Review: 'The Host' is 'Twi'-lite

(CNN) -- Can lightning strike twice for filmmakers hoping to cash in on the popularity of Stephenie Meyer's teen fiction?

The "Twilight" movies didn't wow critics, but they struck a chord with their target audience. I'm afraid "The Host" will only duplicate the first half of that experience.

The story borrows from Jack Finney's "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," which has been filmed several times -- by Don Siegel in 1956, Philip Kaufman in 1978 and Abel Ferrara in 1993, and more recently, but less successfully, by the Wachowskis as "The Invasion" in 2007. The idea that other people are alien automatons just doesn't go away.

Meyer's 2008 novel "The Host" departs from Finney's yarn by skipping forward a few years. The invasion is over, the body snatchers have won; only a handful of humans have escaped detection, subsisting off the map, scavenging for survival.

This is also the first version willing to meet the aliens halfway: They may not be as sexy as vampires in Meyer's imagination, but they're about as benevolent as any extraterrestrial occupying power could be. In fact, they're "Souls," a higher form of consciousness who never lie, kill, or steal. Which makes you wonder how they annexed the Earth in the first place?

Andrew Niccol's heavy-handed adaptation gives rise to that question and several others: like why the Souls cannot track down the holdouts with their superior otherworldly technology -- or failing that, figure out that anyone wearing sunglasses probably merits cross examination (after they've been possessed by the Souls, human eyes turn a peculiarly virulent light blue).

Saoirse Ronan is Melanie, another of Meyer's divided "tweenagers," who falls into the hands of the Souls and is possessed by an alien named Wanderer ("Wanda" for short). Melanie is a holdout, though. She refuses to vacate her consciousness and carries on an internal debate with Wanda for most of the story.

Ronan is one of our most promising young actresses, but listening to her wrestle for command of her own brain made me yearn for Steve Martin's antic duels with Lily Tomlin in "All of Me." Martin's bisexual split personality spilled out into the way he held himself, the way he walked, and ate, and urinated. Ronan is more like a ventriloquist's wooden dummy, understandably unhappy but also unbending no matter who is inside her head.

Melanie gains the upper hand long enough to escape the Souls' surveillance and get away to a human sanctuary, a refuge deep inside a cavernous desert butte. (This network of caves is the most eye-catching thing in the movie.) Here she must convince her former friends and family that Wanda means them no harm -- one of several themes that will echo with "Twilight" fans.

Like Bella Swan, Melanie is courted by two rivals: one who was in love with her before her conversion, and another who feels strangely attracted to Wanda. "You wouldn't love me if you saw what I really looked like," she warns him -- though like horny young men anywhere, he's not unduly concerned in such philosophical imponderables.

As for Wanda, she develops an admiration for the grit and passion embodied by these mortals, and secretly wonders whether a little interstellar intercourse would be such a bad thing?

This is pretty silly stuff, "Twi"-lite if you will, but played with maximum solemnity, no discernible humor and minimal excitement. At least it's a modest improvement on Niccol's last foray into sci-fi allegory, the glum and pretentious "In Time," and "Simone" before that, but by now it's clear his rudimentary directing skills don't do his screenplays many favors.

To be fair, I enjoyed the dazzling hand-cranked solar panels that allow William Hurt's green-fingered old coot Jeb to farm wheat deep inside a desert crater, not to mention the hare-brained audacity of casting Hurt as a coot named Jeb. And who can resist the unusually crowded romantic triangle -- with four aching hearts but only three bodies to play for?

Via: Review: 'The Host' is 'Twi'-lite

'America's Most Wanted' canceled

(EW.com) -- Lifetime has canceled long-running, crime-busting show "America's Most Wanted," EW has confirmed. Though there's another show on the horizon for host John Walsh, who is developing a pilot with Lifetime. (TV Guide exclusively reported the news.)

EW: The 100 greatest moments in television

"Most Wanted" premiered on Fox in 1988 and since has helped lead to the capture of over 1,100 fugitives both in the United States and 30 additional countries. Lifetime picked up the series in 2011 after Fox canceled the program, citing a lack of profitability.

EW: President Barack Obama to appear on 1,000th episode of 'America's Most Wanted'

As to the possibility that Walsh's production company or 20th Television will shop the show around to other networks, reps for AMW had not responded to EW's request for comment at time of publication.

See original story at EW.com.

Via: 'America's Most Wanted' canceled

Growing up Bieber

(CNN) -- Justin Bieber has been a household name since before he was old enough to drive. We listened as his voice changed and watched him trade in his purple hoodies and signature swoopy hair for low-riding pants and a more voluminous 'do.

The 19-year-old pop star is one of many celebrities who've grown up under the proverbial microscope, where the simplest rites of passage -- like grabbing your girlfriend's backside during a passionate make-out session -- are headline fodder.

It's nothing we haven't seen before. Stars like Christina Aguilera and Shia LaBeouf would likely agree that the transition from teen sensation to adult icon is seldom seamless.

For whatever reason, Bieber might have considered himself to be an exception.

"I think I'll make a smooth transition from a teen star to an adult star," he told USA Today in 2011. "I don't want to grow up too quickly and do anything that's not smart."

Two years later, 2013 is shaping up to be that fateful time in the Canadian-born star's career.

In January he was seen holding what sites identified as marijuana in one photograph, while another showed him getting handsy with a female fan. Earlier this month, Bieber had his "worst birthday," and angered fans when he was late to the stage for a sold-out show at London's O2 Arena.

The most recent Bieber news isn't any more flattering. According to authorities, the singer's neighbor is accusing him of "battery and threats" after a confrontation took place outside his California home on Tuesday.

As The New York Times pointed out after the "Girlfriend" singer's 18th birthday last year, "Mr. Bieber can be his own man, sure, so long as he continues to belong to everyone else too."

Despite rejecting comparisons to Justin Timberlake, Bieber would be lucky to moonwalk into adulthood the way the "Suit & Tie" singer has. Of course, Timberlake had the support of his boy band 'N Sync behind him when he made the leap. It also helped that there were other male stars around, like the Backstreet Boys, helping to dim the harsh limelight.

Bieber doesn't exactly have a counterpart today. While "Twilight" stars Taylor Lautner and Robert Pattinson, or "Hunger Games" stars Liam Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson, have distracted the media -- and countless tween fans -- Bieber remains in a league of his own.

Miley Cyrus can likely relate. Every step of her own maturation -- from the time she danced with a pole at the 2009 Teen Choice Awards, to her drastic haircut in 2012 -- has made headlines.

The "Can't Be Tamed" singer and "Last Song" actress issued a public apology after a video surfaced of her smoking salvia (an herb sold legally in many health food stores) in 2010.

"But do you really think it was a mistake?" Marie Claire's Kimberly Cutter asked Cyrus in a 2011 interview. "Obviously college kids your age all over America are smoking bongs with a lot more than salvia in them."

"But they're not Miley Cyrus," she said. "They're not role models. So for me it was a bad decision, because of my fans and because of what I stand for."

Cyrus is getting older, but she's not in and out of court (no offense, Lindsay), or getting into car wreck after car wreck (no offense, Amanda), so isn't the "good girl gone bad" label pushing it?

Another former Disney princess who's growing up in the public eye is Bieber's former girlfriend, Selena Gomez. The singer-actress is attempting to shed her Disney image (without muddying her squeaky-clean off-screen persona) by co-starring in the raucous crime dramedy "Spring Breakers."

Gomez hasn't taken nearly as much heat as Cyrus, though she has shown a fair amount of side boob with her red carpet choices of late.

Despite the age-old idea that each generation is more reckless than the last, Bieber and his famous peers don't appear to be rebelling so much as they're just getting older.

Jada Pinkett Smith, whose son Jaden is friends with Bieber, recently took to her Facebook page to express her frustrations with the way young stars are treated:

"Is it okay to continually attack and criticize (Bieber) a famous 19 year old who is simply trying to build a life, exercise his talents while figuring out what manhood and fame is all about as he carries the weight of supporting his family as well as providing the paychecks to others who depend on him to work so they can feed their families as well?" She wrote. "Does that render being called a c--- by an adult male photographer as you try to return to your hotel after leaving the (sic) hospital?"

Sure, Bieber has consciously snapped a few pictures of his bare abs, and strolled through the airport topless, but the singer hasn't even been present for some of the events that produced the most scandalous and tragic headlines of all.

In 2011, a California woman alleged in a paternity lawsuit that Bieber fathered her 3-month-old baby boy.

And in January, a photographer was killed by oncoming traffic after he thought he saw Bieber sitting in his white Ferrari in Los Angeles.

"While I was not present nor directly involved with this tragic accident, my thoughts and prayers are with the family of the victim," Bieber said in a statement.

"There's a lot of pressure on this kid to do bigger, better things," Jennifer Chancellor wrote on TulsaWorld.com January. "The adoration could be crushing. Bieber, so far, has mastered it by being himself. That means being human. He threw up on stage once; he's raced cars; he's partied ... some."

Via: Growing up Bieber

Reports: Walters set to retire

(CNN) -- Longtime ABC News personality Barbara Walters will retire from broadcasting after half-century trailblazing career next year, according several media reports Thursday.

