Report: Affleck admits Joaquin Phoenix doc a fake (AP)

NEW YORK � Casey Affleck is admitting to what many critics suspected all along: His documentary about Joaquin Phoenix was a fake.

The film, "I'm Still Here," followed Phoenix as he announced he was retiring from acting and launching a rap career.

The "Walk the Line" star grew doughy and disheveled, and he famously made an awkward appearance on David Letterman's show.

Affleck, who's Phoenix's brother-in-law and the film's director, now tells The New York Times that the whole thing was an act, calling it "the performance of his career." Affleck says he even faked home movies of Phoenix as a child.

But he insists he never meant to trick anyone, and rather was dabbling in "gonzo filmmaking."

Some critics called it a fascinating look at celebrity. Others assumed it was all staged.

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"Borat" star to play Freddie Mercury in movie

LOS ANGELES | Thu Sep 16, 2010 10:42pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Ready, Freddie, Go.

"Borat" star Sacha Baron Cohen is set to play flamboyant rocker Freddie Mercury in a dramatic feature focusing on his glory days as the frontman of Queen, its producers said on Thursday.

The untitled film is being written by Peter Morgan, the British scribe behind "The Queen" and "The Last King of Scotland." No director is attached yet.

Shooting will begin next year, said producer Graham King, whose GK Films is partnering on the project with Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal's Tribeca Productions, and Queen manager Jim Beach.

The project has the cooperation of Mercury's estate and the three surviving members of Queen, a spokeswoman for GK Films said. Guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor will oversee the musical content of the film, which will feature both original Queen music and Mercury solo music. (Bassist John Deacon has retired from the music industry.)

The film will focus on a period of a few years leading up to what was arguably Queen's greatest moment: its performance at the Live Aid charity concert in 1985, when the band mesmerized London's Wembley Stadium and a worldwide TV audience with such hits as "We Will Rock You" and "Radio Ga Ga."

The band continued touring and recording even as Mercury's health deteriorated. A day after finally admitting he had AIDS, Mercury succumbed to the disease in 1991, at age 45.

Born Farrokh Bulsara in Zanzibar and educated in India, Mercury co-founded Queen in 1971 with May, Taylor and Deacon. The mustachioed and buff Mercury was never shy about his camp sensibilities even as the band drew part of its musical inspiration from the progressive and hard rock genres.

Queen hit the big time in 1975 with its fourth album, "A Night at the Opera," which included the Mercury-composed anthem "Bohemian Rhapsody." Mercury also wrote such Queen hits as "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and "We are the Champions."

Off stage, Mercury lived a very private life, rarely consenting to interviews and never discussing his homosexuality.

Baron Cohen rose to fame in his envelope-pushing roles as a bumbling Kazakhstan reporter in "Borat" and as a fashionista in "Bruno."

(Reporting by Dean Goodman; editing by Todd Eastham)

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Jury finds LA actor guilty of attempted murder (AP)

VISTA, Calif. � An actor who appeared in the film "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" was convicted Thursday of the attempted premeditated murder of his ex-girlfriend in a knife attack.

San Diego County jurors also found Shelley Malil guilty of assault with a deadly weapon for stabbing Kendra Beebe more than 20 times during a quarrel at her San Marcos home in 2008. He was acquitted of residential burglary.

Beebe, 37, sobbed and hugged her best childhood friend, who stood beside her at Vista Superior Court when the verdict was read.

"I feel a sense of relief, but I have to be honest there is never a win in a situation like this," Beebe said. "I was afraid because he was an actor that the people might believe his bad theatrics. I am pleased to see the justice system did its job properly."

She said her body is covered in scars but she has been able to return to her favorite sport, surfing.

Malil � who played Haziz, a co-worker of Steve Carell's character in "The 40-Year-Old Virgin � faces 16 years to life in prison. He faced 21 years before being acquitted of residential burglary for entering the woman's home.

Defense attorney Matthew Roberts told jurors in his closing arguments there was no doubt Malil went too far when he picked up the kitchen knife after finding Beebe on her patio with another man, but that Malil never intended to kill Beebe.

He said the two had a tumultuous relationship and described her as a violent drama queen who manipulated men and tried to make them jealous.

Deputy District Attorney Keith Watanabe countered that Malil, 45, brought the knife to the home and did not grab it in the heat of the moment. He showed jurors photographs of deep wounds on the victim's face, neck and torso and told them they did not have to determine a motive.

Watanabe said Beebe was lucky to be alive and accused the defense of trying to taint the image of Beebe so the jury would acquit the actor.

"We had a smart, intelligent jury, and they reached the right verdict," Watanabe told The Associated Press after the verdict. "There was a mountain of evidence that he was guilty. He certainly won't be winning an Oscar for his performance in the courtroom. The jury did not believe his story."

The defense attorney left the courtroom without comment. Police escorted Malil to the San Diego County jail, where he will remain held without bond until his Nov. 18 sentencing.

The judge excused one juror after she sent him a note stating that she could not be impartial. The note read: "I believe in karma and believe that the victim deserved this because of her immoral lifestyle."

After the alternate was seated and the deliberations started over Thursday afternoon, the jury reached the verdict in 3 1/2 hours.

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Anna Nicole judge sees flaws in prosecution case (AP)

LOS ANGELES � The judge overseeing the drug conspiracy trial of Anna Nicole Smith's two doctors and lawyer-boyfriend said Thursday he believes part of the prosecution's case conflicts with state law and could be targeted in a dismissal motion.

Superior Court Judge Robert Perry said outside the presence of jurors that he had been researching the statutes used to charge the defendants with illegally prescribing prescription drugs to an addict and other crimes.

He said a statement included in the law demonstrated that state legislators did not want doctors to be prosecuted for trying to treat patients with legitimate pain issues.

"The more I read, the more difficult it is for me to perceive this as an area for prosecution," Perry said.

He said the lawmakers' statement should be presented for consideration by jurors during deliberations.

