The movie offers continue to come in for Miley Cyrus

Miley Cyrus

First, her mother reportedly optioned the rights for a music video to be made into a feature-length film.

Now, the screenwriter behind Disturbia and Paranormal Activity 2 has said in a new interview that he hopes to work with Cyrus on "Wake," a big screen version of Lisa McMann's book series.

"It's sort of a vehicle for Miley Cyrus," Landon says. "She is looking to sort of get out of her cutesy Hannah Montana image... She wanted to do something a little edgier and a little darker, so we're making this movie hopefully... It's about a teenage girl who has a rare form of narcalepsy. When she's within a certain distance of someone sleeping, she passes out and goes into their dreams."

Landon says there's "definitely a spooky element to it."

Cyrus has made it clear she hopes to be taken seriously as a movie actress. She just finished filming LOL with Demi Moore and Ashley Greene.

Information Source : Google and Yahoo Search

DON'T MISS 

• CELEBRITY PLANET
• LEAD NEWS TODAY
• MOBILE OR CELLPHONE SETS GLOBE

The movie offers continue to come in for Miley Cyrus

John Travolta, Kelly Preston Show Off Son

John Travolta

The celebrity baby birth everyone was hoping would go off without a hitch thankfully did last fall, and now John Travolta and Kelly Preston are showing off the cute fruit of her (most likely silent) labor.

Just shy of his two-month birthday, little Ben—born Nov. 23—is making his cover debut on not one but two magazines this week (People and Hello!), alongside his beaming parents.

"He's brought us a new beginning," John and Kelly told People, referring to the little tyke as their "miracle."

"He's given the house a renewed sense and purpose," 56-year-old papa John added.

He further exclaimed their happiness to Hello!, saying, "For us it's been uplifting. Especially when he smiles at me and seems contented in my arms."

As for the birth, it did indeed go smoothly, with Travolta holding the 48-year-old Preston's hand throughout the whole of her labor.

Kelly Preston

The couple's daughter, 10-year-old Ella Bleu, was also present, albeit outside the delivery room. She was being watched over by the family's close pal Kirstie Alley, who was also present for the occasion.

The duo also shared adorable details of their new lives in Ocala, saying their days and nights are now filled with multiple readings of Good Night, Gorilla and dad crooning one of his favorite lullabies, "A Bushel and a Peck."

However, both parents told People that the best moment from little Ben's life so far has been sharing his first smile. Awww. Um, is that some dust in your eye? Yeah, ours, too.

Information Source : Google and Yahoo Search

DON'T MISS 

• CELEBRITY PLANET
• LEAD NEWS TODAY
• MOBILE OR CELLPHONE SETS GLOBE

John Travolta, Kelly Preston Show Off Son

Erika Dunlap former Miss America to Co-Host the 9th Annual Multicultural Business Conference

Miss America to Co-Host the 9th Annual Multicultural Business Conference
Southport, CT - April 6, 2009 / -- DiversityBusiness.com, the nation's leading multicultural business website, today announced 9th Annual Multicultural Business Conference, taking place April 29 - May 1, 2009 at Disney' Contemporary resort in Orlando, Florida. The conference is hosted by Erika Dunlap former Miss America. Mr.. Kevin Brown, Chief Procurement Officer of Dell is this year's honorary chairman.
Keynote speakers include Kathy Ireland, supermodel/actress and CEO of Kathy Ireland World Wide (KIWW). KIWW was recently named the number one “Women Owned Business in America” by DiversityBusiness.com. . other keynote speakers include: Phoebe Eng, Susan Wilson Solovic, Dr. Leonard Greenhalgh and Judge Glenda Hatchett.

The nation's leading conference on business initiatives in Diversity and Multiculturalism covers the areas of Inclusion, Human Resources, Supplier Diversity, Multicultural Marketing and Ethnic Advertising.

Over 1,200 Attendees are expected from Major corporations, Educational Institutions, Government Agencies and business owners.

