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QUEEN LATIFAH’s upcoming SINGLE LADIES film is heading to the small screen - the movie has been expanded into a weekly U.S. television series.
Latifah took inspiration from Beyonce for the film, about a group of girlfriends who are unlucky in love, naming it after the singer’s hit Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It).
And now the movie, starring Stacey Dash, LisaRaye McCoy and Charity Shea, is to become an eight-episode VH1 network series, which is set to launch in July, 2011.
Latifah, who was not initially featured in the project, is now scheduled to make a guest appearance in the expanded TV version, reports Variety.
She says: "My (producing) partner Shakim (Compere) and I are excited to collaborate with VH1, as they have a similar vision on how to bring this show to life. I think Single Ladies will really fill a hole in what is needed on television today."

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GLEE actress LEA MICHELE is offended by predictions the show’s cast will one day fall out - insisting the musical will end before the stars become rivals.
Michele, who plays singing student Rachel Berry, is adamant her castmates are like family members and balks at critics who maintain their close relationships will sour before they begin filming another season.
She tells America’s GQ magazine, "Someone from (another) television show came up to us at an event and said that and I got offended. Our show won’t still be running in season three if we’re not feeling that way, because then we won’t be real, and people will see it. So let’s hope that everything stays that way. Because I need this. I need this family."

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KRISTEN STEWART’s portrayal of a stripper in new movie WELCOME TO THE RILEYS was so realistic she was offered a job in the lapdancing club where she shot her scenes.
The Twilight actress plays a teenage runaway in the new film opposite The Sopranos’ James Gandolfini and her character resorts to taking her clothes off at a seedy bar.
Stewart admits she felt uncomfortable stripping on camera, but she was so good at it the manager of the venue where they were filming offered to hire her full-time.
She tells MTV.com, "Doing this movie… one shocking thing was to find how easy it is (to flaunt your sexuality). Like, I went to a strip club with the director and the costume designer and it being an odd grouping of people going into a strip club in the middle of the afternoon, I was, like, straight-up offered a job." And Stewart also had to deal with an increase in male attention as she walked around the film’s location in New Orleans, Louisiana in her skimpy costume.
She adds, "Walking around New Orleans wearing the kind of stuff I was wearing literally could be like boom, boom, boom, done (guys asking me out)."

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Soon-to-be married RUSSELL BRAND has another reason to celebrate this week (beg11Oct10) - his new movie DESPICABLE ME has topped the box office in his native U.K.
The funnyman, who is due to wed Katy Perry this weekend (23Oct10), lends his voice to the new animated comedy alongside The Office’s Steve Carell, and the film has proved popular with British audiences by storming to the top of the movie chart with takings of $5.4 million (£3.6 million).
Facebook movie The Social Network took second place with earnings of $3.8 million (£2.5 million) ahead of Vampires Suck at three with $1.7 million (£1.1 million).
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps fell to fourth place, while Katherine Heigl’s latest romantic comedy, Life As We Know It, rounds out the top five.

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GLEE star CORY MONTEITH deliberately conceals the truth about his troubled past - because he fears he’ll influence a young fan to follow in his footsteps.
The actor, who plays wholesome quarterback Finn Hudson in the hit musical, dropped out of his high school in Canada when he was just 14 and began drinking and committing petty crimes.
But Monteith admits he hesitates to detail his youth in interviews - to protect the kids who look up to him.
He tells America’s GQ magazine, "You have to really look to get into trouble in Victoria but I was industrious. Skipping school. Drinking. All that kind of c**p. Things started off innocent like that. I definitely found myself in some places that I’m very fortunate I came back from…
"(But) the last thing I want to do is kind of imply to (interview) readers in high school that you too can drop out and be an actor and get on a big show and be famous and make a s**tload of money."

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SIGOURNEY WEAVER is hoping for a consultative role on the upcoming ALIEN prequel because she wants to make sure the film stays true to the franchise she helped build.
Director Sir Ridley Scott is bringing the sci-fi series back to the big screen in a new movie, which is set before Weaver’s iconic character, Ellen Ripley, first encountered the scary space creatures in the 1979 original.
Scott is not planning to include Weaver in the new picture, but the actress hopes she will be able to find a role behind-the-scenes.
She tells Shock Till You Drop, "If they needed help with the story, I could probably help them because I probably have a good sense of what people appreciate in the series and what they don’t care about. So I hope they’ll ask me." The prequel will be directed by Scott and written by Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof, while The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo star Noomi Rapace is said to have signed on to star.
The currently-untitled film is slated for a 2011 release.

