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Rap superstar JAY-Z turned down the opportunity to join QUINCY JONES’ sta= r-studded remake of WE ARE THE WORLD - because he didn’t want to touch th= e classic.
Legendary producer Jones teamed up with Lionel Richie, who recorded the= original 1985 hit with Michael Jackson, and recruited a host of artists = including Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Wyclef Jean, Janet Jackson, Ushe= r, Lil Wayne and Nick Jonas to raise money for the Haiti earthquake relie= f effort.
The Empire State of Mind hitmaker was personally invited by Jones to ta= ke part in the charity single, but, while he is supportive of the cause, = he decided against it because he considers the track to be musically "unt= ouchable" - like the King of Pop’s Thriller.
Jay-Z tells MTV.com, "We Are the World is like Thriller to me. I don=E2= =80=99t ever wanna see it touched.
"I=E2=80=99m a fan of music. I know the plight and everything that=E2=80= =99s going on in Haiti. I applaud the efforts: (Millions have been raised= ) through text (donations) to Haiti. So I appreciate the efforts and ever= ything, but =E2=80=98We are the World is (musically) untouchable like Thr= iller is untouchable. Some things are just untouchable. It was a valiant = effort, but for me, it=E2=80=99s gonna be untouchable."

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CAREY MULLIGAN struggled at her recent Vanity Fair photoshoot with celebr= ated fashion photographer ANNIE LEIBOVITZ - because posing for the camera= feels "unnatural." The An Education star joined fellow up-and-coming screen stars includin= g Kristen Stewart, Emma Roberts, Blake Lively, Zoe Kravitz and Leighton M= eester for a Young Hollywood-themed cover shoot.
But Mulligan admits she found it difficult to step in front of the came= ra with her acting peers.
She says, "It was a good day of trying on clothes that were too small f= or me and trying to sit in a flattering way. I’m not that great at having= my photo taken, so I often look like I don’t want to be there. Annie mak= es you feel comfortable after a while but it’s still staring down the bar= rel of a camera, which still feels pretty unnatural."

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Guyanese actor, singer and writer CY GRANT has died, aged 90.
Grant, best-known for his role on BBC’s The Tonight Show, died in Londo= n on Saturday (13Feb10), according to his daughter, Diana. Further detail= s surrounding his death were not available as WENN went to press.
As a singer, he recorded five albums, and was best-known for his record= s King Cricket and The Constantine Calypso.
He also starred in award-winning British TV drama Home of the Brave in = 1957 and The Encyclopaedist in 1961.
Grant, who became known as the first black person to appear regularly o= n British television, later created the Drum Arts Centre in London to sup= port black artistic talent.
He is survived by his wife Dorith and four children.

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Actress KALEY CUOCO is struggling win back the support of producers behin= d her hit U.S. TV series THE BIG BANG THEORY - after she "almost killed" = co-star JOHNNY GALECKI in a motor accident.
Cuoco admits she loves being behind the wheel, even though she’s a bad = driver.
She tells America’s Maxim magazine, "I’ve had so many (accidents), I ca= n’t even count." But one dangerous crash with Galecki in the rear seat of a scooter almo= st ended in tragedy - and now show producers don’t trust Cuoco when she g= ets in the driver’s seat.
She explains, "(One) time I was driving a Vespa in the Dominican Republ= ic with my castmate Johnny Galecki on the back like a little b**ch. I ran= us right into the wall, and he went flying. I almost killed Johnny Galec= ki. I’m dead serous.
"I don’t think the producers realise how much trouble I’ve been getting= into. I want to take motorcycle lessons, but I don’t know if anyone will= let me at this point."

