Steve Harvey takes over as new 'Family Feud' host (AP)

LOS ANGELES � Steve Harvey says he's bringing change to "Family Feud" and viewers better get ready to laugh.

Harvey, who debuts as the game show's new host Monday, is calling on his decades in comedy to take the program in a new direction. He's already taped 100 episodes.

"I bet you there's not a funnier game show on TV. We've done some pretty incredible stuff so far," said Harvey, who continues to tour with his standup act and host a nationally syndicated radio program.

He hasn't been at a loss for inspiration, he said. Turns out that playing a game show in the studio, distracted by the audience, lights and noise, can be tougher than the competing families anticipated.

"You're not the genius you were at home on the couch. Some of these non-genius answers I get to comment on, and they give me plenty of material," Harvey said. Contestants try to guess the most popular answers to survey questions.

He's keeping the humor strictly G-rated for the syndicated show, the comic said.

"After 26 years of being a standup, I know how to work clean. I know how to keep it in the boundaries," said Harvey.

Would he bring his own family on to compete?

"No, I cannot expose my family on national TV. There's some ignorance that would come out of the mouths of my family that I might never recover from. My kids could go on 'Family Feud,' but my brothers, sisters, cousins � no," he said.

Harvey's TV credits include "Me and the Boys" and "The Steve Harvey Show," and he was part of "The Original Kings of Comedy" standup tour and DVD.

He replaces actor John O'Hurley, host of "Family Feud" for four seasons, who left to focus on stage work and a variety of business ventures.

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Online:

http://www.familyfeud.com

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Ke$ha, Deadmau5 celebrate at pre-VMA festivities (AP)

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. � The MTV Video Music Awards were saluted by the likes of party girl Ke$ha, daring rapper B.o.B, hip-hop cat Deadmau5 and a "Jersey Shore" duo at a series of soirees held along the Sunset Strip on the eve of Sunday's big show downtown at the Nokia Theatre, where Lady Gaga and Eminem are poised to win multiple moonman trophies.

Partygoers kicked off Saturday evening with rounds of pingpong at Spin magazine's pre-VMA party inside the chic Mondrian Hotel. Dan Black, the lanky British musician nominated for two moonman trophies for his video for "Symphonies," served as guest DJ while wayward pingpong balls sporadically tapped across the hotel floor between attendees' legs.

Next door at the House of Blues, Ke$ha started the party with a raucous concert benefiting Lifebeat, the music industry organization promoting HIV and AIDS awareness. She strutted across the stage in glittery hot pants and gold face paint, later donning long fuzzy animal hats with her band and back-up singers for "Your Love is My Drug."

"I'm going to the VMAs for the first ... time!" she said using language that would get her bleeped at the ceremony.

Ke$ha ended her performance with her hit "Tik Tok" as she attempted to smash a pinata while confetti rained down on the crowd. Afterward, as stagehands prepared for a performance from B.o.B., concertgoers watched � and some played � "Dance Central," an upcoming groovy Xbox 360 choreography game that uses a camera to detect players' hip-hop moves.

Farther away at a sleek mansion in the Hollywood Hills overlooking a cloud-covered Los Angeles, hundreds of revelers crowded around Deadmau5 inside the transformed V-Moda Fortress. The showy DJ, who will be performing with the likes of Jason Derulo and Robyn at Sunday's show, only occasionally donned his iconic mouse headgear at the packed party.

Dancers clad in itty-bitty black bikinis swayed their hips atop a nearby pool table while chefs cooked crepes in the kitchen. Paul "DJ Pauly D" Del Vecchio and Vinny Guadagnino from "Jersey Shore" held court outside the party. At one point during the evening, Del Vecchio chatted up DJ Paul Oakenfold, proving anything is possible when the VMAs are in town.

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Online:

http://vmas.mtv.com/

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MTV awards revive Taylor Swift, Kanye West rivalry

LOS ANGELES | Sun Sep 12, 2010 3:51pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Taylor Swift vs. Kanye West: the rematch.

A year after West earned widespread opprobrium when he stormed the stage at the MTV Video Music Awards to grab a statuette from the country starlet's tender hands, the twosome will find themselves in uncomfortably close confines at this year's event in Los Angeles on Sunday.

Both are expected to perform -- separately -- during the all-star ceremony at the Nokia Theater, but an on-screen reunion is another matter. The event kicks off at 9 p.m. EDT (0100 GMT Monday).

