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SEAN PENN has fired up his war of words with WYCLEF JEAN after learning o f the hip-hop star’s plans to contest a decision that will keep him from running for president of his native Haiti.
The former Fugees star first irked Penn, who has actively been part of the relief effort in the earthquake-ravaged nation throughout the past si x months, when he first announced his plans to become the country’s next leader earlier this month (Aug10).
The Oscar winner and activist criticised Wyclef’s apparent absence from his homeland in the wake of the devastating earthquake during a recent a ppearance on CNN news show Larry King Live. And now Penn has written a co mmentary about the hip-hop star’s bid for the presidency online after lea rning the Gone ‘Til November hitmaker is fighting a decision by Haiti ele ctoral officials that rules him ineligible for high political office.
In the piece, published by TheHuffingtonPost.com, Penn writes, "(I am) someone who has spent most of the last six months following the devastati ng earthquake, side by side in that country (Haiti), with so many others, doing whatever we could to lend a hand. I have never met Wyclef Jean, an d all I really know of him on any personal level has come through the fon d comments of a few mutual friends.
"Wyclef Jean gave indispensable world attention to Haiti’s incredible m isfortune (but) I was there for those 6 months after the earthquake and s o many of us on the ground wondered where he was when that kind of attent ion was so necessary and absent, and why he was NOT helping to keep this desperate situation in the news.
"None among us felt or expressed anger toward it, but rather a universa l sadness for his silence, as he is America’s most admired cultural link to Haiti. As the six-month Anniversary (of the earthquake) approached, it triggered the return of the world media, and of Wyclef Jean to Haiti." He insists Jean is the wrong celebrity to be running for office in Hait i, adding, "It’s clear that Mr. Jean can have an important place in drawi ng attention to Haiti’s needs. However, when New York press agents circle wagons of ignorance and sell as deep insight the advertisement of that w hich charms them about a client, the lives and needs of the Haitian peopl e are sidelined." And Penn then attacks Jean for comments the singer/songwriter made rega rding his opposition to the former Fugees star’s presidential bid.
The actor adds, "When he chose to attempt to discredit me, claiming… that my time in Haiti had been restricted to ‘one particular area’, that area he was referring to is the 55,000 person IDP (Internally Displaced P erson) Camp that I and my organization were tasked to manage by the Inter national Office of Migration…
"Jean said the following: "I would like to tell Sean Penn I do not reac t on emotions when it comes to the Haitian people. I do not have to sacri fice my life and live inside of a tent to prove that I am for the Haitian people." No, he doesn’t have to live in a tent. But it would be nice if he visited once and awhile." Penn concludes, "These elections are crucial, and I have no part in the m. Neither should Mr. Jean."

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MCFLY rocker DANNY JONES accidentally caused $15,000 (GBP10,000) to a rad io studio, after spilling coffee onto a mixing deck.
The clumsy star sneaked a drink into an interview on Real Radio Scotlan d on Tuesday (24Aug10) and then knocked it over during a chat with DJ Pau l Harper.
Harper, who posted video footage of the accident on YouTube.com, tells Digital Spy, "I couldn’t believe it when the coffee fell into the desk. D anny started shouting to the other guys, ‘Someone get your T-shirt off an d mop it! "He also broke his iPhone in the commotion! Poor Danny was very apologe tic and I’m sure he felt pretty bad about what happened."

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Troubled singer FANTASIA BARRINO has publicly thanked a nurse for bringin g her back from the brink of despair and giving her the strength to get o n with her life after a recent suicide attempt.
The American Idol winner-turned-Broadway star slipped into unconsciousn ess after purposely taking a handful of aspirin and sleeping pills earlie r this month (Aug10) in an attempt to "end it all" after months of family and romantic drama.
She was hospitalised and doctors managed to save her life.
Barrino admits she was disappointed when she woke up and realised she w asn’t dead.
In a candid new interview for VH1’s Behind The Music documentary series , she says, "(I was like), ‘It didn’t work, I’m still here in this hellho le; still here with all this drama going on.’" But a nurse’s tough talk made the singer realise she had to get on with her life.
She adds, "She was a blessing into my life because she didn’t tell me w hat I wanted to hear, she told me what I needed to hear and she looked at me and said, ‘You gotta get up and you gotta get outta here, because you haven’t fulfilled your destiny."

