1. Madonna
$72 million
The ever-morphing singer still outsells artists half her age. She tops the Cash Queens list thanks largely to her record-breaking Confessions tour, plus income from album sales, an apparel line with retailer H&M and a deal with NBC to air concert footage
2. Barbra Streisand
$60 million
The 65-year-old legend, with 145 million albums sold worldwide to her credit, drew legions of die-hard fans to her short (and rare) concert series that wrapped in Europe last summer. Some tickets sold for upward of $1,000 apiece.
3. Celine Dion
$45 million
The Canadian diva's landmark Las Vegas concert drew some 3 million fans and grossed upward of $450 million during its five-year run, which ended in December.
4. Shakira
$38 million
The Colombian chanteuse shook her trademark hips from Mexico to India on a tireless tour that saw her perform 111 concerts before it was over.
5. Beyoncé
$27 million
The former Destiny's Child front woman is an endorsement darling, boasting deals with blue-chip brands like American Express, L'Oreal and Samsung.
6. Gwen Stefani
$26 million
Her last album, The Sweet Escape, peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard charts, her best performance as a solo artist. The 38-year-old platinum blonde also has an endorsement deal with HP, her own fashion label and a recently launched fragrance.
7. Christina Aguilera
$20 million
Critics adored the retro stylings of Back to Basics, her third studio album, which also proved popular with fans. Aguilera also inked deals with Pepsi and Orange, a European cellphone operator. In January, the 27-year-old welcomed her first child, Max.
8. Faith Hill
$19 million
Country's beauty-queen crooner joined husband Tim McGraw on the road for the Soul2Soul II tour, one of the year's fastest-selling, top-grossing American concert series, beating out even the U.S. leg of Madonna's Confessions tour. Hill also belts out NBC's Sunday Night Football theme song.
9. Dixie Chicks
$18 million
Despite vehement criticism from country fans of their anti-war, anti-Bush politics, the Dixie Chicks proved their resilience with their seventh studio album, the Grammy-winning Taking the Long Way Home. Though it immediately topped country and pop charts, the tour to promote the album was hit-or-miss. The Chicks canceled dates in Texas and Oklahoma following refusals from several radio stations to advertise the event.
10. Mariah Carey
$13 million
The 37-year-old pop and R&B diva makes good money off of her extensive catalog. (Her 10 studio albums have sold over 100 million copies worldwide.) The musical director for her last tour, dubbed The Adventures of Mimi, was longtime collaborator Randy Jackson, judge of American Idol.
11. Hilary Duff
$12 million
The 20-year-old former child star of Disney's Lizzie McGuire has quickly established herself as a credible pop star thanks to Dignity, her modestly selling recent studio album. Though acting and music may be her passions, retail is her biggest moneymaking asset. Stuff by Hilary Duff, merchandise targeting her tween fans, is available at Kohl's and JCPenney.
12. Avril Lavigne
$12 million
Marriage hasn't slowed this 23-year-old rocker down. Her third studio album, The Best Damn Thing, topped the pop charts last year and spawned an international mega-hit from its first single "Girlfriend." The video for that song is the second most-watched clip on YouTube, with over 69 million views. Lavigne recorded the chorus to the song in seven other languages, including Mandarin and German.
13. Martina McBride
$12 million
The 41-year-old country crooner's ninth studio album, Waking Up Laughing, was an unlikely crossover hit last year, earning top 10 spots on the country, adult contemporary and Hot 100 charts. (She's still on the road promoting the album on tour.) She and her husband own and operate Nashville's Blackbird Studio, where A-list music acts like John Bon Jovi and Keith Urban have recorded.
14. Britney Spears
$8 million
The former pop-superstar-turned-tabloid-staple eeks out a sizable income from her catalog of hits--the 26-year-old has sold over 80 million records worldwide over the course of her career--and royalties from sales of her fragrance lines. Critics be damned, her latest album, Blackout, has been a modest hit.
15. Carrie Underwood
$7 million
American Idol's fourth-season champ saw her debut album, Some Hearts, sell 8 million copies worldwide and spawn a mega-hit of its third single, "Before He Cheats." (Over 2 million downloads and counting.) Her sophomore effort, Carnival Ride, has sold over 2 million copies. Word is she'll hit the road this year with Keith Urban to promote their respective albums.
16. Nelly Furtado
$7 million
The one-time folk-indie-songstress-turned-pop-star partnered with uber-producer Timbaland for her third album, Loose, said to have sold more than 7 million copies worldwide. The album launched eight hit singles, including "Promiscuous." Furtado, 29, also appeared in Timbaland's "Give It To Me" single with Justin Timberlake
17. Fergie
$6 million
The Black Eyed Peas singer scored big with her debut solo album The Duchess, which landed five hit singles, including "Glamorous" and "Big Girls Don't Cry." Born Stacy Ann Ferguson, the 32-year-old also bagged endorsements with Kipling bags and Candie's shoes.
18. Jennifer Lopez
$6 million
Despite weak album sales of her first Spanish-language album Como Ama una Mujer and limited touring, J.Lo still rakes it in, mostly from her catalog, clothing sales and incredibly successful fragrances. (There are six fragrances so far.) Lopez also collected a paycheck for her credit in El Cantante, the biopic of salsa star Hector Lavoe co-starring hubby Marc Anthony. Lopez, 38, who also runs her own production company, is reportedly expecting twins.
