Timberlake doesn't miss university diploma
Justin Timberlake is convinced he made the right decision not to attend university - because a college diploma might have stopped him from pursuing pop music.
The 27-year-old star landed a role on the Mickey Mouse Club at the age of 12 before launching his pop career with 1990s boy band 'N Sync, and then finding international stardom as a solo artist.
He says, "I don't (regret not going to college). If I had gone to college, I would never have seen the world. I don't know that... if I would have went to college, I'd have ended up walking out with a degree. So it's probably better that I didn't try."
Lavigne's Malaysian concert cancelled
Canadian singer Avril Lavigne has cancelled her forthcoming concert in Malaysia following protests from a political party which claims the pop star is "too sexy" to perform in the Muslim country.
The Sk8er Boi singer was set to play a show in the country's capital Kuala Lumpur on 29 August (08), kicking off a month-long tour of Asia.
But the Arts, Culture and Heritage Ministry has decided not to permit Lavigne's show, claiming its content is unsuitable to Malaysian culture on the eve of the country's Independence Day on 31 August (08).
An official from the culture ministry's department Shukran Ibrahim says: "It is not timely. It's not in the good spirit of our National Day. If we go ahead with the concert, it is contrary to what we are preparing for."
Ibrahim adds Lavigne's concert promoter can request a new date for the show.
The decision came after the youth wing of a fundamentalist opposition party, the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, called for the show's cancellation - after half of the concert tickets had already been sold.
On Monday (18Aug08), a party youth official said: "We don't want our people, our teenagers, influenced by their performance. We want clean artists, artists that are good role models."
Lavigne is not the first musician to face opposition in Malaysia. Last year (07), R+B singer Beyonce Knowles moved her show from Malaysia to Indonesia, while Christina Aguilera skipped the country on an Asian tour after controversy erupted over a dress code for foreign artists.
Malaysia requires all performers to wear clothes without obscene or drug-related images and be covered from the chest to the knees. They must also refrain from jumping, shouting, hugging and kissing on stage.
Perry: 'My parents are supportive'
Singer Katy Perry insists her parents are supportive of her career - despite reports they do not approve of her lyrics.
The star's mother Mary Hudson, an evangelical Christian preacher, recently confessed she fears life in Los Angeles is leading her pop star daughter astray.
But the I Kissed A Girl hitmaker admits that while her parents are religious, they still support her career.
She says, "I'm sure they opt out of singing I Kiss a Girl or Ur So Gay, but they're singing along to every other song.
"They're just glad I'm not strung out, doing centerfold and s**t like that."
Simpson becomes beer spokeswoman
JESSICA SIMPSON has expanded her business empire once again - the entrepreneurial pop star has been signed up to promote beer.
The singer/actress - who recently launched her own clothing line - has teamed up with Dallas' Stampede Brewing Company to become the new face of Stampede Light Plus.
Although terms of the deal were not disclosed, Simpson is reportedly taking on a 15 per cent stake in the company in return for her endorsement.
And Simpson insists she is delighted with the deal. She says, "As an entrepreneur, I am always looking for ways to diversify my portfolio with good ideas and good people. Yes, I work out and take care of myself, but I also like a cold beer once in a while."
Along with her own fashion line, Simpson has also launched her own fragrance, range of hair extensions and a bath and body collection.
Voight hits out at Barr's Jolie-Pitt attack
Angelina Jolie's dad Jon Voight has blasted TV star Roseanne Barr for her "evil" attack on his daughter and her partner Brad Pitt.
In a posting on Barr's website, the comedienne apparently slammed the Hollywood couple for making millions while starring in "violent, psychopathic" movies - but only giving away a small part of their paychecks to charity.
The writer then took a swipe at the pair for not publicly pledging support for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, before adding: "Now go back to making your movies about women who love to handle big guns that shoot hundreds of people to death."
Voight is livid with the attack on his daughter - and claims Barr is suffering from the trauma of being abused as a child, reports Usmagazine.com.
He says, "We can never be surprised at what vile evil comes from the mouth of a confessed victim of child abuse at the hands of her own parents.
"(Roseanne's) parents responded to the accusation by going on the air and slating she is a psychopathic liar and her sister agreed."
Ekland slams 'botoxed' Kidman
Veteran actress Britt Ekland has accused Nicole Kidman of compromising her career by using Botox.
