Cameron Diaz and Ashton Bring Vegas to Westwood

By: Jenny Peters 
 
Cameron Diaz was all smiles at the red carpet premiere of her new comedy “What Happens in Vegas” at the Mann Village Theater in Westwood Thursday night, in her first public appearance since the unexpected death of her father Emilio on April 16. She joined her co-star Ashton Kutcher in a rousing game played out on the crowded streets in front of the theater, as two huge bleachers full of fans - one Cameron’s team, the other Ashton’s - vied for premiere tickets by screaming out their adoration of the two stars.

Cameron Diaz, looking fabulous in a short, body-skimming coral-toned dress and high black pumps, also happily greeted the film’s other co-stars, Lake Bell, Dennis Farina, Treat Williams and Rob Corddry, with big hugs and kisses. Kutcher, who apparently left wife Demi Moore at home with the kids, looked sharp, too, in a dark plaid jacket and slacks.

But despite the fact that Ashton did not bring his wife along to the premiere of the romantic comedy about a couple that marries in Vegas the night they meet, then immediately regrets it, he made it clear to reporters at an earlier press day to promote the film that in his personal life, he has no such regrets.

“I never thought in my life I would get married,” the 30-year-old admitted. “I watched my parents go through a divorce and I thought This is just not what people are supposed to do.’”

But then his path crossed with Demi Moore, and all bets were off.

“I never really understood the whole idea of marriage until I met my wife. I just knew that was the person I was going to be with for the rest of my life. I knew that I had that desire. I took the time then to understand it a little bit more of what it was about and I love it,” he said. “I might be the most happily, I don’t know if happiliest is a word, I just made up a new word. I am the happiliest married man on the planet.”

Joining Kutcher at the premiere was another famous face whose recent wedding was the talk of the town. Eva Longoria Parker came sans hubby Tony Parker, who is headed to New Orleans for the second round of the NBA playoffs. She greeted super-tall Vince Vaughn and Oscar winner Diablo Cody on the carpet, then all trooped into the theater to see just how well Cameron and Ashton paired up in the film.

Kutcher is pretty confident that audiences will love the combination; in fact, he happily likened “What Happens in Vegas” to one of Hollywood’s all time classic screwball comedies.

“What I feel like this reminded me of the most is ‘Bringing Up Baby,’” he commented proudly. “Vegas” opens on May 9, so that’s when the world can judge whether Diaz and Kutcher are their generation’s Hepburn and Grant.

Cameron Diaz Bio Photos and Video

Danica Patrick Gets Historic Indy Car Win

 By JIM ARMSTRONG, AP Sports Writer 

Danica Patrick became the first female winner in IndyCar history Sunday, taking the Indy Japan 300 after the top contenders were forced to pit for fuel in the final laps. Patrick finished 5.8594 seconds ahead of pole-sitter Helio Castroneves on the 1.5-mile Twin Ring Motegi oval after leader Scott Dixon pitted with five laps left and Dan Wheldon and Tony Kanaan came in a lap later.

“It’s a long time coming. Finally,” Patrick said. “It was a fuel strategy race, but my team called it perfectly for me. I knew I was on the same strategy as Helio and when I passed him for the lead, I couldn’t believe it. This is fabulous.”

The 26-year-old Patrick won in her 50th career IndyCar start, taking the lead from Castroneves on the 198th lap in the 200-lap race.

“I think Danica is such a fantastic person and I’m thrilled for her that the monkey is finally off of her back,” said Michael Andretti, co-owner of Andretti Green Racing. “We have all believed in her and she proved today that she is a winner. Frankly, I think this is the first of many.”

Dixon took the lead from Castroneves on the 93rd lap in the race pushed back to Sunday because of wet track conditions Saturday, but gave up the spot to pit for fuel. “We led for a lot of laps but came up short,” Dixon said. “But congratulations to Danica for her first victory.”

Danica Patrick, who started from the third row and made her final pit stop on lap 148, stayed close to the leaders throughout the race. Patrick went from fourth to second place on lap 197 after Wheldon and Kanaan went into the pit on lap 196. She was as low as eighth place on the 189th lap.

“I knew there was a good reason for coming to Japan,” Patrick said. “I want to thank my team, the fans and everyone who supported me.” Dixon was third, 10.0559 seconds behind Patrick. Wheldon was fourth, and Kanaan finished fifth.

Castroneves, awarded the pole position after qualifying was rained out Friday, said Patrick ran a great race. “With five laps to go, I was saving fuel,” Castroneves said. “When Danica passed me, I realized she was the leader. She did a great job, passed me fair and square and that shows you how competitive our series is.”

Patrick finished a career-best seventh in the season standings last year, and was second in the race at Detroit’s Belle Isle.