ABC, where Walters has worked as a news anchor and talk show host since 1976, answered with "no comment" when CNN called about the reports quoting unnamed network sources in the New York Times and on Deadline.com.

Viewers see Walters, 83, mostly these days as co-host of ABC's daytime talker "The View," which she helped create in 1997.

The plan is for her retirement to be announced in May, giving a year for ABC to pay tribute to her before she stops working in May 2014, Deadline.com reported.

Walters went through a health scare in January when she suffered a cut on her forehead after falling on a stair while visiting the British ambassador's residence in Washington.

She underwent surgery to repair a heart valve three years ago.

Walters' national broadcast career began in 1961 as a reporter, writer and panel member on NBC's "Today Show." She was promoted to co-host in 1974, but she was hired away by ABC in 1976.

At ABC, she began "The Barbara Walters Specials" and "10 Most Fascinating People," which has become a regular year-end program.

Walters has interviewed every U.S. president and first lady since Richard and Pat Nixon.

She spent two decades, starting in 1984 as co-host and correspondent for ABC's news magazine show "20/20." She still reports on occasion.

Via: Reports: Walters set to retire

Gucci Mane turns himself in

(CNN) -- Rapper Gucci Mane made his first court appearance Wednesday on charges of aggravated assault and aggravated battery in connection with an alleged attack at an Atlanta night club, the Fulton County Sheriff's Office said.

Mane, whose real name is Radric Davis, was denied bond, authorities said, and he will remain in the Fulton County Jail until April 10.

The performer turned himself in to authorities Tuesday night after police issued a warrant for his arrest.

Mane, 33, is accused of hitting a man over the head with a champagne bottle at Atlanta's Harlem Nights Ultra Lounge club. The man told police the incident occurred after he tried to strike up a conversation with the rapper.

"I'm in the military. I wanted to get a picture with Gucci Mane," he told CNN affiliate WSB-TV in Atlanta. "I was speaking to the security guard, and Gucci Mane hit me in the head with a bottle."

Via: Gucci Mane turns himself in

Dionne Warwick bankrupt

Los Angeles (CNN) -- Dionne Warwick, one of the most recognizable pop voices of the 1960s, filed for bankruptcy last week, citing more than $10 million in tax debt dating back to 1991.

"Due to several consecutive years (the late '80s through the mid-'90s) of negligent and gross financial mismanagement, Dionne Warwick has realized the current necessity to file personal bankruptcy," Warwick publicist Kevin Sasaki said in a statement to CNN Tuesday.

Warwick, 72, made hits out of many Burt Bacharach and Hal David songs, and won five Grammys in a 50-year career. The singer is down her last $1,000 in cash and only owns furniture and clothing worth $1,500, according to the Chapter 7 filing in New Jersey.

The bankruptcy documents filed in New Jersey on Thursday outline a sad financial situation for Warwick, a cousin of the late Whitney Houston.

Along with $7 million in federal IRS debt, Warwick said she owes more than $3 million to the state of California in franchise taxes. Another $500,000 is owed to a lawyer and a business manager, the filing said.

"In light of the magnitude of her tax liabilities, Warwick has repeatedly attempted to offer repayment plans and proposals to the IRS and the California Franchise Tax Board for taxes owed," Sasaki said. "These plans were not accepted, resulting in escalating interest and penalties. Although the actual amount of back taxes owed have been paid, the resulting penalties and interest has continually accrued."

Warwick's total assets are worth just $25,500, mostly because of two fur coats and two sets of diamond earrings valued at $13,000, the documents showed. She also claimed clothing worth $5,000, art worth $5,000 and furniture valued at $15,500.

Warwick recently took a credit card debt management class, it said, perhaps relating to a $20,000 Visa debt.

Her monthly income was listed at $20,950, although she is eligible for a pension from the SAG/AFTRA union, the filing said. Warwick listed her employment with Star Girl Productions, an entertainment management company.

She has been touring in recent months, singing her hits for fans in Europe and South America, according to her website.

Warwick's success began in 1962 with "Don't Make Me Over," followed by 18 consecutive Top 100 singles.

Other Bacharach/David classics include "Walk on By," "Anyone Who Had a Heart," "Message to Michael," "Promises Promises," "A House is Not a Home," "Alfie," "Say a Little Prayer," "This Girl's in Love With You," "I'll Never Fall in Love Again," "Reach Out For Me" and the theme from "Valley of the Dolls."

"Warwick has spent many years of her career raising funds for several humanitarian and philanthropic causes without compensation," Sasaki said. "Aside from carrying the banner for world hunger, she was the first musical artist to donate all sales and proceeds from her landmark recording, 'That's What Friends Are For' to AIDS and The American Foundation For AIDS Research (amfAR)."

Via: Dionne Warwick bankrupt

Conan avoids Leno's 'Tonight' fight

(EW.com) -- Look who decided to turn the other cheek!

Conan O'Brien took the high road Monday on his TBS show "Conan." It was the late night host's first day back from a week-long hiatus that occurred at the same time news broke about a new succession plan for "The Tonight Show."

O'Brien, who replaced Jay Leno as host of "Tonight" for seven months until he was pushed aside in 2010, chose to joke about Passover and the Pope instead of his former employer, or the comedian who's now about to lose his high-profile gig on NBC to Jimmy Fallon.

NBC's Jay Leno plan has some insiders baffled

"Tonight is the beginning of the 8-day Jewish holiday of Passover, when God freed the Jews from slavery in Egypt," according to an early transcript from O'Brien's monologue. "In other words, History's first Spring Break. Passover's the time every year I'm forced to spend 8 days and 8 nights writing all my own jokes."

He continued, "Over the weekend, the current pope and the former pope had lunch together. The waiter who served them said they spent the whole time b******g about their boss."

O'Brien's best joke? Probably this one about Bill Gates, who is offering "$100,000 to anyone who can design a better condom. Of course, what guy wants to buy a condom from a company called 'Microsoft.'"

O'Brien's guests for the night were Magic Johnson, Thandie Newton and musical guest Langhorne Slim. His shows airs weeknights at 11 p.m. ET/PT.

Leno, in contrast, has relied on the ongoing bruhaha for nightly jokes on "Tonight." On Friday, Leno said this in his monologue: "Have you heard about this alleged feud that I'm having with NBC? I think it's going to be OK. This is real: I had dinner last night with a bunch of NBC executives. To make it up to me, what they did, they are sending my wife and I on an all expenses paid Carnival cruise. How about that? So it looks like it's going to be OK. Fantastic!"

Jay Leno's Friday jokes: Knifed in the back by NBC

NBC has yet to officially confirm multiple reports that say Fallon will succeed Leno no later than fall of 2014, and that "The Tonight Show" will be relocated to New York.

See the original story at EW.com.

Via: Conan avoids Leno's 'Tonight' fight

Conrad Murray defends lawyer

Los Angeles (CNN) -- Dr. Conrad Murray defended his appellate lawyer from "a slew of disparaging remarks" just days before she files the appeal of the doctor's involuntary manslaughter conviction in Michael Jackson's death.

CNN has obtained sections of that 300-page appeal, including the defense argument that the trial judge erred by not allowing the testimony of Dr. Arnold Klein, a dermatologist the defense contended addicted Jackson to Demerol in his last weeks.

Murray's appeal, which will be filed Monday, also argues that prosecutors never proved Jackson was hooked up to an IV drip of the drug that killed him. The defense theory was that Jackson had administered the fatal dosage himself while the doctor was away.

The coroner ruled that Jackson died from an overdose of the surgical anesthetic propofol in combination with sedatives on June 25, 2009. Murray told investigators he used propofol to induce sleep because Jackson was suffering from insomnia.

Murray served as Jackson's personal physician as the pop icon prepared for 50 shows that were to debut in London in July 2009, but his patient was fighting a battle for sleep between rehearsals.

A wrongful death lawsuit filed by Jackson's three children and his mother is set for trial next month. The family accuses concert promoter AEG Live of liability in his death by hiring and supervising the doctor, who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in November 2011.

Murray takes a side in lawyer dispute

Murray -- during a phone call to CNN Saturday from the Los Angeles County jail where he's been held since he was sentenced to four years in prison -- said he was "impelled to stand up for" attorney Valerie Wass, who has been involved in a personal dispute with Murray's trial lawyer Michael Flanagan.

Flanagan was helping Wass, who wrote the appeal, until the two lawyers were involved in a jailhouse argument last January. Flanagan dropped Murray as a client after the incident, but the appeals court later ordered him to respond to requests from Wass for case files, which she said he had withheld.

Murray, who witnessed the January incident between his attorneys, issued a strong statement of support for Wass in his call from jail.

"In recent weeks, I became keenly aware that a slew of disparaging remarks and personal information about my appellateattorney, Valerie Wass, were unjustly released to the media and the public," Murray said. "Because of this injustice, I am impelled to stand up for this woman, for whom I have the utmost respect and confidence."

Wass completed work on the appeal even though "with the blink of an eye, all of her promised assistance vanished; they abandoned ship," Murray said.

