Some of the world's biggest stars have revealed how they like to spend the festive season.
Jada Pinkett Smith said she and husband Will Smith gather the children around and make it an all-family affair.
"We spend Christmas in the snow every year, we spend it together. Sometimes we have a full one with the extended family and everyone but this year it will be pretty intimate," she said.
Narnia star Ben Barnes said he likes a traditional Christmas: "I get very fervent about it being traditional. I want the tree in the same place, in the same corner, in the same room.
"I want to sit in the same chair and listen to the same music. It's very, very boring but I like it a certain way."
Noel Edmonds also said a family Christmas is on the cards.
Speaking with his wife he said: "It will be a family Christmas at our home and we will thoroughly enjoy sitting down and crying our eyes out watching Christmas movies."
Sir Ben Kingsley said he is hoping for snow.
"We are going to have a very tall Christmas tree. We live in the countryside so we hope it snows. And Daniella, my wife's Mum, is coming so it will be very traditional," he said.
Chat show host Graham Norton has been named as the replacement commentator on the Eurovision Song Contest, taking the reins from Sir Terry Wogan.
Fellow Irishman Norton will take the role in the 2009 contest, which will be hosted in Moscow.
Veteran presenter Sir Terry, 70, had cast doubt on whether he would be involved in covering the event again at this year's contest.
He said it was "no longer a music contest" and that prospects for Western European participants were "poor".
The show has been dogged by accusations of bloc voting, which was blamed by some for leaving Britain's 2008 contestant, Andy Abraham, with only 14 points.
Sir Terry, who has spent more than three decades guiding viewers through the contest, said he would be "sad to leave it all behind".
He said: "I've had 35 wonderful years commentating on the Eurovision for radio and television.
"From my first, in a small music-hall in Dublin, to my last, in the huge arena in Belgrade, it has been nothing but laughter and fun."
Norton, a long time Eurovision fan, described it as "an amazing job and a huge honour".
He said: "Sir Terry is nothing less than legend and is an impossible act to follow, but somebody must and I just couldn't say no.
"I can't wait to get to Moscow. With a combination of cheap vodka and a language barrier what could possibly go wrong?"
Sir Cliff Richard said he likes the fact that speculation about his sexuality makes him "an enigma after all these years".
I like being enigmatic, says Cliff In a BBC interview he said that he understood that the fact he has never married had given rise to intense curiosity about his relationships.
"I know but I don't care, that's the thing," he said.
To applause from an invited audience in a Songs of Praise special, he said: "It is just none of your business."
Speaking to Sally Magnusson to mark his 50th year in showbusiness, he said: "This year has been a huge watershed in my relationship with the press. I'm an enigma and I love it. I love that after all these years they still don't think they know everything about me."
He said that his recent autobiography in which he explained his views on same-sex relationships had been interpreted by some as a statement about his own sexuality.
"I was trying to be very philosophical about a lot of things, including same-sex relationships. There have been changes within my faith, I was at one time quite judgmental."
The committed Christian singer performed some of his favourite religious songs and hymns, including Faithful One and Little Town.
Leona Lewis made history when sales of her new number one single Run became the fastest-selling digital release ever.
The song, a Snow Patrol cover version which Lewis never planned to release as a single, stormed straight to the top of the Official Singles Chart.
Knocking Take That's Greatest Day off the top spot gave the former X Factor winner her third UK number one single.
Fans fell in love with the track after she performed it in Radio 1's Live Lounge in November 2007. It was the high demand for the song that led to a last-minute decision to release it as a single.
Run became available, as a download only, from midnight on November 30 and in its first two days sold 69,244 units.
The previous record for the biggest-selling digital-only number one was held by American Boy, by Estelle featuring Kanye West, which sold 51,857 units in a week.
Lewis's chart-topper exceeded this figure in just two days. Run has now sold 131,593 copies, according to Official Charts Company data.
Despite their single falling to number two, Take That also had cause to celebrate after their fifth studio album, The Circus, became one of the fastest selling albums ever. Fans snapped up 432,000 copies in its first seven days on release last week, the Official Charts Company said.
This represented the third biggest first-week sales total in history, after Oasis's 1997 album Be Here Now and Coldplay's 2005 release X&Y.
Take That said in a statement: "It's just an incredible feeling to have the new album do what it's done this week. We set out to make a record that each of us was really proud of and we did that. To then have it fly off the shelves like it did this week has been just amazing."
A 13-year-old's signature just became worth £2.3 million – that's how much record label Universal paid for a recording contract with Faryl Smith. The schoolgirl was among the runners-up on Britain's Got Talent, the show created by Simon Cowell, and the music empresario had been hoping to sign her.
Her rendition of Ave Maria was so moving Simon described her as "the most talented youngster I've ever heard".
In the end, though, her parents chose to go with Universal because they were impressed with the way the company has backed classical music sensation Katherine Jenkins.
The mezzo soprano became Faryl's champion three years ago after watching her win Wales' prestigious Llangollen International Eisteddfod. And on Tuesday her mentor looked on with pride at the Royal Albert Hall as the talented teen put her name to the contract.
"I'm honoured to be joining such a fantastic record company, especially since it's where Katherine started," said Faryl. "She's been brilliant, and she will always take my calls. I feel much better knowing she is around."
With a prediction that her earnings will reach £20m by the time she's 20, the teenager from Kettering, Northamptonshire, has got used to answering questions about what she'll do with her fortune.
"My family are all Manchester United fans, but we can't quite afford that so my Dad is thinking of buying Kettering Town instead!" she joked.
LA guitarist Joe Satriani is suing Coldplay, claiming the Grammy-nominated band plagiarised one of his songs.
Satriani alleges Coldplay's Viva La Vida, or Death And All His Friends, "copied and incorporated substantial original portions" of his 2004 guitar instrumental If I Could Fly from his album Is There Love in Space?.
Coldplay's single went straight to number one in the UK charts when it was released in June and spent six weeks in the top spot. The hit also formed the title track of the band's first album in three years.
On Thursday, the Chris Martin-fronted group nabbed seven Grammy nominations, including the coveted record of the year award.
At the same time, 52-year-old Satriani was filing his lawsuit, and requested a jury trial, damages and "any and all profits" attributable to the alleged copyright infringement.
