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ASHTON KUTCHER is preparing to relive the horror of the night his ex-girlfriend ASHLEY ELLERIN was murdered when the case goes to trial next year (11).
Michael Gargiulo, 34, has been charged with stabbing Ellerin to death at her home in Los Angeles in February 2001.
Kutcher told police at the time that he had gone to collect the 22-year-old fashion student/model from the property to attend a post-Grammy Awards party, but she failed to answer the door.
He said he left the house after checking a back window and spotting what he thought were red wine stains on the carpet. Ellerin, who had suffered multiple stab wounds, was found dead the following day by a friend.
Kutcher, who wed Demi Moore in 2005 after two years of dating, has rarely discussed the case publicly but he is set to relive his heartache by giving evidence at Gargiulo’s trial in California next year.
Gargiulo has been charged with murdering Ellerin and two other women, and attempting to kill a fourth. An exact date for his trial has not been confirmed.

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MADONNA’s longtime producer JOHN ‘JELLYBEAN’ BENITEZ is facing a $10 million (£6.7 million) lawsuit over royalties from her hit song HOLIDAY.
Benitez offered the track to the pop superstar back in 1983 when she was recording her self-titled debut album and it went on to become her first hit single.
The musician, who produced the record, is now facing legal action from executives at the Spirit One Music group, who allege he has reneged on an agreement to split the proceeds with them.
The lawsuit, filed at Manhattan Supreme Court in New York, states Benitez has been responsible for handing out the royalties, but alleges he has failed to hand over a massive $10 million (£6.7 million) to Spirit One.
The legal papers accuse him of "repeatedly, systematically and intentionally made delinquent and tardy payments" and claiming he "concocted flimsy, bad-faith excuses for its inaccuracy".
The suit seeks $10 million (£6.7 million) in allegedly unpaid royalties, according to New York Post gossip column PageSix.

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LEANN RIMES struggled to sing during her performance at a special holiday concert on Sunday (19Dec10) because the show’s poignant message left her overcome with emotion.
Rimes took to the stage for the annual Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles, which was dedicated to the troubled homosexual teenagers who took their own life this year (10) in a spate of tragic suicides in the U.S.
The singer, who dressed in a sexy Santa outfit, wrote about the L.A. show in a subsequent post on her Twitter.com page and revealed she teared up as she attempted to sing.
She wrote, "Wow, a beautiful night! My heart broke and I almost couldn’t sing as I spoke about the young gay men and women who have taken their lives this year. It gets better!!!!"

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Scottish rockers BIFFY CLYRO are set to spend Christmas in Singapore as they are unable to fly back to Britain because of the heavy snow blighting northern Europe.
The musicians, who have been performing a series of concerts in Australia with Muse, flew to Singapore to catch a flight back to the U.K., but they have been unable to board a plane to continue their onward journey home for the festive season.
In a post on their Twitter.com page, the group wrote, "Wish us luck travelling home from Australia… Biffy vs Snow and the UK airport closures," before they admitted defeat and added another post: "Christmas in Singapore then…"

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A female rapper discovered by hip-hop mogul BRYAN ‘BIRDMAN’ WILLIAMS has been shot dead in her native New Orleans, Louisiana, according to reports.
Magnolia Shorty - real name Renetta Lowe - was gunned down in her tough local neighbourhood on Monday (20Dec10), reports AllHipHop.com.
The bodies of a woman and a man were discovered inside a car, but the identities of the victims had not been confirmed by local police as WENN went to press.
Lowe was signed by Williams to his Cash Money Records label, making her the second ever female artist given a contract with the company.

