News from WENN

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5 September 2008 11:59 AM, PDT

Rumours of a new Ghostbusters sequel have intensified, after reports executives at Hollywood studio Columbia Pictures have hired two screenwriters to create a third installment of the spooky franchise.

Recent reports suggested bosses at Columbia - the studio behind the first two movies in 1984 and 1989 - were lining up Seth Rogen, Steve Carell and Paul Rudd to join original stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson in a new movie.

Rudd subsequently dismissed the claims as "flattering rumours".

But Daily Variety reported on Friday that Columbia has recruited Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky to revive the movie series - which has so far grossed more than $500 million (GBP270 million) worldwide.

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5 September 2008 11:59 AM, PDT

Fantasy horror filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro has projects lined up until 2017, after signing a longterm deal with movie studio Universal.

The Mexican director, who is currently working on Lord of the Rings prequel The Hobbit, has committed his Hollywood future to the studio giant, tying him to Universal until he turns 53.

Del Toro will be busy writing and shooting The Hobbit until 2012, but once that movie wraps, he will take the helm for the first of four new films for Universal bosses.

The movies are all film adaptations of books, including big-screen versions of novels Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five, and Dan Simmons' upcoming tome, Drood, about Charles Dickens' final days.

Del Toro is also due to serve as producer for several of Universal's planned projects, such as Hater and Crimson Peak, reports trade paper Variety.

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5 September 2008 8:57 AM, PDT

Kirsten Dunst may be forced to take the stand to testify against a man accused of breaking into the Spider-man star's New York hotel room and stealing her belongings.

James Jimenez, 33, and Jarrod Beinerman are alleged to have broken into the penthouse suite of the SoHo Grand Hotel while Dunst was staying there last year.

Beinerman has confessed to illegally entering the hotel suite and taking Dunst's $13,000 (GBP7,340) Marc Jacobs purse. He was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in jail this week (ends05Sep08).

But Jimenez has yet to enter a plea and his case looks likely to go to trial.

It means Dunst could be called upon to testify that the stolen items - including $2,500 (GBP1,410) in cash, a cell phone, digital cameras and a Balenciaga bag - belonged to her. Many of the items have still not been returned to the star.

According to the New York Post, Jimenez is pushing for the case to go to trial, but his lawyer Daniel Hupert has refused to confirm the reports, simply stating the case was "proceeding".

The actress was staying at the SoHo Grand Hotel while filming scenes for her forthcoming movie How To Lose Friends and Alienate People.

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5 September 2008 11:59 AM, PDT

Cuban singer/actress Niurka Marcos has ended her one-year marriage, after her husband was caught kissing another woman.

The star wed Yanixan in August 2007, but she announced on Wednesday that she's filing for a legal separation from her second spouse.

Marcos initially jumped to Yanixan's defence when video footage of her husband locking lips with an unidentified female surfaced online, claiming it was being used as a publicity stunt.

But a representative for Marcos has now confirmed to PeopleEnEspanol.com that the couple has parted ways, after the 40-year-old discovered the truth about her husband's infidelity.

Marcos divorced her first husband, Mexican actor Larios, in July 2007.

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5 September 2008 11:59 AM, PDT

Javier Bardem faced a severe backlash in his native Spain after winning an Oscar last year - his countrymen accused him of "selling out".

Bardem won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as a sociopath killer in No Country For Old Men, becoming the first Spanish actor to win the coveted prize.

But he insists he had to work hard to convince Spaniards the recognition he found in the U.S. hadn't inflated his ego.

He says, "The Spanish are tough. They criticise my work and say I sold out. You want to say, 'Stop it - you're a bunch of stupid people.'

"But you are never going to be liked by everybody. After the Oscars, I came back to Madrid, where I live. I wanted to get back to the real world.

"After something like the awards, you've changed a little bit, but everyone around you has changed tremendously. You have to bring them back - you have to show that you are the same stupid, limited guy and not this kind of golden boy."

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5 September 2008 11:59 AM, PDT

Madonna has vetoed her 11-year-old daughter Lourdes' plans to star in a new movie and banned her from any showbiz work until she has finished school.