19. Sheryl Crow
$6 million
The nine-time Grammy-winning pop-rock singer enjoyed income from her catalog and a smallish 2006 tour to promote her last album, Wildflowers. During that period, Crow overcame a breast cancer diagnosis and endured a very public breakup with Lance Armstrong. Last year she adopted a son, Wyatt Steven. In February, Crow, 45, will release Detours, her sixth studio album
20. Norah Jones
$5.5 million
The 28-year-old mellow rocker released her third album, Not Too Late, earlier this year and has reportedly sold 3 million copies worldwide to date. She also enjoyed income from a worldwide tour to promote the album. This year she'll make her big screen acting debut opposite Jude Law in My Blueberry Nights.
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Here's Victoria Beckham appearing in the buff on a T-shirt for designer Marc Jacobs as part of a campaign to warn people about skin cancer.
The shirts, signed by Posh, will be on sale in Marc's shops starting next week.
Victoria said: "Since we moved to California I have realized how important it is to practice safe sun for myself and to keep my three boys' skin well protected as well.
"Skin cancer is a huge problem, and I really wanted to help raise awareness by taking part in Marc’s initiative."
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Filming of Michelle Williams's next movie, Blue Valentine, has been put on hold while the actress copes with the death of Heath Ledger, a source tells PEOPLE.
"We will hold off until she is ready," says a source connected with the film. "The production is in the process of sorting it out in respect to her."
The movie – a relationship drama centered around a young couple struggling with their marriage – also stars Ryan Gosling, who Williams was rumored to be dating after they were spotted strolling together in New York before the holidays.
Production on the film was set to start on February 25, but has been moved back to an indefinite date.
"We're hoping she will still come back and do the film and are happy to wait," the source says. "The film is tailor made for those two so of course we would want to wait. You can't get much better than them."
Williams had just finished shooting her last scene in the film "Mammuth" in Sweden when she received the news of Ledger's death.
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Cheryl Cole made plans to start trying for a baby with her football star husband even after he confessed to his drunken encounter with another woman, she has revealed.
Ashley Cole's night with 22-year-old Aimee Walton hit the headlines last week. The Girls Aloud singer, 24, has told how she had known for six weeks about her husband's illicit night out with a woman who claimed they slept together.
In a revealing interview that took place just days before the story became public, Cheryl said they had set a date to start working on a family.
This was after Cole confessed to his wife, according to reports, that "something happened last night but I was so drunk I don't know what."
She told OK! magazine: "My schedule with Girls Aloud is booked up to the summer and then we're having a break and I want me and Ashley to have some time together, so that we can enjoy each other as a married couple before anything else.
"That means so much to me. Then after that we can start working on that baby. "I want to be a young mum so I can go out with them like my mam does."
Cole has also told OK!: "You just can't work through affairs sometimes. Trust is so important to me."
She even admitted that she'd know straight away if Ashley was getting up to no good.
She said: "I'd be able to sense it if there was something wrong.
"The moment I start believing the rumours and stop believing him, that's the time I'd have to end it. The most important thing is trust and honesty."
This weekend, the Girls Aloud star dismissed claims that her footballer husband, 27, had sex with a hairdresser last month.
"That's utter rubbish. When he is under the influence he isn't capable," she told the News of the World.
She said the pair are hoping to rebuild their relationship.
This isn't the first time there have been allegations of infidelity, but during the interview Cheryl laughed off any suggestion that that he has strayed.
"He's never given me any reason to doubt him.
"It doesn't bother me when I see pictures of him coming out of clubs with girls trying to throw themselves on him because I know he's not interested in them.
And more prophetically she added: "I would always take Ashley's word over anyone's unless I had solid, hard evidence something definitely was true.
"It just hasn't been an issue and it won't become one - we trust each other."
However, following reports that Cheryl was prepared to stand by Ashley, two other women have claimed they have also slept with the Chelsea star.
Blonde model Brooke Healy, says she slept with Cole five months after his wedding.
And it has also been claimed that a third woman, Coralie Robinson, was paid hush money of £10,000 after having sex with Cole in 2004 - the year he got engaged.
The Girls Aloud singer was said to be "shocked and upset" that hairdresser Aimee was allegedly offered money to have an abortion.
A friend said: "The relationship is very much hanging in the balance."
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No need for any more honorary citizenships for talk-show host Craig Ferguson. He's going to be the real deal.
The "Late Late Show" host announced Monday that he got a perfect score on his citizenship test, taken Friday in Los Angeles. The Scottish-born Ferguson will officially be sworn in a few weeks from now.
"All of you people born here, if you had to take that test — well, Canada would be building a fence right now," he said on his CBS show Monday.
It started as a joke last June, when Ferguson received a letter from the mayor of Ozark, Ark., granting him "honorary citizenship" of the town for his kind words about its catfish. Ferguson started a campaign to get the designation elsewhere and is now an honorary citizen of 16,109 communities nationwide.
Deciding to become a citizen of the nation at large required him to take a test with such questions as "What month is the new president inaugurated?" and "Who is the chief justice of the Supreme Court?"
He made it. And in the true American spirit, was already joking that President Bush's final State of the Union address "was like a farewell, special edition of 'Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?'"
"I'm getting cocky for someone who is not yet a citizen, aren't I?" he said.
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The former Brookside actress has won acclaim for her role in American drama Pushing Daisies and was recently nominated for a best actress gong at the Golden Globes.
