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MEL GIBSON credits his MAD MAX movies with spawning BILLY IDOL and DURAN = DURAN’s road warrior 1980s look.
He insists the low-budget George Miller films inspired pop videos and f= ilms.
The actor/director tells the Los Angeles Times, "Look at all the films = that came from it, that took from it. Waterworld was Road Warrior on wate= r and there have been a dozen others.
"And look at the music in the 1980s, Billy Idol and Duran Duran, they a= ll took this look… The Mohawks, the black leather and studs, all the bo= ndage stuff." Gibson still smiles when he recalls how basic the set was: "I lived in = a miner’s cottage while we were making it. It was made of cement. It had = a bedroom and a kitchen and an outside bathroom. We were in the middle of= Broken Hill and it’s just bleak desert.
"George managed to make it look mythic. It was real low-tech. We made i= t for dozens and dozens of dollars."

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Author SALMAN RUSHDIE’s ex-wife PADMA LAKSHMI was recently hospitalised a= fter experiencing complications with her pregnancy.
The Indian-born TV chef, 39, announced she was expecting her first chil= d in October (09), branding the pregnancy a "medical miracle" after years= of struggling with endometriosis, in which the lining of the uterus grow= s in other areas of the body.
Studies show that 20 per cent of women who suffer from endometriosis an= d are trying to conceive will not succeed.
Lakshmi was admitted to a New York hospital earlier this month (Jan10) = and spent five days under doctors’ care after a baby scare, according to = the New York Post’s gossip column PageSix.
Details of Lakshmi’s medical problem are unknown, but a source tells th= e publication, "The baby was in serious danger." The former model is now recovering at home with her close friend, talen= t agency boss Teddy Forstmann, as she nears her February (10) due date.
The insider adds, "Teddy has been by her side the whole time. He has be= en incredibly wonderful and supportive." Lakshmi has refused to name the father of her baby, but new reports sug= gest he’s venture capitalist and Columbia Business School teacher Michael= Dell.
Lakshmi’s publicist had not responded to requests for a comment as WENN= went to press.

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Actress GAIL O’GRADY has obtained a temporary restraining order against a= n alleged stalker.
In legal papers filed in Los Angeles on Friday (29Jan10), the former NY= PD Blue star claims Steven Church has been bombarding her with phone call= s and text messages after she refused his alleged advances, which date ba= ck to September 2009.
O’Grady claims he also repeatedly showed up at a store she owns and was= even spotted outside her five-year-old son’s school, according to TMZ.co= m.
Church also left gifts for her son at her house.
The actress called in a private investigator to help her make a case fo= r a restraining order and now Church has been told he must stay at least = 100 yards away from O’Grady and her son at least until a hearing on 18 Fe= bruary (10), when the star hopes to make the order permanent. (KL/WNWCZM/=

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ROLLING STONES star RONNIE WOOD has checked himself into a rehabilitation= centre in London in a bid to kick his alcohol problems, according to rep= orts.
It will be the 62-year-old rocker’s eighth stint in rehab, Britain’s Da= ily Mail newspaper reports.
Wood last sought professional treatment for his boozing in July 2008, s= hortly after he walked out on his wife of 23 years, Jo, to be with his th= en-lover, young Russian waitress Ekaterina Ivanova.
His latest rehab stint comes a month after he was cautioned by British = police following a violent altercation with now-ex Ivanova.
The troubled star was arrested in December (09) after allegedly choking= his 21-year-old lover during a heated 30-minute argument outside a resta= urant in Surrey, England.
The subsequent split from Ivanova reportedly sent Wood over the edge - = and back to rehab.
A source tells the Mail, "Ronnie has been in a bad state of mind since = his split with Katia. They were in a terrible relationship, but since the= ir break-up he has not been himself. He has been lonely and drinking… J= o and the entire family are just happy that he is seeking help again." The tabloid report suggests Wood’s bandmate Sir Mick Jagger had also ad= vised the guitarist to get help with his drinking.
A close pal tells the publication, "Mick has always been helpful and su= pportive of Ronnie when he gets in trouble and falls off the wagon (start= s drinking).
"The news (that) Ronnie’s decided to go into rehab is really pleasing f= or Mick. He has always urged him to get help when he’s had his problems -= and this case was no different. Mick’s just delighted he’s taken heed an= d is trying to get himself straight." A representative for the Rolling Stones had yet to respond to requests = for a comment as WENN went to press.

