Katherine Heigl happy to be ‘Knocked Up’

‘Grey’s’ star also talks about her upcoming marriage and pal T.R. Knight

Katherine Heigl never knew getting knocked up could be so much fun.
“It was probably the best time of my life, and it’ll never ever get any better. I might as well just quit,” she told “Access” about her experience filming the latest movie from “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” mastermind, Judd Apatow.

“Knocked Up” tells the story of an entertainment news reporter (Heigl) who discovers that she’s pregnant following a one-night stand with a slacker stranger, played by Seth Rogen. The two end up giving dating a try for the sake of the unborn child, and comedy ensues. But did the role of a pregnant woman stir up any maternal instincts for Heigl?

“No, not at all,” she laughed, saying that the big plastic belly she wore for the shoot couldn’t possibly compare to the real thing. “I don’t think that’s real pregnancy,” she said of the goofy belly prop. “If it were then I would want to get pregnant, because that would be neat.”

Katherine has been engaged to singer Josh Kelley since last spring, but she told “Access” that wedding plans are on hold for the time being because of their hectic schedules. “It’s unfortunate that we never seem to be able to find the time to sit down and decide anything, and plan something,” said Heigl. But the couple did find the time to attend the film’s premiere together in L.A. on Monday night.

“Oh, it’s amazing,” said Katherine, as she showed “Access” her engagement ring. “I’m so, so grateful he could be here. He’s been on tour forever and we haven’t spent more then I think five days together in over two months. So I was just happy that he had a night off and could come.”

One person who couldn’t come to the premiere was Katherine’s good friend (and “Grey’s Anatomy” castmate), T.R. Knight. “(He) totally ditched me for the Obie Awards,” she said in mock disdain. “What a bad friend. The Obie Awards, why? Why would you ditch me for that? Never forgive you.”

Her tune changed, however, when she was reminded that she’d be seeing him in a week. “Yes he’s gonna come and visit me. Okay, now I like (him) again, we’re friends again,” she said, laughing. “I’m doing a film in Providence, and he’s only coming so we can drive to Newport and hang out in Newport. He doesn’t want to see me; he wants to go to the mansions in Newport.”

Earlier, Katherine told “Access” what she thought about recent photos of Knight that showed him out and about with bright red hair. “I love this — now that’s a man with some courage,” she said, noting that this isn’t the first time Knight has died his hair a vibrant color. “He did it last season too,” she remarked. “During hiatus he did it blue. Just a new look, a new feel, a new vibe. It’s red, it’s blue, it’s green next year. It’s yellow maybe next time... it’s just T.R. Knight with red hair.”

While Katherine was rumored to have been unhappy with her salary negotiations, she told “Access” that she would be returning to “Grey’s Anatomy” next season. “Yeah, I think so,” she said of the return, but quickly amended herself. “Geez, I don’t know. I haven’t got my pick up letter yet — I’m just assuming.” She joked, “Wouldn’t that be terrible? I’m like, ‘Yeah of course’ and then two months from now we’re doing this interview and I’m like ‘I don’t know, they just...’ ”
But regardless of her future on the hit ABC show, Katherine has cemented herself as a Hollywood star, with a profile that will only increase after “Knocked Up” hits theaters June 1. It may call to mind the career of another TV doctor — George Clooney — who transitioned from episodic television (“E.R.”) to a huge career on the big screen.

That would be cool if that could happen,” she told “Access,” saying that the comparison was “sweet.”
“I don’t talk about it, I just say ‘I’m gonna be,’” she joked. “I’m gonna be the next George Clooney, you wait!”

Critics praise Angelina Jolie’s ‘Mighty’ role

Hollywood Reporter calls her performance ‘well-measured and moving’

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt took Cannes by storm this week, when the super couple hit the south of France to premiere Angie’s new film, “A Mighty Heart.”

And if the early reviews are any indication, it looks like Oscar’s first contender has been found.

Critics are praising Angelina’s portrayal of Mariane Pearl, the widow of slain Wall Street Journalist Daniel Pearl, who was kidnapped and murdered in Pakistan in 2002.


“Angelina Jolie delivers a well-measured and moving performance,” says the Hollywood Reporter, adding she “plays her with respect and a firm grasp on a difficult accent influenced by France and Cuba. She has a powerful scene in which she lets out a shriek of grief that will be recognized wherever people suffer from terror and loss.”

The film, directed by Michael Winterbottom, the film is based on Mariane’s memoir after her husband’s death “A Mighty Heart: The Brave Life and Death of My Husband Daniel Pearl.”
Co-starring Dan Futterman, Irfan Khan, Adnan Siddiqui, Alyy Khan, and co-produced by Brad Pitt, “A Mighty Heart” is very much Mariane’s story as carried out by Angelina.

Jolie “fits comfortably into the naturalistic mold that shapes the entire ensemble” says Variety. “This isn’t the sort of commanding star turn in which the performer vanishes behind a well-known celebrity mask, but rather a subdued, carefully considered portrait of a woman caught between premature grief and persistent hope.”

“Access Hollywood’s” Billy Bush attended the “Mighty Heart” press conference in Cannes, where Angelina, Brad and the rest of the film’s cast and crew were joined by Mariane on the panel.

Billy asked Angelina what it was like to step into the difficult role.
“Angelina, Mariane said that she trusted you. Was there a moment when you felt you had got that validation from her or did you know inside you had nailed it?” Billy asked.


“I did finally speak to her days after she saw it and she told me it was all right,” Jolie revealed. “I was very nervous and didn’t know if I could do it at all. So for her to tell that it was done right, I can’t tell you how much that means to me.”

“A Mighty Heart” hits theaters June 22.

Lindsay Lohan Arrested On Driving Charges

Lindsay Lohan has been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after her convertible struck a kerb and investigators found what they believe was cocaine at the scene.

Lohan, 20, and two other people were in her Mercedes SL-65 when it crashed on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles in the early hours.
LAPD Lieutenant Mitch McCann said officers at the scene found a "usable amount" of a drug tentatively identified as cocaine.

But he declined to say where the drug was found, other than to say Lohan was not carrying it.

Lohan, who spent time at a rehabilitation centre earlier this year, was driven in another car to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

The two other people in her car were not hurt.

Officers received an emergency call about the accident and arrested Lohan at the hospital for investigation of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

McCann declined to comment on Lohan's blood-alcohol level.

He said the case would now go before the District Attorney's Office, where the Herbie Fully Loaded actress could face more charges.

The crash was the Freaky Friday star's third accident in about two years.

In October 2005, Lohan and a passenger received minor injuries when her convertible hit a van in West Hollywood. Authorities said the van driver, who also received minor injuries, was at fault.

Months earlier, Lohan collided with a minivan when she made a U-turn as the van, carrying paparazzi, followed her from a Los Angeles restaurant.

A photographer was arrested for investigation of assault with a deadly weapon, but prosecutors declined to charge him.

