Showbiz News Headlines - Yahoo! News UK

Giant photo of UK royals unveiled on Thames for jubilee

Sat, 26 May 2012 02:13:17 +0100

A giant photograph of Queen Elizabeth and her family, 100 metres (328 feet) wide and weighing two tonnes, was put up beside London's Thames river ahead of celebrations for her diamond jubilee.

Folk artist Doc Watson's responsive after surgery - agent

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:35:36 +0100

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina (Reuters) - Grammy-winning folk musician Doc Watson remained in critical condition on Friday but had regained some strength after undergoing colon surgery at a North Carolina hospital, according to his management team. A statement on Folklore Productions International's website said the 89-year-old performer was "resting and responsive" following his surgery on Thursday. "The family appreciates everyone's prayers and good wishes," the statement said. ...

Keira Knightley engaged to British rocker boyfriend

Fri, 25 May 2012 22:13:39 +0100

(Reuters) - "Pirates of the Caribbean" actress Keira Knightley is engaged to marry her musician boyfriend James Righton, her publicist said on Friday. Knightley, 27, who was Oscar-nominated for her lead role in the 2005 film "Pride & Prejudice," has been dating Righton, who plays in British indie band Klaxons, for about a year. "I can confirm that Keira is engaged to be married to James Righton," British publicist Sara Keene said. No wedding dates or details of the engagement were released, in line with couple's low-key romance and few public appearances together. ...

Robert Pattinson 'panicky' making Cannes debut film

Fri, 25 May 2012 15:51:50 +0100

British actor Robert Pattinson said Friday he was terrified making his Cannes debut as a sex-mad billionaire, in part because director David Cronenberg told him it would entail a nude on-screen medical exam.

Pop diva goes Gaga for Thai 'ladies'

Fri, 25 May 2012 15:02:11 +0100

Lady Gaga met Thai 'ladies' of a different kind at a transvestite cabaret show in Bangkok that had the flamboyant entertainer singing along, club management said Friday.

In tough times, Cannes charity gala gets personal

Fri, 25 May 2012 12:50:37 +0100

ANTIBES, France (Reuters) - At a time of economic uncertainty, the glitziest charity gala at the Cannes film festival got personal. Each year at the luxurious Hotel Du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes, just along the coast from Cannes, amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research, invites the famous and fabulously wealthy for a night of fine food, fine wine, dancing and giving. This year Kylie Minogue, Janet Jackson, Kirsten Dunst and Adrien Brody were among the stars to grace the black tie event late on Thursday and into the early hours of Friday. ...

"Cosmopolis" brings star Pattinson to Cannes

Fri, 25 May 2012 12:48:23 +0100

CANNES, France (Reuters) - "Twilight" star Robert Pattinson is a ruthless billionaire on a journey to self-destruction in Canadian director David Cronenberg's "Cosmopolis", a searing attack on greed and capitalism launching at the Cannes film festival. In the movie based on a Don DeLillo novel of the same name, capitalism is corrupting, characters cannot communicate, and people joke that rats could be the new currency. The film is competing for the festival's top prize to be awarded on Sunday. ...

Elton John cancels US shows due to illness

Fri, 25 May 2012 07:37:16 +0100

Elton John has canceled shows in Las Vegas this week after being hospitalized for a "serious respiratory infection" in Los Angeles, his publicists said.

Neil Armstrong gives rare interview - to accountant

Thu, 24 May 2012 17:58:17 +0100

The famously private Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, has been coaxed into giving a rare interview -- with an Australian accountant.

Auction of purported vial of Reagan's blood halted

Thu, 24 May 2012 16:46:01 +0100

(Reuters) - The British company that had been auctioning what it said was a vial of the late U.S. President Ronald Reagan's blood cancelled the sale on Thursday and the owner will donate the material to the Reagan foundation, the company said. "We have negotiated with the consignor to arrange for the item to be withdrawn from the auction and donated to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation," PFC Auctions said in a statement. The halt of the sale came after the foundation expressed outrage over the auction earlier this week. ...

