PR-Inside.com Entertainment News

Cult act THE HOLD STEADY have lost their keyboard player - FRANZ NICOLAY = has quit the group.
The pianist made the announcement he’s no longer a member of the band i= n a statement on his website on Thursday (21Jan10).
He writes, "I told the band I=E2=80=99d be leaving in early September, = played my last show with them in Minneapolis around Thanksgiving, and dot= ted the t=E2=80=99s and crossed the i=E2=80=99s this week.
"Five years seemed like a nice round number. Thanks to everyone who was= a part of the experience." Last year (09), Nicolay released solo album Major General.

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

Country star LORETTA LYNN has laughed off reports she’s near death by sig= ning up as a performer on the 2010 Lilith Fair touring festival.
The singer/songwriter fell ill with influenza late last year (09) and u= ncharacteristically axed a handful of shows so she could recuperate at he= r home in the Bahamas, prompting speculation the 74 year old was seriousl= y sick.
Her daughter, Patsy Lynn Russell, insisted the star was doing well and = planning to return to America in January to plan her 2010 touring schedul= e - and she has done just that.
Lynn has been added to the Lilith Fair line-up, alongside Norah Jones, = Heart and the Gossip.
A statement from Lynn reads, "I’m happy they wanted me on this Lilith t= our. I have never done shows just with other girl singers before. When I = first started out, they said girl singers couldn’t sell records or concer= t tickets. We’ve come a long way since then and we’re gonna have a big ti= me out there." The revived touring music festival will hit 20 North American cities th= is summer (10).
Other acts on the bill include: La Roux, Beth Orton, Erykah Badu, Mary = J. Blige, Sheryl Crow and festival founder Sarah McLachlan.

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

STEVEN TYLER has made his first public appearance since checking into reh= ab for drug abuse - at a Palm Desert karaoke contest.
The former Aerosmith rocker made a surprise appearance at the Tilted Ki= lt pub in California on Tuesday night (19Jan10) and even agreed to belt o= ut his 1998 hit I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing after cheering on revellers = who tried to hit the high notes.
Tyler was accompanied by his publicist and two bodyguards, according to= local newspaper The Desert Sun.
Karaoke organiser Mike May tells the publication Tyler was "very gracio= us and very kind".
He recalls Tyler offered to take the stage when two fans who attempted = the Diane Warren-penned Armageddon theme were booed off.
May says, "All of a sudden, near the end of the song, he grabbed the mi= c and started singing. The whole frickin=E2=80=99 bar surrounded him and = he just started singing the whole thing." "It was, like, one of those moments - a (karaoke) club DJ=E2=80=99s dre= am come true." The rocker’s chosen rehab has never been disclosed, but reports have su= ggested he checked into the fabled Betty Ford Clinic in Rancho Mirage, Ca= lifornia in mid-December seeking treatment for a dependency on prescripti= on drugs following years of injuries sustained on stage.

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

PETER GABRIEL has stunned the music world by announcing he won’t be joini= ng his former GENESIS bandmates onstage for the group’s Rock & Roll Hall = of Fame induction in March (10).
In fact, the Sledgehammer hitmaker isn’t sure he’ll even attend the cer= emony in New York.
Fans were hoping the induction would lead to a reunion for the band’s o= riginal line-up, but Gabriel insists he has no plans of teaming up with P= hil Collins, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks, who reformed as Genesis in 2= 008 for a world tour.
Gabriel tells Rolling Stone magazine, "I=E2=80=99m definitely not going= to sing. I learned at our last reunion (in 1982) that you can=E2=80=99t = just get up there. You have to rehearse." And his upcoming European tour plans might rule out an appearance: "I=E2= =80=99m trying to find a way to do it… If I can work it out, I=E2=80=99= ll go." The rocker refuses to completely rule out a reunion in the future, but = admits another get together seems highly unlikely.
He adds, "I always describe it as going back to school, since this was = a school group for me. It=E2=80=99s a fun place to visit and see your old= friends, but it’s not a place you want to live. Phil (Collins) has had t= rouble with his wrists and his back, so it=E2=80=99s pretty unlikely." (K=

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

Veteran entertainer LIZA MINNELLI is heading to New York for a new show -= she will reportedly join the cast of the Big Apple’s most fashionable co= medy UGLY BETTY for the next season.
The Cabaret star will play an "outrageous drama teacher" in the hit ser= ies, which focuses on the daily life of a lowly assistant at a top fashio= n magazine.
Minnelli will appear as Betty’s camp nephew Justin’s high-school teache= r in several episodes, and will start shooting later this month (Jan10), = according to Fox411.com.
A source tells the website, "There were massive rumours last year, then= again in early January, that Liza was being courted for the show, but Li= za originally hadn’t planned to do the show. Ugly Betty producers present= ed her with a great offer and a hilarious story and they kept coming back= to her.
"She’s going to be playing an outrageous drama teacher and it is going = to be fun!" Previously, Minnelli was a TV regular on hit comedy Arrested Developmen= t between 2003 and 2006.