Lindsay Lohan in DUI rap following car crash

Lindsay Lohan crashed her black 2005 Mercedes Benz SL 65 into a curb at approximately 5:30 AM this morning at the corner of Sunset and Foothill after a night of heavy partying. She and her two co-passengers fled the scene without calling the police.

An eyewitness to the crash made a 911 call and the police arrived on the scene after Lindsay had fled. The Mercedes was later towed from the scene of the accident.
Lindsay and her co-passengers reportedly received medical attention at an undisclosed hospital for minor injuries before being released.
The police eventually caught up with Lindsay and handed her a citation for suspicion of DUI. There was no arrest.
The Beverly Hills Police Department held a press conference at 4:30 PM during which it was announced that the police found narcotics in Lindsay's Mercedes when they arrived on the scene.
Before the crash Lindsay first partied at Les Deux nightclub and then at 3 AM went to a private house party in the Hollywood Hills. When she left the house party at 4 AM she reportedly looked inebriated. She went to Skybar at the Mondrian Hotel next before heading home at 4:45 AM. All the while rode a black GMC SUV driven by her bodyguard.
At 5:15 AM she left home with her two friends in her Mercedes. This time she was behind the wheel and the crash followed.

Heather Mills' dumped from 'The View' after snubbing Walters

Campaigner Heather Mills’ name has been deleted from the week-long guest slot on the morning show ‘The View’, after she allegedly snubbed the program’s host Barbara Walters by not turning up for an interview.

Former ‘Beatle’ Sir Paul McCartney’s estranged wife was to appear on the show to talk about her time on the hit reality dancing show ‘Dancing with the Stars’.
However, she did not turn up for the interview, and became a subject of Walters’ anger.
A close fiend of Mills’ said that she skipped the show because she had to look after her daughter Beatrice.
But Walters was so angry about the snubbing at the hands of Mills that she decided not to work with her.
"When I brought up that maybe everything she had said was not totally true, a whole other side of her came out," the Mirror quoted her as saying.

Brad Pitt ‘loves being a dad’

It seems that Hollywood hunk Brad Pitt is enjoying parental bliss to the fullest.

In a recent interview with the pregnant Myleene Klass at Cannes, Pitt poured his heart out about the delight and joys of parenthood.
"Have you have had your first scan yet? They're mind-blowing. Get ready to change no end of dirty diapers. I love being a dad - it's the best thing that ever happened to me,” the Mirror quoted Pitt, as saying.
Meanwhile Pitt and girlfriend Angelina Jolie made it clear that everything is fine between them, and that they are not on the verge of a break-up.
The couple made an appearance at a press conference in Cannes for A Mighty Heart, a movie about murdered journalist Daniel Pearl, and were seen constantly flirting with each other on stage.
Angelina dismissed rumors that the pair were about to split and said that they have come to Cannes to enjoy the prestigious film festival as a family.

Jerry Hall 'furious' at thought of Mills getting huge fortune fr\om divorce

Supermodel/actress Jerry Hall has hit out at Sir Paul McCartney’s estranged wife Heather Mills at the thought of her getting huge sums of money from her divorce from the former Beatle.

The supermodel insisted that she gets ‘furious’ reading about the whopping amount of money Mills might get as part of the divorce settlement.
"I do get really furious when I read about Paul McCartney and Heather and much money she is getting...23 years and four children!” The Independent quoted Mills, as saying.
Tabloids claim that if the couple did eventually divorce, it could lead to the UK's biggest ever divorce settlement.
Some estimate that Mills could receive 200 million dollars, that is a quarter of Paul McCartney's wealth.
Hall was married to Mick Jagger and she received 20 million dollars and a 10million dollar apartment in London's Richmond after she split from ‘The Rolling Stones’ singer in 1999.

Did Britney and Ryan Phillippe get cozy in a L.A. bathroom?

Pop diva Britney Spears and actor Ryan Phillippe’s reps are trying to shun National Enquirer magazine’s claims that the two got cozy with each other.

The magazine claimed that Spears and Phillippe hooked up in a bathroom at L.A. hot spot Les Deux last week.
According to a source, the ‘Oops I Did It Again’ singer followed the actor to the washroom after Phillippe stopped by her table.
The two were reportedly caught kissing after the singer’s bodyguards went inside the bathroom.
"Busted in the door and found Britney and Ryan groping and kissing,” New York Daily quoted the source, as saying.
"Britney had her arms around him,” the source added.
Earlier, there have been rumors that Spears is eyeing Reese Witherspoon’s ex these days.

Jessica Alba: ‘I love challenging authority’

Actress also tells magazine she was typecast as ‘some kind of little tart’

Jessica Alba — ranked No. 2 on this year’s “Hot 100” list by Maxim magazine — has a rebellious side.

“I love challenging authority,” the 26-year-old actress tells InStyle in its June issue, on newsstands Friday. “It probably wasn’t easy being my parents.

The second somebody says ‘no’ to me is the second I’m going to jump up and say ‘yes!”’

Alba, whose screen credits include “Sin City” and “Into the Blue,” reprises her role as Susan Storm/Invisible Woman in “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer,” set for release June 15.


“My experience in this business is that if people think you’re going to put people in seats because you have a fan base, it’s more important than anything,” she says.

She’s finally “getting to play characters and dive into things and not just be sort of this version of ‘this girl,’ ” says Alba, who found she was typecast as “some kind of little tart.”


“Because obviously, if you have a womanly figure, you’re not allowed to have a brain or any idea of the world whatsoever. You just have to be hot and use your body to get ahead.”

But that body helped win her countless male fans, and, in turn, increased her value to movie producers and casting directors.

“I had womanly curves at a young age,” says Alba, who starred as a mean high school student in 1999’s “Never Been Kissed.” “Usually kid actors are a few years older than the roles they play. I was two or three years younger.”

“Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer,” a Twentieth Century Fox release, also stars Chris Evans and Michael Chiklis.

Jolie, Pitt promote Pearl film at Cannes

Actress ‘very, very nervous to get it right’ as wife of slain journalist

Angelina Jolie, who plays the widow of slain Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in “A Mighty Heart,” said she was overwhelmed by Mariane Pearl’s inner strength and her ability to let go of hatred.

“For me, so much of why this film was important to do is because I highly doubt there is anybody in this room who has more reason to hold hate inside herself than Mariane, and she doesn’t,” Jolie told reporters Monday at the Cannes Film Festival.

“She is a very compassionate, thoughtful person who looks to dialogue to change things, to make things better. ... That is, I think, a lesson for all of us,” the 31-year-old actress said.

“A Mighty Heart,” directed by Michael Winterbottom, is based on Mariane Pearl’s memoir of the same name. It recounts the search for her husband after his abduction in Pakistan in 2002, where he was researching a story on Islamic militants.

She was more than five months’ pregnant at the time. Their son, Adam, was born a few months later.

Jolie’s character breaks down only once in the movie — near the end — when she learns of her husband’s death.

“I was very, very nervous to get it right,” Jolie said of her role.

Jolie’s partner, Brad Pitt, the movie’s co-producer, was also at Cannes for the premiere.

