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U2 star BONO was in the audience for Tuesday’s (01Mar11) preview of SPIDER-MAN: TURN OFF THE DARK to see if the troubled Broadway show is ready for its opening night.
The rocker wrote the music and lyrics for the big show with bandmate The Edge, and insiders claim he’s keen to make sure the much-maligned spectacular is set for its official curtain call at the Foxwoods Theatre.
The oft-delayed musical could be stalled again if Bono doesn’t like what he sees.
The U2 frontman last visited the production in January (11), while his bandmate and collaborator on the score has been a frequent guest, paying a visit as recently as last weekend (26Feb11).
Spider-Man continues to draw in impressive preview audiences, despite predominantly poor reviews, and last week (ends25Feb11) grossed almost $1.6 million (£1.06 million) - more than any other Broadway production except Wicked.
The show officially opens on 15 March (11).

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Music producer DAVID GEST has paid tribute to his longtime friend JANE RUSSELL, calling the star his "guide" through life.
The movie icon passed away from respiratory problems in her Santa Maria, California home on Monday (28Feb11), aged 89.
Gest, who had been friends with Russell for more than 40 years, has penned a touching piece for Britain’s The Sun honouring the star and reminiscing about their time together.
He writes, "To her many fans, Jane will always be remembered as a smouldering screen goddess, the first Hollywood pin-up. But I’ll always remember her as a second mother, a dear friend who was my guide through the years I knew her.
"Charming, down-to-earth, incredibly caring, she was a talented actress and singer with a wicked sense of humour. When I moved to London in 2006 she became a regular visitor." Gest also recalls his fondest memories of Russell: "When I was married to Liza Minnelli she was with us in Holland and started playing the piano and she and Liza sang together. There were four people in the bar when we walked in and quickly a crowd of 200 assembled." Gest learned about Russell’s passing from her adopted son Buck - and lightened the sombre conversation by regaling him with a funny tale about his mother.
He adds, "When her adopted son Buck called to tell me Jane had died I recalled a story from last year. We were driving along and I said: ‘Hey, Jane, do your breasts shrink when you get older?’ Quick as a flash she said: ‘I don’t know, David, do your testicles shrink?’ I told Buck and he laughed and said, ‘That’s my mum.’"

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Aussie actress POPPY MONTGOMERY is portraying HARRY POTTER author J.K. ROWLING in a new TV biopic that chronicles the popular writer’s early life as a struggling single mum - before she conjured up the boy wizard.
Magic Beyond Words, which is currently being shot in Vancouver, Canada, will debut on America’s Lifetime channel later this year (11), and director Paul Kaufman insists Rowling’s rags-to-riches story will shock a lot of Potter fans.
He explains, "This is a woman who decided to persevere… She was on welfare… and she really hit rock bottom." Montgomery, who has adopted a British accent for the role and will even wear blue contact lenses to resemble the writer, admits she’s a big fan and wouldn’t know what to do if Rowling decided to pay a visit to the set.
She tells Access Hollywood, "I’d turn into a puddle of water."

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COLIN FIRTH thrilled U.S. TV personality ELLEN DEGENERES during her morning meeting on Tuesday (01Mar11) by dropping by to show off his Oscar.
The actor appeared on the comedienne’s show last week (ends25Feb11) and promised to return if he won gold on Sunday (27Feb11) for The King’s Speech.
Firth couldn’t appear on the show because he had to dash back to England, so he decided to surprise Ellen on his way to the airport and thank her for the underwear gift she gave him the week before, and show off a pair he’d crafted for his award.
He said, "I just had to drop by and thank you for the underwear." The thrilled TV personality was so delighted by surprise guest, she picked up a tannoy speaker and yelled out of her window, "I have Colin Firth here… in my office, everybody… He won an Oscar for The King’s Speech." Tourists travelling through the lot were also stunned to see Firth as DeGeneres escorted him out of her building.
He held up his Oscar and said, "Well, this is turning into an occasion!" DeGeneres aired the footage later on her daily show.

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ROSEANNE BARR is embroiled in a dispute over her Hawaii nut farm, after a neighbour alleged she was illegally shifting mountains of dirt in the grounds of her home.
The comedienne is currently renovating the property in Honokaa, and some neighbours are unhappy with what she’s doing.
Roree Oehlman has filed a complaint about the work with officials from Hawaii County, who have subsequently sent a letter to chiefs at Barr’s Big Buck Land Trust in Encino, California ordering them to obtain a permit to continue.
Barr’s life on the farm has been picked up as a reality TV series, which is expected to debut in the U.S. later this year (11).

