Alyssa Milano commits to "Boyfriend"

Former "Charmed" star Alyssa Milano is about to weave a spell on the big screen.

The actress has signed on to star in and produce "My Girlfriend's Boyfriend," a romantic comedy in which she plays a woman with a relationship dilemma.

Beau Bridges, Michael Landes, Christopher Gorham and Carol Kane round out the cast.

Milano will play an outgoing woman who meets two seemingly ideal men in quick succession -- a struggling novelist (Gorham) and successful ad executive (Landes) -- and must decide between them. Daryn Tufts will direct from his own script.

Milano, who produced her hit television show "Charmed," recently had a recurring role on NBC's "My Name Is Earl."

Gorham stars in CBS' limited series "Harper's Island," and Landes next stars in the Sarah Michelle Gellar-toplined supernatural tale "Possession.

http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSTRE5511AS20090602

Jennifer Hudson's baby shower confirms the news

A weekend baby shower in downtown Chicago confirmed what has long been rumored: Jennifer Hudson is pregnant.

“It was a baby shower, a quiet gathering of friends and mostly family,” singer/actress Felicia Fields, a longtime Hudson friend, said of Saturday’s get-together in a relative’s home. “They’re really trying to keep it kind of quiet.”

South Side native Hudson, the 27-year-old singing star who won the 2006 best supporting actress Oscar for “Dreamgirls,” is engaged to former reality TV star David Otunga, who’s currently pursuing a pro wrestling career. Hudson has said she no longer would live in Chicago after her mother, Darnell Donerson, brother Jason and nephew Julian King were found murdered in October, with William Balfour, the estranged husband of Jennifer’s sister Julia, charged with the crimes.

Hudson recently finished a co-headlining concert tour with singer Robin Thicke, with an April 25 show at the Arie Crown Theatre. Her manager and publicist previously denied that she is pregnant.

"It was a nice time that we had," Fields said of the shower. She didn’t want to get into when the baby is due, but speculation is that Hudson is many months along—an impression bolstered by her appearance of late.

As for whether Hudson received blue or pink gifts, Fields said, “They don’t know [the gender]. More yellow.”

http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_popmachine/2009/05/jennifer-hudsons-baby-shower-confirms-the-news.html

Miley Cyrus signs on for more "Hannah"

"Hannah Montana" will shine on. Disney Channel has closed a deal for a fourth season of the blockbuster series starring Miley Cyrus.

The cable channel also has ordered a second season of its breakout new comedy series "Sonny With a Chance," starring Demi Lovato, and has tapped Jeffrey Hornaday, choreographer of such movies as "Flashdance" and "A Chorus Line," to direct and choreograph the fourth "High School Musical" movie.

There had been questions about whether Cyrus would return to the series that made her a global star, with the teen actress-singer recently expressing her intention to continue her small-screen duties as Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana for one more year.

As part of the deal, Cyrus will get a long hiatus to work on the feature "The Last Song," with production on the fourth season of "Hannah Montana" slated to begin next year. (Filming of the show's third season wraps this week.)

The series will change settings next season, during which the Stewarts will grapple with saying goodbye to their beachfront Malibu home.

"That will provide the catalyst for wonderful new characters and further expand the storytelling opportunities," said Disney Channel Worldwide president Gary Marsh.

"Hannah Montana" -- which also stars Cyrus' dad, Billy Ray Cyrus, Emily Osment and Jason Earles -- draws an average of 4.4 million viewers per episode.

A 2007 episode of the show still ranks as the highest-rated basic cable series telecast ever with 10.7 million total viewers.

"Hannah Montana" has generated two double-platinum soundtracks, a No. 1 box-office movie, DVDs, a junior novel series, apparel, accessories, videogames and a Miley Cyrus concert tour, which spawned a 3-D film version that became the No. 1 concert film of all time.

"Hannah Montana" was created by Michael Poryes, Rich Correll and Barry O'Brien.

Since its premiere in February, "Sonny," toplined by rising star Lovato, has become TV's top program for kids 6-11.

Written by Peter Barsocchini, "High School Musical East Meets West," about the cross-town school rivalry between the East High Wildcats and West High Knights, is scheduled to premiere in 2010.

http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSTRE5507R020090602

Eminem and Bruno’s MTV Awards Stunt Was Staged, Writer Says

After the now-epic collision of Brüno and Eminem at the MTV Movie Awards, a debate raged in the comments of Rock Daily and across the Net: Was the failed stunt — which featured Borat mastermind Sacha Baron Cohen dressed in feathers and a thong flying through the air and landing extremely uncomfortably on the seemingly shocked Slim Shady — staged, or was it scripted? Sources tell EW it was no surprise, and according to the head writer of the awards show, the incident was planned and rehearsed.

