warner bros use $115 million to open studio in uk

(Reuters) - The Harry Potter film franchise is at an end, but Hollywood studio Warner Bros has extended its involvement in British cinema with the launch this week of a new 100 million pound ($155 million) studio complex just outside London.

The state-of-the-art film and television studios are set on a 200-acre site and include huge sound stages, one of the largest heated underwater filming tanks in Europe and a 100-acre "clear horizon" back-lot for outdoor scenes.

Warner Bros Studios Leavesden, where much of the eight-film Harry Potter series was shot, goes head-to-head with other major British facilities, including Pinewood Studios located just a few miles away.

The investment by the Time Warner Inc-owned Hollywood studio, which acquired Leavesden in 2010, has been seen as a vote of confidence in British film-making at a time of economic uncertainty in across Europe.

"We have confidence in the future of the British film industry and the production business generally, and we intend to continue to make movies and TV shows here," said Josh Berger, president of Warner Bros UK, Ireland and Spain.

"We're coming off a very strong period for British film - global blockbusters made alongside smaller but incredibly successful films," he told Reuters.

"There is no reason to think that that should change dramatically in the future and our investment in Leavesden is another of those reasons to be bullish."

In addition to Harry Potter, a record-breaking franchise which grossed $7.7 billion in global ticket sales, Warner Bros has filmed "Sherlock Holmes", "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "Wrath of the Titans" at Leavesden.

The facility, which can handle two blockbusters shooting at the same time, is the only one in Britain to be owned and operated by a major Hollywood studio and is one-and-a-half times the size of Warner's studios in Burbank, Los Angeles.

It will be available to rival film production companies, as well as for television shows and music videos.

On the movie side, Warner has enjoyed huge success in Britain in recent years, and in 2011 topped the national box office rankings with ticket sales of 206 million pounds or an 18 percent market share.

It is also a major player in television in Britain, particularly through its majority stake in Shed Media which makes hit reality TV shows "The Voice" and "Supernanny".

Berger said Warner would make an announcement in the near future about its first deal at the refurbished facility, but declined to give any more details.

The new Leavesden Studios are adjacent to Warner's recently opened Harry Potter tour which the company hopes will be a major visitor attraction for fans wanting to experience the original sets, costumes, special effects and animatronics.

Amazing spiderman" producers talk "venom movie" and spiderman joining the avengers

The press junket for Amazing Spider-Man provided producers Avi Arad and Matthew Tolmach with an opportunity to discuss such topics as the Venom movie spinoff, and how it will imitate TASM's modernized, grounded portrayal of the Spider-Man universe.

Arad and Tolmach also hinted at their intention to follow Marvel Studios' example and maintain narrative continuity between all upcoming Spider-Man films (similar to the planned DC superhero universe). Furthermore, Marvel's Avengers success has increased the likelihood of a cross-over featuring Spidey, according to Arad.

Here's what Arad and Tolmach told Crave Online, with regards to the Venom spinoff:

"As you know, Venom [in the comics] is defender of the innocent. The only guy he really, really hates is Peter Parker, Spider-Man. The reason you didn't see more development on Venom in the comics is because this power that he was given, he knew who Peter was, he knew who Spider-Man was, so go kill him already. We always struggle with storylines and you see the new Venom books. It's Flash in Iraq. We know that if we put him in a certain position and concentrate on the human, not on the creature, which I thought was a really good beginning in ['Spider-Man 3]."

Spider-Man 3 was heavily-criticized by fans for not devoting a sufficient amount of screen time to developing Eddie Brock/Venom. It didn't help that the character was watered down into a stereotypical sleazy photographer, motivated by his own self-interest - instead of the over-ambitious journalist whose suicidal and vengeful desires fuel the Venom symbiote, after he is disgraced in the original "Amazing Spider-Man" comic book storyline. Tolmach conceded as much during the interview:

"The truth is he also deserves his own movie. We've been sitting around in a room talking about Venom stories and it's a really full bodied complicated character, Eddie Brock and this character. Maybe people feel there wasn't enough of a chance to unravel it, but we're all in on him."

Previous reports that Chronicle director Josh Trank was circling Venom has helped to generate positive buzz, and inspired hope for a more nuanced iteration of the Eddie Brock/Venom character - similar to the anti-hero who defends "the innocent" in the comics. Although that stone was left unturned during their TASM interview, Tolmach and Arad did offer assurances that Venom will "stay close to the the bible, stay close to the emotional story" of Eddie Brock.

However, Arad also alluded to the idea that Venom will modernize the character, saying (in a separate interview with Hollywood.com):

[Pseudo-sceince] is becoming science. All these tidbits about webs, artificial webs, is a huge industry now. Spiderwebs have unique qualities that will be huge for communications, fibers, and so forth. So we have taken the approach that we want to make the huge amazing movie about Eddie.

Arad's comments are worth noting, as it's been pretty much acknowledged by now that Amazing Spider-Man primarily draws from the more contemporary "Ultimate Spider-Man" comic book continuity. Yet, in spite of that, the decision for Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) to utilize self-made web-shooters seems like more of a throwback to the Stan Lee/Steve Ditko Spider-Man comics from the 1960s. That is, unless you look at it from the perspective that Arad mentioned.

