Kidman 'spy bug' charges dropped

A photographer accused of planting a listening device outside the Sydney home of Nicole Kidman has had all charges against him dropped.

Police discovered the device in 2005 and suspected Jamie Fawcett of trying to listen in on conversations between Kidman's security guards.

Mr Fawcett said he felt that as a paparazzi photographer he had been unfairly targeted.

He had once been subject to a restraining order brought by Kidman.

Speaking outside court on Thursday, Mr Fawcett said: "It was a very narrow investigation that once again targeted the photographers at a scene and I felt that was perhaps unfair."

He added: "I am often asked about the feud between Miss Kidman and myself. In fact, I don't have any opinion whatsoever about Miss Kidman, other than to wish her all the best."

Out-of-court settlement

The New South Wales state Department of Public Prosecutions (DPP) gave no reasons in court for withdrawing the charges.

Kidman's Australian agent, Wendy Day, said the actress had no comment to make on the case because she had not been involved with it.

"It has nothing to do with Nicole," she said.

"That was something to do between the DPP and Jamie Fawcett."

In 2005, Kidman won a temporary restraining order against Mr Fawcett and another paparazzi photographer, Ben McDonald, who she said made her feel like a prisoner in her own home.

The parties eventually came to an out-of-court agreement that the photographers would stay 500 metres away from her property, but could take pictures of her elsewhere.

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Spice Girls announce reunion tour

The Spice Girls have confirmed they will reform for a world tour to take place in December and January.

The full line-up has not performed on stage since Ginger Spice Geri Halliwell quit in May 1998.

The 11 dates announced include a London show on 15 December, eight days after the tour begins in Los Angeles.

"I think for us it was about celebrating the past, enjoying each other and it's about our fans. It was the right time," said Halliwell.

The only British date is in London, with the venue not yet confirmed. The other European dates are in Cologne and Madrid.

'Fears and doubts'

Earlier this month Mel Chisholm, also known as Sporty Spice, told the BBC she had resisted reforming the group in the past because "it was amazing, it was magical. We could never recreate it".

Asked why she had gone back on her word she said: "A girl is allowed to change her mind and also this is something that we have only seriously started this year really.

"I think really all of us have had our fears and doubts but we feel that the time is right."

Halliwell added: "For us it's about celebrating the past, enjoying each other and it's about our fans. It was kind of now or never."

Good-natured

All five women laughed and joked constantly with photographers and reporters, even good-naturedly booing one journalist.

There had been rumours they would perform at the Concert for Diana memorial show in London on Sunday, but with Emma Bunton currently pregnant they decided not to appear.

"We would have loved to have been there this weekend but the timing has been impossible for us," said Chisholm.

As the conference drew to a close, all five women left the stage holding hands as Brown shouted, "You have been spiced!"

Global success

The tour is being put together by Simon Fuller, whose 19 company masterminded the group's global success more than a decade ago.

Under his guidance, the five-piece notched up a string of hits - including Wannabe and 2 Become 1 - while also capitalising on their fame with a stream of sponsorship deals.

Emma Bunton, Mel Brown, Mel Chisholm, Victoria Adams and Geri Halliwell quickly became household names - although they were better known as Baby, Scary, Sporty, Posh and Ginger.

They sold more than 55 million records around the world, and even starred in a film, Spice World.

Halliwell quit in 1998 citing "differences", leaving them to complete a sold-out world tour as a foursome.

Since 2001 each member has since pursued solo careers with varying degrees of success, while Posh Spice has become better known as fashion icon Victoria Beckham.

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Paris Hilton released from jail

US heiress Paris Hilton has been released from jail in Los Angeles after serving 24 days for violating probation on a driving ban.

Hilton's parents Kathy and Rick arrived to pick her up shortly after 0800 BST.

Reporters were camped outside the Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood, California since Monday.

The 26-year-old, sentenced to 45 days on 3 June, was released early due to crowded jail conditions and time off for good behaviour.

She is scheduled to appear on Larry King's CNN talk show on Wednesday.
The network has said she will not be paid for her appearance, which has replaced a planned interview with filmmaker Michael Moore.

Hilton was briefly freed on medical grounds earlier this month but was sent back to jail by a court.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department had not revealed what time the reality TV star would be released.

Her West Hollywood neighbours, however, are reportedly bracing themselves for an influx of paparazzi and TV crews.

Hilton smiled and waved at the huge bank of photographers as she left the detention facility.

She was greeted with a hug from her mother Kathy and was driven away to an undisclosed location.

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Hilton: 'I'm so much more grateful'

LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- Jailed heiress Paris Hilton says she suffers from claustrophobia -- a fear of confinement in small places -- but that her time behind bars has renewed her appreciation for life's simple pleasures.

"I'm so much more grateful for everything that I have, even just to have a pillow at night or food," she told TV host Ryan Seacrest in a telephone interview Thursday for E! Entertainment Television.