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Oscar-nominated director KATHRYN BIGELOW is returning to the small screen= to direct U.S. TV drama MIRACULOUS YEAR.
The Hurt Locker filmmaker became only the fourth woman ever to be nomin= ated in the Best Director category at the upcoming Academy Awards for her= critically-acclaimed war film - and she will be the first woman to take = home the prize if she wins the Oscar at next month’s (07Mar10) ceremony.
But instead of cashing in on her Oscar buzz, Bigelow has chosen to take= on a smaller project, directing a pilot episode for the forthcoming fami= ly drama, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
It will be Bigelow’s first TV shoot since 2004. She previously directed= three episodes of Homicide: Life on the Street until 1999, and more rece= ntly took charge of an episode of crime drama Karen Sisco.
Miraculous Year is expected to begin filming in May or June (10). (JMA/=

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SEX AND THE CITY star KIM CATTRALL has no regrets about ending up single = and childless at 53.
The actress has been married three times, with her last divorce in 2004= after a six-year union with audio designer Mark Levinson.
Her last relationship, with chef Alan Wyse, came to an end last year (0= 9) and Cattrall blamed her romance woes on her heavy workload.
But the star is adamant she’s learned to love life as a single woman - = even though she’s missed out on starting a family.
She tells Britain’s Evening Standard newspaper, "I don’t regret (not ha= ving children). It’s fine, it really is. I’m a pretty good auntie and I h= ave a lot of friends with kids. At the end of the day I like to go home a= nd be quiet and have time to relax."

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A spokesperson for tennis ace RAFAEL NADAL has brushed off rumours the at= hlete is romancing pop star SHAKIRA following a series of meetings betwee= n the pair.
The Colombian singer’s nine-year romance with investment banker Antonio= de la Rua has been under scrutiny in recent months as speculation mounts= over her relationship with Nadal.
Last March (09), Shakira reportedly cosied up to Nadal in Miami, Florid= a after watching the athlete qualify for the Miami Masters. The pair was = also spotted dining at a hotel in Barcelona, Spain before shooting a vide= o together in the city late last week (ends14Feb10).
However, Nadal’s spokesperson, Benito Perez-Barbadillo, is adamant the = pair is not involved romantically - insisting that he, Nadal’s manager Ca= rlos Costa, and video director Jaume de Laiguana were also at the restaur= ant.
He tells the New York Post, "We were all there, and Shakira only came w= hen we’d finished the main course to have something to drink, accompanied= by her manager, Ceci Kurzman, and Jaume. It was a dinner organised with = the director to brief Rafa on what was expected from him in the video." A spokesperson for Shakira declined to comment.

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Former AMERICAN IDOL judge PAULA ABDUL has fuelled rumours she’s to rejoi= n former colleague SIMON COWELL on the small screen - with a role on the = U.S. version of his British talent show THE X FACTOR.
Last month (Jan10), the music mogul announced plans to quit his role as= a judge on American Idol to concentrate on taking his U.K. singing conte= st Stateside - and admitted Abdul was in mind to join the judging panel.
He told the New York Post, "I’ve been talking to Paula for a long time.= It was always my intention in one way or another to carry on working wit= h her." And now Abdul is hinting the pair is set to reteam on the talent show.
She says, "I’m going back to my roots and doing a TV show that has some= thing to do with my roots. I knew that I would not be able to say certain= things. I want to be able to say everything right now, but I can’t." The X Factor is scheduled to make its U.S. debut in autumn 2011. (JMA/P=

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RUSSELL CROWE is taking time off from moviemaking to become a househusban= d - in a bid to help his wife DANIELLE SPENCER launch her pop comeback.
The Australian singer/actress turned her back on music after marrying C= rowe in 2003 as they immediately settled down and started a family - welc= oming sons Charles, six, and Tennyson, three.
Crowe concentrated on his career while Spencer looked after their boys = - but now the roles have reversed.
She says, "(Russell) isn’t working at the moment. So he’s being Superda= d, swanning about with the kids in the sun. If he’s busy then I make sure= that I’m around but generally we try to stick together." And Spencer also opens up about life in the family home in Sydney - adm= itting she often retreats to her "music room" to escape the chaos of her = young family.
She adds, "The house is generally wrecked. I put a lock on my music roo= m door and say, ‘Right I’ll see you in a few hours’ and just shut myself = away and do my writing. It’s the only way that I can get head space. Othe= rwise it’s just endless interruption - I get little knocks on the door, ‘= Mum, open up!’ I’m the tough one (parent), let’s put it that way." (CL/WN=