Pitt said everyone involved “felt great responsibility” for the film.

Pearl said her friendship with Jolie grew over the course of the project.

“I think about the fact that my son will see the film one day, and this is a great moment of pain for me,” Pearl said. “And this role was played by somebody who loves me, and it means a lot to me.”

Jolie said her own pregnancy during the movie’s preparatory stages helped her understand what Pearl went through.

“I remember being six months pregnant and thinking, ‘I can’t imagine at this time not having the father with me ... and being concerned about his life, and trying to eat and trying to remember to get some sleep and trying to take a deep breath and physically even just moving around,”’ she said.

“So as a woman, it just made me so much more connected to her and aware of her.”

Pearl was captured by Islamic militants in January 2002. Despite worldwide pleas for his release, he was beheaded nine days later; video of the killing was posted on the Internet.
Dan Futterman plays Pearl in Viacom Inc.’s Paramount Vantage film.

Jolie plans film hiatus to be with family

Brad Pitt, four children and more world travel will be focus for actress

Angelina Jolie says she plans to take a year off from filmmaking to spend more time with her partner, Brad Pitt, and their children.

“We’re getting work out of the way at the moment,” said the 31-year-old actress, who has been shooting the thriller “Wanted” in Prague, Czech Republic.

After that, she said, “I take two months off, then I work for two months. Then I take a year off.”


Jolie and Pitt, 43, have four children: 5-year-old Maddox, who was adopted from Cambodia; Pax Thien, 3, from Vietnam; 2-year-old Zahara, from Ethiopia; and daughter Shiloh, who was born to the couple last May 27.

She told a Vietnamese newspaper in March that she would stay at home to help Pax adjust to his new life. “I have four children and caring for them is the most important thing for me at the moment,” the Ho Chi Minh City Law newspaper quoted her as saying.

The celebrity supercouple are in Cannes to promote the Michael Winterbottom-directed “A Mighty Heart,” in which Jolie plays Mariane Pearl, widow of slain Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. Pearl was abducted by Islamic militants while researching a story in Pakistan in 2002 and later beheaded.


Pitt is a producer on the movie, which had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on Monday. Jolie has drawn praise for her portrayal of Mariane Pearl, a strong woman put under unbearable pressure.

The two women are friends, and Jolie said she felt a responsibility to get the depiction right.
Jolie, who has visited Pakistan three times as a United Nations goodwill ambassador, said she hopes to return to do more humanitarian work.

“I have a deep love for that part of the world, and I’m saddened to see that every day it seems to be breaking more and more apart,” she told a small group of reporters Tuesday at a cabana overlooking the Mediterranean near Cannes.

Jolie said “A Mighty Heart,” which was shot in India and Pakistan, had made her “even more determined to go to those areas and spend time with those people and look for great relationships across the world and look for different truths and try to understand deeper.”

The actress said Daniel Pearl’s grisly fate had made her think about the risks of traveling to troubled parts of the world — but it wouldn’t stop her.

“I don’t want to live inside a box,” she said. “I will be smart, but I will lead a very bold life and I will learn about the world.”

Oprah ‘stunned’ to learn dad writing a book

Winfrey told Daily News that she laughed when she heard about the book



Oprah Winfrey said she was “stunned” to learn her father plans to write a book about her.

“I was upset. I won’t say devastated, but I was stunned,” Winfrey told New York’s Daily News in a story published Tuesday.

Winfrey said she laughed when one of her assistants told her the newspaper was calling to ask about a book her father Vernon Winfrey was writing.

“I said, ‘That’s impossible. I can assure them it’s not true,”’ she said. “... I called him and it turned out he is writing a book. The worst part of it was him saying, ‘I meant to tell you I’ve been working on it.”’

Winfrey was living with her mother in Milwaukee when she was sent as a young teen to live with her father in Nashville. She previously has credited him for imposing discipline on her and stressing the importance of an education.

The Daily News reported that the conversation with Winfrey took place Sunday, when she was in New York to receive the Elie Wiesel Foundation Humanitarian Award.

Reached Tuesday, Michelle McIntyre, a spokeswoman for Winfrey’s Chicago-based Harpo Productions Inc., said: “We’re not going to issue any further comment.”

Vernon Winfrey, who owns Winfrey Barber & Beauty Shop in Nashville, had left work Tuesday evening and was not available for comment.

Winfrey told the newspaper she last saw her father when he accompanied her on a trip to Africa a few months ago, but that they often talk and she has a good relationship with him.
“I would have preferred to have known my father was working on this. It would have been a nice gesture, a courtesy,” she said.

Vernon Winfrey plans to call his book “Things Unspoken,” according to the newspaper.

© 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Keira Knightley wins damages over weight slur

Newspaper headline made thin actress appear to have role in death of teen

British actress Keira Knightley, star of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” film trilogy, won almost $6,000 in libel damages on Thursday over a newspaper slur that she was excessively thin.

The Daily Mail had run a story with a picture of her in a bikini, headlined: “If Pictures Like This One of Keira Carried a Health Warning, My Darling Daughter Might Have Lived.”

“The article could be interpreted to have asserted that the claimant bore personal responsibility for causing the tragic death of Sophie Mazurek, a 19-year-old, who battled with anorexia,” Knightley’s lawyer Simon Smith told the High Court.

The 22-year-old actress had been embarrassed by the ”entirely false” and “deeply offensive” suggestions.

He added the story could be taken to mean that the actress had set out to lose an excessive amount of weight by failing to eat properly and by over-exercising inappropriately because she wanted to become unnaturally thin.
Three days earlier the paper had published an article under the headline “It’s Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Keira Knightley” in which it referred to her denial that she suffered from anorexia.
Smith told the judge, Justice David Eady, that Knightley accepted that she had undergone weight training for roles in action films and that this had involved muscle toning which did alter physical appearance.

However, he said her weight had never fluctuated more than a few pounds through her adult life, and remained at an acceptable level which took into account age, gender and height.
“The claimant is not a fitness fanatic, as she considers it more important and has spoken of her opinion of the need to be healthy and happy,” he said.

“The claimant found the suggestions all the more offensive as she has freely admitted publicly in the past that a member of her family suffered from anorexia and she is well aware of the devastating effects eating disorders can have.”

Kate Wilson, lawyer for the paper’s publishers Associated Newspapers, said they apologized for the distress and embarrassment caused by the article and accepted that the actress bore no responsibility for Mazurek’s death.

Knightley’s mother, Sharman Macdonald, who was in court, said afterwards that her daughter was adding another $6,000 to the award and donating the money to a charity called BEAT which helps people with eating and mental disorders.

Copyright 2007 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.

Jordin Sparks is ‘a normal, quirky 17-year-old’

'American Idol’ winner also admits to having a crush on Brad Pitt

Attention, Brad Pitt: “American Idol” winner Jordin Sparks has a crush on you.

“He’s just really cute,” Sparks, 17, said Friday, hastening to note that she doesn’t know the actor. Pitt is currently involved with an older woman, Angelina Jolie.

