February 06, 2009

Camilla Belle is leaping from being a girl with psychic powers in "Push" to portray the mother of Jesus in "Mary, Mother of Christ". In the latest casting report related to the 22-year-old actress, Belle has been said to be cast as the titular character in the New Testament project by Aloe Entertainment.

The Jill Johnson of "When a Stranger Calls" is joining Jonathan Rhys Meyers, who has been tapped to star as both Gabriel and Lucifer, and Peter O'Toole, who is set to play Symeon, the man who meets Mary and her family in the temple shortly after Jesus' birth. While Belle has been cast for the titular role, Al Pacino and Jessica Lange are reportedly in talks to play Herod and Anna the Prophetess.

Considered as one of the hot commodities in Hollywood show business, Robert Pattinson has been rumored to grace the cover of GQ magazine's April 2009 issue. Celebuzz breaks the report as being informed by several sources.

A representative for the men's magazine declines to give clue on that matter, claiming the media won't "confirm or comment about upcoming issues before they have been completed or closed." Robert as well as his camp also have yet issued a single word on the report.

A videotape creates a major situation in the upcoming episode of "Ugly Betty". In "The Courtship of Betty's Father", Betty tapes a video tribute for Claire Meade's 60th birthday that's very revealing, just not in the way she planned.

But the real shocker comes when Betty accidentally leaves the camera on at home and discovers some revealing footage about Ignacio. Meanwhile, Daniel and Wilhelmina have difficulty adjusting to the new significant others in their lives. The episode airs February 12.

Melissa George has to break the cycle of terror in the promo trailer of "Triangle". Nearly four minutes long, the video footage promoting the psychological thriller set inside the Bermuda Triangle, provides a first look into the horror a woman named Jess has to face when she is stuck in a loop where everything that happens to her happens all over again.

Coming from the director of "Creep" and "Severance", Christopher Smith, "Triangle" revolves around Jess and her friends who set sail on a yacht. When a storm suddenly struck their yacht, they are forced to board a passing ocean liner which seems to be deserted to get to safety. Soon after coming aboard the ship, Jess is convinced she's been there before but what she doesn't know is the horror she will face afterward.

It is at least another 4 months before "True Blood" begins sucking viewers with its second season, and some the cast are coming out to give an update. E! Online, has been trying to dig clues on the answers to the questions that leave the first season hanging. One of the things is whether Lafayette really dies.

It was seen in the very last scene of "True Blood" season one that a foot, very much like Lafayette's, is lifeless in the back seat of Detective Bellefleur's car. To this, Nelsan Ellis who portrays Lafayette, plays it coy saying "They have to wait and see," when asked whether or not it was the end of the character's fate.

"Beezus and Ramona", a movie adaptation of Beverly Cleary's book series of the same name, will see the joining of rising star Selena Gomez. In the feature film project, the "Wizards of Waverly Place" star has been reported to be tapped to play Beezus, the older sister to the energetic, accident-prone Ramona.

By nailing the role, 16-year-old Gomez will be paired up with 9-year-old Joey King since the latter has been signed to portray Ramona following a nationwide casting call done by Fox 2000 Pictures. She will also work under the direction of "Aquamarine" helmer Elizabeth Allen.

Appearing on Katie Couric's "All Access Grammy Special", Jonas Brothers mentioned some people who they consider as their greatest influences. Beside naming some famous individuals in music business, they also credited their parents for becoming their best role models.

Kevin Jonas, the eldest of the band, said, "My mother and father, they influence me greatly not only in a business sense but as a person." As for the people who influence his career in music, he named the likes of John Mayer, Johnny Cash, Prince, Elvis Costello, and Brad Paisley.

Another dip into the crossover event between "Grey's Anatomy" and its spin-off "Private Practice" has been given. Things got complicated not only in the medical cases but also the relationship among Derek, Meredith and Addison.

The two-hours event will be kicked off with a "Grey's" episode called "Before and After". Addison, Naomi and Sam rush the ailing Archer to Seattle Grace and reunite with old friends Derek and Mark to help save his life. Meanwhile, Izzie employs her fellow doctors in a medical game designed to help teach the interns, and Owen runs into a significant someone from his past.