Responding to CNN on Sunday, Flanagan said he had no comment.

"Although she needed help, she did not quit, did not jump ship, nor did she succumb to pressure while others abdicated their responsibilities," he said. "She held steadfastly to her professional and moral conduct, which was bolstered by her amazing mettle of mind and spirit."

Murray said Wass "stood up for me amidst a most arduous and challenging series of obstacles, and whose loyalty remains indisputable. It is my belief that she took a personal hit for me, and I want to let her know that I'll forever be grateful."

Murray's appeal: Jackson's Demerol addiction

Although Murray could be freed in about seven months, he is seeking to clear his name and get his medical license back by having his conviction overturned on appeal.

The appeal contends that Los Angeles Superior Judge Michael Pastor wrongly prevented Murray's trial lawyers from making their case that Jackson was going through withdrawal from a Demerol addiction the day he died.

"The reason it sought to prove that Jackson was going through Demerol withdrawal on June 25th was to show his state of mind -- specifically, that his resulting physiological and psychological state, along with the pressure he was under from preparing for the upcoming tour, rendered him so desperate for sleep that he would take the extraordinary action of self-administering propofol when he was outside the presence of appellant," Wass writes.

Defense experts testified at the trial that Jackson's insomnia could have been caused by the withdrawal.

The defense wanted Klein and two staff members to testify about Jackson's 23 visits to their Beverly Hills clinic in the three months before his death, including five in June 2009. Jackson was given Demerol during those visits, the last time on June 22, three days before he died.

"Michael Jackson could not sleep because of the Demerol," the defense said in pretrial arguments. "Dr. Murray did not know that. But Arnold Klein did. Michael Jackson needed sleep because he was withdrawing and addicted, both addicted and withdrawing from Demerol. That's important to our defense. In fact, it's absolutely vital."

Pastor, however, ruled that testimony from Klein and his staff would be a "distraction and divergence" in the trial.

"The defense was also unable to prove whether Jackson was addicted to Demerol and going through withdrawal at the time he died, because experts in the case articulated they could not reach conclusions based only on reviewing Klein's records," Wass writes in the appeal.

If Klein or his staff had been allowed to testify at the trial, "It is reasonably probable that at least one juror on the panel would have found appellant not guilty of involuntary manslaughter," the appeal argues. "Accordingly, regardless of the applicable standard of review, appellant's conviction must be reversed."

Murray's appeal: No proof of IV drip

The prosecution's theory in the trial was that Murray hooked Jackson up to an unusual makeshift IV drip of propofol and then left him alone to make phone calls in an adjacent room. Murray was criminally negligent because he did not properly monitor his patient who later died from an overdose, they argued.

The defense argued that the IV drip only sent saline into Jackson's leg to hydrate him and that Murray used a syringe to slowly push a safe dose of propofol into Jackson's blood while he watched him fall asleep. A frustrated Jackson could have awakened while Murray was away and administered the fatal dose himself, the defense said.

"The propofol infusion theory offered by the prosecution's expert was not supported by the evidence, and in fact, was so absurd, improbable and unbelievable that a rational trier of fact could not have concluded that the evidence was sufficient to establish that appellant had placed Jackson on a propofol drip on the day of his death," the appeal argues.

The prosecution built the IV drip theory based on testimony of one of Jackson's guards who said he saw a propofol bottle hanging above Jackson's death bed when he arrived to help revive him. An investigator also found a saline bag with a slit in it, which the prosecution contended was used to hold the bottle on the IV stand.

Defense propofol expert Dr. Paul White testified such an IV drip set up was "befuddling" because a propofol bottle comes with a hanging device. The hanging tab on the bottle was not used, both sides agreed.

"The prosecution concocted the novel and ridiculous method of placing the vial into the bag through the slit, hanging the bottle upside down at an angle using the bag for support, and then hanging the bag from the IV stand," the appeal argues.

A piece of tubing key to the IV drip was never found, but the prosecution suggested Murray could have slipped it into a pocket before leaving the bedroom to ride to the hospital with Jackson.

Wass argues that is "pure speculation, and the absence of evidence of a long IV line with propofol residue is fatal to the prosecution's theory."

"If an IV line used in a propofol infusion had been placed in appellant's pocket, it would have been dripping propofol, and resulted in a messy wet pocket," the appeal argues. "Such a result is not reflected in any photograph, testimony, or statement of any witness."

Murray's appeal: Jackson gave himself fatal dose

Michael Jackson got little sleep the morning he died, despite Murray's bedside efforts using sedatives, according to Murray.

"It is likely that Jackson's heightened insomnia on June 25th was exacerbated by his surreptitious Demerol addiction and the resultant acute withdrawal syndrome therefrom," the appeal says. "Jackson's last Demerol injection was on June 22nd, less than 72 hours before his death, which could have been a peak period for the occurrence of withdrawal symptoms."

But he did fall asleep at 10:40 a.m after a single dose of propofol, he told investigators. After watching him for 15 minutes, Murray left him alone, the appeal says.

"The evidence is consistent with a scenario in which Jackson quickly self-injected the lethal bolus dose of propofol while appellant was outside the bedroom," the appeal contends. "Based on the toxicology results, it appears that the rapid injection lead to cardiac arrest and a quick death."

He may have had access to a bottle of propofol without Murray knowing, the appeal says.

"Jackson was very familiar with propofol, as other doctors had administered propofol to him," Wass writes. "It is conceivable that Jackson had obtained a secondary source for the drug, especially because Jackson had been receiving nightly infusions from appellant for the previous two months, and appellant had Sunday nights off."

If Jackson -- not Murray -- administered the final and fatal dose, then it was not the doctor's fault the patient died, the argument says.

Murray's appeal disputes the prosecution argument that Murray was criminally liable even if Jackson had administered the fatal dose himself because Murray should have known that leaving the drugs near Jackson's bed posed a risk. The risk was "not reasonably foreseeable," it said.

Via: Conrad Murray defends lawyer

JT: From Mouseketeer to megastar

For more on Justin Timberlake's rise to superstardom, tune in to CNN for "The Justin Timberlake Experience," this Sunday, March 24 at 8 p.m. ET.

(CNN) -- Justin Timberlake is an Entertainer. That's JT, with a capital "E": Everyman, Everything and Everywhere right now.

With the long-awaited release of "The 20/20 Experience," his first album in seven years, 32-year-old Timberlake has managed to endear himself to both women and men -- crafting an amalgam of talents that have made him a character not seen in a generation or two in show-business: The well-rounded performer.

You won't find anyone else like him in music, or Hollywood for that matter. It's an organic chemistry of likability: equal parts movie star, debonair showman, TV comedian and successful businessman.

"My idols have always been the types of guys who could do anything," Timberlake told "The Guardian" in 2011. "Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Sinatra, Dean Martin; and when you look up to people like that, you don't accept that you need to be compartmentalized."

"I wouldn't call him Frank Sinatra," "Billboard"'s , Phil Gallo told CNN. "I'll go Bing Crosby because Bing Crosby was more of the, A, wise investor, B, very specific vocal style that evolves -- but you knew it was Bing, just as you know this is Justin. And the acting in the kind of movies they were -- arty, but they told a good story and they appealed to the audience of the day."

Timberlake's business ventures are as diverse as professional sports franchises and golf courses, fashion, the Internet, and restaurants. Gallo added, "Here's somebody who really understands popular culture -- who knows a good project when it's presented to him, that -- that captures a certain zeitgeist."

And then there's the music. It, like the singer, oozes old school.

"I will not be the type of artist that puts out 10 to 15 albums," Timberlake recently told "Rolling Stone."

"That's just not who I am. They're really special to me. I write music all the time, but until you really feel that desperate need to shout from the rooftops and express yourself in that way, I just kind of keep it to myself. I enjoy making music so much that if it doesn't come out, that's OK."

Once Timberlake decided that "The 20/20 Experience" was worth sharing with the world, he and close friend and producer Timbaland agreed, he told "Rolling Stone," to make music "without all the hoopla of, like expectations. Let's just make something that feels genuine ... and ... for me, it's the best stuff I've ever done."

Timberlake from Tennessee

Gospel is in his soul; Elvis is the King. Justin Timberlake is a kid from Memphis, after all. Home was actually north of the big city: Millington, Tennessee.

The grandson of a preacher and son of a choir director never passed up a chance to perform. Early videos of young Justin singing in church and in local shows reveal a boy who idolized Presley, and was himself becoming the performer with the something-special swagger.

Bob Westbrook, who gave 8-year-old Justin his first real singing lessons, told CNN Timberlake's X factor comes from "his mannerism and his charisma, his hair, that whole bit, his natural stage feel."

"People in the music industry always talk about this thing or that thing, but he definitely always had that thing. Always," Trace Ayala, his best friend and William Rast business partner, added.

The adult Timberlake now jokes about his lack of formal training, but still thinks his sound is from the past, "Funny enough, I learned how to sing when I was a kid [by] imitating singers ... like Al Green and Don Henley. I was an only child and was obviously really bored, so I would entertain my parents by imitating cartoon voices like Scooby Doo, Boo Boo and others. So, you know that about me now, I guess. I'm killing any cache of cool I've managed to build up over the years," he told "Ask Men."