She admits to being "slightly scared" of LA in the beginning when she didn't really have a circle of friends and regular work.
But now she has a house and is more settled she finds that she is regularly host to visiting Brits.
"My house has become a refuge for British actors," she said. "Normally everyone has to stay in hotels and everyone's like 'Friel's got a house, let's go and crash at hers!'
"The house hasn't been empty once, we've always had guests and all of them have been British.
"I don't feel too homesick because most of my friends out there are English. I haven't gone out of my way not to meet Americans, it's just happened to be that there's lots of Brits around."
Anna told Newsbeat the LA lifestyle can be fake but she does things her own way, like getting rid of her personal assistant.
She said: "It's very strange. Now I've got publicists and lawyers and managers and agents. Your entourage gets bigger and bigger and bigger."
She has also spoken about the differences between working for American and British television.
On US productions she said: "It's a very well-oiled slick machine. The hours are much longer, the crews are much bigger, the budgets are much bigger - I'm having the best time ever.
"Americans make television like no-one else in the world. The production values are so high. It feels special, it feels exciting."
Perhaps one of the reasons Anna has settled in so well is her ability to adopt the American accent.
She said: "I don't come out of accent - and my mum doesn't like it if I'm on the phone but I don't know if it's become a kind of superstitious discipline now.
"From the minute I get into my car and I arrive at work, I'm American Anna and at the end of the day I bring my own accent back.
"The crew think it's funny whenever I speak English. They say 'Why are you doing that silly accent? What is that accent?' They think my English is the one I've put on."
Anna is also managing to juggle a successful career with bringing up her young daughter.
Although she admitted that it can be hard, she said it helped to have Gracie on set every day.
"There's no better set for any child to come and visit than Pushing Daisies. She comes in and there's monkeys on the set and fields of windmills and there's now a sweetie shop.
"She comes in and says 'Mummy's got the best job in the world!'"
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Rap superstars, TVT Records' Pitbull and Arista Records' Baby Bash, come together to co-headline a Spring tour. The cross country tour kicks off in Orlando on Saturday, March 15 in support of their new albums; "The Boatlift" and "Cyclone," respectively. Pitbull and Baby Bash have massive internet followings, are two of the most searched for Latin artists on Myspace, and both have been the #1 Latin artist on the site.
"It's been long over due for me and Pit to hit the road together; finally our fans can see us both together for one ticket. You can't beat that with a whoopin' stick," says Baby Bash about the upcoming tour.
Baby Bash's first smash single from the new album, "Cyclone," (featuring T-Pain) has already sold more than 1.5 million digital singles, surpassed the 1 million mark in ringtones, and hit Top 10 on the rap and mainstream radio charts, making him one of the hottest stars in the country. The second single, "What Is It" (featuring Sean Kingston) is currently Top Ten on the rap chart and is heating up at mainstream radio.
This is the first national tour for Pitbull since joining Lil Jon on the Anger Management Tour in 2005. "I can't wait to get out on the road with Baby Bash. I want to use this opportunity to connect with my all my fans and million plus Myspace friends," says Pitbull.
"The Boatlift" showcases Pitbull's lyrical prowess as he crusades through 18 tracks penning clever and captivating rhymes on each song. Pitbull has created an incredibly diverse album ranging from R&B-influenced sounds like first single "Secret Admirer" feat Lloyd, to hypnotic club banger "Go Girl" teaming with Trina and Young Boss, and current Afro-Cuban melodic single "The Anthem" with a bombastic chant by Lil Jon. "The Anthem" is number 17 on the Top 40 Rhythm chart and breaking big on Mainstream Top 40 (Pop) radio.
Baby Bash originally from Vallejo, CA now based in Houston, TX, has garnered a loyal following as a rapper-singer mixing hip-hop and R&B with his Latin roots. Bash's major label debut album, "The Smokin' Nephew" (certified gold), and the follow up "Super Saucy," featured the #1 hit singles, "Suga Suga" (featuring Frankie J) and "Baby I’m Back" (featuring Akon). Bash also penned and performed on the smash records with Frankie J, "Obsession" and Paula Deanda, "Doing Too Much." Most recently Bash was featured with Jennifer Lopez on "This Boy’s On Fire" from Santana’s Ultimate Santana.
Cuban-American MC Pitbull surpassed gold status for more than 500,000 copies sold of his debut album "M.I.A.M.I.: Money Is A Major Issue" in the United States. The feat gave Pitbull the biggest-selling bilingual hip-hop debut since Cypress Hill's 1991 self-titled debut, and put him in the rare category of Latino rappers who have achieved major success in English language radio. In addition to being the #1 Latin artist on Myspace, Pitbull unleashed his sophomore album El Mariel in late 2006 spawning the #1 Latin Rap hit, "Dime".
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Trish Stratus is one of our favorite photo subjects.
The super hot former fitness model and revolutionary WWE Diva created one of Canada's greatest television moments when she kissed Pam Anderson during an awards show in the Great White North. When Trish did the kiss, she told her friends she was emulating the famous Madonna-Britney kiss from MTV. "Plus," Trish told one of our sources, "I thought it would be fun to kiss her. And I bet she liked kissing me!"
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Filipe, the X17 paparazzi who partied at Britney house last week, gave an exclusive interview to this week VEJA, Brazil's best-selling magazine (which isn't a gossip mag, btw). He is Brazilian, so that's why he was interviewed.
