Robin Williams: Famous Hollywood comedian passed away

Famous Hollywood comedy actor, Robin Williams, died at the age of 63. News reports said that the actor’s death was “suicide caused by asphyxiation.” He was found unconscious in his Tiburon, California residence at 11:55 a.m. According to his publicist, the award winning actor had been struggling with depression of late.

Robin Williams was born in Chicago in 1951. His father was a senior executive at Ford Motor Company and mother was a former model. He started acting when he was in high school.

Williams tested success with the hit show Mork & Mindy (1978–1982). Over the years, he established himself as a standup comedian and movie actor. Some of his major films are

The World According to Garp (1982), Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Dead Poets Society (1989), Awakenings (1990), The Fisher King (1991), and Good Will Hunting (1997), as well as financial successes such as Popeye (1980), Hook (1991), Aladdin (1992), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Jumanji (1995), The Birdcage (1996), Night at the Museum (2006), and Happy Feet (2006).

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Daily News

Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth: Married

Hollywood actress, Reese Witherspoon, got married to Jim Toth. They got married in Ojai, California, about 90 miles north of Los Angeles to keep away from the media.

Reese and Jim got engaged in December 2010. Jim Toth works as an agent for Creative Artists. It also represents Reese Witherspoon through another agent. The wedding took place on March 26, 2011. Witherspoon’s publicist, Nicole Perna, did not reveal anything about the wedding. US Magazine reports:

In a courtyard in front of the Ojai house, the Monique Lhuillier-clad actress, 35, and CAA agent Toth, 40, exchanged vows and William Goldberg wedding bands beneath a canopy.

About 120 family members and friends-- including Sean Penn, Scarlett Johansson, Renee Zellweger, Tobey Maguire and wife Jennifer Meyer, Robert Downey Jr., Matthew McConaughey and love Camila Alves, Alyssa Milano, Colin Hanks, Isla Fisher and hubby Sacha Baron Cohen-- were on hand for the bash.

The marriage had been presided over by Reverend Jimmy Bartz of the Santa Monica church. Witherspoon’s children and ex-husband Ryan Phillippe also attended the wedding ceremony.

The 35-year old actress won Oscar for portraying the character of June Carter in Walk the Line. Her other major movies include Legally Blonde and Four Christmases.

Hollywood actress Elizabeth Taylor dies at 79

Famous Hollywood actress of the 50’s, Elizabeth Taylor, passed away on March 23, 2011, at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. She was 79 years old at the time of death. The legendary actress was surrounded by her sons-Michael Wilding, Christopher Wilding, and daughters- Liza Todd, and Maria Burton.

Taylor’s publicist, Sally Morrison, issued a statement, where Michael Wilding said,

“My Mother was an extraordinary woman who lived life to the fullest, with great passion, humor, and love,…Though her loss is devastating to those of us who held her so close and so dear, we will always be inspired by her enduring contribution to our world. Her remarkable body of work in film, her ongoing success as a businesswoman, and her brave and relentless advocacy in the fight against HIV/AIDS, all make us all incredibly proud of what she accomplished.”

Elizabeth Taylor was born Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor in Hampstead, London. Her father was an art dealer and her mother was a former stage actress. She is considered to be one of the greatest actress of Hollywood’s Golden Age.

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Charlie Sheen: Back to Two and A Half Men?

Even after filing a $100 million lawsuit, CBS wants actor Charlie Sheen back on its popular comedy series, “Two and A Half Men.”

NBC News had been informed by a close source hearing Sheen telling that CBS is offering him his job back. Hollywood Reporter said that Sheen met with senior FOX network executives and sent a Tweet saying "perhaps a new lair...? A Fox and a Warlock? Epic" accompanying a FOX logo.

Due to his self-destructive behavior and insulting producer Chuck Lorre, Sheen had fired from “Two and A Half Men” on March 7, 2011.

Neither Sheen’s spokesperson nor CBS and Warner Bros. commented on the matter.

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Reuters

Oprah Winfrey to have a TV Channel in 2010?

This is an exciting news for all the Oprah Winfrey fans in the world. She is a billion dollar entertainment queen and she is popular in many countries on earth. So, a TV channel from her would surely make millions of people around the globe.

Chicago Tribune wrote:

Oprah Winfrey apparently will get by with a little help from her friends when her cable network makes its scheduled debut early next year.

A full launch schedule for OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network, a blend of original and acquired programming, won't be announced until later this year. But an early development slate presented to advertisers Thursday at Lincoln Center included shows featuring frequent "Oprah Winfrey Show" guests Lisa Ling, Peter Walsh and Dr. Laura Berman.