Coldplay - Martin, bassist Guy Berryman, guitarist Johnny Buckland and drummer Will Champion - were accused of plagiarism in June by New York-based Creaky Boards.
They claimed Martin attended one of their gigs before his band went on to use one of their melodies for Viva La Vida.
A Coldplay spokesman said the track was written in March last year, more than six months before the US band claimed Martin went to see them, and totally refuted the Creaky Boards' claim.
Thousands of screaming teenage girls braved the freezing cold for the premiere of vampire love story Twilight.
The stars of the film Robert Pattinson, 22, and Kristen Stewart, 18, walked a black carpet blasted with dry ice for atmosphere in London's Leicester Square.
The film is based on the first novel in Stephanie Meyer's series about high school girl Bella Swann who falls in love with vampire Edward.
In its first weekend at US cinemas Twilight outsold new James Bond film Quantum of Solace and High School Musical 3.
Director Catherine Hardwicke said: "We love London even though it's so cold. These fans are braver because they're out here and it's freezing so they are heartier souls."
Harry Potter star Robert said of his hysterical fans: "It's absolutely mad. I'm in a daze. They're here for the character, not for me. I don't know what to do. I'm terrified of doing the sequel."
Kristen Stewart, who plays Bella, claims some feminist groups disapproved of her character falling for a dominant vampire. She said: "It's a love story about two people who would die for each other. Bella has very innately female qualities, she really trusts herself. It takes a really strong person to subject themselves to that.
"A lot of feminist groups have problems with her which I don't understand because it takes someone very strong to be able to give that away."
Director Hardwicke said when casting Robert for the role of Edward it was an easy decision.
She said: "Robert and Kristen have this amazing sexual chemistry between them. We could see it in the audition. That's why we cast them. You can't create that. It has to be there."
Leona Lewis made history when sales of her new number one single Run became the fastest-selling digital release ever. The song, a Snow Patrol cover version which Lewis never planned to release as a single, stormed straight to the top of the Official Singles Chart.
Knocking Take That's Greatest Day off the top spot gave the former X Factor winner her third UK number one single.
Fans fell in love with the track after she performed it in Radio 1's Live Lounge in November 2007. It was the high demand for the song that led to a last-minute decision to release it as a single.
Run became available, as a download only, from midnight on November 30 and in its first two days sold 69,244 units.
The previous record for the biggest-selling digital-only number one was held by American Boy, by Estelle featuring Kanye West, which sold 51,857 units in a week.
Lewis's chart-topper exceeded this figure in just two days. Run has now sold 131,593 copies, according to Official Charts Company data.
Despite their single falling to number two, Take That also had cause to celebrate after their fifth studio album, The Circus, became one of the fastest selling albums ever. Fans snapped up 432,000 copies in its first seven days on release last week, the Official Charts Company said.
This represented the third biggest first-week sales total in history, after Oasis's 1997 album Be Here Now and Coldplay's 2005 release X&Y.
Take That said in a statement: "It's just an incredible feeling to have the new album do what it's done this week. We set out to make a record that each of us was really proud of and we did that. To then have it fly off the shelves like it did this week has been just amazing."
Britpop pioneers Blur are getting back together for a concert in London's Hyde Park.
The full line-up of Graham Coxon, Alex James, Dave Rowntree and Damon Albarn will be onstage together for the first time since their Royal Festival Hall performance in 2000.
The concert will take place on Friday July 3, and tickets will be on general sale from 9am this Friday at www.livenation.co.uk.
Coxon left Blur six years ago and the band's last album, Think Tank, was released in 2003.
In a joint interview, Albarn and Coxon explained that they had put their differences behind them.
"It just felt it was right again," said Albarn.
"It somehow feels like there's something for us to do again, we're not completely useless or pointless, we've got a reason to exist."
Coxon said the band were "making public what's been going on a little bit privately".
There have been reports of further dates including a possible appearance at next year's Glastonbury festival.
Albarn promised fans that there were more shows on the horizon.
"We'll do something in London because that seems sensible," Albarn told the NME, "but we're also playing in other parts of the country, working up to there."
Formed in Colchester in 1989, the band have recorded seven studio albums and had a string of top 10 singles including two number ones with Country House and Beetlebum.
Blur hit the height of their fame as the poster boys for Brit Pop in the mid 1990s, and were known for their chart battles with contemporaries Oasis.
Albarn has since gone on to form virtual band Gorillaz, to huge commercial and critical success.
His projects have included supergroup The Good, The Bad & The Queen and the much-lauded Monkey: Journey To The West.
Guitarist Coxon released solo work since quitting the band and has collaborated with Pete Doherty.
Bassist Alex James swapped his bad boy image to become a Cotswolds cheese maker and is a talent judge on Channel 4's Orange Unsigned Act.
Drummer Dave Rowntree made an unsuccessful bid to become a Labour councillor last year.
Comedian Alan Carr has apologised for dedicating a comedy award to kidnapper Karen Matthews. Carr, who was condemned as "sick" by a government minister, said: "I realise what I said about Karen Matthews was insensitive and am very sorry for any offence this may have caused."
At Saturday night's British Comedy Awards, Carr said that Matthews was a "gay icon", adding: "People like a bit of rough don't they?"
Junior Justice Minister Shahid Malik said the timing of Carr's remarks could not have been worse.
Mr Malik, who is also MP for Matthews' constituency of Dewsbury, said: "I think Alan Carr can be funny on occasion but I think last night he really let himself down.
"The timing couldn't be worse. I think most people think it to be both sick and insensitive and people will be disgusted with him at a time when many people are looking very closely at the comic/comedian profession anyway."
He added: "This isn't a helpful contribution either to the sad case of Shannon Matthews where we've only just got a conviction, and Michael Donovan and Karen Matthews haven't even been sentenced yet."
Matthews and Donovan were convicted last week of the kidnap of her nine-year-old daughter Shannon. The youngster was drugged and imprisoned for 24 days in a desperate plan to claim £50,000 in reward money.
On Saturday night, Carr spoke to reporters backstage after being awarded Best Comedy Entertainment Personality for his Friday Night Project and Sunday Night Project shows.
He said that he originally planned his Celebrity Ding Dong sketch to feature Rough Women not Fashionistas.