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RUSSELL BRAND has shown off his charitable side - he’s made a "generous" donation to support the families affected by Britain’s worst ever sporting disaster.
The funnyman handed over a substantial sum of money to the Hillsborough Family Support Group after being moved to tears by a member’s speech at a memorial service earlier this year (10).
The campaigning organisation provides help for families who lost loved ones in the 1989 Hillsborough Disaster - a horrific crush at a soccer ground in Sheffield, England that left 96 fans of Liverpool Football Club dead and dozens more injured.
And Brand was so touched by the relatives’ suffering 21 years on, he contacted the group’s chairwoman Margaret Aspinall - who lost her son James in the disaster - to offer his support.
She says, "It really came out of the blue. He sent me a letter, which was lovely, and said he would like to meet me. He mentioned the group on a… radio interview and said he had watched me speak and it was very moving.
"He said he loves Liverpool and thinks the work we are doing is very good. It was very nice of him - he did not have to do it. I will not disclose how much he gave us, but it was a generous donation."

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HARRY POTTER author J.K. ROWLING has become the first winner of the Hans Christian Andersen Literature Prize.
The British writer accepted a $93,352 (£62,200) award on Tuesday (19Oct10) at a ceremony in Odense, Denmark - the birthplace of famed children’s writer Andersen.
Rowling spoke of her delight at the honour and paid tribute to the great Dane, insisting the Little Mermaid scribe "created indestructible, eternal characters." She said, "I’m humbled and deeply honoured to receive this wonderful award. Hans Christian Andersen is a writer I revere, because his work was of that rare order that seems to transcend authorship… (This is) an award I shall treasure all my life." The honour will be handed out to writers whose work can be compared to Andersen, according to the Associated Press.

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TAYLOR SWIFT has reportedly taken aim at JOHN MAYER in a new song which appears to suggest the pair enjoyed a brief romance which turned sour.
The country star is known for writing about her love life in her tracks and famously blasted her ex-boyfriend Joe Jonas, who ended their romance in a 30-second phone call, in a song called Forever and Always.
Swift spent a lot of time with Mayer in 2009 as they collaborated on a song for his last album, Battle Studies, and rumours of a romance surfaced, although neither of the stars confirmed the story.
The 20 year old’s new record Speak Now features a track called Dear John, which has prompted speculation she has finally opened up about her rumoured fling with 32-year-old Mayer.
And the gossip has been fuelled by the song’s lyrics which are said to reference an age-gap in a romance which ended badly.
Swift reportedly sings, "Dear John/ I see it all now that you’re gone/ Don’t you think I was too young/ To be messed with/ The girl in the dress/ Cried the whole way home/ I should’ve known." She later adds, "It was wrong/ Don’t you think nineteen’s too young/ To be played/ By your dark, twisted games/ When I loved you so… My mother accused me of losing my mind/ But I swore I was fine… You’ll add my name to your long list of traitors who don’t understand/ And I’ll look back in regret I ignored what they said/ ‘Run as fast as you can’."

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Oscar-winning actress MIRA SORVINO has renewed her call to end human trafficking, insisting American officials need to step up their efforts to break down the illegal slave trade.
The Mighty Aphrodite star has been involved with human rights organisation Amnesty International for many years and was invited to become a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations after starring in 2005 TV movie Human Trafficking.
Sorvino admits the project fuelled her interest in the cause and she has vowed to continue fighting to make sure the barbaric practice is stamped out.
She tells U.S. TV host Larry King, "I was originally Stop Violence against Women campaign ambassador for several years. And underneath that canopy of abuse to women, both domestically and internationally, it was the subject of human trafficking, and right as we were starting to explore and do events about it, and give speeches about it, I was offered the film Human Trafficking… And I decided to take it on because it was a way to marry my activist and my artistic interests.
"And I became very, very passionate about this particular cause… In almost all trafficking situations whether it be any kind of labour trafficking, slavery or sexual trafficking, and usually if it’s a female trafficking victim, that person will be a victim of rape. Whether or not they are a sexually trafficked person.
"They are constantly kept under the threat of physical harm to themselves, the threat - very definite threat to their family… They stay in their trafficking situations to protect their families because, as one victim said to me here in the states, she said, ‘It was all I had left to give. I knew I was keeping my family safe by staying there, by not running away. I knew if I tried to run away, he told me he would kill them’."

