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The producers behind THE HURT LOCKER have filed a lawsuit against thousan ds of film fans who allegedly illegally downloaded the movie from the int ernet.
Executives at Voltage Pictures, the company which financed Kathryn Bige low’s war drama, are suing 5,000 BitTorrent file-sharers, accusing them o f copyright violation by unlawfully accessing the picture, which was leak ed online six months before its U.S. release date in 2009.
The suit lists the defendants by their Internet Protocol (IP) addresses , with lawyers planning to subpoena Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to identify the offenders, who will be asked to pay $1,500 (=C2=A31,000) to be released from their liability.
They face paying up to 10 times that amount if the case goes to court.
The suit, filed in Washington, D.C., reads: "A Defendant’s distribution of even one unlawful copy of a motion picture can result in the nearly i nstantaneous worldwide distribution of that single copy to a limitless nu mber of people. The Plaintiff now seeks redress for this rampant infringe ment of their exclusive rights." The Hurt Locker won six Academy Awards in March (10) including the cove ted Best Picture Oscar, but only grossed approximately $16 million (=C2=A3 10.7 million) at the U.S. box office.

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DENNIS HOPPER’s first wife BROOKE HAYWARD is furious with the Hollywood l egend’s estranged spouse VICTORIA DUFFY for increasing his "suffering" du ring the weeks before his death.
The Easy Rider star passed away at his home in Venice, California on Sa turday (29May10) after a long struggle with prostate cancer.
He had been locked in a bitter legal battle with fifth wife Duffy since filing divorce papers earlier this year (10), shortly after he went publ ic with his cancer diagnosis.
Now Hayward, who was married to the actor for eight years from 1961, ha s slammed Duffy for blighting Hopper’s final months with "nasty accusatio ns".
She tells British newspaper The Sun, "Dennis was in so much pain becaus e of all the fighting he was going through with Victoria. It’s horrible t he way he died, but even worse when you think what she put him through. H e was suffering so much, but then he had to deal with all these nasty acc usations from her."

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MADONNA has thanked fans for backing a campaign calling for the release o f two jailed gay men in Malawi after the pair was freed at the weekend (2 9May10).
Earlier this month (May10), the pop superstar branded the incarceration of Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga "backward" after they were bot h sentenced to 14 years behind bars for being homosexual.
She urged Malawians and her followers across the world to protest the j udge’s decision by adding their names to a petition against the ruling.
After receiving the petition and meeting with United Nation ambassadors , Malawi’s President Bingu wa Mutharika pardoned the pair and ordered the ir immediate release on Saturday (29May10).
And Madonna - who adopted two of her children, David and Mercy, from th e country and is financing the construction of a girls’ school in the cap ital - is delighted by the news.
In a post on her Raising Malawi website, she writes, "I have always bel ieved love conquers all - yesterday I got to see it in action. In the las t week over 30,000 of you added your name to mine calling for the release of Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga - the Malawi couple sentenced to 14 years hard labour for the ‘crime’ of homosexuality. With incredible joy, I am writing to share with you that Malawi President Bingu wa Mutha rika has ordered their release. Steven and Tiwonge were freed on Saturday night. They have won their freedom and you have been a part of it.
"We celebrate this astounding turn of events with Steven, Tiwonge, and the countless Malawians fighting for their release. It is a historic day for Malawi." But the singer admits she is still concerned for the pair, adding: "Tho ugh they are free from prison, sadly their safety and future in Malawi is still unknown. I hope this is just the beginning of our work together.
"Human rights injustices continue for so many Malawians facing poverty, disease, and a lack of critical resources. There are still over two mill ion orphans and vulnerable children who need to experience love’s embrace .. It is going to take the love and creativity of all of us to bring justi ce to the people of Malawi."

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The SPICE GIRLS are hoping to regroup for another comeback tour - but the bandmembers are struggling to convince VICTORIA BECKHAM to return, accor ding to a U.K. report.
The Wannabe hitmakers thrilled fans when they returned for a sold-out w orld trek in 2007 and 2008 - the first time the original line-up had perf ormed together since Geri Halliwell quit to go solo in 1998.
Following the jaunt, Beckham vowed to hang up her microphone for good t o concentrate on her fashion ventures.
The girl group is now reportedly eager to get back on stage - but singe rs Halliwell, Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton and Melanie Chisholm are struggl ing to persuade Beckham to join them, according to Britain’s Daily Mirror ..
A source tells the publication, "The girls are so excited. They are buz zing about getting back together and each have so many new ideas and so m uch to bring to the table.
"They are desperate to get Posh (Beckham) on board, but that is the sti cking point.
"Although she’s still so nostalgic about the good old days, she has mov ed on now and is relishing the fashion world. They don’t want to give up on her, but have so many plans.
"The way things are going they might have to go on without her if she d oesn’t come round soon."

