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COLIN FIRTH nearly missed out on his role in acclaimed new movie THE KING’S SPEECH as PAUL BETTANY was the first choice to play the stuttering British monarch.
Firth won a Golden Globe at the weekend (16Jan11) for his portrayal of King George VI in the film, which has won numerous awards nominations and is tipped for success at the upcoming Oscars.
He is widely expected to win his first Academy Award for the role, but the part would have gone to another British actor if screenwriter David Seidler had his way.
Seidler tells New York Post gossip column Page Six, "When I initially wrote the screenplay, I immediately had Geoffrey Rush in mind for (speech therapist) Lionel Logue. But I thought Paul Bettany would be the actor to play the king. I wanted Paul, but I was lucky that it was decided the role would go to Colin. As soon as he read for it, I knew he was perfect."

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ARCADE FIRE, KINGS OF LEON and KANYE WEST have been named as the headliners at this year’s (11) Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival.
The three-day event will take place in Indio, California from 15 to 17 April (11) and feature the Strokes, the National, Tinie Tempah, Brandon Flowers, Interpol, Klaxons, Erykah Badu and Mumford & Sons with blasts from the past Suede, Duran Duran, Wire and Big Audio Dynamite.
Reclusive R&B superstar Lauryn Hill is also billed to perform, as are cult acts Elbow, Marina & The Diamonds, Bright Eyes and The Black Keys.
Enhancing the festival experience for music fans at California’s biggest music event, organisers are adding a roller skating rink and a free shuttle service to a local grocery store.
Three-day passes to Coachella cost $269 (£179.33). Tickets go on sale on Friday (21Jan11).

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JULIANNE MOORE is to be honoured by Harvard University students as 2011’s Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year.
The Oscar-nominated actress has accepted an invitation to be part of the drama club’s wacky annual festivities on 27 January (11).
The Far From Heaven star will be paraded around campus before taking part in a revue. The Hasty Pudding is awarded to entertainers who make a "lasting and impressive contribution to the world of entertainment." Last year’s (10) prize went to Anne Hathaway, while Justin Timberlake was presented with the Hasty Pudding Man of the Year Award.

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Editors at a British newspaper have won a longrunning legal battle over the huge fees supermodel NAOMI CAMPBELL’s lawyers charged after winning a privacy case in 2004.
In 2002, the British beauty took bosses at tabloid the Daily Mirror to court claiming her privacy had been breached by the publication of a snap of her leaving a Narcotics Anonymous meeting in London.
A judge ordered the newspaper’s publishers to pay Campbell $5,250 (£3,500) and cover her legal costs, which, due to ’success fees’ in the U.K., had a huge mark-up and amounted to a staggering $1.5 million (£1 million).
The Daily Mirror editors took an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights, where judges declared the fees charged by Campbell’s lawyers at London legal firm Schillings were extortionate.
The case was against the U.K. government, which introduced the ’success fees’, and newspaper bosses will have to discuss compensation with ministers.
A Trinity Mirror spokesman says, "This has been a long hard fight but we have been proved right."

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HOWARD STERN refuses to feel guilty for airing DAVID ARQUETTE’s now notorious chat about his sex life with estranged wife COURTENEY COX, despite admitting the comments "backfired" on the actor.
The couple announced plans for a "trial separation" in October (10) after 11 years of marriage and the Scream actor subsequently called Stern’s Sirius Satellite Radio show to discuss the break-up.
During the phone interview, Arquette told the shock jock Cox had dumped him in June (10) after tiring of his immaturity. He also confirmed rumours he had slept with aspiring actress Jasmine Waltz after the separation, and confessed live on air he hadn’t been intimate with Cox in "like four months".
Arquette came under fire for his revelations and was forced to publicly apologise for his honesty, but Stern insists his pal just wanted to talk openly about his problems.
During an interview with Piers Morgan on his new CNN show, Stern says, "First of all, David is a friend of mine and has been on my show many times, that’s the history, that’s why he felt comfortable phoning in. And I like David very much and I’m very upset for him because he really is hurting about his wife and I don’t think he’d mind me saying that. There’s a part of me on that day that said, ‘Yeah, I hope this doesn’t backfire on David,’ but I get caught up and am generally interested in what goes on in his life but you have to wonder what is going to be the implication in his life.
"But David is a grown man and he was not intoxicated when he did that interview, he was just bummed out and upset, he was not intoxicated. And I think he was saying something really beautiful. He came on because there were reports in the newspaper that David was cheating on his wife and that’s what broke things up, and people picked up on what he said… and blew it up to make it look like something ugly. He’s the cheating husband again, it completely backfired, but no, I didn’t feel guilty. I wrote him an email immediately and said I didn’t like what was going on here and that I was upset about it, and he said, ‘I’m not. I feel comfortable in what I said.’"