Ayala believes their hometown informs everything they do.

"Memphis is a very, very, very musical town, everything revolves around music. From the time we were little kids, you'd go to dinner and the bar next door has a live band playing. So I feel like Memphis breeds that, or at least it brings it out in you, you know?"

'N Sync to Solo

In 1993, Justin was singing, dancing and acting in the Disney Channel's "The Mickey Mouse Club" alongside a group who would later become a who's-who of teenage idols, including Ryan Gosling, Cristina Aguilera, J.C. Chasez and future girlfriend Britney Spears.

In 2000, 'N Sync's "No Strings Attached" was the top-selling album of the year and Justin Timberlake's picture was hanging inside the locker of teenage girls around the world.

'N Sync founding member Chris Kirkpatrick described to CNN what it was like working with him then: "It's almost like he is a perfectionist, but there's no work involved. You know, it's really just boom, boom, done. It's like, 'There it is.' One take Timberlake.'"

Timberlake's writing skills were getting him noticed by other big acts, too. Michael Jackson wanted "Gone," a JT-penned 'N Sync song from their last album, "Celebrity," Timberlake's manager Johnny Wright told CNN.

"We were at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Michael's people came and they said, 'Hey, you know, I think Michael wants to record that record.' I looked at Justin and I was like, You're not giving that record away, because I knew how important that record was to him and what it meant for him as a writer to finally get songs."

But by 2002, Justin's high-profile relationship with Britney Spears was falling apart and 'N Sync went on hiatus.

"Everybody was kind of figuring out, 'What are we gonna do for the next six months?'" Wright recalled. "And then Justin kind of tapped me and said, "I know what I'm gonna do." He says, "I've had this music inside of me for quite a while. I'm gonna take this time and I'm gonna go make a record."

Then Justin launched the solo career that would define his next decade.

His debut album "Justified," which spawned hits like "Rock Your Body," "Cry Me a River," and "Like I Love You," soon became hot enough to land him on the biggest stage of all.

Super Bowl XXXVIII was broadcast live on February 1, 2004, from Houston on CBS. As "Billboard"'s Gallo remembers it, "Justin Timberlake is at the Super Bowl performing with Janet Jackson and he reaches over and he pulls away her top and he has now, apparently, committed the crime of the century."

A swift apology put Justin back on track, and his star continued to rise.

His sophomore album, the club-friendly "Future Sex/LoveSounds" gave us hits (and new vernacular) like "Sexy Back" and "What Goes Around ... Comes Around" in 2006.

That was the last new music we'd hear from Timberlake until now, but in the meantime, his career would explode from Grammys to Emmys, music to movies, including the Academy Award-nominated "The Social Network." He began investing in business ventures that interested him, became a must-see host of "Saturday Night Live," and has shot films with major stars like last year's "Trouble with Curve" with Clint Eastwood, and the upcoming Coen Brothers' "Inside Llewyn Davis," and "Runner, Runner" with Ben Affleck.

Then came the last six months.

"Suit & Tie"

A fall wedding in Italy to actress and Hollywood crush Jessica Biel landed Timberlake back on magazine covers and back into water cooler conversation.

He followed that up with the new album, released March 19, led by the single "Suit & Tie," featuring Jay-Z. "The 20/20 Experience," which was completed in just four weeks, according to Wright, is currently on pace to sell 850,000 to 900,000 copies in its first week, likely knocking Mumford & Sons' "Babel" out of the top-selling slot of the year.

On top of that, it was just announced that Timberlake will follow up the soulful album with an additional 10 tracks later this year.

An immensely successful "SNL" hosting gig preceded a week of instantly viral and hilarious appearances on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon."

Not only is Timberlake making what Kirkpatrick refers to as "grown folks music," he's also "doing a great job at reinventing himself," the former bandmate said.

Via: JT: From Mouseketeer to megastar

Porn legend dies at 65

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Leno swings at NBC

(CNN) -- NBC might be aiming to replace Jay Leno with Jimmy Fallon, but it looks like the "Tonight Show" host isn't going down without a fight.

Leno aimed one of his opening monologue jokes toward his employer Wednesday, the same day that reports proclaimed NBC is hoping to move Fallon to "Tonight" by the fall of 2014. In doing so, "The Tonight Show" would also move back to New York from California.

In light of all that chatter, Leno took the stage as the still-current host of "Tonight" and cracked wise about NBC's sagging ratings.

"Scientists say they're getting closer and closer to being able to do 'Jurassic Park'-style cloning on extinct species -- things once thought to be extinct could now be brought back from the dead," Leno said. "So, there's hope for NBC. It could turn around."

But if you've been tuning in -- and it's fair to assume that you might have, since "Tonight" is still one of the shows that is performing well for NBC, noted New York magazine's Vulture -- you know that Leno's been taking fire at the "peacock" network all week.

On Monday, he compared NBC execs to snakes in a holiday-themed St. Patrick's Day joke.

"You know the whole legend of St. Patrick, right?" Leno said. "St. Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland, and then they came into the United States and became NBC executives."

And then on Tuesday, it was another light dig at NBC's poor performance.

"Did you hear about this? A 28-year-old woman from Serbia has a rare brain condition where she sees everything upside down," Leno said. "Isn't that unbelievable? She sees everything upside down. In fact, she thinks NBC is at the top of the ratings."

Fallon also couldn't escape the reports Wednesday, and acknowledged them right off the top of his "Late Night" monologue.

"Before we get started, I have to talk about the rumors that came out today which say that I'll be moving up to 11:30 -- or as my parents call it, 'eh, it's still too late,'" he joked. "The rumors are true -- NBC is turning 'The Tonight Show' into a diving competition." (ABC's "Splash," you might've heard, premiered to nearly 9 million viewers on Tuesday.)

Yet according to The New York Times' Bill Carter, Fallon's future as the new host of "Tonight" isn't a done deal as much as it's an understanding.

"There's no deal yet for the timetable of this, they have an understanding," Carter told CNN's Jake Tapper Wednesday. "I'm sure Jay knows about the understanding. But Jay has a contract that goes until the fall of next year. I think from Jay's point of view, he will work until they tell him to stop. That's the way he is; that's the kind of guy he is."

Still, the idea of Fallon getting the show isn't a surprise -- at least, not as much as the report that the show will move back to New York from California.

Via: Leno swings at NBC

'Veronica Mars' movie details

(EW.com) -- After Rob Thomas launched a Kickstarter campaign to finance the Veronica Mars movie, the Internet went crazy. The $2 million goal was reached in less than a day, more incentives were added for new backers, and the fund continues to grow. EW's Jeff Jensen who also broke the news sat down with Thomas, the creator of the cult TV show, to discuss the movie, the implications of using Kickstarter and much more about the Mars universe. Here are 10 things we learned:

Thomas is up for a Veronica Mars book series:

"I will admit it. I'm probably not interested in sitting down and writing a series of Veronica Mars detective paperbacks, but I could be the Carolyn Keene of Veronica Mars and okay outlines and kind of set up the world for the books to exist in and then bring in writers to do 'em. I'm totally game for that. I would love to see this franchise get some heat and get its due."

He's genuinely surprised by the reaction:

"I never expected to hit $2 million in however many hours we did 10? But I probably had similar thoughts to you, that we'd hit our goal at maybe a week or two and then beyond that, I would hope we would keep climbing. Yeah, the tidal wave, I was not prepared for at all."

EW: 'Veronica Mars' movie is a go

He has a magic number in mind for the Kickstarter fund:

"What I had my heart set on when we've launched, what I hoped to get to, was $5 million. And I figure anything over $5 million, I'm pretty damn happy. Anything under $5 million, I was going to be less happy. That was like my mental happiness point."

The money raised won't all go toward making the movie:

"We only get to count the money that we have after we fulfill rewards, and the rewards could be expensive because we are giving really good packages, so we're losing a lot off the top. It's not as though you can look at our total, like right now we're at $3.5 [million], and say, "That's, $3.5 for their production budget." [Ed. note: At publishing time, the fund sits at just over $3.7 million.] It's going got be significantly less than that once we send out 50,000 t-shirts and all those DVDs and posters and pay to rent the giant theaters for premieres. There's a lot of overhead."

EW: Is the 'Veronica Mars' movie a good thing?

Baton Rouge might have to stand in for Neptune:

"What's going to affect our production budget is the money we raise on Kickstarter, minus the fulfillment, and that's going to affect very specific things. Like, if the money stopped now, I know that we would probably be faking Neptune, Calif., probably somewhere like Baton Rouge, La., and it won't quite look right. We'll do our best to make Baton Rouge look like Southern California, but it won't be quite the same. We're going to need to make some more money. Shooting in Southern California is more expensive than shooting in Louisiana, and I want to shoot in Southern California the movie will look better. The thing is, we're totally prepared to shoot it somewhere else, but man, suddenly I'll have palm trees in shots and Veronica will be walking along a sandy beach and it will affect the way the movie looks."

They aren't doing this to get paid:

"For doing the movie, I am taking the guild-minimum. So no one is getting big upfront money. Trust me, Kristen is not getting paid close to her quote, or anywhere near. We're all working for labor of love prices."

