Just A Minute With: Actress Charlize Theron

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Oscar-winner Charlize Theron has shown a range of talent acting in thrillers and in movies on social issues but her latest film about the Iraq war reveals another side to the actress -- her political awareness.

Theron, 32, won the best actress Oscar of 2005 for playing a female serial killer in "Monster," and her new movie, "In the Valley of Elah," which opened last week, looks at the impact of the Iraq war on returning soldiers and their families.

The South African actress, who also acquired U.S. citizenship this year, took some time to talk to Reuters about the movie and her interest in politics and social issues:

Q: WE HAVEN'T SEEN MUCH OF YOU LATELY SINCE 2005'S "AEON

FLUX" AND "NORTH COUNTRY." DID YOU TAKE SOME TIME OFF?

A: "I took about a year off. I wanted to go and live life a little bit. So I did a little traveling, which was really nice. And there was nothing out there I was interested in, so I threw myself into a few things I wanted to development."

Q: WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO DEVELOP YOUR OWN FILM PROJECTS?

A: "I've always been fascinated with the process of filmmaking and not just acting -- with putting a project together, starting from nothing then building it and nurturing it and seeing it through."

Q: WHAT ABOUT "IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH" STRUCK YOU?

A: "This had a real element of being based on a true story and that affected me. I couldn't stop thinking about how he translated it from the real story to the fictional version. It was something that kind of haunted me."

Q: YOU SEEM TO LIKE "BASED ON A TRUE STORY" MOVIES. "NORTH

COUNTRY" WAS. "MONSTER" WAS. DO YOU?

A: "I think it's kind of how it turned out. I will say there is an element, when you read something and it's really good, then on top of it, somebody says, 'by the way, this really happened.' It's extreme and riveting."

Q: "ELAH" HAS THE IRAQ WAR AS THE CONTEXT TO TELL A TALE OF

HOW WAR IMPACTS PEOPLE. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE HUMAN ELEMENT.

A: "There is a split opinion on where we are, politically, on this war. People are arguing and debating on whether it was right to go. We've forgotten we did go. What (the troops) are doing is really brave, but psychologically how could it not take its toll. They are coming back and we are not taking care of them."

Q: DO YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF A POLITICAL PERSON?

A: "I'm very politically aware. I don't think I can be one of those people that can walk around with blinders on. I question authority, question what the government is doing, and I think that is an incredibly patriotic thing to do. I think if I didn't care I wouldn't ask any questions. I love America and love living in this country. And I think, maybe coming from a country like South Africa, and being used to political turmoil, that's just the way I grew up."

Q: WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE 2008 PRESIDENTIAL RACE?

A: "I'm still watching and doing my research. I think it's important to see and hear what everybody's agendas are, and I think it's a little early to make a decision."

Q: YOU'RE ACTIVE IN HUMANITARIAN CAUSES. WHY IS THIS

IMPORTANT FOR YOU?

A: "Because I'm a human being. I don't ever, for one second live in an imaginary world where I don't realize my circumstances easily could have been very different from what they are. If I can do something to help, I don't know why I wouldn't. I don't know how people ignore it."

Reuters

'I looked like a pig': Britney

BRITNEY Spears was seen "crying badly" after her disastrous MTV Video Music Awards show, and has called herself a "fat pig" on stage.
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It appears she left everyone aghast by her low energy performance - including herself.

The former pop star mimed her way through her new single Gimme More and struggled to dance in time, but it was the sight of her once ultra toned body that really left her embarrassed, the UK's Daily Mail reports.

See the pictures that made Britney cry here.

A source told American magazine Us: “She was also able to see video of herself throughout the auditorium.”

“She flipped out. She came running off the stage, yelling 'Oh, my God, I looked like a fat pig! I looked like a fat pig!' She was inconsolable.”

Meanwhile, X Factor judge Simon Cowell has joined a chorus of critics who have panned the comeback effort, warning it could spell the end of her career.

He said: “If I had been looking after Britney I'd have taken one look at her in rehearsals and I wouldn't have allowed her on stage.

“It would have been worth pulling her off the bill - no matter what the cost - to save any chance she had of resurrecting her career.

He told The Sun newspaper: “She wasn't ready for that show in every possible way.

“The song wasn't right, the image wasn't right and she just wasn't rehearsed.

“If she had turned up and given that performance at the X Factor auditions then I wouldn't have put her through to the next round.

“The problem she has now is that she could have killed her career. It's difficult to come back from that performance, for a while at least."

It appears that Spears is aware of the damage she's done – she was seen "crying badly" backstage after the show, according to sources.

Dayli Telegraph

Beyonce, J.Lo make mag's `best dressed'

NEW YORK - Beyonce Knowles, Jennifer Lopez and Gwen Stefani are among the stylish stars on People magazine's list of best dressed women of 2007.

