Biggest celebrity break-ups of 2011 - CityNews

Every year finds a new crop of entertainment couples who work out their breakups in public and out loud and 2011 was no exception, proving once again that not all matches in Hollywood have a fairy tale ending
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British comedian and actor Russell Brand called it quits on his 14-month marriage to "Teenage Dream" singer Katy Perry on Friday, filing for divorce on the grounds of irreconcilable differences.
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Brand, 36, star of the movie Get Him to the Greek, and U.S. pop star Perry, 27, met in 2008 and married on October, 2010 in a lavish wedding in India.
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The irreverent, former drug addict and the perky Christian-raised singer of international hits like California Gurls and Firework seemed an unlikely match, but they quickly became one of the most high-profile couples in the entertainment industry.
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In recent weeks however, celebrity media reported that their marriage was in trouble. They spent the Christmas holidays apart, with Brand being photographed in England, and Perry spotted in Hawaii?both without their wedding rings.
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Singer Sinead O'Connor announced via her website in a blog post dated on December 26 that her marriage to therapist Barry Herridge has ended after 16 days of matrimony.
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The pair wed in a Las Vegas drive thru ceremony on December 8.

On the blog, she blamed unnamed people close to Herridge for conspiring to ruin the marriage and said she ended the relationship when they stopped living together on Christmas Eve because her husband was 'too nice to trap'.

Matters were not helped by the 45-year-old spending some of her wedding night looking for drugs, according to her confessional blog post.
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It was O'Connor's fourth marriage?she wed her third husband, musician and long-time collaborator Steve Cooney in July 2010, but the relationship ended in divorce earlier this year.
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Singer and actress Jennifer Lopez and Latin pop singer Marc Anthony decided to end their marriage after seven years, on July 15. Lopez and Anthony, who have three-year-old twins, said they had "come to amicable conclusions on all matters." Lopez and Anthony have a pair of fraternal twins named Emme and Max who were born in 2008. The couple performed together in a 2007 tour called Juntos en Concierto. They also worked on each other's albums and starred opposite each other in 2006 film El Cantante. The two were married months after Lopez's engagement to actor Ben Affleck ended, and days after Anthony's divorce from former Miss Puerto Rico Dayanara Torres was finalized.
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Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher said on November 17 they were ending their marriage after six years, breaking up one of the most widely followed May-December romances Hollywood has seen. The marriage between Moore, 49, and Kutcher 33, had been in trouble since late September when a San Diego woman went public about an brief affair she had with Kutcher, a star on CBS television comedy Two and a Half Men, during a weekend of partying in the southern California city.
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Reality TV star Kim Kardashian filed for divorce on October 31, just 72 days after marrying basketball player Kris Humphries in a lavish wedding that was billed as a "fairytale." Kardashian, 31, star of the TV show Keeping Up With the Kardashians, cited irreconcilable differences.

Humphries later filed for an annulment.

Scarlett Johansson and Ryan Reynolds called it quits in December 2010 after two years of marriage, and finalized their divorce in July. Johansson, the 26-year-old star of movies such as Vicky Cristina Barcelona and He's Just Not That Into You, married Reynolds in September 2008. The 34-year-old Canadian native, whose credits include Van Wilder and Green Lantern, was previously engaged to singer Alanis Morissette.
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Playboy mogul Hugh Hefner, 85, was dumped by 25-year-old fiancee Crystal Harris in June, just five days before the wedding, after she got jitters about living a tightly regimented life among dozens of attractive young women at the Playboy mansion in Los Angeles.� Hefner, 85, and Crystal Harris were due to tie the knot in front of more than 300 guests at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles on June 12. It would have been Hefner's third marriage. On the other hand, Hefner said he has been consoled by his coterie of old pals and his former wife Kimberley Conrad, and announced he would be hosting a screening of Runaway Bride.
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Former California first lady Maria Shriver filed for divorce on July 1 from her estranged husband, Arnold Schwarzenegger, the ex-governor and film star who has admitted fathering a child out of wedlock more than a decade ago. Shriver, 55, a former television journalist and a daughter of the Kennedy political dynasty, filed papers seeking to dissolve her 25-year marriage to Schwarzenegger, 63, in Los Angeles County Superior Court, citing irreconcilable differences. Shriver and Schwarzenegger, the Austrian-born former bodybuilder turned Hollywood action star and politician, announced their separation in May, just four months after he left office as California governor. A week later, Schwarzenegger stunned the world by acknowledging publicly that he had fathered a child more than 10 years earlier with a member of his household staff. He said then that he had revealed the affair and his out-of-wedlock child to Shriver shortly after his two terms in office ended in January.

