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SCARLETT JOHANSSON is set for a return to the album charts as part of a new duo with singer/songwriter PETE YORN.
The actress, who hit the charts last year (08) with an album full of Tom Waits tunes, recorded tracks for Break Up in 2007 - and now Yorn plans to release the project in September (09).
The cult songwriter tells Billboard.com he hopes to recreate the kind of the working relationship between French stars Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot with the actress.
He says, "I was really into Bonnie & Clyde at the time, by Serge and Brigitte, and I thought, ‘Brigitte… Scarlett! She’s Brigitte!’ It was a really manic thought pattern that was going on. Within 10 minutes, I was texting Scarlett: ‘We have to make a record!’" Yorn reveals he and his new partner are hoping to tour with their new album: "Hopefully we’ll be able to put a couple of events together where we could perform a little bit."

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MOBY is a passionate supporter of U.S. President BARACK OBAMA’s plans to bring about health care reform in America, because he blames the current system for the death of his mother.
The Porcelain hitmaker claims his mother was neglected by health insurance company officials, who insisted it was too expensive to scan her for signs of lung cancer, until the disease had taken hold of her body.
He insists nationalised healthcare, where decisions aren’t made by profit-hungry companies, would have saved his mum.
In a post online, outspoken Moby writes, "In 1996 my mother went to her HMO (health maintenance organisation) complaining about persistent bronchitis and breathing problems.
"(She) had quit smoking, but she had been a heavy, 2 pack a day, smoker for over 30 years.
"The doctor gave her some antibiotics. No X-rays, no tests, just antibiotics. A month later my mother still had persistent respiratory problems. The doctor gave her more antibiotics. No X-rays, no tests. A month later (3 months now) my mother still had persistent respiratory problems.
"Finally her insurance company/HMO allowed her to have X-rays. When they looked at the X-Rays they saw that she had advanced lung cancer. Why didn’t they give tests or xrays to her the first time she came in? A woman who’d been smoking 2 packs a day for over 30 years? Because, according to her insurance company/HMO, the tests and X-rays were too expensive. Six months later my mother was dead from metastasized lung cancer.
"There are millions and millions of stories similar to my mothers. People being denied health care, even when insured, for the simple reason that health care is expensive, and that insurance companies and HMO’s are more profitable when they provide less care.
"America needs healthcare reform. Tens of millions of Americans have no insurance, and the people who do have insurance are routinely denied coverage when they’re ill."

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HAIRSPRAY stars ZAC EFRON and BRITTANY SNOW are set to reteam for a remake of cheesy surf movie GIDGET, according to new industry reports.
Miley Cyrus is on board as waverider Gidget in the project, with Efron slated to play her love interest, according to MovieHole.net.
Sandra Dee originated the role of Gidget in Paul Wendkos’s 1959 original and Sally Field took over the role of Gidget in a short-lived TV series.

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Investigators have raided the Las Vegas home of MICHAEL JACKSON’s personal doctor CONRAD MURRAY, a week after Los Angeles District Attorney officials confirmed they’re considering a manslaughter charge against the medic.
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents showed up at Murray’s home on Tuesday morning (28Jul09) and executed a search warrant as armed cops stood guard outside the property. The road was closed to traffic and squad cars lined the street as the search was conducted.
RadarOnline.com reports Murray’s Las Vegas property has been under covert surveillance by Los Angeles and Las Vegas police for 48 hours.
On Monday (27Jul09), sources close to the investigation surrounding the King of Pop’s death suggested Dr. Murray administered the drug which killed the singer last month (25Jun09).
A law enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation told reporters Jackson regularly received the anaesthetic Propofol in an effort to sleep, adding Dr. Murray administered the powerful drug on the last night of the 50-year-old’s life (24Jun09).
Murray was with Jackson when he died on 25 June and the doctor reportedly administered CPR on the star before the paramedics were called to the singer’s Hollywood mansion.
Police in Texas have already raided a storage facility owned by Murray in Houston. The authorities were looking for "items constituting evidence of the offence of manslaughter".
The move comes just a day after Murray’s attorney Ed Chernoff asked the media to stop speculating over his client’s involvement in the admistration of Propofol to Jackson.
In a statement issued on Monday (27Jul09), Chernoff said, "It’s a waste of time responding to all these timed ‘leaks’ from ‘anonymous’ sources. I feel like a horse swatting flies. Everyone needs to take a breath and wait for these long delayed toxicology results. I have no doubt they want to make a case - for goodness sake, it’s Michael Jackson! But things tend to shake out when all the facts are made known, and I’m sure that will happen here as well." Toxicology reports carried out on Jackson’s body during an autopsy on 26 June (09) are expected to be released this week (ends31Jul09).