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Scottish DJ CALVIN HARRIS is to launch his own record label this summer (= 10).
The Acceptable in the ’80s hitmaker has named his new venture Fly Eye a= nd is set to unveil the label in May (10).
Harris will kickstart the project by releasing a single from Mr Blink -= an anonymous DJ who performs in disguise.
And the star admits he’s delighted to fulfil his dream of becoming a re= cord label boss.
He tells NME.com, "My goal for Fly Eye is to release the most exciting = club music I can get my hands on. There will be absolutely no s**te." (LR=

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British R&B star JAY SEAN refused to tell his family he quit his record l= abel in 2006 - and spent months pretending to go to work to stop his rela= tives discovering he was unemployed.
The singer shot to fame in his native U.K. in 2003, scoring a string of= hit singles before he parted ways with his Virgin record label in 2006.
The 26-year-old star struggled to get his career back on track, and adm= its he hid the truth from his family - getting dressed and going to work = as usual to pretend nothing was wrong.
He says, "Every day I’d leave home, convincing my family I was going to= work, and I’d just park up at my mate’s house and sit and play video gam= es. Nobody gave a s**t any more." The singer’s brother, Naroop, adds, "In the Asian community if you’ve h= ad one bit of success all of a sudden they think you’ve got huge amounts = of money. So he had to create the impression he was doing something. If y= ou’re not successful at what you do, you’re deemed a failure. But he’s no= t the type to waste his life away." Sean eventually went back to work, writing songs with a producer pal wh= ich later secured him a deal with America’s Cash Money Records and propel= led him to stardom in the U.S. - and he insists he’s glad he didn’t give = up on his music career.
He adds, "That feeling when you win people over, nothing beats that." (=

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CARLY SIMON is appealing to fans and wannabe filmmakers to submit footage= to make a music video for her smash hit YOU’RE SO VAIN - 38 years after = it was first released.
The song, which is rumoured to take aim at one of Simon’s former lovers= , catapulted the singer to fame in 1972 but she never shot a promo to acc= ompany it.
An acoustic version of the track was released last year (09) and Simon = wants her devotees to come up with creative ideas for its first official = video in a new competition.
She says, "People ask me all the time why is there no video of this son= g. I think it’s that people were so busy asking me who the song was about= that nobody thought to make a video of it." The contest closes on 15 April (10) when Simon will judge all entries h= erself.
And the grand prize will be a major boost for the lucky filmmaker - the= chosen video will premiere at Robert De Niro’s Tribeca Film Festival in = New York in April (10), when Simon will present the winner with a gift fr= om her "personal archives".
Simon has never revealed the target of her song, but she has previously= dated Hollywood legend Warren Beatty and rocker Sir Mick Jagger, and was= once married to singer James Taylor.

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TRAVIS BARKER has added to the star-studded line-up for his first solo al= bum - SLIPKNOT vocalist COREY TAYLOR has signed on to lend his voice to t= he project.
The Blink-182 drummer has already lined up guest appearances from hip-h= op hitmakers Lil Wayne and Swizz Beatz for the highly-anticipated record.
And now he’s infusing heavy metal vocals to the record - with Taylor’s = help.
Barker tells Spinner, "I’m rounding it out right now. I just love music= .. The more I can be around it the better, so with my album it’s no one ge= nre. It goes from everything from punk rock to hip-hop to some electro (e= lectronic) stuff on there to a metal song with Corey Taylor from Slipknot= .. It’s been really fun and interesting up ’till now."