Lourdes - whose dad is fitness trainer Carlos Leon - had been approached to appear alongside Paul Bettany and Dakota Fanning in forthcoming comedy-drama The Secret Life of Bees, reports America's Star magazine.

But a source tells the publication, "Madonna didn't work 'til after school and she wants it to be the same for Lourdes. She doesn't want her to enter that harsh world."

However, the insider hints the pop superstar may have trouble keeping her daughter away from the bright lights of fame: "Lourdes is pretty determined, so I predict a battle in the future."

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5 September 2008 10:34 AM, PDT

Eva Mendes has sought out a therapist to help her deal with fame.

The sexy actress, who checked into rehab for undisclosed reasons earlier this year, admits therapy has helped her become a better star - and a more charitable one.

She tells Eonline.com, "Up until recently, I was really uncomfortable with having success and enjoying it. I just couldn't deal with that: 'How can I have so much? It's not fair. How can the world have so little?'

"I allowed it to mess with me in the sense that I just didn't know how to handle it.

"I've really broken it down to this simple thing: I deal with everything by giving it away. It's genius. It works."

The 34-year-old actress recently gave away a brand new pair of Cartier sunglasses to an elderly friend, and insisted she felt great afterwards.

She adds, "I said, 'You need to have them. They look really good on you.'"

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5 September 2008 10:34 AM, PDT

Jordan is to enter the Oscar race for the first time in Academy Awards history.

The Middle Eastern kingdom's film experts have selected director Amin Matalqa's Captain Abu Raed for Best Foreign Film consideration.

The family film follows the fortunes of an airport janitor who is mistaken for a pilot.

The movie won an Audience award at January's Sundance Festival.

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5 September 2008 10:34 AM, PDT

Jerry Springer has adopted a pig that was doomed to be turned into bacon and pork chops.

The American TV star and talk show host fell for the porker at the Los Angeles County Fair and swooped in before she could be slaughtered.

He tells the National Enquirer, "They were going to slaughter Bella. So I bought her. She should live about 25 years, so I'm going to put her in my will."

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5 September 2008 10:34 AM, PDT

Paris Hilton is backtracking on her plans to start a family - because she's too busy to get pregnant.

Just last year the socialite announced plans to become a mum, insisting she'd be pregnant within two years.

But now she's had a change of heart because she's busy restarting her acting and music careers.

Hilton reveals her oddball musical Repo: The Genetic Opera will eventually be released on 7 November and she's completing work on her second solo album.

She says, "Right now I'm just focusing on my business and travelling around the world. There's no time for a baby right now."

But she's not writing off motherhood; she tells HollyScoop.com, "I would love to be a mother one day."

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5 September 2008 10:34 AM, PDT

Dexter star Michael C. Hall is secretly dating his onscreen sister Jennifer Carpenter, despite the disapproval of their TV bosses.

The pair plays siblings Dexter and Debra Morgan in the hit series, about a cop who secretly murders serial killers.

And, according to the National Enquirer, Hall and Carpenter are an odd item in real life. They've been dating for almost a year, after Hall separated from his wife Amy Spangler.

The couple has even moved in together, angering bosses at U.S. cable network Showtime, who fear the romance will confuse fans of the show.

A source says, "For months they tried to keep the romance a secret by going to out-of-the-way places and avoiding each other on the set. They still refuse to acknowledge they're in a relationship, but everyone on the set knows they're together."

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5 September 2008 10:34 AM, PDT

Movie beauty Thandie Newton forced director Guy Ritchie to fake a sex scene between her and Rocknrolla co-star Gerard Butler - because the Scottish star was suffering from a cold.

On the day the pair was scheduled to leap between the sheets, Butler arrived on set sick - and Newton was so scared of catching his cold, she refused to kiss him.

The actress says, "Gerry was very unwell indeed. So I wouldn't kiss him. Guy had to improvise. I don't know how he coped with those problems but it ended up being one of the most brilliant scenes."

Meanwhile, Ritchie's wife Madonna tried to cure the sick 300 star with vitamin shots.