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LILY ALLEN and her half-sister SARAH OWEN feuded when the singer found fame - because her older sibling was jealous of her pop success.
The relationship between the two sisters - who share the same mum, film producer Alison Owen - became strained in 2006 when Allen entered the charts with her debut album, Alright, Still.
At the same time, their younger brother Alfie began carving out an acting career, landing small roles in movies including Elizabeth and Atonement.
Allen tells Stylist magazine, "It was a very difficult time and there was a big personality clash. I think it was really tough for Sarah to see her little sister and brother doing so well." And Owen admits she struggled to compete with the Smile hitmaker, who was not the "adoring little sister" she dreamed of having.
She adds: "I’ve spent a lot of time feeling frustrated because I’m not particularly amazing at any one thing. I think Lily was angry at me for a lot of the stuff that happened in our childhood. I’m five years older so I was having my whole teenage experience just as Lily was forming her opinions. She was not the little sister I expected at all. When mum was pregnant I thought I was going to have an adoring little sister who wanted to be guided by me. But it became clear really early on that Lily was a fiercely independent spirit would would take guidance from no one." The pair has since mended their friendship and launched a clothing shop together in London last month (Sep10).

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SIR ELTON JOHN has confirmed he turned down the chance to join the AMERICAN IDOL judging panel, because he finds the show "boring" and "brain crippling".
The Rocket Man was said to have been among the front runners to take over a vacant seat following the departure of Simon Cowell, Ellen DeGeneres and Kara DioGuardi.
The places were eventually handed to Aerosmith rocker Steven Tyler and actress/singer Jennifer Lopez.
John admits he was approached about the role, but refused to sign up because of his disdain for TV talent shows.
He tells Britain’s Radio Times magazine, "I’m not a fan of talent shows. I probably wouldn’t have lasted if I’d gone on one.
"I was asked to judge American Idol. I couldn’t do it because I won’t slag (criticise) anyone off. Also I don’t want to be on television. It’s become boring, a**e-paralysingly brain crippling." And the singer insists he fears for the young stars who emerge from shows like American Idol, because they have such limited creative input in their own music.
He adds, "It’s important they (pop stars) write their own songs so they’re not at the mercy of anyone. Songwriters today are pretty awful, which is why everything sounds the same. TV vaults you to superstardom and then you have to back it up, which is hard. (They) are at the mercy of the next song they can get."

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MARK OWEN has "mixed feelings" about a love song on TAKE THAT’s new album - because the ballad reminds him of his own marriage problems following revelations of his affairs.
In March (10), the singer publicly admitted cheating on his longtime partner Emma Ferguson, who he married in late 2009, with at least 10 different women.
He also owned up to a decade-long alcohol problem and checked into rehab to deal with his addiction.
Owen is preparing to release Progress with Take That next month (Nov10), but admits he worries fans will assume new track What Do You Want From Me is about his own love life.
The song features the lines: "It’s been a difficult year/ I like to think of us moving on/ I still think I’m in love with you/ Still want to make love to you." Owen insists he wrote the song with his bandmates before his marital woes made headlines, but he still relates it to his troubles.
He tells Britain’s Q magazine, "Even now part of me is going, ‘Maybe it doesn’t have to be on there.’ It’s a song that’s always going to be related to a time in my life that was very difficult.
"The song was written before everything came about. It was written as an optimistic song and then, when everything happened, it took on a different connotation. I have to keep reminding myself that it was written looking ahead at a future together. There’s mixed feelings in my stomach about it. Do I need to put myself through that? But then it’s good to confront things and be open."