A new song "Forever and a Day" from Lionel Richie has been uncovered. The single is confirmed to be included in "Just Go", his studio album which is due for U.S. purchase on March 10. The man behind the song's production table remains mystery though.

Lionel Richie has lined up Akon as his collaborator in "Just Go". He will also share writing credits with Johnta Austin, Ne-Yo and The-Dream in the album, which will also have contributions from Christopher "Tricky" Stewart and Stargate.

"X-Men Origins: Wolverine" could be coming out earlier than the original schedule. Den of Geek has recently reported that the release date for the spin-off to "X-Men" series has been moved forward, suggesting further that the action-packed film will now hit the U.S. cinemas on April 29 instead of May 1.

If the Gavin Hood-directed film is indeed shifted to the April 29th schedule, it is most likely to open without any competitors unlike its original schedule which puts it alongside Lionsgate animation "Battle for Terra" and New Line Cinema romantic comedy "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past". Nonetheless, this date change report has yet to be confirmed by the 20th Century Fox and the official site of the film still lists it to be released on May 1.

While most of the previously-released stills from "Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li" highlight on Kristin Kreuk's titular character, a freshly-found photo of the live-action adaptation film features Spanish warrior Vega. Posted at /Film, the new image gives away for the first time a closer look at the man behind the mask of the fighter nicknamed the "Spanish Ninja".

In the picture, it can be seen Black Eyed Peas' member Taboo dons an all-black outfit for his portrayal of the warrior. His look is completed with a sharp metal claw and a silver mask. However, instead of wearing the mask to hide his identity, Taboo holds the mask in front of him using his left hand.

In two weeks time "Bones" will return with an episode full of fantasy, comic creatures and fanatics. In "The Princess and the Pear", a female Sci-Fi enthusiast is found murdered and the team is lead to a fantasy convention that has gone wrong. The episode airs February 19.

When a group of eighth-graders find the decomposed body of woman wearing a medieval princess dress, the team is on the scene to investigate. With Booth incapacitated due to a back injury, Agent Payton Perotta (guest star Marisa Coughlin) steps in to help with the investigation. With insight from "squint" Colin Fisher, a self-professed geek and expert in the language of sci-fi, the team identifies the woman as a promotional model from ImagiCon, a convention for fans of comic books, video games and other sci-fi genre entertainment.

In accompaniment of movie, TV, and music categories, athlete nominees for the 22nd Annual Kids' Choice Awards have been unveiled. 14-times Olympic gold medal winner Michael Phelps, who has become the target of public's mock since picture of him smoking marijuana hit the web, is up for the category of Favorite Male Athlete.

Competing for the same category with the 23-year-old swimmer are basketball player LeBron James who plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers and football quarterback Peyton Manning. Professional golfer Tiger Woods, who's been sidelined since undergoing knee surgery in June 2008, is also nominated for the same category.

Taylor Swift's music video promoting "White Horse", the single taken from her second studio effort "Fearless", has got a release date. Directed by Trey Fanjoy, it will be brought forward for the first time on Saturday, February 7 at 8:30 P.M. ET/PT on CMT.

On what the video will be dealing with, Taylor Swift previously noted that "this video's a lot different than the other videos." She continued saying, "We've made because usually we've gone for bright colors and me looking straight into the camera and singing. But this one, it's a little more introspective."

In the awards show where kids' votes count, a number of names and TV shows are unveiled as those vying for the prize. Nickelodeon's 22nd Kids' Choice Awards, put "Hannah Montana" and its star Miley Cyrus in strong competition against "iCarly" and the star Miranda Cosgrove.

Both Disney Channel's "Hannah Montana" and Nick's "iCarly" are up for the category of Favorite TV Show. Miley and Miranda meanwhile, are facing each other again in Favorite Television Actress. The biggest contender on TV however, would be twins Dylan Sprouse and Cole Sprouse who are both under the category of Favorite Television Actor and have their show "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody" nominated for Favorite TV Show.