Learn More about the Conference

The conference offers Education, Training and Networking for:

* Chief Diversity Officer
* Entrepreneurs
* Business Owners
* Supplier Diversity, Purchasing, Marketing and Human Resource Executives
* Government Decision-makers
* Financial Services Professionals
* Corporate Diversity Executives
* College/University Administrators and Faculty
* Diversity Consultants and Trainers



About DiversityBusiness.com
Launched in 1999, DiversityBusiness, with over 46,000 members, is the largest organization of diversity owned businesses throughout the United States that provide goods and services to Fortune 1000 companies, government agencies, and colleges and universities. DiversityBusiness provides research and data collection services for diversity including the "Top 50 Organizations for Multicultural Business Opportunities", "Top 500 Diversity Owned Companies in America", and others. Its research has been recognized and published by Forbes Magazine, Business Week and thousands of other print and internet publications. The site has gained national recognition and has won numerous awards for its content and design. It is a leading provider of Supplier Diversity management tools and has the most widely distributed Diversity magazine in the United States. DiversityBusiness.com is produced by Computer Consulting Associates International Inc. (CCAii.com) of Southport, CT. Founded in 1980.


Source: www.diversitybusiness.com

Erika Dunlap former Miss America to Co-Host the 9th Annual Multicultural Business Conference

New Jersey singer-songwriter Patti Scialfa best known as a backing vocalist

New Jersey singer-songwriter Patti Scialfa was best known as a backing vocalist for her husband Bruce Springsteen's E-Street Band, until she started releasing her own albums. Scialfa began her musical career after she graduated from NYU. She took to busking in Sheridan Square in the center of Greenwich Village. She began playing on the BIg Appple's club scene in the early 1980s and to sing back up for rock acts on tour and in the studio including David Johansen, the Rolling Stones and Southside Johnny and thre Asbury Jukes. Before joining the E-Street Band for 1984's Born In the USA tour, she signed a recording contract with Columbia Records as a solo artist based on the strength of her demos. However, because of a tumultuous touring aschedule based on the runaway success of Born In The USA, her marriage to Springsteen in 1988, and the family they began immediately after, her debut album Rumbledoll, did not appear until 1993. Domestic life, songwriting, and the 1999 reunion of the E-Street Band all conspired to delay her solo career. 23rd Street Lullaby, her excellent sophomore effort, was issued in June of 2004. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide.


Source:music.yahoo.com

New Jersey singer-songwriter Patti Scialfa best known as a backing vocalist

Jordana Brewster Biography

An exotic beauty with long, luxurious dark hair, flawless skin and intense eyes, Jordana Brewster spent a peripatetic upbringing bouncing between such far flung locations as NYC, London and Rio de Janeiro. The granddaughter of former Yale president Kingman Brewster and daughter of an investment banker and a model, she began performing as a child, earning her first screen credit as a dancer in a 1988 Brazilian children's film starring the popular Xuxa. Settling in Manhattan, Brewster ventured into daytime serials in 1995, first briefly playing the youngest member of a Hispanic family on ABC's "All My Children" before jumping networks to CBS to undertake the teen heroine Nikki Graves on "As the World Turns". After spending three years (1995-98) on the soap, Brewster left with the intention of attending Yale, but her acting career took off after she was cast as the bitchy cheerleader Delilah in the teen horror flick "The Faculty" (1998). She followed with a strong turn as a teenager who becomes involved in the antiwar movement in the 1999 NBC miniseries "The 60s" before undertaking another feature, playing Cameron Diaz's sister in "The Invisible Circus" (2000). Brewster gained considerable exposure in her co-starring role in 2001's race car movie "The Fast and the Furious." Though the offers came pouring in after that, Brewster elected to return to Yale to finish her undergraduate schooling and take a break from the acting world for a while. She made her return to film with “D.E.B.S.” (2005), a silly spy-comedy about four high school girls in plaid skirts who really work as top secret agents for the U.S. government. Brewster played the sultry super villain Lucy Diamond, with whom lead D.E.B. Amy (Sara Foster) falls in love despite her mission to find and capture Diamond’s gang.