Pete builds an artificial web-shooter in 'Amazing Spider-Man'

That the worlds of Amazing Spider-Man and Venom will "make sense with one another" in terms of tone and their comparatively realistic design, is essentially a given (according to Arad and Tolmach); hence, the two universes could organically mesh together in a future Amazing Spider-Movie sequel. Arad also offered a glimmer of hope for fans who've been hoping that the web-slinger could show up in a future Avengers sequel:

"Everything is possible. If something like that happens, it's great for Disney, it's great for Sony. If the right story comes in, we are now working on 'Venom' first. It's our first out. So our thinking is in the right direction. Avengers to me was an expected success so I never looked at it because 'Avengers' was successful."

Will Sony make a serious push to get in on the billion-dollar pie that is Marvel's Avengers franchise? The financial incentive is certainly there - and, as everyone should know by now, that's ultimately the bottom line in Hollywood.

To cap all that off: check out a recent featurette for The Amazing Spider-Man, focusing on Rhys Ifans as Dr. Curt Connors/The Lizard:

The Amazing Spider-Man swings into theaters around the U.S. on July 3rd, 2012.

The dark knight rises :Has christian bale had enough of playing batman?

Fans certainly aren't thrilled that The Dark Knight Rises will mark the end of director Christopher Nolan's reign over the Batman franchise. While Bale, 38, recently said he'd be open to a fourth flick, don't count on it because he also said he wouldn't play the Caped Crusader again unless it was with Nolan.

At least one Dark Knight Rises costar thinks everyone just wants to move on before it's too late...

READ: Big-Screen Spoilers! Ashton Kutcher's Jobs Flick Gets a Villain, Avengers' Joss Goes for Twilight Talent

"I think Christian, he's had enough," says Matthew Modine, who plays Deputy Commissioner Foley in the flick (out July 20). "You don't want to become a sort of parody of what it is."

Good point, Mr. Modine.

"There was a point when you wished that Sean Connery would have stopped," he said, referring to the legendary actor's work as James Bond. "He was just getting too old and the toupees were getting too big. They're going to go out winning."

MORE MOVIES: Jennifer Aniston, Julia Roberts & John Travolta Toast Hollywood Legend

Modine compared Nolan to the late Stanley Kubrick. "Nolan is the only other director I've worked with who stands by his camera and directs," he said, adding, "There are no chairs on the set. There is no video village with a bunch of producers and people sitting around. It's him. It's a singular voice."

Not that he thinks this is the end of Batman.

"It's called show business," said Modine, 53. "While I'm in the business of show, Warner Brothers is in the business of business and making money. They would never let the franchise die."

Let the next reboot casting begin.

Now we want to hear from you. Sad to see Bale and Nolan say goodbye? Have any suggestions of who should play Batman next? Sound off below.

The best games unvieled at E3

These are the games you'll be talking about over the next year, from zombies to hackers to revolutionary war heroes.

If you've been saving up your pennies for the next big video game console, you've pretty much got one choice, the new Wii U from Nintendo. That's the big takeaway from this year's E3 video game trade show, where tens of thousands of game industry types gathered to show off their latest virtual wares.

No new Xbox or PlayStation was announced, even though the current versions are more than six years old, leaving Nintendo's tablet-driven Wii U (check out our hands-on coverage here) as the only new kid on the block. Instead, the focus was on games, and even though there was not a singular blockbuster everyone could agree on, we still saw a lot of new games that are worth keeping an eye on. Here are our highlights and lowlights:

Beyond: Two Souls

Dan: Almost single-handedly making the argument for cinematic games, French game designer David Cage is responsible for cult favorites such as Heavy Rain. This new game feels like a David Lynch action movie, with big-deal actress Ellen Page as a spooky girl with supernatural powers and existential angst. Like Heavy Rain, this talky, moody game isn't going to be for everyone, but I've got high hopes it'll push the envelope just a bit more.

The Last of Us

Dan: At first glance, this looks a lot like the light-hearted action game Uncharted. Same studio, similar-looking scruffy protagonist. Then, his traveling companion, a teenage girl, starts stabbing people in the face, and things take a real ugly turn. It's post-plague America, and our two heroes have to fight their way through the ruins - think of it as Michael Bay's The Road.

ZombiU

Libe: Most games for Nintendo systems fall into what we'd call the "family friendly" category. This blood-filled zombie game for the Wii U is an exception, and might be the single goriest game at E3 - and one of the more cliche-ridden. Like any other zombie plot ever, survive a zombie outbreak by foraging for supplies and hunting the undead. The one innovation: if you die, you start over at the beginning as a different survivor and will run into your fallen former self as a shambling meatsack.

Watch Dogs

Libe: The real surprise hit of E3. I heard people calling it shockingly original and a "next-generation" type of game. It's mostly just Grand Theft Auto with high-tech hackers instead of track-jacket wearing gangsters, but it still looks like a very clever re-imagining of this tired genre. Jacking into people's cell phones to eavesdrop on them, or overriding traffic lights to cause a pileup is a welcome change from just shooting everybody in the room.

Halo 4

Dan: Listen, I like Halo as much as the next guy, but the last few games in the series have suffered for the lack of original main character, the anonymous Master Chief. The green-armored military man is finally back, which is cool, but this really does look like every other Halo game. I'm sure there are some minor gameplay differences, but at this point, it's really just a cash-in. I'll still probably play it, but I won't like myself in the morning.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2

Dan: Is there such a thing as a review-proof game? The next annual Call of Duty installment will earn more than just about any big Hollywood movie this side of The Avengers, no matter how closely it resembles the last half-decade of nearly identical games. It's the perfect fast food formula - familiar and comforting, but never too surprising.