He also told attorneys he expects to hear a motion to dismiss at least some of the charges after prosecutors conclude their case, which may occur next week.

The judge has repeatedly criticized the government's case, saying he did not think the evidence supported the conspiracy charges. In addition, he struck testimony by one of Smith's former nannies because he said he didn't find it credible.

"I would hope that a prosecutor would be intent on finding the truth, not just a conviction," Perry told prosecutor Renee Rose Thursday. She was not given an opportunity to respond.

Judges can dismiss charges they don't think have been proven after prosecutors complete their case.

Howard Stern and Drs. Khristine Eroshevich and Sandeep Kapoor have pleaded not guilty in the case. They are not charged with causing Smith's overdose death in 2007.

The judge's comments came moments after pain management expert Dr. Perry Gordon Fine testified for the defense that state legislatures around the country had been wrestling with how to balance legitimate pain prescriptions against excessive ones.

Fine said he thought Smith suffered from chronic pain and was not an addict.

Kapoor treated Smith's pain with Dilaudid and other drugs in a similar fashion to her previous physician, said Fine, whose testimony will resume on Friday.

He was the first defense witness and was called out of order because of a scheduling issue.

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"American Idol" new judges to be unveiled Wednesday

By Jill Serjeant

LOS ANGELES | Thu Sep 16, 2010 8:29pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "American Idol" will unveil its new judging panel next Wednesday, ending months of speculation following the departure of old hands Simon Cowell, Ellen DeGeneres and Kara DioGuardi, Fox said on Thursday.

The network said it would announce the lineup at the Los Angeles Forum, an arena where auditions will be held ahead of the show's Season 10 premiere in January.

Singer and actress Jennifer Lopez and Aerosmith rocker Steven Tyler are reported to have signed up for the panel in a major overhaul aimed at reversing a four-year slide in viewership.

Lopez, 41, star of movies "The Backup Plan" and "The Wedding Planner," was widely reported earlier this week to have signed a $12 million contract with "Idol".

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Tyler, 62, would add some serious cachet to the singing contest, which launched the Grammy-winning careers of Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Jennifer Hudson.

Record producer Randy Jackson is expected to keep the seat he has held since the show debuted in 2001.

"American Idol" has generated huge advertising revenues for Fox and boosted record sales and digital downloads. While it remaining the most-watched TV show in the United States last season, about six million viewers have deserted the program since 2006.

Abrasive British judge Cowell -- one of the biggest celebrities on American TV -- quit in May to launch his own TV talent show on Fox in the fall of 2011. Talk show host DeGeneres left in July after just one year on the panel, and songwriter DioGuardi quit two weeks ago after two years.

In the past two months, "American Idol" creator Simon Fuller has dumped Sony Music for Universal Music, the world's biggest music label, as the home for future "Idol" stars.

British TV producer Nigel Lythgoe returned to the show he helped to create with Fuller, and top Universal Music executive Jimmy Iovine will be a creative consultant.

"American Idol" is produced by 19 Entertainment, a unit of CKX Inc and FremantleMedia, a unit of Bertelsmann AG-controlled broadcaster RTL Group. Fox is a unit of News Corp.

(Editing by Dean Goodman)

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Jury finds actor guilty of attempted murder (AP)

VISTA, Calif. � An actor who appeared in the film "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" was convicted Thursday of the attempted premeditated murder of his ex-girlfriend in a knife attack.

San Diego County jurors also found Shelley Malil guilty of assault with a deadly weapon. He was acquitted of residential burglary.

The panel began deliberations Wednesday in Vista Superior Court after a three-week trial.

Malil � who played Haziz, a co-worker of Steve Carell's character in "The 40-Year-Old Virgin � could faces 21 years to life in prison for the 2008 stabbing of Kendra Beebe.

The mother of two was stabbed more than 20 times by Malil during a violent quarrel at her San Marcos home.

Defense attorney Matthew Roberts told jurors in his closing arguments there was no doubt Malil went too far when he picked up the kitchen knife after finding Beebe on her patio with another man, but Malil never intended to kill Beebe.

Deputy District Attorney Keith Watanabe countered that Malil, 45, brought the knife to the home and did not grab it in the heat of the moment.

Watanabe showed jurors photographs of deep wounds on the victim's face, neck and torso and told them they did not have to determine a motive.

Watanabe accused the defense of trying to taint the image of Beebe so the jury would acquit the actor.

Beebe was lucky to be alive, Watanabe said.

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Director confesses to Joaquin Phoenix hoax

Thu Sep 16, 2010 8:38pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Director Casey Affleck told the New York Times Thursday that the strange behavior of Joaquin Phoenix is a put-on, staged for the documentary on which they collaborated, "I'm Still Here," and for the actor's infamous 2009 appearance on "Late Show with David Letterman."

"It's a terrific performance, the performance of his career," Affleck told The Times. Letterman, Affleck said, was not aware that Phoenix was faking instability while on the air for an uncomfortable interview segment.

The actor is scheduled to return to Letterman next week. Earlier this month, Affleck was singing a different tune, telling reporters at the Venice International Film Festival, "I can tell you that there is no hoax."

Affleck also says that Phoenix's agent, Patrick Whitesell at William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, was in on the joke. But as The Hollywood Reporter has reported, the aberrant behavior hasn't hurt Phoenix's career; he's weighing his next film roles. There had been rumblings for quite some time that Phoenix was faking his sudden career detour from respected actor to unstable, aspiring hip-hop artist.

Affleck explained that the ruse was necessary to frame the documentary's focus, "the disintegration of celebrity, without the clutter of preconceived notions."

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Actors turned movie directors seek success in Toronto

By Ka Yan Ng

TORONTO | Thu Sep 16, 2010 6:02pm EDT

TORONTO (Reuters) - They may already have a bunch of trophies at home, but a generation of actors turned directors are seeking success behind the camera at this year's Toronto International Film Festival.

At least six actors, including Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman, have showed off their directing skills here, hoping for the kind of acclaim enjoyed by the likes of Clint Eastwood, Woody Allen, and Robert Redford.

