`Avatar returning to theaters Friday AP

SANTA MONICA, Calif. James Cameron is inviting movie-goers to take an extended tour of Pandora.

The writer-director of Avatar is hoping fans will come back to the fictional planet to see 9 minutes of new footage when Avatar: Special Edition arrives in 3-D theaters on Friday.

Cameron says the new footage is sprinkled throughout the film and includes a dramatic action scene showing a hunt for one of Pandoras fantastical animals.

A special-edition DVD with the new footage will be released in November.

Avatar has earned $2.7 billion in box-office revenue worldwide.

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83 global beauty queens seek Miss Universe title AP

LAS VEGAS A set of 83 beauty queens plan to show off swimsuits, evening gowns and quick-thinking interview skills in hopes of impressing a panel of celebrity judges and winning the 2010 Miss Universe crown.

From Albania to Zambia, contestants from six continents were expected to strut across a stage Monday night at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip.

The winner will replace Miss Universe 2009 Stefania Fernandez, who gave Venezuela a second consecutive win by taking the title at age 18 last year. The South American country has won six titles since the pageant started in 1952.

Fernandez says its clear in her mind whos contending in this years contest � but she wont give her picks until after the telecast.

The pageant hosted by rocker Bret Michaels and NBC correspondent Natalie Morales will air live on NBC and Telemundo and be distributed in some 190 countries and territories. The contest, co-owned by Donald Trump and NBC, will be judged by celebrities including 2010 Olympic gold medalist Evan Lysacek and actress Jane Seymour.

Fans of Miss Universe gave high ratings to Miss Philippines Venus Raj, Miss Bolivia Claudia Arce Lemaitre and Miss Venezuela Marelisa Gibson in an online vote.

If Gibson wins, it would give Venezuela an unprecedented third consecutive win.

The pageant started as a local bathing revue in Long Beach, Calif., organized by a swimwear company. It now skips over the world; it was held last year in the Bahamas and in Vietnam in 2008.

Representing the United States is Miss USA Rima Fakih.

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Jay Leno raises $100,000 for Gulf Coast recovery AP

BILOXI, Miss. Jay Leno brought comedy and cash to the Mississippi Gulf Coast to help the area recover from the BP oil spill.

More than 1,000 people watched Leno perform Saturday night at the Beau Rivage Resort and Casino in Biloxi to raise money for the Gulf Coast Community Foundation. Tickets were $40 to $150.

At the end of the show, Leno presented an oversized check for $90,336 to foundation president Rich Westfall. Leno chipped in some of his own money, topping off the evenings fundraising total at about $100,000.

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Fringe shows beamed into cinemas

22 August 2010 Last updated at 19:09 ET By Angie Brown BBC Scotland, Edinburgh and East reporter

An Edinburgh Festival venue is to beam five new short plays into cinemas across the UK in a first for Scottish theatre.

The Traverse Theatre is to broadcast the shows from its season of breakfast theatre live into cinemas.

A one-off, back-to-back performance of all five plays will take place on Monday.

The event will be filmed by Hibrow and beamed live to Picturehouse and other participating cinemas across the UK.

Specially commissioned scripts by Marina Carr By the Bog of Cats, Marble, David Eldridge Market Boy, Under The Blue Sky, Festen, Linda McLean Any Given Day, strangers, babies, Simon Stephens Punk Rock, Pornography and Enda Walsh Hunger, The Walworth Farce will each have just one day of rehearsal before performances during this years breakfast theatre season, Impossible Things Before Breakfast.

Traverse artistic director Dominic Hill said: This exciting project celebrates the fact that people are accessing theatre in new ways, and also de-mystifies the process of bringing a script to life.

We are capturing the essence of what we do at the Traverse, and are delighted to bring the work of these five exceptional writers to a much wider audience through the live broadcast.

It will give people across the UK the chance to connect with the Traverse studio experience, and discover something brand new at the festival.

The 2010 breakfast theatre season, Impossible Things Before Breakfast, kicks off with Simon Stephens dark road trip show, T5, directed by Hill.

It is followed by Marina Carrs Quartet, a tale of a mans relationship with his wife, his mistress and his lover over 30 years, directed by National Theatre of Scotland artistic director, Vicky Featherstone, who will also direct Enda Walshs My Friend Duplicity.

Linda McLeans This is Water has interrogations of 18 people as they pass through a hut on the side of a hill, and is directed by Stewart Laing.

David Eldridges short play about the fragility of existence, All Is Vanity, is directed by Zinnie Harris.

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X Factor admits to vocal tweaks

23 August 2010 Last updated at 04:10 ET

X Factor bosses have admitted to using vocal enhancement processes on the ITV talent show.

Fans had claimed after the opening show that autotuning had been used to improve some contestants voices.

It is used in recording studios to improve performances by correcting pitch and disguising off-key mistakes.

An X Factor spokesman said post-production work was necessary on the show due to the number of microphones used during filming.

The judges make their decisions at the auditions stage based on what they hear on the day, live in the arena, the spokesman added.

The footage and sound is then edited and dubbed into a finished programme, to deliver the most entertaining experience possible for viewers.

When it gets to the live shows, it will be all live.

Fans took to The X Factors internet forums after the show to voice their concerns.

The focus of the debate surrounded 18-year-old contestant Gamu Nhengu, who sang Katrina and the Waves hit Walking On Sunshine.

After hearing her effort, judge Simon Cowell told her she was really talented before she was unanimously voted through to the next round.

But viewer Smstrat91 said: Cannot believe they autotuned her, listen to the words door and telephone and its very clear. Shes so good as well, but obviously the producers of X Factor didnt think she was good enough.

The first episode of this years series was watched by 11.1 million people, up from last years figure of 9.9 million.

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