Dishonored

Libe: There's not a lot of buzz about this game yet, but keep an eye out for it -- it may end up being the sleeper hit of the year. As a retro-futuristic assassin using a mix of supernatural and technological tools to take out your targets, it reminds me of classic sneak 'n' slay games, such as Thief or Hitman, but with a sci-fi vibe. Powers like teleportation, possession, and calling forth a plague of rats mean there will be a ton of different ways - ultra-violent or not - to play.

Assassin's Creed III

Dan: One of the most unexpected sights at E3 2012 was people losing their damn minds over this game. Moving from medieval Italy to the American Revolutionary War may be just the thing this series needs, it was starting to get a little old (don't let the "III" fool you, this is actually the fifth Assassin's Creed game), and the unexpected addition of naval battles was a big hit with the crowds. One complaint - the 18th century colonial Americans in the game all speak with modern American accents (as opposed to the British forces they're fighting). Trust me, everyone had an English accent back in 1776.

Diddy takes over canes wif cassie rickross and more

Diddy was a busy man while at the 65th Annual Cannes Film Festival.

The Film Noir-esque short-film, "Le Premier," directed by Robert Alexander and scored by Ãdith Paif's "Ne Me Quitte Pas," documents Diddy's takeover while in Cannes, France.

The exclusive video, produced by the Blue Flame Agency, includes footage of Diddy celebrating Brad Pitt's film, "Killing Them Softly," at an intimate celebration at Villa St. George and hosting his own yacht party at the Cannes port. Diddy partied alongside VIP friends Cassie, Kim Kardashian, Kanye West, Benecio Del Toro, Roc Nation's Rita Ora, and more.

Rick Ross also visited the festival for his second year. The Bawse clicked glasses with Diddy at the Chopard Mystere party, along with Cassie, before taking the stage of the VIP Room to perform his latest single, "So Sophisticated."

Top 5 tech you'll need to survive

Many an article has been written, many a TV series has been produced, and many a video game has been developed, all in an attempt to give you the tools and strategies you'll need to survive a zombie apocalypse.

Don't laugh: Zombies are serious business and you do not want to find yourself underprepared when a herd (A gaggle? A troop?) of undead start moaning and slow-walking their way toward you, your loved ones, and your stuff.

Of course, you're still a geek at heart. We understand. There's no need to throw out your love of alternative mobile operating systems, Linux, gadgets, and ridiculous memes just because the end times are upon you and the undead roam the Earth.

Assuming that you have access to an internet connection (and power) the following list of gadgets represent some of the must-have items you'll want to acquire (or loot from the corpses of the fallen) come zombie-time.

No.1 Panasonic Toughbook

Drop your laptop in normal times? No worries. One quick trip to the genius bar and - presto! - your computer's magically fixed.

When the internet fails use this to throw at incoming Zombies

Unfortunately, tech support won't be of much help when their brains are being eaten.

That's why it's going to be worth your while to get your hands on a laptop that's more equipped for stability than speed.

The great thing about Panasonic's line of Toughbook laptops isn't just that they're sturdy and can take a bit of a licking. Depending on the model, you may even be able to swing them as a makeshift weapon. Eat some operating system, zombie hordes.

No.2 Solar-powered alarm

If you aren't packing four of these at all times, you're doing something wrong.

Sure, you can try barricading yourself in your house - or a neighbor's house - when the zombie outbreak comes, but all the beeping security systems in the world aren't going to stop zombies from pouring through your windows or walls and devouring your loved ones.

Sleeping in during the Zombie Apocalypse is a bad idea

To out-survive the zombies, you must out-run the zombies. And when you start living off the wild - or fleeing to non-infested cities - you're going to want to set up a great perimeter when it's time to get some shut-eye.

A solar-powered alarm, 120-decibel alarm with a big, annoying light should do just the trick.

No.3 Iridium Extreme

Assuming that zombies hate cell phone towers, nothing quite says "call for help" like a souped-up satellite phone.

The Iridium Extreme is as its name implies: A killer device that's dust-proof and both shock- and water-resistant, as well as one that bundles GPS capabilities right into the handset itself.

Instead of telling your friends and loved ones that you're, "stranded by that tree in the woods," you can just send your (presumed) rescue party the coordinates and let them come directly to you.

It's best to turn off the ringer - for safety reasons

Don't forget to bundle your purchase (or provisioning) of an Iridium Extreme with a solar-charging accessory.

Assuming you're running for your life over the span of multiple days, you're going to want to have clear, unfettered access to a working phone.

That'll be tough to do when you're trying to kick zombies away from your wall-socket-based phone charger.

No. 4 Wicked Lasers' S3 Spyder III Arctic

Assuming, of course, that the zombies in our apocalypse scenario need their decaying eyes to see you in order to chase you, what better way to stop stray attackers in their tracks - without having to deal with angry zombies in biting or hitting range - than by burning out their peepers?

The 1,000-milliwatt S3 Spyder III Arctic laser will ruin somebody's day if you point it at their eyeballs, making it a perfect weapon to use against undead attackers and fellow, surviving humans trying to take your stuff.