Celebrity Child Smuggling: What Should be Done?

I really cannot understand the reason that how can the Hollywood celebrities easily go away by doing anything and everything. Just take a look at the example of Madonna adopting a child from Malawi. I really can’t remember any example of Madonna being a good mother to any child in the world. There is no doubt that she does not care for any child of motherhood all six years is some publicity that she can get  paying for some poor children from some poor countries. The children are like guinea pig but we should not forget that they are human beings not animals. But this kind of media circus that should be stopped at all costs by all governments in the world. The governments of Europe and America always try to show that they are most civilized but I really have doubt because how they can allow a person like Madonna To bring innocent children from African countries when she does not have any intention to look after them. 

Shia Labeouf withdraws from Dark Fields for injury problems

It looks like Shia Labeouf’s luck just ran out. The injury, he sustained from the July 27 car crush, is causing lot more trouble. Due to the injury, Shia had to withdraw from his upcoming movie, Dark Fields. A techno-thriller movie, Dark Fields, is based on Alan Glynn’s 2002 novel by the same name. Produced by the Universal Pictures, the movie is going to be directed by Neil Burger. Shia Labeouf was supposed to play the role of a young man who gets his hands on some ultimate smart pills. According to the reports of comingsoon.net, Shia was supposed to start shooting for the movie this winter. Already the production has been delayed and now Shia’s medical issues caused further disruption. Dark Fields was scheduled to release in 2010.

On July 27, 2008, Shia Labeouf had an accident on a West Hollywood street. As he was making a left turn with his Ford F-150 pick up truck, it collided with another vehicle and rolled over twice. Shia broke his two fingers and sustained minor injuries to his head and knee. Isable Lucas, who was riding with Shia that day, also had minor injuries. At the time of the accident, Shia was shooting for Transformers sequel, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Producers of Transformers included his injury into the script. Immediately after the accident, Shia underwent an extensive surgery. To further repair his fingers, he would have to go through another surgery around his thumb.

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Joe Satiriani sues Cold Play for copyright infringement

British rockband, Coldplay, has been sued by famous guitarist, Joe Satiriani, for copying his music. Mr. Satiriani said that the track, “Viva la Vida” of the band uses “substantial original portions” of his instrumental track titled, “If I could fly,” from the album “Is there Love in Space?” which was released in April 2004. On December 4, 2008, Reuters reported the Satiriani filed the copyright infringement lawsuit at a federal court in Los Angeles. MTV reports:

Satriani, 52, is seeking a jury trial in the dispute, as well as damages and "any and all profits" attributable to the alleged copyright infringement. The songwriting credit on the Coldplay song is attributed to the band's four members: singer Chris Martin, bass player Guy Berryman, guitarist Jonny Buckland and drummer Will Champion. A spokesperson for Coldplay could not be reached for comment at press time.

This is like a hit in the gut. The news came out a day after Coldplay was nominated for Grammy Awards. One of the top contenders in the Grammy Award, Coldplay, received seven nominations. Their track “Viva la Vida,” has been nominated for Song of the Year and Record of the Year. The song was written by four members of Coldplay- singer Chris Martin; bass player Guy Berryman; guitarist Johnny Buckland; and drummer Will Champion. The title of the song was inspired by a painting by Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo. Representative for the band and the recording company, Capitol Records, were not available for comment on the issue.

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“Slumdog Millionaire” announced best movie by National Board of Review

Slumdog Millionaire, a British Drama movie directed by Danny Boyle, has been chosen to be the best movie by National Board of Review (NBR), a non-profit organization. On December 4, 2008, NBR declared Slumdog Millionaire the best movie of 2008. David Fincher was announced the best director for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Brad Pitt played the character named Benjamin Button, a man who observes reverse aging. Clint Eastwood was named best actor for

Gran Torino. Eastwood played the character of Walt Kowalski, a racist Korean War veteran.

Slumdog Millionaire, is based on the novel, “Q and A” by Vikas Swarup. It tells the story of an Indian beggar named Jamal Malik (Dev Patel), who miraculously wins the Indian version of the quiz show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.” The screenplay is written by Seamon Beaufoy. Slumdog Millionaire, which had limited release, garnered critical acclaim. The movie shows the rising disparity between the upper class and poor class. The movie was screend at the Telluride Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival.