* Born: April 26, 1980 in Panama City, Panama
* Job Titles: Actress, Dancer

Family

* Father: Alden Brewster.
* Grandfather: Kingman Brewster Jr. Served as president of Yale University from 1963 to 1977
* Grandmother: Mary Louise Brewster.
* Mother: Maria Jaao. Brazilian; appeared in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue
* Sister: Isabella Brewster. Younger

Significant Others

* Companion: Mark McGrath. Dated from 2003-2004; no longer together
* Husband: Andrew Form. Met while acting in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006), which he produced; married in May 2007 on Nevis Island in the Caribbean
* Companion: Derek Jeter. dating as of June 2002
* Companion: Mark Wahlberg. began dating in late 1998; Brewster confirmed they were no longer together in June 2001

Education

* Yale University, New Haven, CT, English

Milestones

* 1988 First film appearance, the Brazilian-made Super Xuxa: Contra Baixo Astral
* 1995 Appeared as teen heroine Nikki Graves on the CBS daytime drama As the World Turns
* 1995 Briefly played the role of Anita Santos on the ABC daytime drama All My Children
* 1998 Made US feature film debut in Robert Rodriguez s The Faculty
* 1999 Had featured role in the NBC miniseries The 60s
* 2001 Breakout role as Paul Walker s love interest, Mia Toretto in The Fast and the Furious
* 2001 Co-starred with Cameron Diaz and Christopher Eccleston in The Invisible Circus
* 2005 Played the title role in Nearing Grace
* 2006 Co-starred with James Franco in Justin Lin s Annapolis
* 2006 Starred in the prequel film, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
* 2008 Had a recurring role as the title character s former girlfriend on NBC s Chuck
* 2009 Reprised role of Mia Toretto in Fast & Furious
* Raised in London, Rio de Janeiro and NYC

Source : movies.yahoo.com

Jordana Brewster Biography

Demi Moore's millions of Tweets have finally saved a human life.

After a short furlough, Monday Morning Good News is back, brimming with happy and clenched tightly in the jaws of the Joy Kitten, the purring spirit of goodwill, and attacking plastic shopping bags:

As the law of probabilities would dictate, Demi Moore's millions of Tweets have finally saved a human life.

An online chain of posts involving the Twitter empress prompted California police to go to the aid of a woman who was having suicidal thoughts, the Associated Press reports.

San Jose Sgt. Ronnie Lopez says the department received a phone call early Friday morning from a person in Dallas who was tipped off to a supposed suicide attempt through the social-networking site.

Moore, a popular celebrity Twitterer, was involved in a discussion on the site that began when a user sent the actress what appeared to be suicidal notes.

Lopez says officers made immediate contact with a 48-year-old female resident of San Jose and transferred her to a local hospital for "psychiatric evaluation."

He says there were no injuries.

Demi Moore's millions of Tweets have finally saved a human life.

Dancer and Choreographer Alex Da Silva Arrested in Sexual Assault Cases

Alex Da Silva, a dancer, choreographer and teacher who has appeared on the Fox television show “So You Think You Can Dance,” was arrested in Hollywood on Saturday on suspicion of sexually assaulting four dance students, The Associated Press reported. Mr. Da Silva, 41, is being held on $3.8 million bail. He is expected to appear in court on Tuesday. Detective John Eum of the Los Angeles Police Department told reporters that Mr. Da Silva had been accused in 2003, 2004 and 2005 of sexually assaulting three women, but that prosecutors had not filed charges. On March 28, another woman accused him of luring her into his home and raping her. The recent accusation led police to reopen the earlier cases and interview those accusers again.




Source: nytimes.com

Dancer and Choreographer Alex Da Silva Arrested in Sexual Assault Cases

First look at Amy Poehler's 'Parks and Recreation', a new comedy

Here are a few clips from Amy Poehler's new NBC comedy, "Parks and Recreation," which debuts Thursday. The final clip is of Poehler talking about the show.

I'll have a full review of the show in a couple of days. The kindest thing to say about it is that it's a work in progress. I think what you'll be seeing in a lot of reviews this week is the following sentiment: "The Office" took a while to find itself and "30 Rock" was far from a home run in its early going, and that may be the case with this show, which was created by "Office" writer/producers Greg Daniels and Michael Schur.

That's a diplomatic way of saying that the pilot for "Parks and Recreation" is not terrific. But I'd guess that a lot of people who write about TV will try to be diplomatic in their reviews of the show, because Poehler is unquestionably a very funny person, as evidenced by her career at "Saturday Night Live."

Whether "Parks and Recreation" will be a suitable and appealing use of her talents remains to be seen. But you can get an idea of what the show's like for yourself from the clips below.

Poehler's character, Leslie Knope, talks with Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari).