Zombie Apocalypse or not, this is just cool

Additionally, this is a great little tool to use as a signal if you're trying to track down, alert, or otherwise notify other members of the human race.

The beam blasts out 0.25 lux of light for roughly four miles - a clarion call of hope if you're trying to round up your surviving friends at night.

No. 5 Zombies, Run!

Alright. We'll admit it. The odds of you having to actually square off against legions of Zombies are a bit low.

But just in case you want to practice your survival plan (and imaginary zombie-fighting skills) in person, the iPhone (and soon-to-be Android) app Zombies, Run! is a great way to combine a workout with your inner desire to be the next Bear Grylls.

Work on your cardio before the end times (photo credit:Geeky Gadgets)

Your mission, which you better choose to accept if you want to live, will have you navigating around your local environment to "pick up" various survival supplies.

It's one-half game, one-half workout, and all-parts important survival preparation. Not only will you be getting yourself used to the survival mindset, but you'll also get your body in nice shape for the eventual apocalypse - Zombies do prefer the taste of athletic humans, after all.

Apple quietly launches new mack pro

The new Apple product announcements didn't end with the WWDC keynote. The company has also rolled out a new Mac Pro desktop computer.

And you can see why Apple chose note to dedicate precious minutes during the lengthy, which included new MacBook Air models, MacBook Pro models and a Retina Display next generation MacBook Pro.

The new desktop titans remain mightily impressive, but it's only a minor spec bump. The basic model now features a 3.2GHz quad-core Xoen processor, 6GB RAM and a 1TB hard-drive.

Further up the scale, on the top then model that processor is upped to two 2.4GHz six-core processors, which comes with a whopping 12GB RAM and the same 1TB hard-drive.

If you want to go for the Mac Pro Server edition, you'll get s 3.2GHz quad-core Xeon chip with 8GB RAM and two 1TB hard-drives.

Slight spec bump

So what we have is a speed increase and very little else.

The new Mac Pro family will set you back £2,049, £3,099 and £2,449 respectively and they're available to buy now.
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Apple announces iOS 6 with over 200 features

By Daniel Bader on June 11, 2012 at 2:15pm in Mobile News

We knew it was coming, and Apple has made it official. iOS 6 is coming out later this year with a host of new features, including the aforementioned redesigned Maps app everyone wants to see.

There are now over 365 million iOS devices in the wild, and the vast majority of them are on iOS 5. The numbers are just staggering - 1.5 trillion push notifications have been sent, and there have been 150 billion iMessages sent from 140 million users.

Apple is touting a huge increase in customer satisfaction, too. The market has grown but customer satisfaction hasn't suffered as a result.

Siri has been updated with lots of new stats, including sports scores, and find restaurant reviews through OpenTable. You can even make reservations through the system.

Movie information has also been augmented to include Rotten Tomatoes ratings and movie times in your neighbourhood.

Siri can also open apps, very cool. She's also able to tweet directly from the prompt, no more hacking the system using a custom text message.

And Local Search for Siri will now be available in Canada!

Eyes Free is a service that Apple is developing in conjunction with top car manufacturers to integrate the system into their custom dashes. Will be very interesting to see how deep the rabbit hole goes with this one. Cars are a very lucrative business.

In addition to amping up Twitter integration (look at the new notification centre icons), Facebook is getting native support in iOS 6. You can tap to Post to Facebook, including pictures, likes, ratings etc. Facebook events such as Birthdays and parties will also be integrated directly into Notification Centre.

If you want to decline a call politely (if in a meeting or out for dinner) you can reply with a preset message or have Siri remind you to call that person back later.

Apple has also added a Do Not Disturb feature to iOS 6 (finally!) which will prevent the screen from lighting up or vibrating (without having to turn Sound off completely). You can schedule it for certain times (bedtime and waking in the morning) and, thankfully, you can allow repeated calls to come through in case of emergency.

Thank the heavens. With the likely release of an LTE iPhone later this year, Apple has pre-empted any complaints that FaceTime doesn't yet work over cellular connections. This will be added to existing devices, too, which is interesting. Wonder how well it will work on the iPhone 4S which can only do 5.76Mbps upload.

Phone numbers are also getting unified with your Apple ID, so you can receive FaceTime calls on your MacBook if it's coming through on your phone or iPad.

Mobile Safari is seeing some serious improvements in iOS 6. Not only can you upload to your favourite websites straight from the app (FINALLY!) but you can sync your iCloud tabs (a feature shared with OS X Mountain Lion) to continue your reading on the go.

Fullscreen support is also coming to Mobile Safari in landscape mode, which will go nicely with the 4-inch iPhone released later this year.

Apple has integrated Shared Photo Streams with friends (much like a private Facebook album) so you can share memories of trips and pool together your photos. This is a great idea.

VIPs are being added to the Mail app (Priority Inbox from Gmail, anyone?) to ensure you see the emails from the most important people in your life. This is great.

What's even greater is pull-to-refresh within the Mail app. Again, finally.

Plus, instead of having to add a photo or video before you begin the mail message, you can now include media in the middle of a composition. We're not sure exactly how it works just yet, but it's a great idea.

A new app called Passbook is a way to consolidate all your virtual passes and payment apps into one easy-to-access place. This is a great way to save your airline tickets, Starbucks payments or loyalty cards. The company is partnering with some big brands, though we're not sure which ones will be compatible in Canada.

