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MICHAEL DOUGLAS urged a judge to be lenient when sentencing his son - bra nding CAMERON DOUGLAS "brave", "a loving man" and "a thoughtful friend" i n a letter to a New York court.
Cameron Douglas faces more than 10 years behind bars after pleading gui lty to charges of dealing methamphetamine.
His loved ones, including his father, stepmother Catherine Zeta-Jones a nd grandfather Kirk Douglas, penned letters to Manhattan’s Federal Court in New York in a bid to reduce the sentence.
Michael Douglas’ letter was originally kept private, but a judge last w eek (ends18Apr10) ruled that it should be made public.
In the heartfelt message, the proud father opened up about his son’s tr oubles, insisting Cameron is now "sober" after a stint in rehab and has b ecome a "wonderful young man".
He writes, "I have some idea of the pressure of finding your own identi ty with a famous father. I’m not sure I can comprehend it with two genera tions to deal with.
"We all know what Cameron Douglas is capable of - a loving man who ador es kids and vice versa. Brave, who stands up for what is right. A thought ful friend and son. An excellent DJ and a fine actor with a great career ahead of him.
"For the past eight months, I have cherished my two (hours) a week in p erson conversation with Cameron at the MCC (Metropolitan Correctional Cen ter). He’s sober! I get to witness the wonderful young man he can be. He maintains his spirit, blames no one but himself, and recognises his crimi nal activity began with his heroin use." Cameron Douglas will be handed his punishment on 27 April (10). (CL/WNW

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NICKI MINAJ is determined to tone down her racy rap image - because she r efuses to be a bad role model for impressionable young fans.
The hip-hop star signed to Lil Wayne’s Young Money Entertainment label last year (09) and was stunned by the number of teens who joined her foll owing - but she insists she’s taking her new place in the spotlight serio usly.
She tells Details.com, "I do (feel pressure to be less racy). I’m a rol e model now. I didn’t know I was gonna have 13-year-old fans, so I’ve tri ed to change a few things. But I also know that the girls don’t want me t o be Miley Cyrus, either."

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Actor JOHN STAMOS is hosting a charity gala in New York to help reduce th e number of babies who are abandoned at birth.
The star is a long-term spokesman for Project Cuddle, an organisation w hich supports expectant mothers.
Stamos is heading up a charity event on Monday (26Apr10) for the cause - and he is hoping to raise awareness of the organisation.
He tells PopEater.com, "My mom was friends with the founder, Debbe Magn usen. She was saving babies out of her home. It’s just one of those chari ties where it came to me like, ‘Wow, I can really make a difference,’ bec ause she needed exposure.
"A lot of these girls who call are hiding the babies from their parents and boyfriends and don’t get prenatal care. A lot of it is also preventi ve. We have a video we made on birth control that we are trying to get sh own in all sex-ed classes."

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Stars including ALICIA KEYS, SIR ELTON JOHN and WHITNEY HOUSTON have offe red themselves up to the highest bidder to raise money for a human rights charity.
Justin Bieber, Gwen Stefani and Oprah Winfrey are also among the celebr ities donating their time for a ‘meet and greet’ which is being auctioned off online to benefit the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights.
Other lots include the opportunity to spend a day on the set of John Cu sack’s new movie and a signed hat worn by Harrison Ford in the Indiana Jo nes movies.
Kerry Kennedy, founder of the RFK Center’s Speak Truth to Power campaig n, says, "By bidding on these incredible experiences, people will be supp orting cutting-edge human rights defenders from around the world, includi ng those fighting for the right to water and reconstruction in Haiti, the peace process in Darfur, farmers’ rights in the U.S and much more." Bidding on the items ends on 28 April (10).