"High School Musical 3: Senior Year" and "Kung Fu Panda" have collected two nods for Nickelodeon's 22nd annual Kids' Choice Awards. On Thursday, February 5, it was unraveled that while the Walt Disney Pictures musical was up for Favorite Movie, the DreamWorks animation was nominated for Favorite Animated Movie among other nominations.

In the category of Favorite Movie, "High School Musical 3" will be facing strong competition from "Bedtime Stories", "The Dark Knight" and "Iron Man". The Kenny Ortega-directed movie also placed its leading actress Vanessa Hudgens for Favorite Female Movie Star alongside "Marley & Me" star Jennifer Aniston, "Get Smart" actress Anne Hathaway and "Four Christmases" leading lady Reese Witherspoon.

Nominations in music category for this year's Kids' Choice Awards have been announced, and it is revealed that Rihanna and Chris Brown both receive two gongs. Beside the two singers, Beyonce Knowles is also unveiled to collect two nods at the awards.

Rihanna, Chris and Beyonce are all up against each other for Favorite Song title, putting their singles in a stiff competition with Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl". Chris gets his other nomination in Favorite Male Singer, competing Jesse McCartney, Kid Rock and T-Pain, while Rihanna once again goes head-to-head with Beyonce, this time for Favorite Female Singer, in addition to battling Miley Cyrus and Alicia Keys.

Patrick Swayze has confirmed earlier report claiming he is writing a memoir. Bosses of Atria Books, which is one of Simon & Schuster's imprints, also verified the report, confirming in a statement issued Thursday, February 5 that the memoir will be published this fall.

"The currently untitled book will offer an intimate account of Patrick Swayze's childhood, career and marriage, as well as his brave fight against a diagnosis of stage-four pancreatic cancer, from which he has gleaned wisdom and has remained resolutely optimistic," Atria Books' statement read. "Swayze's wife of over 30 years, Lisa Niemi, will give insight into the intensity of her experience and the enormity of helping a loved one battle a life-threatening disease."

The Big Apple has hosted the world premiere of "Confessions of a Shopaholic". On Thursday, February 5, Walt Disney Pictures rolled down red carpet in front of the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City to welcome stars for the special screening event of their upcoming romantic comedy about a fashionista financial columnist whose shopping addiction has put her in major debts.

Despite the frigid temperatures of the particular night, stars were bracing the cold to join the celebration. Hugh Dancy, Isla Fisher, Joan Cusack, John Goodman, Krysten Ritter, Leslie Bibb, Nick Cornish and Wendie Malick were among the film's cast ensemble seen attending the premiere.

One more step is taken for the spin-off to "Gossip Girl". As previously reported, the new show will focus on the early life of Lily van der Woodsen in the 1980s Los Angeles and an actress has been cast to be the older sister of Lily.

Krysten Ritter who is involved in both "'Til Death" and "Breaking Bad", has been signed to play the role of Carol Rhodes. This character will play a major role in changing Lily's way of life, from the high-class society to the junky lifestyle in the San Fernando Valley. Carol is the black sheep in the Rhodes clan and Lily will move in with her in L.A. after falling out with her parents.

Jonas Brothers are believed to share stage with Stevie Wonder at the live show of the 51st Annual Grammy Awards this coming weekend. Spilling the beans on the duet performance is USA Today, which yet gives any clue on what song they will be singing at the awards.

Another collaboration to expect from the 2009 Grammy Awards comes from Paul McCartney and Foo Fighters' dummer Dave Grohl. Backed up by Dave on drums, Paul will be performing "I Saw Her Standing There", the track penned by Paul himself and John Lennon for The Beatles' 1963 debut album "Please Please Me".

Cereal and snack maker Kellogg Co. has decided not to renew its contract with Michael Phelps due to his marijuana-smoking picture which was made public by News of the World on late Saturday, January 31. A confirmation on the contract severance has been made by the company's spokeswoman on Thursday, February 5.

"We originally built the relationship with Michael, as well as the other Olympic athletes, to support our association with the U.S. Olympic team," the spokeswoman said in a statement. "Michael's most recent behavior is not consistent with the image of Kellogg. His contract expires at the end of February and we have made a decision not to extend his contract."