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JERMAINE JACKSON is facing yet more problems as Christmas approaches - he’s set to lose his home.
Michael Jackson’s brother has been renting a five-bedroom mansion in Calabasas, California, but the house has now been placed in foreclosure after the owner fell into financial difficulty.
The property will be sold off at auction next month (Jan11), according to TMZ.com.
The singer, who has lived in the house for around 18 months, has 60 days to vacate the property after notice of foreclosure has been given.
The loss of his home is the latest in a long line of problems for Jackson - he has been embroiled in a long-running legal dispute with his ex-wife Alejandra over allegations he owes her a massive $91,921 (£61,280) in child support payments, and officials recently confiscated his driving licence in a bid to make him pay up.
It was also revealed over the weekend (18-19Dec10) that he filed a police report alleging he was the victim of theft in September (10) after a designer bag containing furs, jewellery and clothes went missing from his home.

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Fans of DAN BROWN’s books can be assured the author’s latest work THE LOST SYMBOL will be respectfully adapted for the big screen - the man himself is taking on the role of screenwriter.
The movie version of The Da Vinci Code, starring Tom Hanks, was a box office smash in 2006, grossing more than $758 million (£505 million) worldwide. A successful follow-up, Angels & Demons, was released last year (09).
Brown’s latest bestseller, 2009’s The Lost Symbol, has also received the green light from movie bosses at Columbia Studios to be transformed for the big screen, and Eastern Promises writer Steven Knight was hired to pen the screenplay.
However, Brown himself has now taken over writing duties and will come up with the script for the movie, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Brown, who acted as an executive producer on The Da Vinci Code, has not had any input into the previous films’ screenplay - Akiva Goldsman wrote the first and shared duties with David Koepp on the second.
It is not known why Knight is no longer involved with the project.

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Hollywood film studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) is officially out of bankruptcy, movie bosses have announced.
The company has spiralled into debt in recent years, leaving a number of high profile film projects on hold, including Lord Of The Rings prequel The Hobbit and the next James Bond picture.
Last month (Nov10), executives filed for bankruptcy and announced plans for a massive debt-restructuring deal with bosses at Spyglass Entertainment, the U.S. company behind Star Trek and Get Him to the Greek, who are taking over the running of MGM.
U.S. bankruptcy judge Stuart Bernstein approved the Hollywood studio’s restructuring plan at a hearing in New York earlier this month (02Dec10) - and on Monday (20Dec10) heads at the studio revealed they have now come out of bankruptcy with $500 million (£333 million) thanks to the effective restructuring, reports Deadline.
Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum, the co-chairmen and chief executive officers of MGM, tell the website, "MGM is emerging from one of the most challenging periods of its storied history. We are honoured and inspired at the opportunity of leading one of Hollywood’s most iconic studios into its next generation of unforgettable filmmaking, global television production and distribution, and aggressively pursuing, developing and exploiting new digital entertainment platforms.
"Beginning today, MGM is a stronger, more competitive company, with a solid financial foundation and a bright future. We look forward to working with MGM’s dedicated employees to build upon this company’s legacy."

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Actor LORENZO LAMAS has confirmed he is planning to wed his fiance in a lavish ceremony in Mexico next year (11).
The former The Bold and The Beautiful soap star, 52, will marry 23-year-old Shawna Craig at a hotel in Cabo San Lucas on 30 April (11).
The wedding will mark the fifth trip down the aisle for Lamas, who admits he will be keeping the nuptials small and intimate.
He tells Us Weekly, "It’s going to be amazing. We found a beautiful hotel in Cabo and we’re in touch with the general manager to make it really, really special. It’s gonna be small - we’re not inviting a lot of people. It will be just family and friends." Lamas’ ex-wives include former Playboy Playmate-turned-actress Shauna Sand, who he divorced in 2002.