Anyway, here is the interview translated by me (so sorry for any mistake)
FILIPE TEIXEIRA, a 27 years old paparazzo from Niterói, is part of the group that follows BRITNEY SPEARS, 26, day and night. Bizarrely, they created special bonds - she is even dating one of them. Last week, Britney took Filipe to a ride in her car and them to party at her home. There, he had the permission to call his "friends" (other photographers) and, together, they sipped champagne till the wee hours. His impressions:
How is Britney relationship with the photographers? Usually, about thirty of them follow her. Some are closer to her and apparently I'm one of them. Many times, at night, she appears to be photographed only to help us. Sometimes we show her the pics and she delete the ones she doesn't like.
How is her house? It's huge and Britney take care of it alone. She has no maid. Everything is fancy and very organized. I've never seen clothes on the floor or anything like that. She has lots of pictures of her sons, but she does not speak about them very much. When we ask her about them she gets sad.
Do you think she is normal? I do. She does not go out to drink, the required drug tests she did came out negative, she does not drink and drive, she speaks softly and not very loud. People say she's crazy just because she goes to the market in her pajamas and eat hamburgers in public but I've seen lots of Americans doing things like that.
But she shaved her head and attacked a photographer car with an umbrella... She had lots of problem, had just divorced, afraid of losing her sons. Everybody go crazy because of their problems sometimes.
Do you know her current boyfriend? Everybody knows it's pure interest. All he wants is exclusive pictures.
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Despite an earlier MySpace blog claiming "there has been no talk of" a reunion, New Kids on the Block singer Danny Wood hints that one could happen after all.
"I wanted to clarify since my first post this morning regarding the NKOTB reunion," he wrote in a new post Monday afternoon.
"I loved being a part of the group, and have always thought 'maybe someday we'll get back together' — you just never know when your someday will come.
"I can guarantee all the fans that if this reunion were to happen, they would hear about it first on www.NKOTB.com."
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Zac Efron spilled to J-14 on his first attempt to run away from it all…
“I had my bags all packed and I was ready to go,” laughs Zac as he recalls the day he said he was tired of his parents “unfair” punishments. “I don’t even remember what I did,” Zac says. “All I remember is that the situation was typical. I got in trouble for something that I didn’t think was too bad and I got grounded.”
Of course once his bags were packed, Zac didn’t know what to do next! “I was about to start walking when I spotted my bike and decided I would go with that instead. I was so little, I didn’t know what else to do!”
Luckily Zac’s family knew how to keep him around. All it took was some snacks. “I was almost out the door when I stopped in the kitchen to grab some food,” Zac remembers. “I sat down and decided, ‘Hmmm, it’s kind of nice in here - I’m hungry and my favorite snacks are around. I think I’ll wait until tomorrow.’”
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It seems that Hannah Montana might be getting canceled! Are they crazy?!?
Here’s what Miley supposedly said in a recent interview:“The past 3 series have been great. My dad and I have been a good team and became closer. I was recently talking with the crew and they said that Hannah Montana is going off air this Spring. They believe they should make room for new shows and give people a new career with Disney. I am very upset and bewildered by this. I wish everyone luck in the cast. It has been a once in a lifetime ride through the show.”
Disney spokesperson Janey Moore confirmed it by saying, “I am very happy that people will start a new life with Disney. Hannah Montana is unfortunately getting axed. The cast are very upset by this."
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This just in -- ET breaks the news that "Hannah Montana" herself, MILEY CYRUS, has legally changed her name! The teen superstar has changed her name to Miley Ray Cyrus, making her nickname, "Miley," official and adding the middle name of her dad, country music star BILLY RAY CYRUS.
The 15-year-old, whose birth name was "Destiny Hope Cyrus," tells our JANN CARL that she has always been called "Miley" by family and friends, so she wanted that to be her legal name, and chose "Ray" as her middle name because she wanted the same one as her dad.
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GWEN STEFANI has confirmed she is 13 weeks pregnant with bambino number two.
The former NO DOUBT star and rocker husband GAVIN ROSSDALE are chuffed about having a brother or sister for their lad Kingston, one.
A source said: “They found out at California’s Cedars-Sinai hospital and couldn’t wait to share the news with everyone.”
Back in October Gwen revealed she was keen to have more kids.
She said: “Obviously I’m in a race to have another one but I don’t want to do it while I’m out on tour.”
And it looks like Gavin’s going to be run off his feet looking after her every whim now.
She added: “He makes whatever food I crave.”
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The director of Heath Ledger's final unfinished movie is working to figure out how to keep the actor alive using computer-generated effects.
THE director of Heath Ledger's final unfinished movie is feverishly working to figure out how to keep the actor alive on film.
Despite initial reports that British director Terry Gilliam was planning to shelve the $33.8 million production of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus after Ledger died halfway through filming the lead role, he is hoping to resurrect the Oscar nominee using computer-generated effects.
Veteran actor Christopher Plummer, who co-stars with Ledger in the fantasy film, said Gilliam was confident he could complete it.
"Terry's throwing himself into the job of trying to salvage the picture," Plummer said.
"Fortunately, because the film deals with magic, there is a way perhaps ... of turning Heath into other people using stills and CGI.
"Terry was a very good friend (of Heath's).
"He very wants to go on with the movie and I can very much understand why - because he wants to dedicate it to Heath, of course."