Interestingly, Passbook alerts will be viewable right in Notification Center, so we're worried about excess noise, but we'll see.

New Accessibility features will be added to iOS 6, including the ability to disable multitasking for kids, and new guided access abilities.

And here we have the new Maps app, including crowdsourced traffic information, turn-by-turn navigation and Siri integration.

Yelp has been added for access to 100 million business listings, too, which will be nice when you're in a new city and don't know where to go.

You can make calls directly from the Maps app, and turn on Navigation directly. This mimics Android turn-by-turn navigation abilities pretty closely, though the 3D maps look amazing.

3D satellite maps will be available for both iPhone and iPad and the renders look incredible realistic. Just wow. Also looks like Canadian cities are supported.

The turn-by-turn navigation looks to be powered by TomTom, though there is no branding of any kind.

The Maps app looks to be a killer feature, and really takes some huge Android advantages away from Google. Turn-by-turn has until now been one major purchasing reason to go Android.

Looks like there are a few more major inclusions here, such as "Per account signatures in Mail," "Lost Mode" for the iPhone, new challenges in Game Centre and Redesigned Stores, whatever that means.

The beta is released today, but it won't be available for the original iPad. Looks like the rumours are true: the original iPad will not receive iOS 6.

iOS 6 is going to released "this fall," likely a day before the debut of the new iPhone, like iOS 5 was last year.

Developing... update for more.

Related posts:

Apple to bolster iOS location services with 'exciting new features', according to job posting

Apple announces iOS 4.1, available next week

Apple announces plans to initiate $2.65 dividend, $10 billion share repurchase program

Apple announces iTunes U app for iPad and iPhone

TOP SMART PHONES

TOP SMART PHONES	Apple iPhone 4S	Apple iPhone 4	Motorola Atrix	HTC Thunderbolt	Samsung Infuse 4G	T-Mobile G2x	T-Mobile myTouch 4G	Samsung Galaxy S	Samsung Nexus S 4G	HTC EVO 4G
Reviewer Comments
Lowest Price	$299.99	$199.00	$99.99	$249.99	$199.99	$149.99	$99.99	$99.99	$99.99

hollywood boxoffice news

(Reuters) - Following are the top 10 movies at North American box offices for the four-day Memorial Day holiday weekend starting May 25, led by "Men in Black 3" at No. 1, according to studio estimates compiled by Reuters.

1 (*) MIB 3 ...............................$70.0 million

2 (1) The Avengers ........................$46.9 million

3 (2) Battleship ..........................$13.8 million

4 (3) The Dictator ........................$11.8 million

5 (4) Dark Shadows .........................$9.4 million

6 (*) Chernobyl Diaries.....................$9.3 million

7 (5) What To Expect When You're Expecting..$8.9 million

8 (6) The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel........$8.3 million

9 (7) Hunger Games .........................$2.9 million

10 (3) Think Like a Man......................$1.8 million

NOTE: Last weekend's rankings in parenthesis.

(*) = new release



The Avengers ..............................$523.6 million

The Hunger Games ..........................$395.8 million

Think Like a Man ..........................$ 88.7 million

Men in Black 3 ............................$ 70.0 million

Dark Shadows...............................$ 64.8 million

Battleship ................................$ 47.3 million

The Dictator ..............................$ 43.6 million

What To Expect When You're Expecting.......$ 23.9 million

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.............$ 18.4 million

Chernobyl Diaries..........................$ 9.3 million

Walt Disney Co released "Avengers."

Comcast Corp's Universal Pictures distributed "Battleship."

"The Dictator" was released by Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc.

Sony Corp's film division released "MIB 3" and "Think Like a Man."

Lions Gate Entertainment Corp released "What to Expect When You're Expecting" and "The Hunger Games."

Time Warner Inc unit Warner Bros. distributed "Chernobyl Diaries" and "Dark Shadows."

"The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" was released by Fox Searchlight, a unit of News Corp.

(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Jackie Frank)

britney spears in xfactor

May 25, 2012 03:47 PM ET

by Natalie Abrams

Britney Spears

Let the Britney Spears drama begin...

The new X Factor judge reportedly walked off the set of the Fox reality singing competition after a contestant apparently butchered her song "Hold It Against Me," TMZ.com reports. Spears was then absent as four more hopefuls auditioned for the show.

The X Factor officially adds Britney Spears, Demi Lovato: "We delivered"

However, Spears was quick to shoot down rumors that she had walked off in a huff. "#Britneywalksoff??? LOL was just taking a little break people. I am having the BEST time!!!" she tweeted Thursday night.

About an hour before she sent that tweet, Spears wrote, "Texas has a lot of talent - seriously! Loving +***** auditions so far..."

Do you think Spears walked off set, or is it all just trumped-up drama?

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music

tubidy is the best search engines for videos and songs for mobile phone sodnt waste tyme just go

to yhe site atwww.tubidy.mobi

hollywood news

The Kardashian and Jenner families are making darn sure they're getting to the church on time, as the extended and close-knit showbiz clans have touched down in Hawaii for the wedding of one of their own.

E! News has learned that Kris Jenner, Bruce Jenner, Brody Jenner, Kylie and Kendall Jenner have all made their way to the island to join the nuptial festivities. So to which genetically blessed offspring are congratulations owed?