Some, like Casey Affleck and "Capote" star Seymour Hoffman, were first-time directors, while seasoned filmmakers Ben Affleck and Emilio Estevez came to Toronto with second or third efforts that also showcased their acting talents.

The Toronto festival has nourished a reputation for solid test audiences and a launching pad for Academy Award hopefuls.

"I think you've got a generation of actors who have seen some of their peers go behind the camera, become directors and establish quite substantial and respected careers," said Cameron Bailey, co-director of the Toronto festival

"I think if you're on sets all the time and you're seeing how films are made, it's probably pretty natural to want to make at least one film and if that does well you may want to make more."

Estevez, whose 2006 movie "Bobby" won a Golden Globe nomination, presented "The Way", in which he also appears with his actor father, Martin Sheen.

"With actors directing, they have the language and they have the dialogue," Estevez said. "So many directors I've worked with don't know how to talk to the actors, they're terrified of them."

Ben Affleck, who won an Oscar for his "Good Will Hunting" screenplay with Matt Damon in 1998, said there was room for both acting and directing in his career.

Affleck brought his well-received heist movie "The Town" to Toronto after a showing at the Venice Film Festival

"I don't feel that they're separate (careers). I feel that they're compatible. With a little luck, I'll get to keep doing both," Affleck told reporters.

John Turturro presented "Passione", Seymour Hoffman cast himself in his debut romantic comedy "Jack Goes Boating", and former "Friends" star David Schwimmer promoted his second feature film, the dark drama "Trust".

Schwimmer, who won a Screen Actors Guild award for his work on "Friends", said he loved the collaborative nature of directing. "I find it a really challenging and intellectual process. Acting and being a hired gun...it's a very lonely and isolated experience," Schwimmer told Reuters.

One of the most talked about directorial debuts in Venice and Toronto has come from Casey Affleck, 35, with his documentary "I'm Still Here" about actor Joaquin Phoenix's shambolic attempts to become a hip hop star.

Affleck was Oscar-nominated for his turn in the 2007 movie "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford". But although it's still unclear whether "I'm Still Here" is an elaborate hoax, the younger brother of Ben Affleck has won critical praise for his directing skills.

(Additional reporting by Cameron French and Solarina Ho; Editing by Jill Serjeant)

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Fox: `American Idol' panel set for season 10 (AP)

LOS ANGELES � Fox says the new "American Idol" panel of judges is set � but the network is keeping mum on who has been picked until next week.

The network said Thursday that the panel for season 10 has been confirmed and will be announced in Inglewood, Calif., next Wednesday. Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez are the front-runners.

The incoming judges will fill at least some of the seats vacated by Simon Cowell, Ellen DeGeneres and Kara DioGuardi and likely join original judge Randy Jackson.

Fox is making the announcement during the last of the national contestant auditions for next season, which starts in January. The tryouts are being held near Los Angeles at the Forum, former home to the L.A. Lakers.

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Paul McCartney to reissue Wings album "Band on the Run"

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`Always Sunny' back with baby daddy mystery on FX (AP)

LOS ANGELES � Kaitlin Olson was glad when her real-life pregnancy became part of the story last season on "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" so she could stop hiding it. But she's keeping the secret of her character's baby daddy.

"I can't tell you. People are trying to get it out of me," Olson said.

Fans of the FX sitcom will have to wait to discover who got her character, Dee, pregnant as the sixth season starts Thursday at 10 p.m. EDT.

Off-screen, Olson is playing mom to Axel Lee McElhenney, born Sept. 1 to her and husband Rob McElhenney, who created and also stars on "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia."

The acidic comedy about four friends who run an Irish pub in Philadelphia also stars Charlie Day and Glenn Howerton, who are executive producers along with McElhenney, and Danny DeVito.

Axel is showing his comedy pedigree, Olson said: "He's hilarious already. He's making all kinds of jokes on the inside."

That doesn't mean he's ready for his close-up, according to his dad.

"Axel will make his debut in show business the day he graduates from college and he can make his own decisions," McElhenney told a teleconference. "Up to that, the boy will not be anywhere near, in front of or behind a camera. The only time he'll be behind a camera is when he's with me."

That said, the baby already can claim a credit of sorts.

"As soon as he's old enough, he can watch the season I was carrying him around," Olson said.

___

Online:

http://www.fxnetworks.com

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Kid Rock says he didn't fight until provoked (AP)

DECATUR, Ga. � Musician Kid Rock testified Thursday that he exchanged some tough words with another customer before a 2007 fight at a Waffle House restaurant but didn't start fighting until provoked. The other man, however, told the court he doesn't know what set off the musician and his friends.

"I gave it to him verbally, I said, 'Shut your mouth, man,'" the singer testified in DeKalb County court, adding that while members of his entourage hit Harlen Akins, the musician never landed a punch.

The musician, whose real name is Robert James Ritchie, testified that Akins insulted a woman in Kid Rock's party and asked the entertainer about his ex-wife, former "Baywatch" star Pamela Anderson.

Akins said he was asking the musician's friend Davina Barnes, whom Akins had known for years, to stop calling and texting him about a disagreement they'd had. But he denied insulting her or asking about Anderson and testified that, to this day, he doesn't know why Kid Rock and his friends turned hostile.

"I still don't even know what did I say to him to start this jumping on me," Akins testified, adding he was scared for his life during the fight.

Both men acknowledged that they'd been drinking. Kid Rock said he'd had more than a six pack of beer after a concert in Atlanta before arriving at the restaurant and was celebrating the fact that his latest album had just hit No. 1 on the charts. Akins said he'd smoked marijuana and had two or three shots of cognac at a club.

Akins, an event promoter and caterer, filed suit against Kid Rock and five members of the musician's entourage over the early-morning fight. He is seeking about $6,000 in medical fees and unspecified damages.

Kid Rock pleaded guilty in March 2008 to a misdemeanor charge of simple battery in the case.

