PR-Inside.com Entertainment News

German filmmaker WIM WENDERS has paid a touching tribute to late COLUMBO star PETER FALK in a heartwarming essay, recalling the early days of their friendship.
The beloved actor passed away at the age of 83 last month (Jun11) and Wenders has posted an essay online, in which he recalls working with Falk on the set of his 1987 film Wings of Desire.
Describing the shoot in Berlin, Wenders writes, "Rarely a shoot was so much fun as those days with Peter Falk. Everybody recognised him, of course. As soon as you stood in the street with him, people showed up from everywhere…
"I never saw anybody deal with his fame so generously and kindly. Peter Falk shook everybody’s hands, smiled at everybody, gave everybody an autograph, had everybody spell their funny German names, had his picture taken with everybody! With no exception! And everybody walked away happily: ‘I met Columbo!’" But Falk caused a headache for Wenders every time he decided to explore the city - because he always got lost.
Wenders continues, "Peter loved Berlin… The only drawback was his lack of any sense of direction.
"In any break he just wanted to go for a walk. ‘Go spazieren’, an expression he knew from his Grandmother. And he never found his way back to the set! Once we even had to call the police to search for him. (When they finally found him and brought him back, he knew all the officers by their first names)." Signing off the essay, published by People.com, he writes, "Wim Wenders, on a sad day in Berlin".

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

JAMIE FOXX has confirmed he’ll lead the cast in QUENTIN TARANTINO’s much-anticipated re-imagined western DJANGO UNCHAINED.
Foxx has been linked to the role of a vengeful slave ever since Will Smith reportedly passed on the project earlier this year (11) - and now he has made his casting official.
He tells CNN, "I think, just to be able to work with Quentin Tarantino and Samuel Jackson, Leonardo DiCaprio, and to be able to tell a story that needs to be told.
"If you’re a fan of Inglourious Basterds, I mean, you know.. It’s just amazing. It should be amazing." DiCaprio will play a villainous plantation boss holding Foxx’s wife captive. The actor’s Ray co-star Kerry Washington is reportedly in talks to play his wife.
Django Unchained will also reportedly feature Italian actor Franco Nero, who played the original Django in Sergio Corbucci’s 1966 film and a 1987 sequel, Django Strikes Again.

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

U.S. President BARACK OBAMA became the target of a sick hoax on America’s Independence Day (04Jul11) after hackers took over Fox News’ Twitter.com account and falsely announced the leader had been assassinated.
Security on the network’s politics blog was breached early on Monday morning (04Jul11) and the assailants sent out a series of "breaking news" tweets alerting followers to the shocking revelations.
Two of the posts read: "Barack Obama has just passed. The President is dead… BREAKING NEWS: Barack Obama assassinated, 2 gunshot wounds have proved too much. It’s a sad 4th for america." Fox News officials failed to spot the unauthorised activity until hours later and the tweets were subsequently deleted.
In a statement addressing the controversy, Fox TV executives say: "Hackers sent out several malicious and false tweets claiming that President Obama had been assassinated. Those reports were incorrect, of course, and the president was spending the July 4 holiday with his family at the White House." The incident has now been reported to the Secret Service for investigation.

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

LILY ALLEN has assured fans the BRIDGET JONES musical is still on track as she has nearly finished work on the score.
The British pop star has been chosen to write the music for the stage show based on Bridget Jones’s Diary, the book which became a popular film starring Renee Zellweger as the hapless ’singleton’.
The musical had been expected to open in London’s West End in late 2011, but Allen has now confirmed it will have a 2012 launch.
She tells Britain’s Elle magazine, "I’m still writing… I’ve nearly finished a musical. I think it’ll be out sometime next year."

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

MADONNA has given fans an Independence Day (04Jul11) treat - by returning to the studio to record a new album.
The pop superstar put her music career on hold last year (10) so she could concentrate on the launch of her Material Girl clothing line and her directorial debut, W.E.
But now those two projects have wrapped, it’s back to basics.
Confirming the news via Twitter.com, Madonna’s longtime business partner Guy Oseary writes, "It’s official… Madonna’s 1st day in the recording studio for the new album… Very exciting.. Happy 4th of july."