Only he and Kristen are signed so far:

"I want [all the actors] in the movie. The assumption is they'll all be in the movie. We're in negotiations with everyone. It's one of those things where everybody wants to do it, I want everybody in it just deals need to be made."

He really wants Freaks and Geeks to follow Veronica's lead:

"If they wanted to Kickstarter a Freaks and Geeks movie, I would be first in line. I want the maximum package. I would pay whatever it took to get a Freaks and Geeks movie, because I love that show."

EW: 25 child stars who made it\

He's aware of the criticisms about Kickstarter funding a studio-backed film:

"I'm watching a lot of the buzz on this, and it seems to me that the people who complain the most, and the complaint is, 'Why am I giving money to a studio to make a movie?' as though there's no return on that money. I think that before people look at it, their sense is, 'Hey, I'm just throwing money at something.' They're not understanding that they're getting a product in return. That's where the disconnect is. Those people who are complaining about that, I want to say, 'If you're a Veronica Mars fan, you're getting cool stuff.' You're getting stuff I think you would pay for anyway; you're just pre-buying it, and by pre-buying it, you're showing the studio that there is enough market interested in making this movie worthwhile."

He has high standards for his movie:

"Who thinks we'd be better off without The Godfather Part II, which by the way, is the bar that I'm setting for the Veronica Mars movie."

For more on Veronica Mars, pick up this week's issue of Entertainment Weekly.

See the original story at EW.com.

Via: 'Veronica Mars' movie details

Review: 'Admission'

(EW.com) -- There have been so many shrill, dumb, rinky-dink romantic comedies that it's easy to feel downright grateful when a smart, non-cheesy one comes along.

"Admission," a likable breezy campus movie directed by Paul Weitz ("About a Boy"), is blissfully non-insulting. The film is set at Princeton University, and Karen Croner's screenplay, which is based on Jean Hanff Korelitz's novel, crackles with the sound of very clever people trying to out-talk each other an all too rare and happy thing to encounter in a Hollywood movie.

Box office preview: 'The Croods' will oust 'Oz' from top spot

Portia Nathan (Tina Fey) is one of Princeton's elite team of admissions officers. She has the job of helping to choose which of the college's more than 26,000 yearly applicants, all of whom believe they deserve a place in the Princeton pantheon, are going to get in. (Approximate acceptance ratio: 1 in 26.)

In this academic seller's market, Portia holds the power. But so much is riding on her decisions that the pressure of sorting through all those high school seniors, with their hilariously overstuffed extracurricular rsums (and their even more obsessive parents), has strung her tight.

Fey's sweet-and-sour line readings at first sound like Liz Lemon redux, and I was glad for the moment when her 10-year relationship with a twit of an English professor (Michael Sheen, who also played one of Liz's disastrous boyfriends on "30 Rock") crashes and burns. The breakup unhinges Fey's character, and liberates her performance. From that point on, she's falling apart or at least falling into a pit of desperation and the neurotic crack-up looks good on her. It gives almost everything she does a shimmer of spontaneity.

John Pressman (Paul Rudd), a teacher at a woodsy alternative New Hampshire high school called New Quest, is Portia's opposite: a do-gooding globe-trotter who believes in the kind of excellence that can't always be measured by grades or ''official'' achievement.

'Admission' star Nat Wolff applied early-decision for stardom

He's pushing one of his students for admission to Princeton; the kid, Jeremiah (Nat Wolff), is a prodigy with a troubled background, and John and Portia begin to tussle over his future from the moment they meet. John thinks that Jeremiah may be Portia's son, and the battle, as far as it goes, is lively.

But then, just about every character in "Admission" has an enjoyably feisty intellectual attitude, from the wily dean of admissions (Wallace Shawn, for once not used as a walking punchline, and all the better for it), to Portia's switchblade-sharp office rival (Gloria Reuben), to the precocious students at John's school who question Portia about Princeton being a ''corporation'' devoted to the status quo. That Portia answers their gripe every bit as tartly demonstrates that the movie holds its traditional-versus-free-thinking priorities in a nice yin-and-yang balance.

"Admission" has a promising first half, and the movie springs a real wild card in Lily Tomlin's brashly cutting and funny turn as Portia's mother, who wears her die-hard '70s feminism like a suit of burlap armor. Tomlin totally lets go. Her performance is an inspired satire of boomer self-righteousness and, at the same time, an unapologetic celebration of it.

Line by line, "Admission" is often fresh, yet it's also one of those films that are so diagrammed that a soggy predictability begins to settle in. For a while, Fey and Rudd spark each other, but the bantering flirtation loses heat. I think that's because Portia, as written, has a genuine edge to her, whereas Rudd, with his smiley sincerity, is stuck playing too nice and flawless a guy. John would have been a more logical romantic foil if he'd had a pesky, holier-than-thou side.

Kate Winslet confirmed for role in 'Divergent'

Even with this soft-boiled romance at its center, "Admission" really is a movie about whether Jeremiah, with his lowly grade-point average and astonishing AP test scores, is going to get into Princeton. And here, I'm afraid, the film's values are a bit out of whack. It makes us pine for that ideal of Ivy League opportunity, a dream that it hangs on the issue of Jeremiah's admission.

But what if he didn't get in? Surely he could go to some other good college. (He would seem perfect for Oberlin.) For a movie that's out to tweak the control-freak nature of the college-application process, "Admission," in the end, bows down far too slavishly to it. It confuses achievement with acceptance. Grade: B

See the original story at EW.com.

Via: Review: 'Admission'

Review: 'Spring Breakers'

(CNN) -- A film poet and provocateur probably more famous for his bombed-out appearances on David Letterman, Harmony Korine made a name for himself in 1995 with "Kids," Larry Clark's brutally unsentimental film about the teenage sex drive from a screenplay Korine had written when he was 18.

Fast-forward nearly two decades. Korine, now 40, is no longer the enfant terrible. He's married, a father, and perhaps starting to chafe against the marginalization that comes with such willfully independent ventures as "Gummo," "Julian Donkey-Boy" and "Mister Lonely." His last film, "Trash Humpers," was a fake found-footage romp about the exploits of senior citizens, hooligans who roamed the slums at night causing mayhem. It appeared on several critics' best and worst films of the year lists but scarcely caused a blip on the mainstream cultural radar.

Korine's new film, "Spring Breakers," has already made a bigger splash and represents a rare potential intersection between the experimental art film and the multiplex. But it remains to be seen if fans of former Disney Channel starlets Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Benson will be thrilled or scandalized by what they see. Like "Kids," "Spring Breakers" suggests that young people behave very differently among their peers than they do with adults.

Although the Christian goody two-shoes Faith (Gomez) eventually demurs, her college classmates Candy (Hudgens), Brit (Benson) and Cotty (Rachel Korine, Harmony's wife) just say yes to any proposition that comes their way, no matter how sleazy.

Time and again, Harmony Korine cuts between the saccharine platitudes Faith feeds to her grandmother over the phone about how spring break in Florida has proved a positive and empowering experience, and rather less salubrious footage of the rampant hedonism, drug and alcohol abuse, and orgiastic all-night parties the friends indulge in (some of which appears to be reality footage).

Even before taking off for Florida, the girls stick up a restaurant to bankroll the trip. Hard to imagine Connie Francis putting on a latex face mask and yanking out an imitation automatic weapon back in her day.

Part cautionary tale, part leering, lascivious walk on the wild side, "Spring Breakers" doesn't quite fit into a conservative "crime does not pay" mold, but when Faith resists the sweet advances dripped into her ear by James Franco's tattooed, gold-toothed, corn-rowed drug dealer, a silver-tongued Lucifer who calls himself Alien, there is a palpable sense that virtue is its own reward.

Alien is a grotesque creation, a white rapper Tony Montana who bails the girls out of jail when he learns they have nothing more than the bikinis they're standing in. But in Korine's imagination these bored college kids are more debauched and dangerous than Alien dreams.

Shot in hot lurid pinks and greens by Benoit Debie ("Enter the Void"), "Spring Breakers" has the quality of a fever dream, a narcotic nightmare in which voices loop and echo into a mantra or a dirge, and weird, stunted, self-contained scenes slip in and out of focus. It's a bad trip, but a trip with moments of blitzed out bliss -- like the odd, happy/sad communal moment around a grand piano, one of Alien's unexpected toys, when the dealer and his new entourage break into Britney Spears' "Baby One More Time."

Via: Review: 'Spring Breakers'

Jackson questioned about death

Los Angeles (CNN) -- Paris Jackson, the 14-year-old daughter of Michael Jackson, is being questioned Thursday about her father's last days as part of her family's wrongful death lawsuit against a concert promoter.

In addition, Jackson lawyers told the judge in a court filing this week they were concerned that lawyers for AEG Live, the company accused of liability in Jackson's death, were "behaving aggressively and erratically" in their questioning of the Jackson children.

AEG Live asked Los Angeles Superior Judge Yvette Palazuelos to order Blanket Jackson to appear for a deposition, but his doctor warned it would be "medically detrimental" to the 10-year-old boy, according to the court filing.