The musician testified that he believes Akins was trying to cash in on the fact that he's a big star with a lot of money.

"I feel like I'm a big number in the lawsuit lottery," he said.

As the exchange got more heated, Kid Rock testified, Akins said, "I wish you'd do something to me. I'd get paid."

The physical fight began when Kid Rock's guitarist, Brian Krause, lunged at Akins and hit him when he reached for something on the table of his booth. Krause testified Wednesday that he thought Akins was reaching for his knife.

Akins testified he was reaching for a cell phone to call police.

After a brief scuffle inside, Kid Rock's friends forced Akins out of the restaurant and held the door shut. Akins banged on the window until it shattered. He said he was trying to get someone inside to bring him his cell phones and keys, which were on his table.

"When the window smashes, now I'm freaked out. I'm scared. I'm like, this guy's nuts," Kid Rock testified.

Multiple members of Kid Rock's group testified that they heard Akins say he was going to call his friends to come shoot the place up. Akins denied that.

The musician said he and his friends then went out to get on their tour bus. Akins said they came out and kept beating him before leaving on the bus. The bus was pulled over by police a short distance away.

Kid Rock testified that he and his friends were acting in self-defense and only used as much force as was necessary.

"If you look at me, Bossy, Jason and Bear," he said referring to members of his entourage who are relatively big men, "if we wanted to hurt this man, we could have hurt him very, very bad."

Several doctors testified Wednesday that Akins had injuries that were consistent with having been in a fight. A firefighter who drove him to the hospital testified Tuesday that he didn't note anything about Akins being bloody in his report and found no signs of internal bleeding.

Eric Hertz, one of Akins' lawyers, brought up other fights Kid Rock has been involved in: punching a DJ at a Nashville strip club and punching rocker Tommy Lee, another Anderson ex, at an awards show.

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Estevez and Sheen find "The Way" after failed project

By Cameron French

TORONTO | Thu Sep 16, 2010 2:50pm EDT

TORONTO (Reuters) - Losing funding for a film is any director's nightmare, but the collapse of Emilio Estevez's planned follow-up to his 2006 movie "Bobby" now seems like divine providence to the director.

Becoming a victim of an industry-wide funding crisis freed up Estevez to shoot "The Way", a personal look at a man's spiritual rebirth filmed on a shoestring budget and starring his father, Martin Sheen.

"It was a blessing," the Catholic-raised Estevez told Reuters on the sidelines of the Toronto International Film Festival, where the film premiered this week.

The idea of religious destiny is a thematic fit with the film, which tracks a man's journey along Spain's Camino de Santiago de Compostela -- also known as The Way of St. James -- a 780 km (485 mile) pilgrimage route through northern Spain walked by thousands each year.

"As the financing was falling apart and as I was starting to embrace that, (Sheen) said 'let's go to Spain and make a movie on the Camino'," Estevez said.

"It wasn't something I was jumping at to do... But over time, we sort of figured out what the story would be."

Sheen plays Tom, a lapsed Catholic who makes the journey after his semi-estranged son, played by Estevez in flashbacks, perishes on the trail.

For Sheen, best known for playing President Josiah Bartlet from TV's "The West Wing", walking the Camino had been a lifelong dream, in part because the trail ends in Galicia, the northwest corner of Spain where Sheen's father emigrated from.

Sheen's birth name is Ramon Estevez and the clan also includes "Two and a Half Men" actor Charlie Sheen.

"I was thinking of a story with two old men and a boy who falls in love on the Camino," said Sheen, whose attendance at the film's premiere was delayed because he joined a picket line of striking workers at the Toronto hotel where he was staying.

Estevez, however, favored a story focusing on a father and son.

"I thought the themes we could tackle in this were bigger," Estevez said. "Life and death, fathers and sons, community and faith... and the road being a metaphor for life."

INSECURE

Estevez has tasted critical and commercial success as both an actor in films like "Young Guns" and "The Breakfast Club", and as a director -- "Bobby", about the assassination of Robert Kennedy, was nominated for two Golden Globes.

But he admitted to some insecurity in putting such a personal film in front of an audience.

"You make a film and you don't know who it's going to appeal to," he said.

As well, his latest effort comes in economic climate much different than when he released "Bobby" in 2006. "The Way" has yet to land a distribution deal.

"I had a horrible dream that everyone left the screening," Estevez said. "There wasn't anybody but a couple of people for the question and answer, and I woke up drenched in sweat."

Happily for both Estevez and Sheen, the actual premiere followed a different script, with a long standing ovation from the crowd at the packed thousand-seat theater in Toronto.

And seats remained full for the Q&A despite a fire alarm that rang through the final 10 minutes of the film.

(Editing by Jill Serjeant)

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Box Office Preview: 'Easy A' should have it easy (AP)

LOS ANGELES � Sony's debuting "Easy A" is likely to get an easy A � and around $30 million � from movie audiences this weekend as tweens, teens and John Hughes fans everywhere celebrate this innovative riff on the classic Nathaniel Hawthorne tale "The Scarlet Letter."

With clear affection for the classic Hughes comedies, director Will Gluck and screenwriter Bert V. Royal deliver edgy dialogue ripped straight from the "Juno" playbook, along with an offbeat visual style and an endearing performance by Emma Stone � all sure to make 'Easy A' a must assignment for the high school crowd.

There's certainly a bunch of evil going on in theaters of late. First we had "The Last Exorcism," then we got "Resident Evil" and now we have "Devil" arriving from Universal Pictures. Advertised as coming from the mind of M. Night Shyamalan, this film may do for the elevator what "Jaws" did for the beach. Boasting a terrifically creepy ad campaign, "Devil" will likely scare up grosses around $20 million while simultaneously increasing the use of stairwells everywhere.

Warner Bros.' new bank-heist thriller "The Town," with Ben Affleck as director and co-star, has Oscar written all over it and should appeal to sophisticated audiences looking for a high-quality drama that doesn't skimp on the action. It could bag as much as $18 million, and long-term prospects look solid with strong word-of-mouth likely to propel the film well into the fall movie season.

