Chinese Cinema to Ban Sharon Stone after quake comments

Sharon's comments over Chinese Earthquake has caused uproar. It has become the attention of all Chinese people. And a cause of treathen for her career with Christian Dior!

Sharon Stone Saves life Through Millions $ of Fund Raised

Sharon Stone Chinese Earthquake Controversy.

Will This Be End Of Sharon Stone?

Sharon Vonne Stone

Born :

March 10, 1958 (age 50), Meadville, Pennsylvania, US.

Spouse :

George Englund, Jr., Michael Greenburg (1984-1987), Phil Bronstein (1998-2004)

From Wikipedia.

Sharon Vonne Stone is an American Golden Globe and Emmy winning actress, producer, and former fashion model. She came to international attention for her performance in the 1992 Holluwood blockbuster film Basic Instict. She was nominated for an Academy Award for best actress for her role in Casino, won a Golden Globe for her role in Casino, and has won an Emmy Award.

1970s
Stone won Miss Crawford County in Meadville.
Quitted school to become a fashion model.

1980-1990
Stone quitted modeling and become an actress.

1990-2004
Stone in Total Recall (1990) with Arnold Schwarzenegger gave her career a push.
She posed nude for Playboy magazine.
Her role in Basic Instict in 1992 as Catherine Tramell, a brilliant, bisexual serial killer made her a star. Following this film she was listed by People magazine as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world.

Stone's stardom was such that she received top billing over Gene Hackman, Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio when cast as a gunslinger for Sam Raimi's 1995 western The Quick and the Dead.

1995, She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 6925 Hollywood Blvd. She also chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 sexiest stars in film history.

1997 October, she was ranked among top 100 movie stars of all time by Empire.

1996, she received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Dramatic Motion Picture for her role as "Ginger". She also earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for the role.

1999, she was rated among the 25 sexist stars of the century by Playboy.

2001, she was hospitalized for a subarachnoid hemmorrhage, initially reported as a brain aneuryism, according to USA Today.

2001, she starred in the HBO movie If These Wall Could Talk 2, she played a lesbian trying to start a family.

2003, she appeared in 3 episodes from the 8th season of The Practice as Sheila Carlisle. In this she received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.

2004 - present
Stone attempted a return to the mainstream with a role in the film Catwoman (2004), however, the film was a critical and commercial flop.

2007, Stone found her role as a clinically depressed woman in her latest film, When a Man Falls in the Forest. She said it was a 'watershed experience' 'I think that we live in a ... Prozac society where we're always told we're supposed to have this kind of equilibrium of emotion. We have all there assignments about how we're supposed to feel about something".

In 2007, she appeared in a television commercial demonstrating the symptoms of a stroke.

May 25, 2005
Chinese earthquake controversy
Stone sparked criticism for her comments made in an exchange on the red carpet with Hong Kong's "Cable Entertainment News" during the the 61st Annual Cannes Film Festival on May 25, 2008. When asked about the 2008 Sichuan earthquake she remarked;

"I'm not happy about the way the Chinese are treating the Tibetans because I don't think anyone should be unkind to anyone else,"..."And then this earthquake and all this stuff happened, and then I thought, is that karma? When you're not nice that the bad things happen to you?"

According to the Hollywood Reporter, after her comments, one of China's biggest cinema chains released statements stating its company would not show her films in its theaters. The founder of the UME Cineplex chain and the chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong Filmmakers, Ng See-Yuen called Stone's comments "inappropriate" and said the UME Cineplex chain would not be releasing her films in the future. Christian Dior advertisements featuring Stone's image were also dropped from all ads in China amidst the public outroar.

Stone later apologized for her comments, saying in a statement issued by Dior China "My erroneous words and deeds angered and saddened the Chinese people, and I sincerely apologise for this," adding "I'm willing to participate in any earthquake relief activity and to do my utmost to help Chinese people affected by the disaster."

Tanzania controversy
On January 28, 2005, Stone helped solicit pledges for $1million in five minutes for mosquito nets in Tanzania, turning a panel on African poverty into an impromptu fund-raiser at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Many observers, including UNICEF, criticized her actions by claiming that Stone had reacted instinctively to the words of Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa, because she had not done her research on the causes, consequences and methods of preventing malaria; if she had done so, she would have found out that most African governments already distribute free bed nets through public hospitals.
Of the $1 million pledged, only $250,000 was actually raised. In order to fulfill the promise to send $1 million worth of bed nets to Tanzania, UNICEF contributed $750,000. This diverted funds from other UNICEF projects. According to prominent economist Xavier Sala-i-Martín, officials are largely unaware of what happened with the bed nets. Some were delivered to the local airport. These reportedly were stolen and later resurfaced as wedding dresses on the local black market.
Stone hosted the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize Concert.

AIDS research support
In April 2004, she was awarded the National Center for Lesbian Rights Spirit Award in San Francisco for her support and involvement with organizations that serve the lesbian, gay and HIV/AIDS community and performed Can't Get You Out of My Head with Kylie Minogue in Cannes for AIDS research. She was presented the award by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom.

