Archive: June 2009 (241-250 of 373)

Jun 11 2009 06:55 AM ET

John Grogan to write more 'Marley' for children

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Categories: Books

HarperCollins Children's Books has bought the rights to thirteen kid-friendly titles based on Marley, the dog who became a star of page and screen with author John Grogan's Marley & Me and its big-screen adaptation, starring Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson. Several youth-oriented Marley titles already exist, including the middle-grade memoir Marley: A Dog Like No Other and the picture books Bad Dog, Marley! and A Very Marley Christmas. Among the new entries, three will be picture books, including Marley Goes to School.

Jun 11 2009 01:53 AM ET

Letterman beats Conan in ratings last night

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Categories: Television

The late-night wars are heating up: David Letterman's The Late Show bested Conan O'Brien's The Tonight Show in last night's overnight ratings, 3.4/8 to 2.9/7, after only the seventh day of head-to-head competition. (The Leno-hosted Tonight Show consistently defeated The Late Show in the Nielsens.) O'Brien, who took over the reins of The Tonight Show on June 1, debuted with strong ratings but has seen numbers steadily dip since. These preliminary ratings do not reflect viewers' demographic breakdown, and final numbers for O'Brien's first week will be released on Thursday.

Jun 11 2009 01:16 AM ET

‘Transformers’ sequel could earn director Bay more than $75 million

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Categories: Movie Biz
Michael Bay, the director of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, may wind up with a pay day exceeding $75 million for the film, according to the Los Angeles Times. His deal gives him a bigger piece of the film's profits from all revenue sources after Paramount recoups its costs. In exchange, Bay agreed to reduce his upfront fee and his percentage of ticket-sale revenue. This type of deal is becoming more common these days, and resembles the pact Bay signed for the first (and wildly successful) Transformers movie, which netted him $75 million. The sequel, which comes out June 24, boasts big buzz, and, according to the LA Times, multiple execs are forecasting a record-setting five-day domestic opening that tops $160 million. 
Jun 11 2009 12:46 AM ET

Queen Latifah says she was sexually abused as child

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Queen Latifah reveals in the July issue of Essence magazine that she was sexually abused when she was a child by a teenager who was taking care of her. "He violated me," she told the magazine. "I never told anybody; I just buried it as deeply as I could and kept people at an arm's distance. I never really let a person get too close to me. I could have been married years ago, but I had a commitment issue." Latifah, 39, eventually opened up to her parents, who had different reactions to the revelation, and sought therapy. "My mother felt terrible," she recalls. "She was kind of a country girl, so she wasn't up on how slick people could be. When I told my dad, he said nothing."
Jun 11 2009 12:21 AM ET

Brad Pitt buys near-$1 million painting in Switzerland

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Etappe-Neo-Rauch-Brad-Pitt_l Brad Pitt was a big spender today at Switzerland's Art Basel—the world's preeminent contemporary art fair—purchasing a painting that was listed for $960,000, reports the AP. Advertised as an "enigmatic and dreamlike" rendering of a race car, "Etappe" was painted by German artist Neo Rauch, who is regarded as one of Europe's premier painters. The 40th edition of Art Basel is displaying the works of more than 2,500 artists.

Jun 10 2009 11:56 PM ET

Rihanna subpoenaed in Chris Brown assault case

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Rihanna was subpoenaed yesterday to testify in the assault case against her boyfriend Chris Brown, her lawyer told People. The 21-year-old singer is scheduled to appear at a hearing in Los Angeles Superior Court on June 22. The 20-year-old Brown has entered a plea of "not guilty" to two felony counts stemming from the alleged assault on Rihanna that took place on Feb. 8. In related news, Brown's request to delay the June 22 hearing was denied today.

Jun 10 2009 11:34 PM ET

Michael Jackson sued by concert promoter for $40 million

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Categories: Music Biz
Michael Jackson is being sued by a concert promoter to the tune of $40 million for allegedly breaching a contract to perform a reunion concert with other members of the Jackson family, according to the AP. In the lawsuit, filed today in Manhattan, Allgood Entertainment states that it had pacted with Jackson's manager at the time, Frank DiLeo, to stage a reunion show with the Jackson family this summer, as well as a potential pay-per-view event. The company claims that when Jackson agreed to stage concerts in London this summer, he violated the terms of the contract, which forbade him from performing in other capacities before the reunion concert and for at least three months after the show.
Jun 10 2009 11:09 PM ET

David Letterman responds to flap over Sarah Palin jokes

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Categories: Politics, Television

Taping tonight's episode of The Late Show, David Letterman took a few minutes to respond to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who called him "pathetic" in a radio interview after he made her and her family the butt of a recent Top 10 list. The late-night host had drawn particular fire from Palin and some pundits for a joke about one of Palin's daughters being impregnated by New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez during a trip to Yankee Stadium. Camp Palin apparently took the joke to be a crack against Palin's 14-year-old daughter Willow, who had recently attended a Yankees game, but Letterman insisted today that the real target was 18-year-old daughter Bristol.

“We were, as we often do, making jokes about people in the news and we made some jokes about Sarah Palin and her daughter [Bristol]… and now they’re upset with me…” Letterman says on tonight's show. "These are not jokes made about her 14-year-old daughter. I would never, never make jokes about raping or having sex of any description with a 14-year-old girl…. Am I guilty of poor taste? Yes. Did I suggest that it was okay for her 14-year-old daughter to be having promiscuous sex? No." Saying he hopes he's "cleared part of this up," Letterman extended an invitation to Palin to come on the show as a guest.

Read more about Letterman Vs. Palin on PopWatch:
Contessa Brewer vs. John Ziegler re: Sarah Palin — 'Cut the mic, please'

Jun 10 2009 10:45 PM ET

Carrie Prejean fires back after losing Miss California crown

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In an interview with TMZ, deposed Miss California Carrie Prejean said that she was "shocked" at the news she had been stripped of her crown and fired back at pageant owner Donald Trump and the pageant producers. Prejean, who was fired by Trump for failing to get clearance for extracurricular activities, claims in response that pageant head Keith Lewis actually encouraged her to pose for Playboy magazine and appear in the reality series "I'm a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!" Prejean, who sparked controversy with comments she made against gay marriage, insists the real motivation behind her firing was political: "What's behind this, I think, is a political debate. They don't agree with the stance that I took [on California's Proposition 8]…. From day one they wanted me out, and they got what they wanted."

Jun 10 2009 09:34 PM ET

Chris Brown loses bid to postpone hearing in assault case

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Categories: Music Biz

Appeals Court justices in California rejected R&B singer Chris Brown's effort to delay a preliminary hearing in his assault case, according to The Associated Press. Brown's attorney, Mark Geragos, had attempted to postpone the hearing, which is scheduled for June 22, arguing that a pending state Supreme Court case could allow Brown access to certain relevant police files. Brown is accused of beating then-girlfriend Rihanna in February.

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