Milla Jovovich, who so effectively packed theaters last weekend in Sony's "Resident Evil: Afterlife," has been backed up by solid 3-D and IMAX powered grosses all week long and will likely remain in the fight at No. 4 with a gross in the $10 to $12 million range.

Rounding out the top five should be the animated 3-D wolf tale "Alpha and Omega" from Lionsgate, with a likely take of just under $10 million.

___

Paul Dergarabedian is president of the Box Office Division of Hollywood.com. and has been providing box office information to The Associated Press for nearly two decades.

___

Online: http://www.Hollywood.com/boxoffice

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Susan Boyle's dream: To sing for the pope (AP)

GLASGOW, Scotland � Susan Boyle has dreamed a dream and is singing for the pope.

Boyle, the unlikely pop star who shot to global Internet fame after she sang on the TV show "Britain's Got Talent," was to reprise her winning performance of "I Dreamed a Dream" from "Les Miserables" during a Mass on Thursday celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI.

Boyle was also joining an 800-strong choir in singing hymns at Glasgow's Bellahouston Park.

In a pre-Mass statement, the Scottish-born Boyle said "it's a great honor to sing for the pope and it's something I've always dreamed of."

Benedict was capping off his first day of a four-day state visit to Britain that included a meeting with Queen Elizabeth II at Holyroodhouse Palace in Edinburgh.

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A Minute With: Disney's grown-up child star Raven-Symone

By Belinda Goldsmith

SYDNEY | Thu Sep 16, 2010 11:25am EDT

SYDNEY (Reuters) - For Raven-Symone, the transformation from being a Disney child star to a 20-something actress has taught her one major lesson -- how to say no.

Raven, whose full name is Raven-Symone Christina Pearman, started out as a child model but got her break into show business at the age of 3 with an acting role on "The Cosby Show."

Now 24, her list of credits including the lead role in TV sitcom "That's So Raven" which ran on Disney Channel for 2003 until 2007, "The Cheetah Girls" movies, and the 2008 movie "College Road Trip."

But she has also branched out from on-screen acting, releasing four albums with a fifth coming and lending her voice to various animated series including "Kim Possible" and the fairy Iridessa on Disney's direct-to-DVD film series "Tinker Bell."

Raven talked with Reuters in an interview in Australia where she was promoting the movie "Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue," which will be released this week:

Q: You've managed to make a successful transition from a child star to 20s-something actress. What's the tip?

A: "If you stay true to who you are you will find roles that will reflect what you are trying to portray. I am growing up, I am 24, and so I find roles that fit that. In my latest movie, "Revenge of the Bridesmaids," I played a 27-year-old author and I had a bottle of wine in it."

Q: So you do pick and choose your roles?

A: "Yes and I have been chugging along slowly which is how I want my career to go. There have been projects I have said no to as I am selective. I think it is hard now in the industry as there are not a lot of jobs going but if you stay true to who you are and you pick the right things your career will last longer than if people get sick of seeing your face."

Q: Your parents have been very involved with your career, moving to New York help you advance. Are they still?

A: "Yes, my mom is my business manager but they no longer have to make all the calls. They trust my opinion now and know it is my life. Everyone gives this opinion on what I should do but I am the last say."

Q: How do you keep out of the gossip magazines?

A: "I just don't go to places where people take crazy shots of me...I have fun and hit the parties and I know all the business and gossip but it is so easy to avoid the paparazzi. You just don't go to the hot spots. I would rather have the publicity and the media when I have something to promote."

Q: You act, sing, dance. Which do you enjoy most?

A: "I think it is a combination. With acting I get to act crazy most of the time, particularly with the roles I choose, and with dancing I can get my sneakers on and get down and dirty. With my music I like to promote self confidence and respectability."

Q: Any advice for aspiring stars?

Q: "Do you want to be a celebrity or have a career? You have to understand that it is hard work. What you see and read is about 20 percent of what happens behind the big Hollywood curtain. You get rejected more than you are accepted but it makes you stronger and fight harder for what you want."

Q: What is the biggest lesson you have learnt?

A: "It is OK to say no -- in real life and in Hollywood. People are scared and think they won't be liked if they say no but in reality you are respected."

(Writing by Belinda Goldsmith, Editing by Jill Serjeant)

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Mexican journalist Lydia Cacho receives PEN prize (AP)

============= http://www.fashionshoppong.us
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Oprah picks Franzen's `Freedom' for book club (AP)

NEW YORK � Oprah has forgiven Jonathan Franzen.

Nine years after picking Franzen's "The Corrections" for her book club and then canceling his appearance on her show after he expressed ambivalence over her endorsement, Winfrey has chosen his new novel, "Freedom," according to three booksellers.

The booksellers asked not to be identified, noting that the talk show host is not scheduled to announce her pick until Friday.

Winfrey's decision tells a story she loves well, redemption, and cites a book that itself redeems a troubled Minnesota-based family. Released in late August, "Freedom" was virtually canonized by critics before publication and has been topping best-seller lists even without Oprah's approval.

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'Lone Star': 1 con man doubles down with 2 women (AP)

NEW YORK � It's so nice to meet up with the stars of "Lone Star" for an interview. James Wolk, Adrianne Palicki and Eloise Mumford are three of the sexiest, most eye-appealing actors around, on or off their new Fox melodrama (which premieres Monday at 9 p.m. EDT).

But catching them together is also disconcerting. On the show, Wolk plays a scam artist living a double life. He's the devoted husband of Palicki's character, the wealthy daughter of a Houston oil baron. At the same time, he's the perfect boyfriend living with the character played by Mumford, a down-to-Earth sweetie-pie in working-class Midland 500 miles away.

In short, these two women shouldn't be in the same room. Neither woman � Cat or Lindsay � has a clue the other even exists. Yet here they are (or, anyway, the women who portray them), palling around like BFFs with each other as well as the man their characters unwittingly share.