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LADY GAGA’s concert in Japan on Saturday night (17Apr10) was disrupted wh en an overzealous fan leaped onto the stage and confronted the singer.
The Poker Face hitmaker was performing at the JPN Yokohama Arena in Yok ohama, Japan as part of her Monster Ball world tour.
But the show was interrupted during the star’s rendition of her hit tra ck Bad Romance, when a concertgoer hopped over the security barrier and j umped on stage.
The admirer then fell into a prayer position in front of the star, who quickly retreated to the other side of the stage as two of her dancers dr agged the fan away.
Gaga then continued the rest of show without any further disruption. (L

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ANNIE LENNOX has been forced to scrap an appearance on upcoming charity s how IDOL GIVES BACK after the travel chaos in Europe left her unable to c atch a flight from the U.K. to America.
The Scottish singer had been due to take part in the American Idol fund raiser on Wednesday (21Apr10), alongside stars including Sir Elton John, Alicia Keys and Mary J. Blige, who will all be performing to help raise m oney for good causes.
But Lennox has been left stranded in Europe after the majority of fligh ts were grounded following the recent volcanic eruption in Iceland.
American Idol host Ryan Seacrest confirmed the news in an interview wit h TV journalist Larry King.
He says, "Annie Lennox is scheduled to perform, but I understand that..
.. she may be stuck (in) Europe. She can’t get here." Ellen DeGeneres, who is a member of the show’s judging panel, adds, "Sh e was supposed to (perform). Annie Lennox was supposed to be on my show t omorrow. She can’t get out of Europe."

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Country superstars GEORGE STRAIT, KENNY CHESNEY and CARRIE UNDERWOOD turn ed out to honour retiring duo BROOKS & DUNN at a special TV farewell on M onday (19Apr10).
The pair, who will split for good later this year (10), celebrated thei r 20-year career at the recording of TV event Brooks & Dunn - The Last Ro deo at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Strait paid tribute to the musicians by covering their hit Boot Scootin ‘ Boogie and telling the crowd, "People ask me all the time who I listen to, and I answer with three simple words: ‘Brooks and Dunn.’" Taylor Swift also took the stage to salute the duo, joking about their longevity: "Twenty years - to me that’s like a lifetime!" Faith Hill later remembered how she had once been pranked by the hitmak ers when she toured with them during the 1990s, recalling, "I pulled back my covers, tucked myself in bed and there it was: a slimy eel thawing ou t in my sheets." Chesney, Underwood, Brad Paisley and Reba McEntire were among the 16 ac ts who played for the pair, while poet Maya Angelou congratulated them in a video message, according to the Associated Press.
She said: "In their whole body of work, they’ve shown how much they car e about the human condition." Brooks & Dunn accepted the Academy of Country Music’s Milestone Award b efore finishing the evening with their track Play Something Country.
The TV special is scheduled to air in America in May (10) - three month s before Brooks & Dunn play their final concert on 10 August (10) in Nash ville, Tennessee.

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LILY ALLEN has been given a boost before her imminent retirement from pop - she’s received two songwriting nominations for the 2010 Ivor Novello A wards in Britain.
The singer’s hit The Fear will compete for the Best Song Musically & Ly rically and Most Performed Work prizes at the 55th annual ceremony, whic h recognises excellence in British music writing.
Meanwhile her former tourmate, hip-hop star Dizzee Rascal, has also sco oped a pair of nominations - his track Bonkers is up for Best Contemporar y Song and his Tongue N’ Cheek LP is on the Album Award shortlist.
Other songs nominated for Ivor Novello Awards, which will be handed out in London next month (May10), include Girls Aloud’s The Promise, La Roux ’s In For The Kill and James Morrison’s Broken Strings.
Allen will bow out of the music industry after performing her last gig with rapper Jay-Z at the Wireless festival in July (10).

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Rapper GURU has died in hospital after a long battle with cancer. He was 43.
The star, one half of pioneering hip-hop duo Gang Starr, was admitted t o a New York medical facility in February (10) after he suffered a heart attack and slipped into a coma. He was diagnosed with anoxia, a condition where the body lacks an adequate supply of oxygen.
It has now been revealed Guru, real name Keith Elam, was also battling cancer, but chose to keep the news private.
He spent two months in hospital before he passed away on Monday morning (19Apr10).
A statement from Guru’s business partner, Solar, reads, "The world has lost one of the best MCs and hip-hop icons of all-time - my loyal best fr iend, partner, and brother, Guru. Guru has been battling cancer for well over a year and has lost his battle. This is a matter that Guru wanted pr ivate until he could beat it, but tragically, this did not happen. The ca ncer took him. Now the world has lost a great man and a true genius." Solar has also released a letter, written by his pal during his hospita l stay, in which he acknowledges he is not going to recover from the cond ition.
It reads, "I, Guru, am writing this letter to my fans, friends and love d ones around the world. I have had a long battle with cancer and have su ccumbed to the disease. I have suffered with this illness for over a year .. I have exhausted all medical options. I write this with tears in my eye s, not of sorrow but of joy for what a wonderful life I have enjoyed and how many great people I have had the pleasure of meeting." Tributes have poured in from the hip-hop world - rap guru Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs honoured the star in a post on his Twitter.com page, writing, "RIP Guru! Hip-Hop lost an icon today - but you’ll always be with us because l egends live on 4ever (sic)." Mariah Carey’s husband Nick Cannon adds, "R.I.P. Guru. God is with my m an!" Guru shot to fame with Gang Starr in the 1990s, and built up a solo car eer alongside the success of the group. He appeared in various films over the years, including 1993’s Who’s the Man? and The Substitute 2: School’ s Out in 1998.
He released his final album, Guru 8.0: Lost And Found, in 2009. (LR/WNW

