The trainers of the caged elephants used in Britney Spears' music video for "Circus" has spoken out following PETA's allegation that they have abused the animals.
The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has recently issued a statement chiding the returning pop princess for her "cruelty" to animals. It also claims that the group contacted her prior to the filming of her music video and "explained in graphic detail how trainers shock, whip and beat exotic animals into performing."
PETA also singled out Gari and Kari Johnson, the trainers of the elephants and owners of Have Trunk Will Travel company, as having "long histories of exploiting animals."
On Tuesday, the duo responded to the charges, denying the alleged cruelty they were accused of.
Kari wrote to MTV News, saying, "My husband, Gary, and I do indeed have a long history with elephants. Our love of and infatuation with elephants started for both of us in our teens, 37 years ago. To say we care about elephants welfare is an understatement."
"Have Trunk Will Travel has never issued a written endorsement, nor does it condone using electrical devices to discipline and control elephants except in situations where elephant or human safety is at risk. PETA may conveniently used a sentence out of context from a USDA request for public comments regarding policies on elephants in 2000."
She also insisted that a representative from the American Humane Association was present the entire time during the video's filming.
Via allheadlinenews.com
Elephant Trainers From Britney Spears' "Circus" Video Fires Back At PETA
miércoles, 10 de diciembre de 2008 | Etiquetas: Britney Spears, PETA
"Twilight" director Catherine Hardwicke won't be back for "New Moon," the sequel to the hit teen vampire romance.
Summit Entertainment, which released "Twilight" last month, said the scheduled release of "New Moon" in late 2009 or early 2010 conflicts with Hardwicke's desired planning time. The film, based on the second book in Stephenie Meyer's series, continues to follow the forbidden relationship between vampire Edward Cullen and high schooler Bella Swan.
Stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart will reprise their roles for part two.
Hardwicke, whose previous films include "Thirteen" and "Lords of Dogtown," had the highest opening ever for a female director when "Twilight" made nearly $70 million in its first weekend. It's grossed over $138 million in three weeks.
"I am sorry that due to timing I will not have the opportunity to direct `New Moon,'" Hardwicke said Sunday in a joint news release with Summit. "Directing `Twilight' has been one of the great experiences of my life, and I am grateful to the fans for their passionate support of the film. I wish everyone at Summit the best with the sequel — it is a great story."
Erik Feig, Summit's president of production, thanked Hardwicke and said she did "an incredible job in helping us to launch the `Twilight' franchise."
"We as a studio have a mandate to bring the next installment in the franchise to the big screen in a timely fashion so that fans can get more of Edward, Bella and all of the characters that Stephenie Meyer has created," said Feig.
Hardwicke did not return a call left on her home phone Monday, but a man's voice on the outgoing message said in part: "We've been kicked out of the `Twilight' editorial, so we're homeless, so please leave your name and number after the tone."
Via associatedpress
Actor Vinnie Jones has been arrested and charged after a bar fight in the US town of Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Jones was charged with simple assault and released on bail on Friday, police told the Associated Press news agency.
Former football star Jones, 43, was earlier treated in hospital for cuts to his face from a beer glass.
Jesse Bickett, of Montrose, South Dakota, was arrested on charges of aggravated assault for allegedly hitting Jones with a glass.
A police sergeant said Jones allegedly charged at Mr Bickett, who hit him with the glass.
The Sioux Falls Argus Leader carried pictures of Jones in the city's Wiley's Tavern, reportedly taken shortly before the incident on Thursday night.
A spokeswoman for Sanford USD Medical Centre said of the star: "He was brought in for observation. He had a laceration of the head and a nasal injury. He has since been discharged."
Jones has starred in Snatch, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Gone in Sixty Seconds and X-Men: The Last Stand.
A friend of Mr Bickett said they were playing pool when Jones asked to play, and then seemed to take offence when someone asked if he was "that guy from X-Men".
Jones earned a reputation when a professional footballer for being one of the British game's hardest men.
He captained the Welsh football team and also played for Wimbledon, Chelsea and Leeds and was player-coach at Queens Park Rangers before turning to acting.