As the Los Angeles Times’ Pop & Hiss blog first spotted, a Tumblr post by the show’s head writer Scott Aukerman, who was hired by host Andy Samberg and his cohort Akiva Shaffer, stated, “Yes, the Bruno/Eminem incident was staged. That’s all anyone wants to talk about, so let’s get it out of the way. They rehearsed it at dress and yes, it went as far as it did on the live show then.” So not only did Eminem get a face full of Brüno in front of all of America, he had to stomach a similar dose during rehearsals. Eminem, such a good sport.

Aukerman, likely being forced to adhere with MTV’s post-show “It wasn’t staged!” claim, has since took down that Tumblr post. Still, what are the odds Eminem would be miked for sound while sitting in the audience if he wasn’t in on it, what are the chances MTV would allow for a high wire stunt to take place over hundreds — OK, dozens — of celebrities if they didn’t control every facet of the landing, and how convenient was it that every camera in the house was ready to focus in on Em?

Still, many Rock Daily readers are convinced the stunt was a prank on an unwitting and P.O.’ed Eminem. Reader kett posted, “That definitely was NOT staged. Em was furious, and I for one do not blame him. Joke or not, no grown man wants another mans balls and junk in his face.” Other commenters helped spread a false rumor that Cohen was beat up by Eminem’s bodyguards post-show. Even though the incident was staged, it won’t prevent the Eminem and Cohen sandwich from becoming one of the greatest, most hilarious moments in MTV awards show history.

http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/06/02/eminem-and-brunos-mtv-awards-stunt-was-staged-writer-says/

Talent winners to star in 3D film

Dance troupe Diversity, winners of TV's Britain's Got Talent, are to appear in a new British film to be shot in 3D.

Fellow competitors Flawless will also appear in the film, as will last year's winner George Sampson.

The film, Street Dance, follows a dance crew in training for the Street Dance Championships who are forced to work alongside ballet dancers.

Distributed by Vertigo Films, it has been described as "the first British movie to be shot in 3D".

Producer James Richardson signed both Diversity and Flawless to the film after seeing them perform last July at the UK Street Dance Championships.

Award-winning

"I immediately started talking to them about being in the film since I felt they represented the very best of British street dance," he said in a statement.

Casting is still in progress for the film, which will begin shooting in the UK in August under the direction of award-winning video makers Max and Darnia.

Diversity were the surprise victors of Saturday's Britain's Got Talent final, beating hotly-tipped singer Susan Boyle into second place.

The 11-strong Essex-based troupe includes three sets of brothers and has members aged from 13 to 25.

London-based Flawless also competed in Saturday's final but did not make it into the final three.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8079018.stm

Twilight leads way at MTV awards

Vampire drama Twilight took five trophies including best film at the MTV Movie Awards in Los Angeles.

The film's Kristen Stewart won best actress while High School Musical actor Zac Efron scooped best male.

Heath Ledger, who died of an accidental overdose last year, won best villain for his performance in The Dark Knight.

Sacha Baron Cohen caused a stir when, dressed as his character Bruno, he flew in on a wire before landing on rapper Eminem and baring his naked backside.

The rapper, sat in the audience at the Gibson Amphitheatre, looked uncomfortable as Cohen - dressed in a skimpy angel costume - landed upside down on his lap after apparently colliding with an obstacle.

"Is the real Slim Shady about to stand up?" Cohen said.

Cameras then showed Eminem storming out - but it is not clear if he was in on the stunt.

Best kiss

British actor Robert Pattinson won the male best breakthrough performance for Twilight and also shared the best kiss award with co-star Kristen Stewart.

Accepting her best actress award, Stewart said: "The fans are the ultimate driving force."

Ben Stiller won the MTV Generation Award

Twilight also won the prize for best fight.

Ben Stiller, 43, meanwhile, picked up the MTV Generation Award - the ceremony's top honour - for his body of work, which includes films Zoolander and There's Something About Mary.

Presenting him with his award, actor Kiefer Sutherland said: "Ben, I have never had the privilege of working with you but when I see the remarkable consistency you display in your films... I see a consummate professional who commands the respect of his co-actors."

Ashley Tisdale won the female best breakthrough award for High School Musical 3: Senior Year while Miley Cyrus received the best song from a movie prize for The Climb, from Hannah Montana: The Movie.

And Jim Carrey won best comedy performance for Yes Man.

Oscar-winner Slumdog Millionaire came away empty-handed despite its six nominations.