Two days after besting beatboxer Blake Lewis in the TV talent contest, Sparks took part in a teleconference in which she was grilled about everything from her favorite star to what she thought her earning power would be.


“I don’t know. I’m just looking forward to doing the best that I can do,” the teenage diplomat replied.

Sparks, the youngest “Idol” in the Fox show’s six seasons, is making the rounds of TV shows in Los Angeles and New York before she returns home to Glendale, Ariz., later next week for a break.

“It’s been pretty crazy,” she said, sounding hoarse but still as upbeat as the average teenager. Which is what she is, Sparks said.

“I’m just a normal, quirky 17-year-old,” she said. Her biggest moments before “American Idol” were getting rid of her braces and gaining her driver’s license.

‘Hollywood needs to get over it’How will she stay grounded, resisting entertainment industry pressures that can include an extreme emphasis on weight?

“Oh, that super-thin stuff — Hollywood needs to get over it,” she said lightly.

Asked what she’ll sing on the “American Idol” concert tour with other finalists, she wasn’t ready with an answer. But she probably won’t focus too much on Lewis’ specialty of beatbox sound-effects.


“He’s tried to teach me but I’m really horrible at it,” Sparks said.

In a separate teleconference Friday, Lewis, 25, of Bothell, Wash., was asked if he thought the contest might be permanently more hip because of him.

“I can only hope that it keeps the contemporary edge,” he said, including when it comes to the recording artists brought in to advise contestants.

This season, golden oldies singer Barry Gibb and Peter Noone were among those playing “Idol” mentor.

When it came to his choice of songs, Lewis said he stayed true to the music he’s been making for years, with influences including ’80s dance tunes and hip-hop. He deliberately picked one song, Keane’s “Somewhere Only We Know” to show he was more than a beatboxer.

He was using “my ‘strategery,’ as George Bush would say,” Lewis said, becoming perhaps the first “Idol” contestant to crack a politically aware joke.


He admires candor, Lewis said a few moments later, responding to a question about the on-air support he got from “The View” hosts Rosie O’Donnell and Elisabeth Hasselbeck. (O’Donnell left the show Friday after a dustup with Hasselbeck.)

“I love Rosie O’Donnell. She just says whatever she wants,” he said, adding that’s his style as well. “I’m pretty honest and blunt and sometimes a little tactless.”

© 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed

Rosie’s ‘View’ won’t be the same without her

Love or hate her, she got some interesting conversations going on the show

Meow. The reign of Rosie is over.

I guess we should have expected that a woman who would take the day off to celebrate her life partner’s 40th birthday — when she basically only has to work about an hour a day — would be the same kind of gal who would have the courage of her convictions and leave that gig purportedly over the sparring match beamed around the world.

Two days after her heated debate with co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck comes word that Rosie O’Donnell is leaving “The View.” Her sudden departure from the morning chat fest she had anchored since last September comes three weeks ahead of her planned exit.


She said she didn’t want to fight with Hasselbeck any more and now she won’t have to — at least not on TV.

The Disney statement read: “We had hoped that Rosie would be with us until the end of her contract three weeks from now, but Rosie has informed us that she would like an early leave. Therefore, we part ways, thank her for her tremendous contribution to ‘The View’ and wish her well.”

While it is less surprising than the “take this job and shove it” exodus of her predecessor, Star Jones Reynolds, it’s just as jarring.

Apparently neither Rosie or Star got the memo about daytime TV.

Everyone is supposed to play nice. You’re supposed to save all the drama for the soaps!
But you can bet that all the stay-at-home moms, all the college students packing up for the summer and those of us on the left coast who wanted to sleep late but got tipped off about a knock-down, drag-out fight on “The View” from friends on the East Coast, were totally appreciative to be ringside for Rosie vs. Elisabeth, Round 625.

I’d rather watch a good verbal beat down than Mayweather vs. De La Hoya any day.

Jessica Simpson Changed Hair Color to Impress John Mayer

Singer and actress Jessica Simpson dyed her iconic blonde locks to brown for boyfriend John Mayer.

Usmagazine.com reports, Simpson made a dramatic change from a cornsilk blonde color to brown hair do last February at the behest of Mayer who prefers darker hair.

"John told Jessica that she has to change," says a source. “He didn’t want to be dating this ‘blonde bimbo.’”

Jessica recently has switched back to her blonde hair do but insists it’s for her role in her new film Major Movie Star.

“I'm on my way to being blonde for the movie,” Simpson told at the Cannes Film Festival.

“I think I do have a little bit more fun as a blonde,” she told. “People take me a little too seriously when I'm a brunette. They think I'm trying to be dark and mysterious, when really I'm not."

Lindsey Lohan to Record a New Album

Singer and actress Lindsay Lohan is going to record a new album this summer.

Lohan will collaborate with Maverick Records and CEO Guy Oseary on the album and says will have an “urban pop” sound.

“We'll start in probably June or July and take four months,” Lohan told.

Lohan’s last album A Little More Personal was released in 2005.

Pamela Anderson will be at Brunei Prince's birthday bash too

Pamela Anderson will be one of the celebrity guests who will be helping Brunei’s Prince Azim celebrate turning 25.

The royal, who is reportedly throwing a 2 million pounds birthday bash, will be flying in the mum-of-two on a private jet to the UK to join the party.

Prince Azim is the son of the Sultan of Brunei, and is fourth in line to the throne.

His 200 VIP guest list also includes celebs like Jerry Hall, Olivia Newton-John, Faye Dunaway, Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss.

However the star attraction of the party, apart from the birthday boy himself, will certainly be Michael Jackson, who has been paid a whopping 5 million pounds just to turn up.

A source close to the Prince revealed that the royal didn’t mind paying Jacko just to show up, for the singer was his ‘all-time idol’.

"Absolutely no expense is being spared for his party - Michael Jackson is his all-time idol and he said he'd pay whatever it took to get him over," the Mirror quoted the pal, as saying.

"Even though Michael won't be performing, the very fact that he'll be in this stately home mingling with all of the Prince's pals makes it worth every penny to Azim," the source said.

Not only will these guests get to enjoy a lavish bash, but will also come away with gift bags worth tens of thousands of pounds, stuffed with diamond jewellery, top-end Bose electrical goods, iPods and 400 pound tubs of Creme De La Mer face creams.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt Leave Cannes Unhappy

Angelina Jolie and partner Brad Pitt left the Cannes Festival disappointed after a luke warm response from the crowd at the premier of Ocean’s 13.

Starmagazine.com reports, Angelina and Brad arrived together at the premier of the Ocean’s 13 but walked separately on the red carpet.

The couple remained in the theater with other cast members through the screening of the movie which received weak cheering and light clapping from the crowd at the end.

"It feels like the script is running thin after all these years. People were very polite, mostly because the movie will make a lot of money, but the cinephiles at Cannes were not very happy with the lackluster movie," said Gary Sangha a producer.

The disappointment was evident in their looks when Brad and Angelina walked into the restaurant Le Baoli for the official after party.

