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Movie bosses are planning to realise MICHAEL JACKSON’s dream of turning his hit THRILLER into a full-scale film project.
Choreographer Kenny Ortega recently revealed that Jackson had been in negotiations to bring his visionary video to the big screen in an epic movie before his tragic death in June last year (09).
Now Jackson’s dream of seeing his creepy creation revamped for cinemas looks set to come true - a screenplay is in the works and Ortega has reportedly signed up to direct the project, according to Deadline.com.
The website reports the movie will be penned by The Hangover writer Jeremy Garelick and Thriller songwriter Rod Temperton is also involved.

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FOREST WHITAKER is facing legal action over a TV documentary about New Jersey which he produced for America’s Sundance Channel.
The Oscar-winner acted as an executive producer on factual five-episode show Brick City, which focuses on the troubled history of the city of Newark, which was plagued by almost 50 years of violence, poverty and corruption.
Author Everett Adam Jackson claims he trademarked the title Brick City for his 1991 novel of the same name and he has now filed suit against Whitaker and executives at the Sundance Channel alleging they have infringed his copyright.
He has filed papers at the District Court of New Jersey claiming he is the legal owner of the name Brick City and also accusing TV bosses of using parts of his narrative in the series. Jackson has also named New Jersey Mayor Corey Booker as a defendant.
He is seeking more than $20 million (£13,3 million) in damages, according to Allhiphop.com.

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The owners of a nightclub in California are taking legal action over a SNOOP DOGG show which never took place - alleging phony promoters scammed them out of $40,000 (£26,667).
Bosses of the El Potrero Night Club in Cudahy, California claim they handed over the money to representatives of One Blood/Red Eye Entertainment to book a performance by the rapper.
But when the gig came around, the hip-hop star failed to show up and nightclub bosses allegedly discovered the contract which had been signed was fake.
They are now taking their complaint to court and seeking $100,000 (£66,667) for breach of contract, fees, expenses and lost profits, according to Allhiphop.com.
The lawsuit was filed on 22 October (10) in the Central District of California.

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TAKE THAT star MARK OWEN once spent 24 hours thinking his car had been stolen only to realise he had simply forgotten where he parked it.
The British singer admits he was fuming after he discovered the vehicle was missing, but when he recounted the story of the ‘theft’ to a friend, they acted baffled - before later informing him the car was safely parked up on their front drive.
Owen tells Britain’s BBC Radio 1, "I just left it at some friend’s house. We were speaking to the friend and said we lost it - and they never said it’s on our drive!"

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Stars including BEN STILLER, DON JOHNSON and SARAH SILVERMAN have teamed up with director JUDD APATOW to film a comedy video tribute for the upcoming American Jewish World Service (AJWS) benefit event in New York.
Apatow agreed to make a promo to be screened at the gala to mark the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Jewish charity organisation, as well as president Ruth Messinger’s 70th birthday.
The director’s famous friends agreed to help and they all recorded skits for the video.
In Stiller’s slot, the actor suggests the AJWS reorder its acronym to read "JAWS," adding, "You can have JAWS Week (on the Discovery Channel, but instead of Shark Week), it’s all just Jews." Silverman says, "Last year, American Jewish World Services gave away more than $22 million in grants. That really throws a wrench in the ‘Jews are cheap’ premise. I mean, if you think that’s cheap, there’s no way you’re Asian, because you’re really bad at math." The event takes place in Manhattan on Thursday (28Oct10).

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JUSTIN BIEBER teamed up with WILL SMITH’s pop star daughter WILLOW on stage in Los Angeles on Tuesday night (26Oct10).
The teenage singer was performing at the city’s Staples Center and he delighted the crowd by bringing the nine year old onstage to join him.
The pair danced together before breaking into a duet rendition of Smith’s new single Whip My Hair.

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CHER struggles to remember to address her son as a male following the completion of his sex change operation, but has applauded him for undergoing the courageous surgery in the glare of the public eye.
Chastity Bono, who was born to Cher and late singer/actor Sonny Bono as a baby girl, ‘came out’ as a lesbian in 1995 and began gender reassignment surgery to become a man last year (09).
The process has now been completed and earlier this year (10), Chastity applied to have his name legally changed to Chaz.
Cher has previously admitted she does "not understand" Chaz’s choice, but vowed to support him all the way.
And now the operation is complete, the singer admits she still forgets how to address her son.
She tells Britain’s OK! magazine, "It’s hard - I screw up on the pronouns so often but she’s very soft about it and cuts me some slack. It took much more courage for her to do it because I am her mom, she didn’t have one moment of peace."