"It didn't work out because they couldn't cast it. I suppose it is a bit difficult to find rough women. I suppose Shannon Matthew's mum was busy," he said.
"Oh yeah, she would be my dream guest. I think she's a gay icon. People like a bit of rough don't they?"
Carr added: "I must be obsessed with her actually if you look at my Google searches. So I should dedicate this award to her."
When Jo Wood confided to HELLO! that her social life had been a frantic whirl of late, she neglected to mention that one of the dates in her diary included a meeting with royalty and Dolce&Gabbana model David Gandy. Ronnie Wood's estranged wife was the star attraction at a Save The Children charity event presided over by the organisation's president Princess Anne. Many of the guests, the 6ft 2in Scottish model hunk included, were apparently tripping over themselves to chat with her.
David, an object of admiration to millions of women thanks to a starring swimsuit-clad role in a D&G perfume ad, caught up with 53-year-old Jo by the champagne bar.
Not that the former rock chick would have been indulging in any festive tipples, these days she limits herself to organic foods and drinks – which may go some way to explaining her youthful glow.
Jo, who looked fabulous in a floral maxi-dress, had designed a bespoke Christmas tree to be auctioned off at the event.
The tree, one of several contributed by celebrities, reflected her love of natural produce, featuring red and white papier-mâché decorations, strings of popcorn and bundles of fragrant cinnamon sticks.
GMTV presenter Kate Garraway has come out top in an annual poll of women men secretly lust after. Men's magazine Nuts named Garraway the UK's third annual WISA of the Year (Woman I Secretly Adore), pipping last year's slimmed-down winner Fern Britton.
Garraway scooped more than a fifth of the vote in Nuts's poll of more than 2,000 men.
Loose Women's Jackie Brambles came second and BBC News presenter Sian Williams came third.
Nuts editor Pete Cashmore said: "This poll shows how men have an appreciation of women that is as broad and varied as woman herself, challenging the stereotype of us guys only lusting after young pneumatic twentysomething models."
The moment a terminally ill man takes his own life will be screened in a television programme tonight. Sky TV Documentary makers were allowed to film the final moments of 59-year-old motor neurone disease sufferer Craig Ewert at controversial Swiss clinic Dignitas.
The Sky Real Lives programme Right to Die?, shows Mr Ewert drinking a fatal dose of barbiturates, which have been prescribed by a local doctor.
Within 30 minutes of the overdose he is dead.
Before making the journey, he said: "If I go through with it I die, as I must at some point.
"If I don't go through with it, my choice is essentially to suffer and to inflict suffering on my family and then die.
"Possibly in a way that is considerably more stressful and painful than this way."
Mr Ewert, who lived in Harrogate, feared the disease would end up choking him to death.
His widow, Mary, has defended the decision to allow the cameras inside the clinic, which helps people to commit suicide.
Assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland with certain conditions. But it is illegal in Britain.
The programme comes as a coroner recorded a verdict of suicide following the death of another British man at Dignitas.
Paralysed rugby player Daniel James, 23, was injured when a scrum collapsed on him. The promising hooker lost the use of all of his limbs.
According to his parents, Mr James found his life unbearable. They helped him travel to Zurich in September this year.
The Director of Public Prosecutions has decided not to pursue a case against the couple.
Dignitas was set up by Ludwig Minelli, a lawyer who rarely gives interviews. He said a dignified death is a human right.
The clinic has helped more than 100 people from Britain to end their lives.
But, to some religious and ethical groups, assisted suicide is wrong.
Dr Rob George, from Care Not Killing, said Mr Ewert's death was barbaric and that "a natural death is nothing to fear".
"The vast majority of patients with motor neurone disease do not have a choking, unpleasant, suffocating death. That's just not true. So I feel sad and quite angry about that. This man need not have gone through this."
Paula Abdul has accused her American Idol bosses of exposing her to the crazed fan who committed suicide outside her California home. Abdul claims producers on the show allowed Paula Goodspeed to audition on three separate occasions, knowing she had stalked the star for 17 years.
And she accuses broadcaster Fox of shooting footage at her home, which effectively showed fans how to get access to the Sherman Oaks estate.
Speaking on talk show host Barbara Walters' Sirius Satellite radio show on Monday night, Abdul said, "She came to the audition. I said, 'This girl is a stalker of mine. Please do not let her in.' I was shaking.
"The producers thought, for entertainment value, it would be funny. Fun for them to cause me stress. It would make good television.
"If you look at the audition on YouTube, you'll see I couldn't even look up.
"But it wasn't just once. She showed up again in Las Vegas and she showed up the following year."
Abdul adds, "(Then) Fox broadcasting literally went to my house and gave my address away and showed how easy it is to break in."
The 45-year-old also reveals Goodspeed, 30, wrote her disturbing letters threatening her life.
Abdul told Walters, "The letters that were written were about bodily harm. She said that the only way I will serve my purpose is when I am up in heaven being her guardian angel."
When Walters asked why Abdul was still working on the show she replied, "Well, I'm still under contract."
Footage of a man ending his own life will be broadcast on TV later.
Suicide film to be shown on TV The film shows Craig Ewert drinking a mixture of sedatives at the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland and turning off his own ventilator using his teeth.
The 59-year-old American suffered from motor neurone disease and chose to die rather than endure what he described as 'torture'.
The footage forms part of a documentary filmed by Oscar-winning director John Zaritsky called Right to Die?
The broadcast comes a day after the parents of paralysed rugby player Daniel James were told they would face no action over his assisted suicide at Dignitas at the age of 23.
The film, which is on Sky Real Lives at 9pm, shows Mr Ewert bleakly outlining his options as "death, or suffering and death".
Before his suicide, Mr Ewert said: "I'd like to continue. The thing is that I really can't.
"I can't take that risk, that's choosing to be tortured rather than end this journey and start the next one.
"If I go through with it, I die as I must at some point.
"If I don't go through with it, my choice is to suffer, for my family to suffer and then die.
"The fact that I know the date I'm going to die simply makes definite what was previously indefinite.
"When you are completely paralysed, can't talk, can't walk, can't move your eyes, how do you let someone know that you are suffering?"
In a moving letter to his two adult children, who appear in the programme, he wrote: "This is a journey I must make.
"At the same time I hope this is not the cause of major distress to my dear sweet wife, who will have the greatest loss, as we have been together for 37 years in the greatest intimacy."
