PR-Inside.com Entertainment News

British soul icon SADE is riding high at the top of the U.S. albums chart= for a second consecutive week.
Soldier of Love - her first disc in a decade - debuted at number one on= the Billboard 200 last week (17Feb10), giving the singer her first chart= -topping album in America since 1986.
Lady Antebellum’s Need You Now sits at two on the new countdown, but th= e country group will still have something to celebrate after shifting 1,0= 41,000 copies in four weeks, making it the year’s first million-selling r= elease.
The Black Eyed Peas’ The E.N.D. is at three, while Lady GaGa’s The Fame= and Lil Wayne’s Rebirth round out the top five.

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

Country singer CARRIE UNDERWOOD has no plans to settle down in one place = when she marries Canadian hockey star MIKE FISHER, insisting they will co= ntinue to live as "little nomads".
The Oklahoma native owns a home in Nashville, Tennessee while Fisher li= ves in Peterborough in Ontario, Canada, where he plays for the Ottawa Sen= ators.
The stars spend a lot of time apart when Underwood is on the road, but = the blonde beauty insists she has no plans to change her lifestyle once s= he’s a married woman.
She tells People magazine, "We’ll be little nomads for a while, until o= ne of us retires. Not being in the same room won’t lessen our relationshi= p. We completely have faith in each other." Underwood admits kids are on her mind, but only when she decides to set= up a permanent home with Fisher.
She adds, "Mike is amazing with children. He’s so going to be a better = parent! I’m not bad with them, but I didn’t grow up around children, and = he had brothers and sisters his age." The couple became engaged in December (09) and the stars are planning a= summer (10) wedding.

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

The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania music offices of legendary songwriters KEN= NETH GAMBLE and LEON HUFF have been destroyed in a devastating fire.
The Philadelphia International Records office, where the Me and Mrs. Jo= nes hitmakers held recording sessions with late industry icons Michael Ja= ckson and Teddy Pendergrass, went up in flames on Sunday (21Feb10).
According to Gamble, the offices suffered fire, smoke and water damage;= however, the recording studio was largely unaffected by the incident.
Local fire officials suspect arson, although authorities have yet to id= entify any suspects.

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

Latin comedian GEORGE LOPEZ is getting animated for a controversial carto= on movie role, as racially divisive Looney Tunes character SPEEDY GONZALE= S.
Warner Brothers cartoonists debuted "The fastest mouse in all Mexico" i= n the 1950s as a nemesis of Sylvester the Cat, but courted criticism for = Gonzales’ stereotypically racist depictions.
The Valentine’s Day actor will lend his voice to the mouse in the forth= coming Speedy Gonzales film but he’s hoping to revamp the character to ma= ke him politically correct.
The comedian’s wife, Ann Lopez, who will serve as producer, says: "We w= anted to make sure that it was not the Speedy of the 1950s - the racist S= peedy. Speedy’s going to be a misunderstood boy who comes from a family t= hat works in a very meticulous setting, and he’s a little too fast for wh= at they do. He makes a mess of that. So he has to go out in the world to = find what he’s good at."

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

ABEL FERRARA is set to make his Broadway debut, directing the revival of = MIGUEL PINERO’s SHORT EYES.
The King of New York director is reviving the original 1974 production,= which follows the lives of a racially-mixed group of inmates at a New Yo= rk prison who are joined by a white middle-class man accused of raping a = girl.
Carl Rumbaugh and Susan Batson - who worked on the 2004 Broadway reviva= l of A Raisin in the Sun, starring Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs - will produce, alo= ng with Antone Pagan and Charles Rosen.
Casting has not yet begun on the show, which is expected to debut durin= g the 2010-2011 season.

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

HEROES star ADRIAN PASDAR has pleaded not guilty to driving under the inf= luence following his arrest in January (10).
The husband of Dixie Chicks singer Natalie Maines was pulled over by co= ps after he was allegedly clocked driving over 90 miles-an-hour (144.8 ki= lometres-an-hour) on a freeway in Los Angeles.
The actor, 44, was officially charged with the DUI last week (ends21Feb= 10) and he entered his plea during a court appearance on Wednesday (24Feb= 10).
If convicted, Pasdar faces up to six months in jail and a $1,000 (=C2=A3= 625) fine.