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

Wrestler HULK HOGAN’s ex-wife LINDA BOLLEA has reached a financial settle= ment with the family of the ex-Marine left seriously injured when her son= NICK crashed the family sportscar.
John Graziano, who was a passenger in the car when Nick crashed it into= a tree in Florida in 2007, was left battling for his life with brain inj= uries.
Nick Bollea served time behind bars for his part in the near-fatal cras= h.
He and his father have yet to settle with the Graziano family. The two = men will meet the family of the injured Marine in court in September (10)= ..
The terms of Linda’s settlement with the Grazianos are confidential. (K=

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

ROB LOWE is bidding farewell to his TV family on hit show BROTHERS & SIST= ERS after announcing he’s quitting the series.
According to Deadline Hollywood, the actor felt he was being underused = as Senator Robert McCallister on the U.S. show, and requested to be relea= sed from his contract.
America’s ABC network executives agreed, and there are now plans to mak= e Lowe the lead in his own series.
ABC president Stephen McPherson tells the website, "We would like to ke= ep Rob at ABC; we feel he should be anchoring his own franchise. We are i= n talks now.=E2=80=9D Lowe will depart Brothers & Sisters at the end of season four, which is= set to air in the U.S. in February (10).

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

Oscar winner HAING NGOR’s family and friends are urging Los Angeles polic= e to re-open their investigation into the death of THE KILLING FIELDS sta= r - because they believe his slaying was related to his role in the film.
The Cambodian was shot and killed in 1996 in Los Angeles and his death = was ruled a gang-related murder.
Police officials closed the investigation after arresting three members= of an Asian-American gang and charging them with the murder.
But, 14 years after the tragedy, Ngor’s family want the case re-opened = because they believe a leading member of Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge had order= ed a hit on the actor, who was an outspoken critic of dictator Pol Pot.
The Los Angeles Police Department launched an international investigati= on regarding the theory, but ruled Ngor was killed during a random street= robbery.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the testimony of a former Khmer Rou= ge prison chief last year (09) sparked requests for a reinvestigation int= o the murder.
Kang Kek Ieu told a United Nations tribunal in Phnom Penh that Pol Pot = and his supporters were behind the incident, explaining, "Haing Ngor was = killed because he appeared in the film The Killing Fields." The slain actor’s cousin, Thommy Nou, tells the Times, "I believe this = 100 per cent. This was a homicide set up by the communists or possibly th= e Khmer Rouge. That=E2=80=99s what I had thought all along." But police officials who worked the case insist they found no links to = tie the murder to the Khmer Rouge and maintain Ngor was killed by teenage= members of the Oriental Lazy Boyz.
During the 1998 trial, prosecutor Craig Hum argued the trio robbed Ngor= for money to buy cocaine and shot him after he refused to part with a lo= cket because it held the photo of his dead wife.
Speaking to the Times, Hum admits he’s skeptical about the internationa= l hit theory: "I=E2=80=99m sure that people in the regime weren=E2=80=99t= sorry to see him go, but I=E2=80=99m not sure if that equates to having = a prominent critic murdered in the U.S."

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

A lawyer representing JON CRYER’s ex-wife SARAH TRIGGER has lashed out at= reports her client was behind alleged death threats made against the act= or last week (15Jan09).
Security on the set of Cryer’s U.S. sitcom Two & A Half Men was reporte= dly boosted after the actor received a menacing phone call - and members = of a studio audience were sent home.
Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) were then brought= in to get to the bottom of the alleged threats.
Sources close to the show told TMZ.com that the star believed his ex co= uld have hired a hitman to kill him, but Trigger’s lawyer Vicki Greene is= fuming at the suggestions.
She tells Eonline.com, "This is the father of her child and I think it’= s outrageous that these rumours are being spread. I can tell you that Sar= ah and I have not been contacted by the FBI. I don’t think she’s involved= at all." Meanwhile, Greene has taken aim at Pretty in Pink star Cryer in a separ= ate interview with RadarOnline.com, suggesting the actor is envious of th= e attention his co-star Charlie Sheen has been getting since his arrest f= ollowing a bust-up with his wife on Christmas Day (25Dec09).
She adds, "Maybe he’s tired of Charlie Sheen getting all of the attenti= on. None of this is going on. I can’t even believe this whole story. It’s= a fabrication of his imagination." Cryer and Trigger went through an acrimonious divorce in 2004 after fiv= e years of marriage. They have a nine-year-old son called Charlie. (MJ/WN=