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNHbF72InH9uMeCmJXeYJ4u03gIAyQ&url=http://www.citytv.com/toronto/citynews/entertainment/news/article/177806--biggest-celebrity-break-ups-of-2011

Scarlett Johansson Miley Cyrus Jessica Alba Addison Timlin

Miley Cyrus -- Smokin' in Hawaii

More attractive people in paradise ... this time it's 19-year-old Miley Cyrus kickin' it in Hawaii ... in a teeny, tiny red bikini.

Being cold in December is not for the rich and famous.

Source: http://www.tmz.com/2011/12/30/miley-cyrus-bikini-pic-photo/

Bree Olson Pete Sampras Bruno Mars Paris Hilton

Rachel Uchitel's Gift Registry -- I Need $300 Nipple Suckers

Rachel Uchitel ain't planning to be a full-time breast-feeder when her baby is born -- TMZ has learned, she's asking friends to buy her a $300 nipple pump instead ... on top of several other extremely expensive baby goodies.

Rachel -- who announced her pregnancy last night on Twitter -- posted a baby registry online recently, asking for a laundry list of newborn crap .... including the nipple pumps, a $500 high chair, a $300 car seat, TWO strollers ... one for $400, and one for $1000, and $300 cashmere bedding.

This kid's making out like a bandit -- like mother, like child.�

Source: http://www.tmz.com/2011/12/28/rachel-uchitel-baby-registry/

Justin Bieber Justin Timberlake Usher Mike Starr

Lindsay Lohan -- I've Shot Down BIG New Year's Eve Paydays

Lindsay Lohan is adamant ... there's no way in hell she's gonna blow the progress she's made with her judge just to count backwards from ten.

Sources close to the actress tell TMZ ... she's gotten a bunch of offers to host various ragers on NYE ... but she's turned down every last one.
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We're told Lindsay is desperately trying to change her party girl image ... and she feels staying out of the NYE madness is a major step in the right direction.

Lohan's decision is a costly one -- some stars have raked in 6-figure checks for partying on New Year's Eve.� But we're told Lindsay -- who received high marks from her just earlier this month -- doesn't think a check would be worth it.

Lindsay plans to ring in 2012 with a few close friends at her home ... although she may go out to dinner before the final countdown.

Should old acquaintance be forgot ...

Source: http://www.tmz.com/2011/12/27/lindsay-lohan-new-years-eve/

Ali Larter Busy Phillips Scarlett Johansson Miley Cyrus

Red-hot ... twins Kristina and Karissa Shannon have signed up for Celebrity ... - The Sun

The American twins have promised bosses they will steam up the series.

And it is hoped that ladies' man housemate Kirk Norcross from The Only Way Is Essex, will be the perfect "victim" for the 22-year-old pair.

Centrefolds Kristina and Karissa spent two years as the live-in girlfriends of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner at LA's Playboy Mansion before moving out last year.

An insider for the Channel 5 series, which kicks off on January 5, said: "The girls have pledged to really sex up the Big Brother house. Kirk won't know what has hit him.

"But with his ladies' man reputation, he is sure to be tempted by our Playmates."

The girls also have a tougher side ? both were put on probation in 2007 for aggravated battery during a fight at a party.

Playtime ... bosses hope the girls will catch TOWIE star Kirk Norcross's eye

Karwai Tang/Alpha Press

Karissa was arrested again for a second alleged assault later that year.

Other celebs set to enter the house include Boy George, Ryan Giggs' sister-in-law and ex-mistress Natasha Giggs and Loose Women's Denise Welch.

Bunny business ... the twins with ex-love Hugh Hefner

Polaris / eyevine

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNEHMvrgJE1xMi-c5p-VXTBmaGPiFA&url=http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/4020738/Playboy-Mansion-twins-to-sizzle-in-the-Big-Brother-House-Playmates-Kristina-and-Karissa-Shannon-have-signed-up-for-next-months-Celebrity-Big-Brother-alongside-Kirk-Norcross-Boy-George-Natasha-Giggs-and-Denise-Welch.html

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Mel Gibson, wife finalize divorce (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) ? Lawyers for actor Mel Gibson and his estranged wife Robyn submitted a proposed divorce settlement to a judge on Friday, moving the pair closer to finalizing their split after 31 years of marriage.