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

THE HURT LOCKER star JEREMY RENNER has brushed off rumours he’s dating ne= wly-single actress CHARLIZE THERON, admitting they’re "crazy about each o= ther" - but just as friends.
South African native Theron reportedly ended her nine-year relationship= with Irish actor Stuart Townsend in January (10), although the stars hav= e yet to confirm the break-up.
Theron has been good pals with Renner for years, but they sparked repor= ts of a new romance after they were spotted enjoying nights out together = in Hollywood in the weeks following the Townsend split claims.
But Renner is adamant his relationship with Theron is strictly platonic= ..
He tells People magazine, "We’re just friends. We’re crazy about each o= ther. I can go hang out with her and play her piano and sip Scotch." (MT/=

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

Former STAR TREK actor WALTER KOENIG has issued an emotional plea to his = son ANDREW to get in touch after he went missing in Vancouver, Canada ear= lier this month (Feb10).
Police have launched an investigation into the disappearance of Andrew = Koenig, who starred in 1980s TV sitcom Growing Pains, after he missed his= flight home from Vancouver to Los Angeles on 16 February (10), the same = day as his last known sighting. Detectives also claim his cell phone and = bank card were last used on 16 February (10).
Local authorities have been combing the area for the 41 year old after = receiving a number of reported sightings from locals on Vancouver Island.
His parents Walter and Judith Koenig flew into the city on Tuesday (23F= eb10) to take part in a press conference at the Vancouver Police Departme= nt on Wednesday (24Feb10).
During the televised appeal, Koenig fought back tears as he begged Andr= ew to call just to assure them he is alive and well.
He said, "I just want to know you’re OK. If it means you just want to s= tay here (in Vancouver), that’s OK. You don’t have to come back. Just let= us know that’s your intention." Andrew, who suffered from depression, is reported to have cleared out h= is Venice, California apartment just days before he travelled to Vancouve= r.

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

MATTHEW FOX’s representative has slammed reports the LOST star cheated on= his wife with a stripper, accusing the dancer of making up the allegatio= ns for "financial gain".
In an expose with In Touch Weekly, Stefani Talbott claims she first met= the 43-year-old actor last July (09) while she was working at Stars Caba= ret in Bend, Oregon.
The 25-year-old alleges she "made eye contact" with Fox before he appro= ached her to strike up a conversation.
Talbott tells the publication, "He asked me, =E2=80=98Why are you worki= ng in a place like this?=E2=80=99 I told him that I am a single mum and n= eeded the money. He absolutely did not mention a wife or family, and I do= n=E2=80=99t remember him wearing a wedding ring." The busty blonde was reportedly invited back to Fox’s rented property, = where they continued to flirt.
She says, "We sat around and talked about his show. He complimented me = and was saying how down-to-earth I am. He told me he was going to be in t= own for a couple of days." Talbott alleges they then headed into the bedroom, where she had unprot= ected sex with Fox: "He didn=E2=80=99t tell me to keep it a secret or any= thing. He didn=E2=80=99t even use protection. He didn=E2=80=99t seem conc= erned at all." But Fox’s publicist, Danica Smith, has blasted Talbott’s claims as lies= ..
She tells WENN, "These accusations are false; it is some stripper’s att= empt for financial gain." Fox has been married to former model Margherita Ronchi for 19 years and= they are parents to daughter Kyle, born in 1998, and son Byron, who was = born in 2001.

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

SARAH JESSICA PARKER fears she always fails to live up to her stylish SEX= AND THE CITY alter-ego - because she’s never mastered the art of applyin= g make-up in "real life".
The actress plays glamorous writer Carrie Bradshaw in the fashionable f= ranchise, and has become a style icon in her own right through her work o= n the TV show and subsequent movies.
But the 44 year old is convinced she will always look dowdy outside of = her work, because she still hasn’t learned to apply her own cosmetics.
She tells People.com, "I am, I confess, very bad at make-up. I don’t we= ar any in my real life, my personal life. There’s no time for it and I’m = not good at it. I don’t want to have to do it to myself - I wouldn’t know= where to begin."

