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SIR ELTON JOHN has announced he is working on plans to bring his "crazy" life story to the big screen.
The Rocket Man and his partner, Canadian film producer David Furnish, are teaming up with British screenwriter Lee Hall for the project.
And the singer has promised fans the upcoming biopic will be as wild as his career and personal life have been.
He explains, "I’d just like to make a really great film about my life story. We have a great script already by Lee Hall who wrote Billy Elliot.
"Obviously, it’s not going to be your normal, run of the mill film because my life has kind of been crazy. And I think it’s important to do a kind of surrealistic take on my life."

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

SIR ELTON JOHN has announced he is working on plans to bring his "crazy" life story to the big screen.
The Rocket Man and his partner, Canadian film producer David Furnish, are teaming up with British screenwriter Lee Hall for the project.
And the singer has promised fans the upcoming biopic will be as wild as his career and personal life have been.
He explains, "I’d just like to make a really great film about my life story. We have a great script already by Lee Hall who wrote Billy Elliot.
"Obviously, it’s not going to be your normal, run of the mill film because my life has kind of been crazy. And I think it’s important to do a kind of surrealistic take on my life."

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

Rocker STING is cutting back his alcohol intake - because he can no longer guzzle beer without feeling the nasty side effects.
The former Police frontman is preparing to turn 60 this year (11) and admits he’s reducing the amount he drinks as he gets older.
He says, "I’ve decided to stop drinking beer because I’ve just lost the ability to drink… You just lose the ability to drink, I am maturing." But Sting insists his marathon sex sessions with his wife Trudie Styler keep him feeling healthy: "Of course, a good seven hours of tantric sex a night still helps you!"

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

KELLY OSBOURNE is set to replace TAYLOR MOMSEN as the new face of MADONNA’s Material Girl clothing line, according to a new report.
The pop superstar recently launched an online search for the next poster girl for the fashion collection, encouraging fans to vote for their favourite through the brand’s website.
Singer-turned-reality TV star Osbourne is now said to be in the lead to take over from the Gossip Girl actress to front the next advertising campaign for the range, which is designed by Madonna and her daughter Lourdes.
A source tells Britain’s Sunday Mirror, "Kelly’s always been a massive fan of Madonna and recently heard Lourdes idolised her, which she was very flattered by. It’s a huge coup."

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

NOEL GALLAGHER has donated one of OASIS’ platinum discs to a school for disabled kids in his native Manchester, England.
The British rocker, who quit the band in 2009, handed the Roll With It trophy to the Lancasterian School, a specialist centre which helps children with physical and medical difficulties.
School officials are hoping to auction off the plaque to raise as much as $180,000 (£120,000) to buy a new therapy pool for their pupils.
Fundraiser Samantha Hough explains, "(Gallagher) gave it to us to auction at a gala dinner we held last year, but we realised it was far too valuable to sell that way and after taking advice we put it into a pop memorabilia auction.
"We were really pleased to get it because our target is huge. We had no idea that Noel knew anything about the school, so it really came out of nowhere."

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

Rockers PEARL JAM are planning a summer (11) spectacular to mark their 20th anniversary.
The Alive hitmakers are in secret talks to take over a venue in "the middle of America" for a weekend and stage a two-day festival featuring friends.
Manager Kelly Curtis tells Rolling Stone magazine the celebration will tie in with a new Cameron Crowe-directed documentary about the band, and Pearl Jam will headline both nights.
Band member Jeff Ament says, "We’ve played enough festivals that we know what makes them exciting. We want to give people places to go that aren’t necessarily musical - second stages and all that kind of stuff. We’re asking our friends if they want to play a couple of shows with us."