One of the biggest questions surrounding "Lost" has been unveiled through the preview that was released yesterday. Jin is alive and is making a return on the February 11 episode called "The Place is Death". Providing further details on the comeback is Daniel Dae Kim who plays Jin.

In the final episodes of the fourth season, Jin was presumably dead after the oil tanker where he was last seen blew up in the middle of the ocean. Ben however, reveals to Sun that Jin is still very much alive and that he can prove it.

Actress-singer Hilary Duff is teaming up with DKNY Jeans to design her own line of rock-inspired denim jeans, tunics and scarves. Her trendy collection will be named Femme for DKNY Jeans. Explaining on the chosen name, Duff reveals, "One of the hardest things is to come up with a name. But I think Femme works really well and explains the line perfectly as feminine but tough all at the same time. It's aggressive, but in a good way."

"I love the idea that the collection reaches a lot of people and provides them with so many different options," so Duff says about the line she does for the fashion brand. "There is truly something in this line for every girl whose styles change every day, like mine does. I think it's the perfect line for young girls who can't afford to buy a lot of clothes these days."

IGN has got its hands on the featurette of "Angels & Demons". Focusing on the secret organization named the Illuminati, the featurette contains commentary from director Ron Howard and cast members, Tom Hanks and Ewan McGregor, detailing on the history of the organization which becomes the center of the story in the film.

In the video footage, Howard reveals that he is most engrossed with the Illuminati when reading the Dan Brown's novel, while Hanks tells why he loves making the movie, reasoning that they are "sort of making a trip to the Renaissance" with the film. While most of the scenes featured in the featurette have been revealed through previous videos, some of them present never-before-seen footage.

A brand new single entitled "Ringtone" from Big Boi has made its way around. The song has been confirmed to be one of the materials in the rapper's upcoming solo studio album "Sir Luscious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty".

Big Boi is yet to announce the release date for his forthcoming effort. However, tracklisting for the record has come out, confirming fourteen new songs and one bonus track. Mary J. Blige, Chris Brown, Andre Benjamin a.k.a Andre 3000, Ciara, Jadakiss and T.I. among others are lined up as his collaborators in the LP.

Miley Cyrus gets support from fellow "Hannah Montana: The Movie" star Melora Hardin over her much-talked picture that shows her and friends making "goofy faces", because of which she has been accused to have mocked Asians. "When you're 15 and you're in the spotlight, who wouldn't court some controversy? I would have if I had been in the spotlight at 15," Hardin told MTV News at the screening of movie "He's Just Not That Into You."

"Weren't we all doing naughty things? I hope we were ... at least somewhat naughty, not too naughty," she continued. "A little naughty is good!"

A single which will be performed by Jennifer Hudson during the gala ceremony of the 51st Annual Grammy awards has been revealed. She is confirmed by producer for the show, Ken Ehrlic, during a rehearsal on February 5 to deliver "You Pulled Me Through", a ballad song written by Diane Warren for Jennifer's 2008 self-titled debut album.

In another Grammys news, former members of Blink-182; Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge and Travis Barker will be reuniting on the stage of this year's annual event. They are announced by the Recording Academy to serve as presenters at the stars-studded show.

Warner Bros. Pictures have brought forth three new international movie posters for "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince". One of the one-sheets features a close-up look at Harry Potter with a Dumbledore's reflection in his glasses. It came from an Italian site, My Movies.

Meanwhile, the remaining two other posters were outed by MSN. Each of the posters focuses solely on either Harry Potter or his mentor Albus Dumbledore in their vigilant pose. All of the one-sheets present a gloomy tone to the latest "Harry Potter" installment.

U.K. is looking forward to cash in on "Camp Rock" popularity by producing a new TV show based on the original TV movie. The network is looking for youngsters between eight to sixteen to fill in the roles in new TV talent show "My Camp Rock" and be the U.K. version of Hannah Montana.