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Grammy Award 2009: Lil Wayne is in the lead with eight nominations

Year 2008 is going to end and the Grammy Award is approaching. The 51^st Grammy Award Ceremony, the most prestigious award in the American Music Industry, is going to take place on February 8. 2009.

The list of nominees for the award has been published. Famous rapper, Lil Wayne, has the top spot with eight nominations. His album, “The Carter III,” sold 1 million copies in USA, making it the best opening tally of the year. Lil Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter, received other nominations in the rap song section including rap album and rap songs.

Two famous British Rock Bands- Coldplay and Radiohead, will be fighting for the top honors. Coldplay is at the second place with seven nominations. Radiohead received four nominations. Jay-Z, Kanye West and R& B singer Ne-Yo received six nominations each. Lil Wayne, Coldplay, Ne-Yo and Radiohead will compete in the album of the year category.

“Raising Sand,” an album created by former Led Zeppelin frontman, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss has been nominated in four categories including: Album of the year, Record of the year (Please Read the letter), Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals (Rich Woman), and Best Country Collaboration with Vocals (Killing the Blues). Female British singer, Duffy, received three nominations including Best New Artist, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance (Mercy), and Best Pop Vocal Album (Rockferry). Fellow Brit female, Adele, received four nominations in Record of the Year (Chasing Pavements), Song of the Year (Chasing Pavements), Best New Artist, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

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Roman Polanski lawyers request the court to dismiss the case

It has been thirty years since Academy Award winning movie maker, Roman Polanski, have been accused of rape charges by the US court. In order to avoid prison sentence, Roman Polanski fled to France. Now, the lawyers of the director requested the court to drop the charges. They said that they have evidence which shows that Polanski’s case was distorted by “judicial and prosecutorial misconduct.”

On December 2, 2008, the request was filed with Judge David S. Wesley in the Los Angeles Superior Court by Chad S. Hummel of Phelps& Phillips and Bart Dalton. Bart Dalton’s father Douglas Dalton represented Mr. Polanski in 1977. Now, he has joined in the filing with his son. Mr. Polanski will be represented by Mr. Hummel. New York Times reports:

Tuesday’s filing said Judge Rittenband, who is now dead, intentionally violated a plea agreement with Mr. Polanski after having engaged in what it called “repeated unethical and unlawful ex parte communications” with a deputy district attorney who was not involved in the prosecution, but was independently advising the judge.

The lawyers cited the documentary titled Roman Polanski:Wanted and Desired, which showed that a former deputy district attorney gave suggestions to the judge on how the case should be handled. The documentary focused on the rape incident of Roman Polanski in 1977.

Roman Polanski, who now lives in Paris with wife, Emmanuelle Seigner, was accused of raping a 13-year old girl at the age of 44. He spent 42 days in prison for psychiatric evaluation but left the country when he came to know that the judge was planning to send him to prison. He was indicted on six felony counts and faced life imprisonment.

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Britney Spears is back in shape

American pop diva, Britney Spears, is under control of her life again. For the last two years, she became tabloid headlines for all the wrong reasons. Her marriage and divorce with Kevin Federline, her drugs habit, shaving heads, everything pointed at the end of her singing career. Now, the twenty seven year old mother is in her comeback stage. Earlier, Britney Spears gained lots of weight by drinking. She stopped drinking and got into weight loss program. In her recent European mini-tour, she showed off her body. However, it was a lot of hard work on her part and she is not happy at all. People Magazine reports:

"I have had to work hard at getting [my body] back to where it used to be," Spears tells Glamour in its January issue. "I used to be obsessed with working out ... But I can't get motivated right now because I'm so focused on my music."

On November 30, 2008, “For the Record” the much awaited documentary on the life Britney Spears was broadcast on MTV and it created lots of positive buzz. People have started to sympathize Britney Spears. They are saying that the documentary made them like Spears much more. Spears’ latest album, “Circus” is released today. One of the songs of the album, “Womanizer,” is ruling the top charts. Now, she wants to marry again to a person who could be a good father to her children.

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Four Christmases enjoys one of the biggest Thanksgiving opening weekends

The holiday season is upon us and Christmas is at the corner and there is no better way to enjoy the Christmas then watching a good Christmas movie and that is what Four Christmases provides to the movie goers. Starring Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon, Four Christmases is a romantic comedy that focuses on the spirit of Christmas. Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn are unmarried couples who plan a romantic get away every Christmas but failed to do this year. Now they have no other option but to spend Christmas with four of their divorced parents.