MORE: So True? So False? Are Kim and Kanye West Already Moving in Together?!

It's Brandon Jenner!

Brody's brother and Bruce's son is set to tie the knot tonight with singer Leah Felder in a beachfront ceremony on the island of Kauai.

Sadly, stepsisters Kim Kardashian, Khloé Kardashian Odom and Kourtney Kardashian won't be able to attend the ceremony as they all have work commitments keeping them in Los Angeles through the weekend. However, the rest of the family know better than to overstay their welcome, too, and are due to return to L.A. on Saturday after attending the ceremony.

MORE: Kim Kardashian: Check Out Her "Wet & Wild" Bikini Shots!

For her part, Khloé has already offered up congrats in absentia.

"I just wanted to send a HUGE congratulations and so much love to my brother Brandon and his fiance/soon-to-be wife Leah," she blogged this morning. "Wishing you both all the happiness in the world!...So jealous I can't be there!"

Fortunately for her, Brody seems to have picked up the mantle of official weekend photographer and is chronicling his trip so far on Twitter. It's never been quite so easy to keep up with the Kardashians Jenners.

PHOTOS: Summer Weddings We'd Like to See in 2012

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naija tales

Nigeria's Chocolate City rap star, Ice Prince, has been invited to join the line-up of artistes that will perform at the upcoming BBC Radio 1 Hackney Weekend taking place in London in June.

Ice Prince was announced recently by the organisers to join Jay-Z, Rihanna, Nas, Wretch 32, D'Banj and others that will grace the biggest ever free ticketed event, which runs from 23 June to 24 June in London. He will perform his smash hit single, Magician, a duet with international star, Gyptian.

"To be given the opportunity to perform on such a stage with some of my icons is exciting and a blessing. I feel very privileged and definitely looking forward to performing with Gyptian," Ice Prince said.

-Funsho Arogundade

Posted by pmnews 4 hours, 7 minutes ago on May 31, 2012, 3:03 pm. Filed under Entertainment, Music, Nigerian Music. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

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hollywood news

NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - Sylvester Stallone and Robert De Niro are in negotiations to star in "Grudge Match" for Warner Bros., according to an individual with knowledge of the situation.

The comedy is about two retired boxers who return to the ring for a final grudge match. While not yet green-lit, the movie is a "go" project at the studio expected to film early next year.

Peter Segal, whose credits include "Anger Management" and "Tommy Boy," will direct.

Warner Bros. and De Niro's representatives declined to comment on the report. Stallone's representatives said he is considering the role.

There have been a few writers on the project, with "Entourage" creator Doug Ellin scripting the latest draft.

Mark Steven Johnson is producing, as are Gerber Pictures' Bill Gerber and Carrie Gillogly. Johnson directed "Daredevil."

De Niro will have to fit this into a crowded schedule. He will appear in three more movies this year and has four more set for 2013 openings. Stallone will star in "The Expendables II," set for release later this year, and has a pair of projects on deck for 2013.

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music news

A first look at the new Air Yeezy II and how to find Weezy's Trukfit line

Lil Wayne and Kanye West are both out to prove just how dedicated they are to their sartorial pursuits this week. In addition to being involved in a potentially epic showdown between their labels' artists, Weezy and Yeezy both made grand announcements - about sports apparel.

Weezy's Trukfit line was announced in December, and the first photos surfaced a month later. Since then, Trukfit hats, skateboards, and tees have been available only at skate shop Zumies; now, HipHopWired reports that the line will get expanded (read: relatively affordable) distribution at Macy's starting tomorrow.

As for the Air Yeezy II, it's (obviously) the second pair of Nikes 'Ye has designed for the company. We learned in January (when he went on another Twitter binge) that the brand will "allow" him "to design 1 pair of sneakers every 2 years." As Buzzfeed is quick to note, these babies are far more reptilian than the original Air Yeezy. Quoth Nike:

"An obsessive approach to materials results in a luxurious mix of leather, rugged ballistic nylon, and soft nubuck. Concealed but opulent details reference ancient civilizations, including a loop strap with hieroglyphics that spell out 'YZY.' Each screw on lace aglet is obelisk shaped, and the anaconda texture is echoed on the eyelets and leather lace toggle that carries the Roman numeral 'II.'"

You hear that? Anaconda! Obelisk! 'Ye's feet raptors shoes will be available a little over a week after Weezy's line, on June 9. Unlike Trukfit, however, there's no listed price point yet, which, combined with the fact that they will only be available "at select global retailers in limited numbers," indicates fans should prepare themselves for some good old-fashioned celebrity line sticker shock. After all, Kanye West is very high-brow.

PREVIOUSLazy Eyes: The Newest Fashion Trend Among 'Emo' Teens

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hollywood news

What Does 'Nude' Smell Like?

Last week we heard all about the FiFi Fragrance Awards and today we have an update on a new perfume hitting the market, from Rihanna. Ri-Ri has posed for a photo shoot for her new fragrance called Nude, and yes, given the name of the perfume, she is naked. Nude will be Rihanna's third fragrance. She released Reb'l Fleur in spring 2011 and Rebelle in December. The singer's friend Melissa Forde posted the sexy pics on Instagram with the caption, "#Nude Behind the scenes for new fragrance photo shoot." In the photos, Rihanna poses topless and sports a blond wig for several seductive photos. Check 'em out.. do they make you want to buy Nude and wear it on your wrists?