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MERYL STREEP gave American TV viewers a late night laugh on Monday (27Jul09) when she attempted to show off her musical skills with an original song - on a concertina she "can’t play".
The star, who turned 60 last month (22Jun09), brought the accordion-like instrument with her during her appearance on Conan O’Brien’s The Tonight Show - just days after a friend gave her the music box as a gift.
And Streep admits she has enjoyed irritating her husband, sculptor Don Gummer, with her attempts to master the instrument - after he gave her a toaster as a birthday present.
She laughed, "He gave me a toaster. He likes his toast. And I got this from my friend Joe Grifasi, who’s an actor, who enjoys driving my husband crazy. This is a concertina. I call it ‘Tina. I got it Wednesday (22Jul09). I’ve picked it up pretty fast.
"It’s sort of amazing, it sounds like breathing and I already wrote a song. You know the greek myth about the sirens - the greek women who lure the sailors onto the rocks? This is called Siren Song." Struggling to play the two-note tune, she laughed, "I’m sorry, it’s a beautiful thing. Too bad I can’t play it!"

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Australia’s top MICHAEL JACKSON impersonator has become a hot ticket Down Under as a promoter hopes to book him for a monthly residency at a replica Neverland Ranch in the Southern Highlands.
Promoter Stephen Prince has turned his sprawling estate into Foreverland in tribute to the late King of Pop and he has offered 35-year-old Jason Jackson one of the world’s most lucrative contracts for a mimic to perform there as the superstar once a month.
Jason Jackson’s King of Pop tribute show has become one of the most popular revues Down Under, and Prince expects the Foreverland showcase to be a hot ticket.
He tells the Macarthur Chronicle newspaper, "I certainly will speak to Jason privately regarding being an ambassador for Foreverland. Now that Michael has passed, all my time and health are going into this project."

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MERYL STREEP had to prove she was sexy to director SYDNEY POLLACK before she landed a role in Oscar-winning film OUT OF AFRICA - so she stuffed her bra.
The award-winning actress was in her mid-30’s when she starred opposite Robert Redford in the 1985 love story, based on a Danish author’s memoir of her life in Kenya.
Streep admits she was desperate to land the part and devised a plan to entice the director after discovering he had dubbed her undesirable.
She says, "I did this thing once when I was auditioning for Out of Africa because I had done some movies but I wasn’t famous enough to get this big part. The director at of the film, Sydney Pollack, let it be known to my agent at the time he didn’t think I was sexy enough to play Isak Dinesen, the Danish writer who was like 50 when she published her first book. So I went and got a sweet little dress at my local (discount retailer) K-Mart. It went off the shoulders, and I took a lot of paper towels and I stuffed my bra, so it would mound up. Yeah (it worked) I got the part.

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JESSICA SIMPSON has reassured fans she’s getting over her split from boyfriend TONY ROMO, insisting she’s doing "good".
The singer/actress was reportedly left devastated after she was dumped by the American footballer on the eve of her 29th birthday earlier this month (09Jul09).
But the star is putting the failed romance behind her by spending quality time with her family.
When quizzed by reporters in Hollywood on Monday (27Jul09), where she was attending an event held by her manager father Joe Simpson, the blonde beauty told Usmagazine.com she was feeling "good".
She also posted a note on her Twitter.com blog, saying, "Just left my dad’s new artist An-Ya’s single release celebration with my family. Good luck sweetheart! You are a doll."