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

NICOLAS CAGE’s rocker son WESTON and his wife are both facing felony domestic violence charges after neighbours heard screams for help coming from their Los Angeles home on Monday (04Jul11).
Cops arrived at Weston Cage’s Lake Hollywood home in the early hours to investigate the domestic disturbance and escorted the Eyes of Noctum star and his wife Nikki Williams to a local police station for questioning.
They were subsequently placed under arrest amid claims the couple had become embroiled in a violent argument. During the fight, songwriter Williams is alleged to have attacked Cage with a bottle, cutting his arm, and punched him before threatening to jump off a balcony.
Cage is accused of reacting with force, prompting police to book them on the felony counts.
The incident took place just hours after Weston claimed in a TMZ.com interview that he had cleaned up his act and turned his back on alcohol since his hospitalisation following a clash with his personal trainer in June (11).
He said, "I’m currently incredibly clean. (I’m) getting back into the path of martial arts which I’ve doing for 15 years…" Cage wed Williams in April (11).

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

Hollywood actress, singer and celebrity chef GWYNETH PALTROW has been handed the unusual job of opening for LIAM GALLAGHER’s new band BEADY EYE on Tuesday (05Jul11) - with a discussion about the joys of cooking.
The rockers are set to play London’s fabled Roundhouse venue as part of the iTunes Festival and Paltrow has been invited to warm up the crowd at the group’s gig by talking about her new culinary book, Notes From My Kitchen Table.
According to a post on the festival’s website, Paltrow, who is married to Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, will be "exploring some of the themes of the book as well as discussing why cookery has become such an important part of her life".

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

"Happy 4th of July to my home! Be back soon to kiss you USA! Off to Singapore." LADY GAGA celebrates America’s Independence Day (04Jul11) while on tour in South East Asia.

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

Model AMBER ROSE has hit back at reports she’s been dropped from a top talent agency following a nude photo scandal last week (01Jul11).
Kanye West’s ex-girlfriend was left devastated when a series of graphic pictures showing a naked Rose in a series of X-rated poses leaked online, and she took to her Twitter.com blog to blast a former assistant for allegedly releasing the snaps.
Rose, who is now dating rapper Wiz Khalifa, also revealed the controversy had cost her a lucrative modelling contract and rumours subsequently claimed she had been dumped by her industry representatives at CAA.
But the 28 year old insists the latest allegations are false - and she fears the inaccurate reports are damaging her budding career.
In a series of tweets to fans, she writes, "I didn’t get dropped from my agency. I swear I’m on here eday (everyday) shutting down rumors & the only reason I do is cuz its (sic) messing up my business… (It was) A company not my Agency."

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

Gay pop star RICKY MARTIN regrets waiting so long to ‘come out’ - because the time he spent trying to hide his sexuality could have been better spent.
The Livin’ La Vida Loca singer admits the pressure to answer to long-running rumours about his sexuality forced him to dodge questions about his lifestyle until he decided to come clean as a homosexual in a post on his website last year (10).
He tells Britain’s The Guardian newspaper, "I hated it when people tried to force me out when I wasn’t ready. It was very painful, and it actually pushed me away from doing so." But he wishes he hadn’t wasted so much time trying to hide his true identity: "If I had spent a quarter of the time that I spent manipulating my sexuality in front of a piano instead, I would be the most gifted piano player of my lifetime."

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

TOM FELTON insists acting talent had very little to do with his casting as HARRY POTTER villain DRACO MALFOY - he just looked the part.
The Brit has spent 10 years in the wizard films, but he believes he was only chosen because he’s the spitting image of the Hogwarts bad boy, as described in writer J.K. Rowling’s books.
And he’s adamant his Harry Potter co-stars - including Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson - were also hired for their resemblance to Rowling’s characters rather than their onscreen charisma.
Felton tells Britain’s Live magazine, "Let’s be honest: we weren’t picked for Harry Potter for our acting ability - it was because we looked like the characters as they’d been written. We started out as rank amateurs, and we’ll be lucky if we’ve learned something over the past 10 years.
"It’s a question of what we do with that now? Where we go from here?" And the young star tells Entertainment Weekly magazine, "The very first audition, they just lined us all up and we asked which bits of the book we were looking forward to the the film.
"I hadn’t read the book, so I said the same thing as the guy next to me, which (director) Chris Columbus saw through in a heartbeat. I think my ability to lie was half the reason I was offered Draco."

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

Comic book legend STAN LEE is set to launch a new superhero movie franchise aimed at the Chinese market.
The 88 year old, who helped to create Marvel Comics characters like Spider-Man, Iron Man, The Hulk, the Fantastic Four and the X-Men, has joined forces with a Hong Kong-based investment company for his latest venture, which will be launched under the new firm, Magic Storm Entertainment.
Lee says, "I have been eagerly awaiting this great opportunity, a chance to combine the best of American superhero epics with the best of Chinese and Asian classical filmmaking for a motion picture that would be excitedly received worldwide." Magic Storm Entertainment’s first film project is expected to be announced this summer (11), although it is unclear if Lee will come up with new superheroes for the deal or simply write new stories for his existing characters.