Source: featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com

First look at Amy Poehler's 'Parks and Recreation', a new comedy

Cheryl Hines Plays ‘Good Cop`

After discovering the idea of good cop versus bad cop, children are often savvy enough to play one parent against the other. For 5-year-old Catherine Rose, her job has been simplified — there is no bad cop! “I’m pretty much the good cop,” says Cheryl Hines, before admitting that her husband Paul Young shares the same role. Laughing that her little girl is “clearly very spoiled,” the actress explains she is looking to keep Catherine happy, which means wiping away her tears when she cries. “I coddle! Are you kidding me? I cry with her!” she tells Cookie magazine. “I’m the worst. I’m not the strictest mom in the world, but you only live once, right?”

Although Cheryl may be keen on keeping Catherine content, when it comes to bedtime, the 43-year-old mom is determined to keep her little girl on a schedule. With nights spent laying down as a family of three reading books together before their daughter falls asleep, the In the Motherhood actress often finds her bedtime routines being questioned! “I come home and it’s like 10 o’clock and Paul and Catherine are watching TV on the couch together,” she shares. “It’s not the end of the world, but I think we probably disagree on that a little bit.” Apparently Paul isn’t the only one causing a stir in the great bedtime debate — Catherine is always up for the challenge as well!

“It’s funny when she tries to manipulate me. When it’s time to go to bed, she’ll bargain with me. She’ll tell me she will go to bed if I let her watch her favorite movie. Things like that, where it’s like, ‘Well, that’s not really a negotiation.’”

After welcoming Catherine when she was 39-years-old, Cheryl has no regrets about entering into the realm of parenthood as a “late mom-bloomer,” explaining that she was able to do it all before dedicating herself to her child. Hopefully, her long list of accomplishments included a great deal of sleep! “[Catherine] sleeps with us a lot,” she says. “I worry that I’m cutting off her circulation or that somehow I’ve gotten her tangled in the blanket.”

Cheryl Hines Plays ‘Good Cop`

Patricia Clarkson revels in title as indie-film royalty

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Patricia Clarkson has a regal bearing to match the aristocratic nickname she has gained in the movie business: queen of independent film.

"People have given me that title, have bestowed that title on me. I'm honored," Clarkson said in an interview Thursday before accepting an independent acting award from ShoWest, an annual convention for theater owners. "The independent film community is a powerful community, and if somebody wants to say I'm queen of it, I'm lucky. Very lucky."

Clarkson's latest film is "Whatever Works," her second straight movie with Woody Allen after last year's "Vicky Cristina Barcelona." Screening Thursday at ShoWest, "Whatever Works" stars Larry David as a New Yorker whose change in lifestyle throws him in with a Southern family, including Clarkson.

Late this year, Clarkson, 49, has the lead in the independent romance "Cairo Time," playing a woman in a brief encounter with an Egyptian man (Alexander Siddig). She also co-stars in "Shutter Island," the latest collaboration between Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio, though Clarkson is coy about her role.

"I can't really tell you a lot about my character because it's kind of a surprise," Clarkson said. "Leonardo DiCaprio encounters me in the film in a cave. I'm the lady in the cave."

An Academy Award nominee for 2003's "Pieces of April," Clarkson has appeared in such independent pictures as "The Station Agent," "Lars and the Real Girl," "High Art," "All the Real Girls" and "Far From Heaven." Clarkson won two Emmys for a recurring role on "Six Feet Under."

While independent films have been Clarkson's bread and butter for years, she said recent turmoil in indie cinema may not be a bad thing in the long run. Some big studios have closed their independent banners and financing has tightened for smaller productions, which have had a tougher time making inroads at the box office.

"Making an independent film should always be hard. That's the whole point," Clarkson said. "The problem is there's been too much product, and the industry can't support it. There are not enough theaters, there are not enough distributors, there's not enough money. The playing field is leveling.

"When I did `High Art' back in 1997, I knew like two other people who were doing an independent film. Now everybody does. It was a rare event to get an independent film made, and I'm not saying we want to go completely back to those days, but we have to find the happy medium."

Patricia Clarkson revels in title as indie-film royalty

A star bearing George Harrison's name will be added to the famous......

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Hollywood's glittering Walk of Fame is to get a new star with late Beatle George Harrison being added posthumously to the famous walkway.