Angelina looked uncomfortable, "It was loud and smoky in there and Angelina was very uncomfortable. She kept pestering Brad, 'Let's go! Let's go!' and he finally convinced her to have one drink but then relented and took his wife home," said a partygoer.

The disappointed cast including Matt Damon, accompanied by him wife Lucy, and George Clooney left within 20 minutes of arriving.

"George invited everyone back to his yacht to party and have some dinner, but everyone said their goodbyes and went to their separate yachts. They didn't know when they would see each other again. They just finished the one and only junket for the film and the director already announced that there will not be another Ocean's movie," said a source at the after party.

Britney Spears hits the drink

Pop tart Britney Spears chartered a powerboat and sailed into the rough seas from Marina del Rey for a two hour cruise Thursday (24 May 2007)

Accompanied by her friend Allie two bodyguards, both sons and a nanny Britney cheerily waved at the photogs.

Once the cruise was underway she doffed her clothes to reveal a halter neck pink polka-dotted bikini with fluorescent green piping detail. Her boobs appear to have shrunk considerably perhaps due to her weight loss.

Before disembarking she donned a captain's hat and a pink wrap-around. Sipping a cup of coffee she walked back to her waiting car.

Earlier this week acerbic American Idol judge Simon Cowell speaking to MTV repeated his earlier unsolicited advise to Spears

"… go home to your family, lock the door, don't go out with your stupid friends, have some home-cooked food. Get a sense of reality. ... And then say to yourself, 'There's more good in my life than bad. I'm still a rich, talented girl and now I want to get my career back on track.' End of story." ...

Hopefully, one of Britney's stupid friends will read out the advise to the pop tart who appears to be going back to a lifestyle reminiscent of her pre-rehab days.

Britney's life is 'a huge fantasy'

Kevin Federline's Ex, Shar Jackson, says Britney's marriage with him hurt a lot of innocent people including him.

I knew Kevin would get to be Kevin again and have his life. Britney's whole life is not realistic; it's a huge fantasy. And not everybody wants that fantasy."

Being an Ex of Britney's husband was difficult Jackson, 30, told USA Today. Life was much easier once they separated.

"When they were together, somebody was always at my door with a camera wanting to know what I thought. Once they separated, nobody had to ask me anymore about something Britney did. That made life easier for me and my kids. There were a lot of innocent people affected by their relationship," she said.

Her two preteens with her former high school boyfriend were regularly grilled for gossip at school, even by teachers.
"They've had to change schools twice."

Jackson serves as an expert on ABC's reality series Ex-Wives Club (Monday, 9 p.m. ET/PT) along with Donald Trump's ex-wife Marla Maples and Angie Everhart who was engaged to Sylvester Stallone and married to George Hamilton's son, Ashley.

Natalie Portman plays a 'futurist electronic ghost' in McCartney's new video

Sir Paul McCartney has roped in Natalie Portman to star in his new music video.

Portman, who is a good friend of McCartney’s daughter Stella, makes an appearance as a ghost in the video for "Dance Tonight.”

The video of ‘Dance Tonight’, a track from McCartney's new studio album, "Memory Almost Full,” was launched on May 23 on You Tube.

"I rang her up and said 'Hey, I'm Stella's dad!' She had a bit of time off as she was between films so it was great,” People quoted McCartney, as saying.

Portman plays a "futurist electronic ghost" who dances to the sound of McCartney's mandolin.
"Memory Almost Full," McCartney's 21st solo album, will be released on June 5 in the United States.

'Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End' set to break box office records

The third and possibly final installment of Pirates of the Caribbean is set for its US premier and looks like the film is already on its way of breaking box office records.

According to movietickets.com, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End advanced ticket sales are much higher than opening weekends of both Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and Spider-Man 3.

The movie will have to face competition from Spider-Man 3 and Shrek 3, which opened last week with 121.6 million dollars.

According to Exhibitor Relations box-office analyst Jeff Bock, people have been eagerly waiting for the movie’s release, and predicted that other flicks would not stand a chance in front of it.

"It's definitely going to be the highest grossing Memorial Day weekend of all time," E! Online quoted Bock, as saying.

"I think this is the one that people were waiting for the most. Spider-Man definitely had the build-up, but I think there's something to be said for a box office that's really on fire. I think Pirates does have the edge there—but we're also talking about theaters playing it back to back to back,” he said.

The movie is also getting positive reviews – unlike the second movie in the trilogy.

According to Variety's Brian Lowry, actor Johnny Depp’s character is the biggest ‘asset’ of the movie.

"Depp's fey, morally challenged buccaneer remains a kick and the pic's biggest asset," Lowry wrote.

Chicago Tribune’s Michael Wilmington insisted that the flick is ‘delightfully imaginative’.
"The movie is almost too much, it is also subversively off-track and delightfully imaginative,” Wilmington wrote.

The movie is helmed by Gore Verbinski, director of the previous films, and the cast includes returnees Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Bill Nighy, Geoffrey Rush, Jack Davenport, Tom Hollander and Naomie Harris.

Michelangelo brings out Jessica Simpson's philosophical side

Jessica Simpson has been getting in touch with her philosophical side after reading a book about Michelangelo.

And, as she tells fans, she has learnt a lot from the book, the greatest message being that she has to learn how to find strength in her fears.

The singer/actress, who recently broke up with beau John Mayer, tells fans on her personal website that she’s finally realized that she ignores her fears too often, and as a result has nothing to challenge her.

"Sometimes we are all so afraid to be honest with ourselves because we know that honesty will lead us somewhere off the path of the life we've mapped out in our minds," Us Weekly quoted her, as stating.

“In my life, I ignore my fears too often, but then I'm left with nothing to challenge the best of me. I just remain cowering from my true identity. There is no discovery," she adds.

However, Simpson plans to turn over a new leaf, and is also urging fans to do the same by facing their fears and overcoming them.

Schwarzenegger likens his action takes to Paris Hilton's sex tape

Arnold Schwarzenegger may not be stepping-in in his capacity as California governor to help Paris Hilton, but he certainly knows every inch of her.

The Terminator star, who said that he had not been formally asked to help save Hilton from jail, hinted that he had seen the hotel heiress infamous sex tape – ‘One Night in Paris’.

“I’ve seen all her films. Obviously, we both do action movies,” The Sun quoted him, as saying.
Hilton recently got a reprieve when her 45-day sentence was slashed to 23 days.

A judge decided earlier this month that the socialite, who was found guilty of violating terms of probation by driving on a suspended license, ‘will do her full time, minus 22 days because of a state jail policy encouraging good inmate behavior’.

Los Angeles Sheriff's Department spokesperson Steve Whitmore had revealed at the time that the decision was reached after considering the judge's written orders, the nature of her offense, and the socialite’s lack of a criminal history

“The public can expect that the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department will make the best decision for everyone involved. We will treat [Hilton] as we would any other. That's our goal,” People magazine quoted Whitmore, as saying at the time.

The ‘Simple Life' star will begin her jail sentence on June 5.