Excerpts from his 10-minute interview with the millionaire socialite, who was sentenced to 45 days in jail for violating her probation in a drunken-driving case, were published by the cable channel's Internet affiliate, E! Online. (Watch for details on a report that NBC will pay Hilton $1 million for an interview Video)

E! is the network that carries Hilton's reality TV show, "The Simple Life."

"I just can't wait to see my family and have a nice meal and be in my own bed and appreciate all the things I took for granted," she was quoted as saying by Seacrest, best known as host of the hit talent show "American Idol."

The 26-year-old celebrity confirmed earlier reports she suffered extreme anxiety when confined to cramped quarters.

"I'm claustrophobic, and my cell is really small," she said. "I was going a little bit crazy in the beginning. I'm getting used to it now."

Hilton began her incarceration on the night of June 2 housed alone in a standard twin-bunk cell inside a sprawling county detention center for women near Los Angeles.

After she served just three full days behind bars, county Sheriff Lee Baca released her to house arrest under electronic monitoring, citing unspecified medical problems he later described as psychological.

The following day a judge ordered her back to jail.

Baca has said he expects Hilton to be freed for good after 23 days in custody -- roughly half her original sentence -- under a standard credit applied for time served on good behavior. Depending how the sheriff's department calculates her exact time served, Hilton is likely to be released Sunday or Monday.

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Angelina Jolie Forces Brad Pitt to Turn Attention to Jennifer Aniston?

Is Brad Pitt under the thumb of Angelina Jolie? Pitt is often mocked by pundits as nothing more than Jolie's boy toy and dedicated baby carrier, but is that really true? And is he using his frustration to reach out to Jennifer Aniston as her love life is seemingly white hot with new British hunk Paul Sculfor. Reports have stated that Brad is unhappy Jen is with the gorgeous model and believes his past will haunt Jen.

But is his frustration really with Jolie and her domineering ways? Sources that are supposedly within the Jolie-Pitt circle are just dishing all kinds of tidbits to the National Enquirer. And his brother Doug has admitted to People Magazine that Brad and Jennifer are still friends. Brad's mom was just spotted at Jen's beach house. What's going on?

A source that's worked regularly for the couple reveals Brad constantly tries to please Angelina, who often acts the diva. "All I heard her do was complain," the source recalled. “She’d say: ‘I’m tired. It’s hot. Why do we have to do that? Why are you always committing us to do things?’ Brad seemed kind of used to being beaten down. He’s very quiet and seems like he’s always trying to please her.”

“I got the impression he’s a nice guy just trying to make conversation, and she gave him quick, snippy answers. She controlled the things they talked about - and their schedule too.” If this is playing out behind closed doors no wonder jen is on his mind.

But Jolie says no -way she is not the boss of Brad Pitt. Despite their differences behind closed doors, in public Angelina insists she and Brad are happier than ever. “We’re very similar,” she told a newspaper recently. “We support each other and back each other as parents. There is no divide.” Is she overcompensating?

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Paris Hilton to Be Released on Tuesday

LOS ANGELES | Paris Hilton will be issued her get-out-of jail card on Tuesday after spending almost 3 1/2 weeks in the slammer. The release date, announced Friday, was determined by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Inmate Reception Center. The exact hour of Hilton's release was not disclosed.

"There's no set time," said Deputy Luis Castro, adding he didn't know if any special arrangements had been made to return Hilton to her Hollywood Hills home.

The 26-year-old Hilton, who was sentenced to 45 days in jail for violating her probation in an alcohol-related reckless driving case, surrendered on June 3.

Sheriff Lee Baca released her to electronically monitored house arrest on June 7, citing an undisclosed medical condition he said made her a better candidate to serve the rest of her time at home.

Her sentencing judge, who had specifically barred Hilton from house arrest, ordered her to court the next day and returned the sobbing hotel heiress to jail.

Although her sentence was for 45 days, authorities have said all along that with time off for good behavior and because of crowded jail conditions Hilton was likely to serve only 23. Tuesday will mark the 24th day since she surrendered following an appearance at the MTV Movie Awards.

Hilton's release is scheduled for the same day Baca is to appear before the county Board of Supervisors, which is investigating whether her June 7 release amounted to preferential treatment.

The sheriff has said Hilton's celebrity focused so much attention on her case that she actually served more time than an average person would have under the same circumstances.

