REUTERS Celebrity/Gossip News, Jun 09, 2011

"Mad Libs", "Get Smart" producer Leonard B. Stern dies
Wed,8 Jun 2011 11:24 PM PDT
Reuters - LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Leonard B. Stern, the prolific writer and producer whose credits included "The Honeymooners," "Get Smart" and the word game "Mad Libs," died Tuesday of heart failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was 87. Full Story1

"Super 8" opening one day early in Twitter promo Wed,8 Jun 2011 10:58 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Amid rumblings about its low-key marketing campaign, "Super 8" will come out in movie theaters one day ahead of schedule on Thursday as part of a promotional campaign targeted at Twitter users. Full Story1

Lindsay Lohan wins restraining order against man Wed,8 Jun 2011 10:43 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actress Lindsay Lohan on Wednesday won a two-year restraining order against a man she says sent her delusional phone text messages and left chocolates at her door. Full Story1

First Lady Michelle Obama to appear on "iCarly" Wed,8 Jun 2011 10:42 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - First Lady Michelle Obama will appear on children's TV show "iCarly," -- a favorite program of her daughters -- to promote her initiative to support military families, the network behind the show said on Wednesday. Full Story1

Willie Nelson off the hook on pot charge Wed,8 Jun 2011 10:35 PM PDT Reuters - SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - When Willie Nelson is on the road again, he will be traveling without a Texas drug charge hanging over his head. Full Story1

Adele reigns on U.S. singles chart; Coldplay debuts Wed,8 Jun 2011 10:00 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Billboard) - Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" claimed a fifth week at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart Wednesday, while Coldplay's "Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall" charged in as the top new entry at No. 29. Full Story1

Lady Gaga leads U.S. pop chart despite sales slide Wed,8 Jun 2011 09:56 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - Lady Gaga led the U.S. pop album chart for a second week on Wednesday, but inevitably suffered a mammoth sales drop since her opening round was boosted by Amazon.com's 99 cent promotion. Full Story1

Alleged Weiner nude photo released by radio hosts Wed,8 Jun 2011 09:55 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - An alleged photo of Congressman Anthony Weiner's genitals hit the Internet on Wednesday after conservative watchdog Andrew Breitbart shared it with a pair of radio DJs who then tweeted it to the masses. Full Story1

Country star Ronnie Dunn beats fear of flying solo Wed,8 Jun 2011 08:16 PM PDT Reuters - DETROIT (Billboard) - Despite a superstar foundation from his 20 years in the country duo Brooks & Dunn, Ronnie Dunn says that he went into his new solo career "scared to death." Full Story1

UFC in talks to buy stake in NBCU's G4 channel: report Wed,8 Jun 2011 06:55 PM PDT Reuters - Bangalore (Reuters) - Comcast Corp's NBCUniversal is in discussions to sell a controlling interest in its G4 cable channel to professional mixed martial arts promotion company Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the Wall Street Journal reported citing sources. Full Story1

"CSI" star Laurence Fishburne leaves show Wed,8 Jun 2011 06:29 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Laurence Fishburne is leaving his starring role on TV forensic investigation drama "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" after a little more than two seasons, Hollywood publications reported on Wednesday. Full Story1

'Disaster of a year' for new TV shows, analyst Wed,8 Jun 2011 06:29 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - Only 23 percent of last season's new broadcast series -- excluding reality and mid-season shows -- were picked up for the fall, the lowest rate in five years, a research report said Wednesday. Full Story1

In swift talks, TV networks win big ad price rises Wed,8 Jun 2011 06:18 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - ABC, NBC and CBS are on the brink of wrapping up their advanced television advertising sales, winning double-digit price increases nearly across the board in one of the quickest selling periods on record. Full Story1

Senate panel backs auctions of TV airwaves Wed,8 Jun 2011 03:13 PM PDT Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Senate committee backed giving U.S. communications regulators authority to auction some airwaves currently used by broadcast television and to shift their use to mobile broadband. Full Story1

In swift talks, TV networks win big ad price rises Wed,8 Jun 2011 02:52 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - ABC, NBC and CBS are on the brink of wrapping up their advanced television advertising sales, winning double-digit price increases nearly across the board in one of the quickest selling periods on record. Full Story1

Willie Nelson off the hook on pot charge Wed,8 Jun 2011 02:48 PM PDT Reuters - SAN ANTONIO (Reuters Life!) - When Willie Nelson is on the road again, he will be traveling without a Texas drug charge hanging over his head. Full Story1

Lindsay Lohan wins restraining order against man Wed,8 Jun 2011 02:42 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actress Lindsay Lohan on Wednesday won a two-year restraining order against a man she says sent her delusional phone text messages and left chocolates at her door. Full Story1

Willie Nelson to get fine for marijuana possession Wed,8 Jun 2011 01:50 PM PDT Reuters - SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - When Willie Nelson is on the road again, he will be traveling without a Texas drug charge hanging over his head. Full Story1

Rapper Ja Rule sentenced to two years in prison Wed,8 Jun 2011 01:08 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hip-hop artist Ja Rule was sentenced to two years in prison on Wednesday, six months after he pleaded guilty to attempted criminal possession of a weapon. Full Story1

Unpublished Dylan lyrics to be sold in New York Wed,8 Jun 2011 12:35 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - A selection of previously unpublished draft lyrics by legendary songwriter Bob Dylan is hitting the auction block this month, Christie's said on Wednesday. Full Story1

