Celebrities

US singer Chris Brown has checked into a California rehab facility for anger management.

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Tempestuous US singer Chris Brown has checked into a California rehab facility two days after being charged over an altercation in Washington, a spokesman and reports said Wednesday.

The 24-year-old, who is still on probation after infamously assaulting former girlfriend pop star Rihanna in 2009, could spend up to three months in the rehab clinic in Malibu, according to celebrity news website TMZ.

"Chris Brown has elected to enter a rehab facility," said a statement sent to AFP by a publicist. "His goal is to gain focus and insight into his past and recent behavior, enabling him to continue the pursuit of his life and his career from a healthier vantage point."

No decision has been made on the length of his stay, but it could be up to three months, TMZ reported, citing one source as saying: "The rehab facility has been told to take him apart and put him back together."

Brown and his bodyguard initially faced felony assault charges after a scuffle outside a Washington hotel in the early hours of Sunday, but lawyers managed to get it reduced to a misdemeanor Monday, officials said.

Brown was arrested in February 2009 after getting involved in a physical confrontation with Rihanna that left her with a bruised and battered face.

The Virginia native was required, after pleading guilty in court to the assault, to take part in domestic violence counseling and sentenced to five years  probation and community service.

California authorities have filed probation violation charges against Brown twice this year, and he has been given an additional 1,000 hours of community service work on his sentence for beating the Barbadian pop music star.

Ferrara plays the character "Turtle" in the show. 

NEW YORK (AP) - Jerry Ferrara feels relieved that the controversy surrounding the long-planned movie version of the HBO series, "Entourage" is finally over.

"We start shooting in January, and now we can get to work. All the other stuff is in the past and now we have one goal, to make a great movie for the fans," Ferrara told the Associated Press Tuesday night on the red carpet for his new movie, "Last Vegas."

He equated the chemistry in the buddy movie starring Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman, Robert De Niro, and Kevin Kline with his former series.

"Having worked on a show where chemistry between four guys was crucial, these guys made it instantly ... you bought it from moment one that these guys knew each other," Ferrara said of the "Last Vegas" cast.

"Entourage" creator Doug Ellin confirmed the movie's production on Monday evening when he tweeted a photo of himself and the cast arm-in-arm.

Since the film was announced early last year, various rumors surfaced about the why the movie had not gone into production, including cast members holding out for more money.

"There was a moment early on where it was a little frustrating, but then after a while, it was just kind of bewildering. Like, wow, I can't believe it's being talked about like this and none of it is even really true. It just got blown out of proportion," Ferrara said.

But the 33-year old actor stopped short of saying the rumors were fabricated.

"There weren't lies being told," he said. "In the same breath, it was amplified."

He added: "We always knew the movie was a go and the deal was gonna be done."

"Entourage" is a light portrait of Hollywood and young stardom that ran for eight seasons on HBO before ending in 2011.

Ferrara, who plays the character, "Turtle" in the show, is joined in the Warner Brothers big screen version by Jeremy Piven, Adrian Grenier, Kevin Dillon and Kevin Connolly.

The couple began dating in 2007, married in July 2010 and has a 2-year-old son, Flynn. 

NEW YORK (Reuters) - British actor Orlando Bloom and Australian model Miranda Kerr have separated after three years of marriage, the couple said on Friday.

Bloom, 36, who is starring in a modern-day version of "Romeo and Juliet" on Broadway, and Kerr, 30, said they have been amicably separated for the past few months.

The couple began dating in 2007, married in July 2010 and has a 2-year-old son, Flynn. 

"After six years together, they have recently decided to formalize their separation," their representative said in a statement.

"Despite this being the end of their marriage, they love, support and respect each other as both parents of their son and as family," the statement added.

The announcement ended almost a year of speculation that Bloom, the star of Hollywood blockbusters "Lord of the Rings" and "Pirates of the Caribbean," and Kerr, one of the highest-earning models, were parting.

The couple have not appeared in public together since Bloom's Broadway debut on September 19 in "Romeo and Juliet" opposite actress Condola Rashad.

Wallace died in Los Angeles of complications from pneumonia. 

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Marcia Wallace, the voice of Edna Krabappel -- Bart Simpson's jaded, chain-smoking schoolteacher on the animated show "The Simpsons" -- has died, the show producers said Saturday. She was 70.

Wallace died in Los Angeles of complications from pneumonia, her son Michael Hawley told the Los Angeles Times.

