CELEBRITY Gossip News, Jul 19, 2011

Betty White rejects Marine's date request to ball Mon,18 Jul 2011 06:13 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (TheWrap) - Add one more item to the list of ways in which Betty White and Mila Kunis are very, very different women. Full Story

Universal pulls plug on Stephen King's "The Dark Tower" Mon,18 Jul 2011 06:10 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (TheWrap) - "The Dark Tower" sleeps with fishes. Full Story

Helen Mirren replacing Bette Midler in HBO biopic Mon,18 Jul 2011 06:02 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (TheWrap) - Helen Mirren is moving on from her "Arthur" co-star Russell Brand to work on a movie about another wild-maned man. Full Story

Kevin Costner in talks to join Tarantino film Mon,18 Jul 2011 04:42 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (TheWrap) - Perenial good guy Kevin Costner is negotiating to play a sadistic bad guy in Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained," an individual close to the project confirmed. Full Story

Well Go USA signs deal with Japan's Sushi Typhoon Mon,18 Jul 2011 04:40 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (TheWrap) - Well Go USA has become the North American distributor for the Japanese genre label Sushi Typhoon. Full Story

Murdochs face questions in parliament Mon,18 Jul 2011 04:39 PM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - News Corp Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch and his son James face questions from parliament on Tuesday in a phone-hacking scandal that has rocked Britain's establishment right up to Prime Minister David Cameron. Full Story

Antonio "L.A." Reid officially head of Epic Records Mon,18 Jul 2011 04:31 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (TheWrap) - Antonio "L.A." Reid was officially named head of Epic Records on Monday, a long-expected move that TheWrap confirmed in June. Full Story

Review: Tim Robbins has good instincts, weak chops Mon,18 Jul 2011 04:31 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (TheWrap) - On paper, Tim Robbins ought to enjoy one of the more natural actor-to-singer transitions. His late father was a bona fide folkie and had a No. 1 hit in 1961 as a member of the Highwaymen. As a leading man, Robbins sang throughout a largely musical film with 1992's satirical "Bob Roberts." Full Story

NBC, Facebook partner for GOP presidential debate Mon,18 Jul 2011 04:20 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (TheWrap) - Now that President Obama has had town halls using Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, the Republican presidential candidates will try out social media-related campaigning for themselves. Full Story

"Breaking Bad" season premiere breaks records Mon,18 Jul 2011 04:09 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (TheWrap) - Sunday night's Season 4 premiere of "Breaking Bad" broke quite well in the ratings. In fact, it broke several records for the AMC series, which stars Bryan Cranston as high school teacher-turned-meth dealer Walter White. Full Story

Review: 3 Doors Down's "Time Of My Life" is milquetoast Mon,18 Jul 2011 01:59 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (TheWrap) - It's not just that 3 Doors Down is the wimpiest band in what passes for hard rock. The material on their fifth album, "Time of My Life," would seem just as milquetoast transplanted to a less aggressive genre. Full Story

They Might Be Giants might be grown-ups again Mon,18 Jul 2011 01:55 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (TheWrap) - In 1982, They Might Be Giants came out of the gate with a hilarious combination of social commentary and absurdism called "Youth Culture Killed My Dog." Nearly three decades later, some fans might wonder if youth culture killed the act, or at least stifled it. Full Story

"Harry Potter" debut box office inches higher Mon,18 Jul 2011 01:52 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The record-breaking debut of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2" got a little more magical on Monday when the Warner Bros. studio raised its final, worldwide opening box office tally to $481.5 million. Full Story

FX channel picks up new drama from "Glee" creators Mon,18 Jul 2011 12:26 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (TheWrap) - FX has picked up the Ryan Murphy/Brad Falchuk pilot "American Horror Story" for a 13-episode season, the cable outlet announced Monday. Full Story

RealD weakens on "Potter" 3D box office Mon,18 Jul 2011 12:24 PM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - Shares of RealD Inc, a licensor of 3D technologies, fell 10 percent on Monday as 3D viewership numbers for the final Harry Potter film fell short of investor expectations over the weekend. Full Story

Ja Rule gets more than two years in jail on tax charge Mon,18 Jul 2011 12:21 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - Jailed rapper Ja Rule was sentenced in federal court in New Jersey on Monday to 28 months in prison for failing to pay more than $1 million in taxes. Full Story

James Murdoch BSkyB role clouded, News Corp shares fall Mon,18 Jul 2011 12:02 PM PDT Reuters - LONDON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - James Murdoch's future as chairman of British Sky Broadcasting was thrown into doubt on Monday after minority investors called for a corporate governance health check of its board. Full Story

Charlie Sheen gets his "Anger Management" on TV show Mon,18 Jul 2011 11:06 AM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - He's "winning" -- again. Charlie Sheen, who had a spectacular fall from TV grace on his former sitcom "Two and a Half Men," confirmed on Monday reports that he will return to television in a new comedy, "Anger Management," based on the 2003 movie of the same name. Full Story

RealD shares slide as Potter 3D viewership data disappoints Mon,18 Jul 2011 10:25 AM PDT Reuters - (Reuters) - Shares of RealD Inc, a licensor of 3D technologies, fell 10 percent as 3D viewership numbers for the final Harry Potter film fell short of investor expectations over the weekend. Full Story

Gannett ad revenue slumps, shares drop Mon,18 Jul 2011 09:07 AM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - Gannett Co's quarterly profit and revenue fell in the latest sign U.S. newspapers have yet to recover from an advertising slump. Full Story

