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Rockers COLDPLAY gave fans an early Christmas present on Monday night (20Dec10) when they took to the stage for the first of their secret charity shows - by inviting TAKE THAT star GARY BARLOW to sing with them.
The band performed at the Royal Court Theatre in Liverpool, England for the first of two concerts to raise awareness of homelessness in Britain.
And they surprised revellers by bringing out Barlow to sing a rendition of his band’s hit Back For Good, before entertaining the crowd with a special appearance from British comic Peter Kay.
Coldplay will play a second show in Newcastle, England on Tuesday (21Dec10) with all proceeds from both gigs benefiting homeless charity Crisis.

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MILEY CYRUS’ parents BILLY RAY and TISH are putting their family home on the market just three months after their split, according to U.S. reports.
The Achy Breaky Heart hitmaker and his wife filed for divorce in October (10), with both citing irreconcilable differences as they seek to bring their 17-year marriage to an end.
They have now decided to offload their marital home in Toluca Lake, Los Angeles - putting it up for sale over $7 million (£4.6 million), according to GossipCop.com.
The former couple married in 1992 and has three children together as well as three kids from previous relationships.

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Veteran actress JOAN COLLINS has become "addicted" to Twitter since her sister JACKIE urged her to go online - but admits she still gets confused by shortened ‘text speak’.
The Dynasty star refused to join the micro-blogging website until her author sibling persuaded her she could interact with fans more directly.
Collins admits she’s now a huge fan of ‘Tweeting’, but can’t quite get to grips with the abbreviations used by the technologically savvy.
She tells Hello! magazine, "After having initially sneered at it from afar, I’ve finally joined the Twittering population after being convinced by my sister Jackie, and I now find it fascinating and somewhat addictive. It’s a great way of getting the word out about what I’m doing directly to my fans, and it’s also an invaluable tool for correcting the vagaries of the media and setting the record straight.
"The other day I managed to put my foot in it when commiserating by email with my son Sacha, who also had the flu. I signed off with ‘LOL’, thinking it meant ‘Lots of love’, until my husband explained it actually means ‘Laugh out Loud’."

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GORDON RAMSAY has regained control of his flagship London restaurant from his estranged father-in-law after the warring relatives reached a settlement agreement.
The British chef’s fall out with his wife’s father Chris Hutcheson hit the headlines in October (10) when the businessman left his post as CEO of Gordon Ramsay Holdings (GRH).
Hutcheson is suing his son-in-law for $3 million (£2 million), while Ramsay went on the attack by speaking publicly about the family feud, insisting he feels "betrayed" and "let down" by his in-laws.
Ramsay has now further cut ties by buying Hutcheson’s shares in their Petrus eaterie, which they opened together in 1999.
A rep for Ramsay says, "Petrus is now owned by the GRH group, a commercial settlement on this issue having been reached with Chris Hutcheson. Gordon Ramsay is extremely committed to and proud of the restaurant."

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Actor/comic STEVE LANDESBERG has passed away. He was 65.
The funnyman died on Monday (20Dec10), according to his agent Jeffrey Leavitt. He had reportedly been battling cancer.
Landesberg started his career as a stand-up comedian in New York before landing his most famous role as Detective Arthur Dietrich in hit TV sit-com Barney Miller in 1975, with the show running until 1982.
He went on to appear in other TV series such as The Cosby Show, Golden Girls and Ghost Whisperer, as well as parts in movies including Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Wild Hogs.
He is survived by his wife, Nancy Ross Landesberg, and a daughter, Elizabeth.

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Pop star KE$HA has brushed off reports of a feud with RIHANNA after the UMBRELLA hitmaker appeared to make disparaging comments about her pop peers.
The Bajan beauty stirred controversy in October (10) when she revealed all of the songs on her new album Loud would be written especially for her, unlike some other tracks in the pop charts.
She was quoted as saying, "I didn’t want the generic pop record that Ke$ha or Lady Gaga or Katy Perry would do. Every song is tailored to me." Rihanna’s comments were alleged to have sparked a pop rivalry among the stars - but Ke$ha has paid little attention to the rumours and she’s confident the media is responsible for turning it into a big deal.
She tells Complex magazine, "I haven’t even read that. I’m so used to the media flipping my words around that I’m sure she meant absolutely no offence to me or Katy or Gaga - Rihanna and me are totally cool, we were just on tour together, and I know that she and Katy are good friends. I don’t take any offence because I’m sure it’s bulls**t anyway."

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Media mogul OPRAH WINFREY recently invited U2 rocker BONO to join the ranks of celebrity presenters on her new network - because she was convinced his philanthropy work would make for good TV.
The TV titan will launch OWN next year (11) and she’s recruited a slew of stars to host their own talk shows, including Jenny McCarthy, Rosie O’Donnell and Ryan and Tatum O’Neal, as well as Hollywood actors including Julia Roberts, Forest Whitaker and Goldie Hawn to develop their own documentaries for the network.
And Winfrey reveals she even approached Bono with the idea of launching his own small screen career - although he respectfully declined.
She tells the New York Times, "(I asked Bono), ‘Would you like a TV show?’ "I look at everything now through the prism of, ‘This could make a very good TV show!’"

