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Actress HAYDEN PANETTIERE was refused a meeting with a local mayor in Jap an on Friday (26Mar10) as she joined a group of environmental activists t o demand an end to the country’s annual dolphin hunt.
The Heroes star headed to the historic whaling town of Taiji, where a y early mass killing of dolphins takes place, with her boxer boyfriend Wlad imir Klitschko and demanded an audience with the mayor and representative s from the local fisheries union.
But Panettiere - who is a spokeswoman for the Save the Whales Again! ca mpaign, which wants to halt Taiji’s dolphin hunt - left disappointed afte r her request was denied by two officials, who blocked her from entering Taiji’s town hall.
She tells the Associated Press, "We are trying to peacefully come up wi th better ideas as to how to generate income and utilise the nature here.
"We’ve been to Taiji before and it’s a beautiful place with beautiful w ildlife. We just wanted to have a very peaceful and relaxed conversation (with officials)." It isn’t the first time the actress has headed to Japan to campaign aga inst their ocean hunts - in 2007 she joined protesters in the area and lo cal authorities issued a warrant for her arrest.

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SANDRA BULLOCK’s husband JESSE JAMES is facing yet more scandal - court p apers have emerged from a sexual harassment lawsuit in 2000 which levied a series of lurid allegations at the reality TV star.
The Oscar-winning actress walked out on her partner last week (ends21Ma r10) after tattooed model Michelle McGee went public with claims she had an affair with James last year (09).
More women have also come forward with claims of affairs with James, an d a recent report alleged the star was embroiled in a sexual harassment s candal in 2007 while he was married to Bullock.
A female employee accused him of making sexual advances towards her and sending suggestive emails. Celebrity website TMZ.com reported that no la wsuit was filed and James allegedly settled the dispute for a reported $7 00,000 (=C2=A3466,667).
And now public records have emerged which link the star to a separate s exual harassment lawsuit in 2000. Deann McClung, who formerly worked at J ames’ West Coast Choppers company, filed suit against the TV mechanic all eging he exposed his genitalia to her, "touched and/or attempted to touch " her without her consent, and made sexual and degrading comments towards her and other women.
The complaint was filed in April 2000 at Los Angeles Superior Court, bu t was dismissed in May 2001 at the request of both parties’ attorneys, ac cording to E! Online.
James married Bullock in 2005.

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British singer CHERYL COLE has slammed reports she posed for photographs without her wedding band to send a message to her estranged husband - ins isting she is not playing a "silly game".
The Girls Aloud star announced her split from soccer player Ashley Cole last month (Feb10) following allegations he had affairs with five differ ent women.
Earlier this week (beg22Mar10) she was photographed smiling in Paris, F rance seemingly holding up her left hand to show she no longer wears her wedding ring.
But Cole has issued a statement clearing up rumours she wanted to send a message to the sports star, insisting she was merely brushing her hair out of her face.
Mentioning her marriage breakdown for the first time since she announce d the split, she writes on her PR firm Supersonic’s Twitter.com page, "I just wanted to clear up the stories about whether I am wearing my wedding ring in my own words as this has been going on for too long and is getti ng boring. It is not some silly game I am playing. That is not me and not my style.
"There have been many occasions where I have not worn my wedding ring, many of those when I was pictured with Ashley. I find it crazy that peopl e would think I use this as some sort of msg (message). Believe it or not Ashley is fully aware of any situation going on in our personal lives. H e does not need to see a picture of me moving the hair out of my face to explain anything. Please drop it."

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Cult band SAINT MOTEL have teamed up with alien hunters at the Internatio nal Flying Saucer Bureau in a bid to track down space beings at an upcomi ng Los Angeles concert.
The group will mark World Contact Day on 10 April (10) by staging a sho w at the Echoplex in Los Angeles - and star watchers will beam their live music into space.
Band frontman AJ Jackson says, "We will be trying to finish what Albert Bender from the International Flying Saucer Bureau attempted to do in 19 53. The goal was to make contact with extraterrestrials via telepathic co mmunication.
"However, days before the 1953 World Contact Day, Albert Bender had a m ysterious visit from some officials who scared him so badly he disbanded the IFSB and receded into the wilderness.
"Nobody knows exactly what happened but it is rumoured that he was onto something - something that Saint Motel plans to discover."