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KANYE WEST has had battery charges relating to a 2008 bust-up with photog= raphers dropped after completing his court-ordered community service.
The Stronger hitmaker and his manager, Don Crowley, were charged with v= andalism, battery and grand theft after smashing camera equipment belongi= ng to two snappers at Los Angeles International Airport on 11 September, = 2008.
In October (09), a Los Angeles judge agreed to have the case dismissed = on the condition that West and Crowley each performed 50 hours of communi= ty service. The pair also agreed to take an anger management class.
West’s lawyer, Blair Berk, and Crowley’s attorney, Shawn Chapman Holley= , returned to court on Friday (29Jan10) to show proof of their clients’ c= ommunity work for the Red Cross and the case was dismissed, reports TMZ.c= om.

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JOHN TRAVOLTA struggled through his mercy mission to Haiti this week (25J= an10) because he was left heartbroken by the extent of the damage caused = by the devastating earthquake.
The Pulp Fiction star, a licensed pilot, landed a plane in the Caribbea= n nation on Monday (25Jan10) to personally deliver food and medical suppl= ies to the survivors of the 12 January (10) quake.
The actor admits the trip was tough on him emotionally, especially afte= r meeting one seven-year-old boy who had lost his entire family in the di= saster.
Travolta tells Usmagazine.com, "He was walking with a limp because he h= ad been hurt.
"All he wanted to do was see the inside of our plane. We took him throu= gh and gave him treats and all that stuff. To think that he doesn’t have = a family now is pretty rough." But Travolta, who flew to Haiti with his wife Kelly Preston, is happy t= he goods he transported to the disaster zone have all been put to use.
He says, "Everything we brought down, we actually are certain they used= because we got a report from our personal doctors. We basically shopped = for it, brought it down and then gave them what they needed." Preston adds, "They’re using (the supplies) in the hospitals now. They’= re able to perform surgeries … It’s wonderful." Monday’s mission was the second relief trip Travolta had organised for = Haiti - the actor dug deep to arrange for a plane to carry volunteers to = the country just days after the tremors rocked the nation. (MT/WNWCUW/JMA=

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MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY has gone public with his baby girl, posting a photo o= f little VIDA on his website.
The baby was born on 3 January (10) and the actor and his girlfriend Ca= mila Alves have been careful to keep their new baby girl out of the publi= c’s eye - until now.
Accompanying the black and white hospital bed snap of mum, dad and baby= , McConaughey writes, "Here’s a pic of our latest family member Vida Alve= s McConaughey. Thanks for all your well wishes our way, the future’s look= in bright, just keep livin (sic)." McConaughey and TV presenter Alves also have a toddler, called Levi. (K=

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COURTNEY LOVE models her career on her late husband KURT COBAIN’s former = NIRVANA bandmate DAVE GROHL.
Love is preparing to make a comeback in February (10) as she embarks on= a European tour with Hole, after recruiting a new band line-up and a new= manager.
And she admits she looks towards Foo Fighters star Grohl as a model of = success.
She tells Britain’s NME magazine, "I look around and I look at (Dave) G= rohl. He’s clean, his businesses are clean, he’s clean, there’s nothing c= orrupted, it’s just… clean. I wish I had his lawyer but I don’t.
"At the same time I feel like we have that kind of manager now that wil= l keep things clean and who gives a s**t. It’s always about betting on me= .. You can’t just take me on because there’s someone who’s deceased (Cobai= n) and they make money. You have to take us on because you believe in us = first…
"We have a great manager now and I feel we’ve landed on a nice island a= nd we’ve gotten to the shore."