A star bearing Harrison's name will be added to the famous sidewalk in a ceremony on April 14 to be attended by his widow, Olivia, and son, Dhani, organizers said.

Guitarist Harrison, who died of cancer in 2001 at the age of 58, was a schoolfriend of Paul McCartney and at 16 helped found The Quarrymen, which later became The Beatles.

He wrote many of the Fab Four's top hits including "Here Comes The Sun," "Something," and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps."

After the group split up in 1970, Harrison pursued a solo career and had a global hit with the song "My Sweet Lord."

Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese is currently filming a documentary about Harrison's life, and Capitol/EMI will announce plans for a new Harrison music release on April 14.

A star bearing George Harrison's name will be added to the famous......

Heidi Montag Staging $200K Breakup

With all the speculation circulating after The Hills Season 5 trailer seems to hit at Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt splitting up, the gruesome twosome decided to call Ryan Seacrest's radio show on Friday to set the record straight.

Well, by setting the record straight, what we really mean is giving vague, vomit inducing, self-promoting answers. We're talking about Speidi here.

"Rumors, rumors," said the smarmy celeb gossip Svengali known as Spencer Pratt. "Breaking up? I could never do without the love of my life."

As for reports that they're planning a public "break up" via a four-part magazine story netting them $200,000 - a la their staged their Cabo "wedding"?

"Wow, can you get that deal for us?" asked Heidi. "That would be great."

"So you are breaking up," responded Ryan Seacrest.

"No," insisted Heidi Montag, before dropping a little Hills spolier-plug: "I mean, you'll have to tune in Monday to see we are having some difficulties."

he plastic pair's so-called "difficulties" this season apparently stem from him hitting on a bartender and, according to Heidi Montag (as if she isn't 100 percent aware of it), "God only knows what else he's been doing."

"So did you hook up with the bartender?" asked Ryan.

"You'll have to tune in on Monday night," replied Spencer Pratt, to which Ryan Seacrest could old offer up a short, simple reply that sums up our feelings toward this article, as well as toward Speidi as a whole these days:

"That answer bores me."

Heidi Montag Staging $200K Breakup

Gossip Girl Lily Allen

It's time for our weekly recap of the recap! This week, making a thing of it, Daily Intel's Commenter from back-in-the-day, Comfortably Smug, rounds up the best of the comments from this week's reality index. If you're a regular commenter and you'd like this unpaid honor, email us at intel@nymag.com

The absence of secret societies, legal wrangling over Bass Industries, and other distractions in last week's episode of Gossip Girl elevated our hopes for a late-season return to form. There were the breakups, hook-ups, make-ups, and ragers that had initially formed the foundation of the Gossip Girl we fell in love with so long ago. Nate with B, Serena gone wild, and Chuck getting his allotment of cardio exercise gave us exactly what we needed to keep breath bated while we wait for the show's return later this month. (And Chris and Jessica realize that they misheard what Vanya said about Dorota, but you have to understand, they have old-fashioned TVs, and everyone knows it's impossible to hear asides when they're not in HD.)

Special note. We'd like to take this time to congratulate the lovely miss Julie Stone for being the first Daily Intel commenter to appear in an episode of The Greatest Show of Our Time as a member of Poppy's entourage. Bravo!

Gossip Girl Lily Allen

Kellie Pickler will return to the "American Idol" stage

Tuesday, as Paula Abdul revealed Wednesday night, the top eight "American Idol" contestants will perform songs from the year they were born. Hope you like '80s music.

Then, the night after the top 8 Cyndi Lauper it up, Season 5 finalist Kellie Pickler will return to the "American Idol" stage to serenade the contestants with her new ode to girl-power, “Best Days of Your Life.”

Since her time on "Idol" three years ago, Kellie Pickler has been charming the country community with her super-hot-girl-next-door vibe and charmingly ditzy one-liners. Her second album recently debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Album Chart. But the real question is, why has nobody thought to make a reality show about this girl yet?

Kellie co-wrote “Best Days of Your Life” — the song she will perform on "Idol" — with fellow fair-haired country star Taylor Swift. In the fun and flirty music video for the tune, Taylor plays guitar and sings backup. And their collaborations don't stop there. Kellie is getting set to open for Taylor on her 52-city Fearless Tour 2009.

