In a rare move for a Hollywood actor, Johnny Depp has taken up the cause of convicted murderers the West Memphis Three.
Depp will go on TV’s 48 Hours Mystery to protest the convictions and lobby for a re-opening of the cases against Jason Baldwin, Jessie Misskelley and Damien Echols. The program promises to blow the lid on the controversial murders.
The trio was convicted of beating to death three 8-year-old boys in a suspected satanic ritual in Arkansas in 1994. Echols is serving a death penalty, while Baldwin and Misskelley were sentenced to death. The men were all teenagers when they were sent to jail.
Depp in the taping of the CBS program said: “I firmly believe Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley are totally innocent. It was a need for swift justice to placate the community. Damien Echols is on death row to be killed by lethal injection.”
CBS promises new forensic evidence in the case that could clear the men, UPI reports.
Metallica, Winona Ryder and the Dixie Chicks have also got behind the West Memphis Three, the wire service says.
As the first week of the new American Idol season draws to a close, so does the fate of some unlucky adventurer within the cruel, cruel world of pop-star fabrication. Even though from the judges’ comments you might have expected Alex Lambert to be the one to get wiped from the scene, surprise, surprise, Tyler Grady is the one who gets to go home. Even so, he still has a message for the judges as he goes: “I feel like I didn’t get much constructive criticism during Hollywood Week, and what they told me was a little too late.” Well, Simon Cowell surely will not be losing too much sleep over that… after all, the show must go on and a star must be chosen. In the end, there can be only one!
Disgraced Ashley Cole has reportedly taken refuge in France.
The UK football star and estranged husband of Cheryl is refusing to take off his wedding ring or shave, the Mirror claims.
Cheryl declared she had separated from her husband in the wake of a sex-texting scandal last week which he vehemently denied. Ashley, who had cheated on Cheryl early in their marriage, was alleged to have fired raunchy photos of himself via text to the phone of at least one other woman.
The Mirror reports a very close friend of the footballer says Ashley is now begging Cheryl to meet with him on Tuesday.
The friend said: “For the first time, Ashley is aware of the seriousness of what he’s done. He knows he messed up royally. All the boys have been telling him he’s an idiot and that he’s blown the best thing that has ever happened to him – Cheryl. His football mates say she is the fittest woman in Britain – and he’s been a mug. Ashley is filled with remorse.”
Ashley is crawling, the friend indicated. “He’s pleaded to meet Cheryl in the next three or four days for talks. He wants to state his case, and explain why he deserves another chance. Cheryl is in two minds. Her heart says ‘yes’ but her head says ‘no’. She is so confused.”
True Blood star Alexander Skarsgard has said he is ‘not dating anyone’ despite being linked to actress Kate Bosworth.
Skarsgard, 33, has become a household name since appearing as Eric Northman in the sexy US drama and has recently been romantically linked to his Straw Dogs co-star Kate Bosworth.
Bosworth, 27, recently gushed about Skarsgard and said: “He’s a wonderful man. I adore him.”
However, Skarsgard has now poured cold water on the rumours and told UK magazine Hello!: “The only women in my life right now are my mum and my sister.
It looks like Cheryl Cole’s soon to be former husband isn’t going to give up without a fight… and he’s pulling out the big guns. Ashley Cole has apparently pleaded with Cheryl Cole to take him back promising he would go to sex rehab if she only would. This is what a source related on the matter: “Ashley was calling every ten minutes or so and leaving messages. Ashley suggested they could go for counsellings and that he could try therapy. He admitted for the first time that he has a problem. She was with Derek at the time talking about her future. One minute she was really upbeat, feeling strong and positive about a new life on her own. Then she would come crashing down and feel sorry for Ashley. But in the end she decided that she has to stay strong and stick to her plan.” Cheryl Cole sure seems to be very determined about what she’s going to do next… which is probably a lot more than one could say about Ashley Cole. He probably wouldn’t last two weeks in rehab… he might even take a few others down the dark road with him.