It has been said that her parents raised her with feminist values. "My dad never raised me to believe that being a woman inhibited any of my choices or my possibilities to succeed. To be a feminist like Dad in that blue-collar, middle-class world is a big stand."

Religion
In the early 1990s, Stone became a member of the Church of Scientology. Stone remained with the religion until recently when she converted to Buddhism, after fellow actor Richard Gere introduced her to the Dalai Lama. She is an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church.

Mensa controversy
For many years it was believed that Sharon Stone was a member of Mensa, but in April 2002, she admitted she was not, and had never been, a member of the high-IQ society. Jim Blackmore of Mensa said, "It's delightful to finally see Ms. Stone admit that she's not and never has been a member of our society. But then she goes on to say, 'I went to a Mensa school.' Not so." Blackmore said that would not have been possible as there have been no Mensa schools since the early 1960s.

Source from Free Wikipedia

Sharon Stone - Bad Karma!

Sharon Stone made her controversial comments last week during a Cannes Film Festival red-carpet interview.

"I'm not happy about the way the Chinese are treating the Tibetans because I don't think anyone should be unkind to anyone else," Stone said. "And then this earthquake and all this stuff happened, and then I thought, is that karma? When you're not nice that the bad things happen to you?"

Stone has now apologized for her remarks, saying in a press release via Dior's Shanghai office that she feels "deeply sorry and sad about hurting Chinese people." But the damage has been done--China's official Xinhua News Agency said Thursday that Stone was the "public enemy of all mankind," while myriad blogs have labeled the actress with epithets like "heart of Stone."

How this remark could change her career with Christian Dior?

Read more at Forbes

Kylie's doubts over marriage and kids

Kylie Minogue has admitted that she may never have children.
The Australian star, who is 40 next month, said that although she dreams of having a family she sometimes believes it is "not the right path" for her.

Speaking to the German edition of Vogue, Minogue said: "I never had the feeling I was made for a conventional marriage with a house in the suburbs.

"Media interest in 'supermothers', who are simultaneously on stage and bringing up children, is understandable. But for many that is too much of a good thing.

"There are also artists such as Debbie Harry or Dolly Parton who have managed to have an unbelievable career without a family.

"Above everything else, it comes down to how much love you have in you and if you are ready to give that love. How things will turn out for me with regards to family I simply can't yet say."

Minogue promised a change of image for her new tour, which kicks off in Paris next month.

She said: "The showgirl and feathers are behind me. I want a new direction. Jean Paul Gaultier is designing my costumes for the tour - all couture."
Link

Kylie Minogue celebrating her 40th birthday!

Kylie celebrating 40th birthday with family
Pop singer Kylie Minogue is today celebrating her 40th birthday with her family and close friends.

The star is taking a break from her X tour to celebrate the milestone birthday.

Minogue's sister Dannii is expected to join her for a lavish sit-down dinner in Germany today, with her parents Carol and Ron also due to fly in from Australia to spend time with her.

A spokesperson for the singer said: "Kylie will be celebrating her birthday with her family and close friends."

Last week Minogue hosted an early birthday party in Greece, with over 100 people attending the event.

Link

American Idol stars Cook & Caldwell dating

'American Idol' winner David Cook is reportedly dating a former contestant on the show, Kimberly Caldwell.

During an interview on the show 'Idol Tonight' last Wednesday, Cook said to Caldwell: "I'm just excited because I finally get to talk to you."

He continued: "I've been hearing you say all these nice things about me all season. So I'm actually going to ask you to dinner right now."

Caldwell hugged him and agreed to go out with him, later saying on camera: "I just got asked out on a date."

Speaking to 'Extra' later, Cook said: "So far, I've had a really good time with her."

Referring to her stint on 'American Idol', he said: "I knew who she was, but I can't remember a song that she sang. I'm probably in the dog house

Source

Sexy Kate Hudson Show Off Photos

Kate Hudson and Dax Shephard


Kate Hudson where to show off


Kate Hudson top people

Kate Hudson taking bath

Kate Hudson hottest gal alive

Hudson and Wilson deny engagment reports

Representatives for Kate Hudson and Owen Wilson have denied weekend reports that the couple are engaged.

'Fool's Gold' star Hudson sparked rumours of an engagement after she was spotted wearing a diamond ring on her wedding finger outside a restaurant in Boston last week.

The News of the World quoted a source as saying: "Kate supported Owen during his low patch and that proved to him she's the woman he wants to be with for ever. The engagement is a natural step for them both."

However, Hudson's representatives have been quick to deny the story stating that the ring was merely a prop for a movie the divorced star is filming. Her representative told OK! Magazine: "She's filming a movie called 'Bride Wars'! She is not engaged."

A representative for Wilson also denied the rumours.

The Hollywood couple met on the set of 'You, Me and Dupree' in 2006 and were romantically linked later that year, after Hudson split from her husband of six years, Black Crowes star Chris Robinson.