At the 2005 Indy 500, she nearly won the pole and became the first female driver to lead the race en route to a fourth-place finish. It was the best finish by a woman at Indy, and helped her take rookie of the year honors.

Danica Patrick Bio Photos and Video

Kelly Clarkson Annoyed by Track Leaks

 

By Michael D. Ayers

Kelly Clarkson says it “sucks” that four unfinished songs have leaked to the Internet.

The new material recently surfaced on Los Angeles-based music blog Pretty Much Amazing. The four songs “Close Your Eyes,” “Ready,” “One Day,” and “With a Little Bit of Luck” — have varying sound quality, indicating that the tracks are in different stages of the recording process.

“I write all the time — lots of stuff not meant to ever be released, just working on ideas,” the inaugural “American Idol” champ told Billboard.com of the leaked work. “The fact that people have heard music that’s not ready yet sucks, but I hope they like it.”

In the wake of last year’s well-documented public feud between Clarkson and label boss Clive Davis over the dark nature of the material for her second album, “My December,” it seems Clarkson may be heading in another new direction. The singer has reached out to Nashville in the last year, most notably through budding relationships with Reba McEntire and Martina McBride. The folksy arrangements of the new tunes suggest a bare-bones, country approach.

Only “With a Little Bit of Luck” continues with the dark rock sound favored on “My December,” suggesting it could be an outtake from those sessions.

Blog editor Luis Tovar says his traffic skyrocketed this week, both with fans looking to hear the tunes, as well as staunch defenders of Clarkson’s right to keep her work private.

“The ‘Crazy Clarkson Fans,’ as one person called them, were amusing at first, annoying later,” Tovar told Billboard.com. “But it’s great to see the brand loyalty out there. These people are ready to go to war for Clarkson. It’s kind of cute, almost.”

Tovar said he did not know the songs’ origins, saying only that a friend passed him a disc that contained them. Having completed a tour with McEntire, Clarkson is scheduled to perform April 19 for Pope Benedict XVI during his scheduled New York visit.

Kelly Clarkson Bio Photos and Video

Friday Night Lights Back for Season Three

 

By FRAZIER MOORE, AP Television Writer

“Friday Night Lights” will shine again next season. The acclaimed football-and-family drama will return on NBC for a third year after 13 new episodes have aired on satellite-television provider DirecTV, in an unusual deal designed to spread production costs while rekindling a series whose audience until now has been as small as it is fervent.
The series will unfold weekly for DirecTV subscribers beginning Oct. 1. Then, early in 2009, it will be seen on NBC, which made the announcement Wednesday. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. Getting a jump on broadcast networks’ customary mid-May “upfront” announcements, NBC dubbed its presentation an “infront,” laying out prime-time plans (subject to change, of course) all the way through summer 2009, when reality fare will dominate.

Come fall, four new scripted series are slated:

“My Own Worst Enemy,” a drama starring Christian Slater as a humdrum family man plagued by a Mr. Hyde streak.

“Kath & Kim,” a mother-and-daughter comedy adapted from an Australian hit and starring Molly Shannon and Selma Blair.

“Knight Rider,” an updating of the 1980s action-fantasy about a man and his robotic car (reintroduced earlier this season as a TV film).

“Crusoe,” based on the classic novel.

The winter-spring 2009 schedule will introduce four more series:

“The Philanthropist,” a drama about a selfish billionaire who, after a spiritual awakening, will do anything to help people in need.

“Merlin,” a fantasy drama set in mythic Camelot.

“Kings,” described as an “exploration of the timeless David vs. Goliath struggle” and starring Ian McShane (”Deadwood”).

An as-yet-undescribed comedy spinoff from the producers of “The Office.”

“ER” will come to an end next season — its 15th.

This year’s freshman dramas “Journeyman” and “Bionic Woman” have been axed, as has the long-running “Scrubs,” which will finish its run in May. Rumors of a rescue for “Friday Night Lights” began circulating last month, but a final deal wasn’t struck between the network, studio, producers and satellite service until this week, the participants said Tuesday.

“There is such a passion for this show among its viewers,” said NBC entertainment chief Ben Silverman, “and although you would hope that passion would have manifested itself in higher ratings,” the new arrangement allows NBC “to have this jewel of a show and not even need to expand its audience to succeed on a financial basis.”

Of course, hopes are high the audience will expand. (In its now-concluded second season, the show averaged just 6.2 million viewers, tying it for 117th place in network prime time.)

Premiering each episode for DirecTV’s subscriber base of 16.8 million shouldn’t hurt the series’ prospects among NBC’s much larger universe of viewers, Silverman said. And with DirecTV mounting an aggressive marketing campaign of its own, heightened public awareness of the series might carry over, drawing a larger audience for its later NBC run.

