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Singer/songwriter TEENA MARIE has died. She was 54.
Born Mary Christine Brockert in California in March, 1956, the Grammy Award-nominated star found fame as a protegee of late funk legend Rick James.
As Tina Marie Brockert, she landed a role on TV show The Beverly Hillbillies as a child, but her career really took off in the mid-1970s when she signed to Motown Records. As a label artist, she came to the attention of James, who produced her debut album Wild and Peaceful.
The album featured Teena Marie’s first big hit, I’m Just a Sucker for Your Love.
By her third album, 1980’s Irons in the Fire, Teena Marie was writing and producing all her own tunes. The album featured her first top 40 hit, Need Your Lovin’. She followed that success by performing Fire & Desire with her mentor James on his cult album Street Sounds.
Her solo Motown hits included Square Biz and It Must be Magic.
She also made music industry history in the early 1980s when she took her record label executives at Motown to court over a contract issue - the battle resulted in new laws that made it illegal for a record company to keep an artist under contract without releasing new material.
She subsequently left Motown and signed to Epic Records, where she recorded the hits Fix It, Shadow Boxing, Lovergirl and Out on a Limb.
The record label and Teena Marie parted company in 1990 and the singer/songwriter spend over a decade behind the scenes and out of the spotlight, devoting herself to her daughter Alia Rose.
She returned to the limelight in 2004 after signing to rap label Cash Money Records’ Classics spin-off label and released her comeback album, La Dona.
She ended the decade by releasing the acclaimed Congo Square on Stax/Concord Records in 2009. The album featured the song Can’t Last a Day, a duet with Faith Evans.
As WENN went to press there were no details of Teena Marie’s death, which was confirmed by manager Mike Gardner.

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BEN STILLER and ROBERT DE NIRO’s new comedy LITTLE FOCKERS has beaten out TRUE GRIT, TRON: LEGACY and GULLIVER’S TRAVELS to land the Christmas number one in America.
Moviegoers flocked to cinemas on Christmas Day (25Dec10) and helped the sequel to a $48.3 million (GBP32.2 million) holiday opening - $12 million (GBP8 million) more than second placed True Grit.
Jack Black’s comedy Gulliver’s Travels opened on Christmas Day (25Dec10) and scored $7.2 million (GBP4.8 million).
Former number one Tron: Legacy fell to third with a $20.1 million (GBP13.4 million) weekend.

Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)

KYLIE MINOGUE always leaves her Christmas shopping to the last moment - and then finds herself racing around stores "like a mad woman" buying gifts.
The Spinning Around hitmaker admits sister Dannii is the organised sibling when it comes to the festive season, and Minogue is the one spinning around to sort out presents.
She says, "My sister is very organised with presents, very methodical about it. Whereas, the other Minogue, myself, I’m very haphazard.
"I kind of have a scrappy list and then I lose that list and get another list. I then race around like a mad woman a day or two before Christmas getting all those last-minute things!"

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GWYNETH PALTROW refuses to eat traditional British Christmas cake - because she can’t stand the thought of consuming a treat cooked months before.
The Shakespeare in Love star was introduced to the festive delicacy, which many bakers leave to mature for up to a year, by her Coldplay rocker husband Chris Martin - but she isn’t a fan.
She says, "(Brits) have this Christmas cake, which sounds fine. Except they make it in, like, August. Seriously, you’re going to eat something you made in August? No."

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ANGELINA JOLIE has to buy all of her Christmas presents from catalogues - because she travels so much she needs her gifts delivered to whichever country she is in over the holiday season.
The Tomb Raider star has a large family to buy for, including partner Brad Pitt and their six children, but the actress struggles to organise how to carry her presents around on her global trips.
She expains, "I have to do a lot of my Christmas shopping in catalogues because I’m usually in a different country and I need it shipped to the next country we’re going to. So we try to do that or buy things locally in whatever country we end up in."

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Scottish singer PAOLO NUTINI gave his mum a Christmas to remember after surprising her with the keys to a brand new sports car.
The New Shoes hitmaker was excited to spend his first big pay cheques after shooting to fame and decided to treat his mother Linda to a TVR Chimaera as thanks for her support.
But they had to arrange for some extra adjustment to the pedals, as his mother’s too tiny to reach them.
He tells Scottish newspaper the Daily Record, "The biggest amount of money I’ve ever spent on a Christmas pressie was on a red TVR for my mum. Unfortunately, she was too short for the pedals so she had to get some extenders. I think I was hoping to use it myself sometime."