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British girlgroup the SUGABABES have been dropped from JAY-Z’s music labe l after releasing just one album under Roc-A-Fella Records, according to a U.K. report.
The hitmakers reportedly signed a three-record deal with the music mogu l last year (09) and their seventh studio record, Sweet 7, hit stores in the U.K. earlier this month (Mar10).
The album is also the first release with the new line-up - singer Jade Ewen was drafted in to replace Keisha Buchanan in September (09), the onl y original member of the band after two other line-up changes.
Sweet 7 has so far had disappointing sales after entering the U.K. char t at number 14 and it has fallen to 37 in this week’s (beg22Mar10) midwee k rundown.
And now Jay-Z has reportedly dropped the trio from his record label, ac cording to Britain’s The Sun. A source tells the publication the girls ar e being referred to as "former clients", while a spokesperson for the Sug ababes reportedly told the paper the girls had never even signed a deal w ith Roc-A-Fella.

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BOY GEORGE celebrated a landmark achievement last week (end21Mar10) - he’ s been drug-free for two years.
The former Culture Club star has endured a lengthy battle with addictio n, but he finally beat his demons a year before he was jailed last Januar y (09) for the false imprisonment and assault of a male escort in 2007.
Boy George, real name George O’Dowd, has previously credited his prison stint with improving his life "more than 100 per cent" as it forced him to kick his drug habit.
And O’Dowd has remained "clean" since his release last May (09).
Speaking to British TV host Alan Carr, he says, "I went in (to prison) clean, I was a year clean before I went in. I just had my two year annive rsary last week as well. Where I was (jail) there wasn’t any drugs. I mea n, I know you do hear stories, but I didn’t see any of that (drug taking) at all."

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British singer LILY ALLEN was reportedly spotted partying at a gig in Lon don on the same night she cancelled a performance at a fundraising concer t because of tonsillitis.
The Smile hitmaker was due to sing at Koko in the British capital on We dnesday (24Mar10) for the ICA Annual Fundraising Gala Party.
Allen cancelled her slot at the last minute, blaming illness for the no -show. British singer Ellie Goulding replaced her in the line-up.
But the 24 year old was reportedly spotted at London venue The Social o n the same night watching Ian Dury’s son Baxter perform, alongside her ne w record label partner George Tyekiff, according to Britain’s The Sun. (K

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JOE JONAS always knew he would date current girlfriend DEMI LOVATO - but was never sure when would be the right moment to take their friendship fu rther.
The Disney sensations grew close after appearing together in movie-musi cal Camp Rock in 2008.
They sparked rumours of a romance in October (09) when they were spotte d on a double date at a Toronto, Canada restaurant with Joe’s older broth er Kevin and his now-wife Danielle Deleasa.
Lovato dismissed reports of a relationship back in November (09), but s he has since confirmed the pair is now an item.
And now Jonas has opened up about Lovato, revealing he started having s tronger feelings for his "best friend" just over a month ago.
Speaking during their first joint interview as a couple, Jonas tells U.
S. host Ryan Seacrest on his radio show, "We’ve been best friends for the longest time and now we’re taking the next step and it’s been really fun .. I think it kind of shifted over probably a month ago. I think we’ve alw ays figured that one day it would happen but we didn’t feel like it was t he right time." And Lovato admits she has always felt strongly about her beau, but neve r admitted it before. She adds, "Being best friends for a while, over tim e feelings grow, and for me, as much as I wanted to deny it, the feelings were always there."

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R&B singer KEYSHIA COLE has been ordered to pay almost $160,000 (=C2=A310 6,666) in damages to an event promoter over a concert no-show.
The Last Night hitmaker was allegedly due to play a gig in 2006 and was handed $15,000 (=C2=A310,000) upfront to perform, but she failed to show up to the event, a New Jersey court heard on Thursday (25Mar10).
The judge ruled against Cole after branding the singer’s testimony "con fused and at times nonsensical", adding, "that it appears at times that s he was not literate".
Cole has been ordered to pay the sum to the company, reports TMZ.com (K

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The Frenchman accused of hacking into BRITNEY SPEARS’ Twitter account has been arrested The Toxic hitmaker has been subject to several hacks on the social netw orking site - most recently her blog was taken over in November (09) by p ranksters declaring her dedication to Satan worship.
Francois Cousteix, 24, was taken in by police in France earlier this we ek (begs22Mar10).
French police questioned the unemployed computer technician over allega tions he illegally accessed Spears’ online page, as well as those of U.S.
President Barack Obama and British singer Lily Allen.
He has been bailed and is due back in court on 24 June (10).
In an interview with the AFP, Cousteix says, "I am not a hacker. I am a kind pirate. I did not act with a destructive aim… I wanted to warn th em, to show up the faults in the system." He faces up to two years in prison and a $40,000 (=C2=A326,667) fine if convicted on a charge of breaking into a data system.