He admits his celebrity nurse only served to make him feel worse: "I got a shot from his (Ritchie's) wife Madonna! I was sick,

and she was a nurse basically.

"Guy introduced me to her and she said, 'You're the sick one?' and I said, 'Yes'. Well, she was amazing. She just said, 'Drop your pants'. I stood there with my little bottom out, and she gave me a shot in the bum!

"It didn't work at all - I got more sick!. But I appreciated the effort."

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5 September 2008 10:34 AM, PDT

Patrick Swayze made his first public appearance since his pancreatic cancer diagnosis to provide a big surprise at the start of America's Stand Up 2 Cancer telethon on Friday night.

The Ghost star stepped out from behind a screen at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood to a standing ovation.

Looking thin, but healthy, the ailing actor said, "I keep dreaming of a future, a future with a long and healthy life, a life not lived in the shadow of cancer, but in the light.

"I dream that everyone diagnosed will be fortunate enough to have hope, that every human being lost to cancer isn't gone, but is standing here with us tonight.

"I see a future where all scientists come together with a unified agenda, and share their research and their brilliance...

"We can do anything, but the longer we do nothing, more people will die. Together, we can the make a world where cancer no longer means living with fear, without hope or worse.

"Tonight I stand here, another individual living with cancer, who asks that we not wait any longer and I ask only one thing of you - please stand up with me."

Swayze then joined celebrities like Keanu Reeves, Kirsten Dunst, breast cancer survivor Melissa Etheridge and Salma Hayek to man phones, on which donations would be called in throughout the evening, on the stage at the Kodak.

Sidney Poitier, Jodie Foster and Christina Ricci were among the talking heads who opened the taped segment of the Stand Up 2 Cancer telethon.

The hour-long cancer awareness special, which aired simultaneously on America's three top TV networks, ABC, CBS and NBC, began with a sombre reminder that one American died from cancer during the 30-second message.

Oscar winner Poitier ended the hard-hitting message by stating, "This is where the end of cancer begins... Stand up to cancer."

The TV special then turned to U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, Illinois, where cycling champion Lance Armstong and other cancer survivors addressed cameras with dramatic statistics about the disease.

Armstrong said, "We stand up to the epidemic of cancer, that kills over 550,000 Americans every year and approximately six million people worldwide.

"Fifteen hundred Americans will die today from cancer - that's the equivalent of 9/11 every two days."

To further hammer home his stark message, Armstrong asked every other person in the packed Chicago White Sox ballpark to sit down, and then added coldly, "That is roughly how many of you will get cancer in your lifetime - one in two men and one in three women."

The telethon featured films about cancer awareness and breakthroughs, special messages from those who had suffered at the hands of the disease and performances by pop stars like James Taylor and breast cancer survivor Sheryl Crow.

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5 September 2008 8:57 AM, PDT

Kate Hudson's ex Lance Armstrong has played down reports of his sexual prowess during his cycling heyday, insisting his intense training often left him too exhausted for love.

The seven-time Tour de France champion has been linked to a string of famous stars since divorcing wife Kristin Richard in 2003, including singer Sheryl Crow, young actress Ashley Olsen, and Fool's Gold beauty Hudson.

But he claims he is far from the sex god he is perceived as by the media.

He tells the forthcoming issue of Men's Journal magazine, "I had sex if I had the energy. I wasn't one of those guys who believed in the myths about the guy losing his chi.

"The fact is that if you are riding your bike six, seven hours a day, you are not a sex champion. You're just not. You have fatigue, low testosterone and a lower libido. But you know, I never got any complaints."

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5 September 2008 8:57 AM, PDT

Gossip Girl stars Blake Lively and Leighton Meester have reportedly signed a deal to guest-star on U.S. TV show 30 Rock.

The actresses, who play spoiled students in their hit TV series, will feature in a Gossip Girl-inspired flashback sequence on 30 Rock during main character Liz Lemon's 20-year high school reunion, according to Ew.com.

But fans of the programme will be in for a shock as the sequence will reveal geeky Lemon, who is played by the sitcom's creator Tina Fey, was actually a bullying teenager.