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In WENN’s 1st feed on Tuesday 13 April, 2010, we reported that actress Amber Heard had told a British magazine she was far more deserving of her role in The Rum Diary than Scarlett Johansson. WENN wishes to make it cl ear that Miss Heard did not state the words attributed to her, and had si mply stated that she had worked hard to win the role. Please remove the s tory from your database…..WENN Editor. (ZN/WN/LR) ————————————————————————-

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KIM KARDASHIAN regrets posing nude for Playboy magazine, insisting the ex perience left her feeling "uncomfortable".
The socialite-turned-reality TV star undressed for a special 12-page pi ctorial in December 2007 on the advice of her mum Kris Jenner, but the 29 year old now wishes she’d never stripped off for Playboy boss Hugh Hefne r.
She tells Harper’s Bazaar magazine, "I’m sorry I did Playboy. I was unc omfortable. (My mum said,) ‘Go for it. They might never ask you again. Ou r (reality TV) show isn’t on the air yet. No one knows who you are. Do it and you’ll have these beautiful pictures to look at when you’re my age.’ " Kardashian bared all again for a new photoshoot accompanying the Harper ’s Bazaar interview.

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MAD MEN star CHRISTINA HENDRICKS is dishing out relationship advice in a one-off column for a top U.S. men’s magazine.
The busty beauty opens up about her romantic experiences in the May iss ue of America’s Esquire magazine, in a piece entitled ‘A Letter to Men’.
Hendricks reveals all about what attracts her to the opposite sex, incl uding "stand up, open a door, offer a jacket" - and what men can do to im press a woman.
She writes, "We love your body. If we’re in love with you, we love your body. Your potbelly, everything. Speaking of your body, you don’t unders tand the power of your own smell. Any woman who is currently with a man i s with him partly because she loves the way he smells.
"We remember forever what you say about the bodies of other women. It’s not about whether or not we approve of the comment. It’s about learning what you think is sexy and how we might be able to convey it. The men who constantly stare at our breasts are never the men we’re attracted to." (

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LORD OF THE RINGS director PETER JACKSON has dismissed rumours upcoming p requel THE HOBBIT has been delayed due to production problems - insisting the project is still in its early stages.
The adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s first book in the fantasy series was reportedly scheduled to begin filming this summer (10).
Sir Ian McKellen, who stars in the series as wizard Gandalf, apparently confirmed the news in a recent post on his website, revealing the movie will be split into "two films" and will "start shooting in New Zealand in June".
Subsequent reports that movie bosses are not yet ready to begin filming have sparked speculation the project has been delayed, but Jackson is ad amant the stories of a postponement aren’t true.
He tells Moviefone.com, "Well, it’s not really been delayed, because we ‘ve never announced the date. I mean it’s sort of interesting because the studio has never greenlit The Hobbit, so therefore The Hobbit has never been officially announced as a ‘go’ project, nor have we ever announced a date.
"But there’s so much interest that people - newspapers and magazines, o f their own account, say, ‘Ah, it’s likely to film in May, it’s likely to film in June, it’s likely to film in September’. People make this stuff up. And then if it’s not filming in June, you get a story saying, ‘The Ho bbit’s been delayed’. But it’s never actually been announced." (LR/WNWCMF