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Former SPICE GIRL GERI HALLIWELL credits British singer ROBBIE WILLIAMS w ith saving her life after she almost died from eating disorder bulimia.
The star plummeted in weight when she left the girlgroup in 1998 and sp arked fears for her health as she dropped to just 98 pounds (44 kilograms ).
But she managed to overcome the dangerous disorder when former Take Tha t star Williams, who she was rumoured to be dating at the time, encourage d her to seek professional help.
Halliwell checked into Arizona’s Cottonwood Du Tucson clinic in 2001 - and she will be forever grateful to Williams for saving her.
Opening up about the problem on British TV show Piers Morgan’s Life Sto ries, she says, "I was worried I’d get fat. I would binge and then felt f atter and would make myself sick. It was awful. Robbie knew about my buli mia and he advised me to get help. He told me to go into rehab and that p ossibly saved my life. The bulimia would have got worse without it. I wil l always be grateful to him, always.
"I became really close to Robbie after leaving the Spice Girls and it w as a very poignant friendship. I was lonely and felt he was the only pers on on the planet who could understand me because of his experiences with Take That. We understood each other. But I didn’t really go out with him.
I am happy and healthy now."

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SIMON COWELL is to be honoured for his contribution to television around the world - he has landed a special Emmy Award.
The music mogul will receive the International Emmy Founders Award at a ceremony in New York in November (10) for his work on the small screen w ith his television shows, including American Idol and The X Factor.
President of the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Bruce Paisner, says, "He is an entrepreneur and a performer in equal mea sure. Simon Cowell has built an international empire and has changed the face of TV around the world." Speaking about the trophy, Cowell says he is "delighted", adding, "I’ve been very lucky to be able to make shows I love."

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Original WONDER WOMAN star LYNDA CARTER has slammed reports she branded S ANDRA BULLOCK "too old" to play the superhero siren in a big screen remak e - insisting the Oscar winner would be "great" in the role.
A host of A-list ladies have been tipped to take over from Carter, who starred in the 1970s TV show, in Joss Whedon’s movie revival, including M egan Fox, Eliza Dushku and Beyonce Knowles.
But when Bullock was suggested for the lead, Carter was rumoured to hav e slated The Blind Side actress - insisting a younger star should take on the action role.
But Carter is adamant she never made the comments - and would love to s ee Bullock front the film.
Speaking on U.S. TV show Good Morning L.A., she says, "There was an ide a that Sandra Bullock should play Wonder Woman and I think it’s a great i dea. She’s exactly the kind of a personality and somehow it got messed ar ound that I had said she was too old. That’s nonsense, it wasn’t true. Sh e’s strong and feminine. And Wonder Woman has to be accessible." (KD/WNTE

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KIM CATTRALL was envious of MILEY CYRUS’ cameo in the upcoming SEX AND TH E CITY movie sequel - because her workload was so small compared to the o ther stars.
The teen idol plays herself at a red carpet event in the film, where sh e shows up in the same outfit as Cattrall’s character Samantha Jones.
But the actress was jealous watching Cyrus’ two-hour shoot, while she a nd the rest of the cast, including Sarah Jessica Parker, worked through t he night.
Speaking to British TV host Alan Carr, she says, "She was very sweet, I mean she came for literally two hours. I mean, we do 19 hour days so I w as quite envious. She comes at 16 (years old) with her posse (entourage), very sweet, very nice, dressed ready to go… did her bit and then she w as gone. We were there til four or five in the morning!" But even though Cattrall was envious of the Disney star, she is pleased she didn’t have to endure Hollywood as a youngster: "She was lovely, ver y simple. Sort of had a very strong American accent, sort of naive… you know she’s so young. She’s 16, come on. I would hate to be a young perso n in this business with all of that pressure."