Sky defended the decision to broadcast Mr Ewert's suicide.
Barbara Gibbon, Head of Sky Real Lives, said: "This is an issue that more and more people are confronting and this documentary is an informative, articulate and educated insight into the decisions some people have to make.
"I think it's important that TV broadcasters, and particularly Sky Real Lives, can stimulate debate about this issue through powerful, individual and engaging stories and give this subject a wider airing."
Mark Ruffalo's brother Scott was killed after playing a deadly game of Russian roulette, according to the prime suspect in the case. Scott was found outside his Beverley Hills home with a gunshot wound to the head during the weekend. He was taken off life support on Monday.
Shaha Adham turned herself in to the authorities after police issued a warrant . She was seen leaving Scott's house on the night of the incident. After viewing the surveillance footage, police have identified another man Brian Scofield as a "person of interest" in the case. Adham has told police Scott shot himself while playing a game of Russian roulette. She also alleges that the hairdresser was under the influence of controlled substances at the time. Her lawyer Ronald Richards told the New York Post, "We expect the coroner's report to show the shooting was a result of the victim's chronic playing of Russian roulette and his dangerous playing with firearms while under the use of controlled substances. "My client was a good friend of the victim and is very sad for the loss of his family. However, she played no role whatsoever in his accidental death." Zodiac actor Mark recently thanked his fans for their support. A statement read, "Mark Ruffalo and his family deeply appreciate the outpouring of prayers and support during this most difficult time of the passing of Scott Ruffalo, beloved son, brother and husband."
Awards season is upon us. And the first gongs have gone to the world of animation. The Los Angeles Film Critics named Disney Pixar's Wall-E as the best film of 2008, the first time the marquee award has gone to an animated flick in its 33-year history.
British director Danny Boyle was named best director for Slumdog Millionaire, his acclaimed story of a boy growing up in the Mumbai slums. And further British success came for Sally Hawkins, who won best actress for her role as the perrennially chirpy teacher in Happy Go Lucky. Heath Ledger scooped a posthumous award for his supporting role as The Joker in The Dark Knight, which also came second in the best film and director categories. It marked a change for the LA Critics, who have generally rewarded more highbrow fare. Sean Penn got the best actor nod for the murdered gay politician Harvey Milk in Milk. Penn was one of eight nominations for Milk from the Critics choice Awards, which were also announced yesterday. Milk tied for the most nominations with The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, the forthcoming David Finch film in which Grad Pitt is born old and gets steadily younger.
Will Smith has set his sights on playing the new US president Barack Obama. Smith is a big fan of the president-elect, and is desperate to play him in a big screen biopic.
However, Smith will wait until Obama finishes his stint at the White House before he makes the movie. Asked by MTV if he'd fancy the role, he replied, "That would be fantastic. There are so many aspects of that story that people don't know — that people would love to. I'm going to give him eight years, though. I don't know if I'll be too old in eight years, but we'll give it a shot." (Re-electing him already, Will?) The I Am Legend actor also revealed why he's perfectly cast to play Obama. Pointing to his prominent ears, Smith joked, "It's right here. That's the key. America loves ears, you know? Mickey Mouse started it; Goofy and Dumbo followed behind. And America just loves the ears."
Paramount Pictures has taken the bold move to search for a lost city with one Mr. Brad Pitt! "We Own the Night" helmer James Gray is set to direct "The Lost City of Z" according to reports in Variety. Gray will take his lead from an as yet unpublished David Grann book for Brad Pitt to star in as British soldier and spy, Percy Fawcett. The nonfiction book by Grann, a staffer at the New Yorker, will be published in April by Doubleday. Paramount acquired the rights to it earlier this year for Pitt to produce through his Paramount-based Plan B.
Fawcett left Victorian society to explore in the Amazon, and he became obsessed by the idea of an advanced civilization he called 'Z', which he believed existed in the depths of the jungle. Along with his son, Fawcett headed into the jungle in 1925 in search of Z and was never seen again. "This is a terrific opportunity to do something entirely different for me," Gray said. "It is a story that will be told with an epic scale, with a main character who is larger than life."
Brad Pitt is to head into The Lost City of Z. The actor will star in true story of a man's obsession with a rumoured advanced civilisation in the Amazon. Based on a forthcoming non-fiction book by David Grann, it tells the story of British solider Percy Fawcett (Pitt) and his quest to find the advanced people he called Z, reports Variety.
He set off into the jungle with his son and both were never seen again. We Own The Night's James Gray is on directing duties. He said, "This is a terrific opportunity to do something entirely different for me. It is a story that will be told with an epic scale, with a main character who is larger than life."
NEW YORK - Before the world knew her as Marilyn Monroe, Norma Jeane Baker so captivated photographer Andre de Dienes at her first modeling assignment that he later recorded their meeting in his diary: "An earthly sexy-looking angel! Sent expressly to me!" De Dienes simultaneously captured the innocent exuberance and seductiveness of the young model in a series of photos that day in 1949 as she frolicked on a Long Island beach.
They are among more than 100 Monroe images being offered for sale in three sessions on Dec. 16-17 at Christie's auction house. They are expected to bring from $811,000 to $1.1 million.
The photographs represent a chronicle of Monroe's short life, from obscurity to Hollywood sex goddess. They capture her in all her manifestations — playful, sexy, innocent, insecure and anguished — as recorded by some of the biggest names in photography, including Tom Kelley, Richard Avedon, Bert Stern, Gary Winogrand, Elliott Erwitt and Cornell Capa.
A set of four portraits from the Tobey Beach series, showing Monroe with long, curly tresses and her trademark winning smile, is estimated to sell for $7,000 to $9,000.
"She is one of the most iconic figures in the history of American culture of the past 100 years," said Josh Holdeman, head of Christie's 20th century art.
Among other highlights is a group of photos known as the "Last Sitting" and taken by Stern for Vogue in 1962, just weeks before Monroe's death at 36.
The eight-page feature was shot during three long sessions at the Hotel Bel-Air in Beverly Hills. As the issue was going to press, Vogue learned that the actress had died. An emergency meeting was called and it was decided that the photo layout should run just as planned — as a memorial tribute to Monroe.