Ledger and Plummer both left the London portion of the movie's shoot last weekend and were due to continue filming next week in Vancouver.
Plummer confirmed reports that Ledger had been unwell on set due to the rigorous night-time shoots in cold, wet conditions and a lack of sleep.
"We all caught colds because we were shooting outside on horrible, damp nights but Heath's went on," he said.
"I don't think he dealt with it immediately with the antibiotics - I think what he did have was the walking pneumonia.
"He was saying all the time, 'Dammit, I can't sleep' and he was taking all these pills (to help him).
"We had to shoot every second we were out there - there was hardly any time to go into the tent or the car to keep warm. It was very, very hard work."
Plummer said despite Ledger being ill when he left England he was in "very high spirits".
"He was just enjoying himself tremendously," Plummer said.
"It's a rather fanciful script and he was wonderful in this role.
"He was terribly likeable and obviously enormously talented and the combination was terrific. It's such a shame these things have to happen to the good ones."
Reports in the US initially said Gilliam has approached Johnny Depp to step into Ledger's role, but the actor's representative did not immediately return calls for comment.
Sources involved in the investigation into Ledger's death yesterday said he might have died from natural causes, according to US website TMZ.com.
The site has revealed that sources, who it says are "intimately involved" in the death case, say the level of toxicity - caused by medication - in Ledger's blood was low enough that it may not have caused his death.
The revelation shed new light on the actor's death which has been the subject of much speculation.
TMZ also said authorities did not believe the housekeeper heard Ledger snoring when she walked into his bedroom at around 1pm.
The site said a fireman observed rigor mortis in Ledger's jaw shortly after arriving at the scene about 3pm on the day he died - leading investigators to believe the actor was dead for about three hours prior to their arrival.
Rumours that the masseuse hatched a plot with Mary-Kate Olsen's bodyguard to remove illegal drugs from Heath's apartment have also been dismissed.
Authorities told TMZ that it would have been impossible because police were at the scene the entire time the bodyguard was present and there would have been no opportunity to carry out such a plan.
They said the masseuse contacted the bodyguard because she knew he was a licensed emergency medical technician.
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Sean Penn and James Franco considered living like gay lovers for new biopic MILK, but their schedules wouldn't allow it. The two stars play homosexuals Harvey Milk and Scott Smith in Gus Van Sant's new movie about the openly gay San Francisco city supervisor (Milk), who was assassinated in 1977. And the two actors thought about getting to know one another by renting a home in the city, according to PlanetGossip.Eonline.com.
Blogger Marc Malkin reports, "I'm told Penn and Franco wanted to live together for a time before filming began in the Bay Area. My sources reported they were looking to shack up in an apartment similar to one the real-life partners lived in after moving to San Fran from New York City." A source says, "They talked a lot about doing that, but schedules prevented it." The film, which will hit cinemas in 2009, also features Into The Wild star Emile Hirsch and Mexican actor Diego Luna as two of Milk's other lovers.
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Lynne Spears is getting tough with her sixteen year old daughter Jamie Lynn Spears and her social life a new report claims. While many observers will believe that she is about four or five months too late the National Enquirer is reporting that she is laying down the law when I comes to Jamie Lynn's boyfriend Casey Aldridge.
"Lynne really put her foot down,” said a source close to the Spears family. “She told Jamie Lynn that Casey will never spend a night at their house. According to the report, the teen dad-to-be is allowed to visit only two days a week for just a few hours at a time. And Lynne has told Jamie Lynn that she will NOT be getting married to him!
According to sources cited by the Enquirer, Jamie Lynn agreed it was best that her mother raise the baby – a girl – in their hometown of Kentwood, La., and Lynn is happy to do it. "Lynne wants Jamie Lynn to continue her showbiz career after the baby is born, and Jamie Lynn finally realized she still wants to enjoy her teenage years without the responsibilities of caring for a baby,” said an insider.
“Privately, Lynne says Jamie Lynn still doesn’t understand the life-long consequences of having a baby. Lynne wants her daughter to still be able to be a teenager, go to parties, hang out with friends and have the opportunities of her career.” Lynne is determined to raise the baby as a Spears child, and if she has her way, Jamie Lynn won’t be marrying Casey.
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In the days after the Britney Spears soap opera rode a police-escorted gurney to its apex, celeb-mag sales spiked, traffic jammed gossip Web sites, tabloid TV ratings rose and paparazzi photo prices surged.
For a growing number of people and businesses, Britney's saga is about money: Every time she sinks to new lows, cash flows. And these days, no one is above the fray.
When a custody dispute devolved into a three-hour standoff at Spears' home Jan. 3, police officers and firefighters were pressed into duty. Television stations sent up helicopters, and cable news anchors reported the unfolding drama in real time. The Associated Press had two reporters working the story, with editors on both coasts updating it seven times throughout the night.
Spears is just one of many stars driving the growing multibillion dollar celebrity news industry. But the Spears story in particular, with a new twist nearly every week, has become a very profitable sub-sector unto itself.
"Britney is the most bankable celebrity out there right now, and she has been for the past year," said Francois Navarre, founder of the paparazzi agency X17.
Spears became a can't-miss tabloid topic after filing for divorce from second husband Kevin Federline in November 2006. Since then, she's been in and out of rehab, shaved her head, revealed a bit too much above the hemline, was arrested after a traffic accident, and lost custody of her kids (and later her visitation rights).