"CSI" star Laurence Fishburne quits show Wed,8 Jun 2011 12:01 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Laurence Fishburne is leaving his starring role on TV forensic investigation drama "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" after a little more than two seasons, Hollywood publications reported on Wednesday. Full Story1

Obreht youngest winner of UK's Orange fiction prize Wed,8 Jun 2011 11:17 AM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - Belgrade-born author Tea Obreht was the surprise winner on Wednesday of Britain's Orange Prize for Fiction with her debut novel "The Tiger's Wife," a mystical, magical examination of the recent conflicts in the Balkans. Full Story1

"Super 8" opening one day early in Twitter promo Wed,8 Jun 2011 11:11 AM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Amid rumblings about its low-key marketing campaign, "Super 8" will come out in movie theaters one day ahead of schedule on Thursday as part of a promotional campaign targeted at Twitter users. Full Story1

Vieira makes farewell appearance on "Today" show Wed,8 Jun 2011 11:11 AM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - Meredith Vieira marked her final appearance as a popular co-host of NBC's top-rated "Today" show on Wednesday with an emotional farewell, telling her fans: "I will never leave you." Full Story1

Laughter or ritual suicide in Japan samurai comedy Wed,8 Jun 2011 10:55 AM PDT Reuters - TOKYO (Reuters) - The price for a failed joke is usually dead silence or derisive jeering. But the hapless warrior hero of a new Japanese samurai comedy film must succeed with his humor or pay the ultimate price -- by committing ritual suicide. Full Story1

Lady Gaga leads U.S. pop chart despite sales slide Wed,8 Jun 2011 10:48 AM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - Lady Gaga led the U.S. pop album chart for a second week on Wednesday, but inevitably suffered a mammoth sales drop since her opening round was boosted by Amazon.com's 99 cent promotion. Full Story1

Oxford academic finds "tantalizing" clue to Ophelia Wed,8 Jun 2011 08:52 AM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - An Oxford academic has found a "tantalizing" link between Shakespeare's tragic heroine Ophelia and a real-life girl who died at the age of two in 1569, when the Bard would have been around five years old. Full Story1

Spanish writer and camp survivor Semprun dies Wed,8 Jun 2011 08:04 AM PDT Reuters - MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish prize-winning and politically committed novelist Jorge Semprun, who was also a scriptwriter, French Resistance fighter and concentration camp survivor, has died at the age of 87. Full Story1

A Minute With: Horror king John Carpenter on "The Ward" Wed,8 Jun 2011 05:59 AM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Horror meister John Carpenter returns to movie making for the first time in 10 years with "The Ward," which arrives on video-on-demand on June 8 before a theatrical release a month later. Full Story1

Paramount plays down box office expectations for "Super 8" Wed,8 Jun 2011 05:03 AM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Trying to debunk buzz in Hollywood that pre-release tracking is soft for J.J. Abrams' movie "Super 8", Paramount Pictures says the $50 million-budgeted movie doesn't need a big opening weekend because it cost far less than a big studio blockbuster. Full Story1

"Judy Moody" children's books find new life on film Tue,7 Jun 2011 10:14 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Popular books usually make good candidates for movies. But the producers behind "Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer" decided to create an entirely original adventure for the mischievous third grader's big screen debut. Full Story1

Mystery surrounds "Super 8" in a summer of sequels Tue,7 Jun 2011 09:59 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Its pedigree could hardly be stronger -- producer Steven Spielberg and sci-fi master J.J. Abrams. Full Story1

Reese Witherspoon to star in wedding comedy Tue,7 Jun 2011 08:04 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Wedding-themed movies are all the rage in Hollywood -- see the success of "Bridesmaids" and "The Hangover, Part II" -- and now Reese Witherspoon is joining the fray. Full Story1

Michael Pena Joins Penn, Gosling in crime drama Tue,7 Jun 2011 08:04 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "Crash" actor Michael Pena has joined the all-star cast of "Gangster Squad," a crime drama set in 1940s Los Angeles. Full Story1

Michael Jackson concert insurers decline to pay out Tue,7 Jun 2011 07:53 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The insurers of Michael Jackson's ill-fated "This Is It" London comeback concerts have asked a judge to nullify a $17.5 million policy taken out by promoters, saying they were never told that the singer was taking powerful drugs. Full Story1

Comcast to offer home security package Tue,7 Jun 2011 06:14 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - Comcast Corp is adding home security to its package of services for homes where it already delivers cable television, broadband and phone. Full Story1

Aerosmith returning to studio for long-delayed album Tue,7 Jun 2011 05:35 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Now that Steven Tyler has finished his successful first season as a judge on "American Idol," he is returning to his day job with Aerosmith. Full Story1

Home of ailing Zsa Zsa Gabor on sale for $15 million Tue,7 Jun 2011 04:57 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Bel Air home of Zsa Zsa Gabor went up for sale on Tuesday with an asking price of $15 million, while the 94 year-old Hollywood actress recovered in hospital from her latest medical setback. Full Story1

Mystery surrounds "Super 8" in a summer of sequels Tue,7 Jun 2011 04:21 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Its pedigree could hardly be stronger -- producer Steven Spielberg and sci-fi master J.J. Abrams. Full Story1

"Cat Who" mystery writer Lilian Jackson Braun dies Tue,7 Jun 2011 03:55 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Lilian Jackson Braun, the author of "The Cat Who" mystery series, has died. She was 97. Full Story1

email: info@als-alexander.org or interalex2@gmail.com