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Former SKID ROW drummer PHIL VARONE is turning his love of food and cooking into a work of art - he’s collating a recipe book with the help of his rock star pals.
The drummer-turned-comedian is working on Rockstar Recipe and he’s reached out to a host of big names to donate their favourite dishes and tales about their rock lifestyle to the publication.
He tells WENN, "When I was a teenager I started working in restaurants and my mother was an amazing cook, my father was a cook in the army. I come from an Italian family so the cooks run deep.
"What I wanted to do with this cook book is combine music and cooking because a lot of rock stars cook, so it’s called Rockstar Recipe and it’s a cookbook from basically all my favourite rock stars, all their favourite recipes, and stories about them and we introduce all kinds of stuff to go along with it.
"I’m asking my friends to donate their recipes and the master list is two, three hundred people and we’re just waiting for a response from all of them to put them together." Varone is aiming to release the book next year (11), although he admits the project is still a work in progress so he’s hesitant to name names - but he insists it will be worth waiting for.
He adds, "They’re big rock stars, I can’t say the deal but it’s big rock stars that I’ve worked with in the past that I know very well.
"It’s almost like a fan book, more so than a cookbook, but that’s the angle that we’re going with. I just love cooking, I cook every night. It’s just something I enjoy."

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Welsh opera star KATHERINE JENKINS was forced to pull out of a morale-boosting trip to perform for British troops in Afghanistan on Monday (20Dec10) after her flight was grounded due to bad weather.
The classical singer makes regular trips to meet U.K. soldiers based in the war-torn country and was set to jet out on Monday to give the men and women a festive show before Christmas (25Dec10).
However, Jenkins’ visit was cancelled as a result of the severe snow and freezing temperatures which have blighted the whole of the U.K. and most of Europe.
Breaking the news to her Twitter.com fans, the devastated star writes, "Spoke too sn (soon)! After waiting at airport since 3am & getting on plane 3 hours ago, we’ve now been told our flight 2 (sic) Afghanistan has bn (been) cancelled.
"Am so gutted - words can’t describe how disappointed we all are."

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Rap superstar LIL WAYNE has changed one disabled pensioner’s life for the better after treating a fan’s ailing mother to an $11,000 (£7,300) motorised wheelchair.
The Lollipop hitmaker was moved to help after receiving weekly letters of support from 39-year-old Ronda Austin while he was locked up on gun charges at New York’s Rikers Island prison.
Austin claims she shared tales about her everyday life with the incarcerated rapper, telling him about her mother Evelyn and how she had been confined to her house for almost two years.
Wayne, who was released from jail in November (10), recently delighted Austin when he surprised her with a phone call and enquired about her elderly mother, wondering if she had been able to buy a new wheelchair to replace the battered one she had been using for years.
And after learning the Austins were still struggling, he generously offered to pay for the new chair, telling the New Jersey residents, "Don’t worry about it. I got you." Austin tells the New York Daily News, "I couldn’t believe it. I never asked for nothing (sic). I just told him all kinds of different things about me. I never even said I needed help." The gift has allowed 64-year-old Evelyn the chance to venture out of her home, and she is grateful for the rapper’s kind-hearted gesture.
She says, "I pray for him every night thanking him for this chair. I love every bit of it. It changed my life." But Nina Packer, the head of Lil Wayne’s charitable foundation, insists the present was just a small token of Wayne’s appreciation for the undying support he received while behind bars.
She tells the newspaper, "It was something that he was compelled to do. He wanted to buy Mrs. Austin the Maybach (luxury car) of wheelchairs."

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SLASH and DUFF MCKAGAN’s rock supergroup VELVET REVOLVER is poised to make its comeback - the band is close to securing a new frontman, more than two years after SCOTT WEILAND was ousted from the job.
The group has been without a lead vocalist since parting ways with Weiland in April 2008.
They revived efforts to find a replacement earlier this month (Dec10) and drummer Matt Sorum admits they have narrowed down the search - although he’s hesitant to reveal the identity of the star until they’ve jammed together a little longer.
Speaking to The Pulse of Radio, Sorum reveals there’s one singer they "really like a lot", but adds, "We can’t make the announcement yet because we’re ‘dating’, you know. We haven’t consummated the relationship, we haven’t sat down this gentleman and made the agreement together." However, he insists the mystery vocalist is a "known guy", who he describes as "younger and stronger".
And he’s urged fans to remain patient as they work out the finer details.
Sorum adds, "I know it’s been like this long-winded, ‘Oh, Velvet Revolver this, Velvet Revolver that.’ We’re tired of it, believe me. But we don’t have the ability to just jump out there with any singer. We can’t do it."

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Actor JAMIE KENNEDY has launched legal action against the bosses of a social media company over allegations they failed to honour an agreement worth $250,000 (£161,120).
The Ghost Whisperer star is suing Yoostar Entertainment over claims company executives hired him to make a string of personal appearances to promote the brand, which uses a new technology to allow users to insert themselves into TV and movie scenes.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Kennedy was due to receive $500,000 (£322,000) for three personal appearances, including 25 cameos in original clips for Yooster, amounting to $125,000 (£83,000).
However, according to a suit filed at Los Angeles Superior Court, Kennedy is still owed $250,000, as well as stock options.