Four Christmases which opened on November 26, 2008, collected

$ 46.7 million making it the third biggest Thanksgiving opening ever after Toy Story 2 ($80.1 million) and Enchanted ($49.1 million).

Twilight, which enjoyed the top position last week, took the second lead. Based on Stephenie Meyer’s 2005 bestseller novel by the same name, Twilight collected $35.7 million on its opening day. Overall, the movie collected $69.6 million in Canada and North America. This week it observed a steep decline of 62% in its collection.

Walt Disney’s animated movie, Bolt, took the third place collecting $36 million. Quantum of Solace, the latest James Bond flick, is still going strong at the box office. The movie is now at the fourth position which is followed by Milk, a biological movie on California’s first gay governor, Harvey Milk.

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Winona Ryder stole diamond jewelry this time

Famous Hollywood actress, Winona Ryder, is accused of jewelry theft. According to reports published by TMZ.com, an entertainment website, the actress had been accused of stealing $1,24,000 worth of Bulgari jewels which she borrowed to attend an event on November 20, 2008. The event was sponsored by Marie Claire magazine in Madrid.

Ryder said that she left the diamond jewelries in the hotel room as they were supposed to be picked up by someone from Marie Claire but some time after she left, the diamond bracelet and ring were missing. French celebrity magazine, Voici, reported that the actress left the jewelry at front desk of the hotel for safekeeping. However, the hotel management said that they did not receive any package from the actress and there was no surveillance footage which showed that Ryder gave any package for safekeeping.

Well, this is not the first time, Winona Ryder is accused of stealing. In 2001, Winona was accused of shoplifting at Beverly Hills, California. The actress was arrested on the charge of stealing $5,500 worth of designer clothes and accessories from a department store. Recently, on her way to London, the 37 year old actress forced to make a special landing over a mystery illness.

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Stephenie Meyer's web promotion for Twilight

Twilight is now ruling North American box office. The movie collected around $100 million in the first ten days of its release. The novel, which was first published in 2005, turned novelist Stephenie Meyer from an orndinary homemaker into an American mainstream celebrity. Interestingly, internet played a major role behind Stephenie’s success.

In 2005, publisher Little, Brown and Company Books for Young Readers published 75,000 copies of the first book of Twilight series. For promoting the book, the company sent Meyer on a small author tour and set-up an “in-house web page.” Unfortunately, the site was not very successful. After this, Stephenie Meyers took things in her own hands. Henceforth, http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/ came into being. In the site, Stephenie wrote about her personal life, family and published photos. This gave people a chance to connect with her. She directly communicated with people and it gradually built up a strong fanbase over time.

Interestingly, one of the fans named Lori Joffs rewrote the book from a particular character’s perspective. She published it on fiction.net. Stephenie wrote a review and left her personal email address. The two chatted with each other. Then Lori Joffs and her friend, Laura Christiano, sought Stephenie's permission to set up a dictionary site for her novel. Stephenie agree and the two jointly set up http://www.twilightlexicon.com/ where fans would get reference. Last summer, the site even crushed from over use.

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Los Angeles Times

Australian government promotes tourism with Australia

Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman starrer, Australia, is now being promoted jointly by the Australian tourism department to attract tourists in Australia. Directed by Baz Luhrman, Australia is a romantic movie set in WWII era. Made in the style of epic movies like the Laurence of Arabia, the movie beautifully shows the diverse landscape and lives of Australian ranchers. In addition, there is the romance between Hugh Jackman, the “Sexiest Man Alive” and Nicole Kidman. Released in USA on November 26, 2008, the movie is getting positive reviews. The Australian tourism board developed a new tourism brand using the scenes, themes and actors from the movie. wsbtv.com reports:

"Through our marketing efforts we hope that as people get caught up in the romance and adventure of the movie that they will fall in love with the idea of holidaying in Australia," said Tourism Australia's managing director, Geoff Buckley, in kicking off the $26 million campaign

Australia is a developed country and has great attractions for tourists. Around half million people are employed in the tourism industry. Compared to last year, number of tourists visiting Australia rose by 2%. Of the total number of tourists, 21% are international tourists and the rest are domestic tourists. Last year, the tourism sector represented 3.7% of the country’s GDP.

Movie is the most popular media and can reach lots of people. Australian tourism board has made a good decision of promoting tourism through the movie.

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Will Australia be Hugh Jackman's ticket to Oscar?