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Singer BRAD PAISLEY got his start writing country music during the holidays - his first original tune was a Christmas song.
The Celebrity hitmaker now has seven studio albums under his belt - but the first song he ever wrote was a yuletide tune he called Born on Christmas Day.
He says, "I was 12 and I don’t know what I was doing. I wrote this song and it turned out really pretty good and I’ve wrote worse songs lately. It was a small miracle."

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TAYLOR SWIFT is a great Christmas gift giver, according to best pal SELENA GOMEZ - she hunts for the perfect present in antiques malls.
Gomez admits they both try to top each other with gift ideas at Christmas, but Love Story singer Swift always comes out on top.
She says, "She gives, like, a box of different knick-knacks… and one year she bought me, like, a painting of us."

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EMINEM has taken Christmas to his heart after almost missing out on one yule with his family at the height of his drug haze.
The Not Afraid rapper suffered an overdose of methadone the week before Christmas in 2007 and has little recollection of the holidays, which he ruined for his family.
He says, "My whole month of December leading up to (the overdose), I don’t remember s**t. All I remember is I was not able to get out of bed.
"I got up to use the bathroom. I was standing there, trying to take a p**s, and I fell. I hit the floor hard. I got back up, tried again - and boom, I fell again. And that time I couldn’t get up." The rapper blacked out and woke up in hospital.
He tells Rolling Stone, "The first thing I remember is trying to move, and I couldn’t. It’s like I was paralysed… (and) I couldn’t speak.
"The doctors told me I’d done the equivalent of four bags of heroin. They said I was about two hours from dying." At that point, Eminem had no idea it was Christmas Day.
He adds, "The first thing I wanted to do was call my kids. I wanted to get home, and show them that dad’s OK… Being a father, wanting to be there with your kids. It’s not a fun thing to deal with." The rapper checked out of hospital a week later.

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Sixties singer RONNIE SPECTOR ordered aides to equip her studio with a Christmas tree and turn up the air conditioning as she recorded her new festive album - because she was laying down the tracks during a summer heatwave.
The former Ronettes star was recording vocals for her collection of seasonal songs, titled Best Christmas Ever, back in the summer (10) but struggled to get into a festive frame of mind because of the searing heat.
So she insisted on having Christmas decorations in the studio - and blasted out the air-con to keep a wintry chill blowing through the room.
Spector tells Vanity Fair, "I recorded it in the summer, when it was 95 degrees every day. I made them bring a Christmas tree into the studio and turn down the temperature so it was nice and chilly. It’s hard to make yourself feel Christmasy when it’s hot outside. And let me tell you, honey, it was a long, hot summer. That’s the first line of the first song on the album. I love that line because it’s exactly what it was. It was so hot."

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KIRSTY MACCOLL’s youngest son finds comfort in hearing THE POGUES’ hit festive song FAIRYTALE OF NEW YORK every year - because it makes him proud of his late mother’s legacy.
The star was killed at the age of 41 when she was struck by a speedboat during a vacation in Cozumel, Mexico in 2000.
Her youngest son Louis, 24, admits he likes hearing the festive tune as it reminds him of everything his mum accomplished in her life.
He tells Britain’s Sunday Express, "I feel lucky regardless of what happened. I feel lucky that there is a legacy.
"It’s possible to hear her voice every Christmas whenever I want. Sometimes I find it difficult to listen to her music but if I am feeling sorry for myself I will stick on an album and it will give me the boost that I need. It does make me happy.
"I find it fantastic that it still gets a chart position. People say to me that it is the only Christmas song they don’t get sick of. I don’t know if they say this to me because it is by my mum but I like to think they really mean it, as I have to agree."

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Soul legend PERCY SLEDGE is making plans for next Christmas (11) - he’ll hit the studio next year to record two holiday-themed albums.
The When a Man Loves a Woman singer is planning to storm the festive album charts in 12 months time with one album of spirituals and another of classic Christmas tunes.
He tells Spinner.com, "I’ve got letters for years and years about doing a Christmas album and a spiritual album. I’m going to let my kids sing on the spiritual album.
"On my Christmas album, I’m going to have a producer out of (legendary Alabama recording studio) Muscle Shoals do it. I’m going to try to get one of my old producers because they know me so well." The two albums will be Sledge’s first since Shining Through the Rain in 2004.