Fifty-nine key images from the shoot — including an uncharacteristically forlorn-looking Monroe in a black dress that conceals her body — are estimated to bring $100,000 to $150,000.
A 1957 portrait of a crestfallen-looking Monroe in black halter dress — in which photographer Richard Avedon turned "the subject from a star into a mere mortal" — is estimated to fetch the sale's highest price for a single photo, up to $35,000, Christie's said.
Avedon "banished every trace of the erotic charm and effervescence for which the actress was celebrated. ... Behind the beautiful face, her spirits sag as gravely as the body beneath the sequined dress," the auction house said.
Christie's said the sale represents the largest collection of Monroe photos to come on the market. Many of the images were featured in the "I Wanna Be Loved By You" Monroe exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum of Art in 2004.
New York collectors Leon and Michaela Constantiner are selling the photos plus 250 other images representing fashion, glamour and celebrities by such art-world stars as Andy Warhol, Helmut Newton, Irving Penn and Robert Mapplethrope.
The collection also has an unusually large number of sexually explicit prints as well as nude photos of actors and models such as Kate Moss, Patti Hansen, Charlotte Rampling and Nastassja Kinski.
Buyers from around the world have expressed interest in the Constantiner collection, one of the largest of its kind, said Holdeman.
"For them to have embarked on a journey far before it became in the public eye critically important, it's incredibly prescient and ambitious," Holdeman said.
NEW YORK - Want to raise money for a good cause? Recruit the Jonas Brothers.
The sibling sensations top Charity Folks' list of the 10 hottest celebrity draws on the online charity-auction Web site.
The brothers Kevin, Joe and Nick raised $450,000 in an online charity auction by charityfolks.com, which arranged VIP tickets and meet-and-greets in exchange for donations to the band's Change for the Children Foundation.
Billy Joel is second on the Charity Folks list with $400,000 earned from a private New York concert. Bruce Springsteen came in third with $300,000, followed by Morgan Freeman, Howard Stern sidekick Robin Quivers and the cast of "The Sopranos."
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Oscar-winner Angelina Jolie has proven again how handsomely it pays to combine gun-wielding action with serious roles, as she topped The Hollywood Reporter's list of highest-earning actresses on Friday.
But salaries are plummeting for top actresses and still lag the earnings of leading men, the trade paper said.
Jolie, 33, earned $15 million for the action movie "Wanted" this year and she could make $20 million to star in a possible sequel, it said.
Jolie played dramatic roles in 2007's "A Mighty Heart" and in this year's "Changeling." The mother of six and partner of actor Brad Pitt last month talked about eventually fading away from acting to spend more time with her family.
Oscar winner Julia Roberts, 41, claimed the No. 2 spot after a long absence from the screen, making more than $15 million for "Duplicity," which comes out next year.
Actors are also earning less, with the exception of Will Smith, star of blockbusters "Hancock" and "I Am Legend," who is riding high with up to $25 million per movie.
"Everyone else's prices have gone down," an unidentified talent agent told The Hollywood Reporter.
Reese Witherspoon, 32, who topped the female list last year after winning an Oscar for her role in the 2005 movie "Walk the Line," dropped to No. 3. She earned $14 million for appearing in the comedy hit "Four Christmases" that opened last week.
Cameron Diaz, Katherine Heigl, Kate Hudson, Anne Hathaway and Jennifer Aniston rounded out the list, with 39-year-old "Friends" star Aniston earning more than $8 million for the comedy "Marley & Me" opening on Christmas Day.
Big stars such as Halle Berry and Nicole Kidman -- both Oscar winners -- are no longer able to earn $10 million a movie.
Compare that with Pitt and Johnny Depp, who according to The Hollywood Reporter make between $15 million and $20 million per film.
CHICAGO - A prosecutor alleged Wednesday that Jennifer Hudson's brother-in-law killed three of her relatives — with a gun stolen from one of the victims — because he was angry his estranged wife, the singer's sister, was dating another man. William Balfour appeared in court for the first time in connection with the deaths and was denied bond. His attorney said authorities have no forensic evidence linking Balfour to the killings, but prosecutors said witness statements and the suspect's own lies and threats helped lead them to him. Balfour was charged with murder Tuesday after being held for weeks on a parole violation. The slightly built man, wearing a yellow jump suit, stood quietly Wednesday as prosecutor LuAnn Snow described how he allegedly killed his 7-year-old stepson, Julian King, Hudson's mother, Darnell Hudson Donerson, and Hudson's brother, Jason Hudson. Snow said Balfour had been at the Hudsons' South Side home early Oct. 24 and confronted his estranged wife, Julia Hudson, about a birthday present he believed she had received from a boyfriend. Balfour, Snow said, also had shown up to Julia Hudson's workplace earlier in the month to confront her about dating another man. "He told her at the time that her family would suffer if she saw other men," Snow said after Wednesday's hearing. Balfour threatened Julia Hudson again that morning at the home, Snow said, adding that Hudson did not take the threat seriously because he "had not followed through on any of those threats" before. The two left the home together that morning, with Hudson driving away as she saw Balfour walking toward his own car, according to documents prosecutors filed with the court. But Balfour's car broke down and two acquaintances gave him a ride to a gas station — during which time Balfour told them he had a handgun, but had left it in his car, Snow alleged. In fact, the prosecutor said, the gun belonged to Jason Hudson and Balfour allegedly stole it during the summer. "Several people observed defendant with the gun in the late summer of 2008," Snow said. Balfour was taken back to his disabled car after the trip to the gas station, "although he was offered a ride to other locations," Snow told the court. In the stark language of a legal document she was reading from, Snow described what allegedly happened next: "Defendant then entered the home at 7019 S. Yale at gunpoint," she read. "He shot Darnell Donerson several times while she was in the living room area. He then went into Jason Hudson's bedroom and shot him two times in the head." Jason Hudson, she said, was still in bed when he was shot. Balfour allegedly then took 7-year-old Julian and put him in Jason Hudson's white SUV. "Defendant shot Julian King in the head while the 7-year-old was laying behind the front seat of the Suburban," Snow read. His body was found three days later in the SUV. Balfour's attorney, Joshua Kutnick, criticized the first-degree murder and home invasion charges against his client, saying no fingerprint, blood or other forensic evidence links the 27-year-old to the slayings. "There is no direct evidence of Mr. Balfour committing these crimes," he said, adding that a girlfriend who claims Balfour confessed to her and asked her to provide him with an alibi is "highly suspect." Snow said there is evidence linking