Hudson and Wilson parted ways last June but in recent months the couple have reunited and were spotted with Wilson's parents on Hudson's 29th birthday last month.

Link

Kate Hudson now dating Lance Armstrong?

Actress Kate Hudson has sparked rumours that she is dating former cyclist Lance Armstrong, after the pair were spotted kissing at a party in Cannes.

According to People magazine, Hudson and Armstrong danced together at the Dolce & Gabbana party last Friday, kissing and smiling at each other.

A source told the magazine: "They were beaming at each other", describing the pair as "so cute".

Others who attended the party included Natalie Portman, Lindsay Lohan, Naomi Campbell and Dita Von Teese.

Source

Kate Hudson - 'You are so horny'

Kate Hudson pregnancy quotes:

'You are so horny. It's unbelievable...I had one exhausted husband. I loved being pregnant. It was my favourite time of my life.'

The Show Must Go On For Christina

This might be a little pass the times, but sometimes to bring back the news can freshen up our day! As past things are easily forgotten! So I would like to share and bring up the gossips again to freshen up!

Pregnant star keeps fans happy, but hubby not so much!

Christina Aguilera might be pregnant , but it’s not stopped her strutting her stuff on stage every night during her latest tour. But her husband, Jordan Bratman, isn’t as eager for her to complete her tour as she is. A source told Star magazine: ‘She's almost overcompensating, saying how great she feels to ease his worries, because the most important thing to Jordan is a healthy mama and baby.’

Even though doctors have told the Dirrty star that she is fine to perform while being roughly 16 weeks pregnant, her hubby is obviously a little concerned that she’s taking too much on. The source continues: ‘Christina is the centre of Jordan's world. He's naturally worried and overprotective. He's trying not to get angry with her, but he's probably frustrated that she can't see his point of view and at least cut back on her commitments a bit.’

Link

Aguilera's Baby Pictures

American magazine wins rights to first photos

Singer and new mum Christina Aguilera has plumped for celebrity magazine People to show off the first pictures of her newborn baby.

Media reports suggested that two publications – OK! and People had ended up in negotiations to publish the photographs with the final amount around the $1.5m mark.

There's no word yet on what gems Aguilera reveals in her interview, with the only quote about her little boy Max Liron released: 'He's completely changed my life.'

Link

Kerry Katona Films Birth

But should you watch it?

There's an interesting debate going on in our Talk! section at the moment on whether newspapers or televisions (or indeed parenting sites) should give any space at all to featuring news about broken celebrities such as Kerry Katona who are allegedly bi-polar.

'It is about time the British press in particular starting taking a more responsible attitude towards what they publish and pay for, around the lives of people whom I would class as actually being pretty seriously ill,' says BettyBetty.

Alternatively, 'In the past [I've] slated people for being famous for nothing, but at the end of the day when I thought about it, wouldn't we all grab something with both hands had we been given the opportunity,' says Shazzershere.

Depending on your point of view, you'll either be appalled to learn that MTV filmed the birth which you can now view clips of on the internet, or – like so many other people – you'll click on this link to see what Katona and her husband Mark clearly agreed to be filmed.

Link

MTV enlists stars for awards shorts

MTV has enlisted a slew of talent to play a big role in Sunday’s MTV Movie Awards.

Stars like Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr and Jack Black have signed on to create their own short films to premiere during the show.

Adam Sandler and Mike Myers are also getting in on a piece of the action. Sandler’s short features him in character from his upcoming movie "You Don't Mess with the Zohan" while Myers created two new characters for his two short films.

Myers will host the Movie Awards, which airs live from Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City.

"In the past, our short films have been parodies of films, where we've come up with the ideas and presented them to the studios for their approval," said Robin Reinhardt-Locke, senior vice president of studio relations and celebrity talent at MTV360. "This time, we're putting the creative control in the stars' hands."

The celebrities have embraced the idea and are very excited about it. Stiller hired his own writer and director, Mike Bender and Nick Stoller, to work on the short, which Robin described as a "very funny tribute to viral films".

The awards, however, has not totally done away with the spoof films. MTV put the call out for resourceful budding filmmakers around the world to make short parodies of recent films. A team of experts have determined the seven funniest movie spoofs, and one of them will walk away with a Flip Video camcorder, as well as the Golden Popcorn trophy.

The MTV Movie Awards, now in its 17th year, also acts as a promotional tool for upcoming movies, including those released by Paramount Pictures, MTV’s corporate sister.

"The Movie Awards truly kick off the bulk of the summer movie season, and the studios understand the power and positioning of the show and our audience reach," Reinhardt-Locke said.

In trying to generate more buzz over the awards show and the movies, MTV will hold a "2008 MTV Movie Awards Sneak Peek Week," which gives fans the opportunity to catch several films prior to their opening as well as to participate in a question and answer session with the stars. Movies screened include "Zohan," "The Foot Fist Way," "The Rocker," "Get Smart," "Kung Fu Panda" and "Pineapple Express."