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MICHAEL JACKSON left his children a $33 million (=C2=A322 million) trust fund each - but they won’t be able to gain full control of their fortunes until they are 40 years old.
The Thriller hitmaker set up the Michael Jackson Family Trust fund in 1 995, before he welcomed his three children, Prince, 13, Paris, 12, and ei ght-year-old Blanket.
Jackson signed off the will in 2002 to ensure his children receive 40 p er cent of his estate, while his mother Katherine gets another 40 per cen t and the last 20 per cent is given to charity.
Despite dying with huge debts and spiralling money woes, the trustees p ut in charge of Jackson’s estate have managed to boost the superstar’s fo rtune to a reported $300 million (=C2=A3200 million) due to increased int erest in the singer.
This means Jackson’s three children are all in line for a $33 million ( =C2=A322 million) private fortune, but will have to be provided allowance s from the estate administrators until they are 21.
They will then have to wait until they are 30 to get access to a third of their trust fund, 35 for half, and will finally have full access at 40 years old.
The children’s guarantor and grandmother Katherine will get her share u p front, and her portion will be split between Prince, Paris and Blanket when she passes away.
The Trust Fund does not include any of the other members of the Jackson clan, according to Britain’s News of the World.

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Veteran rockers KISS have passed on their condolences to former member BR UCE KULICK following the death of his father.
The guitarist, who served with the band between 1984 and 1996, was left devastated on Friday (28May10) after his dad passed away on the day afte r his 91st birthday.
Kulick announced the sad news in a post on his website, writing, "I wou ld like to thank everyone for their condolences on the death of my father Friday afternoon. He lived almost a full day past his 91st birthday, and he was very proud of his sons.
"I know he will be watching me and I will always remember his laugh, hi s hard work habits, and the way he loved hearing about my career. We shar ed a great bond, and I was blessed to have him for so many years. I love you." And his former bandmates have reached out to him following the tragedy, posting the following message on their website: "We offer our condolence s and deepest sympathies to Bruce on his father’s passing. Our thoughts a nd prayers are with the Kulick family."

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RONNIE JAMES DIO was honoured at a public memorial service in Los Angeles on Sunday (30May10) - family, friends and fans all turned out to pay the ir last respects to the late rocker.
More than 1,200 devotees attended the event, held at the Hall Of Libert y at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills, and the service featured performances f rom former Black Sabbath star Glenn Hughes, Anthrax’s Joey Belladonna and the star’s Dio bandmates Claude Schnell and Scott Warren.
Fans were able to watch the service on TV monitors outside the building , while inside, Dio’s relatives and close friends paid tribute to the mus ic legend, who lost his battle with stomach cancer on 16 May (10) at the age of 67.
Dio’s cousin and ELF bandmate David ‘Rock’ Feinstein, told the gatherin g, "He touched all of us with his music and his message and his magic. I know that Ronnie truly loved all of you. He had a great appreciation for your loyalty. I’m talking about all you out there, all the fans." Dio’s son Dan Padavona also urged the crowd to have regular medical che ck-ups to prevent similar tragedies: "I beg you not to make the same mist ake my dad made. For dad, the show always had to go on. He ignored the wa rning signs for years, and all along the cancer was growing and mutating from something that was probably easily defeatable into a monster which e ven Dio couldn’t slay." Dio’s widow, Wendy, recently urged fans to ignore a protest by members of the Westboro Baptist Church, who planned to demonstrate at the star’s funeral. The protesters were reportedly kept out of the Forest Lawn site and away from the memorial service.
A source tells Blabbermouth.net, "Protesters were cordoned off outside of Forest Lawn grounds proper and were small in number with an at least e qual number of counter-protesters. All seemed orderly despite the usual i diocy from the WBC folks."

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British royal PRINCE HARRY has seen off competition from ROBERT PATTINSON to be crowned the Coolest Man in the World by GQ magazine.
The third in line to the British throne and son of the late Diana, Prin cess of Wales, reigned at the top of the U.K. publication’s poll.
Twilight hunk Pattinson came second, while U.S. president Barack Obama’ s assistant Reggie Love was a bizarre third choice.
British rapper Dizzee Rascal was at number four, actor Jason Schwartzma n came fifth and Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt sped into sixth place.
Rounding out the top 10 were photographer Ryan McGinley, Milk screenwri ter Dustin Lance Black, Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders and award-win ning author Wells Tower.