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British singer/rapper PLAN B fears his hectic schedule is "killing him", but refuses to slow down because he has the rest of his life to take it easy.
The 27 year old has been in huge demand since appearing in British films Adulthood and Harry Brown and releasing his chart-topping second album The Defamation of Strickland Banks last year (10).
He has been inundated with work offers and touring opportunities, taking him away from his family and friends and leaving him exhausted.
But Plan B - real name Benjamin Drew - is adamant he wouldn’t have it any other way, and insists he can concentrate on relaxing once he’s made his mark.
He tells NME, "I’ve been offered everything I ever wanted at the same time. It’s so hard to say no, you just sometimes wish maybe you could have held back a little while to give you the time you need. I might not get another opportunity to do this and I’ve taken on all this work and it’s come close to killing me. If it means I have to work harder and don’t have a personal life and don’t have a holiday, well f**k it, because I have the rest of my life to sit on my a**e and do nothing."

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THE PRETENDERS and FAITH HILL have teamed up for an episode of TV music show CROSSROADS.
The two acts will perform each other’s hits live from Grand Prairie, Texas, on 5 February (11).
It will mark only the second time the popular CMT cable show, which pairs rockers and country stars, has aired live.
The concert will be part of five days of music celebrations around the Super Bowl in Arlington, Texas.

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A British songwriter and producer who has worked with Australian pop star PETER ANDRE has been sent to prison for 15 months for laundering stolen money.
Julian Burnett, who worked with the Mysterious Girl hitmaker on his 2010 album Accelerate, was found guilty of holding money in his account for a conman.
Burnett, along with another man, was jailed by a judge at London’s Southwark Crown Court earlier this month (Jan11).

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Rockers MOTLEY CRUE have been hit with a copyright infringement lawsuit after the iconic snap from the band’s TOO FAST FOR LOVE album cover was used on merchandise.
The band and bosses at tour giant Live Nation are being sued by Ron Toma, who claims he owns the rights to the photograph, which was taken by Michael Pinter in 1981 and shows a close-up of a man wearing a belt and leather trousers.
The image features on sweatshirts sold on the band’s website, and Toma has filed papers in Illinois Northern District Court accusing the two parties of using the image without permission, according to TMZ.com.
He is asking a judge to block the use of the snap on any merchandise without prior authorisation.
It’s not been a good week for the band - frontman Vince Neil is now preparing to serve a two-week prison sentence stemming from a DUI arrest last year (10) after reaching a plea deal with prosecutors in Las Vegas.

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Former child star HAYLEY MILLS was left disappointed after her parents forced her to return a diamond ring sent to her by a devoted fan - because the gift came with a marriage proposal.
The British actress was one of Disney’s biggest young stars in the 1960s, winning acclaim for her roles in The Parent Trap and Pollyanna.
Mills was bombarded with fan mail from around the world, including lavish gifts - but one devotee left her parents uncomfortable after asking the teen for her hand in marriage.
She tells Britain’s Daily Telegraph, "The only sense I got of my fame was the fan mail. There was a lot, mostly from people my age, and my parents were adamant that I replied to every letter. Often it was just signing a picture, but if I received a particularly nice letter or a present then I had to reply with a letter.
"I got some remarkable presents. Someone in Africa once sent me a monkey rug, and I was sent a diamond ring, which I was thrilled about, but it came with a proposal for marriage, so I was made to send it back."

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RUSSELL BRAND and U.K. broadcaster JONATHAN ROSS are set to reunite on TV for the first time since the pair’s controversial calls to actor ANDREW SACHS almost cost them their careers.
The British comic quit his BBC radio show in 2008 after he and Ross faced a public backlash for leaving offensive messages on TV star Sachs’ answer machine during a live broadcast. In the programme, the pair discussed Brand’s fling with the 80-year-old’s granddaughter Georgina Baillie.
Ross was suspended from his job at the BBC for 12 weeks without pay and was forced to step down from hosting The British Comedy Awards in 2008 for the first time since he began fronting the show in 1991.
The pair is now chancing a risque reunion when Ross hosts the prizegiving again later this month (Jan11) - Brand has been confirmed as one of the award presenters on the televised show.
And TV bosses at Britain’s Channel 4 network are hoping the duo will cause a stir again to boost ratings, according to Britain’s The Sun.
A source tells the publication, "We’re dying for some fireworks for the inaugural event - and what better way than by putting (Ross) and Russell together live? "They’ve never really addressed the Sachsgate row together so we’re hoping they may make a few cheeky references to it on the show.
"We’ll be standing by with the bleeper in case it gets too debauched, but the show is going out after the watershed."