"From the first minute that we met each other, Adrianne and I got along incredibly well," says Mumford. "All the producers said, 'No, no, no! You CAN'T be friends!'"

"It's one of the best things about being on location together, and I ran into this with 'Friday Night Lights,'" says Palicki, now back in Texas for "Lone Star" after several years as Tyra Collette, the girl from the wrong side of the tracks, when she was shooting "Lights" in Austin.

"On location," she says, "you develop friendships with your cast mates, because those are the only people you know."

Between them sits Wolk, who, wearing boyish charm as lightly as a feather, suggests a twentysomething version of George Clooney. He is poised to be the season's breakout heartthrob, a forecast that, when mentioned to him, triggers a dismissive, charming chuckle. He'd rather talk about "Lone Star."

"It's about a con man raised in a world of lies and deceit by his father to be the world's BEST con man," Wolk says. "His greatest asset is his ability to connect with people and affect people, and that's also his greatest flaw: He ends up falling in love with his marks � THESE two marks," says Wolk as he indicates the ladies flanking him.

"Lone Star" would be worth watching as a delicious prime-time soap. But it's more. The actors speak of it as "Dallas" meets "Friday Night Lights."

"It has gloss," says Palicki, "but it also has depth."

And no easy answers for Bob Allen, the character Wolk plays.

Raised on the run by a ruthless grifter dad, he not only loves his two women deeply, he also loves the identities they let him reflect: Cat's polish, sophistication and ambition; Lindsay's small-town wholesomeness and steadfast values.

"They represent both sides of the American dream, filling two voids inside him," says Wolk. "He is so in love with the worlds that they exist in, that he can't let them go. If he says good bye to either of them, he loses her world as well as her. He can't do that."

But he longs somehow to escape the con game. He wants to go legit. Hired into the oil empire built by his father-in-law (Jon Voight), he wants to be a businessman for real.

"What do you know about 'real'?" sneers his flimflammer dad (David Keith). "This is a house of cards. You don't get to LIVE in it!"

Torn between two worlds, two father figures and two women, Robert must connive to stay true to his dual identities.

"It's gonna be fun when cracks start to show," Mumford says slyly. "These are both smart women, and I think they're going to start to figure it out. Then it's gonna get interesting."

Mumford, Palicki and Wolk laugh as they describe a scene they dreamed up together. It might someday appear in the series, or not, but it's easy to picture: Cat and Lindsay just happen to cross paths in a grocery store. Maybe at the dairy case. Their eyes meet. They feel a mutual connection. Who knows what this could lead to? A breathless pause. Then, without a word, they part, each wheeling away her grocery cart.

One thing is clear: Robert is walking a tightrope. He must stay on guard to protect his cover, and his relationships.

"It's heartbreaking when I think about it," says Mumford. "He has a greater purpose than just trying to get money or success: It's a love story."

"A really messed-up love story," Palicki chimes in.

"He's conning in the name of love," Wolk sums up. "I know that sounds crazy, but I think that's what the audience has to believe, or you're not gonna like him. Or like the show."

Good thing the show is so likable.

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Fox is owned by News Corp.

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Online:

http://www.fox.com

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EDITOR'S NOTE � Frazier Moore is a national television columnist for The Associated Press. He can be reached at fmoore(at)ap.org

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Redford goes indie with Lincoln 'Conspirator' tale (AP)

TORONTO � Robert Redford's Sundance Film Festival has hooked up scores of eager young directors with theatrical distributors.

Now Redford has succeeded at the same independent game he helped establish with Sundance: He came to the Toronto International Film Festival with a drama made outside of Hollywood and went away with a deal to land it in theaters.

Acquired Wednesday by Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions, Redford's Lincoln assassination saga "The Conspirator" arguably was the biggest film to enter the prestigious Toronto festival without a distributor already in place.

Redford had been to the Toronto festival before with a film he directed, 1992's "A River Runs Through It." People had asked him about the possibility of premiering "The Conspirator" at Sundance in January, but he never considered it, recalling the mixed feelings he had when his own festival premiered a film in which he starred, "The Clearing," in 2004.

"I was uneasy about that and still am and think that was a mistake. I don't ever want to do that again. I see that as too dangerously self-serving, and I just don't want it," Redford, 74, said in an interview.

"The Conspirator" is a $20 million production, small by Hollywood standards but huge for the independent world, where movies often are made by unknowns who max out their credit cards just to cover the basic costs of filming.

The story of "The Conspirator" also is huge, chronicling the little-known aftermath of the assassination, when boarding-house owner Mary Surratt (Robin Wright) was put on trial at a military tribunal along with male defendants accused of plotting with Lincoln's killer, John Wilkes Booth.

Reluctantly recruited to defend Surratt, a Union war hero (James McAvoy) gradually comes to doubt his own government's motives, viewing his client as a scapegoat in a sham trial.

"The Conspirator" is the first production financed by the American Film Co., launched by billionaire Joe Ricketts, who founded the online brokerage Ameritrade and whose family owns the Chicago Cubs. Ricketts started the production outfit to make films based on American history.

Wright, like many Americans, knew nothing about the conspiracy trial that followed the assassination.

"The household name was Booth growing up in history class," Wright said. "That's all I remember."

The film is stacked with rhetoric about civil liberties and constitutional rights, lines that could come from the mouths of critics assailing tribunals and detention of suspects in today's war on terror.

"The fact that the comparisons are there, it's partly because it's about a miscarriage of justice, which I think is completely part of the human experience. Not just the recent experience of post-9/11 Western countries," McAvoy said. Redford "was at pains not to let us really ram it down people's throats. Some of the lines we had to change as well because they were just too on the nose, and some of the stuff that some of the characters said were like quotes from many politicians of today."

Redford said he was cautious about the rhetoric, saying, "I have been framed � maybe it's my own fault � framed as somebody that's doing political films with a liberal bent to them."

Any parallels to today arose entirely from the story unfolding in "The Conspirator," he said.