Mischa Barton and Silvstedt's 'bitchfest' at Cannes film fest!

Actresses/models Mischa Barton and Victoria Silvstedt had a vocal slugfest at De Grisogono party which left ‘The O.C.’ actress red-faced.

According to a source the pals fell out due to Silvstedt’s ‘whining’, as the two argued about giving company to each other.

"Mischa was fed up of Victoria's whining and was telling her to move on. But Victoria completely lost it,” the Mirror quoted the source, as saying.

Silvstedt yelled at Barton, complaining that she is ignoring her.

"Where the hell are you going now? Why do you keep walking away from me?” Silvstedt said.

Barton shouted back at the Swedish model saying that their intentions were different, so there was no need to keep sticking to each other all the time.

"We're not even going in the same direction. We're not going to the same place,” Barton said.

This was not the end, for as Barton was about to leave the party at the Hotel du Cap's Eden Roc nightclub, the former Playboy Playmate confronted her and abused her.

“There goes the b****! There goes the b****!' It was highly embarrassing,” the source quoted Silvstedt, as saying.

This was not the only incident that left the 21-year-old red-faced, as earlier this week she was embarrassed when she fell out of her top while leaving a London nightclub.

Sexiest stars in Hollywood revealed

The results are in, and the sexiest stars in Hollywood have all been lined up in a poll by Life & Style Magazine.



According to the magazine, the celeb with the most Athletic bod happens to be ‘Stealth’ beauty, and Justin Timberlake’s current lady love Jessica Biel.

The best legs in Hollywood however, belong to Goldie Hawn’s actress daughter Kate Hudson.

The star with the ‘Shapeliest Shoulders’ is Jessica Alba, who likes to work her shoulders and back, as fitness pro Ramona Braganza, who does circuit training with Jess, tells Life & Style.

When it comes to the men, while Matthew McConaughey is the man with the ‘Perfect Pecs’, in Hollywood, actor and ‘Dancing With the Stars’ contestant Mario Lopez is the one with the ‘Most Chiseled Six-Pack’.

The list for the ‘Sexiest Stars Under the Sun’, as per Life & Style mag is:

Most Athletic Bod: Jessica Biel
Leanest Legs: Kate Hudson
Shapeliest Shoulders: Jessica Alba
Most Improved: Tara Reid
Perfect Pecs: Matthew Mcconaughey
Hottest In Hollywood: Lindsay Lohan
Sexiest Star Couple: Nick Lachey
Most Chiseled Six-Pack: Mario Lopez
Sleekest Frame: Kate Bosworth
Healthiest Curves: Heidi Montag

Jackson gets paid millions just to party

Michael Jackson’s upcoming payday is a thriller.

The surgically altered performer, who hasn’t had a hit record in years, is reportedly getting $10 million to appear at a birthday party for a prince of Brunei — and he doesn’t even have to sing.

Jackson is getting the eight-figure fee for mingling with other guests at HRH Prince Azim of Brunei’s 25th birthday party in England this weekend. The royal is said to be spending a total of $14 million for the celebration.

“Absolutely no expense is being spared for [the prince’s] party,” a source told the London Mirror. “Michael Jackson is his all-time idol and he said he’d pay whatever it took to get him over.” Adds the source: “Even though Michael won’t be performing, the very fact that he’ll be in this stately home mingling with all of the Prince’s pals makes it worth every penny to Azim.”

Jackson will be joined at the event by 200 guests, including Pam Anderson, Naomi Campbell, Jerry Hall, Faye Dunaway and Kate Moss — and the word is that they’ll all receive thousands of dollars worth of pricey party favors, including diamond jewelry and electronic goodies. Crooner Dionne Warwick is also expected to appear, and is reportedly pocketing $500,000 for her efforts, but she’ll have to sing for her fee.

Jackson’s rep didn’t return The Scoop’s calls for comment on the story — or to find out how much he’d charge if he actually sang.

Orlando Bloom needs a break from movies

‘I’m sort of psyched to do something completely different,’ says star

After starring in two megasized Hollywood trilogies that have taken him from unknown to A-list (“Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Lord of the Rings”) Orlando Bloom is walking away from movies — temporarily.
“It’s been an incredible ride,” said the 30-year-old, sprawled across a sofa at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. “And it’s been wonderful but I’m sort of psyched to do something completely different.”

Hence, he’s returning to the theater — the London stage, to be exact, to appear in David Storey’s play, “In Celebration.”

Sailing straight from London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama into Hollywood’s spotlight was “huge” and “surreal,” Bloom said, an experience that moved him “to go back to the beginning, as if I’ve just come out of school again.”

Inspired by movies and theater, as well as the street performers in his hometown of Canterbury, England, Bloom chose his career as a child.
“When I realized that if I was an actor, I could be any character I wanted instead of just one particular, I was like, ‘Wow, that’s cool,”’ he said.

He joined London’s National Youth Theatre and won a scholarship to train with the British Drama Academy. His learned his craft on the stage. But his first job after graduation made him a movie star: the brave elf Legolas in “Lord of the Rings.”

Since then, he’s become a heartthrob, one of People magazine’s “Hottest Bachelors” and “50 Most Beautiful.” At the “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” premiere at Disneyland recently, women and girls swooned as Bloom walked the red carpet. Some had painted their faces and T-shirts with “I love Orlando Bloom.”

He shrugs that off, saying his mother and sister tease him endlessly about his sex-symbol status — then stretching his arms overhead to reveal a perfectly toned stomach adorned with a tiny sun tattoo.

‘He could be this generation’s Errol Flynn’Bloom’s Hollywood immersion also gave him instant leading-man potential. He brought the perfect blend of innocence and gravity to his “Pirates” character, Will Turner, said director Gore Verbinski.

“In the first movie, I needed somebody who could be two things. One, sort of a blossoming leading man, but also a little bit awkward ... Then we’re going to germinate that and grow that, and he’s going to ultimately become as complex and as dark as the rest of the characters in the movie,” he said.

“Pirates” producer Jerry Bruckheimer, who previously worked with Bloom on 2001’s “Black Hawk Down,” took his praise of the actor one step further.

“He could be this generation’s Errol Flynn. No doubt in my mind,” Bruckheimer said. “He’s handsome, he’s debonair, he’s a good actor, he’s got a great smile. He’s smart. It’s all about choices, if actors make the right choices. He’s got the talent, so it comes down to what he picks and the directors and people he works with.”

Bloom’s burgeoning Hollywood clout has already brought him ample opportunities, he said, from Ridley Scott’s “Kingdom of Heaven” and Cameron Crowe’s “Elizabethtown” to the chance to return to the stage.

“I’m looking forward to continuing working on movies and making choices that excite me, and right now that is doing some theater,” he said, though he expects to be “rather terrified.”

“Actors don’t really get into their stride until they’re in their late 30s and 40s. ... So when I think of the bigger picture, I’ve got a long road ahead and I think it’s going to be important for me as an actor to work on my craft in this way.”

Bloom didn’t use his star power to snag a leading role, either — although he acknowledges he probably could have.