Queen Elizabeth meets McCartney at jubilee event

Thu, 24 May 2012 14:26:04 +0100

He may be music royalty, but Paul McCartney still has his own idols, declaring himself a "big fan" of Queen Elizabeth II as he met with her at a diamond jubilee celebration of the arts Wednesday.

Kidman "oversexed Barbie Doll" in gritty Cannes film

Thu, 24 May 2012 13:26:33 +0100

CANNES, France (Reuters) - Nicole Kidman plays an "oversexed Barbie doll" in the hard-hitting murder drama "The Paperboy", premiering at the Cannes film festival on Thursday and notable for arresting scenes of sex, violence and urination. In the adaptation of a Pete Dexter novel, the Australian Oscar winner plays trailer-trash bombshell Charlotte Bless, who is obsessed with a man on death row with whom she exchanges letters. ...

Cannes style flourishes despite soggy red carpet

Thu, 24 May 2012 12:21:52 +0100

PARIS (Reuters) - With respected French designer Jean Paul Gaultier a member of the Cannes jury this year, celebrities at the swanky film festival on the French Riviera knew they had to step up their fashion game. They did not disappoint. Despite occasionally rainy weather that soaked the red carpet and a no-show from Hollywood glamour puss Angelina Jolie, the festival has featured colour, kilts and cut-outs - a wide array of to-the-minute fashions worn by film stars gathered from around the world. ...

Lady Gaga refuses to tone down her shows: manager

Thu, 24 May 2012 12:17:26 +0100

Pop superstar Lady Gaga would rather cancel dates in her world tour than make changes to appease censors and religious groups, the US singer's manager said Thursday as controversy dogs her in Asia.

Philippines grief at Sanchez's 'American Idol' loss

Thu, 24 May 2012 09:48:44 +0100

President Benigno Aquino led the heartbroken Philippines in heaping praise Thursday on a teenager of Filipino-Latino heritage following her loss in the final of US talent show "American Idol".

Assault case against Aussie IPL cricketer dropped

Thu, 24 May 2012 07:11:26 +0100

Australian cricketer Luke Pomersbach is to be cleared of accusations that he molested a woman and beat up her fiance during the IPL tournament in India, his lawyer said on Thursday.

Thai king to leave Bangkok for first time since 2009

Thu, 24 May 2012 06:41:15 +0100

Thailand's ailing king will travel outside of the capital Bangkok on Friday for the first time in more than two years to visit the ancient capital Ayutthaya, according to officials.

Filipina ex-nanny sues Sharon Stone; star slams claim

Thu, 24 May 2012 01:02:21 +0100

A Filipina former nanny of Sharon Stone is suing the US film star for wrongful dismissal and harassment, including by allegedly making derogatory remarks about her ethnicity and religion.

Nancy Reagan recovering 'slowly' from fall

Wed, 23 May 2012 19:53:09 +0100

Former US first lady Nancy Reagan is "slowly" recovering from a fall a few weeks ago which left her with fractured ribs, her spokeswoman said Wednesday.

Kristen Stewart says no shame in explicit love scenes

Wed, 23 May 2012 19:41:52 +0100

Hollywood star Kristen Stewart said Wednesday that after the "Twilight" vampire movies, she had thrown herself into the carefree sexuality of her new role in the Cannes contender "On the Road".

With kids, career, no time to direct, says Brad Pitt

Wed, 23 May 2012 19:36:09 +0100

CANNES, France (Reuters) - Brad Pitt, in Cannes to promote his latest movie "Killing Them Softly", has no intention of following fiancée Angelina Jolie into directing, he told Reuters on Wednesday. The 48-year-old, one of Hollywood's biggest stars, hit the red carpet at the film's world premiere on Tuesday, drawing noisy crowds and the world's media to the glitzy ceremony. As well as playing mob enforcer Jackie Cogan in the violent but darkly comic gangster movie, Pitt was one of its main producers, a side of the business he has become increasingly involved in over the last six years. ...