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Actress CHLOE SEVIGNY is facing the wrath of U.S. TV executives - she’s b randed the latest season of her show BIG LOVE "awful".
The star plays a fundamentalist Mormon wife in the series, which is now in its fourth season, but she was disappointed with the writing on the l atest episodes.
And after opening up about her thoughts on the show, Sevigny is scared bosses at HBO will reprimand her for her scathing comments.
She says, "It was awful this season, as far as I=E2=80=99m concerned. I =E2=80=99m not allowed to say that! It was very telenovela. I feel like i t kind of got away from itself. The whole political campaign seemed to me very far fetched. I mean, I love the show, I love my character, I love t he writing, but I felt like they were really pushing it this last season.
And with nine episodes, I think they were just squishing too much in.
"Oh God, I know. Oh, God. It=E2=80=99s too much. It=E2=80=99s too much.
But I hope the fans will stick with us and tune in next year. There=E2=80 =99s a lot of people who really love this season, surprisingly. God, I=E2 =80=99m going to get in so much trouble."

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DEMI MOORE is still sore with critics who blasted her G.I. JANE movie in 1997 - because she thinks the RIDLEY SCOTT film was one of her best.
The Ghost star was baffled when the film flopped at the box office beca use she was sure it would be a huge hit - and she fears critics just didn ‘t want her to succeed in a military movie.
She says, "It was really underrated, at a moment when they (critics) ju st didn’t want to let me win.
"But, to this day, it is still one of my favourite films that I have ha d the privilege to be in." And Moore admits the backlash and the failure of the film were part of the reason why she took a Hollywood hiatus.
She tells C magazine, "It was that kind of crushing that really sent me into a space that lost a little bit of passion and maybe disheartened me .."

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Rocker PHIL COLLINS has to tape drumsticks to his hands when he’s onstage or in the studio - because nerve damage in his hands means he can no lon ger grip them.
The Genesis star, who was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame wi th his bandmates earlier this month (Mar10), had to stop playing altogeth er last year (09) because of pain to his spinal cord.
He revealed, "My vertebrae has been crushing my spinal cord because of the position I drum in. It comes from years of playing. I can’t even hold the sticks properly without it being painful." But now he’s found a way of being able to pound the drums again.
He tells RollingStone.com, "The first time I picked up the drumsticks a fter my neck surgery, they flew across the room because I couldn=E2=80=99 t grip them. When I play, I=E2=80=99ve had to tape the sticks to my hand.
It=E2=80=99s like wearing a condom. It=E2=80=99s very strange. It really cramps your style." And that’s not the only thing he’s struggling with: "I can=E2=80=99t le t go of the spoon or the knife when I eat. I can=E2=80=99t open a car doo r… There=E2=80=99s a lot of things I can=E2=80=99t do." But he’s hopeful he can get his drumming skills back: "I=E2=80=99m havi ng an operation soon and there=E2=80=99s a good chance of it improving ov er time." Until then, the chances of another Genesis reunion seems unlikely.
Bandmate Tony Banks says, "He has to play the drums and play some quite complicated things… It=E2=80=99s one of the many reasons it (tour) won =E2=80=99t happen."

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THE FLAMING LIPS are set to become the latest act to turn a hit album int o a Broadway show - the man behind THE WHO’s TOMMY wants to adapt their c ult hit YOSHIMI BATTLES THE PINK ROBOTS for the stage.
As Green Day prepare to stage their American Idiot musical in New York, The Flaming Lips have revealed they’re in talks with Des McAnuff to turn their hit 2002 album into a theatrical spectacular.
Frontman Wayne Coyne tells WENN, "We’ve talked about doing something wi th Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots now for about five or six years. They did it with Tommy and Des McAnuff was the director, and he’s the one that wants to do Yoshimi.
"We’ve actually pursued it to a certain extent and I think that where i t sits is really just me deciding to dedicate a couple of years of my lif e to making it.
"It’s a strange opportunity but I know we’ve talked about it since 2003 .. We would incorporate all the songs and probably write some other music that told a little bit more of a story. I guess my biggest dilemma is the re’s not really a story with Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots; it’s just a series of unconnected songs that sound connected when you listen.
"That being said, I don’t think it would be overly impossible to draw s ome connections and come up with some type of emotional storyline." (KL/R

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