"The product for the tabloid industry is the unusual, and Britney has been delivering that consistently," said Dan Smith, dean of the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.
At a time when advertising spending in traditional media is declining, celebrity gossip titles such as Star, Us Weekly and In Touch Weekly are growing. That helped overall newsstand sales for magazines edge 1 percent higher, to $2.39 billion, in the first half of 2007.
"The increase is almost entirely attributable to the growth of the celebrity magazine," said John Harrington, who runs industry consulting agency Harrington Associates.
Any time a magazine can boost newsstand sales past its average, the revenue is booked nearly entirely as profit, Harrington said: "People prints 2.5 million copies and sells about an average of 1.5 million. If they have an issue that sells 2 million, the extra half million goes to the bottom line."
People, which takes a broader and less sensational look at the entertainment industry, dominates the sector in circulation, but that hasn't stopped such new titles as In Touch and Life & Style Weekly from elbowing in. Another newcomer, the U.S. version of Britain's OK!, has taken particular interest in Spears, putting her picture on the cover 54 times in the 103 issues since January 2006.
"An editor's dream is to have a real life soap opera unraveling in front of you, and Britney provides that every week," said Sarah Ivens, OK!'s U.S. editor. The magazine has a 10-person team in Los Angeles devoted to Spears coverage. "We're on constant Britney alert."
She wouldn't disclose the costs to the magazine, saying only that Spears has been "amazing" for OK!'s business. Publisher Tom Morrisy said Spears drives newsstand sales and helped the magazine's ad revenue more than double to $51 million in 2007. OK! expects to turn a profit in 2008, three years after breaking into the market.
US Weekly has been just as enamored of the star, putting Spears on nearly two-thirds of its covers last year, including each of the last 14. People has had Spears on the cover 10 times in the past 15 months.
And that heightened demand for Spears pictures has been a boon to photographers.
X17's Navarre said an exclusive shot of the star would sell for about $10,000 in the U.S. and generate thousands more in residuals. "She's the most expensive right now," he said. "For Angelina, for example, you divide by two or even three to get the price."
In contrast, the average celebrity shot fetches $125 to $700, according to Scott McKiernan, founder of ZUMA Press photo agency. He said residual fees on exclusives can push the value of a unique Spears shot well past $100,000.
Many of those images wind up on celebrity gossip Web sites, like TMZ and PerezHilton. The sites make money by delivering viewers to ads on their pages, typically receiving a fee for each 1,000 hits. Navarre said Spears boosts traffic to his Web site, X17online.com, more than any other star.
"During the ambulance incident, traffic doubled every hour," he said, citing internal server data.
X17, which owns the infamous picture of a bald Spears taken in February, has a team of photographers tracking her at all times. "For us, she's the star No. 1," Navarre said.
Television ratings show that a major Spears incident attracts viewers to each of the main entertainment news TV shows, too.
"All of us sustained a major ratings spike" when Spears was taken to the hospital two weeks ago, said Charles Lachman, executive producer of Inside Edition. "It happens every time with her."
It's more difficult to assess the economic gain for TV shows because they sell ads weeks in advance, with rates based on average expected ratings. If the show fails to deliver, it has to reimburse the advertiser, but there is no such compensation if ratings exceed expectations.
Suffice it to say that advertisers love the extra attention. "Anything that boosts ratings is a win-win for everyone," said Shari Anne Brill, an analyst with ad buyer Carat USA.
On the flipside, the Spears story isn't making money for everyone. There are costs involved, too. For instance, the increased scrutiny puts a burden on Los Angeles civil service units, which have to keep Spears safe and public spaces uncluttered.
The L.A. Police Department wouldn't estimate the extra costs Spears generates. Her ambulance incident last week was handled by officers already on duty. The fire department said it was considering charging Spears for the ambulance ride, but did not disclose how much.
Spears' numerous court appearances — for custody hearings, divorce proceedings and a civil case — have more measurable effects. Richard Barrantes, chief of court services division of the LA County Sheriff's Department, said when Spears and Federline were in court on Oct. 26, his office billed the court $2286.10 to cover the cost of extra security at the courthouse.
The star's behavior may be eroding her own brand, as well. Spears remains among the most-recognized celebrities, along with Johnny Depp and Will Smith, according to Marketing Evaluations, the company that developed the "Q Score." But she is not well-liked. Her negative Q Score is at 66 — only Federline has a lower one among all celebrities — meaning two-thirds of people who know who she is give her a "fair" or "poor" rating. The average for female performers is 30.
Spears, who used to pitch for Pepsi but no longer fronts for any mainstream products, gets most of her income from music sales, augmented by several perfume lines and other side projects. Elizabeth Arden, Spears' partner in the perfume business, introduced a third Spears scent, "Believe," last fall.
So far, Spears' antics don't appear to have hurt personal earnings, which, according to court papers released in November, are roughly $737,000 per month.
"A good actor or musician can get away with some pretty bizarre stuff offstage as long as they keep delivering the goods in their focal profession," Smith said.
Spears seems to have done that, winning critical acclaim for "Blackout," her first studio album in four years. The record hit No. 1 on the charts last fall, although it faded quickly. Its headline single, "Gimme More," topped out at No. 3 on the Billboard 100.
Now that she's back in focus for offstage drama, her music is an afterthought. And at some point, most industry experts agree, the public will grow tired of the Spears story.