Gibson, 55, and his wife married in Australia in 1980 and have seven children together.

The couple separated in 2006 after Gibson was arrested for drunk driving in Malibu, California, and made anti-Semitic remarks that generated headlines around the world.

The actor's wife sued for divorce in April 2009, citing irreconcilable differences following Gibson's relationship with Oksana Grigorieva, with whom he has a 2-year-old daughter.

The "Lethal Weapon" star pleaded no contest to misdemeanor battery following an altercation with Grigorieva in 2010, and was sentenced to three years' probation.

He recently settled a custody battle with his former girlfriend, agreeing to pay Grigorieva $750,000 and share custody of their daughter.

The Oscar winner's turbulent five years since his arrest and the anti-Semitic rant have tarnished his reputation and set back a remarkable career that had made him one of Hollywood's highest paid actors, directors and producers.

While no details of the divorce settlement were released, the actor was previously estimated to be worth $900 million, and he owns several properties in the wealthy, seaside enclave of Malibu, outside Los Angeles.

A spokesperson for Gibson said it was not clear when the divorce would become final.

(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111223/en_nm/us_melgibson_divorce

Robert Pattinson Kim Kardashian Oliver Perez Stuart Holden

Rogen eyes Franco reunion for Pineapple Express sequel

In the comedy drama film, the actors played stoners who go on the run after accidentally witnessing a murder.

And now Rogen is eyeing a return to the film and admits Franco and himself often joke about reprising their characters.

He tells EOnline.com, "I don't think it's so precious that I wouldn't want to ruin it with a sequel. So yeah, I would be (into it).

"We talk about it. We joke around about it."

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The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Review

Merrick Morton/Columbia Pictures

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The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is about power ? who has it and who doesn't, but mainly how quickly it shifts.

Take a scene in the film's first hour: Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara) is on a subway platform bothering no one when a foolish stranger snatches her backpack. Soon, she's capably retrieved her pack ? and beaten the thief so savagely that passersby see her as the heinous one. In an instant she's gone from victim to victor to victimizer. And she's just getting started.

What may be most shocking about director David Fincher's adaptation of Stieg Larsson's international bestseller is that it's shocking at all. After all, the book had such broad appeal that for at least a year you couldn't get on a plane, train or bus without seeing it clutched in someone's hands.

Many of us know precisely what happens in this tale of two mysteries, one about a girl who disappeared 40 years ago from her wealthy Swedish clan, the other about the curiosity known as Lisbeth, the book's heroine. But Fincher is determined to give even the most ardent fans of the books a few jolts.

The plot hews closely to Larsson's. Disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) takes a job ostensibly writing the biography of esteemed entrepreneur Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer). His real assignment, though, is to find out what happened to Vanger's niece Harriet 40 years earlier, when she disappeared one afternoon from her family's estate. To assist in the sleuthing, Mikael hires Lisbeth, a canny hacker with piercings, tats and a haircut as severe as her social handicaps.

If the mystery of Harriet's disappearance isn't nearly as interesting as Lisbeth herself, blame Mara. The fresh-faced girl who so skillfully dismantled Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) in The Social Network is completely transformed in Dragon Tattoo. She's managed to become a physical contradiction: bold but trying to hide, introverted but ferociously aggressive. She's a pixie with a mean punch, and her performance could be enough to nab her an Oscar nomination.

Her co-stars are no slouches, either, with Craig playing it cool as Blomkvist and Plummer both wily and heartbroken as Henrik, continuing to remind us why he's such a delight onscreen (if you didn't see him in Beginners earlier this year, get the DVD).

But no discussion of this film can shy away from its brutality. With a slamming score from the Oscar-winning duo of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross backing up the drama, unwatchable things happen, primarily to Lisbeth, then fittingly (still, grotesquely) to others. If we're to understand Lisbeth, though, it's necessary evil. The horrible circumstances of her life mean that she's constantly forced to be someone's predator or prey, sometimes at the same time.

The satisfaction of Dragon Tattoo is watching Lisbeth realize that she, too, has power. The fun of the next two films completing the trilogy will be seeing her wield it.