When AEG Live lawyers deposed Prince Jackson, 16, earlier this month, they asked questions intended "to agitate the boy, creating serious concern among his guardians and attorneys," the document said.

Prince "testified that he was intimately involved in his father's affairs," an AEG Live lawyer said in an e-mail defending the questioning.

The wrongful death lawsuit is a high-stakes contest. Prince, Paris, Blanket and their grandmother, Katherine Jackson, are suing AEG Live for billions of dollars. The trial is set to begin in Los Angeles next month.

Jackson lawyers complained that AEG Live lawyers engaged in "a concerted tactical effort made to harass and burden the Jackson family through these abusive discovery processes."

While Blanket -- who was just 6 when his father died on June 25, 2009 -- will not be called as a witness in the trial, AEG Live has tried to force him to sit for a deposition, the filing said.

Blanket's doctor provided a letter saying it would be "medically detrimental" to the boy. "Yet defendants still to this day say they may move to compel Blanket's deposition," the Jackson filing said.

Jackson lawyers accused AEG Live lawyers of mistreating Prince when he was deposed on a recent Saturday. They "behaved in a manner designed to agitate the boy, creating serious concern among his guardians and attorneys," their filing said.

"Defense counsel asked the boy completely irrelevant and repetitive personal questions about whether he sends text messages, whether he send text messages from his phone, and whether he 'tweets,'" they said. "Defense counsel also asked the boy about every place he had ever lived, every teacher he had ever had and about his current efforts to start a career in addition to being a full-time student -- none of which have anything to do with the case at hand."

AEG Live lawyer Jessica Stebbins Bina, in an e-mail included in the court filing, defended her co-counsel Marvin Putnam's questioning of Prince.

"My understanding is that the deposition proceeded with appropriate questioning, and that the questions were legitimate questions appropriate to a wrongful death suit," she said.

The Jackson lawyers also complained about the questioning of family matriarch Katherine Jackson, who is 82. AEG Live lawyers deposed her for nine hours over three days and are asking for a fourth chance, they said. The questioning could have been easily done in two or three hours, they told the judge.

The lawsuit contends that AEG Live is responsible for Jackson's death because it hired and supervised Dr. Conrad Murray, who was administering the surgical anesthetic propofol to Jackson each night for a month to induce sleep as he prepared for a series of concerts organized by AEG Live.

AEG Live contends that Michael Jackson chose Murray as his personal physician. The promoter denies having hired or supervised Murray.

Via: Jackson questioned about death

Dr. Oz insomnia cure lawsuit

(CNN) -- A home remedy for insomnia shared by Dr. Oz on his TV show left a New Jersey man sick, sore, lame and disabled from third-degree burns, according to a lawsuit filed last week in New York.

Dr. Mehmet Oz called it "my night sleep special" on the April 17, 2012, episode of his NBC show titled "Dr. Oz's 24-Hour Ultimate Energy Boost Plan."

It's the "Knapsack Heated Rice Footsie." Specifically, it is a pair of socks with uncooked rice -- "just enough to fill the toe of the sock" -- and heated in a microwave oven.

"You put this in the microwave until it's warm," Oz told viewers. "Don't get it too hot, just warm."

Put the socks on your feet and go to bed, he said.

"When you do this and lie for about 20 minutes with those socks on in bed, the heat will divert blood to your feet to your heat," Oz said. "when your feet get hot, guess what happens to your body. It gets cold. Your body will automatically adjust its core temperature and as it gets cooler, you're going to be able to sleep better because your body has to be cold in order to be sleepy."

This, in combination with a cup of Rooibos Tea to reduce "tensions, headaches and irritability," should put you to sleep, Oz said.

"If you can do this the right way, you're going to be thanking me for years to come," he said.

Frank Dietl, watching the show in his Southampton, New Jersey, tried it that night.

"Dietl was severely injured, bruised, and wounded, suffered, still suffers and will continue to suffer for some time physical pain and bodily injuries and became sick, sore, lame and disabled and so remained for a considerable length of time," said the civil complaint, filed last Friday in a New York state court.

Dietl, 76, suffers from "neuropathy of the lower extremities," a result of diabetes, according to the lawsuit. The condition means Dietl has "a diminished sensation in his feet," it said. He couldn't tell whether the rice was dangerously hot.

Dr. Oz and his producers and distributors -- including co-defendants NBC, Sony Pictures Television, ZoCo Productions and Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Productions -- should have warned viewers such as Dietl, the suit said. It was "reasonably foreseeable" that someone suffering from neuropathy might have tried the "Knapsack Heated Rice Footsie" and "thereby sustain serious physical injury."

Oz neglected his "duty and obligation to warn viewing audience as to the possible effects of following the advice offered" and "to warn against certain effects of said medical advice as to those persons suffering from other additional medical conditions," it said.

Dietl is asking the court to award him monetary damages for the "careless and negligent manner in which the defendants offered medical advice." His injuries caused him to be "confined to bed and home, has required medical attention, and has been prevented for some time to come, from pursuing his usual and ordinary activities," the suit said.

A spokesman for the show gave CNN a brief response to the lawsuit.

Via: Dr. Oz insomnia cure lawsuit

Bobby Brown out of jail in hours

Los Angeles (CNN) -- Bobby Brown walked out of a Los Angeles County jail after serving just nine hours of a 55-day sentence imposed for his second drunken driving conviction in a year.

A Los Angeles County probation officer determined that Brown, the ex-husband of Whitney Houston, was eligible to serve his time at home if he wore an electronic monitor bracelet, Los Angeles County Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said. The singer is technically still in custody and under the control of the probation department, he said.

"He is presently home with family," his lawyer, Christopher Brown, said Thursday. "Mr. Brown has accepted responsibility for what occurred last October 2012. Mr. Brown is pleased that the matter has been resolved and to be home with this wife and young son."

Brown can take the bracelet, which he is paying for, off his leg after eight days, the same amount of time he would have otherwise spent behind bars, Whitmore said.

Good behavior rules and jail overcrowding guidelines add up to a sharp reduction in actual time served for county inmates, Whitmore said.

Brown, 44, was taken into custody at the Van Nuys, California, courthouse Wednesday, but was free about 10 hours later, Whitmore said.

The singer pleaded no contest to a drunken driving offense, driving with a suspended license and violating his probation from another drunken driving conviction last year.

He spent time in a "confidential rehabilitation center" last August as part of his plea deal for the April 2012 arrest.

He was arrested again in October after a police officer smelled "a strong scent of alcohol" when he approached Brown during the Ventura Boulevard traffic stop, a police spokesman said.

Brown and Houston divorced in 2007. He has one daughter, Bobbi Kristina, from his relationship with Houston, as well as three other children. Houston died a little more than a year ago.

Via: Bobby Brown out of jail in hours

Fans driving new projects

(CNN) -- So, what would you like to see make it to your screen next?

Soon it might just be that easy to bring a movie or TV concept you have been longing for to fruition.

As the recent successful Kickstarter campaign to partially fund a "Veronica Mars" movie proves, fans are having more say today about Hollywood's direction than ever.

It begs the question: Will fans soon have the power to override studios and TV executives altogether to get a project green-lit?

"We are seeing the next wave in the democratization of media," said Craig Detweiler, director of the Center for Entertainment, Media and Culture at Pepperdine University. "It's gone from 'everyone can be a filmmaker' to, in a sense, 'everyone can be an executive.'"

"For decades studio execs have tried to figure out what fans want. Now Kickstarter is giving (fans) the ability to vote with their dollars.

In some ways, it seemed destined to happen.

Thanks to the explosion of social media in the past few years, viewers were able to quickly rally around -- or in some cases skewer -- everything from new music to the latest viral video. Who needs to wait until the morning after to dissect an awards show with friends when you can share your feelings with the Twittershpere in real time, with a hashtag to make it easier to find?

With so many people marathon watching their favorite TV shows, Netflix took the innovative step of making their first original series, "House of Cards," available as a full season at once, rather than week to week like the average show.

The gamble appears to have played right into the hands of consumers who hate to wait. (Don't believe that? Check social media when ABC pulls "Scandal" for a few weeks here and there; the roar from fans is deafening.)

The Verge recently reported that Ted Sarandos, chief content officer at Netflix, said "House of Cards" is "the most-watched thing on Netflix right now." The executive said that despite having an entire season available to viewers to watch at their discretion, or ahead of their friends who may also be watching, "it's still water cooler" chatter. "

"It creates a whole other etiquette around discussing shows and potentially spoiling plot points," The Verge reported on its site. "We're not encouraging people to binge," Sarandos said, but adds he thinks the show works better when watching one or two at a time.

Hollywood appears to be paying attention to the power of the fan. Thomas Gewecke is Warner Bros. Digital Distribution president and was an internal studio advocate for the Kickstarter campaign, which so far has netted more than $3 million in pledges for a "Veronica Mars" film. (Warner Bros. is owned by CNN's parent company.)