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Gay rights activists are campaigning for Grammy bosses to denounce jailed= reggae singer BUJU BANTON - insisting he has "promoted the murder of gay= people throughout his career".
The 36 year old is nominated in the category for Best Reggae Album for = Rasta Got Soul at Sunday’s (31Jan10) ceremony - but will miss the Hollywo= od event following his drug bust in Florida in December (09).
But Banton’s absence from the biggest night in the music industry hasn’= t stopped gay rights campaigners from taking aim at the embattled star an= d his lyrics in controversial songs like 1988’s Boom, Bye Bye, which prom= otes the murder of homosexuals.
Members at the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and the Los = Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center took out a full page ad in trade paper Dai= ly Variety on Friday (29Jan10), urging organisers of the televised ceremo= ny to denounce music "that promotes or celebrates violence against any gr= oup of people".
In the advert, which appears in the form of a letter signed by more tha= n 20 gay, civil rights and anti-violence groups, they claim that honourin= g "an artist such as Buju Banton honours his extraordinary hateful work".
Banton is not the first artist to have faced protests from gay rights g= roups at the Grammy Awards. In 2001, rapper Eminem was the activists’ pri= me target.
The reggae singer is currently being held behind bars in Tampa, Florida= as he awaits a March (10) trial to fight a charge of conspiring to buy m= ore than five kilograms of cocaine from an undercover officer in Sarasota= in December (09).
He has pleaded not guilty to the allegations.

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COURTNEY LOVE was so embarrassed by her "terrible singing" on a leaked HO= LE recording, she hired a vocal coach.
The rocker was left red-faced after an early version of Nobody’s Daught= er, the title track from the band’s upcoming album, leaked on the interne= t and was ridiculed by fans.
Love admits she then recruited a voice expert - and insists her singing= skills returned in just three sessions.
She tells Britain’s NME magazine, "(On) the song Nobody’s Daughter, the= one that went out on the internet, my singing was so terrible, I couldn’= t sing on pitch. So I found this vocal coach who taught me what my hard p= alette and my soft palette meant. He’s Bono and PJ Harvey’s vocal coach. = I didn’t even need to go to him more than three to four times. He gave me= my voice back. I can f**king sing Violet three times in a row, and I cou= ldn’t do that in L.A.
"I cut down on smoking… well, not so much, I still smoke, I cut down = a little bit on it and he told me what you’re doing with your larynx when= you smoke, which is you’re frying it basically, and unless I want to sou= nd like Marianne (Faithful)… as much as I love her, I don’t want to sou= nd like her every day."

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Legendary soul singer ETTA JAMES has been hospitalised in Southern Califo= rnia with a serious infection, according to her son.
The At Last singer, 72, was admitted to Riverside Community Hospital ab= out a week ago after being diagnosed with sepsis caused by a urinary trac= t infection.
According to Donto James, his mother entered a treatment programme at t= he start of the year (10) to receive help in kicking a dependency on pain= killers and over-the-counter medication.
She was transferred to another facility, which has not been named, befo= re being taken to hospital where her condition deteriorated.
However, the star’s son insists she is now in recovery and James is exp= ected to be released soon.
James’ public battle with heroin addiction and numerous stints in rehab= for substance abuse was chronicled in 2008 film Cadillac Records, starri= ng Beyonce Knowles as the R&B icon.

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Actress KERRY WASHINGTON has laughed off speculation she’s feeling broody= after spending time with NAOMI WATTS and her two kids while filming MOTH= ER AND CHILD together.
Watts took her two young sons with actor Liev Schreiber to work with he= r while shooting the upcoming drama, but Washington insists being around = the tots hasn’t brought out her maternal feelings just yet.
The 32 year old tells OK! magazine, "Maybe one day, but not yet. I mean= , I’m a really good mum to my dogs."

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Studio executives have brushed off reports they are expanding the SEX AND= THE CITY franchise again, insisting there are no plans for a third movie= installment.
Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon bec= ame global TV stars after starring in the original Sex and the City serie= s from 1998 until 2004.
The fashionable foursome reprised their roles for the hit 2008 movie ad= aptation and their second outing, Sex and the City 2, will hit cinemas in= May (10).
But rumours another installment is being lined up have been dismissed b= y New Line Cinema executives.
A company spokesperson says: "This is not true."