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THE BEATLES once tried to contact the spirit world on a Ouija board - but fell foul of a prank by GEORGE HARRISON.
Sir Paul McCartney has recalled how he, Harrison, and John Lennon held a seance in the early 1960s and admits he was stunned when they were apparently contacted by the ghost of his late mother.
The trio watched in amazement as an upturned tumbler on the Ouija board moved beneath their fingertips to spell out a message congratulating the Fab Four on a recent number one single - but they realised it was a prank when Harrison burst out laughing.
McCartney tells British rock magazine NME, "We once did a Ouija board thing when we were kids, it was just me, George… and John, I think… So we weren’t really into all that, but somebody just said, ‘Let’s do it.’ "So we’re touching the glass, you know, saying ‘OK, nobody push it, OK?’ So then, suddenly… whoa, it’s moving! Now, my mum had died a couple of years before and it says, ‘Congratulations… son…’ And we’re going, ‘NO!’ ‘Congratulations… son… number one… In NME!’ And so we were all, ‘Oh, f**k off! There’s no way she would know what NME was’. And there’s George, you know (laughing). He’d been pushing it all the time! Bad boy!"

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One of the biggest online music file-sharing sites in the world has been shut down in a major victory for record company bosses in their war against illegal downloaders.
LimeWire, a peer-to-peer trading network that enabled users to swap files containing albums and other data, was hit with an injunction this week (begs25Oct10) after a four-year battle with the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
The ruling, issued by officials at the U.S. District Court in New York, orders LimeWire bosses to disable the website’s searching, downloading, uploading and file-trading functions.
Users who log on are now met with a message reading: "This is an official notice that LimeWire is under a court ordered injunction to stop distributing and supporting its file-sharing software." A spokesman for the RIAA tells the Associated Press, "It will start to unwind the massive piracy machine that LimeWire… used to enrich themselves immensely." LimeWire bosses say they plan to launch new services that comply with copyright laws.

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The youngest child of late reggae star BOB MARLEY has been sentenced to seven years probation for growing marijuana in her Pennsylvania home.
Makeda Jahnesta Marley was arrested in 2008 after police reportedly found her removing pot plants from her basement as they arrived to investigate a domestic-dispute call.
She pleaded guilty in September (10).
On Monday (25Oct10), a Chester County judge offered the 29 year old a choice between a shorter prison term or a long stint on probation. Marley opted for the probationary sentence.
Marley is required to undergo random drug tests and stay away from drug users as part of her sentence and she risks being jailed if she violates the terms.

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THE SLITS are set to release a tribute song to late frontwoman ARI UP, who died last week (20Oct10).
The singer passed away last Wednesday (20Oct10) after a battle with cancer.
The band’s former guitarist Viv Albertine and current bassist Tessa Pollitt have now announced plans to re-release their 1981 single Coulda Shoulda Woulda in honour of their late pal.
In a post on Twitter.com, Albertine writes, "Me and Tessa are going to release last ever Slits song Coulda Shoulda Woulda from 1981 on cassette. We will hand draw covers. (It’s) a healing thing." She adds, "Throughout the last 30 years there were many people who tried to suppress and squash Ari. No-one succeeded. She was reviled, mocked and criticised for daring to be herself. She could not and would not be tamed…"

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Welsh rockers MANIC STREET PREACHERS postponed a gig in Birmingham, England on Tuesday night (26Oct10) due to illness.
The band was set to perform at the Academy venue as part of its ongoing U.K. tour but called off the gig after one of the trio fell sick.
It was not revealed which one of the rockers is ill and no details of his condition was given.
A statement from frontman James Dean Bradfield, posted on the group’s official website, reads, "I would like to personally apologise for the situation tonight. Nothing makes us feel worse than having to postpone a show especially since we always receive a great reaction in Birmingham. The audience there have always been loyal to us. Again sincere apologies for this." The show has been rescheduled for 14 December (10).

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A rare DARTH VADER costume from STAR WARS: EPISODE V - THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK is expected to raise $340,000 (£230,000) at auction next month (Nov10).
The full outfit, comprising a helmet, mask, shoulder armour and shin guards, will go under the hammer at London auction house Christie’s on 25 November.
The costume, which is thought to be the first complete one to be sold at auction, was used in the hit 1980 movie and was bought by a private U.S. collector in 2003.
Christie’s spokesperson Neil Roberts has dubbed the sale "a rare opportunity to Star Wars fans around the world", adding: "Darth Vader is defined by his costume which has made him one of the most recognised characters from the history of film. The global appeal of the Star Wars films, and the interest that the series has attracted from a number of generations, is perhaps unprecedented in the world of cinema." A percentage of the proceeds will be donated to the Cancer Research U.K. charity.