"The beauty of it is, this is not something that a filmmaker invents to put in there as a kind of a lesson to be learned or something to be preached to get attention. History provides it," Redford said. "History is a series of loops. Patterns keep repeating themselves. If you get McCarthy, you're going to get Nixon, and you're going to get Bush. You're just going to get that. You're going to get those patterns."

"The Conspirator" co-stars Kevin Kline, Evan Rachel Wood, Alexis Bledel, Justin Long, Tom Wilkinson and Colm Meaney.

Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions plan to release the film next spring, timing that suits Redford, who said he senses renewed interest in the assassination with an off-Broadway play about Booth and other Lincoln-related projects.

"It feels like the time for this is kind of now. Because something's getting in the air right now about Lincoln. It's coming back. It periodically comes back in waves. Lincoln's assassination has never gone away. It's become an ongoing American issue," Redford said. "There's something in the air, and you want to get ahead of that."

___

Online:

Toronto International Film Festival: http://tiff.net

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Hollywood weighs in on fat people

By Allison Hope Weiner

Thu Sep 16, 2010 8:22am EDT

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Forget about all those scary-skinny stars -- fat is making a comeback in Hollywood.

Like ABC's "The Bachelor," which spawned a spate of reality dating shows, NBC's "The Biggest Loser" has hatched a ton of weight-loss look-alikes. There's "Celebrity Fit Club" on VH1, "Too Fat for Fifteen: Fighting Back" on Style, "Obese" and "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution" on ABC and "Thintervention" on Bravo. All feature contestants sweating, whining, quitting and reflecting.

And in a nod to "The Honeymooners," "Roseanne" and more recently "The King of Queens," the new TV season brings us "Mike & Molly," a Chuck Lorre sitcom on CBS that features plus-size stars Melissa McCarthy and Billy Gardell as regular (read overweight) people who meet at an Overeaters Anonymous meeting.

"Nobody cannibalizes better than Hollywood," said J.D. Roth, co-creator of "Biggest Loser" who also produces "Obese" and is prepping "What's Eating You" for E! "As soon as something is working, there has to be 40 of them immediately. More is better."

"Thintervention," a recent entry into the weight-loss sweepstakes, garnered a respectable 1.2 million viewers in its premiere Monday. The show stars Jackie Warner, the high-powered fitness trainer from another Bravo show, "Workout." Like "Biggest Loser," "Thintervention" follows real folks who work out with Warner and attempt to lose 25-100 pounds.

"I think all these weight-loss shows are great," Warner said. "I love (Oxygen's) 'Dance Your Ass Off.' Those people have such joy in what they're doing. I think America has to have the information. I can't believe how confused America is about weight loss."

Dave Ehlers, managing director of branded-entertainment outfit ZenithOptimedia, said all the weight-loss shows provide "excellent vehicles" for advertisers targeting individuals who seek a healthier lifestyle.

Roth said "Biggest Loser" proved a hard sell at first.

"I had people say that fat people aren't attractive and that nobody wants to see fat people on television," he said. "I said, 'Well, do you know anyone who is fat?' 'Oh yeah,' they said, 'my mother is, my sister and brother is.' So, I told them that if everyone in this room knows someone who's in that situation, isn't that your audience?"

Roth knew what he was talking about. The National Center for Disease Control reports that 17% of kids and 34% of adults in the U.S. are overweight.

Despite the glut of similar fare, the popularity of "Biggest Loser" hasn't waned, and the show holds up when facing such ratings juggernauts as "American Idol" and "So You Think You Can Dance." The eighth cycle premiered with 10.4 million viewers, its best performance to date.

"I do think that more and more people are focusing on weight as an issue and walls are being torn down; ratings have something to do with it," said Chad Bennett, vp brand development and production for "Biggest Loser" producer Reveille.

"Too Fat for Fifteen," which focuses on overweight teenagers, has attracted an average of 215,000 viewers, 50% more than Style's primetime average. The show stems from a documentary the cable network ran last year about Georgia Davis, dubbed "Britain's fattest teenager," and her attempt to shed serious pounds at Wellspring Academy in North Carolina.

"The way we tell these stories about real kids who have these weight issues is realistic. You're not going to see an immediate result," said Katie Buchanan, vp programing at Style. "The viewers can relate to the length of the journey and the highs and lows. Our network is all about transformation."

McCarthy, who spent 10 years on "Gilmore Girls," said she signed on for "Mike & Molly" because she was intrigued by the script's humor and its realism.

"It flips it back to the shows I grew up with like 'All in the Family' and 'Barney Miller' that all had people that looked like you," she said. "Everything wasn't so bionic. I liked this script because it allowed you to lose yourself in that world, because it was so real. Everybody didn't have a brand-new coat everyday or talk about having no money and walk in with a brand-new Mark Jacobs bag."

Mark Roberts, who executive produces "Mike & Molly" with Lorre, said the show is not necessarily about two overweight people -- it's about an ordinary couple who fall in love and the obstacles they confront each day.

"I wanted to do something with real people," he said. "People in most sitcoms live very unrealistic lives. Back in the days of Norman Lear, you had real people on television. We're hoping that real people with real issues are going to come back in style."

Despite the plethora of these shows, make no mistake: In Hollywood, thin always will be in.

"People in the movie business still want actresses who are idealized versions of women," veteran casting director Jane Jenkins said. "I think that adage that you can never be too rich or too thin still applies in Hollywood. The plus-size actress today would be a size 6 or a size 8."

Said Warner: "It's heart-breaking because everyone ends up succumbing to this overly thin image. The Kardashians were these voluptuous, curvy sisters who ended up succumbing to the image and losing weight."

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Fate of LA actor now in hands of SoCal jury (AP)

VISTA, Calif. � The fate of an actor accused of trying to kill his ex-girlfriend is now in the hands of a San Diego County jury.

Jurors began deliberations Wednesday afternoon after closing arguments concluded in the trial of Shelley Malil. The panel recessed late Wednesday without reaching a verdict and deliberations were scheduled to resume Thursday.