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Veteran British actresses JULIET STEVENSON and GEMMA JONES have blasted t he film industry’s obsession with youth, accusing male executives of cast ing only "nubile and beautiful" young women.
Emma star Stevenson, 53, is convinced the acting community is biased to wards women under 30 - insisting Dame Helen Mirren and Kim Cattrall are t he only stars who can escape playing "mother" roles.
She says, "When women’s parts are being written, they are more and more for under-30s who are nubile and beautiful. Actresses over 40 are findin g very little happening.
"It’s frustrating. As you go on in your life you get more complex and h ave more life experience, but lots of writers don’t think that way.
"The fact that we can only cite singularly people like Kim Cattrall and Helen Mirren who play roles which aren’t mothers is a symptom of the sit uation. The roles get diminished, smaller and typecast. All the executive s are male. They are chasing young skirt." And 67-year-old Jones believes ageism in the industry is prompting an i ncreasing number of mature women to go under the knife.
The Bridget Jones’s Diary star adds, "I’ve been incredibly lucky as an older actress, but I am an exception to the rule. We still have our marbl es and our energies and experiences but the jobs and roles aren’t there.
"This ageist thing is very worrying because women think they have to ke ep looking young. I look at cosmetic surgery and I find it very sad becau se I love mature women who look as if they have lived, but there’s an anx iety about having to pretend to be younger than you are." (MJ/WNWCDAM/PAW

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CAMERON DIAZ is relishing playing a money-hungry woman in upcoming movie BAD TEACHER - she’s convinced the character will "offend everyone" who se es the film.
The actress plays a "very, very bad gold-digger" searching for a man to pay her expenses in the forthcoming comedy and she can’t wait for audien ces to see her in a more villainous role.
She tells Britain’s Vogue magazine, "I’m having the best, best time pla ying her. The women I play, you know, I usually like to take care of them .. I want to make sure they’re moral people, even if they’re not doing the ir best. I like them to come across as human beings. But this one? I don’ t feel any responsibility for her. She doesn’t give a s**t about anyone b ut herself. I’m sure we’ll offend everyone with it, which is great - beca use if you offend everyone, you don’t have to apologise to anyone, right? "

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A former friend of BRITTANY MURPHY has branded the death of the actress’ widower SIMON MONJACK a "blessing", because he was "suffering" and "wante d to die".
Monjack’s mother-in-law, Sharon Murphy, found him unconscious at the Ho llywood Hills home he once shared with his late wife earlier this month ( 23May10). Paramedics determined he had suffered a cardiac arrest and pron ounced him dead at the scene. The Clueless star died at the same property in December (09).
Monjack’s representative, Roger Neal, recently revealed the Brit had ig nored medical advice urging him to undergo heart bypass surgery, and Murp hy’s one-time friend Eric Ziegenbein insists the screenwriter never recov ered from his wife’s sudden passing.
According to celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, Ziegenbein says, "People a lways say it’s a tragedy when someone dies, but in this case it’s more of a blessing. Simon wanted to die. He struggled with depression for much o f his life, and he felt like Brittany was the only thing he had to live f or… Sometimes death is a blessing for people who are suffering, and the y were both suffering." Earlier this month (May10) Murphy’s half-brother also admitted he wasn’ t surprised to hear than Monjack had died, saying, "I wasn’t shocked to b e honest. The guy was insane."

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GUILLERMO DEL TORO has quit as director of troubled LORD OF THE RINGS pre quel THE HOBBIT after the movie was put on hold indefinitely.
The Hellboy auteur was set to start shooting the fantasy film, based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s first book, this summer (10), but the project has been thrown into jeopardy by the ongoing financial problems at MGM movie studi o, which was put up for sale in 2009 after falling heavily into debt.
Last week (ends30May10), Del Toro revealed the highly-anticipated film is on hold and has been caught up in "tangled negotiations" over the futu re of MGM.
Now Del Toro has dealt the project another blow - he has walked away fr om the film, blaming the ongoing delays for his decision to quit.
In a statement, he says, "In light of ongoing delays in the setting of a start date for filming The Hobbit I am faced with the hardest decision of my life.
"After nearly two years of living, breathing and designing a world as r ich as Tolkien’s Middle Earth, I must, with great regret, take leave from helming these wonderful pictures.
"I’ve been privileged to work in one of the greatest countries on earth with some of the best people ever in our craft and my life will be forev er changed. The blessings have been plenty, but the mounting pressures of conflicting schedules have overwhelmed the time slot originally allocate d for the project." Del Toro will remain involved in the project - he will stay on to work as a screenwriter.
Lord Of The Rings director Peter Jackson, who will produce two planned The Hobbit movies, reveals the extended time Del Toro would have to spend in New Zealand - where the project is to be filmed - was the real reason he stepped down.
Jackson tells fan website TheOneRing.net, "We feel very sad to see Guil lermo leave The Hobbit, but he has kept us fully in the loop and we under stand how the protracted development time on these two films, due to reas ons beyond anyone’s control - has compromised his commitment to other lon g term projects.
"The bottom line is that Guillermo just didn’t feel he could commit six years to living in New Zealand, exclusively making these films, when his original commitment was for three years. Guillermo is one of the most re markable creative spirits I’ve ever encountered and it has been a complet e joy working with him."