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

TWILIGHT hunk ROBERT PATTINSON is set to test his sex symbol status in up= coming movie BEL AMI - his character enjoys racy romps with CHRISTINA RIC= CI, UMA THURMAN and KRISTIN SCOTT-THOMAS.
U.S. publication Life & Style has obtained a copy of the script, which = leaves little to the imagination.
Pattinson, who plays journalist Georges Duroy in the film, climbs the s= ocial ladder by sleeping with a series of prominent women.
One of his sex encounters is a fiery romp with Ricci, another is a quic= kie with Thurman’s Madeleine, while Brit Scott Thomas’ romp in the film i= s described by the publication as "rough and ravenous".
The movie hunk’s character also has sex up against a door with a prosti= tute.

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

MICHAEL DOUGLAS regrets his failures as a father when it comes to his tro= ubled son CAMERON - revealing he was "no angel" during his child’s upbrin= ging.
Actor Cameron Douglas, 30, is currently behind bars on drug possession = charges at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City after a = police raid on his room last August (09).
He was initially allowed to stay at his mother’s apartment, but was lat= er sent to federal prison after allegedly asking his girlfriend to smuggl= e him heroin in an electric toothbrush.
And Douglas, who was married to Cameron’s mum Diandra Luker for 23 year= s, takes responsibility for some of his son’s issues - insisting he could= have been around more.
He tells AARP The Magazine, "I’ll assume whatever responsibilities I ha= ve to. Would it have been better to have been around more? Absolutely. Th= ere were absences, and I was no angel." But even though he fears for his son’s well-being, while he is incarcer= ated, the Wall Street actor insists the 30 year old is in a good place.
He adds, "He’s in a federal prison, and you’ve got some big, bad boys d= own there. Cameron has a lot of life ahead. He now recognises his own dem= ons and struggles." During his marriage to Luker, Douglas underwent treatment for alcoholis= m and sought help for sex addiction.
He is now married to Catherine Zeta-Jones, and has two young children, = Dylan, 10, and Carys, seven.

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

CELINE DION, JUSTIN BIEBER, moviemaker JAMES CAMERON and NELLY FURTADO ar= e to compliment GEORGE CLOONEY’s Haiti telethon on Friday night (22Jan10)= with a Canada For Haiti special.
While Clooney and Haitian superstar Wyclef Jean lead Help For Haiti Now= , a host of celebrity Canadians are planning their own TV benefit.
The one-hour, commercial-free special will air live across Canada from = Toronto.
The impressive line-up also includes The Tragically Hip, Sarah McLachla= n, Barenaked Ladies, Simple Plan, acclaimed songwriter David Foster, Chan= tal Kreviazuk, Michael J. Fox, Ryan Reynolds, William Shatner and Pamela = Anderson.
Funds raised during the telethon will go to a coalition of Canadian cha= rities, including Canadian Red Cross Society, Care Canada, Oxfam Canada a= nd UNICEF Canada.

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

Actor SEAN PENN has arrived in Haiti as part of a mercy mission led by fo= rmer U.S. presidential candidate JOHN EDWARDS.
Penn and Edwards are part of a group which has flown to the hurricane-r= avaged Caribbean nation to hand out food and supplies to the survivors of= last week’s (12Jan10) 7.0-magnitude disaster.
Penn has become known for using his resources to help those in need aft= er disasters - he visited New Orleans, Louisiana a week after Hurricane K= atrina hit in 2005 and helped to rescue people stranded by floods.
The actor isn’t the only celebrity doing what he can to help Haitians -= native Wyclef Jean returned home last weekend (16Jan10) and he’s plannin= g a second trip on Saturday (23Jan10).