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KIM KARDASHIAN and her sister KHLOE endured a gruelling 28-hour trek home for the holidays this weekend (18-19Dec10) after heavy snowfall left them stranded in Paris, France.
The socialites enjoyed a trip to South Africa last week (ends19Dec10) and planned to fly back to California via a short stop in Paris.
But the siblings were left stranded in the French capital after wintry weather grounded flights out of the country over the weekend.
Their flight home on Sunday (19Dec10) was cancelled and the Kardashians faced a tense wait to see if they would be able to make it back to the U.S. in time for Christmas.
Kim updated fans on her Twitter.com page and admitted she was close to tears as the travel chaos set in, writing, "Wow it’s snowing in Paris and our flight is snowed in now… should I cry now? We’ve been traveling for over 24 hrs w (with) delays… I’ve never wanted to be home so badly!" The girls finally made it on to a plane and Kim expressed her relief after landing in California, writing, "What a journey it’s been!… Home sweet home!" Khloe added, "Kim and (I) finally landed! After 28 hours of flying! We are NOT in the best of spirits!… but we are home."

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JAMES VAN DER BEEK has introduced his baby daughter to the world in her first magazine photoshoot.
The Dawson’s Creek star became a first-time father in September (10) when his wife, Kimberly Brook, gave birth to baby Olivia.
The actor and his partner have now posed for photos with the tot in a spread for People magazine and he’s opened up about how he picked his daughter’s name.
He tells the publication, "She looked like an Olivia. There’s an olive tree in Israel that’s special to us," while Brook adds, "We spent time under it when we first met in Israel, then we went back to this tree when I was pregnant." Van Der Beek also reveals his partner suffered a traumatic labour and she had to give up her dream of a completely natural birth.
He adds, "We were one of those couples who was all about natural birth. We had the right doctor, we had the right doula (birthing assistant) and the right nurse at the hospital. Kimberly did it as naturally as she could, but at the end of the day we were very glad we were in the hospital."

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Broadway’s beleaguered SPIDER-MAN musical has been hit with another setback - a preview performance was cancelled mid-show on Monday (20Dec10) after an actor playing the superhero was injured on stage.
The much-delayed Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark finally began preview performances in November (10) after months of problems and rigorous safety checks, but the opening show was marred by stops as stunts went wrong.
Producers vowed to resolve all of the technical issues before the official opening, which was recently pushed back from January (11) to February (11), but a horrendous onstage accident on Monday proved there are still problems to be fixed.
Audience members at the Foxwoods Theater gasped in horror as one of the actors playing the webslinger tumbled from a platform above the stage. The production was immediately halted and the unnamed star was taken to New York’s Bellevue Hospital for treatment.
A spokesman for the show tells the New York Times’ Arts Beat blog, "An actor sustained an injury at tonight’s performance of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. He fell several feet from a platform approximately seven minutes before the end of the performance, and the show was stopped. All signs were good as he was taken to the hospital for observation. We will have more news shortly." The accident marks the latest in a long line of injuries for the show’s stars - actress Natalie Mendoza suffered concussion on the first night of previews when a rope broke and hit her on the head, and another Spider-Man stuntman Kevin Aubin broke both wrists during rehearsals in October (10).

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A representative for GARRETT HEDLUND has vehemently denied the TRON: LEGACY star has been caught on camera puffing on a cannabis joint - insisting the actor "would never smoke pot in front of" photographers.
The 26 year old was pictured smoking a large, rolled up cigarette in a video back in August (10) while he was filming new movie On The Road with Kristen Stewart in Montreal, Canada.
The footage shows Hedlund breathing in the smoke before passing the cigarette to an unidentified female, who also takes a puff, prompting rumours it contained more than just tobacco.
But a spokesperson for Hedlund is adamant the actor was not using marijuana, telling TMZ.com, "He would never smoke pot in front of all those paparazzi."

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KATE MOSS is planning a new career once she retires from the runway - she wants to open a school for models.
The British beauty has been at the forefront of the modelling industry since the 1990s and has also found success designing for U.K. fashion chain Topshop, but she has set her sights on founding a special training academy for aspiring catwalk stars.
She’s adamant posing for snaps isn’t as easy as it looks and modelling is an art form which should be taught to young wannabes.
She tells Britain’s Company magazine, "I think I could definitely open a modelling school.
"Kate’s Modelling School? Moss’ Models? Put Moss’ Models down! You need to see it as a skill. I mean, you can be the most intelligent person in the world, but it won’t make you a good teacher.
"It honestly can be very humiliating. It’s not just like, ‘Hold your left leg in your hand.’ I guess you need to have an eye for art."