Unlike other awards shows, the destiny of the coveted golden popcorn lies in the hands of the viewers. Fans cast their votes online to support their favorite nominees in nine categories including Best Fight, Best Kiss, Best Male/Female Performance and Best Summer Movie So Far.

Link

Oscar Winning Director Sydney Pollack Dies at 73

LOS ANGELES: Sydney Pollack, the Academy Award-winning director of "Out of Africa" and "Tootsie" and occasional producer and actor, died of cancer Monday, his agent said. He was 73.

"Mr. Pollack died of cancer this afternoon at his home in Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles, surrounded by family. He had been diagnosed with cancer nine months ago," Leslee Dart told AFP.

Pollack balanced box office success with critical acclaim over a half-century career, working with stars such as Robert Redford, Paul Newman, Sydney Poitier, Meryl Streep, Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.

He tackled a variety of social issues on the silver screen and earned a worldwide reputation for an acute romantic and political sensibility that led to some of the most respected films of the late 1960s through the 1980s.

Pollack was twice nominated for an Oscar for best director, with "They Shoot Horses Don't They?" (1969) a harrowing Depression-era drama starring Jane Fonda, and "Tootsie" (1982), starring Dustin Hoffman as an out-of-work actor who makes his way by pretending to be woman.

He finally won the coveted Academy Award with the period drama "Out of Africa" (1985) starring Streep and Redford, which many considered to be his greatest work.

Born July 1, 1934 in Lafayette, Indiana, the son of a pharmacist, Pollack first had ambitions to be a dentist. But he moved to New York at age 17 and learned acting under legendary coach Sanford Meisner.

He spent several years teaching, interspersed with two years in the US army, and directed a number of television series before heading to Los Angeles where he helped create a slew of films, many of which have gone on to become classics.

They were not all successes. "Havana" (1990), another venture with Redford, was a commercial failure, but Pollack soon returned with the box office smash "The Firm," an adaptation of John Grisham's thriller starring Cruise.

More recently, Pollack was an executive producer on Anthony Minghella's Oscar-nominated "Cold Mountain" (2003) and won acclaim for his production of and acting alongside George Clooney in "Michael Clayton" (2007), which was nominated for seven Oscars.

"Sydney made the world a little better, movies a little better and even dinner a little better," Clooney, who also starred in this year's Pollack-produced "Leathernecks," said in a statement quoted by Variety.

"A tip of the hat to a class act. He'll be missed terribly."

Pollack's role in "Michael Clayton" was a return to his first trade, and he also played memorable parts Woody Allen's in "Husbands and Wives" (1992), and Robert Altman's "The Player" (1992).

Last summer, Pollack pulled out of directing a film about the disputed 2000 US presidential election for cable channel HBO, after coming down with an undisclosed illness.

He was married with three children. - AFP/ac

Link reference!

Britney's Sister Is Pregnant

Sixteen-year-old Jamie Lynn says she's expecting

Clearly the turbulent events of her big sister Britney's life hasn't put a dampner on Jamie Lynn Spear's family ambitions, because the 16-year-old teen actress has just announced today that she's pregnant.

According to OK! magazine, Jamie Lynn is expecting a baby by her long-term boyfriend Casey Aldridge. The teenager announced her news to her family at Thanksgiving and told the rest of the story to the celebrity magazine.

It was a shock for both of us, so unexpected,' Jamie Lynn told OK! 'I was in complete and total shock and so was he.' She goes on to reveal that after finding out she was pregnant, she waited two weeks before she told her parents. 'I needed to work out what I would do for myself before I let anyone's opinion affect my decision...Then I told my parents and my friends. I was scared, but I had to do what was right for me.'

News that she was going to become a grandmother again came as a shock to Jamie Lynn's mother Lynne who admitted to OK! that it came out of the blue. ' I didn't believe it because Jamie Lynn's always been so conscientious. She's never late for her curfew. I was in shock. I mean, this is my 16-year-old baby.'

It may not come as a complete surprise that Lynne Spear's planned parenting handbook on how to bring up celebrity children has been put on hold by her publishers as of this week.

RaisingKids-Dec'07

J-Lo's Blinging Babies

Cashmere and fur for the Lopez twins

Some women become real earth mothers when they have children, others go the yummy mummy route. And then there are the uber-mums, the ones that almost defy description – such as Jennifer Lopez.

The first pictures of singer Lopez, her husband Marc Anthony and the couple's month-old twins Max and Emme hit UK newsagents this week in OK! magazine. A quick glance reveals that instead of trying to pretend that they're just like us, J-Lo and her clan have taken the other route, showing just how bling-tastic life is going to be for her newborn babies.

The feature includes shots of J-Lo dressed to the nines in a ballgown as she feeds her infants and dashing through the grounds of their palatial home, pushing the two babies in matching Silver Cross prams given to them by celebrity pal Eva Longoria. The babies are wearing cashmere, the nursery has crystal chandeliers and the kids already have their own bodyguards. How ab-fab!