“I’m just part of what will be a great company of actors,” he said, occasionally chewing at his thumbnail. “I just really wanted to have a very organic experience. I didn’t want to feel like I was in a star vehicle yet by any means.”

One arena where Bloom is taking on a more prominent role is environmental activism. He recently returned from a trip to Antarctica, where he “shared a bathroom and a toilet with 27 other guys,” along with dishwashing and laundry duties.

Bloom saw how “tragically fragile” and “precious” the ice caps are and was inspired to speak out.
“It can be all doom and gloom when one talks about the environment ... like the ice caps are melting and everything’s gone to custard, but the truth is that’s not the case,” he said. “Life is about balance, and we all have to make the effort in areas that we can to enable us to make a difference.”

© 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

That's Showbuzz! Highlights of U.S. celebrity mags

Here is a round-up of this week's U.S. celebrity magazines. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
TOP STORY
- John Mayer and Jessica Simpson's on-off romance
- Singer John Mayer and actress Jessica Simpson fought and broke up on May 7 but on May 20 Mayer was seen leaving her hotel, looking happy. Friends say the pair have amazing chemistry together but major emotional obstacles to overcome - IN TOUCH

- Mayer, 29, split up with Simpson, 26, due to pressure from her to get more serious and with the excitement wearing off after nine months together, say insiders who can't say if they will now stay together or not - LIFE & STYLE

OTHER MAIN STORIES
- Angelina Jolie and partner Brad Pitt can't stop talking about their family and have plans to add two more children to their brood of four -- one through adoption and one via pregnancy, according to insiders - IN TOUCH

- Three months after announcing she had beaten cancer, actress Farrah Fawcett is facing a devastating relapse. But Fawcett, 60, with the help of longtime on-and-off love Ryan O'Neal, has vowed to keep fighting - IN TOUCH

- Pop singer Britney Spears' comeback suffered more setbacks at shows in Miami and Orlando when her mike broke and her backing track skipped three times as she lip-synched old hits. "It was embarrassing," said one concertgoer - IN TOUCH

- Anne Heche's divorce has become bitter with her ex, Coley Laffoon, accusing the 37-year-old actress of "bizarre and delusional" behavior and "poor parenting skills" in court papers - US WEEKLY

Big dustup on 'The View' between Rosie and Elisabeth

Watching Rosie O'Donnell and Elisabeth Hasselbeck squabble on ABC's "The View" is nothing new, but Wednesday's dustup seemed particularly nasty with the co-hosts trading accusations and personal digs.

A political discussion over the war in Iraq became heated when an angry O'Donnell decried Hasselbeck for not standing up for her when media outlets suggested that she'd called U.S. troops "terrorists" during a previous debate.

"What you did was not defend me. ... I asked you if you believed what the Republican pundits were saying - you said nothing, and that's cowardly," O'Donnell said.Responded a stern Hasselbeck: "Do not call me a coward, because No. 1, I sit here every single day, open my heart and tell people what I believe."

O'Donnell and Hasselbeck were shown on a split screen as the argument progressed without commercial interruption.

"Do you believe that I think our troops are terrorists? And you would not even look me in the face, Elisabeth, and say, `No, Rosie,"' O'Donnell said.Responded Hasselbeck: "Because you are an adult, and I am certainly not going to be the person for you to explain your thoughts. They're your thoughts! Defend your own insinuations!"O'Donnell, who is leaving the ABC daytime talk show next month, said she wasn't going to fight anymore. "So for three weeks, you can say all the Republican crap you want."

Hasselbeck discussed the war of words in an interview with syndicated entertainment show "Extra" that was to air Wednesday evening."

I honestly think, I believe that we are mature women who can resolve," she said. "I hope we can. I would hope that a disagreement or a heated debate wouldn't be the end of a relationship.

"In a posting on her blog, O'Donnell wrote: "a split screen, new heights, or lows, depending on who u ask."

Mary-Kate Goes Solo

Mary-Kate, meet mary jane.

The former tween-friendly Olsen twin is making her first solo foray into series television, landing a starring role on Showtime's marijuana-happy Weeds.

Olsen will join the critically acclaimed show, about a suburban pot-peddling mom (Golden Globe winner Mary-Louise Parker), for 10 of the 15 episodes in the upcoming third season.

"I'm thrilled to be a part of the show," said Olsen. "It's really an honor to be a part of such a talented group of actors and writers."

The 20-year-old has signed on to play Tara, a goody-two-shoes Christian girl who moves into town and falls for Silas (Hunter Parrish), the son of Parker's character, Nancy Botwin.

However, Olsen won't simply be channeling Michelle Tanner in the role.

E! Online TV columnist Kristin Veitch reports that Tara, who will arrive midseason, starts out as the ideal churchgoer but also has a wild side.

"Weeds isn't your eight o'clock family fare," creator and exec producer Jenji Kohan said. "It's an adult show with adult subject matter, and we're confident Mary-Kate is right for the role.

"She came in and read with Hunter and was absolutely charming and real and seemed like a great fit. Audiences have seen only one side of Mary-Kate, but here we'll see her in a whole new light."

Which isn't for lack of trying.
Olsen first attempted to branch out to more adult fare last year, scoring a part in the gritty Edie Sedgwick biopic Factory Girl, alongside Sienna Miller. Unfortunately, Olsen's performance was all but lost in the editing room. What was meant to be her breakout, or breaking-free, role was whittled down to nothing more than a few seconds as a glorified extra, with Olsen appearing in the flick for just a few seconds in the background of a party scene.

The Weeds role will finally give her the chance to advance her acting career and distance herself from the Olsen twins brand of kiddie fare.

She and sister Ashely tag-teamed as the youngest Tanner on the 1987-95 sitcom Full House before branching out in their own series of child-safe series and straight-to-DVD movies, like Two of a Kind, So Little Time and the instant classic You're Invited to Mary-Kate and Ashley's Pajama Party!

The two last teamed in the 2004 box-office dud New York Minute before taking time off to count their millions, attend NYU part-time and hone their party chops in L.A and New York.

Mary-Kate also did a stint in rehab for an unspecified "health issue."

Ashley, meanwhile, will continue her behind-the-scenes work, developing—and being photographed in—the clothing line she and Mary-Kate launched earlier this year, The Row.

The third season of Weeds, which also features new cast member Matthew Modine, premieres Aug. 13.

Keira Knightley Wins Damages For Being Called Too Thin

Actress Keira Knightley won libel damages from a British Tabloid for being called too thin to be pictured without a health warning.

Eonline.com reports, Knightley sued The Daily Mail for running a photo of her in a bikini under the headline, "If Pictures Like This One of Keira Carried a Health Warning, My Darling Daughter Might Have Lived."

"The article could be interpreted to have asserted that the claimant bore personal responsibility for causing the tragic death of Sophie Mazurek, a 19-year-old, who battled with anorexia," Knightley's lawyer Simon Smith told London's High Court.