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

Sweet Caroline and Holly Holy, NEIL DIAMOND is 70! The veteran singer/songwriter, who penned many of the pop anthems of the last century, celebrates a big birthday on Monday (24Jan11).
The celebration comes as Diamond prepares to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in March (11) and caps 50 years in showbusiness.
To mark the crooner’s birthday, WENN trawled through his history to find 10 fascinating facts about the man who was The Jazz Singer! Happy birthday Mr. Diamond…
- he attended Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, New York, where he sang in the All City Choir with Barbra Streisand. The pair went on to record heartache ballad You Don’t Bring Me Flowers.
- a longtime back pain sufferer, he had a tumour surgically removed from his spine just before he started shooting The Jazz Singer in 1979.
- he won a fencing scholarship to New York University and was a member of the 1960 NCAA men’s championship team.
- artists who have recorded Neil Diamond songs include Elvis Presley, Deep Purple, Lulu, Cliff Richard, The Monkees, UB40, Johnny Cash and Smash Mouth.
- John F. Kennedy’s daughter Caroline was the inspiration for his hit Sweet Caroline. Diamond revealed he wrote the anthem after seeing her on the cover of Life Magazine in an equestrian riding outfit.
- Sweet Caroline is played during the 8th inning at every Boston Red Sox home game - even though Diamond is a lifelong fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The song is also played during the 8th inning of every New York Mets home game and at Washington Nationals home games. Ice hockey team the New York Rangers have also adapted it as their own, and play it when they are winning at the end of the 3rd period.
- Diamond became the first-ever winner of a Worst Actor Golden Raspberry Award in 1980 for The Jazz Singer. He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for the same role.
- Famous for wearing colourful, sequin-adorned shirts in concert, Diamond claims he first came up with the idea so everyone in the audience could see him without the aid of binoculars. The Bill Whitten-designed and made shirts cost approximately US$5,000 each. Whitten designed and made the shirts for Diamond from the 1970s until 2007.
- among his many accolades, the Grammy Award winner and 12-time nominee is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and a recipient of the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award, one of the highest honours bestowed upon songwriters. He was the MusiCares Person of the Year in 2009.
- Diamond has sold more than 128 million records worldwide.

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

ANNIE LENNOX and DAME JUDI DENCH have joined a campaign to protect Britain’s public-owned woodlands.
The two ladies are among the stars who have signed a petition urging the government not to sell off valuable forests all over the British Isles.
Model/actress Lily Cole, artist Tracey Emin, actress Gillian Anderson, Richard E Grant and designer Dame Vivienne Westwood are also fighting the proposal to keep the lands public and away from private owners.
The campaign is an initiative by conservationists at Save England’s Forests.
A bill is currently being debated in Parliament which could allow officials to sell public forest estates to commercial interests.
In part, the petition letter reads, "Our forests nurture countless species of native plants and wildlife. We have relied on them since time immemorial yet we are only a heartbeat in their history.
"We, the undersigned, believe it unconscionable that future generations will no longer enjoy the guarantee of a public forest estate."

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

Composer SIR ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER is delighted after selling his wine collection for $5.3 million (£3.5 million) at auction on Saturday (22Jan11).
Over 740 lots went under the hammer in the six-hour sale in Hong Kong, with the most expensive case of wine, a Chateau Petrus 1982, fetching $77,564 (£48,500) for 12 bottles.
The theatre impresario, who has been collecting wine since he was a teenager, had run out of room to store them.
He says, "I hope the new owners enjoy my wines as much as I have and I look forward to reacquainting myself with them in restaurants all over China." Serena Sutcliffe, Sotheby’s worldwide head of wine, adds: "It’s a great collection and an obvious one for Hong Kong because there is a great love of French wines such as Bordeaux and Burgundy. It happens to be a category appreciated so much in this region."

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

Romance LIKE CRAZY has become the first official success story at this year’s (11) Sundance Film Festival.
Paramount Pictures bosses have acquired rights to the indie drama for a reported $4 million (£2.6 million).
The film, starring Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones, is in competition at the Utah festival, which began on Thursday (20Jan11).
Bosses at Sony Pictures Worldwide acquired U.S. and Canadian rights to Morgan Spurlock’s The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, which will premiere at Sundance on Sunday (22Jan11).
The deal for the documentary from the guy behind Super Size Me came down in the hours before the festival started.

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

SARAH FERGUSON’s much-hyped new TV show has been pushed back.
The Duchess of York’s Finding Sarah reality show was scheduled to launch this spring (11) on Oprah Winfrey’s new OWN network, but now the six-part comeback series will debut much later this year.
Online reports suggest Winfrey wanted Ferguson to be more revealing on the show and has "ordered reshoots".
A spokesperson for OWN has confirmed the show has been pushed back and will now premiere in the summer.

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

Designer OSCAR DE LA RENTA has taken aim at America’s First Lady MICHELLE OBAMA for wearing an ALEXANDER MCQUEEN gown during a recent state dinner for China’s President HU JINTAO.
Obama’s red dress was a big hit at the official event on Wednesday (19Jan11), but De La Renta wasn’t a fan - he feels Obama should have worn something designed by an American stylist.
The fashion icon tells WWD.com, "My understanding is that the visit was to promote American-Chinese trade - American products in China and Chinese products in America. Why do you wear European clothes? "I’m not talking about my clothes, my business. I’m old, and I don’t need it. But there are a lot of young people, very talented people here (in America) who do."