It seems that Jennifer Hudson has definitely chosen herself an interesting man to be her husband. It seems that David Otunga, the man to be, wants to marry Jennifer Hudson in a wrestling ring. This is what David Otunga answered when he was asked if he would consider an offer of the sorts from the WWE: “We could do that. I don’t know if Jennifer would go for it, but I’d be up for it.” Oh shucks! It’s not wrestling like in the Olympics, it’s Channel 5 wrestling. That might make it a bit risky… after all, for the wrestling to be good, Jennifer Hudson might have to leave her fiancée for another woman. Nobody would want that ring to go to waste.
It seems that Simon Cowell’s mother, Julie Cowell, is amazed at how happy the Earl of Exigency’s new girlfriend has made him all of a sudden. This is what Simon Cowell’s mother related about his new burst of happiness: “I couldn’t believe it when I saw him. He looks exceptionally happy and there’s such a glow about him. I think turning 50 made him reassess his life. I think he would make a wonderful husband. I knew it was serious when Simon said he had something important to tell me. I asked if it was good or bad and he replied, ‘That depends which way you look at it.’” Right… Julie Cowell probably made Simon Cowell’s new girlfriend reassess her life to. She’s probably asking herself how much she would like to be married to a fifty-year old after only a few months of relationship. But hey, she can always get a front-row view of The X Factor if she does.
Joe Simpson, father of Jessica Simpson, apparently had a little chat with John Mayer who’s been saying a lot of not so cool stuff about a few people. Apparently, Jessica Simpson’s dad told John Mayer that he might want to revisit some of his previous statements… before they come back and bite him here and there. This is what a source related on the matter: “The conversation was pretty one-sided. Joe told John that he best not even think of uttering Jessica’s name again. Joe told John to stay away from his family and man-up and apologize for his comments.” And just when John Mayer was beginning to have fun…. leave it to the grown-ups to ruin everything. Oh well, there will always be twitter for John Mayer to play with.
Britain’s Got Talent star Piers Morgan has said he wants to be Simon Cowell’s best man when he marries.
Cowell, 50, is said to be getting serious with make-up artist Mezhgan Hussainy, 36, and his Britain’s Got Talent co-judge has said he wants to make him ’squirm’ as his best man.
He said: “I hope Simon will choose me.
“I would give the best speech ever about him. I have some stories that would make Simon squirm more than ever before.
“It would be an absolute honour to be asked. I know I would make his day.”
Morgan said that he is very grateful to Hussainy: “He [Cowell] is constantly smiling. He is even being mildly nicer to the contestants… so it’s good news all round. I have never seen him this happy.”
Akon, signed Lady Gaga to his KonLive imprint (along with her being signed by Streamline and Cherry Tree) at Inter scope Records, is very thankful that he decided to do so. The singer said “She’s pretty much retired me. She was definitely a blessing. She came at the right moment. I’m glad I believed in her, boy. That goes to show you, if you believe in something strong enough, it will pay off. I was like ‘Yo, I want to sign that right there. She needs to be under my umbrella. Jimmy was like ‘Yeah, whatever you want. Take her. Let’s get it done.’ And she just blossomed into a super megastar, man.” The smartest decision that Akon’s ever made was to sign the princess of pop Lady Gaga.
Jon Gosselin will not be returning to the network that launched his reality TV career, according to reports.
Last year, the cable network TLC sued Gosselin, 32, for breach of contract and won a preliminary injunction against him.
The Jon & Kate Plus 8 star subsequently countersued TLC, claiming it had damaged his reputation.
The trial was scheduled to take place in April, but both parties announced their settlement this week, the details of which are confidential, according to reports.
But although the dispute has now been settled, TLC does not want Gosselin back on the air, according to a US celebrity website, which also reported that “everyone at the network agrees they don’t want Jon back”.
A TV source said: “TLC is done with Jon. They have him under contract still, but they don’t plan to use him.”
A Bollywood film about a Muslim man with Asperger’s syndrome seeking a meeting with Barack Obama is turning into an international hit.
My Name Is Khan has smashed box office records in the UK to become the most successful Bollywood film ever in Britain, the Sun reports. It grossed more than $1 million in its opening weekend to jump into the sixth place on the UK box office.