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

PIERCE BROSNAN rushed to see a stage version of MAMMA MIA! after agreeing= to star in the big-screen adaptation - and was horrified by the "schmalt= zy" production.
The Irish actor agreed to star in the 2008 romantic comedy after learni= ng Meryl Streep would be his co-star - and immediately bought tickets to = see the musical in London’s West End.
But after watching a few minutes of the flamboyant live show, Brosnan b= egan to reconsider his decision.
He says, "I took my mother and stepchildren, Charlotte and Christopher,= to see the stage production of Mamma Mia! in London. I thought, ‘What ha= ve I done? This is so schmaltzy. Oh dear, oh dear!’ "I forgot to ask who I was playing. One of the dads. I could be playing= the gay dad or this rugged guy, then this other guy came out and said, ‘= My name’s Sam Carmichael,’ and I thought, ‘There you go, that’s me.’" But the film holds special significance for Brosnan - his character sha= red the surname of his beloved stepdad Bill Carmichael, who died days bef= ore he agreed to star in Mamma Mia!

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

Heavy metal band OZ has reunited, almost two decades after its last relea= se.
The Finnish band formed in 1977, but split after releasing album Roll T= he Dice in 1991.
Nineteen years on, vocalist Ape DeMartini, bassist Jay C. Blade and dru= mmer Mark Ruffneck have decided to reform.
According to Blabbermouth.net, the band is working on a new album, due = to hit stores in November 2010.

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

DOLLY PARTON is thrilled with her new iPhone application - because she ne= ver thought she would see such impressive technology in her lifetime.
The 9 to 5 hitmaker has teamed up with Mobile Roadie Apps to devise her= personal program, which will provide fans with the latest news and strea= med music and videos - and the 64 year old is full of praise for the upma= rket cell phone.
Parton says, "My first phone was two tin cans tied together with string= , and it worked pretty good. But now you can watch TV, download music and= surf the web from your phone. Sure beats smoke signals.
"I never thought in my lifetime that you’d be able to watch movies, rea= d books and listen to music from a phone, but I guess the technology of t= omorrow is here today. And to think that folks will be able to watch my V= ideo Diaries and listen to my music on the go is just fantastic.
"I think it’s great that Mobile Roadie has made it so simple for my fan= s to keep up with everything I got going on, and who knows, I may even le= arn how to use it." Madonna has also launched an iPhone application with the company. (CL/W=

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

KORN bassist REGINALD ‘FIELDY’ ARVIZU is planning to shock fans with his = second solo album - the heavy metal rocker has abandoned the genre in fav= our of jazz fusion.
The Freak on A Leash rocker is putting the finishing touches on Bassica= lly, a follow-up to his 2002 rap record Rock’n Roll Gangster.
He tells AOL’s Noisecreep, "Right now, I have 11 songs finished. I migh= t do two more, but it’s pretty much done." But Fieldy has warned fans to expect something different.
He adds, "I’d say it’s like a jazz fusion funk type of thing. Real new = age, too. Different kinds of music.
"I’ve always wanted to do it. When I was younger, learning bass, I list= ened to a lot of bass albums; Stanley Clarke, I grew up listening to that= type of stuff.
"I don’t want people to be confused and buy it and not like it. It’s no= t heavy I don’t want people to get it and think, ‘Man, I can’t believe I = bought this crap’. It’s not meant to be heavy. If you like heavy and are = not open-minded, you will not like this."

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

Imprisoned rapper TURK is in mourning after his younger brother was gunne= d down in a fatal shooting in Louisiana.
Ronald Smith was shot and killed in New Orleans in the early hours of M= onday (22Feb10), according to local reports.
Police have arrested one suspect, 19-year-old Travis Dennis, who has al= legedly confessed to the crime.
Turk, who is serving a 12-year sentence for second degree attempted mur= der from a 2004 shooting, has been left devastated by the loss of his sib= ling and has appealed to the hip-hop community for donations to help pay = for his brother’s burial.
In an open letter to Ozone magazine, Turk writes, "I’m reaching out to = all of you who have influence on the hip-hop community. My little brother= and I were as close as brothers can be and it hurts me to lose him at su= ch a young age, but as a man I must be strong.
"My mother is mourning over the loss of her youngest child and over the= fact that there is no insurance or funds to arrange the proper burial. I= am asking for you to get the word out and to also help financially in an= y way you can.
"Any donations can be sent to me at the Shelby County Jail by Western U= nion and for those who know me personally funds can be given directly to = my mother Ms. Pamela Smith."