Viewers of the programme, shown live on MTV in the USA, were shown previews of forthcoming films including Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

'Twilight' Superfans 'Impressed' By 'New Moon' Trailer

The only thing better than watching a hot new video clip is sharing your thoughts on that video with friends. So naturally, when the "New Moon" trailer debuted at the MTV Movie Awards, we were eager to hear the opinions of Twilighters worldwide.

"Aahhhh!!! That was amazing!!!" wrote MTV user Minsen Brook on our site, clearly moved to the point of exclamation-point-key abuse. "I'm going to be an emotional wreck at the movies -- because I cried just watching the trailer!!"

"The fact that they showed, like, the most infamous scene of 'New Moon,' oh my gosh!" marveled popular "Twilight" vlogger Bailey "NoMoreMarbles" Gauthier, who served as a seat filler for the awards and watched the trailer premiere live in the Gibson Amphitheatre. "And Jasper just goes over [to kill Bella]. ... I must say, I was extremely surprised when [Taylor Lautner] turned into the werewolf. I was like, 'Whoa!' "

"I almost fainted when I saw Taylor shirtless," wrote xEmBx on MTV.com. "Can't wait for the rest of the wolfie boys."

"Oh my ... wow. I just have no words," exclaimed HarlequinTwilight. "I am dreading the breakup scene, because in the book, it's so harsh that it makes me cry, and if it's done correctly, I know it will break my heart all over again. Taylor looks ... Oh. Wow. My sister repeatedly rewound the trailer over and over to see Taylor, haha. But wow, he looks amazingly hot!"

Over at the MTV Movies Blog, M!chelle was similarly abusing her exclamation-point and caps-lock keys. "OHMYGOD! I am IMPRESSED! I am so freakin' excited," she wrote. "My mouth was open the whole entire sneak peek! November seems so long away!"

"This is probably one of the most amazing things I've ever seen!" added BookloverbutMoviewatcher.

But despite the warm reception, some fans still found a few tidbits that raised "New Moon" concerns. "Everything is GREAT except the wolf ... it looks too much like a cartoon!" Little Hawk wrote on the blog. "It's almost like Little Red Riding Hood should come out and say, 'I like Twilight too,' as the wolf chases her. Summit, do something, please!"

"The first time I watched it, I was totally disappointed," wrote blog reader Jawaiiannative, saying the trailer exposed too many variations from Stephenie Meyer's novel. "At the party, the other members of the Cullen family hold Jasper back. In the woods, when Edward leaves Bella (*tear*), he was a lot harsher and totally didn't kiss her."

But overall, the positive vibes were definitely flowing toward the "Twilight" stars -- particularly Mr. Taylor Lautner. "OMJB!!! I was already a TEAM JACOB girl, but wow!!!" wrote blog reader Freakyvirgo. "I bet more will convert after this!! Taylor is sooo Jacob!!! The trailer was great."

"I CAN'T WAIT FOR MY JACOB," agreed Biridiana, clearly a Team Jacob member. "DAAAM HE SO YUMMY!"

"The trailer was AMAZING!!!" marveled Idontloveyou on MTV.com. "The paper cut scene is just like I imagined it in the book! Edward shoving Jasper across the room into the piano to protect Bella is AWESOME! Jacob's transformation IS MADE OF WIN! The special effects KICK MAJOR BUTT! I am SO excited! November cannot come sooner!"

http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1612998/20090601/story.jhtml

Diversity 'didn't expect to win' BGT

More than 19 million people tuned in to watch Diversity win Britain's Got Talent, making it the most watched programme in five years.

Susan Boyle was the clear favourite ever since her first audition, which has become the fifth most watched video ever on YouTube. However, it wasn't to be.

The 48-year-old from West Lothian was gracious in defeat. She was clapping the dance act as they fell to the floor in disbelief at beating her.

At the press conference for the winners on Sunday morning, Diversity were still in shock.

Choreographer and leader of the gang, 20-year-old Ashley said: "I really didn't expect us to win at all, I thought there was no chance whatsoever. We were just going to do our best.

"So to come away as the winners, we still haven't got our heads around it."

'No sleep'

Thirteen-year-old Perri said: "Winning yesterday, I'm just speechless. I haven't really taken it in yet because I haven't had much sleep."

They were all clearly overwhelmed by the attention at the press conference.

Susan Boyle was taken to a London clinic after the final

There were reporters from all over the world, probably there in anticipation of Susan Boyle winning.

Ashley said Susan Boyle was lovely back stage: "Obviously you'd be a bit disappointed, you wouldn't be human if you weren't."

It was never going to matter whether Susan won or lost. The papers reckon she's set to make at least £7 million in her first year.

Susan had the likes of Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher twittering about her. But on the night Demi was seemingly blown away by Diversity.

She twittered: "Diversity was amazing and so incredibly humble. I love that."

