TV, movie and music news | News Briefs

News Briefs TV, movie and music news

Archive: December 2010 (61-70 of 92)

Dec 13 2010 04:02 PM ET

Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens break up

People is reporting that Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens have ended their four-year relationship. The High School Musical stars, who began dating in 2006, “are 100 percent still good friends,” a source says to People. Efron, 23, is currently shooting the Nicholas Sparks adaptation The Lucky One; Hudgens, who turns 22 tomorrow, will next appear in director Zack Snyder’s March action film Sucker Punch.

Dec 12 2010 03:09 PM ET

Nicole Richie and Good Charlotte's Joel Madden marry

by Brad Wete

Categories: Music, Television, Weddings

After announcing their engagement last February, Good Charlotte band member Joel Madden, 31, and Nicole Richie, 29, married in Los Angeles, CA on Dec. 11, People reports. The wedding was held at the estate of Richie’s father, legendary R&B singer Lionel Richie. The couple has two children together.

Dec 10 2010 05:51 PM ET

Billy Ray Cyrus on Miley bong video: 'There is much beyond my control right now'

by Kate Ward

Categories:

Image Credit: Amy Graves/WireImage.com The same day TMZ released footage of Miley Cyrus smoking salvia — a natural herb with hallucinogenic effects — from a bong, the star’s father, Billy Ray Cyrus, tweeted a supposed response to the video: “Sorry guys. I had no idea,” his tweet reads. “Just saw this stuff for the first time myself. I’m so sad. There is much beyond my control right now.” The video, which was taken the week of Miley’s 18th birthday in November, was reportedly stolen or copied from the Disney star’s friend’s camera.

Dec 10 2010 09:53 AM ET

Dick Van Dyke's one-man show canceled

by Margaret Lyons

Categories: Stage

Dick Van Dyke’s upcoming one-man autobiographical show, Dick Van Dyke – Step in Time! – A Musical Memoir will not open this winter as planned, due to an achilles injury to the 85-year-old Tony-winner. The Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles announced the news last night, one week before the show was to open. In a statement, Van Dyke said, “Unfortunately, this injury is forcing me to be off my feet for a while. Perhaps there will be an opportunity to revisit this sometime in the future, but in the meantime, I thank everyone for their understanding and support.”

Dec 10 2010 09:02 AM ET

Jim Morrison of The Doors pardoned

by Jeff Labrecque

Categories: Lawsuits, Legacy, Music

Image Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty ImagesForty one years after being charged with indecency at a Florida concert and 39 years after his premature death, Jim Morrison was pardoned by the outgoing governor of Florida, Charlie Crist. Morrison, the frontman for The Doors, had been appealing his conviction for profanity and indecent exposure when he died in Paris at age 27. The charges stemmed from an infamous March 1, 1969 Doors concert in Miami, where Morrison was accused of unzipping his pants and simulating a sex act, a charge he denied. Though he was convicted in 1970, there has never been any photographic evidence supporting the charges, and Morrison supporters and many witnesses claim he only teased the concert crowd. “In this case the guilt or innocence is in God’s hands, not ours,” said Crist, an admitted Doors fan.

Dec 9 2010 03:52 PM ET

Alexis Neiers, 'Pretty Wild' star, ordered to rehab after ugly arrest

by Kate Ward

Categories:

Alexis Neiers, the Pretty Wild reality star who was previously convicted of burglarizing Orlando Bloom’s home, has been ordered to rehab, the Associated Press reports. Neiers was taken into custody Dec. 1 for possession of heroin.

Dec 9 2010 01:09 PM ET

Ronni Chasen: 'America's Most Wanted' tip led police to suspect

by Emily Exton

Categories:

An anonymous tip from an America’s Most Wanted viewer aided investigators in the Ronni Chasen murder case, according to a press release from Fox. The tip led investigators to “person of interest” Harold Martin Smith, who shot and killed himself when approached by police. Yesterday, the Beverly Hills police confirmed that the weapon used in Smith’s suicide was the same used in Chasen’s murder. Police believe that Smith acted alone, and that Chasen’s murder was potentially the result of a “robbery gone bad.”

Chasen’s case was first profiled on the Nov. 20 episode of America’s Most Wanted, after the Hollywood community reached out to the show for help following her death. “I’m very proud that this loyal AMW viewer had the guts to call our hotline to help solve this case,” said AMW host and exec producer John Walsh. “After 23 years on the air, it reconfirms my belief that an average person can make a difference. It’s my hope that the Chasen family will now have some answers.” An updated report, including more information on the tipster, will be featured on the show’s Dec. 11 episode.

More on Ronni Chasen:
Ronni Chasen’s killer ‘acted alone,’ according to Beverly Hills police
Ronni Chasen: ‘Person of interest’ in publicist’s murder kills self
Ronni Chasen laid to rest
Ronni Chasen, longtime Hollywood publicist, shot to death in Beverly Hills after leaving ‘Burlesque’ premiere

Dec 9 2010 01:05 PM ET

Mark Zuckerberg pledges to give away half his fortune

by Jeff Labrecque

Categories:

Facebook co-founders Mark Zuckerberg and Dustin Moskovitz have pledged to give away half of their fortunes to charitable causes. The Giving Pledge is a philanthropic effort initiated by Bill Gates and Warren Buffett that began in June and now includes 57 generous donors, including Ted Turner, George Lucas, and Michael Bloomberg. In a statement, Zuckerberg, who recently donated $100 million to the public school system in Newark, N.J., said, “People wait until late in their career to give back, but why wait when there is so much to be done?”

Dec 9 2010 12:30 PM ET

Wesley Snipes checks into federal prison

by Kate Ward

Categories:

Blade star Wesley Snipes has reported to a federal prison in Pennsylvania, Reuters reports. The actor will serve a three-year sentence two years after being convicted for willful failure to file tax returns in Florida from 1999 to 2001. Just two days ago, Snipes appeared on Larry King to defend himself and maintain that he might avoid prison time: “We still believe in miracles,” he said on the show. “So don’t send me up the river just yet.”

Dec 9 2010 09:42 AM ET

Christina Aguilera blames hacker for leaked photos

by Jeff Labrecque

Categories: Music

Christina Aguilera says the revealing pictures of her that recently appeared on the internet were stolen and distributed by a computer hacker. In a statement, the singer’s rep said, “The photos of Christina Aguilera being leaked to the press were illegally obtained by a hacker who tapped into Christina’s personal stylist’s account … The photos were taken in the privacy of Ms. Aguilera’s home and were used only in a personal exchange between the star and her stylist.”