That doesn't mean the economy that sprouted around her will wilt.
"If it's not Britney, then it'll be Lindsay or Paris or some other person we haven't heard of yet," Smith said.
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RUSSIAN model Natalia Vodianova, 25, retired from the catwalk last week after walking in Valentino Garavani's final show in Paris. To celebrate, the mother of three is taking Valentino to Moscow for a week and then to Brazil for Carnivale. "She may do another show in the future," said a source, "but only for $500,000 or this large pink diamond she's had her eye on." The night of Valentino's last show, his longtime right-hand man, Carlos Souza, also retired, and his head of public relations, Annelise Peterson, left to join Alberta Ferretti next month.
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" Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio's hug in the hit movie Titanic has been voted the best movie-hug ever.
The hug beat out the final hug shared by Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze in 1987 movie Dirty Dancing as well as Henry Thomas's tight grasp on the incubator holding his extra-terrestrial friend in the 1982 movie E.T, contactmusic.com reported.
Coming in fourth was the hug between Colin Firth and Renee Zellweger in Bridget Jones'Diary. And rounding off at the fifth position is convicts Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman's hug in the final scene of the 1994 hit The Shawshank Redemption. "
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Just three years ago, newly crowned Miss America Kirsten Haglund was eating tiny portions of food and became so thin her concerned parents "dragged me to the doctor."
Haglund was diagnosed with anorexia, and the lack of nutrition caused her collar bones to stick out, her heart rate to drop and her relationships to suffer.
"I would feel fatigued walking up six stairs," the 19-year-old Haglund said Sunday, a day after being crowned Miss America 2008. "I was a completely different person. It's not a pretty sight."
Haglund plans to spend her yearlong reign, trying to raise awareness of eating disorders, promoting the pageant and helping the Children's Miracle Network while maintaining a healthy lifestyle and exercise.
To win her crown, the Farmington Hills, Mich., native sang "Over the Rainbow" and walked a crowd-pleasing strut in a black and gold bikini to clinch the title.
"You have to have curves," she said proudly. "You can't look like a stick-thin model."
The aspiring Broadway star even ate the silver medallion chocolates left on her pillow in her suite at the host site, the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.
"Yes, oh my gosh, yes," she said. "I love chocolate. Chocolates are a girl's best friend."
The 5-foot 8-inch blond said she doesn't disclose her weight to avoid setting standards for youths obsessed with getting lighter.
She said she stopped pursuing her dream to become a professional ballerina to escape an environment in which she was rewarded for being slim and an industry that Haglund said sweeps concerns about eating disorders under the rug.
The National Eating Disorders Association estimates eating disorders affect 10 million girls and women and about 1 million boys and men in the United States.
Haglund's job begins right away, and on Sunday she caught a plane to New York for a Monday interview on "Live With Regis and Kelly."
While the teen said she wasn't about to "let myself go," she didn't plan to skip any meals over her crowning year.
"I'm going to enjoy my food," she said.[source]
Kirsten Haglund winner of Miss America 2008 at Las Vegas
Sylvester Stallone says he used human growth hormone to get buff for the new "Rambo" movie, and defends its use.
Sylvester Stallone directed and co-wrote the new "Rambo" movie.
"HGH (human growth hormone) is nothing," the 61-year-old actor tells Time magazine in its February 4 issue.
"Anyone who calls it a steroid is grossly misinformed."
Because it is nearly undetectable, HGH has become a substance of great concern in major league baseball and other sports battling allegations of rampant doping.
"Testosterone to me is so important for a sense of well-being when you get older," Stallone says.
"Everyone over 40 years old would be wise to investigate it because it increases the quality of your life. Mark my words. In 10 years it will be over the counter."
Stallone directed and co-wrote the new "Rambo" movie, which arrived in theaters Friday.
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Barbara Walters received a call from Britney Spears's manager and "very good friend" Sam Lutfi, the TV host told her cohorts on Monday's The View – reporting that Lutfi said the pop star was seeking help for what Walters termed "mental issues which are treatable."
"She has been to a psychiatrist," Walters, 78, said, recounting Lutfi's explanation over the phone. "She, I assume, is starting some kind of treatment."
Walters also reported that Spears was having trouble sleeping and was suffering from "mood swings," but that she was back in touch with her mother, Lynne Spears.
When those at the table challenged the veracity of Lutfi's report, Walters's response was, "I don't know if anybody is telling the truth or not telling the truth." But she noted, "He has been with her constantly. He seems to be enormously supportive."
Chiming in with her analysis was Whoopi Goldberg, who said, "I think this girl has worked and worked and worked – and she is burnt out."
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" Pete Doherty has started making plans to open an animal sanctuary near his Wiltshire home, say reports. According to the Daily Star, the Babyshambles singer is a passionate animal lover and wants to use his money to create a sanctuary for rescued and injured pets. The rocker was reportedly inspired after he rescued a three-legged hedgehog from the road-side, which he has named Mrs Tiggy-Winkle. "Pete rescued the hedgehog. It had a leg missing and he felt sorry for it," a source told the Daily Star. "He made sure it got the proper help it needed from a vet and set up a special section for it in his garden. Pete has a big heart. He also loves rats and is looking after one with no tail. "He has lots of kittens, too, and hopes that by the end of the year he will be able to open his pet rescue centre at Marlborough to local schools so they can educate children about animals." "
[source]
t looks like Ryan Phillippe isn’t the only one annoyed by Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhaal’s increasingly serious relationship: his ex-girlfriend Kirsten Dunst and his mum Naomi Foner are both less than delighted about the coupling.