Hugh Jackman is now one of the most sought after stars in Hollywood. From a humble beginning, he rose to top. In his latest movie, Australia, Hugh Jackman played the role of a drover who is a social outcast with a heart of gold. Released on November 26, 2008, the movie is getting positive reviews every where. Few days before the release, Hugh was announced to be the “Sexiest Man Alive” by People Magazine. After the news came out, Hugh Jackman’s inbox got filled with mails from friends teasing him. One of the messages goes like this:

"This is worse than the Florida 2000 recount. This is rigged. Give it back!" It's hard to get a big head after that.

Still Hugh Jackman is the same old guy. Beneath that 6 foot 2 inches structure and cheesled muscular body resides a very sensitive heart. His family is the most important thing to him. While he was dating his wife, actress Deborra-Lee Furness, they made a promise to each other that they would never stay away from one another for more than two weeks and till today, they kept their promise. Now the million dollar question is: Will Hugh Jackman go for Oscar this time?

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Los Angeles Times

Brooke Burke and Tom Bergeon are winners of “Dancing With the Stars” Season 7

American television personality and model Brooke Burke won the seventh season of “Dancing with the Stars.” The grand finale of season seven took place on November 25, 2008. Brooke Burke and her partner Tom Bergeon raised their hands in triumph and hugged one another after co-host Tom Bergeron announced their names. Asked about her reaction Brooke replied “Unbelievable.” The season finale, which was a two hour show, Brooke and Derek danced Samba, Freestyle, and Viennese Waltz. In Samba and Freestyle, Brooke and Derek scored 58 out of 60. They received another perfect 10 in the Viennese Waltz which made their total score 88 out of 90. The overwhelming viewer votes did the rest. People Magazine reports:

With her win, Burke joins an elite group of female stars–season one’s Kelly Monaco and season six’s Kristi Yamaguchi–who have hoisted the mirror-ball trophy and helped narrow the gap between the number of men to women Dancing winners to 4:3.

NFL star Warren Sapp and his partner Kym Johnson took the second place. Although Warren Sapp had been audience favorite althrough the season, his poor foot work failed to impress the judges. Sapp and Johnson scored 80. Lance Bass, former member of popular boy band ‘NSync and Lacey Schwimmer obtained third place scoring 81.

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Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt got married in Mexico

Famous reality TV show stars Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt eloped in Mexico for vacation and got married at Palmilla Resort near Cabo San Lucas on November 20, 2008. Heidi Montag, 22 and Spencer Pratt, 25, got married at the spur-of-the-moment. On November 24, 2008, the couple was spending time on the beach when Spencer Pratt brought the idea of having a hassle-free marriage ceremony and Heidi Montag agreed. They got married at the local church and bought rings made of leather from the store of the hotel. Spencer Pratt was a bit embarrassed about his ring as it had a flower. Heidi Montag wore a silk Balenciaga sundress and white Christian Louboutins. Pratt appeared on the altar wearing a John Varvatos shirt and Ever Jeans. The wedding cost $4150. In an interview with US Weekly, Heidi Montag said that the minute they said their vows she could not stop crying.Inside Track reports:

During the ceremony, Pratt vowed to his bride: “Heidi, from the moment you came into my life, I knew my life would never be the same without you. You are the light in my life like the sun to the Earth,” according to Perez. “Your loving warmth makes me want to be a better person. Being with you, I feel complete. I’m honored to even be able to call you my wife.”

Before breaking the news to Heidi’s mother, the couple told it to US Weekly magazine. Heidi’s mother was not very happy with the news. However, Pratt’s sister, Stephanie and Audrina Patridge, Heidi Montag’s BFF were very much happy after hearing the news.

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Twilight takes the lead at the North American box office

“Twilight” the vampire love story has taken the lead at the North American box office grossing $70.5 million in its opening week. Based on Stephenie Meyer’s romantic novel, Twilight was released in 1000 theatres across USA and all of them are selling advance tickets. Earlier, analysts predicted that the film’s business would be lucky enough to reach $60 million because its appeal to a limited audience especially young adults.

Despite the gloom economy the movie created lots of frenzy among people. The movie was produced at $37 million. Summit Entertainment, the North American distributor of the movie and one of co-producers is now basking under the success of the movie. Richard Fay, President, Domestic distribution, Summit Entertainment, said:

"This certainly exceeded our expectations by a great deal," said Richard Fay, president of domestic distribution for Summit Entertainment. "The fan base was huge."

A new company, Summit has been struggling all this time establish itself in Hollywood. Now, with the success of Twilight the production and distribution company is going to make a sequel of the movie titled New Moon.

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