The deal was first discussed in January when Silverman and Eric Shanks, DirecTV executive vice president of entertainment, met at the Sundance Film Festival. “I’m a fan of the show,” Shanks said, “and that was one reason why I was happy to be in a position to help it continue.” And he had done business with Universal Media Studios, the network’s production arm. A year ago, he acquired “Passions” for an exclusive seasonlong run after that daytime drama was canceled by NBC.

“Friday Night Lights” will be available to DirecTV subscribers on its entertainment channel, The 101. And while the deal is for one year only, both Silverman and Shanks said it might extend beyond that.

“I’m so enamored with the quality of the product that I really haven’t set any particular ratings goals or subscriber goals for it,” Shanks said.

Filmed in Austin, the series depicts a small Texas town unified by its high school football team, the Dillon Panthers. Kyle Chandler heads the large ensemble cast as Coach Eric Taylor, whose never-say-die spirit seems to have served the series well since it premiered in September 2006 to ecstatic reviews but lackluster numbers. Despite its acclaim (including a Peabody award), an active fan community and continued expressions of support by NBC, the show seemed to live from week to week — until now.

“It’s really reassuring to have a known quantity of episodes, and not have any question marks,” said executive producer Jason Katims, who now has a guaranteed season. “I think that will really energize our storytelling. I’m hoping to get the writers into a room within the next 48 hours.” Production should resume in July.

But that will only be the start, said Katherine Pope, president of Universal Media Studios.

“We aren’t just trying to keep the patient on life support for another season,” she said. “This is about bringing the show to the next level, in quality and acceptance. This is about exploding the show! You think the show has been brilliant these past two seasons? This is going to be the best season yet!”

Minka Kelly Bio Photos and Video

Mariah Carey Surpasses Elvis Presley in No. 1’s

 

By NEKESA MUMBI MOODY, AP Music Writer
 
With her 18th chart-topper “Touch My Body,” Mariah Carey has passed Elvis Presley for the most No. 1 singles on the Billboard singles chart, and is now second only to the Beatles. But while the diva was in full celebration mode after learning of her latest milestone, she was also quick to put her accomplishment in perspective.

“I really can never put myself in the category of people who have not only revolutionized music but also changed the world,” Carey told The Associated Press on Tuesday via phone from London. “That’s a completely different era and time … I’m just feeling really happy and grateful.”

Carey’s single is the new No. 1 single on Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart: The song also is No. 1 on the trade magazine’s digital download chart thanks to a precedent-setting 286,000 downloads in its debut week. She had been tied with Presley with 17 No. 1 singles; the Beatles are the all-time leaders with 20. (Madonna also beat a Presley record this week, surpassing the King for the most top 10 hits with her 37th for her hit “4 Minutes.”)

Carey said being in such company was gratifying not only because of her personal success, but what it meant for women and minorities.

“For me, in my mind the accomplishment is just that much sweeter,” she said. “In terms of my ethnicity, always feeling like an outsider, always feeling different … for me it’s about saying, ‘Thank you Lord, for giving me the faith to believe in myself when other people had written me off.’”

“Touch My Body” is the first single off of Carey’s upcoming album “EMC2,” due out April 16. It is the follow-up to her Grammy-winning disc “The Emancipation of Mimi,” released in 2005, that year’s best-selling album with five million copies sold; it marked a huge comeback for the multiplatinum superstar after personal and professional setbacks.

Like that album, Carey said “EMC2″ continues her sense of freedom and rebirth: “It’s like emancipation of Mariah Carey to the second power and beyond.”

Carey, 38, said this is the most enjoyable point of her nearly two-decade old career, and that’s her priority these days, not trying to set sales records or even making pop history.

“I’ve gone through enough of my life worrying about that kind if thing,” said Carey.

“I want to encourage anyone else out there who feels like maybe they can’t overcome an obstacle, I feel like I’m living proof … never lose your faith,” she added. “I’m seriously a grateful individual right now.”

Mariah Carey Bio Photos and Video

Lindsay Lohan to Portray Manson Cult Girl

Lindsay LohanOriginally uploaded by Model VolumeLOS ANGELES (AFP) - US actress Lindsay Lohan is to portray one of the cult followers loyal to convicted murderer Charles Manson, in a new movie called “Manson Girls,” US media reported on Thursday.

E! News said it had learned Lohan, 21, would star as Nancy Pitman in the movie, produced by Brad Wyman of Junction Films.

“Yes, I am doing it with Lindsay,” Wyman told E! News.

Pitman was a teenage runaway who fled her wealthy home in Malibu, California at age 16 to join the followers of Manson, who is now 73 and serving a life sentence for first-degree murder.

Four other defendants were also convicted with Manson for the shocking and gruesome 1969 murders of several people including pregnant actress Sharon Tate.