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ROCK OF AGES star CONSTANTINE MAROULIS celebrated Christmas as a first-time father after welcoming a baby girl on Thursday (23Dec10).
The former American Idol singer’s girlfriend, his musical co-star Angel Reed, gave birth to Malena James who weighed in at six pounds, 11 ounces (3 kilograms).
Maroulis, 35, tells People.com, "Sometimes Christmas comes early and we’re so lucky to get the greatest gift a few days early.
"Angel and I are thrilled to welcome our perfect baby girl into the world… Mum and baby are healthy and I couldn’t be more excited to ring in 2011 this way." The couple met on the Broadway show last year (09).

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LEROY ANDERSON and MITCHELL PARISH’s festive favourite SLEIGH RIDE has been named America’s most popular Christmas tune for a second year running.
The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) has released its latest list of most-played holiday songs from over 2,500 radio stations all over the U.S
. and the 1940s pop song has beaten Winter Wonderland and Jingle Bell Rock to the top spot.
Sleigh Ride was originally written by Anderson and Parish as an instrumental piece for a symphony orchestra
. The Boston Pops Orchestra gave the first performance in 1948, recorded it a year later and Parish added lyrics.
The top 10 most-played ASCAP holiday songs so far this holiday season are listed below, together with the most popular version:
1. Sleigh Ride performed by Leroy Anderson 2 Winter Wonderland performed by Eurythmics
3. Jingle Bell Rock performed by Bobby Helms
4. It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year performed by Andy Williams
5. White Christmas performed by Bing Crosby
6. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas performed by The Carpenters
7. It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas performed by Bing Crosby
8. Frosty the Snowman performed by Jimmy Durante
9. Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree performed by Brenda Lee
10. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting…) performed by Nat King Cole

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Actor JAMIE KENNEDY became the butt of his friends’ jokes after one childhood Christmas when his mother gave him a bottle of perfume - for girls.
The former Ghost Whisperer star had begged his parents to help him smell fragrant over the holidays and he proudly wore the scent for months - until a pal pointed out the smelly mistake.
He tells OK! magazine, "I wanted cologne, and my mum bought me a bottle of Exclamation - for girls. I wore it for about six months and then a girl was like, ‘You smell just like me.’"

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RACHEL MCADAMS refuses to watch her waistline during the holiday season - because family feasts are a good excuse to break her strict diet.
The slender The Notebook star loves indulging in forbidden sweets and treats while joining her family and friends at the dinner table for gatherings, insisting "it’s really all family and food".
And she’s banned herself from feeling bad about packing on pounds.
She tells Us Weekly magazine, "I love to eat… Not every day is a holiday, you know?"

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SETH GREEN owes his child acting career to Christmas - he started out making holiday sale commercials as a kid.
The funnyman has moved on from selling products in embarrassing adverts to making gut-busting films like Austin Powers.
But Green will never live down his spot hawking a Christmas sale for a company called Play World as a kid.
He remembers, "I sold everything… I was just non-stop selling when I was a kid…
"When you’re a child you don’t know what quality control is. You’re just so excited when you’re making commercials. You’re not putting a lot of thought into the repercussions of it."

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THE SIMPSONS’ star HARRY SHEARER threw a Christmas party to cheer up his homesick British wife JUDITH OWEN - and it was so much fun they turned it into a stage show.
The couple wed in 1993 but Owen became depressed during her first festive season in sunny California because she missed the traditional wintry weather in London.
So Shearer invited his pals over to their house for a Christmas sing-song to remind his wife of her roots - and the party inspired the couple to produce their seasonal stage show, Judith Owen and Harry Shearer’s Holiday Sing-Along.
He says, "It comes from a party that my wife Judith Owen and I used to have at our house in California cos she was sad - she had moved to California and missed the cold and the damp of the London winter and the London Christmas and she wanted to recreate the feeling of a musical gathering. So we invited our musical friends over. And we would sing and have all sorts of musical friends around, and food and wine would be served, and it was just a way of recreating the warmth of a Christmas musical gathering. So we have now taken it to theatre."

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