Katie Holmes, Penelope Cruz, Jessica Biel, Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Reese Witherspoon and Ali Larter are other sharp dressers singled out in the magazine's "Best & Worst Dressed" double issue, on newsstands Friday.

"Whether classic or continental, girl-next-door or glam," these celebs made all the right fashion moves throughout the year, the magazine said.

Don't forget the men. David Beckham, Terrence Howard, Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt and George Clooney meet People's standards for always stepping out in style, whether they're wearing tuxedos or T-shirts.

Pitt and his partner, Angelina Jolie, are among the year's best dressed couples. Other fashionable duos: Stefani and her husband, Gavin Rossdale; Halle Berry and boyfriend Gabriel Aubry; and newlyweds Tony Parker and Eva Longoria.

Victoria Beckham, Kate Moss, Lily Allen, Emma Watson and Kate Middleton get the nod for their bold and unexpected sense of style in a special "British Accent" section.

Among the fashion moments the magazine would like to forget: Sienna Miller's black hot pants and tights and Avril Lavigne's pairing of a frilly dress and combat boots.

Janet Jackson and Kirsten Dunst are cited for wearing the "worst red carpet dresses" of the year.

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http://www.people.com

Court hears Jackson costume malfunction

PHILADELPHIA - CBS Corp. should not be fined for the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show that ended with Janet Jackson's breast-baring "wardrobe malfunction" because the stunt was both fleeting and unauthorized, a lawyer for the company argued Tuesday.

The network also accused the Federal Communications Commission of applying "mushy" and newly restrictive standards when it fined CBS $550,000 for the half-second of partial nudity.

"The FCC's new zero-tolerance policy has already had a chilling effect on the broadcast industry, particularly with regard to television," said Robert Corn-Revere, a CBS lawyer who asked a federal appeals court panel to overturn the fine.

Several third parties, including two former FCC chairmen who complained the agency was engaged in a Victorian crusade, filed briefs in support of CBS.

The agency, though, called CBS indifferent to the risk that "a highly sexualized performance" might cross the line.

The 90 million people watching the Super Bowl, many of them children, heard Justin Timberlake sing, "Gonna have you naked by the end of this song," as he reached for Jackson's bustier.

The scene capped a show that featured a crotch-grabbing performance by Nelly and steamy lyrics from Jackson and others.

The case is the second recent test of the federal government's powers to regulate broadcast indecency. In June, a federal appeals court in New York invalidated the government's policy on fleeting profanities uttered over the airwaves. The case involved remarks made by Cher and Nicole Richie on awards shows carried on Fox network stations.

In a footnote to that ruling, the 2nd Circuit noted that President Bush and Vice President Cheney have been quoted using such expletives.

FCC lawyer Eric Miller argued Tuesday that Jackson's costume reveal, although fleeting, was graphic and explicit. Still images of the moment in question soon made their way around the Internet.

"The idea of an exception for fleeting nudity flies in the face of common sense," Miller said.

CBS should have been forewarned, especially when Jackson's choreographer boasted four days earlier that the show would include "some shocking moments," he argued.

Corn-Revere said the network took many precautions, such as choosing Jackson and Timberlake over more provocative performers, reviewing the script, voicing concerns about ad-libbed remarks and applying a 5-second audio delay.

Jackson has said the decision to add a costume reveal — exposing her right breast, which had only a silver sunburst "shield" covering her nipple — came after the final rehearsal.

At the time, broadcasters didn't employ a video delay for live events, which was remedied within a week of the game.

In challenging the fine, CBS said that "fleeting, isolated or unintended" images should not automatically be considered indecent. The agency noted it has long held that "even relatively fleeting references may be found indecent where other factors contribute to a finding of patent offensiveness."

Miller also argued that Jackson and Timberlake were employees of CBS and that the network should have to pay for their "willful" actions, given its lack of oversight.

The 3rd Circuit judges didn't indicate when they would rule. The $550,000 fine represents the maximum $27,500 levied against each of the network's 20 owned-and-operated stations.

By MARYCLAIRE DALE, Associated Press Writer

RADCLIFFE'S SEX SCENE FEAR

The 18-year-old star confessed he had a crush on his "beautiful" "December Boys" co-star Teresa Palmer and was nervous about getting too sexually aroused when they simulated lovemaking.

He told Britain's The Guardian newspaper: "Teresa is beautiful, so I was sort of worried about, you know, certain things."

"But kissing someone on camera is just not sexy, no matter how attracted to them you are."

"No matter how beautiful they are, when you're surrounded by crew who are taking measurements of the focus and making sure you're in the right light, it becomes totally clinical."

"And clinical is not a word I would associate with any good sexual experience."

Despite his concerns, the "Harry Potter" actor loved shooting the "clumsy" sex scene for his new movie - about four orphan boys who want to be adopted by the same family - because it reminded him of his own first sexual experience.

He said: "I love that scene! It was so totally clumsy. It's so malcoordinated when she asks him to kiss her neck and play with her tits at the same time."