Balfour to the crimes, including gunshot residue on the steering wheel of the car that had broken down. Further, she said, Balfour has made statements to authorities that detectives have disproved. For example, while Balfour claimed he used a transit card to ride a train from the Hudson residence to his home, "The card was last used two days before the murders," Snow said. Balfour also does not appear on surveillance video of the train station he said he rode to, Snow said. Cell phone records and gas station surveillance video show Balfour was in the immediate vicinity of the Hudsons' home until shortly after 9 a.m., according to the court documents. Snow said Balfour claimed he was at his West Side home at 10 a.m. the morning of the killings but cell phone records show he did not return there until just before 1 p.m. Kutnick argued that none of that means his client killed anyone. He told the judge Balfour has not confessed and no one has come forward saying they saw him commit the crimes. As for the gunshot residue, Kutnick said after Wednesday's hearing that Balfour's car had been left unattended the day of the killings and it wasn't known if anyone else had used it. He also said witnesses linking Balfour to Jason Hudson's stolen gun are unreliable. Balfour previously went to prison for seven years for attempted murder and vehicular hijacking. His next court date in the murder case is set for Dec. 30. Jennifer Hudson was a finalist in the 2004 season of "American Idol" and won her Oscar in 2007 for her film debut, a supporting role in "Dreamgirls." She has mostly stayed out of the spotlight and close to her family since the killings. Her publicist said Wednesday that the actress would not offer any comment
NEW ORLEANS - It was a bittersweet moment for Brad Pitt, walking through the Lower 9th Ward neighborhood where families were preparing to spend their first holidays since Hurricane Katrina. Those families are moving into the first six houses built through Pitt's Make It Right foundation. One home was already strewn with green garland, lights, wreaths and red bows. Still, Pitt is restless. "I'm really happy for the families that are going to be here, but I can't help but think about the families that aren't," Pitt said Monday. "It's a push-pull for me. The excitement is that it's being proven, that it's working. The frustration is that we have a long way to go." Make It Right was launched by Pitt a year ago. The program calls for construction of 150 energy-efficient homes in a section of New Orleans washed away when Katrina broke levees Aug. 29, 2005. So far, six homes have been built. Two more are under way, and construction on another 14 begins in early 2009. Pitt smiles, gets a little giddy even, when talking about where the project will be in another year. "You're going to see 100 homes here, mark my words," he said. "It's nice to see a few, but I'm anxious to see 100, 150, 1,000." Pitt said that by December 2009, the Lower 9th Ward should be one of the nation's largest "green" neighborhoods. "It's amazing," he said. "This place that suffered such injustice and so much death can become one of the primary examples of a high-performance neighborhood. It really is amazing." Inez Converse, 71, isn't concerned about her area setting any records. She's just happy to be back in the neighborhood she lived in for more than 35 years before Katrina. And she said she was glad she had the chance to thank Pitt personally. "He didn't have to do this," she said. "I'm just grateful he is doing it." Monday was a busy day for Pitt and partner Angelina Jolie, who appeared at a screening of Pitt's new film "The Curious case of Benjamin Button." The couple — Pitt in a suit and tie and Jolie in a form-fitting cream L'Wren Scott dress — was the highlight of the red-carpet event. The film, which also stars Cate Blanchett, opens Dec. 25. But because it was filmed in New Orleans in 2006 and 2007, Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. held a special screening here. "It's a gorgeous, gorgeous film," said Pitt, who in the movie plays a man who begins life as elderly and grows younger with time. "It's a film that makes you want to hug your kids and call your folks." Pitt also described the movie as "a love letter to New Orleans." "There's a sense of magic here, so it made this fantastic story almost believable," he said. Pitt said his fondness for the city led him and Jolie to buy an early-1830s masonry mansion in the French Quarter. Pitt said the home was recently renovated to accommodate the needs of the couple and their six children. He quashed recent rumors that the couple had sold their home. While the homes built by Pitt's project are more contemporary than the Creole cottages and shotgun-style homes typical of New Orleans, they incorporate some elements used in the area for generations, such as high ceilings and shaded porches. The homes also have solar panels and other features that help cut energy bills by at least 75 percent, Pitt said. Other architectural elements address challenges of the area, including ventilation and mold- and termite-resistant materials. "The misunderstanding of architecture is that it's all about aesthetics," Pitt said. "It's not. First and foremost, it's about function." The homes, costing $150,000 on average, are for property owners who can pay insurance and taxes. Monthly payments are based on applicants' income and subsidized by Pitt's foundation. Pitt said his motivation to see this project through stems from a lot of things, among them his "love for architecture, a love for technology, a love for fairness and justice." But it also stems from his love "for all things New Orleans." "There's just something about this place," he said.
2008: Britney got better, Paris outwitted John McCain and Lindsay became involved in a stable relationship. With all eyes on the economy and the election, it was a quieter year for Tinseltown's stalwart cast of troublemakers and their followers.
The business of celebrity gossip is still going strong, but happy endings are now the fashion. As doom is foreshadowed on the news, the public wants to see brighter things from the tabloids, and it may be in the best interests of the stars and their publicists to indulge the fans.
"I think that celebrities realize that it's more in vogue to have your life together," says Lori Levine, chief executive of talent brokering firm Flying Television. She feels stars may be more aware that if they act inappropriately in their private lives, they "actually won't be able to make money and in this economy, that bottom line is very, very seductive."
That doesn't mean everyone's cleaned up his or her act. Take Kanye West, the musician who made headlines this year for two scuffles with paparazzi photographers. West cleverly tried to take control of the spin by posting about the incidents on his blog, protesting the invasive danger that photographers pose.
Another celebrity who took the headlines into her own hands was Bai Ling, who was arrested last February in the Los Angeles International airport for stealing magazines and batteries. She claimed the incident was the result of a bad breakup and plead guilty to disturbing the peace but not before posting on her blog, "Life happens to you, either you liked it or not; sometimes I feel you have to be so brave to stand in front of the world and just hope that people will have a tender heart toward you," which some saw as a veiled response to the incident.