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The TV executives behind UGLY BETTY have been hit with a lawsuit from a w oman who alleges she thought up the premise for the cancelled show.
Writer/director Azita Zendel claims several episodes of the sitcom, whi ch wrapped up in the U.S. on 14 April (10), are similar to a screenplay s he wrote which became 2003 independent movie Controlled Chaos.
Zendel alleges she originally submitted the project to ABC network boss es in the hope of landing a distribution deal, according to a lawsuit fil ed in court on Monday (19Apr10).
She claims she has never been compensated and is now suing for unspecif ied damages, reports TMZ.com.
Ugly Betty, which began airing in 2006, is based on the Colombian TV se ries Yo soy Betty, la fea, which was broadcast from 1999 to 2001. (PAW/WN

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OPRAH WINFREY is refusing to take a DNA test after several men emerged cl aiming to be the media mogul’s father.
The TV titan was raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin by her single mother an d never knew her dad.
Her life has come under scrutiny in new tell-all book Oprah: A Biograph y, with writer Kitty Kelley alleging to know the real identity of the fat her of the star.
Noah Robinson, 84, a Second World War veteran, came forward earlier thi s month (Apr10) claiming he is the star’s dad - and alleged he had reques ted a DNA test from Winfrey last year (09).
The chat show host was left fuming at the claims, telling the audience at The New York Women in Communications Matrix Awards on Monday (19Apr10) , "New daddies are saying, ‘Hello daughter, call me, I need a new roof.’" Winfrey is adamant she won’t be reaching out to any of them - and is re fusing to agree to any requests for a DNA test.
She tells the New York Post, "I will not be taking a paternity test, ev er. I’ve never heard of him (Robinson). I know who is claiming to be my r eal father."

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British singer CHERYL COLE is in talks to land a role in a Disney TV movi e, according to a U.K. report.
The Girls Aloud star, who is a judge on Simon Cowell’s British talent c ontest The X Factor, is reportedly holding discussions with Disney produc ers to appear in a one-off show, similar to 2008’s Camp Rock, which starr ed The Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato.
And executives are hoping to make Cole the next big Disney star, follow ing in the footsteps of Miley Cyrus and Zac Efron, according to Britain’s Daily Mirror.
A source tells the publication, "Cheryl is the full package. She’s got it all - brains (and) beauty. It’s unbelievable the level of interest she stirred up in the Disney studios following her recent trips to L.A., whe re she was making her recent music video.
"That Parachute video with (dancer) Derek Hough, who is massive in the States because of Dancing With The Stars, really showed just how graceful and dynamic she can be. From her experiences with Girls Aloud, she can a lso handle the high energy routines, so the plan is to incorporate her in a show. It’s early… but a one-off like Camp Rock would be the way to g o." And Disney star Selena Gomez insists she’d love for the British beauty to be her co-star, gushing, "Oh my goodness, I’d love to work with Cheryl Cole on a Disney show. I’ve just seen that video Parachute. She is beaut iful. I’d love to."

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COURTNEY LOVE wants RYAN GOSLING and JAMES MCAVOY to fight it out for the coveted role of her late husband KURT COBAIN in a new biopic.
The Hole rocker dismissed reports she wanted Twilight hunk Robert Patti nson to play Cobain last week (ends16Apr10) - and now she’s naming names.
Of Pattinson’s link to the biopic, Love says, "That=E2=80=99s just wron g," but she has another Brit in mind - Scot McAvoy.
Courtney acquired the rights to Charles Cross=E2=80=99 Heavier Than Hea ven and has been working for almost five years to find the right team to bring the project to the big screen.
Love confirms she’d like Scarlett Johansson to play herself. (KL/WNVACC

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R&B singer CHRIS BROWN will headline an upcoming Haiti benefit concert in his home state of Virginia next month (May10) to raise money for the ear thquake-ravaged country.
The disgraced star has been working to rebuild his image ever since his infamous fight with ex-girlfriend Rihanna last year (09).
Brown, who grew up in the state, is set to perform at the Virginia Stan d Up! A Call To Action gig on 15 May (10) at the Virginia Commonwealth Un iversity in Richmond, alongside singers including Keri Hilson, T-Pain, Ju elz Santana and Mario.
Money raised from the benefit concert will go towards the American Red Cross’ Haiti relief effort to help survivors of the January (10) quake, a s well as the Central Virginia Foodbank, which helps residents in Virgini a.
In a statement, Brown says, "I wanted to find a way to contribute perso nally to the ongoing Haitian relief effort and also support an organisati on that helps people in need in my home state."

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