Via bbc.co.uk
Paula Abdul was so shaken by the apparent suicide of an obsessed fan outside her Los Angeles home three weeks ago that she hasn't slept there since.
"I've been staying in different homes and hotels, and I have security with me," she tells PEOPLE.
"It was very tragic and very upsetting to hear," Abdul says of the death of Paula Goodspeed, a fan who auditioned for American Idol's fifth season. "She had tried to do this before, and it was just heartbreaking ... It was in the middle of Hollywood week, and it happened while I was actually working at the Kodak Theatre, and it was devastating to hear."
While producers were informed shortly after police discovered Goodspeed's body, no one let Abdul know until after they had finished taping Idol for the day. "It wasn't fun," Abdul says.
Ill-Timed Tragedy
The tragedy came in the middle of an extremely busy time for Abdul, who, besides working on the new Idol season, recently taped a new MTV cheerleading squad competition special, Rah!, (which airs in January) and has been preparing to launch her Forever Your Girl accessories line on HSN Dec. 13 and 14.
Yet work, she says, "gives me diversion. I always feel like if I can divert my brain to something else then I'll be okay. That's why I like to multitask."
She is also thankful to others for their help during the ordeal. "I have my family, and I have my good friends who've completely opened their hearts and their doors to me, which is great."
Abdul says she is now preparing to put her house on the market: "I am in the process of looking for another place to reside."
Reagrding details of Goodspeed's obsession, Abdul has been told not to talk about it, given the ongoing police investigation. "I'd love to tell you so much more," she says, "but I'm holding my tongue."
Obsessed Fans
Abdul similarly could not comment on the flowers Goodspeed had sent to her just before the apparent suicide, or how many times she had encountered Goodspeed since her infamous Idol audition.
This is not the first time Abdul has dealt with an obsessed fan. In 1993, "this gentleman was writing letters everyday from prison saying he was getting out in 120 days, then 119 days, all the way down to he's getting out and he's coming to get my mom and I," she recalls.
"Thank God we were in Canada for my touring, and after that we were in Washington and he made a threat against the President, so he's in jail for the rest of his life," she says. "He had tattoos of me all over his body."
After getting through her accessories launch and the new season of American Idol, Abdul says, "I'm going to go on a vacation of some sort. I haven't taken a vacation in a long time. And I'm gonna go far away so no one can find me!"
Via people.com
Australia gives Ledger posthumous best-actor award
lunes, 8 de diciembre de 2008 | Etiquetas: Batman, Heath Ledger
The Australian Film Institute has posthumously given a best-actor award to Heath Ledger for his performance as the Joker in "The Dark Knight."
Ledger's father, Kim; mother, Sally; and sister Kate accepted the award in ceremonies held Saturday night in Melbourne.
The Australian Film Institute said: "It was this swaggering, psychopathic clown that turned his career into a legacy and the name Heath Ledger into an ongoing inspiration for actors everywhere."
Ledger's performance in the Batman blockbuster is regarded as having a solid chance for a posthumous Academy Award for best supporting actor.
Via associatedpress
Record breaking Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke will now not direct its sequel, New Moon.
According to reports, the US film-maker felt that she needed more time to work on the film and could not commit to a late 2009-early 2010 release date.
"I am sorry that due to timing I will not have the opportunity to direct New Moon," said Hardwicke in a statement.
Producer Summit Entertainment said it had "a mandate" to release the next instalment "in a timely fashion".
"We are able to pursue an aggressive time frame as we have the luxury of only adapting the novels into screenplays, as opposed to having to create a storyline from scratch," said Summit's Erik Feig.
'Great story'
Based on the novel by Stephenie Meyer, Twilight tells of a young girl, played by Kristen Stewart, who falls in love with a vampire, played by Robert Pattinson.
The film has been hugely successful in the US, where it set a new record for the biggest opening weekend for movie directed by a woman.
Hardwicke, whose other pictures include Thirteen and The Nativity Story, said New Moon had "a great story" and sent Summit her best wishes.