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5 September 2008 8:57 AM, PDT

The Sopranos actor Joe Pantoliano headed to the Republican National Convention in Minnesota this week (begs01Sep08) to lobby politicians on behalf of the mentally ill.

The star, who suffers from clinical depression, runs the No Kidding charity, an organisation which aims to remove the stigma surrounding brain disease.

Pantoliano campaigned outside the U.S. Republican Party's annual event - during which Senator John McCain formally accepted his party's nomination to run for presidency - in a bid to raise awareness and defend sufferers of the illness.

He tells the New York Post's PageSix, "My mum was bi-polar, and it runs in my family.

"We want to take the sting out of mental illness, so it's like having diabetes or asthma, so the all-American brain gets the same constitutional privileges as our gallbladder."

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5 September 2008 8:57 AM, PDT

Seth Rogen's forthcoming movie Zack And Miri Make A Porno has hit a stumbling block - promotional posters for the picture have been banned by members of the U.S. film regulation board.

The upcoming release, directed by Kevin Smith, stars Rogen and Elizabeth Banks as cash-strapped pals who hatch a plan to solve their money problems by making an adult film.

But studio bosses will have to commission a new poster to promote the movie - because the current advertisement, which suggests the characters are engaging in oral sex, has been deemed too explicit by members of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).

The banned poster features two separate and seemingly innocent images of Rogen and Banks fully clothed. But it's the suggestion they are engaging in fellatio - hinted at by the appearance of the back of Banks' blonde head at the crotch of Rogen, and Rogen's curly crop at Banks' groin - that has prompted the board's decision.

And filmmaker Smith is angered at the ruling.

He says, "When you've got the word 'porno' in the title, naturally, the marketing materials are gonna be scrutinised more closely by the MPAA. I understand they've got a job to do, but c'mon.this image isn't that dirty; they're both fully clad."

Officials in neighbouring Canada have given permission for the poster to be displayed.

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5 September 2008 8:57 AM, PDT

Disgraced Olympic athlete Marion Jones has been released from a Texas jail.

The gold medallist is celebrating her freedom after leaving a community corrections centre in San Antonio at 8.44am local time on Friday morning, according to website TMZ.com.

Jones was moved to the San Antonio compound from the Federal Medical Center-Carswell in Fort Worth last month, where she has been serving the remainder of her six-month prison sentence for lying to federal investigators about steroid use and fraud.

The three-time Olympic gold medallist has returned all five medals she won during the 2000 Sydney Olympics in Australia.

She became the first professional sports figure to be incarcerated for steroid use after being sentenced in New York in January this year.

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5 September 2008 5:12 AM, PDT

British actress Keira Knightley has a surprising secret - she is obsessed with gritty TV cop show The Wire.

The Atonement star admits the only time she really treats herself is when she splashes out on DVDs - and hates watching regular television because the commercials annoy her.

And her favourite show of the moment is cult police drama The Wire, which is broadcast on America's HBO network.

She says, "Oh, my god, it's brilliant! I bought season one and rushed out for two and three - and I'll have to get it all. That's my extravagance: drama DVDs.

"I just don't want adverts asking me to change my furniture or to go to an island."

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5 September 2008 5:12 AM, PDT

New Bond girl Olga Kurylenko almost missed out on her big break - because her mother feared she would end up as a prostitute.

The brunette beauty was approached by a modelling agent on a train in Moscow, Russia when she was just 15 years old.

But her mum almost pulled the plug on the offer - because she was convinced the agent was a sex trafficker looking to turn her daughter into a hooker.

Kurylenko, who plays Soviet spy Camille in forthcoming Bond flick Quantum of Solace, says, "I went on vacation to Moscow with my mum, and a woman stopped us on a subway.

"She spoke to my mum and said she thought I could be a model. But my mum and I went back to the Ukraine because we thought we would have to talk about it.

"Then she (the agent) called and asked us to come to do some tests. Mum came with me to see everything was fine and that it was a real agency and not some trafficking of girls to become sex slaves.

"When she knew it was all real, she let me go alone. So I started travelling around the Ukraine and then Europe."

Quantum of Solace is due for release in October.

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