RaisingKids

Celebrity Parenting Quote - Claudia Schiffer

Claudia Schiffer - On Pregnancy:

'I tell you, as a model, to be pregnant and to be able to eat and to not feel guilty for not working — because before, even if I had one day off, I’d be thinking, God, I should be working — I loved it.'

RaisingKids

Celebrity Pregnancies: Who's Expecting?

Just announced: Shane Richie and wife Christie are expecting their second child in August.

Corrie actress Tina O'Brien and her partner Ryan Thomas are expecting their first child in September.

Kirstie Allsopp and partner Ben Andersen are expecting their second child in August.

Natasha Kaplinsky and her husband Justin Bower are expecting their first child this Autumn.

Minnie Driver is expecting her first child this summer.

Footballers' Wives actress Zoe Lucker and her boyfriend James Herbert are expecting their first child this summer.

Angelina Jolie and husband Brad Pitt are expecting their fifth child this summer.

Gwen Stefani and husband Gavin Rossdale are expecting their second child this summer.

Sarah Parish and husband James are expecting their first child this summer.

Corrie actress Julia Haworth and husband Jon are expecting their first child in July.

Matthew McConaughey and girlfriend Camila are expecting their first child in July.

Jessica Alba and boyfriend Cash are expecting their first child in late spring/early summer.

Tamzin Outhwaite and husband Tom are expecting their first child in June.

Nicole Kidman and husband Keith Urban are expecting their first child in summer..

Jamie Lynn Spears and boyfriend Casey Aldridge are expecting their first child in summer.

Kate Thornton and fiance Darren Emerson are expecting their first child in summer 2008.

Model Laura Bailey and Eric Fellner are expecting their second child in Spring.

Freddie and Rachel Flintoff are expecting their third child in April.

Emmerdale's Sheree Murphy and husband Harry are expecting their third child in April.

Link Source

This Year's Cannes Film Festival!

INSIDER SCOOP

While film industry people trudged home with boxes of flyers, scripts, movie teasers and name cards to mull over the next blockbuster or cult flick, I’m flying off with a measly three autographs (including Woody Allen’s and Dustin Hoffman’s), a bunch of horrible headshots of celebrities taken from the farthest end of a jam-packed press room, and a couple of realisations.

These people really love their movies. I didn’t catch any of the booing that apparently happens but they do clap at the end. Heck, they even applauded Kung Fu Panda.

As for some insider tips: Gael Garcia Bernal looks like a hobbit, Dustin Hoffman could have a career as a stand-up comic, Woody Allen is some kind of god here in Europe, Angelina Jolie’s lips are really like that, and Shia LeBeouf looks like a kid you could beat up.

There are more to catch up with the story - link

Hannah Montana "The Movie"

Tween sensation Miley Cyrus has snagged her first big movie role in the upcoming film “Hannah Montana: The Movie”. The Disney Channel and It’s A Laugh Productions have begun filming and the movie is scheduled for release in the United States next year.

The Hannah Montana film will not be released as a Disney Channel Original Movie, but instead, will be a feature length film released in cinemas worldwide.

Filming is set to take place in and around Nashville, Tennessee, and Los Angeles.

The cast includes her acclaimed television colleagues Emily Osment, Jason Earles, Mitchel Musso, Moises Arias and Billy Ray Cyrus. Appearing as well are Melora Hardin, Margo Martindale, Barry Bostwick, Peter Gunn, Lucas Till and Vanessa Williams.

Director Peter Chelsom, who has worked on movies such as “Serendipity” and “Shall We Dance?” helms this music-filled comedy adventure based on Disney Channel's blockbuster television series, “Hannah Montana,” in which Cyrus stars as a teenage girl who lives a secret life as a pop star.

Written by Dan Berendsen, who also wrote "Twitches" and "The Initiation of Sarah", the film follows Miley Stewart as Hannah Montana’s soaring popularity threatens to take over her life. With a little urging from her father, the teenager travels back to her hometown of Crowley Corners, Tennessee, to rediscover what is truly important in life.

Miley’s father, Billy Ray Cyrus, who also plays her father on the show, said the movie is centred on the fictional Stewart family's return to Tennessee and that it is only fitting for it to be shot in Tennessee, where the real-life Cyrus family also has a home.

The movie adventure is the first project of Disney’s production company “Millar/Gough Inc.” of the successful producers duo Miles Millar and Alfred Gough. The two are responsible for "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor", "Spider Man 2" and "Shanghai Noon". They also created and served as executive producers of the critically acclaimed action-adventure series, "Smallville", which has run for at least eight seasons.

Some very well known and important people in the industry have been roped in to work on the movie. The film is executively produced by David Blocker, Michael Poryes and Steve Peterman. Photography is directed by David Hennings while the production designer is Caroline Hanania. Christopher Lawrence will act as the costume designer, Virginia Katz as the editor, and Jamal Sims as the choreographer.