Defense attorney Matthew Roberts told jurors in his closing argument that Malil, 45, had a tumultuous relationship with Kendra Beebe but never intended to kill her.

Roberts said there was no doubt defendant Malil went too far when he picked up a kitchen knife during a quarrel with Kendra Beebe after finding her on her patio with another man.

Roberts said the three people tussled over the knife, but he described the incident as normal, saying Malil and Beebe had "ridiculous drama on a daily basis."

There was no physical evidence to prove Malil planned to murder the mother of two, Roberts said.

Malil � who played Haziz, a co-worker of Steve Carell's character in "The 40-Year-Old Virgin � could face 21 years to life in prison if convicted of premeditated attempted murder in the 2008 incident at the home of Beebe, who was stabbed more than 20 times.

Malil also has been charged with assault with a deadly weapon and residential burglary.

Beebe's companion David Maldonado eventually grabbed the knife and threw it over a fence before running to his car to get his cell phone and call 911, the prosecutor said.

The defense said Malil believed Maldonado went to get a gun, so Malil grabbed another knife from the kitchen and walked to a side yard, where Beebe picked up a garden hoe and hit him in the head.

Roberts told jurors Malil began flailing with the knife in the dark to protect himself, and that caused Beebe's most serious injuries.

"Without the intent to kill, he's not guilty," Roberts told jurors.

Roberts said the 45-year-old actor was normally a peaceful, honest man with no history of violence.

After the incident, Roberts said Malil sent Beebe a text message apologizing. He also called her mother to apologize, the lawyer said.

"Again there's nothing stealth, nothing sneaky about what he's doing," Roberts said. "There was no plan, no premeditation."

According to testimony, Malil became angry with Beebe the day before the incident and left her and her cousin stranded at a California beach.

The next day, Malil found Beebe drinking wine on the patio with Maldonado, a flamenco guitar player she had been dating, according to the defense.

Roberts described Beebe as a woman known for orchestrating drama and trying to make men jealous. He also questioned her credibility.

Deputy District Attorney Keith Watanabe said there was extensive evidence proving Malil was guilty of attempted murder.

"It is clear what the defense's strategy has been all along � and that is to dirty up the victim and hope that you hate her," Watanabe told jurors.

Malil brought the first knife to the house that day and did not grab one in the heat of an argument, the prosecutor said.

He also showed jurors photos of Beebe's stab wounds to the face, neck, back and breast, and said she also suffered a stab wound between her legs.

"To get these wounds in these places he had to intentionally have been trying to stab her," Watanabe said, contending the injuries did not come from someone blindly flailing in the dark.

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Suit by Jackson's mom focuses on concert backer (AP)

LOS ANGELES � Michael Jackson's mother sued a concert promoter Wednesday, alleging the company failed to provide life-saving equipment and oversee a doctor who was hired to look out for the pop star's well-being as he prepared for what were intended to be his comeback concerts.

Katherine Jackson's lawsuit was filed against AEG Live in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.

The suit contends AEG and its agents told Michael Jackson the company would provide the equipment and hire Dr. Conrad Murray to care for him so he could perform at the concerts in London.

"AEG's representations to Jackson were false because in reality AEG was merely doing whatever it took to make sure that Michael Jackson could make it to rehearsals and shows and AEG did not provide a doctor who was truly looking out for Jackson's well-being and did not provide equipment," the lawsuit stated.

AEG spokesman Michael Roth said the company has not seen the lawsuit and had no immediate comment.

AEG Live President and CEO Randy Phillips said after Jackson's June 2009 death that Murray was enlisted to act as Jackson's personal physician and was to be paid $150,000 a month by AEG Live as the singer prepared for the concerts.

Jackson, however, died before signing the agreement. As a result, Phillips said it was not binding.

The suit also said AEG Live was responsible for the actions of Murray in the care of Jackson. Murray, however, was not named as a defendant in the lawsuit.

"At the time of his death, Michael Jackson was under the immediate care of a doctor selected by, hired by, and controlled by AEG; indeed AEG demanded and required that Michael Jackson be treated by this particular doctor to ensure that Michael Jackson would attend all rehearsals and shows on the tour," the complaint stated.

Murray has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter in Jackson's death at age 50. Police said Murray gave Jackson an overdose of the anesthetic propofol.

Katherine Jackson, who is the guardian of the singer's three children, also sued on their behalf. Her lawsuit claimed Jackson's eldest son, Prince, suffered great trauma and severe emotional distress because he witnessed his father's final moments.

The lawsuit alleged that Jackson's agreement with AEG put him under immense pressure to complete the London concerts. The suit claims AEG would have taken over Jackson's share in a lucrative music catalog that includes songs by The Beatles, Aretha Franklin, Jackson and the Jackson 5, which was one of the singer's best assets after years of accumulating debt.

The comeback concerts in London sold out in anticipation of Jackson's return as the King of Pop.

Despite years of self-imposed exile, he retained a huge, loyal following of fans overjoyed at the prospect of seeing him reclaim the glory he'd attained with albums like "Thriller" and songs like "Beat It!" and "Billie Jean."

The singer's father, Joe Jackson, has sued Murray for wrongful death in federal court. Murray's attorneys filed a motion Wednesday seeking a dismissal of that case, which alleges the cardiologist acted negligently and lied to emergency-room physicians trying to resuscitate the singer.

A hearing on the dismissal motion is scheduled for Oct. 18.

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`King Kong' musical could make it to Broadway (AP)

NEW YORK � A musical version of "King Kong" could be roaring onto a Broadway stage in a few years if its producers get their way.

Global Creatures, the Australian company behind the hit arena show "Walking With Dinosaurs," is hoping its production of the classic ape story can find a theater on the Great White Way as early as 2013.

CEO Carmen Pavlovic says she and her team have just finished a six-week workshop to ensure their 23-foot mechanical Kong can pull off a show. Next, they'll be polishing a script and score.

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Online:

http://kingkongliveonstage.com/

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