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Rocker ROB THOMAS has confessed to "ripping off" his favourite INXS song as he starts work on his contribution to a tribute album to the Aussie band.
The Matchbox Twenty frontman is in Sydney recording vocals for the band’s anthem Never Tear Us Apart, and has told the group his new song Give Me The Meltdown features "a complete rip-off" of the guitar riff from INXS’ Need You Tonight.
He tells the Sydney Daily Telegraph, "When I got on the phone from New York to talk to them (INXS) about their record, I told them right up front, ‘I want to say that I hope you guys don’t mind, I completely tried to rip you off.’"

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LONE STAR’s AMAZED and AEROSMITH anthem I DON’T WANT TO MISS A THING have topped a new U.K. list of wedding songs.
Amazed was chosen as U.K. newlyweds’ top choice for a first dance tune, according to royalty collectors PRS For Music.
Diane Warren power ballad I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing came in second and From This Moment On by Shania Twain rounded out the top three.
Bryan Adams’ Everything I Do (I Do It For You) and Take That’s Rule The World also made the top five.
Warren has recently confessed her Armageddon soundtrack tune, which became a massive hit for Aerosmith, was inspired by Barbra Streisand’s husband James Brolin.
Warren recently told the Wilkes Barre Times-Leader, "I heard something that James Brolin said about Barbra Streisand - that he didn’t want to go to sleep because he’d miss her. I kept that idea in my mind."

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Bachelor party comedy THE HANGOVER is to be remade as a Bollywood blockbuster.
Annes Bazmee will direct the film, which is expected to go before cameras early next year (10).
Abhishek Bachchan, Katrina Kaif and Sanjay Dutt will star in the remake, which will be set in India and feature Hindustani dialogue.

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Newlyweds CHANNING TATUM and JENNA DEWAN are building a romantic hideaway on an Alabama ranch owned by the actor’s uncle.
Tatum loves to escape to his home state when his schedule allows, so his Uncle Bruce has set aside a pondside space on his Wetumpka estate for the couple to seek solace from their hectic Hollywood lifestyle - and he’s constructing a cabin for the pair, as a wedding gift to mark their recent nuptials.
Bruce reveals to GQ magazine, "(It’s) just (big) enough for him and Jenna to come and relax, and for Jenna’s folks to visit.
"Ain’t nobody gonna mess with nobody up here."

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Actress LUCY LAWLESS is fretting over a merkin to hide her modesty in upcoming TV mini-series SPARTACUS.
The Xena: Warrior Princess star was offered a pubic wig for her first full-frontal nude scenes - but, with one co-star keen to display all onscreen, she admits the pressure’s on to go au naturale.
She says, "I haven’t worn it yet… I was like ‘have you got a red one?’ We have one just in case.
"We have one person in the cast who insists on being naked… I think that person thinks it will surprise the person they’re acting opposite." Lawless plays Lucretia in the period epic, which will hit U.S. TV screens early next year (10), and performs her first full-on sex scenes with British actor John Hannah, who she insists was the perfect co-star.
She tells EW.com, "I couldn’t have had a better partner… You have to make the unsexy look incredibly sexy." But the actress insists the sex scenes were anything but pleasant: "It’s the first time I had to do a sex scene; I try to think of myself as a modern woman but, honestly, I went home and had to go straight to bed. It was so stressful." And she insists Spartacus will be a must-watch for lusty women as the newcomer, Andy Whitfield, has a terrific body, which he shows off in the mini-series.
She adds, "There’s full frontal male nudity. You see plenty, trust me. I’m a little traumatised."