First person recounting of the ups and downs of fame seems to be one more tactic that stars have used recently to connect emotionally to their fans. The candidness becomes even more effective when stars show a desire to turn their lives around.
"We love second acts," says Howard Bragman, chairman of Fifteen Minutes, a strategic media and public relations agency. "We're willing to forgive bad behavior."
That's certainly the case with Josh Brolin. In July, while filming the Oliver Stone biopic "W," Brolin was arrested for getting into a bar fight in Shreveport, La. Charged with a misdemeanorfor interfering with police, he's scheduled to appear in court Dec. 2. While his mug shot was plastered across celebrity media pages, the incident hasn't slowed his streak of roles in critically acclaimed films. Up next in limited release: "Milk."
Amy Winehouse is banking on fans' hope for a second act after repeated rounds of drug abuse, violence and divorce rumors marred the musician's reputation. Authorities held her this past year for allegedly slapping a man and for suspicion of possessing a controlled substance. While neither incidents ended in formal charges, her husband Blake Fielder-Civil was sent to jail for assaulting and attempting to bribe a barman in 2007 and was recently released for rehabilitation.
While the "Dark Knight" buzz was still building, star Christian Bale was arrested in London after allegedly assaulting his mother and sister. The charges were subsequently dropped and any public memory was likely shadowed by the pic's industry-saving box office pull.
Levine says some Hollywood stars have hit a period of reputation rebuilding. Fame in America often means a progression of rising fast, falling fast and then an inspirational climb back to renewed fame and success. "We're tired of the bad news," says Levine. After watching the press highlight panty-less nightly escapades and DUI charges, the public wants some positive news. "We're tired of the roller coaster."
But, as the paparazzo isn't backing down, it's up to the stars to keep their illicit deeds out of the tabloid papers and blogs. "The only way you can control the press is to control your behavior," says Bragman.
MELBOURNE, Australia -- Late actor Heath Ledger won a posthumous trophy for Best Actor at the Australian Film Institute awards on Saturday.
Heath won for his role as the Joker in "The Dark Knight," a performance that's garnered him considerable Oscar buzz.
His sister Kate and his parents accepted the award on his behalf.
"It has been without a doubt the most difficult year, losing such a loved family member," Kate said, according to Reuters.
Other winners at the ceremony included Cate Blanchett, who won Best Actress for her titular performance in "Elizabeth: The Golden Age," and "The Black Balloon," an Australian film starring Toni Collette that swept several major categories.
The Australian actor, who earned an Oscar nomination for his role in 2005's "Brokeback Mountain," died at the age of 28 of an overdose of prescription drugs in his New York apartment in January.
According to reports, "The Dark Knight" will be briefly re-released theatrically on January 23 - the day after both the announcement of the Oscar nominations and the one-year anniversary of Heath's death.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. heiress Martha "Sunny" von Bulow died on Saturday at a Manhattan nursing home after spending nearly 28 years in a coma, media reported.
Von Bulow was either 76 or 77. She was found lying in a bathroom in her mansion in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1980 and never regained consciousness.
She was married to an Austrian prince and then later to a Danish-born lawyer, Claus von Bulow, who was convicted and later acquitted of twice trying to kill her with insulin injections. He now lives in London.
The story was recounted in a 1990 movie, "Reversal of Fortune," starring Glenn Close and Jeremy Irons, based on a book by Alan Dershowitz, a law professor who defended Claus von Bulow.
LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- It'll be a game-time decision for M.I.A. come February 8 - baby or Grammys?
"[They're] due the same day!" the musician wrote on her MySpace blog on Friday.
M.I.A., whose real name is Maya Arulpragasm, just received a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year for her summer hit, "Paper Planes," and is also pregnant with her first child.
"So either way I figured I'll win," she wrote.
But if she gets a Grammy, the outspoken London-by-way-of-Sri Lanka artist promised to keep quiet on one thing.
"OMG if I get it, I will never diss the Grammys evr again!" she wrote.
The song, from 2007 album "Kala," caught fire after its inclusion in the "Pineapple Express" trailer in June, peaking at No. 4 on the Billboard charts. And though she and fiance Benjamin Brewer have a baby on the way, the busy artist - who also has a fashion line and co-wrote a track on the "Slumdog Millionaire" soundtrack, which is being released on her own label, N.E.E.T. - isn't slowing down.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - Hollywood actor and former British soccer player Vinnie Jones was arrested after a bar fight in downtown Sioux Falls, authorities said.
His movie credits include "Snatch," "Gone in Sixty Seconds," "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels," and "X-Men: The Last Stand" as the character Juggernaut.
Police said Jones, 43, got into a scuffle late Thursday at Wiley's Tavern and suffered cuts on his face from a beer glass.
A police sergeant said Jones apparently charged at Jesse Bickett of Montrose, who hit Jones with the glass.
One of Bickett's roommates, Juan Barrera, said they were playing pool when Jones asked to join, then got offended when one of them asked if he was "that guy from X-Men." Barrera said he was punched by the actor, who is mostly known for his tough guy roles, and countered with one or two of his own.
"He got offended by that, and he started pushing my other friends around," Barrera said.
Bickett, 24, was arrested on a charge of aggravated assault.
Authorities said Jones was treated at a hospital, then charged with simple assault and posted bail Friday morning.
Bickett's mother, Deb, said her son had to have surgery for his injuries.
"He (Jones) doesn't want to run into me," she said.
Jones' manager, Alex Cole, said Friday that the actor hadn't answered his phone calls. Cole had said Jones was on vacation.
Barrera said one of Jones' companions indicated he was in the state to hunt.
LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Victoria and David Beckham are one of the most photographed celebrity couples in the world. But while plenty of celebrities regularly express their displeasure with the roving snappers, Posh admits she brought the attention on herself.
"I don't complain about paparazzi because I've put myself in that position, and so has David," Victoria told the January issue of Harper's Bazaar. "But I always say to the boys, someone is going to take your picture because you're handsome or you're smart or because you're so good at soccer. But every now and again, [our son]Romeo might pick up one of David's cameras and say, 'Victoria, Victoria, over here!' And his attitude is sort of angry."
As a mother of three boys, Victoria has had to get used to a lot of things. She admitted she gets bruises playing goalie with her children in the Beckham backyard and she also sometimes dresses down at home - to an extent.