Although Kidman has never admitted to using the facial-freezing treatment, former Bond girl Ekland is convinced that the Oscar-winner has resorted to cosmetic treatments in a bid to look more youthful.
And the 65-year-old insists that Kidman, 41, will not benefit if she is having the treatment.
Ekland says, "It's fatal when actresses use Botox. I remember seeing Cold Mountain, and it really looked to me like Nicole Kidman had been using it.
"Her face was neither sad nor glad - nor anything, she was just like a painted doll. I thought: 'Why would she do that?' "
DeGeneres: 'I'm the luckiest girl in the world'
Talk show queen Ellen DeGeneres is still glowing after wedding her longtime girlfriend Portia De Rossi on Saturday (16Aug08) - calling herself the "luckiest girl in the world".
The chat show host, 50, and de Rossi, 35, married in an intimate ceremony in the backyard of their Beverly Hills home, where just 19 guests watched as the couple read aloud their handwritten vows.
DeGeneres tells People.com, "What can I say? I'm the luckiest girl in the world. She's officially off the market. No one else gets her. And now she'll cook and clean for me."
And de Rossi adds she is equally blissful since the couple's nuptials.
She says, "The love we felt from the people surrounding us, and the love we have for each other made this the most beautiful and emotional day. And one that we'll never forget."
California lifted its ban on gay weddings in May (08) after the state's Supreme Court ruled the prohibition on same-sex unions was unconstitutional.
Taylor 'at home and happy' after hospital stay
Hollywood legend Dame Elizabeth Taylor is reportedly back home and recovering well following her battle with pneumonia last month (Jul08).
The 76-year-old's publicist denied reports the actress was in dire condition prior to her release from hospital, where she was alleged to have suffered congestive heart failure and been placed on a ventilation machine.
A spokesperson for the star insisted prior to her release: "Ms Taylor is fine. The rumors ... about her health are dramatic, overstated and untrue," describing Taylor's stay as "precautionary".
And according to People.com, the actress is fit and planning a holiday to Europe and Hawaii.
A source tells the website: "Ms Taylor is at home and happy - and busier than ever. She's living her life. She's been having dinner with friends. She's working.
"She never left. She's always been Elizabeth. And she looks fabulous."
Taylor - who suffers from diabetes and osteoporosis - has been plagued with health problems over the last few years.
She was first diagnosed with congestive heart failure in 2004 and has undergone two hip replacement operations and the removal of a benign brain tumor in 1997.
Applegate's cancer testing crusade
Breast cancer survivor Christina Applegate has launched a campaign to encourage women to undergo early testing for the deadly disease.
The Anchorman star insists it was the doctor-ordered MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan that helped her to beat the illness, following her diagnosis last month (Jul08).
And the actress has responded by launching her own initiative to raise funds in an effort to help women at risk of contracting breast cancer.
She says, "Besides me being really vigilant about it, (the MRI) is the number one reason that I'm going to live. If this had been caught a year from now, or when I was 40, I probably wouldn't be able to live through this, or I would have to undergo such much more than I have.
"It's incredibly expensive. So for me, one of the things when this all happened was that I'm putting together a program to pay for MRIs for women who are at high risk - which means women who have had it in their family, or know that they're gene-positive.
"We're also going to pay for the (genetic) testing, because that's very, very expensive - it's upwards of $2,000 to $3,000... so all of that is coming together right now."
Last month (Jul08), Applegate announced plans to participate in the U.S. TV telethon Stand Up To Cancer on 5 September (08), joining Meryl Streep, Sally Field, Jennifer Aniston and Scarlett Johansson in raising money for cancer research.
David Beckham: the musical
The life of international soccer star David Beckham is set to be turned into a musical on London's West End.
Mark Archer's production, David Beckham - The Theatre of Dreams, will be played out to a gospel-rock soundtrack.
It will tell the story of former England captain Beckham's relationships with his parents and wife Victoria - and chart his many struggles and triumphs on the soccer pitch.
Archer says, "Beckham's story is a modern-day fairytale of heroes, villains, love, and what it means to lead your country.
"His rise from obscurity to international stardom, his universally acknowledged gifts as a supreme sportsman, and his Hollywood lifestyle all have the elements of an aspirational fable."
Archer is still awaiting Beckham's approval before the musical enters production.
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