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Playwright MAX G. WEINE has died at the age of 89.
The writer passed away in New York on Saturday (18Dec10) after suffering complications from Parkinson’s disease and prostate cancer.
Weine’s works included the Off-Broadway productions of The Love of Two Hours and Brandy Before Breakfast, while he was also known for the plays Appetites, Mixed Doubles and A Touch of Intimacy, reports Variety.com.

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Comedian TRACY MORGAN is recovering after undergoing a successful kidney transplant earlier this month (Dec10).
The 30 Rock star, who suffers from diabetes, will spend the holidays recuperating from the surgery, but his health issue will not keep him away from the cameras for too long - he will only miss two episodes of the hit TV sitcom.
His representative tells GossipCop.com, "Tracy is doing well and taking some much needed time to recover after the surgery. He is looking forward to going back to work after the holidays." Morgan isn’t the only 30 Rock castmember to need a new kidney - his co-star Grizz Chapman underwent similar surgery earlier this year (10).

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The brother of HARRY POTTER star AFSHAN AZAD is facing a stint behind bars after he admitted to assaulting the actress earlier this year (10).
Azad, who played witch Padma Patil in four of the wizard movies, alleged her two family members attacked her at her home in Manchester, England in May (10).
Her father Abdul and brother Ashraf were said to have argued with the Muslim star, 22, after overhearing her on the phone to her Hindu boyfriend, demanding that she end the relationship.
The argument reportedly escalated and turned violent, with the pair threatening to kill the actress.
Azad later begged prosecutors to drop the death-treat charges against her father and brother and they were both cleared at Manchester Crown Court, England on Monday (20Dec10). The actress did not attend.
However, Ashraf Azad pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and has been bailed until sentencing on 21 January (10).
Ashraf, who was warned by the judge he could face jail time, has been banned from contacting his sister and from travelling to London, where she now lives.
Judge Roger Thomas QC told him, "Domestic violence can result, even for a man such as you, in imprisonment." Azad’s father was bound to keep the peace for 12 months.

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British TV watchdog officials have officially launched a formal investigation to determine whether racy performances by CHRISTINA AGUILERA and RIHANNA on reality show THE X FACTOR were too risque for its family audience.
The pop stars were invited to appear on the grand final of Simon Cowell’s U.K. talent show on 11 December (10) to collaborate with two of the remaining contestants.
After their duets, both singers took the stage to belt out their own songs, but their saucy routines left viewers at home furious - and media regulators at the U.K.’s Office of Communications (Ofcom) were bombarded with more than 2,750 complaints by those angry the performances were allowed to be shown before the 9pm watershed.
The public outcry has now prompted Ofcom executives to look into claims Aguilera and Rihanna’s appearances violated the Broadcasting Code, which states that "children must be protected by appropriate scheduling from material that is unsuitable for them".
The confirmation of the Ofcom investigation on Sunday (19Dec10) comes days after British politicians criticised watchdog bosses for failing to take swift action over the complaints.
Aguilera has already defended her sexy moves, which saw her cavort around the stage with a group of female dancers, as she performed a track from her new movie musical Burlesque.
She said, "I don’t think there is such a thing as too raunchy when it comes to the art form of burlesque. It’s very empowering to women to feel confident in their own skin and in their bodies and this represents that.
"Everyone in the spotlight is judged and there are many opinions out there but I stick true to what I believe in."

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Scottish singing sensation SUSAN BOYLE retreats to the recording studio whenever she feels overwhelmed by her sudden fame and fortune - branding it her own "sanctuary".
The star shot into the spotlight overnight after appearing on Simon Cowell’s reality TV show Britain’s Got Talent in 2009 and has garnered critical acclaim with the release of her first two albums, I Dreamed a Dream and The Gift.
But the 49 year old has struggled to handle the intense media scrutiny into her personal life as a result of her success - and admits she heads into the studio when times get tough.
She says, "The studio is my sanctuary. To return to it, well it feels like home away from home. The studio is like being inside a bubble and a place I can step away from the worry of life. As soon as I put the cans (headphones) on I know that I am safe."

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Rapper NAS is helping to spread some festive cheer among families affected by the deadly HIV/AIDS virus this Christmas by serving up a holiday feast in New York.
The I Can star will join HIV/AIDS activist Maria Davis and restaurateur Melba Wilson to provide food to over 250 people and their relatives at the Second Annual Christmas Dinner in Harlem on Wednesday (22Dec10).
Author Maria Davis, whose Souls of My Sisters Books/Kensington Publishing Corporation will also support the event, tells AllHipHop.com, "An estimated 1.1 million Americans are living with HIV, and yet one out of five don’t know it.
"This holiday season our focus is on helping the families infected and affected by HIV/AIDS, and their support systems including; extended families, healthcare and case workers.
"I am especially proud that Nas and other celebrities can participate in providing inspiration during the holidays and share a word of thanks to the caretakers who work so hard to service this population."

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