Child support

Twenty-five-year-old Ian McNaughton was stunned: "Did she say that? I'm lost for words. I don't know what to say. That's amazing, absolutely amazing."

The other big question mark from this year is whether children should be allowed to take part.

Simon Cowell gave Diversity 10 out of 10 for their performance

Hollie Steel cried when she forgot her words in the semi-final on Friday.

She was allowed to sing again and made it through to the final.

Would the same rules have applied if any of the adults forgot their words?

Back to the winners, and before Britain's Got Talent, Diversity's only other public performance was at a shopping centre in Essex.

It earned them just £150, about £10 each. On Saturday they banked £100,000.

Ian says they're not thinking about that just yet: "The money's better than a kick in the head but it's an extra for us and something we'll think about down the line."

The future

So what lies ahead? They have the Britain's Got Talent tour, which kicks off later this month, and of course the performance at the Royal Variety Show.

Ian's excited about that. "We're going to work on something, we want it to be amazing, it's a massive honour, so we're going to try and up it," he said.

If these boys get anywhere near the sort of attention George Sampson has been getting this past year, then they better be prepared for the girls, lots of them, screaming and camping outside their houses.

Ashley: "I'm used to the attention. Ha, ha. Just kidding. We'll take it in our stride."

As for the other contestants, they'll all go on the tour but there's already interest in many of them.

Piers Morgan admitted during the show that a lot of people had already contacted him about Stavros Flatley, including England cricketer Freddie Flintoff.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/entertainment/newsid_8076000/8076907.stm

British Internet talent star Susan Boyle taken to clinic

British internet singing star Susan Boyle has been admitted to a private clinic after being beaten into second place in the final of the popular "Britain's Got Talent" television contest, British media reported.

Dowdy and unglamorous, Boyle seemed an unlikely star when she first appeared on the show in April, only to stun the judges and win popular acclaim with her rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream" from "Les Miserables."

Boyle, 48, had been heavily backed to beat nine other finalists on Saturday after clips of her earlier appearance were downloaded nearly 200 million times and she was hailed the world over as a superstar.

But according to the Sun newspaper, she suffered an "emotional breakdown" at her hotel in London on Sunday.

A police spokesman confirmed that officers had been called to a London hotel "to doctors attending a woman under the mental health act."

"She was taken voluntarily by ambulance to a clinic. At the request of doctors, police accompanied the ambulance," the spokesman added.

Despite expectations that Boyle would make a fortune from her talent and almost instant fame, there has been concern among show organizers about her ability to cope with pressure.

Boyle, who was starved of oxygen at birth leading to minor brain damage, has been pursued by the world's press since early April and, according to show judge Piers Morgan, broke down in tears repeatedly during the run-up to the final.

Nearly four million people phoned in to choose a winner, and street dance troupe Diversity won 24.9 percent of the vote ahead of Boyle's 20.2 percent.

Diversity won 100,000 pounds ($160,000) and will appear at the Royal Variety Performance in front of the Queen.

Boyle's financial future had been seen as secure despite coming second, as Britain's Got Talent judge Simon Cowell and his Syco music label were widely expected to sign her up for an album. There has also been talk of a Hollywood movie about her story.

Media quoted the TV show's makers as saying Boyle was "exhausted and emotionally drained."

"She has been seen by her private GP, who supports her decision to take a few days out for rest and recovery," one newspaper quoted their statement as saying.

http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSTRE55017W20090601

Opening 'Up' big at box office

Moviegoers got down with "Up," the animated family comedy that soared into first place at the box office.

With debut ticket sales totalling $68.2 million, the Pixar film was the third best opening for the hitmaking animation company, just behind the $70 million openings for "Finding Nemo" and "The Incredibles," according to Disney, Pixar's owner.

Like its Pixar predecessors, the action adventure - featuring a boy, balloons and a cranky old man (with the voice of Ed Asner) - earned glowing reviews from critics.

"The Disney-Pixar collaboration is probably the closet thing to box-office perfection out there," said box office analyst Paul Dergarabedian.

The summer is to be shaping up well for family-oriented movies. Last week's box office winner, "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian," slipped to second place with $25.5 million.

The weekend's other new wide release, the horror flick "Drag Me to Hell," opened at No. 3 with $16.6 million.

"Terminator Salvation" and "Star Trek" continued to steer a strong course, coming in at Nos. 4 and 5 with $12.8 million and $11.2 million, respectively.

Rounding out the box office winners were "Angels & Demons," which was No. 6 with $11.2 million and "Dance Flick," No. 7 with $4.9 million.

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/2009/06/01/2009-06-01_opening_up_to_big_money_at_the_box_office.html