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Oscar-winning actress CHARLIZE THERON is to go up against KEIRA KNIGHTLEY in a big-screen battle - they are both reportedly lined up to play DIANA, PRINCESS OF WALES.
The Monster star is said to be in the frame to portray the late British royal in a movie centred on her friendship with her former bodyguard, Ken Wharfe, who will be reportedly played by Trainspotting actor Ewan McGregor.
The film is due to start shooting early next year (11) but is set for some fierce competition - Pirates of the Caribbean beauty Knightley is rumoured to be playing the princess in a separate biopic.
Producer Stephen Evans, who is helming the Theron project, tells Britain’s Daily Mail, "We are intending to make the authentic movie of Diana by using the voices of the people who were there - and Ken Wharfe was right there at her side at the most significant part of her life." But bosses behind the Knightley movie are determined to outdo their rival film - they are said to be lining up Dame Helen Mirren, who won an Oscar for her role as Queen Elizabeth II in 2006’s The Queen, to play Diana’s mother, Frances Shand Kydd.

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SIR ELTON JOHN has urged GEORGE MICHAEL to emerge from his self-imposed isolation and kick his drug habit by socialising more with pals.
The Faith hitmaker walked free from Highpoint Prison in Suffolk, England last week (11Oct10) after serving 27 days of an eight-week sentence for possession of marijuana and driving under the influence of drugs, stemming from an incident in July (10).
Michael has in the past admitted to spending much of his time holed up at his north London mansion smoking dope all day - and the Rocket Man is adamant the former Wham! star needs to ditch his hermit-like existence if he is to turn his back on drugs.
He tells Britain’s Radio Times, "I haven’t got a thing against him. He’s a huge talent. I love him, and what he does in his life is none of my business, but he should get out more.
"I helped Rufus Wainwright in 2002 when crystal meth addiction had turned him temporarily blind, my guitarist Davey Johnstone, who’s now six months sober, and Eminem, two years sober. They all asked me.
"I had a great career, but I f**ked up my private life doing drugs. Once you give up drugs, as I did, you assume everyone else has, but it’s more prevalent now than ever, and the drugs are particularly dangerous today."

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BOY GEORGE understands why some convicts become institutionalised behind bars, because he grew to enjoy life in prison and felt reluctant to leave.
The Culture Club star, real name George O’Dowd, was jailed in January last year (09) for the false imprisonment and assault of a male escort in 2007.
He served just four months of his 15-month sentence, but admits he felt comfortable in London’s tough Pentonville Prison by the time he was released.
The singer explains, "When I knew I was being released, I did have a moment when I was like, ‘Do I really want to get out?’ I can understand why people get institutionalised. You get a lot of time on your own and you do actually think, ‘This is actually quite good.’ "I had a good job. I worked in the kitchen. I really liked the people I worked with. When I left they were really sad. They actually said to me, ‘You’re one of the best workers we’ve ever had here.’ I was a grafter."

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MILEY CYRUS was caught up in a roadside furore on Saturday (16Oct10) after she stopped her car and warned a group of photographers to curb their "dangerous driving".
The Hannah Montana star was motoring through Los Angeles but became incensed when a snapper’s vehicle "cut off" another motorist and Cyrus stopped her BMW at the side of the road to chastise them.
The singer/actress walked up to the window of the photographer’s car and calmly told the occupants to stop taking risks on the road.
She said, "That guy is calling the cops on you guys. So you got your picture? No more following me? You just cut a guy off. You’re putting me in danger… This guy is calling the police on you, you are driving dangerously. You follow me no more, you got your pictures? Cool? Right, see you guys later."

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FREIDA PINTO was happy to spend her birthday promoting her new movie in London - because she flew her family in from India to join the festivities on her special day.
The actress turned 26 years old on Monday (18Oct10) and invited her parents to come along to the screening of new film, Miral, months before it hits Indian theatres.
And she admits making her parents proud was the "best birthday gift" she could ask for.
Pinto tells British talk show host Lorraine Kelly, "The special thing was that I had this amazing film to promote yesterday. I’m so glad it was something that I enjoyed doing and not something that I was forced to do. I spent the entire day doing that and I flew my family down to London because I know they would have to wait a very long time in India to watch this film. I flew them down so they could share this experience with me. It was really the most low-key but amazing birthday.
"They’ve done things for me their entire lives. I was just saying to my mum and dad that this is the best birthday gift because it is because of you that I’m here, it’s because of you that I’m doing this film. And this film explores this beautiful father/daughter relationship. Julian (Schnabel, director) made my dad very happy because at the press screening, he said, ‘I know that she really loves her dad.’ And somebody started clapping in the audience; I think my dad felt really happy about it."

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