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TODD PHILLIPS will always regret having to axe MEL GIBSON from THE HANGOVER sequel, insisting the troubled star is "one of our finest actors" and deserves a second chance.
The Lethal Weapon star hit headlines this year (10) when his ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva accused him of beating her in a violent domestic dispute, while tape recordings of their bitter arguments later appeared online.
Gibson was due to make his bigscreen comeback with a role in Phillips’ upcoming comedy sequel, but he was axed from the movie after members of the cast and crew objected to working with the troubled actor.
The director admits he remains bitterly disappointed at having to change the casting, because he is a big fan of Gibson’s work.
He tells Entertainment Tonight, "He’s one of our finest actors and, quite honestly, one of our finest directors. But The Hangover II is a family… and as much as I loved the idea, a lot of people didn’t… I didn’t want anything to come in between that family."

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Emmy Award-winning television and film director LAMONT JOHNSON has died after suffering heart failure. He was 88.
Johnson passed away at his home in Monterey, California on Sunday (24Oct10).
He won critical acclaim for his controversial U.S. television works, including 1970 series My Sweet Charlie, which explored interracial relationships, 1972’s That Certain Summer, which took a look at homosexuality, and 1981 series Crisis at Central High, about America’s civil rights movement.
He also directed episodes of Have Gun - Will Travel, Peter Gunn, The Twilight Zone, Naked City and The Defenders, in addition to helming films including 1973’s The Last American Hero, starring Jeff Bridges.
Johnson, who received 11 Emmy nominations during his 40-plus years directing, won in 1986 for his work on Wallenberg: A Hero’s Story, a miniseries about Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg.
In 1989 he won another Emmy for Gore Vidal’s Civil War drama Lincoln, starring Sam Waterston.
Johnson is survived by a son and daughter, three grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

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JODIE SWEETIN’s ex-husband is taking legal action against the actress over her portrayal of him in her recent autobiography.
The former child star released her tell-all book, UnSweetined, earlier this month (Oct10), lifting the lid on her battle with drugs and alcohol and her marriage to Cody Herpin, who she divorced earlier this year (10).
But Herpin is not happy about the way he has been depicted in the book, and has filed suit against his ex-wife for allegedly portraying him in a "false light".
In the suit, filed at Los Angeles County Superior Court, Herpin claims his former partner has depicted him as "lazy, unwilling to provide and support his family, uncaring, vindictive, unsupportive and disinterested" in Sweetin’s pregnancy when she was expecting their daughter, Zoie.
Herpin is also suing the book’s publisher Simon & Schuster, according to TMZ.com.

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GOSSIP GIRL co-stars BLAKE LIVELY and PENN BADGLEY have ended their real-life romance.
The couple, who play on/off lovers in the hit TV show, ended their three-year relationship back in September (10), but chose to keep news of the break-up private.
A representative for the pair confirmed the split to US Weekly magazine and revealed they intend to remain "good friends".
A source adds, "They’re professionals. They’re still good friends and hang out on the set. (They) kept this news to themselves for a while."

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CHARLIE SHEEN’s ex-wife DENISE RICHARDS has spoken out about the actor’s tumultuous night in New York which saw the star hospitalised after cops were called to his hotel suite - confirming she was by his side while he was treated by doctors.
Police were called to investigate an alleged disturbance in Sheen’s room at the plush Plaza Hotel in the early hours of Tuesday morning (26Oct10).
They reportedly found the actor nude and his suite completely trashed, with tables and chairs strewn around the room and a chandelier damaged. Pictures of the alleged damage have since surfaced on TMZ.com.
Sheen was taken by ambulance to a nearby medical facility and his representative confirmed he had suffered an "adverse allergic reaction" to medication. He was kept in hospital for most of Tuesday, but was discharged later in the day.
His spokesman has confirmed the actor plans to return to his home in Los Angeles, telling People.com, "Charlie Sheen has been discharged from a hospital in N.Y. and is returning to L.A. today. Everything else is speculation." Sheen’s ex-wife Richards, who reportedly accompanied her former partner to the hospital, has now spoken out about the incident. In an interview on The Joy Behar Show on Tuesday, Richards confirmed she was by her ex-husband’s side when he was taken to a medical facility, but refused to confirm the details of the incident.
She said, "I did help him at the hospital… As far as what happened and what went on, I’d rather leave that for Charlie to discuss if that’s something he wants to do because that’s something very personal and private.
"The thing is that my daughters are five and six and they’re at an age where they can start to understand. They have no idea what went on… I’m just trying to protect the girls from it as much as possible." Richards also wrote about the incident in a series of posts on her Twitter.com page, revealing it has marred her promotional trip to the Big Apple to promote her new TV series Blue Mountain State.
She writes, "Press went good for Blue Mountain State… Very difficult but I’m proud of the show and wanted to promote it… Thank u so much for your supportive and kind messages! It means so much to me…"

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