"The 'Veronica Mars' show has such an incredible fan base," Gewecke told the Los Angeles Times. "When Rob (Thomas, creator of the 'Veronica Mars' television series) came to us with the Kickstarter idea, we saw a unique opportunity to take a fantastic product, a wonderful universe that has so much richness and depth to it, and to try to have a new approach to how we do these projects."

Pepperdine's Detweiler said it's a smart move by studios.

"You have a built in fan base that is already working as your promotion and marketing department," said Detweiler, who is also the author of the forthcoming book "iGod" about how technology shapes people's spiritual lives. "They've already bought in for the first weekend of screenings, so the only thing you have to figure out is your upside."

It's not just movies and TV where audiences are wielding influence. When '90s female band Luscious Jackson reunited to produce more music, they sought out fan donations via PledgeMusic. Detweiler pointed out that along with the fan support could also come big expectations for those who may have raised their hopes possibly as high as the dollar amounts they paid to get the project off the ground.

Via: Fans driving new projects

New accusations against Elmo star

(CNN) -- The puppeteer who gave Sesame Street's Elmo his voice allegedly threw a crystal meth sex party for a teenage boy in 2004, according to a federal lawsuit filed this week.

Sheldon Stephens, now 24, is the fourth man to sue Kevin Clash, but he was the first one to publicly claim he had a sexual relationship with him as a teen.

Stephens' lawsuit is "meritless and barred by the statute of limitations," Clash lawyer Michael Berger told CNN Tuesday. "Mr. Clash continues to deny any wrongdoing, and we intend to defend this case forcefully."

Although Stephens called it an "an adult consensual relationship" last November, the revelation triggered Clash's suspension from Sesame Street and eventually his resignation.

Clash, who provided the high-pitched voice of the iconic furry red Elmo since 1984, acknowledged a relationship between "two consenting adults" when Stephens' story first emerged, but he said it otherwise was a "false and defamatory allegation."

"I am a gay man," Clash, 52, said in a statement in November. "I have never been ashamed of this or tried to hide it, but felt it was a personal and private matter."

When heroes disappoint our kids

Three other men soon emerged with federal lawsuits, filed last November and December, accusing Clash of befriending them as teenager then engaging in sex with them. They are all represented by Florida lawyer Jeff Herman, who also filed Stephens' lawsuit Monday.

Clash's lawyer has asked a judge to dismiss the three other suits based on his argument that the men waited too long to sue. The federal statute of limitations on such civil cases is six years, while their allegations involve relationships that ended more than 10 years ago, Berger said in a court filing this month.

Each lawsuit contends that the men only realized in the last year or so that they suffered psychological and emotional damage from their encounters with Clash.

"Clash was an adult male living a prominent public life centered around the entertainment of toddlers, while at the same time he was, in secret, preying on teenage boys to satisfy his depraved sexual interests," the Stephens suit alleged.

While the allegations in the newest suit mirror what the other men contend, Stephens' complaint is the only one to allege drug use by Clash.

"Clash smoked crystal meth while engaging in sexual activity with Sheldon," the lawsuit said. "Clash also gave Sheldon 'poppers' as a sexual aide. While Clash had sexual contact with Sheldon, the chauffeur watched and masturbated." "Poppers" generally refers to alkyl nitrites in capsule form that produce a physical rush when broken and inhaled: crystal meth refers to crystal methamphetamine.

Stephens was 16 when he met Clash in New York "at a social networking event for models and actors," the suit said.

"Clash told Sheldon he would help Sheldon with his acting career," it said.

Clash resigned from his job on "Sesame Street" after the first lawsuit was filed in November.

"I am resigning from Sesame Workshop with a very heavy heart," Clash said in a written statement at the time. "I have loved every day of my 28 years working for this exceptional organization. Personal matters have diverted attention away from the important work Sesame Street is doing and I cannot allow it to go on any longer. I am deeply sorry to be leaving and am looking forward to resolving these personal matters privately."

Via: New accusations against Elmo star

Lohan accepts plea deal

Los Angeles (CNN) -- Lindsay Lohan agreed to spend 90 days in a "locked in" drug rehab facility as part of a plea deal to settle criminal charges against her Monday.

The actress entered pleas of no contest on two misdemeanor charges relating to a traffic accident last summer, and she did not challenge the finding that she violated her shoplifting probation with those convictions.

"A suggestion -- don't drive," Los Angeles Superior Judge James Dabney told Lohan after he handed down her sentence.

Her six years of legal troubles trace back to two drunken driving arrests in 2007 and include other incidents in which she was behind the wheel.

While Michael Lohan was satisfied his daughter would get drug treatment in rehab -- not jail -- her father expressed anger outside the courthouse with her lawyer, Mark Heller.

"I want to know why are you're still up here?" Michael Lohan shouted at Heller. "Go home, you've done enough damage. Leave my daughter alone and stay out of the press. You're a parasite."

Lawyer: Lindsay Lohan needs luck

Lohan said Heller "just wants to use my daughter as way to get his name in the papers."

A sheriff's deputy stepped between Michael Lohan and Heller to separate the men.

"My reaction is one of sadness and compassion for the conduct that that gentleman is displaying publicly," Heller told reporters later.

Michael Lohan accused Heller of unethical and criminal conduct in his representation of his daughter, saying prosecutors were investigating Heller for tampering with "a star witness" in Lohan's case.

"It is an open investigation and they just told me they are investigating him," Michael Lohan said.

Los Angeles County district attorney spokeswoman Jane Robison said that office is not involved in the case.

The spokesman for the Los Angeles city attorney's office said he was unaware of any probe. The spokeman for the Santa Monica city attorney's office, which was involved in the case, did not immediately respond to CNN's call.

Heller said he was not aware of what Michael Lohan was alleging.

"That's a very sad and unfortunate statement," Heller said. "Anybody is able in this great country to make any allegations that they want."

He then brought the interview back to Lindsay Lohan.

"The only issue here today is that a sweet, wonderful 26-year-old girl has finally been able to bring some closure to a chapter in her life that has been very unfortunate," Heller sad. "Lindsay Lohan has been very fragile and very concerned by what's been happening here and the only thing I've been concerned about is that we've been able to give her story a very, very happy ending."

Lindsay Lohan: The reality show we don't want to watch

She is "now on a wonderful path and a journey that I think is going to be very rewarding," he said. "Today marks the first day of the rest of her life and her comeback is right before us."

Although Lohan was sentenced to jail time, including five days and 90 days on two charges, the judge will allow her to serve it in rehab.

The sentence extends Lohan's probation for two years and requires 18 months of psychotherapy.

"This is it," Dabney told her. "You violate your probation, and we're not going to have discussions of putting you back on probation."

Lohan was charged with reckless driving and lying to a police officer about a June 2012 car crash in which her Porsche crashed in to a dump truck on the Pacific Coast Highway in Santa Monica, California. Her arrest triggered the probation violation charge.

The police report said Lohan denied being behind the wheel, but the prosecutor was expected to call witnesses who say she was driving.

"I think Lindsay needed to go and just deal with some of her issues," her father said Monday. "She got exactly what she needs.

Lindsay Lohan acknowledged her drug and alcohol addiction in past court appearances.

She's spent 250 days in five rehab facilities since January 2007, including one long court-ordered stint after a failed drug test.

The actress has appeared in court at least 20 times before four Los Angeles judges who have now found her in violation of probation six times and sentenced her to a total of nine months in jail.

Lohan has spent about two weeks behind bars in six trips to the Los Angeles County jail, served 35 days under house arrest and worked about 67 days of community service at the county morgue.

Via: Lohan accepts plea deal

Rapper released from hospital

Los Angeles (CNN) -- Rapper Lil Wayne has been released from a Los Angeles hospital where he was taken after suffering a seizure last week, his publicist said late Monday night.

The 30-year-old rapper's hospitalization at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center triggered media reports that he was near death -- rumors his associates were quick to squash. Few details about his medical condition were made public.

On Monday night, Mack Maine, the president of Wayne's label, Young Money, thanked the hospital.

"@LilTunechi has been officially been released and is headed home...God is great," he tweeted.

Lil Tunechi is Lil Wayne's nickname, as well as his Twitter handle.

An online report that Lil Wayne was near death and on life support Friday cause panic among his fans and caused Twitter to light up with messages of concern.

"I'm good everybody," the rapper tweeted Friday evening, helping defuse the concerns. "Thnx for the prayers and love."

Young Money publicist Sarah Cunningham acknowledged Friday that Lil Wayne had had a seizure, but members of the New Orleans artist's camp have shot down reports that he was near death.

"Dont believe the nonsense about comas and tubes to breathe ... that's false!!" Maine tweeted Friday night.

Instead of ighting for his life, Lil Wayne was watching the Syracuse University Orange play the Georgetown Hoyas in the Big East men's basketball tournament, he said.

Born Dwayne Carter, Lil Wayne is one of the rap world's most successful artists.

He won best rap album for "Tha Carter III" at the 2008 Grammy awards and took home three more Grammys the next year.

Beyond winning over critics, he's also been a commercial success.

In September, Billboard reported the rapper had tallied 109 hits on its Hot 100, surpassing the record previously held by Elvis Presley.

But he's also run into trouble outside the studio and off stage.