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Comedian JOAN RIVERS turned the air blue during a live U.S. TV interview on Tuesday morning (28Jul09) when she swore at a presenter for cracking a joke about her daughter.
The 76 year old appeared on Good Day Sacramento to promote her new show How’d You Get So Rich?, but the funnywoman wasn’t laughing when one interviewer made a quip at her 41-year-old TV presenter daughter Melissa’s expense.
The male TV host asked Rivers, "Ever run up to someone and say, ‘Hey, how did you get so rich?’ and the woman replied, ‘By riding on my mum’s coat tails!’" Rivers snapped and cut short the interview - but not before scolding the presenter and dropping the ‘F’ word.
She snarled, "I don’t think so. And I think we’re gonna end the interview right now. Don’t get so f**king smart." Rivers’ microphone was immediately cut off and the reporter’s co-hosts were left to apologise to viewers for the foul language.
Melissa Rivers has carved out a career for herself as a TV personality and an actress, with small roles in now defunct TV shows like Beverly Hills, 90210 and The L Word.
The mother and daughter duo also appeared together on Donald Trump’s reality show Celebrity Apprentice earlier this year (09) and once prowled the red carpet at big awards shows for U.S. TV specials.
It’s not the first time Rivers’ language has caused controversy on live TV - last year (Jun08) she swore on British daytime talk show Loose Women during a chat about a red carpet encounter with Russell Crowe.
She called the actor "f**king s**t", prompting the flustered presenters to apologise for Rivers’ foul language. The comedienne issued an apology for her expletives - but then revoked it, insisting the British public had overreacted.

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American musical theatre star LOIS HUNT has died due to complications from open-heart surgery. She was 84.
Hunt began her career winning over audiences with her soprano voice as the star of several productions for the Metropolitan Opera. In 1953, she appeared as Adele in the Met’s televised production of Die Fledermaus, the first of the opera house’s productions broadcast on TV.
She became well-known for her decades-long partnership with actor/singer Earl Wrightson. The pair, who enjoyed a romantic relationship until his death in 1993, performed together throughout the 1950s in concert, nightclubs and on TV.
In 1979, Hunt embarked upon her last tour with Wrightson, called the Sound of Music, but continued to perform occasionally after taking up teaching.
Hunt is survived by her son, Jeffrey.

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LIL WAYNE’s fans are facing a long wait for the rapper’s experimental rock album REBIRTH - the disc has been pushed back yet again.
The Lollipop hitmaker was initially due to deliver the project in May (09), but it was held up by issues with sample clearances.
The album was given four further tentative release dates throughout this summer (09), until record label bosses announced it would hit store shelves in September (09).
However, Rebirth has now been bumped until the winter and executives at his label Cash Money Records are blaming Wayne’s busy work schedule for the delay.
A Cash Money Records representative says, "It’s not going to be ’til the end of the year. We’re talking about holiday (season).
"He’s just been really hectic, not having time to promote it the way we’d like to promote it." The Grammy-winning rapper kicked off his latest U.S. tour, the Young Money Presents: The America’s Most Wanted Music Festival, in Pennsylvania on Monday (27Jul09).

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MACHINE HEAD rocker PHIL DEMMEL is convinced one of the band’s songs, and not his medical condition, caused him to pass out onstage in Finland on Saturday (25Jul09).
The incident, his fourth concert collapse in less than a year, has been blamed on cardiogenic syncope, which prevents enough oxygen reaching his brain.
Demmel admits he suffers the condition, but instead claims the fainting was the result of exhaustion and over exertion during his rendition of the track Halo.
The guitarist insists, "Saturday’s episode was different than the previous. I felt it before we went on and probably should’ve gotten oxygen before Halo. Three of the four (onstage) collapses have happened during that song.
"This run has been the most gruelling travelling that we’ve done in a looooong time and I’m fairly confident that my condition had nothing to do with this (most recent collapse)." Demmel recovered in time to perform in Denmark on Monday (27Jul09) night, and resume the band’s tour.

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BLUR frontman DAMON ALBARN has closed the door on a full scale reunion, revealing he and bandmates never healed the problems that caused their original split.
The group reunited in December (08) after a six-year break and performed a string of gigs ending at Scotland’s T in the Park festival earlier this month (Jul09).
Fans had hoped the Britpop stars would follow the tour with an album, but Albarn insists if they stayed together, the problems that caused them to split in the first place "would rear their head".
He tells Q magazine, "I think this is beautiful, what we’ve done, and I don’t want to ruin it."

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