Source: http://feeds.people.com/~r/people/headlines/~3/AjZJYP-bS_Q/0,,20555296,00.html

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Blur to return for Brits performance

The band returned to the music scene in 2009 after a six-year hiatus to headline a series of festivals and they are to be honoured with the Outstanding Contribution to Music trophy at the 2012 ceremony in London.

James has now confirmed the band will reform once again to close the show after they pick up the coveted award.

He tells XFM radio station, "We're going to play, which is brilliant, it's like putting the Blues Brothers back together."

When asked about the prospect of another Blur tour, he adds, "Well, let's hope - heritage year next year. (Would) be good wouldn't it?"

Source: http://uk.ok.feedsportal.com/c/33339/f/586182/s/1b170e1b/l/0L0Sok0O0Ccelebrity0Enews0Cview0C4350A40CBlur0Eto0Ereturn0Efor0EBrits0Eperformance0C/story01.htm

Taylor Lautner Robert Redford Robert Pattinson Kim Kardashian

Ellen DeGeneres Buys Brad Pitt's Malibu Home for $12 Million

Brad Pitt and Ellen DeGeneres

Getty (2)

It is official: Ellen DeGeneres is the proud owner of a new home. The former home of a very A-list actor.

Transactions were completed Friday to finalize the purchase of Brad Pitt's Malibu manse for�$12 million, PEOPLE has learned.

The property overlooks the Pacific Ocean, has private beach access, consists of two separate houses, a pool, a tennis court and lush gardens.

DeGeneres's interest in the estate was first buzzed about around Thanksgiving, a month after she and wife Portia De Rossi put their Architectural Digest-featured home on the market for $49 million.

The couple will be downsizing a bit: From about 15,000-square feet of interior space to 4,000. Sounds cozy! ? Gail Nussbaum

Source: http://feeds.people.com/~r/people/headlines/~3/hILD-T7X0Rc/0,,20554747,00.html

Angelina Jolie Courteney Cox David Arquette Wyclef Jean

Obama Family Portrait Revealed

From left: Michelle, Malia, Barack and Sasha Obama

Pete Souza

President Obama may be gearing up his campaign for reelection soon, but at home with his wife and daughters, he couldn't be happier.

The White House is releasing this new family portrait of the Obamas on Thursday, deciding it was time for an update ? since daughters, Malia, 13, and Sasha, 10, have grown so much since the last official portrait was shot in 2009.

Taken by Pete Souza last Sunday, the new photo shows the president, first lady Michelle Obama and their daughters sitting in the Oval Office, clasping hands and smiling.

The photo will be posted to the White House Flickr account at noon today.
? Tim Nudd

Source: http://feeds.people.com/~r/people/headlines/~3/JF_lJT_Qax8/0,,20553982,00.html

Natalie Portman Lindsey Vonn Carly Patterson

Christiane Amanpour Gets Heave-Ho at ABC -- Replaced by George Stephanopoulos

Christiane Amanpour has gotten the boot from ABC, TMZ has learned.� She will be replaced as the host of the Sunday political show, "This Week," by George Stephanopoulos.

A well-placed source tells TMZ Christiane is going back to CNN as an international correspondent.

George will be doing double duty on "This Week" as well as "Good Morning America."

Here's what's interesting.� TMZ posted a story in September, saying there was talk at ABC about replacing George on GMA with the newsreader, Josh Elliot.� We said back then that the plan was for George to go back to "This Week" and that Josh would get the GMA anchor seat within a year.

Stay tuned ...

Source: http://www.tmz.com/2011/12/13/christiane-amanpour-gets-heave-ho-at-abc-replace-by-george-stephanopoulos/

Brad Pitt Angelina Jolie Courteney Cox David Arquette

X Factor 2011: Amelia Lily eliminated as Little Mix and Marcus Collins voted through

ABOVE: Amelia said her highlight had been performing with mentor Kelly Rowland

ABOVE: Marcus Collins dazzled the audience by performing on top of a plane

ABOVE: Little Mix performed Empire State Of Mind with Tulisa

ABOVE: Tulisa and Little Mix couldn't contain their excitement as they were put through

THE X Factor final part one kicked off with one helluva bang.

And while we saw some top-notch X Factor performances, it was the end of the road for Amelia Lily tonight.

The comeback kid, who made a sensational return to the show after initially being given the boot by Kelly Rowland in the first week, was eliminated after receiving the lowest public vote.

The result means Marcus Collins and Little Mix will battle it out for the crown tomorrow night.