Harry Potter plagiarism case dismissed in UK Mon,18 Jul 2011 08:01 AM PDT Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - A lawsuit which accused J.K. Rowling of copying the work of another children's author when writing "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" has been dropped in Britain after the claimant failed to come up with the cash ordered by a judge as security. Full Story

Bolshoi Theatre archives reveal lives of musicians Mon,18 Jul 2011 06:59 AM PDT Reuters - MOSCOW (Reuters) - The death of a tyrant, abduction by the secret police and insight into the minds of some of the greatest composers in history are all part of the details that Russia's Bolshoi Theater have discovered in the margins of the centuries-old sheet music in its archives. Full Story

Russia lures Hollywood, raising bar for local film Mon,18 Jul 2011 03:17 AM PDT Reuters - MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia may not become the next Hollywood, but Tinseltown is definitely coming to Russia, where audience numbers are growing fast and U.S. blockbusters are gaining greater popularity over domestic films. Full Story

Palin film starts soft, but distributor pleased Sun,17 Jul 2011 05:39 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (TheWrap) - Sarah Palin documentary "The Undefeated" got off to a soft start in a lightly promoted 10-theater box-office debut this weekend, grossing somewhere between $65,000-$75,000, according to estimates confirmed by distributor ARC Entertainment. Full Story

Ivanka Trump, husband welcome new baby girl Sun,17 Jul 2011 04:35 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - Ivanka Trump, daughter of Donald and a judge on his TV show "The Apprentice," has taken on another role -- that of mother -- as the former model gave birth on Sunday to a baby girl in New York City. Full Story

Christian country singer's coming out told on film Sun,17 Jul 2011 04:12 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (TheWrap) - For more than a decade, Chely Wright was the perfect country star: pretty, perky and Christian, singing songs about the joys and heartaches of being a "Single White Female," posing seductively in videos and photos, and even forming a dreamy Nashville couple with boyfriend and fellow star Brad Paisley. Full Story

"Harry Potter" rings up record $476 million globally Sun,17 Jul 2011 11:45 AM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The final "Harry Potter" film shattered box office records worldwide with a whopping $168.6 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales over the opening weekend and nearly $476 million globally. Full Story

Lisa Kudrow dishes out some "Web Therapy" Sun,17 Jul 2011 08:34 AM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - Former "Friends" star Lisa Kudrow is back on television this coming Tuesday in Showtime's new series, "Web Therapy," -- the first time a show created for the Internet has moved to a 30-minute comedy on television. Full Story

Swiss police arrest 21 at Montreux festival Sun,17 Jul 2011 05:21 AM PDT Reuters - ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss police arrested 21 people during two nights of clashes between drunken revelers and security at Montreux, one of Europe's most prestigious summer jazz festivals, police said on Sunday. Full Story

Justin Timberlake joins Mila Kunis at marine ball Sat,16 Jul 2011 03:25 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (TheWrap) - Justin Timberlake says he may join "Friends With Benefits" co-star Mila Kunis in attending the Marine Corps Ball in November. Full Story

J.Lo, Anthony fans tweet their feelings over split Sat,16 Jul 2011 02:55 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (TheWrap) - People on Twitter responded with a range of sadness to eye-rolls upon the news that Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony are separating after seven years of marriage. Full Story

Jane Fonda jabs at QVC over canceled TV appearance Sat,16 Jul 2011 02:25 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A new controversy over Oscar winner Jane Fonda's Vietnam War activism caused the actress to come out swinging against home shopping TV network QVC on Saturday, over what she described as its caving in to "extremist" pressure to cancel her appearance. Full Story

"Harry Potter" magic with record $92.1 million Sat,16 Jul 2011 11:34 AM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The eighth and final "Harry Potter" movie sold $92.1 million worth tickets in the United States and Canada on its first day in theaters to set a single-day box-office record, according to studio estimates released on Saturday. Full Story

Palin biopic now showing in theater not so near you Fri,15 Jul 2011 08:12 PM PDT Reuters - ORANGE, California (Reuters) - "The Undefeated," a flattering documentary about Sarah Palin's rise in American politics, opened in a handful of U.S. movie theaters on Friday, drawing die-hard fans of the Tea Party favorite from far away. Full Story

Mila Kunis says will attend Marine ball Fri,15 Jul 2011 05:41 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (TheWrap) - Mila Kunis is definitely going to the Marine Corps Ball with Sgt. Scott Moore in November. Full Story

Review: Film captures voices of a generation lost to HIV/AIDS Fri,15 Jul 2011 05:20 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (TheWrap) - With a title that sums it up so well, "We Were Here" is the story of a community fighting a force that threatened to annihilate it. Full Story

"Breaking Bad:" Questions answered in season premiere Fri,15 Jul 2011 04:33 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (TheWrap) - "Breaking Bad" doesn't dither around: If you're looking for answers after last season's jittery cliff-hanger, you'll get lots of them Sunday night. Full Story

Chemical industry hooked on TV show "Breaking Bad" Fri,15 Jul 2011 04:05 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - Watching the success of the television show "Breaking Bad" has been a guilty pleasure for the chemical industry. Full Story

Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony marriage breaks apart Fri,15 Jul 2011 03:56 PM PDT Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - Singer and actress Jennifer Lopez and Latin pop singer Marc Anthony have decided to end their marriage after seven years, the couple said on Friday. Full Story

Polish Brothers' latest film: big profit, no budget Fri,15 Jul 2011 03:51 PM PDT Reuters - LOS ANGELES (TheWrap) - "For Lovers Only," an intimate romance made in luminous black-and-white by Michael and Mark Polish, is a wildly successful experiment in New Hollywood Math. Full Story

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