Via: Rapper released from hospital

Lil Wayne 'good, just resting'

Los Angeles (CNN) -- Rapper Lil Wayne's "just resting" two days after suffering a seizure that sent him to a Los Angeles hospital and triggered media reports that he was near death.

Details about the Grammy-winning and multiplatinum-selling hip hop artist's medical problem have been few, but it appears the reports of his demise were exaggerated.

"He's good, just resting," said a close friend who visited the rapper at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Saturday night.

Lil Wayne fans around the world were stunned by the reports. Twitter lit up with rumors, spreading fears of the worst for Wayne's outcome, but a Tweet in his name attempted to calm the tempest. "I'm good everybody," read a message from Lil Wayne's Twitter account Friday evening. "Thnx for the prayers and love."

There was no weeping for "Weezy," as he's known among his friends, in the hallway near his hospital room Friday night. They talked more about a Twitter feud that erupted Friday between rappers Gucci Mane and Waka Flocka than about Lil Wayne's condition.

Fellow rapper Drake was one of several of Lil Wayne's Young Money record label mates who have visited him since Friday night.

Young Money publicist Sarah Cunningham acknowledged Friday that Lil Wayne had had a seizure, but members of the New Orleans artist's camp have shot down reports that he was near death.

"Dont believe the nonsense about comas and tubes to breathe ... that's false!!" tweeted Mack Maine, the president of Lil Wayne's Young Money label, around 5:20 p.m. (8:20 p.m. ET) Friday.

Maine didn't offer much detail, though he did say that he and Lil Wayne had been watching the Syracuse University Orange play the Georgetown Hoyas in the Big East men's basketball tournament.

"Wayne is alive and well!" the record label president wrote on Twitter.

The rapper's independent publicist, Kia Selby, said only, "Lil Wayne is doing well." She strongly denied reports he was in a medically induced coma, as reported by TMZ.

Born Dwayne Carter, Lil Wayne is one of the rap world's most successful artists. He won best rap album for "Tha Carter III" at the 2008 Grammy awards and took home three more Grammys the next year.

Beyond winning over critics, he's also been a commercial success. Last September, Billboard reported the rapper had tallied 109 hits on its Hot 100, surpassing the record previously held by Elvis Presley.

But he's also run into trouble outside the studio and off stage.

Via: Lil Wayne 'good, just resting'

Court drama awaits Lohan

Los Angeles (CNN) -- Lindsay Lohan agreed to spend 90 days in a "locked in" drug rehab facility as part of a plea deal to settle criminal charges against her Monday.

The actress entered pleas of no contest on two misdemeanor charges relating to a traffic accident last summer, and she did not challenge the finding that she violated her shoplifting probation with those convictions.

"A suggestion -- don't drive," Los Angeles Superior Judge James Dabney told Lohan after he handed down her sentence.

Her six years of legal troubles trace back to two drunken driving arrests in 2007 and include other incidents in which she was behind the wheel.

While Michael Lohan was satisfied his daughter would get drug treatment in rehab -- not jail -- her father expressed anger outside the courthouse with her lawyer, Mark Heller.

"I want to know why are you're still up here?" Michael Lohan shouted at Heller. "Go home, you've done enough damage. Leave my daughter alone and stay out of the press. You're a parasite."

Lohan said Heller "just wants to use my daughter as way to get his name in the papers."

A sheriff's deputy stepped between Michael Lohan and Heller to separate the men.

"My reaction is one of sadness and compassion for the conduct that that gentleman is displaying publicly," Heller told reporters later.

Michael Lohan accused Heller of unethical and criminal conduct in his representation of his daughter, saying prosecutors were investigating Heller for tampering with "a star witness" in Lohan's case.

"It is an open investigation and they just told me they are investigating him," Michael Lohan said.

Los Angeles County district attorney spokeswoman Jane Robison said that office is not involved in the case.

The spokesman for the Los Angeles city attorney's office said he was unaware of any probe. The spokeman for the Santa Monica city attorney's office, which was involved in the case, did not immediately respond to CNN's call.

Heller said he was not aware of what Michael Lohan was alleging.

"That's a very sad and unfortunate statement," Heller said. "Anybody is able in this great country to make any allegations that they want."

He then brought the interview back to Lindsay Lohan.

"The only issue here today is that a sweet, wonderful 26-year-old girl has finally been able to bring some closure to a chapter in her life that has been very unfortunate," Heller sad. "Lindsay Lohan has been very fragile and very concerned by what's been happening here and the only thing I've been concerned about is that we've been able to give her story a very, very happy ending."

She is "now on a wonderful path and a journey that I think is going to be very rewarding," he said. "Today marks the first day of the rest of her life and her comeback is right before us."

Although Lohan was sentenced to jail time, including five days and 90 days on two charges, the judge will allow her to serve it in rehab.

The sentence extends Lohan's probation for two years and requires 18 months of psychotherapy.

"This is it," Dabney told her. "You violate your probation, and we're not going to have discussions of putting you back on probation."

Lohan was charged with reckless driving and lying to a police officer about a June 2012 car crash in which her Porsche crashed in to a dump truck on the Pacific Coast Highway in Santa Monica, California. Her arrest triggered the probation violation charge.

The police report said Lohan denied being behind the wheel, but the prosecutor was expected to call witnesses who say she was driving.

"I think Lindsay needed to go and just deal with some of her issues," her father said Monday. "She got exactly what she needs.

Lindsay Lohan acknowledged her drug and alcohol addiction in past court appearances.

She's spent 250 days in five rehab facilities since January 2007, including one long court-ordered stint after a failed drug test.

The actress has appeared in court at least 20 times before four Los Angeles judges who have now found her in violation of probation six times and sentenced her to a total of nine months in jail.

Via: Court drama awaits Lohan

More court drama awaits Lindsay Lohan

Los Angeles (CNN) -- The soap opera that is Lindsay Lohan offers more drama after the actress missed a Sunday night flight to Los Angeles where she goes on trial Monday morning.

The good news is the courthouse is close to Los Angeles International Airport, in case Lohan, 26, finds another red-eye flight from New York.

Travel logistics may not be Lohan's biggest worry, though.

Which lawyer will represent her in her lying-to-cops trial this week is uncertain after a judge said he was "somewhat concerned" her New York lawyer didn't have a good grasp of California criminal law.

"Somebody needs to come in to assist you who has some experience in California law for procedure, or Miss Lohan is going to have to come in here and waive her right to have attorneys who are competent in California law and procedure to go forward," Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James Dabney told attorney Mark Heller at a March 1 hearing.

Lohan faces charges of lying to a police officer about a car crash, reckless driving and violating her probation for a shoplifting conviction.

She faces the possibility of going to jail if she is found guilty of any of the charges.

If so, she may have to serve 245 days -- the remainder of her suspended sentence from a shoplifting conviction.

Lohan in court?

She does not have to attend her own trial, since the charges are misdemeanors, her previous judge said in January.

But Judge Dabney did make it clear at the last hearing that Lohan had to be at court this Monday unless Heller has an experienced California criminal lawyer by his side.

While Lohan sat in a John F. Kennedy International Airport concourse late Sunday searching for a new flight to Los Angeles, she may have also considered accepting help from her her father -- someone she has publicly feuded with.

Michael Lohan, who has been critical of Heller's legal skills, hired David Wohl, who practices criminal law in Orange County in hopes his daughter would allow him to defend her.

Adding Wohl to the defense team could get Lohan off the hook for having to get to court Monday morning.

Wohl used a Twitter message Friday in an effort to convince Lohan to accept him: "@lindsaylohan My law firm was hired by your Dad. He wants nothing but the best for you. We will be there Monday to help, if we're allowed."

Beating the rap

Even with that hurdle jumped, beating the rap still stands before Lohan.

The lying charge stems from what Lohan told a police officer at the hospital emergency room after her Porche crashed in to a dump truck on the Pacific Coast Highway in Santa Monica.

The police report said Lohan denied being being the wheel, but the prosecutor is expected to call witnesses who say she was driving.

Heller has questioned the legality of police questioning Lohan while she was being checked by doctor at a hospital. He said he would try to get her statement excluded from the trial.

But if Lohan is found not guilty of lying, the judge could still decide that she violated her probation by being arrested.

Another possibility is the charges could be settled with a plea deal, but Heller made it clear another stint in drug rehab is not on the table.

"She does not need rehab," Heller told reporters after the last hearing. "I am hoping we will be able to come to some creative out-of-the-box answer."

Lohan is already undergoing "one-on-one psychotherapy," he said.

"Lindsay doesn't have a problem with alcohol and drugs," Heller said. "Lindsay has other types of issues that are being dealt with."

Another installment

Lohan acknowledged her drug and alcohol addiction in past court appearances.

She's spent 250 days in five rehab facilities since January 2007, including one long court-ordered rehab stint after a failed drug test.

Whatever happens in court Monday -- with or without Lohan -- it will be another installment in a six-year soap opera that shows no signs of being canceled.

It is a drama in which the lead actress has appeared in court at least 20 times before four Los Angeles judges who found her in violation of probation five times and sentenced her to a total of six months in jail.

Via: More court drama awaits Lindsay Lohan