[See also: Competition heats up between Marcus and Little Mix]

The first part of the finale saw the contestants perform at a packed-out Wembley Arena, taking to the stage for a solo performance and then later for an eagerly-awaited duet with their mentors.

Marcus kicked off the show with an energetic rendition of Outkast's Hey Ya, performing with a troupe of backing dancers dressed as air hostesses on top of a model plane.

Next up were Little Mix, who dazzled the audience with their performance of Florence And The Machine's You've Got The Love, arriving on stage on motorbikes and doing a rap.

Amelia really impressed with her choice of Christina Aguilera's Ain't No Other Man (BIG song), showing off the amazeballs vocals that got her voted back into the competition in the first place.

[See also: The X Factor 2011 Top 10 dramas that made our jaws drop]

All the solo performances earned top marks from the judges, with Gary Barlow, Tulisa and Kelly Rowland all looking like they might burst with pride when their acts took to the stage.

JLS and One Direction made all our dreams come true by piling all their fitness onto one stage for a medley, (we fear some of our Twitter followers may have fainted).

Then the moment we've all been waiting for arrived - the judges duets. Gary and Marcus brought a tear to our eye with Always A Woman To Me - dedicated to Marcus' mum no less, aww - and we couldn't help but notice how Gary didn't go too overboard so as not to overshadow his act.�

Tulisa and Little Mix tackled Empire State Of Mind (totes perfect song choice for them there), and we were shocked at how GOOD Tulisa's vocals are.

Kelly and Amelia put to bed any reports that they don't get on with their performance of River Deep Mountain High, complimenting each other's voices perfectly.

To keep us on the edge of our seats for a bit longer (note to producers: it worked), Leona Lewis stole the show with a spellbinding performance of her single, Hurt�- with Michael Buble getting us in the festive spirit with his set.

The moment of truth saw Amelia make a very gracious exit and thank Kelly, saying her best bit was performing with her mentor. Aww.

Tell us your thoughts on the first-part of The X Factor final over on Twitter, now.

Source: http://uk.ok.feedsportal.com/c/33339/f/586182/s/1ad56427/l/0L0Sok0O0Ccelebrity0Enews0Cview0C431820CX0EFactor0E20A110EAmelia0ELily0Eeliminated0Eas0ELittle0EMix0Eand0EMarcus0ECollins0Evoted0Ethrough0C/story01.htm

Mel Gibson Conrad Murray Michael Jackson Sylvester Stallone

Lindsay Lohan's Playboy Photos -- The ONLY Non-Airbrushed Shot

Lo and behold ... the only surviving shot from the Lindsay Lohan Playboy photo shoot that hasn't been touched up by professionals ... and it might be the best one of the entire spread.

The pic was taken behind the scenes during Lindsay's 2-day shoot back in November -- right before she disrobed for a Marilyn Monroe-inspired spread.

The final shoots were leaked onto the web yesterday -- and while Lindsay looks good, it's obvious they were photoshopped like a mutha.

So, we gotta ask ...

Source: http://www.tmz.com/2011/12/10/lindsay-lohan-playboy-photo/

Lindsay Lohan Britney Spears Natalie Portman Lindsey Vonn

Andie MacDowell?s Daughter Rainey Qualley Named Miss Golden Globe

First Published: December 8, 2011 10:37 PM EST Credit: Getty Premium

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Caption Rainey Qualley and her mother, Andie MacDowell, visit the Samsung Galaxy Tab Lift, Sundance, Park City, Utah, on January 23, 2011Rainey Qualley, the daughter of actress Andie MacDowell, has been named Miss Golden Globe 2012.

?I am honored to be selected as the 2012 Miss Golden Globe. It?s very exciting to be a part of an awards show like the Golden Globes so early on in my career,? Rainey, an actress and musician, said in a statement.

The announcement was made by Hollywood Foreign Press Association President Dr. Aida Takla-O?Reilly on Thursday night.

?We are delighted that this year?s Miss Golden Globe is Rainey,? Takla-O?Reilly said in a statement. ?She is a talented and beautiful young woman. We?re excited to have her as part of this year?s show.?

Rainey, whose dad is former model Paul Qualley, is the latest in a long line of celebrity offspring who have traditionally been given the post.