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CRUISE CASTING SLAMMED BY DESCENDANT

The news TOM CRUISE is to play a German aristocrat who tried to kill ADOLF HITLER has angered the Second World War hero's oldest son.
Berthold Von Stauffenberg is furious Cruise will portray his dad Count Claus Schenk Von Stauffenberg, who unsuccessfully attempted to blow up Hitler in 1944, in upcoming movie Valkyrie.
Von Stauffenberg is particularly upset with Cruise's "off-putting" devotion to the Scientology faith, a religion he calls a "business".
The 72-year-old tells German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung, "I hoped for a while that it was all just a publicity stunt by Mr. Cruise.
"It is sure to be crap. Of course, I could be wrong - I would like to be.
"I am not saying that Cruise is a bad actor - I cannot judge that. But, in any case, I fear that it could turn into horrible kitsch.
"He should keep his hands off my father. He should climb a mountain or go surfing in the Caribbean. I don't care, as long as he stays out of it."

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CAMERON Diaz has been turning heads in Peru where she has been spotted around town with a cute mystery man.

The Hollywood star arrived Tuesday in Cusco, the capital of the ancient Inca empire, on a private vacation with her special guest and a security team, the official news agency Andina reported.

Diaz, 34, star of "Charlie's Angels" and "There's Something About Mary," checked into a hotel in downtown Cusco, and after a short rest the Cuban-American star turned heads as she went for a walk in the city's historic plaza with the unidentified man.

The star has recently completed a worldwide publicity tour for Shrek 3, where she rubbed shoulders with ex-boyfriend Justim Timberlake – who also has a part in the film.

The star has more recently been linked to magician Criss Angel and surfer Kelly Slater.

Diaz plans to visit the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu and attend an annual re-enactment of the Inti Raymi, the Inca festival of the sun and a major Cusco tourist draw, according to Andina.

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Spears anger over 'nut job' ads

Lawyers for singer Britney Spears have demanded a Florida radio station remove "offensive" advertisements which feature her with a shaved head.

The WFLZ billboards included the slogans "Total nut jobs", "Shock Therapy" and "Certifiable", which ran across pictures of a bald Spears.

Law firm Lavely and Singer demanded the "immediate removal" of the banners in a letter to the station.

WFLZ's Todd Schnitt said the adverts were down but he was "not happy".

In February the star, who shot to fame with her debut single Baby One More Time in 1998, was photographed shaving her own head in a Californian hair salon.

Britney Spears
She has been seen in various different wigs

Spears's legal team claim the company which owns the station, Clear Communications, was "already exposed to substantial liability for its offensive, unauthorised commercial exploitation" of the star's photograph.

Spears is trying to stage a comeback and is reportedly working on a fifth album.

In recent weeks she has performed a series of short concerts in nightclubs around Los Angeles.

Last month the singer admitted she hit "rock bottom" when entering rehab earlier this year, after the breakdown of her marriage, to Kevin Federline, and a spree of high-profile partying.

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US Idol star Clarkson axes tour

US Idol star Clarkson axes tour
Kelly Clarkson
Clarkson and her manager parted company earlier this week
Former American Idol star Kelly Clarkson has axed her summer tour following poor ticket sales.

The Grammy-winning singer parted company with her manager earlier this week, amid reports of trouble with her forthcoming third album, My December.

New manager Paul Freundlich said the arena tour was on hold and that its size would be re-evaluated.

Clarkson, 25, is still due to perform at the US Live Earth concert at East Rutherford, New Jersey, on 7 July.

"In the craziness of the music business, performing is what I look forward to doing the most, so it really is disappointing for me to have to tell you that I won't be coming out to tour this summer," she wrote on her website.

"The fact is that touring is just too much too soon. But I promise you that we're going to get back out there as soon as it is humanly possible to give you a show that will be even better."

'Difficult decision'

Gregg Perloff, chief executive of concert promoter Another Planet Entertainment, said: "Kelly deserves a tremendous amount of praise for her courage in not only being a part of, but in supporting, this difficult decision.

"The day when she will play in sold-out arenas is, no doubt, coming, but for now her fans should look forward to seeing her in a more intimate environment."

Earlier this year, Clarkson admitted there had been tensions over the new album, which is released in the US on 26 June.

But she said reports that she had clashed with RCA record mogul Clive Davis were exaggerated.

"There's always this battle, and it's not a bad battle to have. You obviously don't want 'yes' people around you," she told the Associated Press.

Former waitress Clarkson won the first series of the TV talent contest in September 2002.

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Oprah 'most powerful celebrity'

Oprah 'most powerful celebrity'
Oprah Winfrey is the world's most powerful celebrity, according to business magazine Forbes.

Winfrey beat golfer Tiger Woods into second spot, with Madonna in third place following a successful tour.

British stars in the top 20 include Sir Elton John, the Rolling Stones and David Beckham.

The list, published annually, takes into account celebrities' earnings, internet presence and press, TV and radio coverage.

Other British entries include JK Rowling in 48th place, with Harry Potter film stars Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson in 79th and 97th place respectively.

Winfrey, whose chat show is watched by 30 million viewers each week in the US, regained her top spot - which she lost last year to Tom Cruise - with estimated earnings of $260m (£131.8m).