The hit Disney Channel series, “Hannah Montana,” reaches more than 164 million viewers worldwide and has ranked as the numbger 1 series among children aged 6-14 on US cable television for two consecutive years.

“Hannah Montana” has sold more than eight million CDs to date and her concert tour, “Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds” was among the top-grossing tours of 2007.

Cyrus has recently completed the work on her new solo album which will be released in July on Hollywood Records. She will also be heard as one of the voices in the Disney Pictures’ upcoming animated film "Bolt".

Link

Sex & The City

Sex sells. Just ask Time Warner.

On May 30, the company's New Line Cinema division is releasing the feature-film version of 'Sex and the City', following a blockbuster six-year run on its cable outlet, HBO.

Chronicling the travails and triumphs of four single Manhattan women, 'Sex' spawned a devoted female following and later a cottage industry that has generated hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue--and not just for the media giant. From booze shakers to shoe makers, businesses continue to cash in on 'Sex's' enduring appeal.

New Line sees the film as "the Super Bowl for women," and they're already raking in cash. The studio has tie-in deals with eight marketers, including Glacéau VitaminWater, Mercedes Benz and Skyy vodka, whose products are mentioned by the actors or appear in the film. Bag designer Judith Lieber created a jeweled "cupcake" purse for Charlotte's daughter. Vivienne Westwood designed Carrie's wedding dress and Fred Leighton made her jewelry.

But Sex and the City's influence is nothing new. The show has been a marketing bonanza for years. It made a fashion icon of star Sarah Jessica Parker, who went on to become a designer. She created her own line of clothing, called Bitten, for retailer Steve & Barry's. Every item in the Bitten line costs $19.98 or less.

Parker also launched two perfume names with Coty--"Lovely," which has had global sales of $155 million, and "Covet," a recent launch.

Kim Cattrall, who plays seductress Samantha Jones, tried to capitalize on her fictionalized persona with two books: Sexual Intelligence and Satisfaction: The Art of the Female Orgasm. They sold a combined 370,000 copies. Even Marian Jordan, the founder of Redeemed Girl Ministries who speaks to women "about the unfailing love that she has found in Jesus," took a crack at the market. Her book, entitled Sex and the City Uncovered: Exposing the Emptiness and Healing the Hurt sold under a thousand copies. (Psst--people like sex.)

The show, which made a fifth character out of New York City, attracts fans to the Big Apple in droves, and locals cash in. Location Tours offers a three-hour bus tour that stops at shops and bars that have appeared on the show.

The tour costs $40 a head, and its owners say it attracts as many as 1,000 people a week. Destination on Location Travel offers "set-jetting" weekends in New York, where groups of up to twelve women are shuttled around town and given the fantasy that they're one of the four 'Sex' characters. The price: a hefty $15,000 per person.

Another 'Sex' winner: shoemaker Manolo Blahnik. Blahnik has been designing shoes since 1971, but became a household name when Carrie Bradshaw swooned over his gravity-defying stilettos. "Manolo Blahnik's success skyrocketed as a result of Sex and the City," says Paula Correri, accessory editor at Tobe Report, a retail consultancy. "The prices keep escalating, but women will starve themselves to score a pair of his shoes."

Ironically, though, the woman who started it all, Candace Bushnell, hasn't profited nearly as much. Bushnell turned her "Sex and the City," column in the New York Observer into a bestselling book of the same name.

Soon after, Bushnell sold HBO the rights for six figures, but didn't share in the upside. Not that she's done badly. First published in 1997, Bushnell's book has sold more than 260,000 copies since 2001. Meanwhile, the show instantly became one of HBO's highest-rated attractions when it launched in June 1998.

HBO won't disclose DVD sales figures, and there's no way of telling how many of their 39 million subscribers signed up as a result of the series. In 2004, HBO sold the rights to 'Sex' to fellow Time Warner cable outlet TBS for $750,000 an episode. The show is syndicated in over 200 countries.

HBO's online store sells 74 Sex-themed items, including a "Carrie Balconette Bra" ($94), "Samantha Thong" ($36), "Charlotte Camisole" ($90), "Miranda Martini Glass" ($12.99) and a "Mr. Big T-shirt" ($19.99).

The network will be no more specific than to say it's made "hundreds of millions of dollars" from 'Sex'. Not bad.

Link!

Shania Twain splits from husband

Canadian country star Shania Twain has separated from her husband of 14 years, music producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange. No reason has been given for the split.

The country music star's publicist was quoted as saying "This is a private matter and there will be no further comment at this time."

Twain is known for hits like "Man! I Feel Like a Woman," "Up," "Whose Bed Has Your Boots Been Under" and "You're Still the One" while Lange, has produced AC/DC, Def Leppard, Bryan Adams and Foreigner, among others.

Twain, 42, and Lange, 59, married in 1993, just six months after meeting. They are parents to a 6-year-old son, Eja D'Angelo.

Lange produced Twain’s three successful albums, 1995's "The Woman in Me," "Come on Over" in 1997 and "Up!" in 2002. The first album they collaborated on, “The Woman in Me,” went on to sell more than 12 million copies. Together, Lange and Twain managed to crush the barrier separating country and pop music.