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OSBOURNE: ‘I’LL TAKE MY FRIENDS ON HOLIDAY WITH CASH I WIN FROM TABLOID KELLY OSBOURNE has hinted she’ll be looking for hundreds of thousands of dollars from a U.S. tabloid over new reports she’s back on drugs.
The reality TV star’s mum Sharon has already threatened legal action ag ainst the editors of In Touch magazine over a negative article about her kids - and now daughter Kelly has taken to Twitter.com to hint she’s plan ning her own suit.
After hearing about the piece on Tuesday (24Aug10), Osbourne, who check ed into rehab to control her past drug abuse, took to Twitter and write, "(I’m) in shock that In Touch is printing a untrue story about (Jack) and I. Can’t believe it, we have both worked too hard on ourselves for this b.s. (bulls**t)." She followed this on Wednesday (25Aug10), by adding, "Thanx in touch fo r your bulls**t story, looks like I will be taking all my friends on Holl iday (sic) courtesy of you! You are really pathetic! "I also love that originally the story was that (brother) jack and I we re drinking together they really are scraping the barrel!" And she assures fans the article is false: "According to in touch I hav e ‘fallen off the wagon’. I just want to let my fans know it’s compleat ( sic) bs! Thank you 4 your support I love you!" The story breaks as Osbourne begins work on her first major movie role in Should’ve Been Romeo.

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R&B singer NE-YO and his booking agent have been ordered to pay over $156 ,000 (GBP104,000) in damages to a disgruntled concert promoter after the star missed a scheduled show in America’s Washington state in 2008.
Promoter Kenyohn Clark sued the Closer hitmaker, real name Shaffer Smit h, and his promoter Mike Esterman after the singer was a no-show at the p lanned 2008 New Year’s Eve concert.
Clark claimed that Esterman misled him and failed to return a $95,000 ( GBP63,330) deposit.
The case went to trial last month (Jul10) and Maryland judge Philip Car oom ruled in favour of Clark on Tuesday (24Aug10), ordering Ne-Yo and his associate to pay up.
Ne-Yo testified that he knew in his "heart of hearts" the deposit shoul d have been returned.
Clark and bosses at Wet Entertainment LLC were initially seeking $500,0 00 (GBP333,300) from Ne-Yo and a further $1 million (GBP666,600) in damag es from Esterman.

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Music mogul and talent king SIMON COWELL has been left "devastated" after producers of his hit TV show THE X FACTOR were forced to axe a contestan t over concerns for her mental health.
Shirlena Johnson, 30, stunned British TV viewers on Saturday night (21A ug10) with her bizarre, chanting rendition of Duffy’s hit Mercy, and Cowe ll was suitably impressed, calling the singer "fantastically nuts".
But the single mum was cut from the show after losses launched an inves tigation into claims she suffers from mental health issues, and Cowell ad mits he’s upset that Johnson is no longer in the contest.
He tells The Sun newspaper, "I’m devastated. It’s heartbreaking. I real ly feel for her. I’m very upset and disappointed. The advice I’m given is she can’t do the show. But there’s another argument that we’re depriving her of the chance to make some money.
"Even if she didn’t win, she could have picked up money for personal ap pearances. On the other hand, if we don’t take the advice we’re irrespons ible." Cowell quit as a judge on American Idol in May (10) and is now planning to take his X Factor show to America.

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A concert promoter who was duped into booking JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE for a gig in the Philippines has been awarded nearly $1.2 million (GBP800,000) in damages from a man who posed as the singer’s talent agent.
Promoter and ALV Events International President Arnold Vegafria sued Ko fi Degraft Johnson after he paid to book the SexyBack singer for a 2008 s how.
Timberlake failed to appear and Vegafria sued after learning that Johns on had no authority to schedule concerts for Timberlake.
Johnson never responded to the lawsuit, reports the Associated Press. (

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MILEY CYRUS is single again after splitting from boyfriend LIAM HEMSWORTH ..
The Hannah Montana star fell for Hemsworth after they were cast as love rs in the movie The Last Song and she has often gushed about her love for the Australian hunk.
Earlier this month (Aug10) Cyrus was forced to slam reports she had che ated on Hemsworth, insisting she was not the other girl in a photo that a llegedly showed her with a mystery man.
But now the pair has called it quits, reports GossipCop.com.
A source tells the website the couple split "pretty recently".
But Cyrus’ rep refused to confirm or deny the report, stating, "We’re n ot commenting on Miley’s personal life." Hemsworth has confirmed the break-up via RadarOnline.com. (KD/WNWCGC/KL