"I run around the house in a tracksuit sometimes," Posh admitted. "A fabulous one."
But don't expect the fashion maven to step out of the house in such attire, even if it is "fabulous."
"If I go to the supermarket looking like sh**, that affects my work. I am selling an image," she told the mag. "Plus, I have fun with it."
Another thing Victoria is having fun with is perfecting what used to be her famous red carpet pout.
"I have started smiling," she admitted of her new out-and-about look. "I've mastered this smirk; it's a smile that isn't a smile."
Posh said she is now able to crack a grin due to the confidence that comes with age - she's now 34.
"I used to get so nervous, and when I got on the red carpet, I'd freeze up. I've had so many things said about me over the years, like a public bullying," she said. "The older you get, the more comfortable you become with yourself, and you accept what you have physically. Also, the fact that my business is doing very well... makes me feel a little more confident, too."
Another thing that's going well for Victoria - her marriage to David.
"We've had a lot of ups and a lot of downs," Victoria revealed of her union with the soccer star. "We've been married for nine years. I love him more now than when I first met him... Back then, there was a certain innocence. I look back and think if only I knew then what I know now. I've toughened up a lot."
One of the things Posh has toughened up on are the erroneous reports in the tabloids about her - like ones suggesting she is pregnant. These days, Posh laughs about them with pals Katie Holmes, Eva Longoria and Kate Beckinsale.
"You get a little water retention; it's not news," she said. "Me, Katie, Eva, and Kate always joke about how one of us is allegedly pregnant, but no, we're just a little bloated today! None of us is pregnant."
HAVANA - Actor Benicio del Toro says protesters at the Miami screening of "Che" should have watched the film first.
Del Toro plays Argentine-born Ernesto "Che" Guevara, a hero of the Cuban revolution and global icon. He says the role was difficult and took a lot of time.
Cuban exiles protested the movie in Miami last week. Many opposed Guevara for executions of officials from Fulgencio Batista's government, which was toppled in 1959.
But del Toro says "a lot of the people protesting the movie hadn't seen it."
He spoke Saturday as about 1,500 people attended the screening of the movie by director Steven Soderbergh at a film festival in Havana.
The Puerto Rican actor won the Cannes Film Festival's best-actor prize for his performance.
LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Just weeks after the announcement of former "Full House" star Jodie Sweetin's divorce from husband Cody Herpin, court papers obtained by Access Hollywood have unveiled what seems to be a turbulent union.
"Our marriage has been rocky," Jodie stated in divorce documents filed in Orange County Superior Court on November 19. According to the documents, the couple separated on November 18. They were married over a year earlier, on July 14, 2007.
But it wasn't just the relationship that had problems, she asserted.
"Our house is in foreclosure, our water has been shut off twice... Currently, all of our other utilities are overdue," she alleged in the papers.
Jodie alleged that Cody, who she stated was a driver and transportation coordinator when they met, stopped working after they were married except for the month of October 2007, and "kept finding one excuse after another for his failure to even attempt to find employment."
"He had to sell his car to pay bills and is now without transportation, unless it is a rental," she continued.
The couple has a child, 7-month-old daughter Zoie Laurel Mae, who Jodie has asked for joint legal and physical custody of, with primary custody going to her.
"I believe that he is going to try to prevent me from seeing our daughter," she wrote, citing an alleged incident that found Cody telling her he would call the police if she left their home with Zoie.
She asked for a court order to pick up certain items from the couple's home
"[Cody] will become very emotional and possibly erratic" if she returned to the residence, the papers alleged.
However, in an interview with People on Friday, Cody painted a different picture
"I still have no idea what this is about. None of this makes sense," he told the mag.
According to him, the actress has returned to their residence four times since the split and won't return his e-mails - and, he alleged, his unemployment was due to her busy schedule.
"I was the stay-at-home dad, my job was taking care of Zoie," he said.
His lawyer, Robert Benavente, told People that Cody has been cooperative with his estranged wife - and he alleged that she hasn't been entirely truthful.
"Some of [her other claims] are false," Benavente said. "We will address those in court documents."
A court date is set for the morning of February 9, 2009.
This Oct. 17, 1987 file photo shows actress Beverly Garland. Garland, the actress who starred in 1950s cult hits like 'Swamp Women' and 'Not of This Earth' and who went on to play Fred MacMurray's TV wife on 'My Three Sons,' died Friday Dec. 5, 2008. She was 82. (AP Photo/PA)Associated Press LOS ANGELES - Beverly Garland, the B-movie actress who starred in 1950s cult hits like "Swamp Women" and "Not of This Earth" and who went on to play Fred MacMurray's TV wife on "My Three Sons," has died. She was 82.
Garland died Friday at her Hollywood Hills home after a lengthy illness, her son-in-law Packy Smith told the Los Angeles Times.
Garland made her film debut in the 1950 noir classic "D.O.A.," launching a 50-year career that included 40 movies and dozens of television shows.
She gained cult status for playing gutsy women in low-budget exploitation films such as "The Alligator People" and a number of Roger Corman movies including "Gunslinger," "It Conquered the World" and "Naked Paradise."
"I never considered myself very much of a passive kind of actress," she said in a 1985 interview with Fangoria magazine. "I was never very comfortable in love scenes, never comfortable playing a sweet, lovable lady."
Garland showed her comedic chops as Bing Crosby's wife in the short-lived sitcom "The Bing Crosby Show" in the mid-'60s.
She went on to be cast in "My Three Sons" as the second wife of MacMurray's widower Steve Douglas during the last three seasons of the popular series that aired from 1960 to 1972.
Her television credits also include "Remington Steele," "Scarecrow and Mrs. King," "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman," "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" and "7th Heaven."
Garland was born Beverly Fessenden in Santa Cruz, Calif., in 1926, and grew up in Glendale. She became Beverly Garland when she married actor Richard Garland. They were divorced in 1953 after less than four years of marriage.
In 1960, she married real estate developer Fillmore Crank, and the couple built a mission-style hotel in North Hollywood, now called Beverly Garland's Holiday Inn. Garland, whose husband died in 1999, remained involved in running the North Hollywood hotel.
She was the honorary mayor of North Hollywood and served on the boards of the California Tourism Corp. and the Greater Los Angeles Visitors and Convention Bureau.
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