The couple have tried to stay out of the public eye and lead a very private life. Unlike many other superstar producers, Lange has not given an interview in decades and is hardly ever photographed.

In early 2000, rumours concerning trouble in their marriage surfaced, but the couple remained together. It was at about the same time that Twain retreated to a French area of Switzerland, and disappeared from the public eye.

When asked about the move she said that she needed a break physically and mentally. "I needed to leave behind the whole 'Shania' thing and be myself," she explained.

Shania Twain has not released an album since her Greatest Hits album in 2004. However, at last year’s Academy of Country Music Awards, Twain was quoted as saying that she had done a “lot of soul searching” and had been able to indulge in the writing of new music and hopes to release an album sometime this year.

Source - Link

Jessica Alba Weds In Secret Ceremony

LOS ANGELES - Actress Jessica Alba has wed long-time boyfriend and "Fantastic Four" co-star Cash Warren in a private ceremony, People magazine reported on Tuesday.

The 27-year-old screen siren, who is pregnant with Warren's child, tied the knot on Monday, her representative Brad Cafarelli confirmed to People.

Cafarelli could not be immediately contacted for comment.

Alba, who met Warren on the set of the "Fantastic Four" in 2004, confirmed her pregnancy in December last year.

Alba shot to fame in the hit television series "Dark Angel." In addition to the two "Fantastic Four" movies, her recent films include "Sin City", "The Eye" and "Good Luck Chuck."

Source - Link

Simon Says Sorry

Did Simon Cowell know David Cook would win? Or was he, for once, just being nice?
Right before host Ryan Seacrest announced Cook as the American Idol winner, Cowell issued an uncharacteristic apology to the sincere 25-year-old rocker for skewering him during Tuesday's final performance show. Cowell went so far as to say that the remarks he made the night before to the future Idol Wineer were "verging on disrectful".

He said to the final two: "When I went back home and watched it, it wasn't quite so clear cut as we called it."
Cowell congratulated and praised both Cook and runner-up David Archuleta, the smiley 17-year-old crooner from Murray, Utah. Cowell even revealed that "for the first time ever, I don't really care who wins". Such comments came as a surprise to many after Cowell heaped huge amounts of praise on Archuleta and said he won the competition by a "knockout".

The 48-year-old acerbic judge was very wrong: Cook overcame Archuleta with 12 million more votes.

While Idol ratings were down all season, the final contest turned that tide, with viewership for Tuesday's show up 3 per cent over last year's performance finale.

That provoked a frenzy with a record 97.5 million audience votes cast by phone and text. Last year's total vote count was 74 million.

Source: TodayOnline

Why Cook Won! American Idol Season 7!

David Cook is the most original and savvy male finanlist in American Idol history, with his victory a triumph of poise over promise

Wheter you embrace or scorn American Idol, the most efficient star-making phenomenon in entertainment history, can depend on the day. 25 year David Cook's lopsided victory over David Archuleta, 17, was an unexpected triumph of poise and maturity over ingeneousness and promise.

It reversed last season's trend, when Jordin Sparks, an unformed talent with bubbly personality and a big voice, won, and the older, less glamorous but far more talented Melinda Doolittle came in third.

Come to think of it, Cook's triumph might not have been so unexpected. Maybe we were set up during the final performances the night before, when Idol judge Simon Cowell uncharacteristically congratulated Archuleta for scoring a knockout punch with his weepy repeat performance of Imagine.

Several days earlier, the Briton had predicted Cook as the winner. His flip-flopping might have been a cunning, ratings-grabbing manoeuvre to generate suspense in a season when American Idol has been suffering some audiense slippage (though the results show's broadcast on Fox drew 31.7 million viewers, about a million more than last year's finale).

Cook was chastised for choosing for choosing the wrong song, The World I Know by Collective Soul as his final selection. It was considered a misfire presumably because it was quiter and subtler than the usual belt-it-to-the-rafters war horses that win talent shows. I love it.

Throughout the season, Archuleta, whose honeyed voice conveys a boyish sincerity, was encouraged to be shameless. He won my affection early with his joyous Shop Around, but lost it by applying to Neil Diamond's grandiose tub-thumper American the same sugar-coated sob he brought to Imagine.

Because Cook refused to follow the unspoken guidelines for the competition, he emerged as the most original and savvy male finalist in the show's history. The cornerstone of his victory was his inconoclastic rock version earlier in the season of Billie Jean, the magic song that catapulted Michael Jackson to new heights of popularity 25 years ago.

Cook has a strong, flexible voice; when he sings rock, its scuffed edges echo Sam Cooke filtred through Steve Perry. Stylistically he occupies the same broad pop-to-rock territory as Bryan Adams, the results show's guests included Donna Summer and ZZ Top - is an inspired concept that contributes to the comforting fantasy that there exists what the host Ryan Seacrest has called "the American Idol family".