Among the many celebrities who have helped out with the awards show on stage as Miss Golden Globe, include Melanie Griffith (and many years later, her own daughter, Dakota Johnson), Laura Dern, Joely Fisher, Clint Eastwood?s daughter Kathryn Eastwood, and Rumer Willis.

Rainey will join Ricky Gervais, who was recently confirmed as the host of the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards.

The young actress? first feature film, ?Mighty Fine,? with Chazz Palminteri and her mother, is in the works. She is also currently writing songs for her first album.

The Golden Globes air January 15, 2012 on NBC from 8-11 ET and 5-8 PT.

Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.accesshollywood.com/andie-macdowells-daughter-rainey-qualley-named-miss-golden-globe_article_57756?__source=rss%7Crss2%7Ccelebrities

Gerardo Ortiz Julian Assange Charlie Sheen Steven Tyler

Capsule reviews of new releases (AP)

"New Year's Eve" ? This is the second in a remarkably shallow series of holiday-themed, celebrity-stuffed confections, following "Valentine's Day." Garry Marshall again directs a script by Katherine Fugate that weaves together a dozen or so plotlines that crisscross a holiday prone to sentimentalizing. If there is some kind of world record for schmaltz, this may have set it. Included here are first kisses, midnight rendezvous, dying fathers, newborn babies, husbands at war and trapped strangers. It's narcotic mawkishness, with notes played on heartstrings like a 12-string guitar. Though it's pure, rosy fantasy on screen, this is cynical, paint-by-the-numbers entertainment, sold with a gaggle of stars spread across its movie poster like a telethon lineup. Among them: Hilary Swank as a producer of the Times Square ball drop, Jon Bon Jovi as a rock star, Katherine Heigl as a catering chef, Abigail Breslin as Sarah Jessica Parker's rebelling teenage daughter, Zac Efron as an ultra-confident courier, Jessica Biel as Seth Meyers' pregnant wife and Halle Berry as the nurse of a dying Robert De Niro. Maybe the really good stuff will come once they get to "Columbus Day," or maybe, just maybe, "Ash Wednesday." PG-13 for language, including some sexual references. 117 minutes. One and a half stars out of four.

? Jake Coyle, AP Entertainment Writer

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"Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" ? Gary Oldman is in a tough spot here. As the ironically named George Smiley, he's an inherently reticent, veteran operative, given to revealing nothing personally or professionally. And yet, as the central figure in this adaptation of John le Carre's best-selling 1974 Cold War novel, he must serve as our conduit, our guide through a shadowy and increasingly dangerous world where no one is to be trusted and nothing is as it initially seems. Because he's Gary Oldman and he's such a chameleon, he finds a slyness beneath the stoic veneer, a frightening intelligence that makes him a surprisingly formidable force. Oldman leads an excellent cast, a veritable who's-who of top British actors working today, all of whom keep us guessing as to who the traitor might be among them. Tomas Alfredson, perhaps best known for directing the superb Swedish vampire thriller "Let the Right One In," has crafted a precisely detailed, well-acted mystery. But he's created a chilly mood that may be a bit too cold, a tension that may almost be too restrained. Smiley, who's been forced into retirement by Britain's Secret Intelligence Service, is rehired to uncover a mole among its ranks. Toby Jones, Colin Firth, Ciaran Hinds and David Dencik are the suspects. R for violence, some sexuality/nudity and language. 127 minutes. Three stars out of four.

? Christy Lemire, AP Movie Critic

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"Young Adult" ? Gorgeous but damaged, conceited yet self-loathing, Charlize Theron dares you to like her, and the movie itself dares you to stick with an anti-heroine who makes no apologies for her deplorable behavior. It's an exciting thing to see, this willful rejection of tidy character arcs and happy endings, and it actually makes you wish "Young Adult" had been even further fleshed out and gone on a little longer. This is not something we say about a movie very often. In re-teaming with "Juno" director Jason Reitman, screenwriter Diablo Cody dials down the snark that marked the Oscar-winning script that made her a superstar in her own right. She's actually created the anti-Juno in a lot of ways while managing to retain much of the directness, the sharply drawn characters and the casual poignancy that are her signatures. Theron's teen-lit writer Mavis Gary is as verbal as Juno MacGuff was, but rather than finding the perfect, clever quip at all times, she usually manages to say the rudest, most inappropriate thing. This trait is on vivid, horrific display when she returns to her Minnesota small town to pry her high-school sweetheart (Patrick Wilson) away from his wife (Elizabeth Reaser) and newborn daughter. Patton Oswalt is excellent as Mavis' nerdy former classmate and the film's voice of reason. R for language and some sexual content. 94 minutes. Three stars out of four.