Kellie Pickler will return to the "American Idol" stage

Robert Pattinson Fighting on ‘New Moon’ Set

Whenever a movie reaches the levels of exposure and fame that “Twilight” has, rumors are certain to surface about anything and everything, from the relationships between cast members to what they do in the privacy of their own homes. In this context, hearing that Robert Pattinson has gotten physical with much younger Taylor Lautner over who the male hottie on the set of “New Moon” is should probably not come as too much of a surprise.

Fans of the film and the actors who appear in it should bear in mind, though, that this story comes from a tabloid, therefore it would be recommended if we took it with a grain of salt. With this in mind, Life&Style Weekly is reporting that sources on the set of “New Moon” speak of a real drama over Lautner getting to be the lead in the sequel, thus stealing Robert’s thunder. Moreover, the spies say, the conflict has even escalated to physical violence, according to ICYDK.

“Taylor Lautner has taken Robert Pattinson’s place as New Moon’s leading man, Jacob Black, and now the newly announced cast that makes up the movie’s wolf pack has stepped on Robert’s heartthrob territory. Even worse, the crew’s reportedly leaking rumors about his bad hygiene, and his co-stars are dishing about Rob’s pickup lines. In the meantime, Taylor’s clearly reveling in his new role – and the notice he’s getting for the roughly 30 pounds of muscle he packed on – from fans and co-star Kristen Stewart.” the tab writes.

To add more fuel to the fire, the same sources also speak of Robert’s jealousy at seeing Kristen so close to Taylor in recent weeks, more so as he happens to be very insecure about his looks and extremely shy. Pattinson is not even confident in his kissing technique and fears that his shot at stardom was only short lived, they also add, in what has already been labeled by Robert’s fans (and not only) the most ludicrous statement any tabloid could have ever made.

“He’s feeling very worried about his status as a fading superstar. And his friends are also concerned that Robert’s Twilight success may have only been short-lived, and they feel bad for him.” the same spies stress for the magazine. As expected, no publicist connected to Pattinson or “Twilight” has confirmed this story in any way but, if the past is any indication, we should expect a denial from Robert himself. In the meanwhile, fans are free to regard this rumor as they see fit.

Robert Pattinson Fighting on ‘New Moon’ Set

Hannah Montana-Miley Cyrus

Hannah Montana: The Movie has all the makings of a Disney flick: a heroine kids can relate to, track after track of danceable music, and friends from the animal kingdom. In this case, it has ostriches. At a recently held press conference, Miley Cyrus and Jason Earles talked about some embarrassing moments behind the scenes, one of which was the actor’s brush with the birds.

For Hannah Montana: The Movie, Jason Earles has a scene with a rather irritable feathered cast member, who ended up biting him in the face. Describing the ostrich as “a 6-foot-tall prehistoric bird with a brain the size of a bottle cap,” the actor recalled how he had to deal with the animal for the first time.

Earles said that the trainer handed him the bird on a leash and then told him, “Don’t pull on that [the leash]. He doesn’t like that.” Afterwards, all that the actor had on his mind was “Please, God, please don’t let him bite me ... and the first thing he did was bite me right here,” Earles explained, pointing to his nose.

The ostrich might have stolen the spotlight right there, since the scene was actually included in the movie itself. Hearing the story, Miley Cyrus exclaimed “And they used the part when you got bit!”

Those who can’t wait to see an ostrich peck Hannah Montana’s brother on the nose might enjoy the clip below. It’s a series of bloopers and outtakes from Hannah Montana: The Movie, filled with bugs and even more crazy animals. And it’s not just the ostriches or the horses.

“I've befriended some of the chickens and I want to take them home with me now,” Miley says on the video. “All the other stars walk around with their little dogs; I'm going to have my little chicken.”

Hannah Montana-Miley Cyrus

Fast & Furiously Energetic

Dominic Toretto is back and though he may not be as readily iconic a character as say the Terminator or Neo it is good to see that shaven head behind the wheel of a souped-up car again.

The second of the three characters that Vin Diesel made famous a few years ago (Riddick from Pitch Black and Xander Cage from xXx being the other two) returns with the rest of crew from the first movie in this fourth go around for fast cars and testosterone-fuelled posturing entitled Fast & Furious.

Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker) is still FBI, Dominic is still boosting contraband in high-risk situations and the ladies are called upon to do little more than growl and posture (Michelle Rodriguez as Letty) or pout and shed tears (Jordana Brewster as Mia) and things come to a head when a death brings the boys together, almost against their will.

O'Conner and Toretto's paths cross when the FBI's investigation into drug-running involving highly-skilled drivers in super fast cars intersects with Toretto's quest for revenge. With the men behind the wheels of mean machines and the energy levels pumped up to maximum, things are set up to be stylishly intense for most of the film's running time.
If you've ever seen even a part of one of the movies in the Fast/Furious series, you know that some talking happens between fast driving set-pieces designed to make you grip your seat arms in excitement and blow you back against multiplex upholstery. This latest edition does not skimp on the fast driving extravaganzas.

Beginning with the illegal appropriation of gasoline in the Dominican Republic, and leading through races in night-time traffic, across borders through a labyrinth of underground tunnels (twice) and using increasingly high-tech gadgetry to stay below police (and other law enforcement) radar, the juice is always wrung right out of every action sequence. Cars are smashed, blown up, driven into each other and there is so much metal-on-metal action that a car fetishist should be well and truly spent by the time the end credits roll on this bad boy.

Along the way, Diesel also gets to play 'car whisperer' while checking out the scene of a car crash that sends him on his quest for revenge and moments like that are handled in a manner suggesting that there might still be some freshness left in this nearly decade-old franchise.
Of the performances there is precious little material to comment upon when it comes to the performances of the leading ladies (if you can call them that); Liza Lapira (as FBI Agent Trinh) and Gal Gadot (as bad-girl-with-a-good-heart Gisele) have bigger speaking parts. Paul Walker seems to have gotten better with age and this version of his Brian O'Conner is the best we've seen in the series.

All said and done though, this is Vin Diesel's show (how cool a name is that for an actor in a film about motor vehicles?) and he frowns and growls his way through it with the aplomb that had led many people to believe that he would end up the successor to the action hero crowns shared by the likes of Stallone and Schwarzenegger.

The talky parts could have been shorter in this movie and there are still points during the action sequences where you don't know who is in front and who is giving chase. That said, this is definitely a return to the form of the original and returning director Justin Lin (he also directed the third installment) has delivered a film that could nicely set up a fifth film if this one makes enough money.

One thing is for certain though -- these movies are only really fun when Dominic and Brian do their thing together.

Fast & Furiously Energetic

Sacha Bruno, Media and Pop culture

If you were wondering whether Sacha Baron Cohen could possibly top the comic outrageousness of "Borat" with his upcoming "Bruno," which features him playing a gay fashion expert, wait no longer.

Universal, which will release the film July 10, just put up its first full-length trailer, which the MPAA helpfully gave a red-band rating, which limits its theatrical access but instantly creates a tidal wave of Web cachet, encouraging millions of kids to download it from YouTube and other Web outlets.

The key concern of Baron Cohen fans has been -- can he possibly top the madcap high jinks of "Borat"? Judging from the new trailer, I'd say he's well on his way. We see him being whipped by a feisty (and topless) dominatrix and causing mayhem at a fashion show. He also appears, with a tiny baby in his arms, on a talk show that is populated with a largely African American audience, who are outraged when he blithely explains: "I gave him a traditional African name -- OJ."

The trailer also features a line of dialogue destined to become a catchphrase. It's not "How do you protect yourself from a dildo?" which Bruno asks a martial arts instructor, who is forced to fend off the dildo-wielding gay fashion expert. It's the second question Bruno asks, which is: "How do you defend yourself against a man with two dildos?"

Sacha Bruno, Media and Pop culture

Don't Cared American Idol Megan Joy

Megan Joy knows not everyone was a fan of her quirky style of singing and dancing on American Idol, and the day after her exit, the Sandy, Utah, native had a message for all the haters. “If you didn’t get me, I probably wouldn’t get you, so we’re even,” Joy told PEOPLE with a laugh.

Sensing that she would be sent packing, Joy, 23, ensured that her last night on the Idol stage was a memorable one. She told judge Simon Cowell she didn’t care that he hadn’t liked her performance the previous night, and she flapped and cawed like a bird as she made her way to her Bottom 3 seat. “If I’m gonna go out, I was ready to go out with a bang,” she said of her antics. “It was [good TV], and I’m here to entertain.”