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Moviemaker HARVEY WEINSTEIN was fired up to campaign for THE KING’S SPEECH to win big at the Oscars after the movie missed out on the Best Picture prize at January’s (11) Golden Globes.
The British royal drama, starring Colin Firth as stuttering monarch King George VI, was tipped to sweep the Globes, but The Social Network was the surprise winner.
Producer Weinstein admits the snub hit him hard, but reveals it made him more "motivated" to push the campaign to take the Academy Awards’ best honour as a result.
He tells Piers Morgan Tonight, "Here’s what we did… we never stopped. We didn’t admit defeat - we were defeated, but we just kept going. We worked hard, nose to grindstone, tenacity.
"I think losing the Golden Globe for Best Picture was, for me, feeling that was something we could win… Instead of making me quit, it motivated me the complete opposite way and at that point I said however many hours there are in a day, I’m gonna expand the amount.
"There’s only one thing you can do, you’ve got to get people to see your movie. You’ve got to create an atmosphere where people can appreciate your movie. To us it was the timelessness of the movie. A lot of people said this movie or that movie is more younger, hipper, cooler, socially relevant… you have to say the timelessness, a classic movie, conquers all and that was what we wanted to get across." And Weinstein was ecstatic to learn his campaigning had paid off as the period film was named Best Picture at the Hollywood prizegiving on Sunday (27Feb11): "I was elated, just absolutely jumping for joy. It was an amazing experience. It was fantastic." The film also landed three other prizes - Best Actor in a Leading Role (Colin Firth), Best Director (Tom Hooper) and Best Screenplay - Original (David Seidler).

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CHRISTIAN BALE’s mother is praying his Oscars triumph will reunite the family after they stopped speaking following his 2008 arrest on suspicion of assaulting her.
The Brit was honoured for his turn in The Fighter with the Best Actor in a Supporting Role trophy at the Academy Awards on Sunday (27Feb11).
His estranged mother Jenny tuned into the TV prizegiving and was overjoyed to see her son win, even sending him a congratulatory email.
And after three years of not speaking, she’s hoping his victory will result in Christian contacting her.
She tells Britain’s The Sun, "I hope this Oscar can bring us together. I stayed up late to watch on TV. I was nodding off but had to stay awake to see my son’s big moment.
"The family are so pleased for him. This Oscar is well deserved. I saw other celebrities there with their mothers and got upset. I would have loved to have been there by his side.
"I’d love Christian to walk through the door right now. I’d give him a big hug and a kiss and we could forget about the last three years. I don’t know why he’s doing this." The 37 year old was taken into custody by cops in July 2008 for allegedly assaulting his mother and sister, Sharon, at London’s Dorchester Hotel before the British premiere of The Dark Knight.
He denied assault charges and police later dropped the case.

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Hollywood stars SEAN PENN and SCARLETT JOHANSSON have fuelled reports of a budding romance after enjoying a cosy lunch date together in Los Angeles on Monday (28Feb11).
The actor, 50, finalised his divorce from his wife Robin Wright Penn last year (10), while Lost In Translation beauty Johansson split from husband Ryan Reynolds in December (10).
Speculation that Penn and Johansson were dating emerged in January (11), prompting firm denials from the 26-year-old actress’ representatives.
But new photos of the rumoured couple, obtained by TMZ.com, seem to suggest they’re more than just friends - the blonde beauty is caught resting her foot in Penn’s lap while dining at Cuban restaurant Versailles in the shots.

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KANYE WEST, JANE’S ADDICTION and THE KILLERS have been confirmed as the headlining acts at the inaugural Lollapalooza festival in Chile.
Jane’s Addiction star Perry Farrell has teamed with Chile’s Lotus Producciones, WME and C3 Presents to put the first South American Lollapalooza together.
Joining West, The Killers and Farrell’s band on the bill will be 30 Seconds To Mars, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Fatboy Slim, the Flaming Lips and Cypress Hill, among others.
Lollapalooza Chile will take place on 2 and 3 April (11) in O’Higgins Park, Santiago.

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Disney’s animated gnomes have been forced to give up first place at the U.S. box office to OWEN WILSON and his sex-crazed buddies following a weekend ticket recount.
Family favourite Gnomeo & Juliet was ruled the weekend number one on Sunday (27Feb11), but the estimates were wrong and now the Farrelly Brothers comedy Hall Pass has debuted in the top spot.
When the final box office totals were tabulated on Monday (28Feb11), Hall Pass came out with $100,000 (£66,600) sales more than the 3-D film, which took in $13.4 million (£8.9 million) in its third week of release.
The news will be a blow to Sir Elton John, who co-created the score for the Disney film - he spent much of Oscars day boasting about the fact his movie was number one.

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CHARLIE SHEEN is disappointed his TWO AND A HALF MEN co-stars haven’t openly supported him in his ongoing war of words with series creator CHUCK LORRE.
Jon Cryer and Angus T. Jones have remained silent throughout the dispute, which resulted in producers scrapping the remainder of the eighth season of the hit sitcom last week (ends25Feb11), and Sheen would like to hear what his TV brother and nephew have to say.
In a candid interview with news show Access Hollywood, the embattled star says, "It would be nice if a statement came out from him (Cryer) or Angus… saying, ‘Alright, we get it now. We heard those questions; those are rooted in absolute and total truth…’ It would be so nice to have the support of somebody." Sheen used another TV interview recorded over the weekend (26-27Feb11) to challenge Lorre with a series of carefully-worded questions.
He produced a series of cards and reeled off questions directly into the camera, asking Lorre why he had cancelled the remainder of the sitcom series in the wake of Sheen’s rehab and health woes.
The actor’s most pertinent question: "When you were told that the crew would suffer gravely as a result of your dictatorial laziness would you please explain what you meant by your statement, ‘They are not my problem’.
"I’m sure there’s, like, 120-something people that would love to hear the answer to that." In his Access Hollywood chat, Sheen insisted he would make the first move in the awkward stand-off - and call his co-star Cryer after the interview.