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POPE BENEDICT XVI has scored his first nomination at the Classical Brit A= wards - the pontiff is set to compete with THE PRIESTS at the upcoming ce= remony.
The Pope’s best-selling record Alma Mater - Music From the Vatican has = been nominated for the coveted Album Of The Year prize, and will go up ag= ainst The Priests’ second offering Harmony.
The religious acts face competition from a string of reality TV stars, = including Britain’s Got Talent singer Faryl Smith and The X Factor’s Rhyd= ian Roberts, as well as male voice choir Only Men Aloud, Camilla Kerslake= , Blake, Howard Goodall and The Coldstream Guards.
The nominees are the 10 biggest-selling classical albums of the past 12= months.
The award, which is voted for by the British public, will be announced = at a ceremony in London on 13 May (10).

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A representative for BEYONCE has dismissed reports of a gun battle at her= concert in Brazil last week (10Feb10), insisting the gig took place "wit= hout incident." The superstar took her I Am… world tour to South America and kicked o= ff the dates with a string of shows in Brazil.
Britain’s Star magazine reported the final show in the city of Salvador= on Wednesday night (10Feb10) was marred by violence, with a gang of yout= hs opening fire on fans as they left the Parque de Exposicoes venue.
Other reports suggested the singer cut short the show as a result of th= e violence - but her spokesperson has denied the incident affected the co= ncert.
The rep tells UsWeekly.com, "The reports of gunfire during Beyonce’s co= ncert in Brazil that allegedly ended her show early are totally false. Be= yonce played to record crowds on her recent tour in Brazil without incide= nt, including an audience of 60,000 in Sao Paolo on Saturday, February 6 = and two sold-out shows in Rio on February 7 and 8."

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Actress PAULA PATTON has a constant reminder of the nude cover she shot f= or husband ROBIN THICKE’s debut album - her father-in-law keeps a copy in= his living room.
The Precious star shed her clothes for the cover of Thicke’s 2003 recor= d A Beautiful World and was stunned to see several blown-up copies of the= picture on display at the album launch.
And the singer’s father Alan was such a fan of the artwork, he took one= home as a memento.
Patton says, "I mean I’m not ashamed of nudity, I think it’s beautiful.= It’s just that when your father-in-law takes the poster home from the li= stening party and puts it in the TV room of his house and everyone sees i= t, nieces, cousins and nephews… it’s a little embarrassing." (CL/WNWCDN=

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Actor MICHAEL CUDLITZ is convinced bosses at U.S. network NBC were wrong = to cancel cop drama SOUTHLAND - because the show has a lot of potential.
Production was shut down in September (09) just six episodes into the s= econd series, and the 45 year old feels sad for the cast and crew who wor= ked so hard on the series.
He says, "I used to work on the crews. That’s what (angered) me the mos= t, and (angers) me off to this day. I paid my way through college working= on crews. That’s what touched me the most." Southland has since been picked up by rival network TNT - and Cudlitz h= as promised fans a thrilling new season.
He adds, "There’s so much there for the fans of the show. It just punch= es you in the face. The personal stuff, the way it’s shot, and the conver= gence of the stories. (It will) make your head spin."

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CAREY MULLIGAN is keeping a diary to document her whirlwind rise to fame = - so she can always remember the surreal moments in her career.
The 24 year old appeared in 2005 drama Pride & Prejudice, alongside Kei= ra Knightley, as a teenager but has garnered critical acclaim for her tur= n in last year’s (09) An Education.
The role has gained Mulligan a nomination for the Best Actress prize at= the upcoming Oscars and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts = (BAFTA) Awards, and she is favourite to walk away with the BAFTA’s Rising= Star trophy.
And Mulligan is putting pen to paper to document her starry Hollywood e= xperiences.
She says, "No one expected any of this to happen for An Education, so i= t’s been a completely crazy ride. It’s a sort of once-in-a-lifetime thing= , so I’m writing stuff down and trying to remember it.
"As surreal as it is and as much of an honour as it is to be with peopl= e you admire so much, well, I’m just going to enjoy it. After that I can’= t wait to get back to work."

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