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

Former teen star LEIF GARRETT has pleaded not guilty to a felony count of= heroin possession following his arrest in Los Angeles earlier this month= (01Feb10).
The singer/actor, who shot to fame at the age of 15 with his 1970s sing= le I Was Made For Dancin’, was searched by cops at a subway station after= he was spotted reportedly shaking and sweating.
Garrett was taken into custody on suspicion of possession of a controll= ed substance after allegedly confessing to having black tar heroin in his= shoe.
He was charged with the felony and subsequently released on $10,000 (=C2= =A36,250) bail.
The 48 year old appeared in a Los Angeles court on Wednesday (24Feb10),= where he entered his not guilty plea.
His defence lawyer Andrew Flier also used the opportunity to accuse pol= ice of illegally searching Garrett prior to his arrest, denying claims th= e troubled star was nervous and sweating on the subway platform.
Garrett is due back in court on 16 March (10).
The case is the latest in a string of drug-related charges against the = star, who was most recently sentenced to 90 days in jail and three years’= probation in May, 2006 after he was found to be in possession of heroin = and sedative Quaaludes.

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

WYCLEF JEAN’s tireless fundraising efforts for earthquake-stricken Haiti = has earned him a top honour from the National Association for the Advance= ment of Colored People (NAACP).
The former Fugees star has been one of the key figures leading the reli= ef efforts in his homeland, which was left devastated by a 7.0-magnitude = tremor in January (10).
His charity work has already earned him the Artist of the Year prize fr= om America’s prestigious Harvard University in Massachusetts, and now he = has been named the recipient of the Vanguard Award for Work in Racial and= Social Issues at the upcoming NAACP Image Awards, held in conjunction wi= th Ford Motor Company.
Crystal Worthem, Ford’s Multicultural Marketing Manager, says, "Ford Mo= tor Company recognises the bold leadership demonstrated by Wyclef Jean on= humanitarian issues.
"He has brought the national spotlight to Haiti and is working to conti= nuously save and transform the lives of the thousands of people who are s= uffering. We are proud to partner with the NAACP Image Awards in presenti= ng this coveted award." Jean will be presented with the accolade at the 41st NAACP Image Awards= in Los Angeles on Friday (26Feb10).

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

AMERICA FERRERA struggled to relate to upcoming mixed-marriage comedy OUR= FAMILY WEDDING - because she was exposed to so many cultures growing up = in Los Angeles.
Ferrera plays a Mexican woman who upsets her relatives by deciding to w= ed her African-American boyfriend in the movie.
But the Ugly Betty star, whose parents emigrated to the U.S. from Hondu= ras, insists the plot was a world away from her own childhood in Californ= ia.
She tells America’s Parade magazine, "I grew up in a multicultural envi= ronment. I went to public schools and there were kids from wealthy famili= es who lived in the neighborhood, and then 20 buses came in every day wit= h kids from downtown who were of every race that you can think of. I had = friends from all kinds of backgrounds. I had a lot of black friends and w= hen I’d go to their homes, I just felt like I was walking into my house. = It wasn’t like, ‘Oh, God. I feel like I’ve walked into another world.’" And she likens interracial couples’ difficulties in marrying to the str= uggle same-sex pairs endure.
Ferrera adds, "I have friends who have gone through it and there was so= me drama. You know, like the grandpa or the grandma really liked the boy = she was marrying, thought he was a really nice guy, but wouldn’t come to = the wedding because they didn’t believe in mixing the races.
"It’s sort of like what we’re going through with gay marriage now. Peop= le who are not outwardly prejudiced but have, like, kind of internal issu= es. People may think of themselves as completely open-minded and then whe= n it’s a part of your life, all of those things can sort of come up." (PA=

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