Oprah expands online with Huffington Post

Wed, 23 May 2012 19:33:39 +0100

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Media mogul Oprah Winfrey is expanding her online empire by teaming up with the Huffington Post for a section dedicated to the chat show host that will engage her audience, the Oprah Winfrey Network said on Wednesday. The Huffington Post Oprah section will launch in August, and will curate content from Oprah.com, which features the motto "Live Your Best Life" and accompanies Winfrey's OWN TV programming with videos, articles and advice on health, fashion and culture. The section also will develop original content with Oprah. ...

Adam Lambert boots Underwood from Billboard No. 1

Wed, 23 May 2012 18:17:45 +0100

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Former "American Idol" runner-up Adam Lambert pushed his fellow "Idol" alum off the top spot of the Billboard 200 chart on Wednesday to score his first No. 1 album with "Trespassing." Lambert's second studio album sold 77,000 copies in its first week, a significantly lower debut than Underwood's "Blown Away" debut two weeks ago, which sold 267,000 copies to score the top spot on the chart. "Blown Away" fell to No. 3 this week, behind Adele's juggernaut "21," which added a further 63,000 copies to its phenomenal sales record this week. ...

S.African celebrities revamp school for Mandela Day

Wed, 23 May 2012 16:53:49 +0100

Prominent South African artists launched the run-up to this year's Mandela Day on Wednesday with a clean up of a public school in Soweto, the cradle of the anti-apartheid movement.

Kerouac's "On the Road" hits screen in Cannes debut

Wed, 23 May 2012 16:53:25 +0100

CANNES (Reuters) - The Bible of the Beat Generation, "On the Road" premiered at Cannes on Wednesday, taking more than five decades for the frenetic tale of liberation, masculinity and post-War America to play out its journey from novel to the big screen. Furiously written on a typewriter over a three-week long creative binge in 1951, Jack Kerouac's On the Road is the seminal portrayal of "Beat" culture and its spiritual quest for expression. ...

Rapturous welcome for Drogba on Olympics torch relay

Wed, 23 May 2012 16:08:52 +0100

Chelsea's Champions League hero Didier Drogba was given a rapturous welcome as he carried the Olympic flame on Wednesday, the day after announcing he was leaving the club.

Holy Motors! Minogue, Mendes in madcap Cannes movie

Wed, 23 May 2012 15:49:20 +0100

CANNES, France (Reuters) - Cars talk, a man is married to a monkey and Kylie Minogue contemplates suicide in "Holy Motors", easily the oddest movie in competition at the Cannes film festival screened so far this year. Directed by French film maker Leos Carax, the story follows Mr. Oscar, a man who spends each day living 10 different lives, each mapped out for him in a dossier left in the back seat of the stretch white limousine he travels in. In the morning he is a rich businessman leaving his luxury home for work. Next he dresses up as an old woman beggar on the streets of Paris. ...

Australian tycoon 'is world's richest woman'

Wed, 23 May 2012 10:38:10 +0100

Australia's richest person Gina Rinehart has eclipsed Wal-Mart heiress Christy Walton to become the world's wealthiest woman, according to an annual index by Business Review Weekly.

Bollywood superstar defends humble Hollywood debut

Wed, 23 May 2012 10:05:25 +0100

Indian acting legend Amitabh Bachchan has warned his millions of fans to keep their eyes peeled for his long-awaited Hollywood debut, otherwise they might miss it altogether.

Johnny Depp made honorary member of Comanche Nation

Wed, 23 May 2012 02:08:46 +0100

SANTA FE, New Mexico (Reuters) - Actor Johnny Depp, who plays the American Indian sidekick Tonto in the upcoming film version of "The Lone Ranger," has been made an honorary member of the Comanche Nation, a Native American activist said on Tuesday. The private ceremony for the 48-year-old actor took place on May 16 at the Albuquerque, New Mexico, home of LaDonna Harris, the president and founder of Americans for Indian Opportunity. "I had read about him and his Native American heritage so I said to my children around Mother's Day, 'Why don't we adopt him?'" Harris said. ...