Madonna
Madonna missed out on the list in 2006

"A combination of strong financials and her enduring influence on the US public, which could see her affecting the outcome of next year's US elections, is enough to propel her back into the top spot," said a Forbes spokeswoman.

Heiress and reality TV star Paris Hilton, who was number 56 on last year's list, failed to make the top 100 for 2007.

Madonna fell out of last year's top 100 list but her Confessions tour last summer significantly boosted her earnings.

It was named the highest-earning show by a female artist by US magazine Billboard.

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Lawsuit Alleges Lindsay Got Tipsy Before '05 Crash

Lindsay Lohan has been accused of knocking back a few before smashing up her Mercedes in 2005.

That's what the driver of the van Lohan hit is saying now, anyway. Raymundo Ortega sued the actress and celebrity hotspot The Ivy for negligence Thursday, claiming that Lohan got drunk at lunch before running into his vehicle, which in turn struck a parked van.

According to the lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, a then-19-year-old Lohan "consumed alcohol and became intoxicated" Oct. 4, 2005, at the West Hollywood eatery, which is on Robertson Boulevard, and then sped away from the restaurant while "looking over her shoulder instead of watching the road." She then crashed into Ortega's van.

"On information and belief, Lohan was also driving while intoxicated," the suit states.

By Oct. 5, however, the L.A. County Sheriff's Department had ruled out alcohol as being a factor in the crash.

"She was sober," Lohan's publicist, Leslie Sloane Zelnik, told E! Online Thursday.

At the time, Sloane Zelnik said that the Mean Girls star was avoiding some overly aggressive photographers—a frequent fixture around The Ivy—and called it "another example of the paparazzi endangering citizens."

The accident turned out to be one of several smashups Lohan was involved in over the past two years that appeared to involve an overzealous shutterbug or two, including one on May 31, 2005, in which a lensman intentionally rammed into her car near the Beverly Center shopping mall.

But while the Sheriff's Department determined that the paparazzi did not factor into the collision, a sheriff's spokesman also called Lohan, who was treated for minor injuries afterward, an "innocent victim" because Ortega made an illegal U-turn right in front of her.

Ortega, meanwhile, claims in his lawsuit that Lohan had become "hypersensitive to paparazzi and attempts to photograph her in public" and as a result "engaged in a habit, custom, and practice of reckless driving."

He told Access Hollywood after the crash that he knew the accident wasn't his fault and that Lohan had to have been driving at least 75 miles per hour. In his complaint, he alleges she was going approximately 60 mph.

The plaintiff is seeking at least $200,000 in damages to cover "the loss of his automobile, lost wages, medical bills and pain and suffering," per court documents.

Lohan, who's currently completing a 30-day treatment program to kick addictions to alcohol and drugs, including the painkiller OxyContin, at Promises in Malibu, was also sued last month in small claims court by the owner of the van Ortega hit. The CEO of Grandeur Inc. is asking for more than $3,000 to cover vehicular damages.

The rehabbing starlet was cited May 26 on suspicion of driving under the influence after an early morning crash in Beverly Hills.

Sources told E! News Thursday that the Beverly Hills Police Department is expected to be able to identify by next Thursday or Friday the "usable amount" of "additional contraband" that was discovered at the time, which was preliminarily identified as cocaine. Police spokesman Lt. Mitch McCann said that Lohan was not carrying the substance but declined to say where it was found.

In an unrelated (and yet related) matter, Sloane Zelnik also issued a statement to tmz.com in response to a lascivious report in the British tabloid News of the World, in which a self-proclaimed former bodyguard of Lohan's claims he quit working for her because she was too wild, going on to list some pretty wild accusations.

"It's deeply unfortunate that this person has deluded himself into thinking that he worked for Lindsay for a long period of time," Sloane Zelnik said. "This is a cynical and ugly attempt on his part to cash in on Lindsay's fame."

TMZ reports that this man, Lee Weaver, filled in for another member of Lohan's security detail in the spring of 2006 for 10 days, receiving $3,500 for his efforts.

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Talent agency drops Paris Hilton as client

The Beverly Hills, Calif.-based company, which has represented Hilton since 2005, dropped the reality show star, an Endeavor spokesman told ABC News on Tuesday, with no further explanation.

The 26-year-old heiress to the Hilton hotel fortune made a name for herself as the partying socialite, and she has since gone on to star in Fox's reality show "The Simple Life" opposite Nicole Richie. In addition, Hilton has launched a pop music career, a namesake perfume and handbag collection.

Hilton is currently serving time at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility for violating her probation in an alcohol-related reckless driving case.

She was put under house arrest briefly by Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, but after a hearing Friday, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Sauer sent her back to jail for 40 days.

Hilton's parents braved a swarm of photographers Tuesday to visit their daughter for the first time since she was reordered to jail last week. Though many put in hours of waiting time to see their loved ones at the facility, the couple reportedly were rushed in to see their daughter.