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Actress and director DREW BARRYMORE has vowed to take more breaks from wo rk to travel the world - after a life-changing solo trip to India.
The self-professed "workaholic" put the brakes on her busy schedule for a recent two-week stay in Delhi "looking for a shift of consciousness", and now she’s embracing her spirituality like never before.
She explains, "You have such a different experience when you’re by your self. I like it. I was studying spirituality and religions and I went to different temples and explored and walked barefoot through the streets an d had incredible conversation… There’s so many journeys I want to take there but this time I went to Delhi." And now Barrymore is meditating daily to make sure she keeps her Hollyw ood career in perspective until she can go back.
She adds: "I’ve been writing ‘breathe’ on my arm because you learn abou t (its) importance… breathing is life. I’m trying to remember to keep b reathing. I’ve been trying to remember everything that I studied. I’ve be en reading and writing. I’ve been keeping up my meditations. I learned ce rtain prayers you can practice and just to pray and think about your frie nds and think about what you have and keep your perspective and never los e sight of that on a daily basis. And I have been able to keep that with me."

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OPRAH WINFREY has made her staff members promise there will be no surpris es on the final season of her hit talk show - because the sudden arrival of special celebrity guests is too much for the TV personality to handle.
The queen of chat will embark on the 25th and final year of Oprah next month (Sep10) and she plans to make her last shows more about "moments" t han celebrities - but she doesn’t want the moments to be about her.
Winfrey showed TV fans and her assistants just how badly she copes with surprises when her heroine, Mary Tyler Moore, showed up unannounced on o ne show last season - and the host doesn’t want a repeat of that.
She tells TV Guide magazine, "I went into the ugly cry on the air (and) I made a rule that I was never to be surprised again on air. I don’t wan t to lose that kind of control.
"If you’ve ever looked at that tape, snot’s running out of my nose and I had such a headache that I couldn’t focus. I don’t handle surprise very well."

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KIM CATTRALL is in talks to return to the U.S. stage following a series o f theatrical hits in England - the SEX & THE CITY star is the favourite t o play opposite thespian BERNADETTE PETERS in an upcoming Washington, D.C .. run of musical FOLLIES.
Peters has already signed on to play Sally Durant Plummer in the Kenned y Center production of the show at the Eisenhower Theater next summer (11 ) and Cattrall is close to joining her in the role of Phyllis.
Peters recently replaced Catherine Zeta-Jones in Stephen Sondheim’s A L ittle Night Music revival on Broadway.

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Moviemaker-turned-vineyard owner FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA is to be honoured w ith the coveted Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award at the Academy of Motio n Picture Arts and Sciences’ second annual Governors Awards.
The Godfather director will join film historian Kevin Brownlow, directo r Jean-Luc Godard and actor Eli Wallach as an honoree at the pre-Oscars e vent in November (10).
Academy President Tom Sherak says, "Each of these honorees has touched movie audiences worldwide and influenced the motion picture industry thro ugh their work. It will be an honour to celebrate their extraordinary ach ievements and contributions at the Governors Awards." Coppola has already been honoured by the Academy - the filmmaker has fi ve Oscars for writing, producing and directing.

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A German singer accused of infecting a former lover with the HIV virus lo oks set to escape a prison time, after prosecutors recommended a more len ient sentence.
Nadja Benaissa, a member of girlband No Angels, has admitted in court t hat she had unprotected sex with the unnamed man - despite knowing she wa s HIV positive.
Her ex, who subsequently tested positive for the virus, claims he was i nfected during a three-month romance with Benaissa back in 2004.
The charge of causing actual bodily harm carries a possible custodial s entence, if Benaissa is convicted - but both the defence team and prosecu tors have recommended a two-year-suspended sentence for the 28 year old, reports Associated Press.
A verdict is expected on Thursday (26Aug10).

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Rapper SOULJA BOY has taken to Twitter.com to dismiss an alleged girlfrie nd’s reports he’s a cocaine fiend.
Self-proclaimed hip-hop groupie Kat Stacks filmed herself wandering aro und an apartment and claimed her hip-hop lover was taking a shower in ano ther room as she revealed lines of cocaine he’d prepared on a table.
She also shot footage of her sitting in a sportscar she claimed belonge d to Soulja Boy, real name DeAndre Cortez Way, and filmed herself alleged ly speaking with the Superman hitmaker on the phone.
The films were posted online at the beginning of the week (beg23Aug10), and have now prompted the star to respond via Twitter.
He’s particularly upset about the cocaine claims, but doesn’t refute St acks’ claims he’s dating her.
He tweets, "God knows I didn’t do that (cocaine). that’s all that matte rs."

