repairs."

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

Rockers DEEP PURPLE have been fined for playing their own songs in Russia.
A local court has handed down the fine after Ian Gillan, Ian Paice and Roger Glover failed to clear rights to their tunes in Russia before a concert in Rostov-on-Don last year (Oct08).
According to the court’s ruling, the musicians should have obtained a license from the Russian Authors’ Society, known as NGO, before the public performance.
NGO represents the rights of foreign performers in Russia.
For every ‘unlicensed’ song, the court imposed a penalty of 30,000 roubles ($1,000/GBP666) on the organisers of the concert, according to RussiaToday.com.

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

ABBA masterminds BENNY ANDERSSON and BJORN ULVAEUS are to stage a huge summer concert filled with the superstar band’s biggest hits.
Rumours circulated earlier this week (begs29Jun09) that Abba - including all four members - would come out of retirement to take over Michael Jackson’s comeback dates at London’s O2 Arena.
O2 boss David Campbell hinted, "There’s a little foursome out in Sweden we keep talking to." However, Andersson soon put the reports to rest during an interview on Jonathan Ross’ U.K. chatshow: "No-one’s asked us, and if they did we wouldn’t say yes." But the songwriting legend, the man whose music is featured in mega-hit movie Mamma Mia!, has confirmed Abba fans will be able to enjoy the band’s songs once more - at a mammoth date in London’s Hyde Park.
The one-off spectacular, entitled Thank You For The Music… A Celebration Of The Music Of Abba, will feature a selection of guest vocalists to sing lyrics initially performed by Abba’s female duo Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Agnetha Faltskog.
In a joint statement, Andersson and Ulvaeus say, "This must be the greatest honour that can be bestowed on any songwriter." The gig will be held on 13 September (09).

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

TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN} star ISABEL LUCAS is a closet Crocodile Dundee - she learned how to survive in Australia’s outback from her Aborigine best friend.
The sexy actress, who plays an alien in the new blockbuster, lived among the native Aussies in Kakadu as a child, and she learned all about the land and how to live miles away from civilisation.
Lucas tells Details magazine, "My best friend was Aboriginal. She taught me about ‘bush tucker’ - the food of the land, the different things you could eat if you got lost in the bush, like grasses and berries."

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

Bad-boy Brit actor DANNY DYER has been caught on camera snorting a mystery white substance on a boozy night out.
Britain’s The Sun has published shocking images of the Football Factory star seemingly indulging in a line of white powder while enjoying a wild night with pals at a bar in Kent, England.
The footage, caught on CCTV in the club’s outside area, shows Dyer scooping powder from a packet held by a pal, while he nonchalantly snorts it up his nose.
The alleged drug-taking will outrage anti-narcotics groups as Dyer is a role model to young men in the U.K.
Dyer has admitted using cocaine in the past, telling a British magazine how he often takes the drug with fans while on nights out.

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

MADONNA has upset dignitaries in St. Petersburg, Russia by using foul language to promote an upcoming show in the city.
The pop superstar proclaimed the Russian for "It’s f**king great" at the beginning of an online audio teaser for her Sticky and Sweet concert in Palace Square on 2 August (09).
Reports suggest members of the legislative assembly in St. Petersburg have addressed Governor Valentina Matvienko, with a proposal to sue Madonna for her comments.
It’s not the first time Madonna’s Palace Square show has come under fire - many city officials fear the concert could offend the moral and religious sensibilities of the citizens of St. Petersburg.
Mikhail Piotrovsky, the head of the city’s Heritage Museum, has urged the pop star not to swear during the show.

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

MICHAEL JACKSON’s longtime costumers, DENNIS TOMPKINS and MICHAEL BUSH, will design the suit the King of Pop will be buried in.
The Los Angeles-based designers, who have worked with Jackson for the last 20 years, had been creating costumes for the late pop star’s This Is It comeback concerts in London.
A private family funeral will be held on Tuesday morning (07Jul09) in Los Angeles before a public memorial at the Staples Center.
Reports suggest Jackson will be laid to rest in a replica of James Brown’s bronze casket at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills, where his grandmother was buried in 1990.
Other stars whose final resting place is at Forest Lawn include Lucille Ball, Bette Davis and Liberace.

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

Actress MISCHA BARTON was reprimanded in a London nightclub toilet after trying to bundle a pal into a cubicle with her.
The former The O.C. star and a girlfriend were stopped from sharing a cubicle at Whisky Mist club in Mayfair during a recent night out by a toilet attendant.
A bystander tells Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper, "Mischa looked like she was having a good night. After sitting with a few pals at her VIP table she dragged her friend Bridget into the loos.
"They tried to go into the toilet cubicle together but they were stopped by the toilet attendant. The lady said to her, ‘What are you doing? You are not allowed to go in together, you have to come out now.’ "Mischa looked really p**sed off and embarrassed." Barton then entered another cubicle alone - and spend several minutes inside in silence, prompting the attendant to ask if she was OK.
A loo user adds, "She took so long to emerge that everyone was worried about her. At one point the toilet attendant had to knock on her door twice to ask if she was alright. Then her mate was knocking to check she was feeling OK.
"When she came out of the cubicle, she was complaining about people knocking on the door."

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

MICHAEL JACKSON’s personal physician has chosen not to attend the singer’s memorial service next week (07Jul09) - because he fears his presence will be too much for grieving fans and family members.
Dr. Conrad Murray was by Jackson’s bedside when the King of Pop died on 25 June (09); he conducted CPR on the singer after finding him unconscious at his rented home in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles.
Police have questioned Murray about his treatment of Jackson.
The doctor has decided not to be a part of next week’s tributes, stating he’ll be "mourning in private".
His spokeswoman, Miranda Sevcik, tells People.com, "He (Murray) is in seclusion, not speaking even with family and friends, and won’t attend the singer’s memorial next week.
"He feels his presence would remind people of Michael Jackson’s death, and the doctor would prefer that people remember his friend as he was in life." Murray has declined to comment publicly on his care of Jackson, pending the outcome of toxicology tests.
Sevcik adds, "He is completely off the radar until the toxicology results are revealed."

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