Her sister, Nicky, and her on-and-off-again boyfriend Stavros Niarchos have also visited Hilton in jail.

Hilton clearly has her family and friends supporting her, but her agency? Not so much.

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Steve Carell Upset About Movie Stars' Make-Up Complaints

Steve Carell Upset About Movie Stars' Make-Up Complaints
Steve CarellFunnyman Steve Carell has urged his Hollywood peers to stop grumbling about the amount of time it takes to apply make-up - because hard-working film fans will never feel sorry for them. The 40-Year-Old Virgin star had to undergo extensive make-up sessions for his new role in Bruce Almighty follow-up Evan Almighty - but he insists fans will never hear him complain.

He says, "Roofing at 150 degrees is an ordeal, having someone glue hair to my face for a couple of hours is not. I never want to be one of those actors who say, 'I went crazy because I had to sit still for three hours.' Shut up. You're getting paid a lot of money and you're the lead in a movie."

"I never want to her myself complain because it annoys me when I hear other people complain about essentially being in a place that millions of people would envy."

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SOUTH KOREAN POP STAR CANCELS U.S. GIGS

SOUTH KOREAN POP STAR CANCELS U.S. GIGS

South Korean pop star RAIN has been forced to cancel his planned tour of the United States after an American band called Rain filed a lawsuit against him. The singer, real name Jung Ji-Hoon, was set to begin his U.S. tour on Saturday (15Jun07), but has postponed the gigs after he was served by the suit. The band Rain sued the 25-year-old singer in a Nevada court in February (07), protesting at the latter's plans to use his name in the U.S. Star M Entertainment, organiser of the singer's world tour, says, "We have postponed the U.S. tour. We will push for it as soon as the legal case is settled."

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Shar Jackson Not Pregnant With Kevin Federline's Baby

Shar Jackson Not Pregnant With Kevin Federline's Baby

Daily Entertainment Photos - "Get all the fashion, glamour and scandal here in pictures!"

Kevin Federline's ex Shar Jackson isn't pregnant with his child.

Federline and Jackson's reps have both denied rumors that she was between six and seven weeks pregnant.

"It is not even remotely true," Jackson's rep tells Us Weekly magazine.

There were rumors that K-Fed had rekindled his romance with the actress and reality TV star, who is the mother of two of his four kids, after splitting from estranged wife Britney Spears in November.

Federline dumped Jackson in April 2004 for the pop superstar while the former Moesha star was pregnant with the rapper/dancer's son Kaleb, who was born the following July.

Sources told Star magazine that the actress had taken a home pregnancy test, which was reportedly positive, and had visited her gynecologist.

Jackson and Federline also have a five-year-old daughter Kori.

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FORMER VOLS HOCHEVAR, HEADLEY NAMED TO TEXAS LEAGUE ALL-STAR TEAMS

FORMER VOLS HOCHEVAR, HEADLEY NAMED TO TEXAS LEAGUE ALL-STAR TEAMS
The 71st Texas League All-Star Game takes place June 26

June 13, 2007

Former Tennessee baseball players and current minor-leaguers Luke Hochevar (2003-05) and Chase Headley (2004-05) were named to Texas League All-Star Teams Tuesday. Hochevar will suit up for the North Division All Star Team, and Headley has been named a starter for the South Division squad. The 71st Texas League All-Star Game takes place June 26 at Whataburger Field in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Headley, a San Diego Padres prospect who plays third base for the San Antonio Missions, leads the Texas League in batting average (.350), on-base percentage (.427) and slugging percentage (.632) while ranking second in RBIs (41). He leads the Missions with 44 runs, 79 hits, 21 doubles and 12 homers.

Headley was drafted out of Tennessee by San Diego in the second round in 2005.

Hochevar pitches for the Wichita Wranglers in the Kansas City Royals minor-league system and leads the Texas League with 72 strikeouts on the year. In 13 appearances, Hochevar owns a 3-5 record with a 4.75 ERA. Opponents are hitting .283 against the imposing right-hander, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2006 draft.

Rosters for the Texas League (Double-A) All-Star Game are chosen by broadcasters, reporters and team managers. A home-run derby is scheduled to precede the game.

Headley and Hochevar both earned All-America honors for the Vols in 2005 while helping to lead the Big Orange to the NCAA College World Series.

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Cameron Diaz

Clooney Makes Celebrity 100 List Debut
12 June 2007 (WENN)
George Clooney is celebrating after making Forbes magazine's Celebrity 100 list for the first time. The Oscar-winning Syriana star debuts at number 40 on the new list, which will be announced in full later this week. Based on the fame and "clout" of Hollywood's hottest stars the Celebrity 100 list in an annual list of Tinseltown's biggest movers and shakers. Not all stars will be celebrating when the new list in announced, however - funnyman Jim Carrey, who previously topped the list a couple of years ago, doesn't appear on the new countdown. Also missing are Carrey's former girlfriend Renee Zellweger and Cameron Diaz, who both made last year's Celebrity 100. The top 10 power players will be announced later this week.