Those interested and have what it takes to be the next Disney star, are welcomed to submit an audition tape of themselves performing "This is Me" or "We Rock" from "Camp Rock". Eight qualified contestants will make it as finalists and sent on a boot camp in Essex where they will be trained vocally by "Any Dream Will Do" vocal coach, Zoe Tyler, and given dance classes by professionals.

Etta James admits to have fooled around when slamming Beyonce Knowles over the 27-year-old's "At Last" performance during Barack Obama's inauguration ball. On emphasizing the matter, she says that she is "a comedian besides a singer."

Etta says, "She's up here singing my song, now what am I gonna do? I'm a comedian besides a singer. I wasn't doing it to be hateful... I think I'm funny and she's not the only one I'll say something about." She then adds, "She got up there and sang it and didn't give me a chance to sing 'At Last'."

A brand new trailer of "Land of the Lost" has been premiered via Subway Fresh Buzz. Serving as the extended version of the Super Bowl spot outed on Sunday, February 1, the more-than-two-minute promotional video presents more glimpses into the comedy movie starring Will Ferrell, Anna Friel and Danny McBride.

The trailer kicks off with a Today show with Matt Lauer wherein Ferrell's eccentric character Dr. Rick Marshall has been invited as a guest. Providing more on the interview scenes, the footage shows how Marshall goes berserk when he is offended by Lauer's statement during the interview. The video then cuts to the time Marshall, his research assistant Holly and a redneck survivalist Will fall into the adventure they never think possible to happen.

On Monday, February 9, "CSI: Miami" will present a guest starring slot filled P. Diddy. The rapper who has been dwelling himself in the acting realm, will play attorney Derek Powell whom Horatio and the team suspect as covering up for a murder. The episode is called "Presumed Guilty".

It was reported in November last year that Diddy's cameo in the police drama series will not be a one time stint. He has signed for another one which is also scheduled to air early this year. It will reportedly be the right one after "Presumed Guilty", which is titled "Sink or Swim" and is scheduled to air March 2.

Bulking up after being diagnosed with a potentially fatal heart condition eight months ago, Nick Carter has no hesitation to shed his clothes off and bare his chest for this week's issue of People. To the weekly publication he opens up about his health struggles after 10 years of battling with alcohol and drugs.

Nick was touring with his band Backstreet Boys in Europe last spring, when he suddenly experienced mild chest discomfort and fatigue. Undergoing medical tests, he was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, which is described as a weakening of the heart muscle which can require a transplant or lead to sudden death.

Jonas Brothers' music video for single "BB Good" has been available to peek through a video footage from their upcoming movie "Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience". Sometimes intercepted with a scene from "Tonight" music video, the sneak peek features the band performing the song at one of their live shows.

A full-length official music video for "BB Good" will be premiered during Disney Channel's show "Night of Stars" on February 16 at around 8:20 P.M. In addition to debuting Jonas Brothers' music video, the show will also become a place to get a first look into Miley Cyrus' music video for her track "The Climb", which will be included in "Hannah Montana: The Movie".

In an interview with the Baltimore Sun, his first ever interview since his smoking-marijuana pic was made public last week, Michael Phelps admitted it "definitely wasn't easy" for him to explain to his mother, Debbie, about what is going on. "Seeing my mom reminded me of how it was the day after I got my DUI, and I swore to myself I'd never do that again," he said. "This is just a stupid thing of mine that I did, and I have to live with it."

"We've been talking a lot," Phelps recounted further. He then added that following the incident he's been spending the past several days with his mother and his two sisters. "I've been able to get back to my family. It's part of my life I need back," he revealed. "It's something I am going to have to live with, and something I'll have to grow from."

It is official, "Sex and the City 2" is on the go. In the latest report related to the much anticipated sequel to "Sex and the City", New Line Cinema spokeswoman Candice McDonough confirmed to the Associated Press that the four main actresses, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon, will indeed reunite for another feature film installment of the popular HBO's TV series.

In addition to the return of the "Sex and the City" stars, AP also announced that writer-director Michael Patrick King has also signed a contract to pen the script for the sequel. "I'm very excited to work with these amazing actresses again and would love to give everyone more information about the sequel...but I'm busy with my 'Sex' life," so King said in a statement released to the trade.