Kirsten and Jake dated for around two years after his sister Maggie Gyllenhaal introduced them in 2002, then had a further year of on-off dating until finally splitting in December 2005.
A friend of Kirsten’s told Star magazine that the Spider-Man star had always hoped she and Jake would reconcile and start a family together when their professional lives calmed down: “[So] hearing that [GyllenSpoon] are close to getting engaged is like a knife to her heart.”
“Seeing photos of him out with her kids is just too much [for Kirsten] to handle. She always thought she and Jake would reunite, but now those dreams have faded.”
Jake and Maggie’s mum Naomi is also far from delighted about the union. A source close to the family told the magazine: “Naomi is concerned Jake’s taking on more than he can handle dating Reese, even playing the role of daddy to 8-year-old Ava and 4-year-old Deacon when he’s with them.”
“[Naomi hoped] Jake would find a younger girl to date, without so much baggage.”
[source]
Cheryl Cole isn't the only Girl Aloud to be having relationship problems.
Nadine Coyle and Desperate Housewives star Jesse Metcalfe have split, according to sources.
Jesse jetted to London on Friday and has been hitting the London party scene hard, with one noticeable absence - Nadine.
The pair went their separate ways after trying unsuccessfully to make their rocky relationship work.
A souce says: "Nadine decided to breakup with Jesse. She's saying it's just a break but we all know it's not. They've had a very unstable relationship of late and she tried everything to make it work.
"But they want different things in life at the moment and that was the final nail in the coffin.
"She flew to LA recently and spent the entire trip with her family and gal pals. She even discussed a big girly trip to Vegas - without Jesse. She's never really done that before, he used to always be part of her plans. She's well and truly getting on with her life as a single girl."
Jesse was at the new celeb hangout No 50 Dover Street in London until the early hours of Saturday morning and, judging by the gaggle of girls swarming around him, it didn't look like he was missing Nadine.
The singer and Jesse first started going out two years ago but - in a spooky parallel to fellow Girl Aloud Cheryl's current situation - the couple split up last year over claims Jesse cheated on Nadine.
She took him back in September and Nad and her family moved to LA so she could spend more time with him.
The actor was meant to host a Desperate Housewives night in Essex club Faces last night, but he pulled out at the last minute.
A club worker said: "He cancelled, but we've got no idea why. Luckily Kelly Rowland was able to step in."
The former Destiny's Child singer Kelly sang her new single Work before retreating to the VIP area.
A fellow clubber said: "She looked like she was having a good time, dancing and chatting with a few friends, but I didn't see her drinking at all."
Anthony Costa from Blue was seen flirting with some girls outside while Chantelle Houghton drank and danced with girl pals.
[source]
Cheryl Cole is reportedly reconsidering her stand-by-her-man decision after husband Ashley Cole was accused of trying to pay-off his other woman to have an abortion.
Aimee Walton claims she thought she was pregnant after her one night stand with the Chelsea and England star because they’d had unsafe sex.
She told the Sun that she called Ashley to tell him about her fears and he replied: “F****** hell! I’m shaking. I’m sorry. S**t!”
He then arranged for a friend of his to meet Aimee at a London pub and the representative told her: “We would do whatever you want. Obviously he’s not gonna leave his wife, he’s not gonna get involved.”
“If you wanted to terminate the pregnancy and then go on holiday with your [young son], then you know that’s fine. We would take care of that.”
“If you wanna keep the baby then we’ll give you something towards it. [But] I’ll be dead straight with you: the best thing for Ashley is to terminate the baby, right.”
“We’ll get private, done properly. Financially we’ll take of all that.”
“I’ll tell you the facts, all right? Trust me, because I know my people. We’ll only support you financially. And that’s why I think, if you terminate, it would be best. I’m being honest. I’m being very cold and methodical, but that’s my job.”
In the end, it turned out that Aimee wasn’t pregnant but Aimee stands by her decision to expose Ashley publicly, even though the Girls Aloud star has now accused Aimee of lying about the sex taking place: “I regret what happened, but what Cheryl has said is infuriating and, frankly, ridiculous.”
“There are things he did to me that you simply would not forget. At one point his mates burst into the room and had a conversation with him while we were having sex. If Ashley can’t remember our encounter, maybe Cheryl can ask them about it.”
“I’m sorry Cheryl has been hurt, but trying to shift the blame from her husband to me is not rational. Ashley slept with me, then tried to cover it up. They tried to shut me up with money. They lie and cheat.”
“Cheryl needs to bear that in mind when Ashley is telling her it never happened.”
Over the weekend Cheryl told the News of the World that she intended to stay with Ashley but a source close to her family has now told the Mirror that the new revelations are making her think twice about the man she married: “Make no mistake, Cheryl hasn’t forgiven him yet. Ashley is certainly not home and dry. There’ve been an awful lot of tears and recriminations and he’s got a lot of work to do.”
“Cheryl is incredibly hurt by what has happened. She needs time to let the awful events of the last few days sink in and to decide what’s the best way forward. But she recognizes they need some time together to work things through, which gives Ashley hope.”
“Cheryl takes her marriage vows very seriously and has strong views on infidelity. However, she’s a very strong woman and if she makes up her mind their marriage is over, it’s over.”
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