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Salma Hayek Biography

Salma Hayek Biography

Born in southeast Mexico, daughter of a Lebanese father and a Mexican mother, Hayek began her career in Mexican TV soap operas in late 80s.

After having some success with titles such as "Un Nuevo Amanecer" and "Teresa", Hayek left a relatively easy career in Mexican TV and traveled to Los Angeles, searching for the promised land: Hollywood.

After some minor roles, Hayek began to be noticed as a good actress in Desperado. She returned to Mexico to film El Callej󮠤e los milagros and was nominated for an Ariel (Mexican Academy Award).

Hayek is considered to be the first Mexican actress to become a Hollywood movie star since Dolores Del R�

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Madonna Almost Had Sex With John F. Kennedy Jr.

Madonna Almost Had Sex With John F. Kennedy Jr.
Madonna almost had sex with John F. Kennedy Jr. but they stopped because they did not have a condom.

Madonna almost had sex with John F. Kennedy Jr. but they stopped because they did not have a condom, it has been claimed.

The singer and John, whose father was assassinated US president John F. Kennedy, had checked-in to a cheap Chicago motel behind their partners' backs in 1988, but their steamy rendezvous was cut short due to a lack of protection.

Rob Littell - who was a close friend of John's when they were both students at Brown University - revealed the incident to C. David Heymann, the author of new book 'American Legacy'. Rob claims: "They were working their way around the bases, and as they rounded third and headed for home, she asked him if he had any protection. He didn't, so now they began discussing how they were going to get a hold of a prophylactic.

"She was still legally married to Sean Penn, and he had a steady girlfriend. They were afraid of being busted. They couldn't very well just meander into a pharmacy and ask for a pack of Trojans. They were too well known. To John's great chagrin, the relationship was never completed." Madonna separated from Sean at the end of 1988. The couple divorced the following year.

John married Carolyn Bessette in September 1996, but the pair died in a tragic plane crash in July 1999. Madonna, 48, is now married to British film director Guy Ritchie.

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Jolie And Pitt Are Quiting Acting?

Jolie And Pitt Are Quiting Acting?
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt plan to quit acting in a few years to focus on their family.
bangshowbiz.com

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt plan to quit acting in a few years to focus on their family.

The 'A Mighty Heart' actress has revealed the couple plan to swap Hollywood for a life of travelling, parenthood and normal living.

She said in an interview with Parade magazine: "Brad and I have a lot of kids, and we want to have more. And they demand a lot of time. It takes a lot just to get all of them fed and clothed and out the door to different schools on time.

"It's fun and we love it. But you can't balance everything. I think both of us only plan to work for a few more years. We'll try to just stop sooner or later, so we can be at home and travel, and just live."

Angelina and Brad - who have three adopted children, Cambodian son Maddox, five, three-year-old Vietnamese son Pax Thien and Ethiopian daughter Zahara, two, and one-year-old biological daughter Shiloh - started dating after co-starring in 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith' together in 2005.

UN Goodwill Ambassador Angelina also defended herself against the critics who have slammed her decision to adopt children from different countries.

She said: "I feel like I am getting such a great education. Whether people's thoughts about my family are positive or negative, at the end of the day, I get to come home to these four little people who are the greatest things in the world."

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Paris Hilton

It's been a guessing game about who Paris Hilton would grant a from-jail interview to and Barbara Walters won the coveted prize, sorta, speaking to the twice-jailed hotel heiress from her cell during a phone conversation on Sunday that she then spoke about today. The story goes, as reported by Star Magazine, that Kathy Hilton, the mother of Paris Hilton, was speaking to Barbara Walters about her daughter on Sunday when The Simple Life star decided to phone home to speak to mommy. When Paris Hilton

Paris Hilton has been trying to improve her public image, one where the last picture that fans saw is of a screaming, crying Paris in the back seat of a police car (Hilton and her people really hoped that the last pictures before jail would be the glamorous ones from the MTV Movie Awards that you can check out through the gallery link on the left or that sly look she gave in her mug shot). Paris Hilton released a statement over the weekend about the lessons she has learned and reportedly said to Barbara Walters, "I would like to make a difference. God has given me this new chance."

The new chance that Paris Hilton might be referring to is her getting tossed back in jail after being released early and put on house arrest. Paris Hilton didn't know if she was coming or going last week, checking into the Century Regional Detention Center two days early, starting her sentence on Sunday night. Then, on Thursday, Paris Hilton was reassigned to house arrest and set free. But freedom was short-lived for Paris Hilton, who was handcuffed in a Los Angeles courtroom and dragged back to jail on Friday, shouting "Mom! Mom! It's not right!"