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Actor BRYAN BATT has been axed from hit U.S. TV series MAD MEN.
Batt has become known for his role as art director Salvatore Romano on = the 1960s-set drama, which premiered in 2007.
He recently raised his concerns about losing his job after his TV chara= cter was fired - and his worst fears have come true.
TV bosses have now confirmed he won’t be joining the rest of the cast w= hen the show returns for its fourth season, but insist there is no bad bl= ood between the two parties.
Series creator Matthew Weiner explains, "Losing Bryan was a tough momen= t for the show, but that’s where we are.
"I know how people felt about Bryan. I obviously love working with him,= and he has been an indelible character since the pilot. But I felt it wa= s an expression of the times that he couldn’t work there anymore." (JMA/W=

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Pop star RIHANNA has paid tribute to the six-year-old girl she attempted = to save from a battle with leukaemia, calling little Jasmina Anema "a bra= ve and special child." The Umbrella hitmaker first met the youngster in 2008, after Jasmina’s = family posted a video online appealing for a bone marrow donor.
Rihanna flew to New York City to meet the girl, and they struck up a cl= ose friendship, with the singer going public in her appeal for help in tr= eating the youngster’s deadly disease.
Jasmina passed away in hospital on Monday night (25Jan10) - and the tra= gic news has deeply affected the Bajan beauty.
Rihanna tells UsMagazine.com, "I am incredibly heartbroken that Jasmina= has passed away. She was such a brave and special child. She showed me m= ore strength and spirit than many adults I have met. I feel blessed that = I was able to have her in my life, and know that through her example she = has saved many lives. She was truly an angel on earth." Former Destiny’s Child star, Kelly Rowland, who was also close to Jasmi= na, has followed Rihanna’s tribute, extending her condolences to her youn= g pal’s family.
She adds, "I was absolutely heartbroken (when I heard the news). She wa= s a brave and lovely little girl that captured my heart the moment I met = her. My heart goes out to her mother and best buddy, Isabelle and KMS - t= he organisation that introduced me to her. Jasmina is with the angels now= , may she rest in peace."

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KELLY ROWLAND jumped at the chance to reteam with NELLY - she leaped out = of bed and sped to the recording studio immediately after receiving his i= nvitation.
Nelly and Kelly teamed up last month (Dec09) to record Gone, a follow-u= p to their hit duet Dilemma, which reached the top of the charts all over= the world in 2002.
And the hip-hop star insists he didn’t have to work hard to persuade th= e Destiny’s Child singer to participate in a sequel.
He says, "We were in the studio in Miami and I called K (Kelly) and she= was in the bed and just shot down to the studio…
"We know we can’t in no way shape of form (sic) can we outdo part one (= Dilemma). There’s no way. You’re in a lose situation if you go in trying = to do that. What the new song is doing is a continuation of the story." (=

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CHRISTINA AGUILERA’s fans will have to wait another month to get their ha= nds on her new album - BIONIC has been delayed until April (10).
The highly-anticipated follow-up to 2006’s Back to Basics was slated to= hit shelves in March (10), but a statement from the singer’s record labe= l RCA has confirmed the launch has been pushed back by four weeks.
Bionic is now slated for release in April (10), while Aguilera’s first = single from the album, Glam, will debut next month (Feb10).

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MARIAH CAREY’s upcoming remix album ANGELS ADVOCATE is facing a setback -= the record’s release has been delayed by five weeks.
Carey teased fans with the follow-up to her 2009 offering Memoirs of an= Imperfect Angel earlier this week (begs25Jan10), releasing two songs fro= m the dance record - Angel Cry featuring Ne-Yo and Up Out of My Face.
But now the initial 23 February (10) launch date has been scrapped, mea= ning fans will have to wait until the following month (Mar10) to hear the= full album - which will face off against Usher’s upcoming Raymond Vs. Ra= ymond on 30 March (10).
A spokesperson for Carey made the announcement in a post on the singer’= s Twitter.com page on Thursday (28Jan10).
The message reads, "Mariah’s Newly Remixed Album of Duets, Angels Advoc= ate to be released on March 30th!" An explanation for the delay was not given.

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