West, who largely disappeared from the public gaze after his outburst, reached out to Swift a week ago through a series of Twitter messages. The hip-hop star apologized (yet again), and said he had written a song for Swift which he would perform if she would not take it.

Swift has not replied, publicly at least. Both have new albums due in the fall, within three weeks of each other, so the rivalry will extend to the charts as well.

The fuss began when Swift won the award for female video, a rarity for a country singer. As she was giving her acceptance speech, West bounded up on stage, took away her statuette and declared that it should have gone to Beyonce. Swift stood frozen as the drama played out to a chorus of boos. In the ensuing backlash, even President Obama criticized West.

Paradoxically, neither Swift nor West features highly among the nominees this year. Swift will defend her female video title and West, who has not released an album since 2008, was not nominated at all.

Flanboyant pop star Lady Gaga leads the pack with 13 nominations, including a pair of nods for video of the year. Rapper Eminem, who will open the show, picked up eight nominations. But award presentations at the MTV Awards are often little more than distractions from the performances.

Lady Gaga is likely to set tongues wagging with her latest sartorial extravaganzas. Other performers include Mary J. Blige, Drake, Bruno Mars, Linkin Park, Usher, Justin Bieber, Paramore, B.o.B and Florence + The Machine.

MTV, owned by Viacom will probably be the night's big winner. Last year's ceremony drew 9 million viewers, a six percent increase over 2008 and the largest turnout since 2004. The latest installment of the Swift-West soap opera can only be good for business.

(Reporting by Dean Goodman; editing by Todd Eastham)

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New "Resident Evil" sequel leads quiet box office

LOS ANGELES | Sun Sep 12, 2010 12:56pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "Resident Evil: Afterlife," the fourth film in a zombie franchise starring Milla Jovovich, easily topped the weekend box office in North America on Sunday, earning more than the next six films combined as overall sales hit their lowest level in two years.

The new champ, the only major new release during the traditionally slow weekend following the Labor Day holiday, sold $27.7 million worth of tickets across the United States and Canada, a record for the series.

The old mark was held by its predecessor, "Resident Evil: Extinction," which opened to $23.7 million in September 2007 and finished with $51 million. Its final tally was in line with that of 2004's "Resident Evil: Apocalypse" and bigger than the $40 million haul of 2002's "Resident Evil."

"Resident Evil: Afterlife" was released in 3D, which boosted its sales by about $1 million, according to rough industry estimates.

Internationally, the film earned $45.5 million from 29 markets, led by No. 1 openings in Japan ($15.5 million) and Russia ($9.5 million).

The films were released by Screen Gems, the mid-budget arm of Sony Corp, which collaborated on the development with German producer Constantin Film.

Screen Gems also claimed the No. 2 movie in North America as the heist thriller "Takers" earned $6.1 million, rising one place; its total stands at $48.1 million after three weekends.

Last weekend's top film, Focus Features' George Clooney assassin drama "The American," dropped to No. 3 with $5.9 million, for a 12-day haul of $28.3 million.

Rounding out the top five were the violent exploitation homage "Machete" with $4.2 million, and Drew Barrymore's latest romantic comedy bomb "Going the Distance" with $3.8 million. Their respective 10-day totals rose to $20.8 million and $14 million.

The top 12 films earned about $68 million, according to the box office analysis division of Hollywood.com. This ranks as the lowest total since the September 5-7 weekend of 2008, when the top 12 pulled in just $50 million.

Focus Features is a unit of General Electric Co's NBC Universal. "Machete" was released by 20th Century Fox, a unit of News Corp. "Going the Distance" was released by Warner Bros. Pictures, a unit of Time Warner Inc.

(Reporting by Dean Goodman; editing by Mohammad Zargham)

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'Resident Evil' movie capitalizes on slow weekend (AP)

NEW YORK � On a weekend that Hollywood was largely content to cede to football and late-summer barbecues, Sony-Screen Gems' "Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D" led the box office.

According to studio estimates, the horror film earned $27.7 million over the weekend, a total that exceeded expectations. It's the fourth "Resident Evil" film, all of which have starred Milla Jovovich. This installment opened better than the three previous movies.

"Resident Evil" was the only film in new release on the historically slow moviegoing weekend following Labor Day.

Screen Gems' "Takers," in its third week of release, came in second with $6.1 million. Last weekend's top film, the George Clooney thriller "The American," took in $5.9 million for Focus Features.

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