Paris Hilton apparently told Barbara Walters on Sunday, according to Star Magazine, after a visit from her sister and former boyfriend Stavros Niarchos, "I'm not the same person I was. I used to act dumb. It was an act. I am 26 years old, and that act is no longer cute. It is not who I am, nor do I want to be that person for the young girls who looked up to me." Paris Hilton told Walters that she was a mess during that first stint in jail, saying, "I was severely depressed and felt as if I was in a cage. I was not myself. It was a horrible experience."

Paris Hilton also released a statement over the weekend, which read, in part, "I was shocked to see all of the attention devoted to the amount of time I would spend in jail for what I have done by the media, public and city officials. I would hope going forward that the public and the media would focus on "more important things.""

We all would. But, for now, Paris Hilton is still the biggest story out there and it certainly feels like Paris and the people around her are trying to change the public reputation of Hilton, one which saw people almost overjoyed that this woman was getting dragged back into jail. According to stories today, Paris Hilton has been talking about doing charity work and opening a playhouse for sick children, which may be true, but is also clearly an effort to offset stories about Hilton planning a weekend party to celebrate her house arrest.

Kathy Hilton thinks this new Paris Hilton is for real, telling Barbara Walters, according to Star, "Young people who look up to people like Paris can learn from this."

In one of the most bizarre twists in the Paris Hilton story to date - and that's saying something - the Reverend Al Sharpton has gotten involved. According to the LA Times, Sharpton is going to meet with Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca to discuss his early release of Paris Hilton before being ordered to take her back into custody. He wants to discuss the special treatment given to Paris Hilton by the system, while Baca claims that he decided to release Paris early solely because of the deterioration of her health.

Paris Hilton, 26 year old daughter of Hilton Hotel owner Richard Hilton, made the transition from socialite to wannabe actress when she and best friend Nicole Ritchie starred in The Simple Life TV series. Paris Hilton also appeared in the remake House of Wax, plus the films Wonderland and Raising Helen. Hilton also released a debut CD called 'Paris' on her own record label aptly dubbed Heiress Records. In 2003, a video of Paris Hilton having sex with former boyfriend Rick Soloman was leaked to the Internet and later became a widespread phenomenon known as the Paris Hilton sex tape.

Star World Entertainment.com

The Sopranos

THE mid-scene blackout that brought the final episode of The Sopranos to an abrupt, ambiguous halt in the US on Sunday left many viewers dismayed and even convinced they had lost their cable TV reception.

But a day later, the ending was the talk of the television world as fans and critics debated - sometimes angrily - whether series creator David Chase had pulled off one of the most surprising and unorthodox conclusions to a great drama or simply decided to cop out and leave everything up in the air.

After viewers were led to believe mob boss Tony Soprano was either about to be whacked or share a relaxing evening with family at a diner munching onion rings, the award-winning HBO series' 86th and final episode cut to a blank screen, with no picture or sound for 10 seconds until the credits silently rolled.

"It may have been the greatest double-take - by the audience - in the history of American television," wrote Washington Post critic Tom Shales.

Daily Variety called it a "finale without finality".

"You could sue for dramatic whiplash," said TV Guide critic Matt Roush, who found the ending "a little too self-conscious" but gave Chase credit for being "defiant to the end".

"He is confounding our expectations of what a finale ought to be," Roush said in an interview.

"It wasn't a finale, it wasn't an ending. It just stopped. And that I think is the revolution of this episode."

The finale, aptly titled Made In America, will likely go down as one of the most memorably offbeat in TV history, alongside the trial of Seinfeld and the conclusion of Bob Newhart's second sitcom, in which he awoke from a dream in bed with the wife from his first sitcom.

Fan reaction was swift. HBO, the Time Warner-owned pay-cable channel that launched The Sopranos in 1999, was immediately flooded with emails from viewers.

The volume of feedback was about 10 times higher than normal, network spokesman Jeff Cusson said.

HBO's website crashed for about half an hour due to heavy traffic on the official Sopranos online chat room.

Hints of doom

Comments posted by fans ran the gamut, from those who hailed the finale as "brilliant" to others who hated it.

One called it the "absolute WORST ENDING!!!!" and threatened to cancel his HBO subscription. "It was like a French movie where the woman dies, the good guy gets killed and the villain gets elected president."

Fans also disagreed over whether hints of doom in the show's final moments, including a stranger who slips into the men's room over Tony's shoulder - an apparent reference to Michael Corleone's first murder in The Godfather - were intended to suggest an impending hit on Tony or simply the paranoia of his everyday life.

"There was no good ending, so The Sopranos left off without one," the New York Times' Alessandra Stanley said.

She likened the finale to a "prank, a mischievous dig at viewers who had agonised over how television's most addictive series would come to a close."

