Oscar winner has abruptly dropped out of the remake of , just weeks before production was set to begin. The star was set to star in the movie and serve as a producer on the project when its filming was due to begin next month. Filmmakers are desperately searching for another actress to replace Witherspoon, but sources close to the project says the start date will probably be delayed.
, who had signed on to direct the remake, is reportedly so furious over the star's shocking departure he has sacked his manager, , who also manages Witherspoon. The film has been in the works for three years and is based on the 1965 film about a woman who reports her daughter missing, only to be confronted by charges that she never existed. Sources close to rock star 's charity campaign Red are slamming media reports claiming the organization has spent more on marketing than raising funds.
The high-profile campaign raises money for the Global Fund to Fights AIDS in Africa by selling red products such as iPods, clothing and mobile phones. Advertising Age reported the campaign "raised a meager $18 million" despite a "marketing outlay by Gap, Apple and Motorola (which) has been enormous - with some estimates as high as $100 million". A source close to the campaign slams the report, telling the New York Daily News, "First of all, Red didn't launch products until mid-October.
And they raised $25 million. "Before that, the fund had taken in about $5 million over a four-year period. Before that, they had one T-shirt out and a pair of sunglasses.
And on marketing, Bono's Red campaign didn't spend anything. "The companies they work with spent a few million each. The $100 million is a phantom number Ad Age pulled out of thin air.
It's off by tens of millions of dollars." But Red director Bobby Shriver has put a positive spin on the controversy: "This can only help us all stay focused on the fact that 5,500 Africans are still dying needlessly of AIDS every day." actor promised to "accept responsibility for his conduct" as he was charged with vehicular manslaughter and drunk driving in a California court yesterday.
The star, 26, appeared in Beverly Hills Superior Court to hear felony charges of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, driving under the influence causing injury to multiple victims and driving with a blood-alcohol level above the .08 per cent legal limit causing injury. He was also charged with a misdemeanor count of furnishing alcohol to a minor.
His lawyer Harland Braun said, "He is going to accept responsibility for his conduct. The only question is what is that level of responsibility?" Garrison was released on $200,000 bail and is scheduled to return to court for arraignment on April 11.
Judge Eldon Fox banned Garrison from driving, drinking alcohol and contacting witnesses of victims of the December 2 crash. Garrison was driving 17-year-old Vahagn Setian and two 15-year-old girls home from a party in Beverly Hills when he lost control of the car. The actor and two girls were both injured in the crash, but Setian tragically died.
Setian's family released a statement, saying they were "gratified" to hear Garrison's charges, adding, "They have lost their only child due to Lane Garrison's recklessness." Country singer finds it "extremely painful" when the media describes him in terms of his marriage to and his addiction problem, but ignores his musical success. The New Zealand-born singer was relatively unknown outside the United States and Australasia when he began dating the Oscar-winning actress in late 2005.
His fame was further extended when he checked into rehab last year, just months after wedding Kidman in Sydney, Australia. He says, "It's extremely painful, no doubt about it. But at the same time I can only say that it'd drive me crazy if I kept confronting myself with those kinds of things.
You can't influence how your private life is covered by whom in the media, and you shouldn't dwell on it. It's important that we get along with each other, not with the tabloids. That's what we fought for, and we succeeded.
" Troubled rapper has been charged with battery and resisting arrest without violence, stemming from an incident in a Florida beauty shop. The charges were filed against the rapper - real name Inga Marchand - on Wednesday, in Broward County, Florida. According to the police report filed after the February 15 incident, Brown threw hair glue at an employee of the shop and then swung her arms in a struggle with a police officer, who was attempting to get her to leave the shop after it had closed.
Last week, Brown was spared jail time by a New York City judge after violating probation she received following a fight in a Manhattan nail salon in 2004. The 27-year-old was sentenced to probation after that incident and ordered to take anger management classes. has criticized his late predecessor 's decision to share the stage with American rocker .
The current pontiff, who took over as head of the Roman Catholic Church following John Paul II's death in 2005, believes rock music is the work of Satan and cancelled the annual Christmas pop concert at The Vatican last year. Benedict XVI was one of John Paul II's closest aides during his time as Pope and was concerned when John Paul II appeared on the same platform as Dylan during a 1997 concert in Bologna, Italy. Dylan sang "Knockin' On Heaven's Door," "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" and "Forever Young" at the concert.
In Benedict XVI's new book "John Paul II, My Beloved Predecessor," the current Pope writes, "There was a reason to be skeptical and I was. Indeed in a certain sense I still am today. I have doubts to this day whether it was right to let this kind of so-called prophet take the stage (in front of John Paul II).
" A man cleared of murder after he was spotted in the background of outtake footage of TV comedy has been awarded damages of $320,000. Juan Catalan, 28, spent five months in jail charged with the murder of 16-year-old Martha Puebla until he used outtake footage - showing him at an L.A.
Dodgers game in Los Angeles when the crime occurred - to prove his innocence. Catalan's attorney Todd Melnik trawled through hours of footage of a televised game between the Dodgers and the Atlanta Braves that the defendant attended with his six-year-old daughter, before discovering the -starring comedy was being shot at the stadium on the same day. Catalan could be seen clearly eating a hot dog in a scene that ended up on the cutting room floor.
A time code on the footage proved Catalan's whereabouts - 20 miles from the murder scene in San Fernando. Los Angeles City Council has agreed to pay $320,000 to Catalan. 's young daughter is "doing much better" after being struck down by an undisclosed illness, according to the star's representative.
The British newspaper Daily Mirror reported yesterday that Depp's seven-year-old daughter, Lily-Rose, had been rushed to an English hospital 10 days ago and the actor and his longtime partner, , had been by her bedside every day. But, in a statement released by the actor's representative, , she says, "We are happy to report that their daughter is doing much better. The family greatly appreciates the continued support and respect of their privacy.
" Depp has been filming a movie version of the stage musical in England. A representative from the studio adds, "We have adjusted the schedule to accommodate (Depp's) needs at this moment. We understand that (Lily-Rose) is improving.
Obviously, everybody at the studio is certainly with them in their good spirits." Depp and French model/actress Paradis also have a four-year-old son Jack. Being an outspoken political campaigner has helped ' career, not harmed it, the actor insists.
Critics claim the star has been shunned by studios because of his strong anti-war and anti- views - but Robbins insists his stance has 'opened doors' in Hollywood. He says, "I really don't think that expressing my opinions has harmed my career. Although many people would like you to think that.
And you can be sure that I'd have never got to work with someone like if I hadn't expressed my opinions." Actress has signed on with cosmetics giant Avon to front a worldwide campaign for their new perfume. The star - who won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in the hit film musical last month - is overjoyed at the prospect of representing new fragrance Imari Seduction for Avon's Imari range.
She says, "This is an honor for me and very flattering." Avon's executive vice president Liz Smith is also delighted at the signing, citing Hudson's remarkable journey to the top as an important factor in attracting their target audience. She adds, "We believe that our Avon representatives and their customers will be truly inspired by Jennifer's dream-come-true success story.
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