? Christy Lemire, AP Movie Critic

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"The Sitter" ? Jonah Hill, world's worst babysitter. Must have sounded like such movie magic that director David Gordon Green and his team grabbed the first three brats they found on the street, shoved them in a minivan with Hill and started filming. As broad, dumb comedy goes, it's not a bad idea to cast Hill as a chubby slacker roped into a hellish night tending to a high-maintenance brood. Yet other than Hill's admirable work ethic trying to squeeze laughs out of this dismally underdeveloped scenario, the movie has nothing going for it, slogging from one rotten gag to the next. The movie's also a serious racial offender, parading a gang of black actors around as hoods stealing cars, talking jive or looking for a fight. Hill plays an idler minding three annoying siblings (Max Records, Landry Bender and Kevin Hernandez), who tag along with him on a mirthless trek through Manhattan in search of the cocaine he needs to keep his sort-of girlfriend (Ari Graynor) happy. To his credit, Hill tries to make this mess work, without success. Co-starring Sam Rockwell in a wretched role as a psychotic drug dealer. R for crude and sexual humor, pervasive language, drug material and some violence. 81 minutes. One and a half stars out of four.

? David Germain, AP Movie Writer

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111208/ap_en_mo/us_film_capsules

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Poland's Villas, Las Vegas star in 1960s, dies (AP)

WARSAW, Poland ? She was a coloratura soprano who spurned opera for popular music, a Polish singer who became a cabaret star in Las Vegas, an artist trapped for years behind the Iron Curtain when she flew home to tend to her dying mother.

Singer Violetta Villas, 73, died late Monday at her home in Lewin Klodzki, a village in southern Poland, local police spokesman Pawel Petrykowski told The Associated Press. Prosecutors have ordered an autopsy to determine the cause of death, he said Tuesday.

Villas was born Czeslawa Cieslak in 1938 to a Polish coal miner's family in Belgium.

A unique talent with a trademark cascade of curly blond hair, Villas had a voice that spanned four octaves. Rather then pursue an operatic career, she preferred popular music, a genre that brought her wide popularity in Poland ? where the family returned in 1948 after World War II ? and abroad.

She once said her career was launched in 1960 by the head of state Polish Radio, composer Wladyslaw Szpilman ? whose own story of survival during the Holocaust was the theme of director Roman Polanski's 2003 Oscar-winning movie "The Pianist."

From 1966 to 1969, Villas sang at the Casino de Paris at the famed Dunes Hotel in Las Vegas, performing with luminaries such as Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Paul Anka and Eartha Kitt. She also recorded songs for Capitol Records.

Villas also appeared in movies, including 1969's "Paint Your Wagon" with Lee Marvin and "Heaven with a Gun" with Glenn Ford.

In 1970, she returned to Poland to tend to her ailing mother, but later the communist authorities refused to approve her passport. She was not able to return to the U.S. until 1987, when she had a tour, starting at New York's Carnegie Hall.

Villas was also known as a colorful personality who refused to bend to the requirements of a career. Since the late 1980s, she had given only occasional performances and sometimes failed to turn up for studio recordings.

In recent years she lived alone and ran a shelter for animals in her home yard, but the shelter had to be closed due to overcrowding and insufficient care.

Villas was married twice: in 1954 in Poland to Piotr Gospodarek, and in 1988 in Chicago to Ted Kowalczyk, a businessman of Polish descent. Both marriages ended in divorce.

She is survived by her only son, Krzysztof. No funeral arrangements were immediately known.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111206/ap_en_ce/eu_poland_obit_villas

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One Year Later: Why Won't Father Tell All About Missing Sons?

John Skelton

Lad Strayer/The Daily Telegram/AP

John Skelton is serving hard time for abducting his three sons, but one year later he still won't tell police more about the missing boys' fates.

Authorities have found no trace of Tanner, Alexander and Andrew ? who ranged in ages from 5 to 9 ? and their father's no-contest plea to false imprisonment has gotten investigators no closer to answers.

"Certainly there's frustration," Morenci, Mich., Police Chief Larry Weeks tells PEOPLE. "We have three boys out there that are missing, and he doesn't seem willing to provide us with factual information about where they're located."