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

Actress MISCHA BARTON is facing a lawsuit from her landlord over allegati= ons she owes $21,000 (=C2=A313,000) in unpaid rent on her New York apartm= ent.
In a lawsuit filed on Thursday (21Jan10), lawyers for property company = M.R.A. Realities Inc. claim the former The O.C. star has ignored continue= d requests to pay rent for the last three months.
The star rented out the $7,000 ($4,300)-a-month pad in the Big Apple’s = trendy Tribeca neighbourhood on a one-year lease in September (09). She h= ad planned to stay in the city while filming her now defunct TV show The = Beautiful Life. The series was axed the same month (Sep09).
The landlords are seeking the outstanding rent as well as legal fees. (=

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

JENNIFER GARNER credits the therapy sessions she signed up for following = the break-up of her marriage to actor SCOTT FOLEY for the success of her = relationship with BEN AFFLECK.
The actress admits her split and subsequent divorce from Foley in 2003 = was "a huge heartbreak" which sent her into therapy.
And Garner reveals the sessions helped her come to terms with the fact = she wasn’t ready to become a wife when she wed Foley in 2000.
She tells Parade magazine, "I had a lot of growing up to do. I=E2=80=99= m still conflict-averse. I don=E2=80=99t like to argue. But, back then, I= couldn=E2=80=99t have a fight. I couldn=E2=80=99t work things out becaus= e I wasn=E2=80=99t able to say what I needed to say. I didn=E2=80=99t hav= e a voice. I didn=E2=80=99t dare to express myself.
"It was a huge heartbreak for me to have something fail like that. I kn= ew that this was either an opportunity for growth or I would sink.
"It=E2=80=99s easy when you=E2=80=99re hurt and angry to just say, ‘Oh,= it=E2=80=99s them,’ but I had to come into my own. I thought, ‘Why did t= his relationship not work? What part of the failure is my responsibility?= ‘ So I went to work on it. I started therapy." Garner called on inspiration from her TV spy character in Alias to help= her become a better partner.
She adds, "It=E2=80=99s not like I didn=E2=80=99t realise I had any iss= ues until I got a divorce, but I had this professional confidence that wa= sn=E2=80=99t equalled by my own personal confidence in any relationship -= not just with men. There was a disconnect. I realised I needed to be mor= e like my character in Alias, who was so powerful and confident and an in= spiration to me.
"I understood very well how to be nice and how to take care of people. = I didn=E2=80=99t know how to ask for anything that I needed. It was impor= tant to balance it out." Her second marriage to Affleck has become a success story - the couple = has become one of Hollywood’s most solid pairs. They wed in 2005 and have= two kids.

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

Rockers THE KOOKS and MGMT have struck a deal with HUGH HEFNER to design = a series of Playboy themed clothes.
Playboy bosses are seeking a host of musical acts to help create their = own Rock the Rabbit T-shirts.
The two groups are the first to tap into their creative talents to sket= ch designs for the shirts.

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

MILEY CYRUS has ruled out a romance with a sweet and sensitive guy - beca= use she likes her boyfriends rough and ready for adventure.
The teenage pop sensation, who has dated Nick Jonas and model Justin Ga= ston, admits she’s not a love hearts, flowers and chocolate type of girl;= she’d rather be dirt biking or horse riding.
Cyrus says, "I like spontaneous men, guys who go with the flow, appreci= ate the outdoors.
"I’m not the kind of person who gets all warm and fuzzy over a candleli= t dinner - that’s a little too mushy for my taste. I like the beach. I li= ke to get out and do things."

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

AEROSMITH’s search for a new singer is going quicker than expected - guit= arist JOE PERRY and his bandmates already have a handful of well known ca= ndidates they’re speaking to.
The rockers announced their plans to replace Steven Tyler shortly after= the singer revealed his plans to take a hiatus from the band during an i= nterview late last year (Dec09).
Tyler has since checked into a rehab clinic to kick his drug abuse prob= lems once and for all and Perry insists he’s not prepared to wait to see = if his old bandmate will be playing a part in the group’s plans for 2010 = and their 40th anniversary year, 2011.
The guitarist isn’t naming names but admits, "(There’s) a few people we= ‘ve talked to, and we’ll see how it goes… As far as auditions go, we’ll= probably just sit around and have a couple of drinks and see if we get a= long - because we’re already gonna know that they can sing." But Perry feels sure the replacement will be temporary and he fully exp= ects Tyler to rejoin the band at some point: "I’m ready to write with him= , to play on stage with him anytime he’s physically ready and wants to do= it, but it’s really up to him." Lenny Kravitz was mentioned as an early frontrunner for Tyler’s role in= the band, but the rocker has ruled out the idea, stating, "Steven Tyler = is a family friend, and no voice could ever take the place of his." (KL/W=

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