What do y'all think? To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure how these pics symbolize the sweet smell of nudity. Yes, there is certainly an attempt to sell sex, but I'm not sure they make me think of a beautiful smell. Hmm..... To be perfectly honest, blond Rihanna is not my favorite, and neither are these photos, but I guess if the perfume is called Nude you kinda have to represent that in a nude photoshoot?

As I said last week, the concept of celebs selling fragrances has always been odd to me, but I do know that they are often highly successful, and another way for celebs to brand themselves. I've never used one of Rihanna's perfumes, but I'm guessing that this latest one is all about the smell of freshness, being au natural? What do you think though? Are these ads a good way to sell Nude th

hollywood news

The new film version of the Grimm fairy tale, Snow White and the Huntsman starring Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron and Chris Hemsworth, is ready to knock Men in Black III out of the No. 1 spot at the box office worldwide this coming weekend.

In North America, Snow White is expected to collect an estimated $42 million this weekend, predicts BoxOffice.com. While Men In Black III is on track to slip to second place and dip to $27.5 million. Fandango, the US online movie retailer reports Snow White leads daily sales with 44 percent and MIB3 holds 23 percent in its second week.

The fantasy action picture also opens worldwide May 30 - June 1 in more than 50 markets, including the UK, Brazil, Mexico, and across Asia from Korea to Singapore. It may not make the $132 million MIB3 collected last weekend but may come close.

Snow White has wide appeal to female and male moviegoers, with adventure fans of Thor and The Avengers checking Hemsworth in action and Twihards watching Stewart's Snow White vs. Theron's evil Queen. Good for date nights but probably too dark for younger audiences, so kid-friendly, sci-fi comedy MIB3 could still fare better with families.

But Snow White and the Huntsman may not be the fairest after all as it faces a formidable foe with Ridley Scott's Prometheus, also opening this week in about 20 European markets, including France, Russia, and the UK. The sci-fi horror adventure could melt Snow White and Men In Black.

In London, for instance, Prometheus, starring Charlize Theron, Michael Fassbender and Noomi Rapace, has broken IMAX theater records for pre-sales this week. As of Wednesday, 30,000 tickets sold for £470,977, bigger than Avatar or Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.

With the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship (Euro 2012) kicking off June 8, the film studios want to sell tickets to moviegoers now.

The much-anticipated spin-off of Scott's Alien releases next week in North America, set to pull in a hefty $57 million.

Snow White trailer: Snow White and the Huntsman Official Movie Trailer 2 [HD] 2012

Prometheus international trailer: Prometheus International Launch Trailer

http://www.snowwhiteandthehuntsman.com

http://www.prometheus-movie.co.uk

true Cash Money form, fans can expect Jay Sean's upcoming album to be chock-full of collaborations -- including one with labelmate Tyga, titled "Sex 101."

"I'll let you decide what that's about," Sean jokes during a recent visit to The Hollywood Reporter's L.A. office.

A new video for the song is expected to be released any day now, hot on the heels of Sean's first official single off his upcoming release, "I'm All Yours," featuring Pitbull.

VIDEO: Jay Sean Teams With Serendipity Films for 'Soiree Extraordinaire' Charity Gala

"The video is amazing," Sean says of "Sex 101." "A bit more of an R&B look... whereas ["I'm All Yours"] is more like the Jay Sean that America really knows me for."

Both songs are featured on his fourth studio release via Cash Money Records, Worth It All, slated for a fall debut. As a songwriter on each and every track on the album, Sean tells THR that he has poured his "heart and soul" into every note.

"You've got some introspective songs on there, you've got some beautiful songs that might make you cry, you've got some songs that are gonna make you want to dance and have fun and turn up the volume and forget about your worries," he says. "You've got some songs on there that are gonna make you want to [make] babies. It's love, sex, lust, emotional-like, pain -- it's a lot of everything in this album."

"It's got that thread of continuity there," he adds. "I believe an album is a body of work. It literally paints a picture as to who you are as a person. That's how you buy into someone as an artist."

For more from THR's chat with Sean, watch the video above. To listen to the first single off the album, watch below.

hollwood news

G.I. JOE DELAY:Last week Paramount Pictures announced that it was delaying the release of G.I. Joe: Retaliation. The action sequel was shifted from its June 29, 2012 launch to March 29, 2013 because the studio wanted to 'spend extra time converting the film into 3D'. The reason given for the 3D conversion was that the lucrative ticket price could maximise foreign box office revenue and make the film more profitable.

It seemed odd that a studio would pull such a big film just five weeks before it was set to open, and then wait another nine months before it hit screens. Well, not surprisingly the 3D conversion isn't the real reason forG.I. Joe: Retaliation's delay. Not by a long shot. Scroll down for the real story.



Deadline is reporting thatG.I. Joe: Retaliation received scores in test screenings that ranged from "mediocre to bad", and that the one shinning light for the film was the relationship between Channing Tatum and Dwayne Johnson. There was just one tiny problem: Tatum's character was killed off in the opening minutes of the film. The decision was made to delay the release, arrange a week of reshoots expanding Tatum's role, and then convert the film into 3D.