Always as Suspect

After the boys' disappearance, police identified Skelton as a suspect and determined that he got rid of the boys on the morning after Thanksgiving in 2010.

"We know he left his home 4:29 a.m. the morning after Thanksgiving and returned at 6:46," Weeks says. "It's during that time that we believe that he disposed of them in some fashion."

Skelton has provided various accounts of what he did with the boys.

He said he gave them to a pastor's wife named Joann Taylor, because he was going to commit suicide. Then he said he gave them to an unnamed underground organization to protect them from abuse by their mother, Tanya Zuvers.

Cleared by authorities of any wrongdoing. Zuvers has told PEOPLE that she doesn't understand her former husband's unusual behavior.

No-Contest Plea

Skelton has never been tried for harming the boys. Over the summer, he pleaded no contest to three unlawful imprisonment charges and was sentenced to 10 to 15 years.

Skelton maintains that he's unable to contact the organization that he claims took the boys and he doesn't know where they're being kept.

"He says that they're alive and they'll be back when they're old enough, when there won't be a ? danger of abuse by their mother," says his attorney John Glaser. The lawyer declined to comment as to whether he believes his client.

Investigators, however, are skeptical that the boys are alive after finding a noose in Skelton's house and a search for "neck breaking" on his computer.

A Town's Anguish

Their unsolved disappearance has been traumatic for the whole community of Morenci, which is at the southern edge of Michigan, about 40 miles west of Toledo, Ohio.

Hundreds of people gathered Nov. 27 at the Morenci High School gym to remember the boys and to remind the country that there is a $60,000 reward for information leading to their recovery or return.

The crowd wept as family members and friends read poems, sang and played a slideshow of the brothers. They also unveiled a plaque of the boys that was to be fastened to a rock at a local park.

Addressing the audience, Zuvers urged people "to keep those prayers going. Let's not have to do this in another 365 days."

Tanner, 5, Andrew, 9, and Alexander Skelton, 7

Courtesy Tanya Skelton

Source: http://feeds.people.com/~r/people/headlines/~3/ZkP8Swi1csg/0,,20550704,00.html

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Kimberley Walsh: Age doesn't matter

KIMBERLEY WALSH has admitted she's not scared about turning 30!

The Girls Aloud singer celebrated her birthday in November and has confessed that unlike most people, turning 30 doesn't upset her because of the great decade she's had.

The star said she's doing too well in her life to be upset about her age and the only thing that matters is if your happy.

Kimberley said the highlights for her include winning a Brit award with her Girls Aloud chums and touring the country.

She told OK! magazine: "It's been easy for me to accept turning 30 as the last 10 years have been amazing ? I can't exactly complain.

"The highlights? I guess the fact that we're still around 10 years on ? if you'd asked me in the beginning, I would have never dreamt that."

We hope she has another great decade ahead of her!

Source: http://uk.ok.feedsportal.com/c/33339/f/586182/s/1a9fefe8/l/0L0Sok0O0Ccelebrity0Enews0Cview0C428980CKimberley0EWalsh0EAge0Edoesn0Et0Ematter0C/story01.htm

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Bob Marley Lawsuit -- Family Sues Bro for Fishy Use of Bob's Name

Bob Marley's widow is smoking mad over a relative pimping out the family name to sell everything from concerts to fish, poultry, energy drinks and booze -- and she's suing to stop him.

Rita Marley and nine of Bob's kids filed a federal lawsuit against Richard Booker -- Bob's bro from another father ... for trademark infringement and unauthorized use of Marley's likeness.

According to the suit, Booker's been real busy -- registering the trademark Mama Marley to sell ... among other things ... fish, fish and chips, fish cakes, fish croquettes, fish fillets, fish mousse, and fish sausages. Yes, Bob loved him some fish.

In addition, the suit claims Booker is using Marley's name and image to market an annual concert in Miami, known as the 9 Mile Music Festival. For those not in the know ... 9 Mile is the Jamaican town where Bob was born and buried.

Bob's family says they have the rights to all things Marley and want all of Booker's profits. They also want a judge to order Booker to stop all future use of the name.

Interestingly, next year's headliners at that 9 Mile Music Festival include Stephen, Damian and Julian Marley -- all plaintiffs in the suit.

Source: http://www.tmz.com/2011/12/01/bob-marley-family-federal-lawsuit-rita-marley-copyright-infringement/

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