Chase was blissfully far from all the post-Sopranos hoopla, spending time at his home in France and letting his final piece of work speak for itself, HBO officials said.

Speculation swirled about the possibility of a big-screen sequel, seemingly made all the more feasible by the open-ended finale.

Steven Van Zandt, who played Tony's pompadoured deputy Silvio Dante, cryptically told reporters at a special screening of the finale in Florida on Sunday, "We're not sure it's ending".

Star World Entertainment.com

Paul Sculfor: Jennifer Aniston Has New Hunk

Paul Sculfor: Jennifer Aniston Has New Hunk
He was a £150-a-week Essex brickie (Paul Sculfor) and now has become Jennifer Aniston’s latest hunk; actress and Hollywood babe Jen is now building a romance with Paul Sculfor and it’s built with solid foundations thanks to the brickie hunk.

They have already been seen holding hands and have told friends they are “besotted”, Paul Sculfor and Jennifer Aniston were also seen last month at a posh LA restaurant.

Product Reviews, UK - Jun 7, 2007
He was a £150-a-week Essex brickie (Paul Sculfor) and now has become Jennifer Aniston’s latest hunk; actress and Hollywood babe Jen is now building a ...Star World Entertainment.com

Trump's show left off newly unveiled NBC lineup

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By Steve Gorman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - NBC is close to telling Donald Trump "You're fired," but the network is holding back just in case they could use him at the last minute.

The future of his NBC series "The Apprentice" was cast into extreme doubt on Monday by the network's announcement of a 2007-08 programming lineup that made no mention of Trump or the corporate-themed reality show he hosts.

Such an omission, coming at the outset of the networks' annual "upfront" advertising market, would normally spell doom for a low-rated show like "The Apprentice." But NBC executives refused to absolutely rule out an 11th-hour reprieve for Trump's show.

"The Apprentice," which turned billionaire Trump into a TV star and introduced his catch phrase "You're fired," features a group of young, aggressive entrepreneurs in a weekly game of elimination as they vie for a real-life job in Trump's business empire. But the series has lost nearly two-thirds of its audience since its first and most successful run in the spring of 2004.

Asked whether "Apprentice" was now effectively dead, NBC Entertainment President Kevin Reilly insisted, "Not yet."

He said NBC would wait until after the other major networks have unveiled their new programming lineups before rendering a final judgment on the fate of Trump's show.

"Donald still wants to do the show. (Executive producer) Mark (Burnett) wants to do the show," Reilly said. "We couldn't find the right spot for it. So we're going to regroup after everybody announces their schedule. We're going to look at everything in context and then make a decision about it."

There was no immediate comment from Trump.

"The Apprentice" achieved hit status during its original incarnation, averaging 20.7 million viewers with help from a huge ratings "lead-in" following the mega-hit comedy "Friends" on the NBC schedule during that show's final season.

But the show has suffered a steady ratings decline since then, hitting an audience low of just 7.5 million viewers for the recently concluded sixth edition set in Los Angeles.

Trump and NBC still have other joint interests, however.

The two announced in March a renewed deal to keep annual broadcasts of the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants, which Trump co-owns, on the General Electric Co.-controlled network through 2010.

"We want to stay in business with Donald in whatever format that will take," Reilly said on Monday. "The guy has a certain magic. We love him."

(Additional reporting by Paul Thomasch from New York)

Star World Entertainment.com

Paris Hilton is sent back to jail

From the BBC News:

Celebrity heiress Paris Hilton has been taken screaming from a Los Angeles court after being told to return to jail to serve out her sentence.

The celebrity heiress was ordered to attend the hearing rather than listen to the proceeding by telephone.

Hilton left jail on Thursday, just three days into a 45-day sentence for violating probation on a driving ban.

Her release from detention, on unspecified medical grounds, had sparked widespread criticism.

Hilton attended court to hear the case for her "reassignment" to house arrest.

She arrived in handcuffs and cried throughout the court session.

The judge said that she would have to serve her full 45-day sentence.

"It's not right!" she shouted in response, before calling out to her mother, who was at the court.

'Severe problems'

Hilton will stay for a few days at a treatment centre at Twin Towers jail in LA for medical and psychiatric examination to determine which jail she will be sent to, sheriff spokesman Steve Whitmore said.

LA county sheriff Lee Baca defended his earlier decision to release Hilton on medical grounds, saying "this lady has some severe problems".

He suggested that her problems were psychological.

"I'm just going to keep her in a better facility for her condition, meaning one that has a more intense form of medical support, and will watch her behaviour so there isn't anything that is harmfully done to herself by herself," Mr Baca said.

She had been held at the Century Regional Detention Centre in Lynwood, California, in a special unit for celebrities, public officials, police officers and other high-profile inmates, and has so far served five days of her sentence.

Specific details of her medical problem have been withheld for "privacy reasons".

Star World Entertainment.com