Apparently, Paramount didn't see Channing Tatum as a viable star for the sequel to their 2009 film - hence the reason that Retaliation is toplined by Dwayne Johnson and Bruce Willis. However, Tatum is now a box office draw following the one-two hit combo of The Vow and 21 Jump Street. That Tatum's role in Retaliation will be expanded must be good news for his fans and his agent, who must have been able to negotiate a steep fee for the actor's return.

This line of reasoning still equates the release delay to the cash-grab attempt so many fans saw it as. Hasbro (the toy company that owns G.I. Joe) already suffered the U.S. box office failure of Battleship, and G.I. Joe 2 would've been quickly overshadowed by The Amazing Spider-Man (which comes out a week after G.I. Joe 2's original release date). With this delay, the studio and toy company are clearly doing everything they can to secure some kind of profits from this venture.

Deadline writes that G.I. Joe: Retaliation's director Jon M. Chu was 'shellshocked' by the news of the release date move (and presumably the reshoots), so it looks like he wasn't part of the decision making process to change the film at this late stage. Paramount states the added cost of the new work to Joe will be $5 million, and that the budget of the film 'should stay under $130 million'. This is something of a naive figure, when you take into account how much it must have cost to regroup the production for a week's filming - and that a decent 3D conversion costs around $10-15 million. On top of this you have the added expense of creating a new marketing campaign for the film, and figuring out what needs to be done with the merchandise for a film that was scheduled to hit screens in the coming weeks.

This trouble for G.I. Joe: Retaliation has a similar parallel to the rumors in 2009 that stated G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra director Stephen Sommers was fired from post-production by Paramount after test screenings for that film resulted in the lowest scores in the studio's history. Those rumors were shot down (but weren't completely eradicated, given the film's lukewarm reception); however, things look a lot worse for G.I. Joe: Retaliation.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation will be released on March 29th, 2013. Hopefully.

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pc world

WINDOWS 8 scoop:Microsoft Corp. on Thursday rolled out a near-complete version of its new operating system Windows 8 for consumers to try out, another key step in the company's effort to reboot its flagship software for a computing era dominated by mobile gadgets such as Apple Inc.'s iPhone.

Microsoft in recent months has launched early test editions of Windows 8 for software developers and for consumers, but the introduction of the so-called Release Preview Thursday is a sign the Redmond, Wash., company has locked in the form and features of its software. That's a crucial step for the company and for the slew of PC makers and independent software developers in Microsoft's orbit.

"We're thrilled to be at this milestone with the Windows 8 Release Preview," said Steven Sinofsky, president of Microsoft's Windows division.

Analysts say the timing of the release preview indicates the broad launch of Windows 8 should be in September or October. The release preview can be downloaded on Microsoft's site.

With Microsoft now nearly finished with its next-generation operating system, attention will turn to Microsoft's hardware partners such as Dell Inc., Lenovo and Hewlett-Packard Co. to prepare new PCs that show off the Microsoft software. At next week's Computex trade show in Taiwan, many PC makers for the first time will be showing off touch-screen laptops and other new devices slated for the launch of Microsoft's new operating system.

Windows 8 is the most dramatic overhaul of Windows in at least 15 years. It is the first time Windows-which powers nearly all personal computers in the world-has been designed to work on desktop computers as well as laptops or tablet devices that people will control with their fingers. Microsoft is counting on Windows 8 to help the company stay relevant as more computing tasks are done on mobile phones, tablets and other devices in which Microsoft technologies have scant market share.

In look and feel, computers and tablets powered by Windows 8 will be familiar to users of many smartphones or tablets such as the iPad. The Windows 8 "Start" screen groups together icons representing major computing functions such as email, photos, music and Web browsing, all displayed in colorful "tiles" of information. Microsoft also has designed the "tiles" to show streaming bits of information. The weather app, for example, can be customized to show today's forecast for Chicago without even clicking to open the app.

The look, which Microsoft calls the "Metro" interface, started with Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system and has spread to its Xbox videogame console and smartphone software. As Apple has done with its iPhone, iPad and Mac computers, Microsoft with Windows 8 is aiming to give users a similar look-and-feel for the phones, tablets and PCs powered by Microsoft software.

For Windows 8, Microsoft also has revamped its Internet Explorer Web browser, Web-based file storage, email, music streaming and other pieces of software to take full advantage of touch-screen devices. (For traditionalists, Windows 8 also can be operated in a familiar Windows desktop style.)

New in the Release Preview, Microsoft also has taken the covers off new applications for news, music, sports and travel that Microsoft has developed itself to take advantage of the new characteristics of Windows 8. In the sports app, for example, fans of the Sacramento Kings basketball team can see scores, player information, standings and news about their favorite team pulled together in a single place and highlighted with colorful photos. Many outside companies, including Amazon.com Inc.'s Kindle, Gannett's USA Today newspaper and note-taking software Evernote also are working on apps optimized for Windows 8.

The Release Preview was marred by a glitch. Microsoft published a day early a blog post touting the Release Preview, but the post was quickly taken down. The online publication The Next Web caught the Microsoft leak before it was scrubbed off the Web.

Separately, Microsoft also announced an option for people to upgrade computers powered by Microsoft's current operating system, Windows 7. For people who buy Windows 7 PCs through the end of January, an upgrade to a version of Windows 8 will be available at an estimated retail price of $14.99, Microsoft said.

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