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British actor PETE POSTLETHWAITE was laid to rest in a small family funeral service conducted by his cousin on Saturday (15Jan11).
The Oscar-nominated star passed away at a hospital in Shropshire, England earlier this month (02Jan11) after a lengthy illness, prompting tributes from his acting peers, including Kevin Spacey and Julie Walters.
Postlethwaite, who shied away from media attention when off-screen, was buried near his home in Shropshire on Saturday.
The service was overseen by his cousin, Father Nick Postlethwaite, who reveals the family wanted a private farewell.
He tells Britain’s Daily Express, "Pete was a very private man and his funeral reflected that. There will be other opportunities for the wider community to pay tribute to him." A memorial service for the star will take place in London on 16 February (11).

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Actress ELLEN BARKIN and her ex-husband have settled an ongoing dispute with a film company they co-founded.
The Sea of Love star and Ron Perelman divorced in 2006 and have been battling over Applehead Pictures LLC ever since.
The company’s bosses sued Perelman in 2007, claiming the Revlon Inc chairman failed to make promised payments to cover operating expenses.
Perelman was ordered to pay more than $4 million (£2.6 million) to the company last year (10), but he appealed the decision, which was upheld by an appeals court last month (Dec10).
Perelman’s attorney has confirmed the billionaire has settled the dispute. No details of the settlement have been released.

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JENNIFER LOPEZ lived up to her diva reputation during a skit on pal ELLEN DEGENERES’ chat show on Tuesday (18Jan11) when she interviewed two potential new assistants and kept interrupting them to rave on about her career success.
Lopez agreed to repeat everything comedienne DeGeneres said as it was fed to her through an ear-piece while she chatted with the unsuspecting job hunter.
The singer tried to keep a straight face as she repeated, "Are you intimidated by a strong, beautiful, proud, Latina woman?" and then added, "Have you ever assisted a celebrity before…? I am a huge star. Internationally known." She later asked the man, "Is my beauty distracting…? Some people are distracted my beauty." And then suggested he wear her perfume.
But the mock interview turned awkward when J.Lo asked him to name his favourite song of hers, and he added, "I’d been lying to you if I said… that I…" prompting Lopez to butt in and say, "That’s a shame, I was starting to like you." She then sang a refrain from her hit Jenny From The Block.
She ended the first awkward encounter by trying to keep a straight face while DeGeneres told her to stop talking and close her eyes - to see if she and the interviewee had "a connection".
Lopez then raved about her love for chocolate through her second mock interview and then sat down with both hopefuls and revealed they were being filmed for a skit on Ellen.

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Actor CHRISTIAN SLATER really got into character for his new role as a crystal methamphetamine addict - he insisted on sleeping rough on the set.
The star totally immersed himself in the character of Delgado in Rites of Passage and gave up nights at home with his family to get into the head of a desperate men.
He tells WENN, "I slept on the set. I was a crystal meth addict in the movie. I didn’t take it to that level of course but I would sleep on location.
"It was one of the more fun characters I’ve gotten to play because he hallucinates and sees things and ends up talking to this sock monkey that rides around on a shotgun. It was crazy."

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ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER’s father-in-law SARGENT SHRIVER has died at the age of 95.
Shriver, who founded the U.S. Peace Corps in the early 1960s before becoming a leading American philanthropist and beloved politician, was father to Schwarzenegger’s wife Maria Shriver.
He was also a one-time U.S. vice-presidential candidate.
Shriver announced he was battling Alzheimer’s disease in 2003.
A statement from President Barack Obama reads, "I was deeply saddened to learn about the passing of Sargent Shriver, one of the brightest lights of the greatest generation. Over the course of his long and distinguished career, Sarge came to embody the idea of public service.
"Of his many enduring contributions, he will perhaps best be remembered as the founding director of the Peace Corps, helping make it possible for generations of Americans to serve as ambassadors of goodwill abroad. His loss will be felt in all of the communities around the world that have been touched by Peace Corps volunteers over the past half century and all of the lives that have been made better by his efforts to address inequality and injustice here at home." Shriver is survived by his five children with late wife Eunice, who died in 2009.

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Cult indie act the ARCHERS OF LOAF have reunited for their first concert in 13 years.
The North Carolina group stunned fans with an unannounced set of hits in Chapel Hill on Saturday (15Jan11).
The group supported local act Love Language and performed songs like Web in Front and Wrong.
The get together was a mystery as no big announcement was made and no further reunion shows are scheduled.

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Rapper MIKE SKINNER is struggling to get excited about THE STREETS fifth and final record COMPUTERS AND BLUES, because he’s convinced the the group should have ended two albums ago.
The star shot to fame in 2002 with the release of The Streets’ debut album Original Pirate Material, but he admits the only reason he is still releasing music in 2011 is because of legal reasons - revealing he would have happily walked away from the business in 2006.
He tells NME, "Ten years ago, I signed a five-album deal with (record label) Warners, and, for me to end The Streets on the third or fourth album, would have meant getting a lawyer in to convince them to drop me."

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