If the two finalists, looking embrassed and mistified, appeared in prizefighting robes with boxing gloves and half-heartedly struck pugnacious stances.

The term "heavyweight title" floated in the air.
Cowell advised them with a straight face: "You've got to hate your opponent".
Rivalries with threads of violence may be commonplace among rappers. But to potray mild-mannered performers like Cook and Archuleta, even humorously, as enemies plays into the prevailing ethos of pop music as a gladiatorial sporting event. The overall quality of music is much the worse for having been turned into spectator sport.

Except for the two Davids, this season's contestants were an uninspiring group of singers whom comedian Jimmy Kimmel, during his brief, pungent roast of the show and it's judges, accurately described as "19 weeks of karaoke".

What's right about American Idol is the way it holds up a mirrir to American mass culture. Not since the heyday of Ed Sullican has a variety show cast such a wide net.

The show reveals the same deep-seated longing for agreement and consensus that can be felt in electoral politics nowadays, underneath that cynical talking-head level.

Because each show ends with a national election in which the audience can override the judges' opinions, it gives power to the people. It may all be bread and circuses, but it is still democracy in action.

Source: The Straits Times 24 May 2008 (By Stephen Holden)

Archuleta Or Cook, Who Is The Winner And Who Is Being Favored By Judges?

Which David Will Win Tonight?

Probably worried about the various poll results these days, which all revealed that David Cook was favored by the majority, the judges on American Idol were aggressively pointing to David Archuleta as the winner of the singing competition.

It was booooring hearing Simon saying the same praises for little Archie time and again.

And I do not understand what this fuss is about, as it certainly doesn’t matter who wins at this point. The two boys both are so much appreciated and worshipped by their fan clubs, that winning the title is not important anymore. Or should not be.

But I doubt that David Archuleta doesn’t care about getting the prize. His fearful look in front of the judges clearly showed he was desperate to win all this time. We still do not know who wants it more: Archie junior or Archie senior?

The two remaining finalists performed three songs last night, but it is not their performances which will change their fates, as nothing spectacular happened Tuesday night.

Archuleta went mainstream, as expected, choosing to sing John Lennon’s “Imagine,” while Cook tried to impress by picking a not-so-well known song, Collective Soul's "The World I Know." Now let’s guess! What impresses more? Mainstream or originality? Hmmmm…

The second song was chosen for each of the contestants by Sony BMG executive Clive Davis, who picked U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" for Cook, and the Elton John ballad "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" for Archuleta. Davis probably thought U2’s song perfectly suited Cook, but unfortunately, the rocker-wannabe did not manage to render the emotion of the beautiful tune too well.

Of course, Elton John’s ballad was perfect for little David, giving him the opportunity to be as corny as possible and helping him reap another wave of praises from Simon, who just couldn’t be stopped.

"You came out here tonight to win," Simon told Archie after his three performances. "And what we have witnessed is a knockout."

Then… “Round 1 goes to David Archuleta," Simon added, to make sure everybody could notice his utmost admiration for the tween. Thanks for clearing that up, buddy! We had no idea.

Simon was backed by Randy, who said "the best singer of season 7 is right there," after Archie’s performance of “Imagine.” As if that wasn’t enough, Randy added Archuleta was exactly what “this show is about.”

Simon also didn’t forget to “congratulate” David Cook for picking "completely and utterly the wrong song choice for you."

Anyway, whatever the result will be, the two finalists both had a positive attitude and complimented each other. David Cook told Usmagazine.com he did not resent Simon’s opinion on Archuleta.

"You know, everybody's got an opinion, and tonight was Archuleta's night," Cook said, according to Usmagazine.com. "I have to concede it: The kid came out all three songs and nailed it. But I walk away from this with my head held high."

Little David didn’t lose the occasion to be cheesy, and responded that “even though Simon wasn't so favoring Cook, he did so well, and I think America will realize that.” He added he felt so good to be next to “someone you look up to,” referring to his rival.

So now the polls’ results have slightly changed: the majority thinks Archuleta will win the competition, but they still think it’s Cook who deserves the prize.

Source:efluxmedia

May The Best David American Idol Win...Today!

Archuleta or Cook favored by Judges?

After a rip-roaring performance yesterday, the two Davids - Archuleta and Cook - and the world will find out today which one of them will be crowned the new American Idol.

But despite rocker Cook's surge in recent weeks, the judges were unusually united in proclaiming that teenager Archuleta has out performed his rival.

Cook, 25, and Archuleta, 17, peformed before 7,000 people at Los Angeles's Nokia Theatre.

"You came out here tonight to win, and what we have witnessed is a knock out," said Idols's prickly judge Simon Cowell.

Randy Jackson concurred, proclaiming, "the best singer of Season 7 is right there" after Archuleta's rendition of John Lennon's Imagine.

But, of course, only the American public can determine the winner, who will be revealed today in the grand finale show, which "will blow people away", show producer Nigel Lythgoe promosed.

Source:TodayOnline