"I was tremendously saddened to learn this morning of the passing of the brilliant and gracious Marcia Wallace," read a statement from the show's executive producer Al Jean posted on Facebook.

"She was beloved by all at 'The Simpsons' and we intend to retire her irreplaceable character," Jean wrote.

Wallace's career in show business included her role as a sassy receptionist on the 1970s TV comedy "The Bob Newhart Show," and guest roles in '80s and '90s shows like "Full House," "Taxi" and "Murphy Brown."

In 1992 Wallace won a Primetime Emmy award for her work on "The Simpsons."

Harry Shearer -- who plays several key "Simpsons" voices, including greedy tycoon Montgomery Burns and two of Krabappel's love interests, school principal Seymour Skinner and Simpsons neighbor Ned Flanders -- took to Twitter to share his grief.

"So sad to learn -- through Twitter, first -- of the passing of the wonderful Marcia Wallace. Sorely missed already," Shearer wrote.

Jean said the show had been considering staging the death of another one of the "Simpsons" characters, but not Edna Krabappel.

"Marcia's passing is unrelated and again, a terrible loss for all who had the pleasure of knowing her," Jean wrote on Facebook.

Wallace was "sweet, funny, not at all pretentious," Jean told the Los Angeles Times. "You fall in love with these people when you see them as characters on television, but when you met Marcia you loved her even more."

"I don't intend to have anyone else play Mrs. Krabappel," Jean added. "I think Bart will get a new teacher."

Wallace's final role is in "Muffin Top: A Love Story," a film set for release in 2014 in which she appears with her son, who is also an actor.

Jones filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit in connection with projects released after Jackson's death.

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Music impresario Quincy Jones, credited with producing some of Michael Jackson s biggest hits, has sued the late singer s estate for $10 million, court documents showed on Saturday.

Jones filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit in connection with projects released after the singer s death, according to a California court filing.

The suit against Sony Music Entertainment and MJJ Productions, a song company controlled by Jackson s estate, was filed Friday in Los Angeles.

It alleges that Jones has not been compensated for the posthumously released "This Is It" Jackson concert film and album, Michael Jackson Cirque du Soleil productions, and a 25th anniversary edition of the late pop icon s "Bad" album.

Court papers said the estate, after Jackson s death in June 2009, "began commercially releasing new audio and audio-visual works without regard to the terms" of agreements worked out earlier with Jones.

The Jackson estate, in a statement issued by one of its attorneys, Howard Weitzman, said it was "saddened to learn that Quincy Jones has filed a lawsuit seeking money" from the King of Pop s remaining holdings.

"To the best of its knowledge, Mr Jones has been appropriately compensated over approximately 35 years for his work with Michael," Weitzman said.

Jones, one of US pop music s most influential behind-the-scenes figures as a composer, arranger, conductor, and record company executive, has worked with legends from Jackson to Frank Sinatra and Barbra Streisand.

He won 27 Grammy Awards during a half century in the music business, and produced Jackson s biggest hits, including "Off the Wall," "Thriller" and "Bad."

Kaagaz Ke Phool, produced in 1959, cast Guru Dutt, Waheeda Rehman, and Johnny Walker.

MUMBAI (Web Desk) - The movie is considered as Guru Dutt s finest film. But the film was a box office disaster and Guru Dutt never directed a movie again.

The film is a technical masterpiece. The camerawork with its use of light and shadows is magical.

The frames have been beautifully composed keeping in mind the cinemascope format. The film is renowned for its superb song picturisation, particularly Dekhi Zamaane ki Yaari and Waqt ne Kiya Kya Haseen Situm. V.K. Murthy, the movie s cinematographer after this movie became permanent cinematographer with Guru Dutt s movies.

The movie even fetched V.K. Murthy Filmfare Best Cinematographer Award.

According to historians, Guru Dutt happened to watch 20th Century Fox shooting their movie with unique lens (Cinemascope lens) and requested the company s manager to try the lens for his forthcoming movie.

After watching the initial rushes he was floored by its magnificence and decided to use the technology.

Tragically after the movie failed no one dared to utilize the technique. In the early 70 s few filmmakers did use the technology but the trend came into full force with the late 70 s when big banners like Prakash Mehra (MUQADDAR KA SIKANDAR), Manmohan Desai (NASEEB), Feroz Khan (QURBANI) etc. began using the technology in every film.