No replacement for the sequel has been named, while the film has yet to announce when it will commence shooting.
Twilight, which had its London premiere last week, opens in the UK on 19 December.
Via bbc.co.uk
Pamela Anderson stunned onlookers when she arrived at a prestigious art fair wearing just a T-shirt and underwear.
Pamela Anderson stunned onlookers when she arrived at a prestigious art fair wearing just a T-shirt and underwear.
The 41-year-old star - who has two sons with ex-husband Tommy Lee - seemed unaware of the controversy she was causing at the Art Basel Miami Beach fair, and later posed for photographs bending over paintings with her butt in the air.
An onlooker said: "It was unbelievable. Her outfit was more suited to a party at the Playboy mansion than an important art event."
Pamela accessorised her orange and black underwear and grey T-shirt with patent pink shoes and a Campbell's Soup clutch handbag - paying tribute to revolutionary 60s artist Andy Warhol.
Other "celebrities" at the Florida event included Paris Hilton, who joined Pamela to look at 'Jesus Is My Homeboy', an exhibition featuring the work of photographer and movie director David LaChapelle.
As David showed the famous pair around his work, Pamela eagerly reached out to hug a photograph of herself.
Via monsterandcritics.com
Emma Watson has revealed she’ll happily shed her image as a child actress - and shed her clothes if the right role comes along.
Her Harry Potter co-star Daniel Radcliffe caused controversy last year when he signed up for West End (and later Broadway) show Equus, which involved him stripping naked on stage - but Emma has now said she would get nude too - if the role needed it.
She explained: “For [acclaimed director] Bernardo Bertolucci [yes, I would but] it … depends.
“I’m not getting my kit off any time soon, but it is part of my job.”
But at 18, she doesn’t expect to be asked to make the decision just yet: “I’m at a strange age. I’m not a woman yet, but I’m not a girl any more. The [film companies] say: ‘Oh, in a couple of years you’ll be perfect for this.’
“I’ll be like, yeah, but I want to be studying English [at university] then, so it’s going to be quite tough to choose between the two.”
Via fametastic.co.uk
Tabloid reports have claimed that Britney Spears is considering having her breasts reduced in size.
According to the Daily Star, the popstar, 27, is unhappy with her fuller figure and people comparing image her to that of a porn star.
"I have a love-hate relationship with my boobs. At the moment, I hate them and want them smaller," she is quoted as saying.
"I can't wear the kind of suits that I used to love, the red PVC one I got to wear for the 'Oops I Did It Again' video, for example, and I don't feel streamlined.
"I'm tempted to have a breast reduction so I can slink into some amazing stage outfits for my next set of shows. I know they look sexy but sometimes they get in the way."
A source commented: "To be described as nothing more than a miming porn star was galling and it led her to question her appearance.
"She's now thinking of becoming more of a rock chick. The thing is, she looks great as she is."
Via digitalspy.co.uk
Former Spice Girls member Victoria Beckham left a lasting impression with her latest hairstyle, especially when the bald patches on her head were exposed.
Posh's bald spots were spotted as she stepped out in central London to promote her new clothing range, and beauty experts believe the 34-year-old is paying the price for the years of cutting edge cuts she has had.
Not only do they say that the bald patches are caused by the way she cuts her hair, the latest being a Pop crop, but also by wearing her trademark Baboushka-style extensions. "Any prolonged stress to the root area of the hair can cause temporary hair loss," the Sun quoted celebrity hairdresser Richard Ward as saying.
"Pony tails repeatedly tied too tight, poor quality synthetic clips worn constantly in the same area, and of course, the constant pressure of extensions, have all been known to result in bald patches due to the pressure on the hair.
"I always advise clients who wear extensions to see an expert and ensure they visit once a month for maintenance. Extensions are applied in sections and then bonded in.
"The bond needs to be close fitting to the scalp, but has to be inserted with the correct level of tension — too tight and the hair can fall out.
"The reason why most people get bald patches is because they fail to go back to their salon for this service," he added.
Via indiatimes.com