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R&B singer CHRIS BROWN is a step closer to cleaning up his act following his conviction for assaulting ex-girlfriend RIHANNA - he’s completed a court-ordered 52-week anti-domestic violence course.
Brown was disgraced after beating the Umbrella hitmaker following a pre-Grammys party in early 2009. He later admitted a charge of assault and was handed five years probation, six-months of community service and ordered to take a series of domestic violence counselling classes.
His progress was praised by a judge last month (Nov10) during a probation report hearing, where he was commended for doing a "consistent job".
And he proved his consistency on Monday (20Dec10) when he finally completed the counselling course and was given a certificate, which he proudly uploaded for fans to see on Twitter.com.
He will remain on probation until 2014.

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AARON ECKHART and NICOLE KIDMAN "irritated" each other on the tense set of their new film RABBIT HOLE as they struggled to deal with the movie’s disturbing subject matter.
The actors play the grieving parents of a dead child in the harrowing film and Eckhart recently revealed he prepared for the role by taking part in a group counselling session with real life victims of family tragedies.
The Dark Knight star admits the sad story made life on set "uncomfortable" and he fell out with Kidman as they worked on their parts.
He says, "She was irritated with me and I was irritated with her but that’s the way movie-making is. For one day, are we not allowed (to fall out)? For half a day even?… It’s so surprising to me when people are surprised that movie-making is sometimes tense and uncomfortable because inherently it’s going to be.
"You’re around tens of people or hundreds of people working on things that are imaginary and that come from the soul. You could be dealing with subject matter like prostitution, death, drugs, blah, blah, blah. How could you expect that not to be uncomfortable?"

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JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE has blamed his inability to multi-task for his decision to keep his music and film projects completely separate, because his songwriting would "suck" if he tried to record an album while making a movie.
The SexyBack hitmaker has spent the past year establishing himself as an actor and has garnered critical acclaim for his portrayal of internet entrepreneur Sean Parker in The Social Network.
He also voices the character of Boo Boo in family film Yogi Bear and is currently filming sci-fi project Now, prompting many music fans to wonder when he will return to his pop roots.
Timberlake has assured devotees he has no plans to stop making music - but he simply can’t juggle the two tasks at the same time.
He says, "I hope I’m not done (with music). For some reason I keep getting asked that question a lot, like I’ve said, ‘I’m never doing music again’. And I hope not.
"I’m a male and I lack the ability to do two things at the same time. And I can tell you that the day that I comprehended that, my life became a lot easier! "I just feel like when you’re doing a film like I’m doing now, you immerse yourself, you embody that character and… it’s such a transformation mentally that trying to write music at the same time… it would suck!" Timberlake released his last album, FutureSex/LoveSounds, in 2006.

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CHER regretted wearing her infamous black body-stocking at MTV Video Music Awards in September (10), because she felt uncomfortable when she was asked to pose for a picture with "baby" JUSTIN BIEBER.
The veteran singer stunned guests at the awards show in Los Angeles by donning the revealing outfit from her If I Could Turn Back Time video for presenting duties at the ceremony.
And the star admits she felt a little concerned about her skin-tight attire when event organisers pushed teenage pop star Bieber in her direction for a photo opportunity.
She tells U.K. TV host Graham Norton, "I thought, ‘I’ll do myself in a decade’, and that (body-stocking) was the closest thing I had. And then someone said, ‘Will you take a picture with Justin Bieber,’ and I said, ‘Sure’, not knowing who he was. And then this child, who came up to here (chest), and I felt like I should cover up before I take a picture with this baby."

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