Pitman stayed at the Manson ranch instead of accompanying the Manson crew that went to the house and committed the murders, though she is believed to have accompanied Manson there later to tamper with the scene.

Manson was initially sentenced to die for his crimes but the sentence was commuted to life in prison after California courts abolished the death penalty.

His 11th appeal for parole was rejected in May 2007.

Lohan also plays the girlfriend of Beatles’ singer John Lennon’s killer Mark David Chapman in the upcoming film “Chapter 27.”

Lohan, the onetime child star of Disney’s “Parent Trap,” spent time in rehab in 2007 for drug and alcohol abuse. She told Elle magazine in a 2006 interview: “Yeah, I have a dark side. I watched all those videos on Charles Manson for a while.”

Lindsay Lohan Bio Photos and Video

Mariah Carey Set to Rule U.S. Singles Chart

 

By Fred Bronson

Mariah Carey is on track to collect her 18th No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart next week.

“Touch My Body,” the first single from her upcoming album, dipped one place to No. 15 on the latest survey, issued Thursday. But the fresh availability of a digital download should send the song hurtling to the top next week.

That will push Carey to second place among artists with the most No. 1s in the rock era. The record is held by the Beatles with 20. She is currently tied with Elvis Presley.

Carey’s album, “E=MC2,” the follow-up to her 2005 Grammy-winning smash “The Emancipation of Mimi,” is due in U.S. stores on April 15.

The current Hot 100 champ is Leona Lewis, who becomes only the third British solo female artist in the rock era to reach the top with her debut chart entry, “Bleeding Love.” The only other artists to achieve this milestone were Sheena Easton with “Morning Train (Nine to Five)” in 1981 and Petula Clark with “Downtown” in 1965.

Counting all U.K. solo females who have spent time at No. 1 on the pop singles chart, Lewis is the first to visit the penthouse since Kim Wilde had a one-week stay in June 1987 with her cover of “You Keep Me Hangin’ On.” Counting all U.K. acts that have reached the summit, Lewis is the first to do so since James Blunt occupied the top rung for one week in March 2006 with “You’re Beautiful.”

A little further down the latest Hot 100, Madonna’s “4 Minutes” entered at No. 68. The Material Girl was last on the Hot 100 with “Sorry,” which peaked at No. 58 in March 2006.

“4 Minutes” represents the 53rd entry of Madonna’s career, but only the second single on which she shares billing with another musician: Justin Timberlake is credited as a featured artist. Madonna’s first shared credit was “Me Against the Music,” the 2003 single that was billed as Britney Spears featuring Madonna.

The new single comes from the album “Hard Candy,” which is due in U.S. stores on April 29.

Mariah Carey Bio Photos and Video

Elisha Cuthbert Returns to TV in CBS Drama

 

By Nellie Andreeva

Former “24″ heroine Elisha Cuthbert is returning to television as the female lead in CBS’ drama pilot “Ny-Lon.”

Cuthbert will play a New York literacy teacher/record store clerk who embarks on a transatlantic romance with a London stock broker. The project is based on a British series starring Rashida Jones and Steven Moyer.

After her breakthrough role as Kiefer Sutherland’s daughter in the first three seasons of Fox’s “24,” the Canadian actress focused on movies. Her upcoming features include “My Sassy Girl” and “The Six Lives of Henry Lefay.”

Elisha Cuthbert Bio Photos and Video

Jennie Garth dances to CBS comedy pilot

 

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Hot off her turn on the fifth season of “Dancing With the Stars,” Jennie Garth will play the female lead on the CBS pilot “My Best Friend’s Girl.” 
 
The comedy centers on two best friends and co-owners of a biker shop whose relationship becomes complicated when one (Tim Peper) begins dating the ex-wife (Garth) of the other (Josh Cooke).

Garth, who recently starred on WB Network’s “What I Like About You” as Amanda Bynes’ older sister, is perhaps best known for her role as Kelly Taylor on “Beverly Hills, 90210.”

Jennie Garth Bio Photos and Video

Carrie Underwood to Join Grand Ole Opry

 

NASHVILLE (Billboard) - Country superstar Carrie Underwood, who once told Billboard that if she hadn’t won American Idol in 2005, “I probably wouldn’t have pursued music much further at all,” has been invited to join the Grand Ole Opry.

The invitation was extended March 15 by Opry member Randy Travis, whose 1988 Billboard No. 1 single “I Told You So” Underwood covered on her most recent album, “Carnival Ride.”

Underwood, who celebrated her 25th birthday on March 10, made her Grand Ole Opry debut on June 10, 2005, just two weeks after winning “American Idol.” She will be formally inducted as an Opry member on May 10.

Carrie Underwood Bio Photos and Video