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

Actress MENA SUVARI spent America’s Independence Day (04Jul11) holiday running for charity after taking part in the annual Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, Georgia.
The American Beauty star, 32, was among the 60,000 runners sweating it out on Monday morning to complete the 10 kilometre (6.2 mile) track.
Suvari took to her Twitter.com blog after crossing the finishing line to tells fans of her delight at achieving the feat.
She writes, "Well, Lovers, I can’t even tell you how psyched I am. Today I ran in the 6.2 mile Atlanta Peachtree Roadrace (sic) and it took me 1hour. I have never ever run a race before and it was one of the best experiences of my life. I’m having the best 4th of July ever."

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

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER’s 25-year marriage is over - his wife MARIA SHRIVER has filed for divorce.
The couple split in May (11) days before the action man-turned-politician stunned the world by confessing he had fathered a lovechild with a maid at the family home over a decade ago.
Shriver filed divorce papers on Friday (01Jul11), citing "irreconcilable differences".
She is asking for spousal support and joint custody of the couple’s minor children, Patrick, 17, and Christopher 13. Shriver has also requested that her cheating ex-husband pay the attorneys fees for both parties, according to TMZ.com.
She is represented by top divorce lawyer Laura Wasser.

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

Actor KEVIN COSTNER has won a legal battle with an artist, which will allow him to keep sculptures of Native Americans hunting bison at his South Dakota museum.
The Dances With Wolves star commissioned artist Peggy Detmers to create 17 bronze man-and-beast figures, so he could display them at a proposed five-star resort.
The hotel plans fell through and the actor donated the Lakota Bison Jump collection to his Tatanka tourist attraction near Deadwood.
Detmers filed a breach of contract lawsuit against the star in 2009, insisting she had not agreed to the placement change.
In a court decision delivered this week (ends01Jul11), Circuit Judge Randall Macy ruled in favour of Costner.
He said, "Her significant involvement in the Tatanka project and her failure to tell Costner or anyone else that she did not agree with placement at Tatanka indicate she was agreeable to the sculptures’ placement at Tatanka for the long term." And Costner is glad the legal battle is over.
Jim Nelson, Costner’s attorney, tells the Rapid City Journal, "This was absolutely the right decision. The facts show she agreed to a permanent location of the sculptures at the Tatanka location… (Costner is) well satisfied with the decision."

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

ZIGGY MARLEY is creating a new documentary about his dad BOB to commemorate the 30th anniversary of his death.
The I Shot The Sheriff hitmaker passed away after a long battle with cancer in 1981, and son Ziggy is set to pay tribute to the reggae legend by shooting a personal film to preserve his father’s legacy and show fans another side of the singer.
He tells Us Weekly magazine, "We are working on his documentary, which should be out in the fall. I am producing the documentary and Kevin McDonald will direct it.
"People are going to have not only the connection that you have now with the Bob Marley legend, but it will also show the emotional side of our father. The emotion of Bob throughout his life experiences is a pretty pertinent thing. It is not just about his music."

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

There’s trouble on the set of BRAD PITT’s new zombie movie WORLD WAR Z in Malta - two of his co-stars have quit the project.
Vulture.com reports Matthew Fox and Ed Harris have pulled out of the film, which is currently in pre-production on the Mediterranean island.
A scheduling conflict forced Fox out of World War Z; it is not known why Harris has quit.

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

JADA PINKETT SMITH has given up her rock career so she can spend more time with her kids.
The actress toured the world as the singer of heavy rock act and she insists it wasn’t the bad reviews that prompted her to stop rocking - it was her kids Jaden and Willow.
Smith tells Redbook magazine, "I had to make choices. Believe me, I would still be on the road with my band, Wicked Wisdom, and making as many movies as I can a year, and doing all sorts of other things if I didn’t have the responsibility of a family.
"But I have children with their own talents and dreams, and I know I have to be standing next to them for that journey." And she admits it was tough to walk away from her band: "It was excruciating, completely excruciating. When Jaden was auditioning for (film) The Pursuit of Happyness, my band had just gotten an offer to open for Guns N’ Roses in Europe.
"For me, that was unbelievable. But the choice was: I could be a rock star, or I could be on the set with my son to make sure he was healthy and happy. We all know how that story ended!"

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