"It's that first time experience when you're like, 'OK. What's this hand doing? What's that hand doing?'"

"Trying to coordinate all those things at once is an absolute nightmare. It's a sex scene that's not sexy. It's clumsy and sweet."

Daniel added he had no qualms about appearing completely naked on the London stage for his role in the play "Equus" earlier this year.

He said: "If the script says I have sex, I have sex. That's just what you do as an actor."

Source: BANG Showbiz

`High School Musical' star nude online

NEW YORK - Vanessa Hudgens' representative has confirmed that a nude photo circulating on the Internet is indeed the 18-year-old star of Disney Channel's wildly popular "High School Musical" series.

"This was a photo which was taken privately," a statement from Hudgens spokesman said, according to MSNBC.com. "It is a personal matter and it is unfortunate that this has become public."

The photo shows the 18-year-old actress standing naked in what appears to be a bathroom, with a red shower curtain behind her.

There was no immediate comment Friday from officials at the Walt Disney Co.
Hudgens portrayed Gabriella, the brainy love interest of Zac Efron's basketball star in the first two "High School Musical" movies. The two are said to be dating in real life.

"High School Musical 2" attracted more than 17 million viewers for its Disney Channel premiere in August, the most-watched television program of the summer. A feature film "High School Musical 3" is planned.

The moment a crazed fan attacked Brad Pitt in Venice

This is the moment when Hollywood superstar Brad Pitt was attacked by a crazed female fan
Pitt, in Italy for the Venice Film Festival, was surrounded by his security team when the unnamed fan barged her way through the crowd and attempted to embrace the actor.

Everything seems normal as Brad meets his adoring public at the Venice Film Festival As Brad passes, the crazed fan sees a chance to get close to her idol

"It was a scary moment. The security team must have been embarrassed that she was able to get that close to him. She could have been anyone," said one onlooker.
"Brad didn't look very happy about it all."
Fortunately for Pitt, the fan simply wanted to hug her favourite Hollywood star rather than do anything more serious.
Pitt is in Venice for the premiere of his film The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford which takes place on Sunday.

Before Brad knows whats happening, the girl has stretched out her arms and grabs him around the neck

The fan attempts to drag Brad closer for a hug, while his security are very slow to react


He stars and produces the film which is a strong contender for the Golden Lion award.
Brad has already angered photographers after refusing to remove his sunglasses during a photo call for the movie.
Pitt, wearing what was described as 'an indifferent smile', rejected repeated requests by the photo corps to remove the glasses, then passed them to his co-star Casey Affleck, who put them on.
The photographers then left the shoot en masse in protest.
The Italian press have nicknamed Brad the 'Pitt Bullo' as a result. 'Bullo' means bully in Italian.

In Venice with Brad is Angelina Jolie, their 15-month-old daughter Shiloh and her three adopted children - Maddox, from Cambodia, Zahara, an Ethiopian girl, and Pax Thien, from Vietnam.
Asked what it was like being father to four young children, Pitt, 43, told reporters at the festival: "It's the most fun I have ever had and also the biggest pain in the a***.
"And I love it and I can't recommend it any more highly." But he added: "Sleep is non-existent!"


dailymail.co.uk

Quentin Tarantino's 3D porn

Quentin Tarantino wants to make a 3D porn film.


The 'Pulp Fiction' director admits he has been toying with the unusual idea for some time, and thinks it would be the perfect next step for the adult genre.

He told Total Film magazine: "Right now it's still in my mind. But I've been musing at what I would do if I could make a 3D porn film! It hasn't been green-lit yet, as I still have a few things to work out on it!"

It seems Tarantino has been thinking about X-rated films a lot recently.

Earlier this week, he claimed Gwyneth Paltrow would be a terrible porn actress and insisted he would never cast her in an adult movie.

Tarantino said: "I could do an erotic film, I wouldn't mind doing a women-in-prison or a cheerleader movie. But I wouldn't cast someone like Gwyneth Paltrow. It would have to be a cool, trampy actress who says, 'OK, let's get the cameras rolling - here we go!' "

(C) BANG Media International

Tom Cruise Wins Extortion Case

The man who demanded $1 million from Tom Cruise over stolen wedding photographs will plead guilty to transmitting threatening communications with the intent to extort.

David Hans Schmidt was arrested in July after approaching Cruise's reps and asking for $1 million in return for photos he'd acquired from the movie star's 2006 wedding to Katie Holmes.

In court papers, Cruise's lawyers report Schmidt, who has been dubbed the 'Sultan Of Sleaze' for peddling sex tapes of Paris Hilton and Colin Farrell, told the actor's representatives "it would not look good for anyone if the photographs become public."

But now Schmidt has agreed to enter into a plea agreement.
When sentenced, he faces up to two years in prison, one year of supervised release and a substantial fine.

Copyright World Entertainment News Network 2007