Dylan, Albright to receive Presidential Medal of Freedom

Wed, 23 May 2012 01:09:25 +0100

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Musical legend Bob Dylan, novelist Toni Morrison and former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright are among 13 people who will be awarded the country's highest civilian honour, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, by President Barack Obama next week, the White House said. The presentations will be made at the White House on May 29. Also chosen to receive the award were former senator and astronaut John Glenn, retired U.S. ...

Vegas probes report of underage gambling by Houston's daughter

Wed, 23 May 2012 00:21:59 +0100

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Nevada authorities are investigating reports that Bobbi Kristina Brown, the 19-year-old daughter of late singer Whitney Houston, was gambling while underage at a Las Vegas hotel last weekend. The investigation follows a video posted by celebrity website TMZ.com that appeared to show Brown sitting at a slot machine at the city's MGM Grand hotel and casino on Saturday. Brown, Houston's only child, was in Las Vegas to receive an award on her mother's behalf at the Billboard Music Awards show on Sunday at the hotel. Nevada state law prohibits gambling by anyone under 21. ...

Reagan center takes legal action over blood sale

Tue, 22 May 2012 22:24:22 +0100

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation said Tuesday it is taking legal action to stop an online auction of a vial said to contain the late US president's blood, condemning the sale as "craven."

Michael Jackson is still "Bad," 25 years after album

Tue, 22 May 2012 21:13:35 +0100

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Michael Jackson's "Bad" returns this September with new music and never-before-seen concert video in the first re-release of a full album from the King of Pop's catalogue since he died in 2009, Jackson's record company and estate said on Monday. The "Bad 25" deluxe package, released on September 18, commemorates the 25th anniversary of the original, Grammy-winning album with hits like "The Way You Make Me Feel," and it will include demos and songs that didn't make the final cut of the original version. ...

Comic book "X-Men" plan same-sex superhero wedding

Tue, 22 May 2012 20:39:07 +0100

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Marvel comic book crime fighters X-Men have put down their weapons and picked up wedding rings for the first same-sex marriage in the superhero world, set for June. Marvel on Tuesday said Jean-Paul Beaubier, aka Northstar, a Canadian with piercing blue eyes and silver-streaked black hair who can move and fly at superhuman speeds, will propose to his long-time boyfriend Kyle Jinadu in the issue, "Astonishing X-Men #50," due on sale May 23. ...

Ken Loach hopes Hollande not another Blair

Tue, 22 May 2012 20:17:28 +0100

Ken Loach said Tuesday he felt relief at France's election of a left-wing president, but the British director said he hoped Francois Hollande did not turn out like Tony Blair.

Singer Pete Doherty's film debut dubbed a "crime"

Tue, 22 May 2012 16:49:23 +0100

CANNES, France (Reuters) - "Don't give up the day job" was the critics' blunt message to British rocker Pete Doherty, whose debut film role in 19th century love story "Confession of a Child of the Century" has had its premiere at the Cannes festival. Based on an autobiographical novel by Alfred de Musset about his affair with writer George Sand, Doherty's casting in the lead role makes plenty of sense. The character he plays is a Parisian libertine living the wild life, mirroring the Babyshambles and Libertines frontman's own history of alcohol and drug abuse. ...

Naomi Campbell turns 42 in the Holy Land

Tue, 22 May 2012 15:50:03 +0100

British super model Naomi Campbell celebrated her 42nd birthday in the Holy Land on Tuesday after a late-night arrival in Tel Aviv, press reports and an AFP correspondent said.

Beppe Grillo: The new live wire of Italian politics

Tue, 22 May 2012 14:36:51 +0100

Comedian-turned-politician Beppe Grillo is the man of the moment in Italy after his Internet-based movement made big gains in local polls last weekend with a blend of populism and eco-friendly initiatives.

Lady Gaga tweets about Islamic hardliner threats

Tue, 22 May 2012 14:07:54 +0100

Lady Gaga broke her silence about a jeopardised concert in Jakarta, saying on Twitter Tuesday that she was facing censorship from Indonesian authorities and threats of violence from Islamic hardliners.