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SEAL accidentally ruined a birthday surprise for his wife HEIDI KLUM afte r the supermodel found her present stashed away.
The Kiss From a Rose hitmaker purchased a new piece of jewellery for Kl um, who turns 37 on Monday (01Jun10), but his plan to present her with th e ring was foiled when the German beauty found the hidden treat.
She tells EOnline.com, "It’s a pretty flower ring. My husband was going away and he asked me to help him pack a little bit. We were in his close t, and I was looking for things for him to take. I open this box and ther e’s this gorgeous little sparkler in there that was looking into my direc tion!" The Victoria’s Secret star insists she has no party plans - she just wa nts to spend the day with the singer and their four kids, adding: "(I’ll) go to dinner with my husband, (something) low-key. I like to plan for ot her people; it doesn’t really have to be for me. I like to plan for the k ids’ birthdays."

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DIZZEE RASCAL has made U.K. chart history as the first male solo artist t o have four number one songs from the same album after his latest release , DIRTEE DISCO, debuted atop the singles countdown.
The track, along with the British rapper’s previous chart topping hits Dance Wiv Me, Bonkers and Holiday, features on his 2009 album Tongue n’ C heek.
Rascal knocks previous number one, B.o.B’s Nothin’ On You, into second place, while Iyaz enters at three with Solo.
Singer Jason Derulo slips two spots to four with Ridin’ Solo, while Emi nem’s Not Afraid is another new entry at five.
Meanwhile, dance act Pendulum debuts atop the U.K. albums chart with Im mersion; Michael Buble’s Crazy Love shoots up 17 places to two, and the c ast of hit TV musical Glee score another high entry with Glee The Music: Volume 3 - Showstoppers at three.

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Dance music duo ORBITAL will complete their comeback with the release of their first new material in six years to coincide with their return to Br itain’s legendary Glastonbury Festival.
Brothers Phil and Paul Hartnoll are preparing to drop a double A-side s ingle featuring the songs Don’t Stop Me and The Gun Is Good on 20 June (1 0).
The pair, which reunited musically last year (09), performed what was s lated to be its final show at Glastonbury in 2004.

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SIR MICK JAGGER rarely buys newspapers - because tabloid reports about hi s life are usually more laughable than accurate.
The Rolling Stones rocker admits he’s often unaware of what is printed about him, but admits he was particularly amused by recent reports he had banned his model daughter Georgia May from going to a party.
He tells Britain’s Smooth radio, "You learn very early on that what you read in the press is mostly a load of garbage. They still make things up about you! The day before yesterday, there was an article in the paper s aying that I’d grounded my daughter, I loved it! It was completely made u p! "I said, ‘Where do they get that?’ Because quite often stories in the p aper have a germ of truth that is wildly exaggerated. But sometimes they make up stories, (which make) you think, ‘That doesn’t even have anything (true)!’ You get used to opening the paper and seeing that. Or someone s ending it to you (online) now, really. You don’t really buy the papers an ymore, people send you the links - that’s all you get!"

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BONE THUGS-N-HARMONY star BIZZY BONE has agreed to take part in the new s eries of U.S. TV show CELEBRITY REHAB - to deal with his marijuana and al cohol addictions.
The rapper - real name Bryon Anthony McCane ll - will seek help from ce lebrity counsellor Dr. Drew Pinsky on the VH1 reality series, according t o TMZ.com.
Bizzy Bone will enter the rehab facility in a bid to beat his substance abuse demons, joining internet pin-up Tila Tequila and reality star Jaso n Wahler.

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Angry singer/songwriter M.I.A. has stepped up her feud with New York writ er Lynn Hirschberg by taking aim at her in a new song, days after she pos ted the journalist’s telephone number on Twitter.com.
The star, real name Mathangi ‘Maya’ Arulpragasam, took offence to an un flattering profile Hirschberg had written about the Paper Planes hitmaker for this weekend’s (30May10) New York Times Magazine and decided to take revenge by publishing her contact details online.
In a post on her Twitter.com blog on Thursday (27May10), M.I.A. wrote, "CALL ME IF YOU WANNA TALK TO ME ABOUT THE N Y T TRUTH ISSUE, ill b (sic) taking calls all day b**ches." Hirschberg laughed off the singer’s stunt, but now M.I.A. has blasted t he writer in a new track called I’m A Singer, which she uploaded to the i nternet this weekend (29-30May10).
On the track, she brands the journalist "thick as s**t" before saying, "You can talk s**t to me I’m used to it/You make me hard with the wounds that I have to lick/You can pick on me and I can see it at a click." (MT/

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