She claimed there were no hard feelings over Cowell’s announcement that the judges would not even consider using the Judges’ Save option on her. After the show ended, Cowell joined Joy onstage and the two kissed and made up. “He gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek,” Joy reported. “We both laughed, and he was like, ‘Let’s get this awkwardness over with.’ “

She also received a message of support from two high-profile fans, Joel Madden and Nicole Richie, whom she’d met recently while out at dinner. “We’d actually exchanged numbers, and I got a really nice text from them that said I did great,” Joy said. “It made me feel really good.”

During her relatively brief Idol run, Joy was the source of much behind-the-scenes intrigue. There was her bout with the flu that left her hooked up to an IV until a mere 30 minutes before her Country Week performance, and her brother’s heckling of Kara DioGuardi after the new judge criticized Joy’s performance this week. There were even rumors of a budding romance between Joy and fellow contestant Matt Giraud, though Joy insists there’s no truth in that. “Not at all,” said the recently divorced single mother. “We’re just friends. He has a girlfriend, and I have no interest in dating right now.” The two have, however, forged a tight bond, she says, over “just being lonely, you know, and wanting to laugh.”

Joy’s looking forward to returning home next week to spend time with her 2-year-old son Ryder, whom she talked to on the phone every day but hasn’t seen in two months. She also plans to commemorate the Idol experience by adding to her extensive tattoo collection: “I have a lucky ring that I’ve worn since the beginning of the show [of] a heart and inside the heart is a bird with a banner [that] says, ‘Fly lightly.’ It’s kind of like my favorite saying, and I’m gonna get it [tattooed] big on my ribs.”

Beyond that, she’s looking forward to trying her hand at writing music and finding out what the future holds. “A part of me is very sad to be done [with Idol],” she said. “I’m probably gonna cry a lot when when I have a moment. But it’s good tears too. It’s not over for me.” – Shawna Malcom

Don't Cared American Idol Megan Joy

Malawi adoption bid has beenlost by Madonna

A Malawian court has ruled that US pop star Madonna has failed in her bid to adopt a second child from the country.

"I must have to decline to grant the application to Madonna," judge Esmie Chondo said in a ruling following a closed-door hearing on Friday.

According to reports, the application has been rejected over residency rules.

Madonna, who flew to Malawi on Sunday, was not in court to hear the ruling over Chifundo James, three. It is not clear if she will appeal against it.

The 50-year-old singer applied to adopt Chifundo James, whose name translates into English as Mercy, on Monday.

Had her application been successful, Chifundo would have been a sister to David, the first child she adopted from the African country, and her biological children Lourdes and Rocco.

Chifundo is in the same orphanage that previously housed David, now three years old.

Concerns

The Associated Press news agency said Madonna's application had been rejected because of a requirement that prospective parents be resident in the southern African state for 18 to 24 months.
The rule was waived in 2006 when Madonna was allowed to take her adopted son, David Banda, to London before his adoption was finalised in 2008.

According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), however, the judge also voiced concerns about the potential ramifications a ruling in Madonna's favour might have on adopted children's human rights.

"By removing the very safeguard that is supposed to protect our children, the courts by their pronouncements could actually facilitate trafficking of children by some unscrupulous individuals," she is quoted as saying.

The judge also noted that Chifundo had been placed in one of Malawi's best orphanages and no longer suffered the severe poverty endured after her mother died in childbirth, AFP said.

"It is evident that Chifundo James no longer is subject to the conditions of poverty at her place of birth," she reportedly added.

Fast-track accusation

According to court papers just released, Madonna had said she was "able and willing to securely provide for Chifundo James and make her a permanent and established member of my family".

"To deny Chifundo James the opportunity to be adopted by me could expose her to hardship and emotional trauma which is otherwise avoidable," she continued.

However, Madonna's efforts to adopt the three-year-old attracted criticism from some parties who said the little girl would be best off with relatives.

The performer was also accused of using her fame and money to fast-track the adoption process, a charge refuted by her spokeswoman Liz Rosenberg.

Madonna was represented in court by her lawyer, who did not speak to reporters as he left the court.

The singer first travelled to Malawi in 2006 to film a documentary in the country.

Malawi adoption bid has beenlost by Madonna