The movie stars Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan, who made an appearance on opening night with Jonathan Ross. It tells the story of Rizwan Khan, a Muslim from Mumbai, who has Asperger’s syndrome and marries a Hindu single mother, Mandira, in San Francisco. After the attacks of September 11, 2001, he is detained at LA International Airport, where his autism is mistaken for suspicious behaviour. He later starts a journey to meet the US president and clear his name.
Khan joked with fans at the premiere that he had autographed his full body scan from the security check at the London airport.
Simon Cowell is to be interviewed by pal Piers Morgan for one of his Life Stories TV shows.
The 50-year-old will be quizzed by Morgan, 44, in a show that will be aired next month.
Producers think the interview will be a ‘clash of the egos’ between the two TV personalities, who both appear on the Britain’s Got Talent judging panel.
It is thought Morgan will ask Cowell questions on topics such as his new relationship with Mezhgan Hussainy, what he really thinks about X Factor star Cheryl Cole and how much he earns.
Valentine’s Day had a sweet opening at the US box office this weekend.
Box Office Mojo reports that the female-oriented pastiche of love tales starring an all-star cast including Julia Roberts, Ashton Kutcher, Anne Hathaway, Bradley Cooper and Jessica Alba has sold an estimated $52.4million worth of tickets by close of business tonight.
The romantic Warner Bros. comedy is the best President’s Day Weekend opener ever, film analyst Paul Dergarabedian said.
Valentine’s Day wasn’t the only new release to score well at the box office.
Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief made an estimated $31.1million at the box office, just pipping Benicio Del Toro’s The Wolfman ($30,627,0000) to the second spot.
It seems that John Mayer can no longer handle his showbiz persona especially after his recent Playboy interview. The singer apparently broke-down on stage last night because of it. He apologized to his band mates and the crowd though: “I quit the media game. I’m out. I’m done. I just want to play my guitar. I fell into a wormhole of selfishness, greediness and arrogance. In the quest to be clever, forgot about the people who love me and that I love.” What could’ve happened to the poor boy? Did Jennifer Aniston call to tell him he was a bad man? Certainly nothing John Mayer hasn’t heard before. Or maybe his racist comments in the interview might be catching up with him legally and he wants some form of redemption.
The singer from Sugababes has recently got engaged to TV presenter Dave Berry and is very optimistic about the wedding which she hopes will occur soon… next winter, actually. This is what Heidi Range said on the matter: “It’ll be next year I think, and maybe a winter wedding. I’m obsessed already. All I’ve done is look on the internet at wedding sites. As soon as we got engaged, the next day I had to go into WHSmith at the airport and buy a bridal magazine. I was on the plane looking really obvious.” Heidi Range sure doesn’t seem to be in that much of a hurry for how enthusiastic she is about this. It’s probably going to be one of those “perfect” weddings… in which case Dave Berry should hold on tight to his seat and buckle up because it’s going to be a long ride until December.
It seems that the singer decided to take a little midnight stroll off of his property last night. It is strange that George Michael decided to leave the doors to his mansion wide open upon leaving. This caused his security guard to call the police… who found George Michael nearby safe and unharmed. This is what a source related on the matter: “Although George lives in a posh area, nowhere in London’s that safe. To leave your door open is mad – a clear invitation to would-be burglars.” Maybe he was just trying to weed out these would-be-burglars… or George Michael was feeling exceedingly generous and didn’t know how to give.
After having miscarried once and having failed four times with IVF, it seems Celine Dion just won’t give up on the idea of having a baby of her own. She is determined to try it one more time and this time luck is apparently on her side. This is what Celine Dion said on the matter: “I’m going to try until it works! Five’s my lucky number, so this is the time it’s got to work.” And if it doesn’t it’s never too late to change the lucky number to six, or maybe even seven. Is adoption really that hard? Maybe Celine Dion might want to take an example from all these wonderful brood-mothers like Angelina Jolie, or Madonna… maybe even a child?
And the road it will go on will lead straight off a cliff. It seems that Fergie’s husband, who apparently cheated on her a while back, might have a bit more to cover up than a stripper’s statements. It looks like his little booty call might be pregnant with his child. Someone should get a lot of whiskey for Fergie because if this turns out to be true she will be needing it badly. And to think that Josh Duhamel might have actually had her going that the whole thing was not really true… talk about bad luck.