The accompanying story was an interview with a mother of teenage girl who died of anorexia.
Knightley has spoken in the past about her family members having struggled with the disease. She also told that the photos that sparked rumors of an eating disorder were taken around the time she had been shooting a physically challenging scene for the Pirates of the Caribbean.

"It appeared as if I were promoting something when I absolutely was not. I am thin because that's what I am, and I was thinner at that point because of the work I do. Nothing else," Knightley said.

The Assiciated Newspaper publisher of the Daily Mail paid Knightley $6000 for causing her distress and embarrassment over the article. Knightley will donate the sum and an additional $4000 to the BEAT, a charity aid for people with mental and eating disorders.

Rowling's midnight marathon autograph session to mark final Harry Potter book release

JK Rowling will not be getting much sleep on the day the final book in the Harry Potter series is released, for she will be awake, and taking part in a marathon overnight autograph session in the British capital.

And, apart from signing the ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ copies of 1,700 fans, Rowling will also be reading from the book at the Natural History Museum at midnight on 21 July.

The session, where the Brit author signs books and meets die-hard Potter fans is expected to last until dawn, reports the BBC.

As for who will get to meet Rowling, well fans will be chosen in a ballot from those who have applied by 11 June at www.bloomsbury.com/jkrevent.

The lucky winners will not only get to meet Rowling, but will also not have to shelve out their own cash for the last Potter book, for they will be getting a copy absolutely free.

Of the 1,700 winners, the first 500 randomly selected people will also be invited to attend the reading.

In a statement, publishers Bloomsbury said that the idea of the session was fitting, as a decade after the first Potter book, it would mark the full circle Rowling and her fans had come.
"Ten years after publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the launch of this, the final book in the series, returns to where it all began: with a book, the author and her readers," Bloomsbury said.

And while they wait for the seventh and final book to hit the stores, fans will first get to see the big screen adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the fifth book, when the movie hits theaters next month.

Pamela Anderson swears lighting makes her boobs look bigger than they are

Pamela Anderson swears that it is the lighting on movie sets that make her bust look bigger than it really is.

The former Baywatch babe is famous for the ever changing size of her twin assets, but Pammie herself feels that it is the lighting that makes her breasts ‘expand’.

“I swear, I don't feel that big and when I look at them on TV I think 'who is that?'

They just go, wooo…. They expand. It's lighting. It's all lighting!” The Sun quoted her, as saying.

Apart from her bust, and the way she filled out the red swimsuit when she played lifeguard CJ Parker on ‘Baywatch’, Pammie is perhaps most famous for the sex tape she made with then husband Tommy Lee.

When asked whether she has told her kids about the tape, the actress revealed that she had managed not to shock her sons by telling them that she and Lee used to “video tape everything” that they had done when they were together.

“I said: 'You know, when your dad and I were first together we used to video tape everything. Everybody's naked, hugging, kissing, all that good stuff and someone stole the tape,'” she revealed.

The buxom blonde will now be seen on the big screen in the comedy Blonde and Blonder, in which she co-stars with Denise Richards.

Lohan thrown out of hotel for bust up with beau Best

Lindsay Lohan was reportedly thrown out of posh New York hotel Soho Grand for a very loud bust up with ex beau Calum Best.

It seems that on hearing that Best had checked into the hotel with another woman, Lohan decided to do the same, and checked in with a man.

A source revealed that once Lohan had checked in, she tried calling Best but couldn’t get through.

"Lindsay checked in with another guy, probably to try and make Calum jealous. She tried calling him but she couldn't get through," a source was quoted by Star magazine, as telling.
The star then partied till 1.30 am before collapsing in the hotel lobby.

"She was writing on the floor and everyone could see that she wasn't wearing any panties. Her date and bodyguard looked horrified but they didn't do a thing to help her so the night manager carried her to her room," the source revealed.

Once in her room, Lindsay then allegedly kept phoning Calum, and after not getting an answer, went to bang on his door. That’s what she saw the other woman and lost her cool.

"He came to the door and opened it a bit, she peeked inside and saw the woman there. She went cuckoo. She yelled at him, slammed the door and banged on it some more," the source revealed.

The actress was reportedly escorted back to her room once again, but when she continued her antics, the manager had no option but to ask her to leave at 5.30 am.

Lohan then checked out an hour later.

Michael Jackson's £100m demand puts Vegas deal in jeopardy

Michael Jackson’s plans to launch a comeback with shows in America’s sin city Las Vegas were put in jeopardy when the singer demanded a whopping 100 million pounds to perform.

A source revealed that Jackson’s monetary demands were twice the amount that singer Celine Dion asked for her four-year deal with Caesar’s Palace in the city.

A source added that fed-up by Jackson’s demands, talks to bring the singer to Vegas had broken down.

“His demands are too much. Talks have broken down,” The Sun quoted the insider, as saying.

However, while Jackson might not get the 100 million dollars he is asking for, he will certainly be richer by 5 million pounds soon, for that’s the amount HRH Prince Azim of Brunei is paying the singer just to attend his 25th birthday bash this weekend in the UK.

Jackson arrived in the UK on Tuesday, May 22, and was swept through security at Heathrow by a police escort.

A source close to the Prince revealed that the royal didn’t mind paying Jacko just to show up, for the singer was his ‘all-time idol’.

"Absolutely no expense is being spared for his party - Michael Jackson is his all-time idol and he said he'd pay whatever it took to get him over," the Mirror quoted the pal, as saying.

"Even though Michael won't be performing, the very fact that he'll be in this stately home mingling with all of the Prince's pals makes it worth every penny to Azim," the source said.
Prince Azim is the son of the Sultan of Brunei, and is fourth in line to the throne.

His 200 VIP guest list includes celebs like Jerry Hall, Pamela Anderson, Faye Dunaway, Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss.

Not only will these guests get to enjoy a lavish bash, but will also come away with gift bags worth tens of thousands of pounds, stuffed with diamond jewellery, top-end Bose electrical goods, iPods and 400 pound tubs of Creme De La Mer face creams.

Kylie follows her instincts

Kylie Minogue and Hollywood vixen Sharon Stone have entertained some of the world's most famous celebrities at an AIDS fundraiser at the Cannes Film Festival in southern France.

The two climbed on stage last night to perform together in front of celebrities including George Clooney, Matt Damon and Quentin Tarantino, who turned out for the Cinema Against AIDS benefit.

Minogue looked striking in a knee length black cocktail gown, with a figure hugging bodice, her hair swept up in a stylish chignon. Stone glittered in gold as the pair sang their hearts out to the A-List crowd.

The pop princess wasn't alone in flying the flag for Australia at the swanky event - considered a highlight on the Cannes calendar. Actor Toni Collette and model Elle McPherson were also there to support the cause.

There was no sign though of married Chilean film director based in Mexico Alexander Dahm, whom Minogue has strenuously denied having an affair with despite the pair spending a recent holiday together in South America.

Cinema Against AIDS is a fundraiser for Amfar, which has pumped more than $100 million into AIDS-related research, prevention and education programs around the world.