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Singer FANTASIA BARRINO’s father has stunned the star’s fans by going pub lic with his thoughts about his daughter’s teen rape ordeal.
The Baby Mama singer was assaulted in her school auditorium by a fellow student she has never named and admits the experience initially left her numb.
In a candid new interview filmed for VH1 documentary series Behind the Music, Barrino recalled, "I didn’t even cry on my way home; I was numb…
(I was) confused. I just felt nasty, disgusting." Her mother, Diane, offered her distressed daughter a shoulder to cry on - but her father split the family with his reaction.
Diane recalls, "She (Fantasia) broke down, started crying and told me w hat happened. I held her and cried with her and prayed with her but of co urse I was devastated." But her dad, Joe, wasn’t as sympathetic.
Barrino explains, "He said, ‘If you wouldn’t have been running around w ith those little dresses on it would have never happened.’ That was the l ast thing I wanted to hear him say." Joe Barrino even agreed to be interviewed for the documentary and state d, "I’m not putting the blame on her but when you’re dressing like that, you’re saying, ‘Hey, there’s a party over here.’" The singer eventually dropped out of school over the rape scandal: "It got out… I was hearing things in the hallways. They were saying, ‘I’m g onna do you the same way he did you,’ and that for me was it… I figured the best way to handle this was to never go back."

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MICHAEL JACKSON’s father has re-filed his wrongful death lawsuit against his son’s embattled physician DR. CONRAD MURRAY, alleging the medic stage d an intervention with the pop star just one week before he died.
Joe Jackson’s initial attempt to seek unspecified damages over the King of Pop’s June 2009 death was rejected in June (10) because of an error i n court documents.
He was given until 13 August (10) to amend the papers, but won a deadli ne extension after his legal representative Brian Oxman was injured in a freak fall.
Now the patriarch has successfully lodged his complaint - released days after a judge postponed Murrary’s premilinary hearing until the New Year , which will determine if he will face a trial for administering the anae sthetic that killed the King of Pop.
The documents, obtained by TMZ.com, allege Murray and concert promoters AEG Live staged a "drug intervention" at his son’s home on 18 June, 2009 , intended to get him to adhere to Murray’s drug regimen so he could get more sleep.
Jackson claims AEG bosses were upset the singer was missing rehearsals for his doomed This Is It concerts because of medication prescribed by ot her doctors, including dermatologist Arnold Klein.
The suit claims AEG bosses demanded the singer "stop seeing Dr. Arnold Klein and stop taking the drugs Klein gave to him," adding they wanted Mi chael to "take only the medications being given to him by Conrad Murray".
Joe Jackson has previously accused Murray of withholding vital informat ion from the doctors and emergency service operatives who were trying to save Michael’s life on the day he died.
Murray is accused of administering a fatal dose of anaesthetic Propofol to his pop star client. He has pleaded not guilty to a charge of involun tary manslaughter and is awaiting a preliminary hearing on 4 January (11) to see if he will face trial.

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Hip-hop hitmaker TIMBALAND has been left stunned by reports he was contem plating suicide after a valuable watch was stolen from his home in Malibu , Los Angeles.
TMZ.com reported the L.A. sheriff’s department had put out an all point s bulletin (APB) just before 5pm local time on Tuesday (24Aug10) after th e producer disappeared following the burglary.
Reports suggested Timbaland was distraught after discovering a $2 milli on (GBP1.3 million) watch had been stolen from his timpiece collection.
Sheriff’s spokesperson Steve Whitmore confirms a helicopter and squad c ars were dispatched to hunt for Timbaland’s Escalade, following a worried call to cops from a family friend.
Whitmore has since revealed Timbaland was not a threat to himself and t here was no suicide attempt.
And the rapper has now gone public over the fuss, insisting he’s still trying to understand how a drive to clear his head after the burglary bec ame a suicide search.
Speaking on pal Ryan Seacrest’s radio show on Wednesday (25Aug10), the rap heavyweight said, "I don’t know what happened. I don’t know what we’r e talking about… The only thing I did was take a drive to figure out ho w I was gonna handle it (burglary).
"I wasn’t talking, so I guess people got worried… What I tell people is if my mom ain’t calling or my brother or my best friend, then there ai n’t nothing to worry about." Police are investigating the theft of the watch.

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Actor GEOFF STULTS has reportedly split from his actress/model girlfriend STACY KEIBLER.
The She’s Out of My League star and the Dancing with the Stars beauty h ave dated since 2005.
But a source tells the New York Post Stults was spotted at Los Angeles nightspot Soho House last week (ends20Aug10) "on the prowl" for women - b ecause the couple has split.
The source adds: "It’s over and done, and they both have moved on." (JM

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