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Troubled actor CHARLIE SHEEN’s personal woes are mounting - his estranged wife BROOKE MUELLER has obtained a restraining order against the star.
Mueller’s lawyer obtained an emergency restraining order against Sheen in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Tuesday (01Mar11), hours after the socialite was refused physical custody of the couple’s twin sons in an ongoing custody battle.
The actor is required to stay 100 yards away from Mueller and have no contact with her.
Sheen tells TMZ.com, "Great. I was already planning on staying 100 (Star Wars term) parsecs away from her." The former couple’s relationship began unravelling after a Christmas Day bust-up in 2009, which landed the Two and a Half Men star behind bars and eventually led to an assault charge.
Sheen and his wife subsequently parted ways and he began proceedings to officially end their two-year marriage in November (10). The divorce is set to be finalised in May (11).

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Aussie actress ISLA FISHER is refusing to reveal the name of her baby daughter, more than six months after giving birth to her second child.
The Wedding Crashers star and her comedian husband Sacha Baron Cohen managed to keep news of the baby’s birth a secret until Fisher was photographed out in London in September (10) pushing a baby buggy - and now she’s determined not to reveal the tot’s identity.
In an interview on U.S. chat show Live with Regis & Kelly on Tuesday (01Mar11), she said, "I keep joking that we named her Taliban Prius Baron Cohen, but we’re not telling anyone the name.
"We kept the whole thing very private, we’re very private, our family, because… I think it’s nice to have privacy. The kids didn’t choose to be in the media, so why parade them around and make their lives different?" Fisher and Baron Cohen wed in Paris, France in March 2010 and are also parents to three-year-old Olive.

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NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK star JORDAN KNIGHT can add music mogul to his resume after launching his own record label.
The pop star will debut his new solo single Let’s Go Higher on the imprint JK Music. The label will also back Knight’s upcoming album Unfinished.
The label is a joint venture between Knight and Mass Appeal Entertainment boss/producer Marcus Siskind, who has previously worked with the likes of Backstreet Boys, Lauryn Hill and Queen Latifah.

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British band MCFLY have been forced to reschedule the opening dates on their upcoming tour due to illness.
The Obviously hitmakers are due to hit the road in the U.K. later this month (Mar11), but rehearsals have been disrupted by bandmembers falling ill - and, as a result, they’ve had to rearrange three gigs.
A statement from the band reads, "We’re really sorry if this means many of you will have to change your plans but we hope you can still make these new dates." Irish gigs in Belfast and Dublin and one in Nottingham, England will now take place in early April (11). The tour will begin in Sheffield, England on 18 March (11).

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LADY GAGA has made chart history in Britain after becoming the first artist to reach platinum status for a downloaded album.
Gaga’s The Fame has sold a total of 2.5 million copies in the U.K. and, on Monday (28Feb11), it set a new record by topping the 300,000 downloads mark.
Official Charts Company managing director Martin Talbot says, "In setting this latest landmark, Lady Gaga has further cemented her position in the annals of pop music history.
"Lady Gaga is the kind of artist who is constantly striving to break new ground and she has done that yet again for album downloads."

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BLINK-182 star TRAVIS BARKER feared he’d never finish his new album GIVE THE DRUMMER SOME after surviving a plane crash that killed two friends in 2008.
The rocker was only two songs into the album when the tragedy, which left him injured and burned, occurred.
His debut is now due for release later this month (Mar11) and Barker admits there was a point during his long recovery that he thought the project would never see the light of day.
He tells RollingStone.com, "Honestly, I never thought the album would be finished. For a while after my accident, I was just recovering. No one really thought I would be able to play drums after all the surgeries and everything. That was always on my mind.
"Once I was in the studio, it was like, ‘I can walk now, I can play the drums still. I have to finish this.’" Barker underwent 16 surgeries and almost lost his foot as he battled to recover from his injuries.
He adds, "It was sketchy, so I came a long way. And mentally I was a basket case.
"It was a big amount of time to get off of 20 medications that they had me on, and then physically getting in shape. It was heavy."

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Oscar winner WHOOPI GOLDBERG has finally relented to pressure from fans to join the social networking craze and launched an official Facebook.com profile.
The Ghost star has been warning devotees for months to be aware of impostors on websites like Facebook, Myspace.com and Twitter.com, insisting she has nothing to do with the pages that have been set up in her name.
But the actress has now caved in to the celebrity microblogging craze in a bid to keep fans up to date on all of her upcoming events and appearances.
Speaking on her daytime talk show The View, she says, "I have been driven absolutely crazy. I have just launched the official Whoopi fan Facebook page.
"Here’s what important to know: you can find out anything I’m doing, what’s going on, everything that there is to know… It’s the only page that I have put out so anything else that you see that has my name on it, it’s not me. And for all those fake Twitter accounts, there are eight of them, not one of them is me."

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