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

Song-and-dance man BEN VEREEN is revealing all about his search for his "blood family" in a riveting new autobiography.
The dancer and actor admits he had no idea he was adopted until he had to apply for a passport in order to tour Europe with Sammy Davis, Jr. - when he was 25.
He tells BlogTalkRadio.com, "I didn’t have a passport so he told me to send for my birth certificate. I didn’t think about the fact that I didn’t have one or there were no baby pictures of me. Turns out they didn’t have my birth certificate under the name Ben Vereen but they had Essie Middleton as the mother of Benjamin Vereen.
"I told my mother about it and she told me she was hoping I’d never know. That’s how I found out, so the story is about my journey of finding them (birth parents) and blessing the woman who raised me.
"It was an amazing experience for me and you’ll read about it in the book and hopefully there will be a TV show where you’ll see it." Vereen, now 64, admits he’s still coming to terms with his forgotten family after finally tracking them down just four years ago.
He adds, "The whole idea of hearing my older sister’s voice for the first time was just amazing. We were both nervous seeing each other for the first time. Now she’s always on my case.
"I also discovered I have a brother, Jimmy, and (another, called) Eugene. Can you imagine you’re sitting at home and one day my sister gets a phone call: ‘Do you know who your brother is?’ She said, ‘Yeah, my brothers are Eugene and Jimmy, why?’ "When they told her you have another brother and his name is Ben Vereen, she said, ‘Get outta here, the guy who plays Chicken George in Roots?’ "Both mothers have since gone on (died), so finding aunts and cousins and a whole slew of people who are now in my life and my children’s lives is wonderful and very rich. We had 110 people come to the family reunion and they embraced us into their family."

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

R&B star BOBBY BROWN is in mourning following the death of his mother on Thursday (20Jan11).
Carole Brown passed away in Los Angeles. She was 69 years old.
A statement from the singer reads, "It is a sad time for me right now. I am experiencing a tremendous loss, but I vow to celebrate her life in every way that I can with my entire family, including my fiance Alicia, and my children Bobbi Kristina, LaPrincia, Bobby Jr and Cassius."

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

Sixties icon MARIANNE FAITHFULL is hoping to make a fresh start by moving back to her native Britain.
The former rock wild child has spent the last eight years living in Paris, France but admits she wants to return to England to live peacefully now she is 64.
The singer insists London, the city where she was born, is the place where she wants to enjoy the next phase of her life.
She tells Britain’s Sunday Express, "My life has been a bit wild but I want to return to London and make my peace with it. I want to have time to admire the collections at Tate Britain or listen to a Covent Garden opera."

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

SIR ELTON JOHN is urging fans to take signs to his concerts - because now he’s had his eyesight corrected, he can read them.
The Nikita rocker insists touring is more fun for him now than it was when he was younger - because he’s no longer high backstage, alone in hotel rooms and he can see the faces of his fans.
He explains, "I had my eyes done about eight years ago; I had replacement lens surgery because I was so blind… Now I have 20/20 vision and I can see all the signs that the fans have, all the album sleeves - and it makes a difference.
"I really appreciate my performing so much better now as I get older than I did. I don’t take it for granted anymore." Elton admits he even looks forward to tours: "When I come offstage now I have a balance in my life. Until I found that in 1990 I came off stage and I didn’t know what to do with myself. Now I fly home every night after a show and I get back in my own bed. I have a wonderful partner in David (Furnish), I have wonderful friends. I can remember things. I don’t take drugs anymore.
"It’s a whole new world out there. I could remember the words to the songs; it’s great! It’s just sensational what’s happened to me in the last few years. The older I get, I think I’m singing better live."

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

SIR ELTON JOHN is finding fatherhood the most "relaxing" experience - because he loves changing nappies and singing lullabies to his baby.
The singer and his partner David Furnish became parents to little Zachary at Christmas (25Dec10), and the Rocket Man insists his first month of fatherhood has been blissful.
He tells WENN, "It’s fantastic! I love the smell of nappies. It’s been the most wonderful thing that’s probably ever happened to me after meeting David.
"Surprisingly it’s been very relaxing because this little soul that you’re feeding and you’re changing and you’re bathing and you’re telling bedtime stories to is a blank canvas and all it needs is love and nurturing and it’s just the most wonderful feeling."

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

KEIRA KNIGHTLEY is set to play ROBERT PATTINSON’s onscreen wife in DAVID CRONENBERG’s new movie, COSMOPOLIS.
The Pirates of the Caribbean star will replace French beauty Marion Cotillard after the pregnant actress departed the project due to "scheduling conflicts", according to the Playlist.
Knightley will play the wife of Pattinson’s character Eric Parker in the big screen adaptation of Don DeLillo’s novel, about a multimillionaire asset manager who loses his fortune in 24 hours.
It’s the second major cast change for the project - Pattinson stepped in to replace Colin Farrell after the Irish star withdrew to accept the lead role in a Total Recall remake.
Production is scheduled to begin in New York City and Toronto, Canada in May (11).

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