hollywood buzz..what's hot and what's not

Katherine Heigl, Debuts on the Highest Paid Actresses List

2009-03-18T01:21:00.000-07:00

Katherine Heigl has come a long way since carrying a gun-totting doll in 1998's Bride of Chucky.

Now, the Grey's Anatomy star and newly minted screen queen has made a remarkable leap onto the A-List, counting herself among the top five of Hollywood's highest-paid actresses, according to the Hollywood Reporter's Women in Entertainment: Power 100 list.

The 30-year-old movie newbie, who made her major box office debut in 2007's Knocked Up (which has grossed more than $148 million) and followed the comedic hit up with 27 Dresses, took the fifth spot on the prestigious list behind such powerhouses as Angelina Jolie (No. 1), Julia Roberts (No. 2), Reese Witherspoon (No. 3) and Cameron Diaz (No. 4).

In July, Forbes listed Heigl at No. 73 on the Celebrity 100 list, making her the highest-paid TV actress, with earnings at $13 million for her role as Dr. Izzie Stevens on Grey's – which earned her an Emmy in 2007.

"This is my dream come true," she said of her Emmy win. "I've been doing this for 17 years and people don't count [the years] 'cause I started as a kid, but I counted because I've worked my a-- off."

Watch Katherine Heigl on the big screen in the 2009’s romantic comedy The Ugly Truth, opposite the gorgeous, Gerard Butler.

Pattinson & Efron! The Oscars Are Heartthrob Hot

2009-02-18T01:12:00.000-08:00

Los Angeles (E! Online) – The Oscars are taking a dip into the fountain of youth.

Fresh off the news that Robert Pattinson is going to be a presenter at this year's awards show on Sunday, I'm told that Zac Efron will be doing the same.

Sources tell me the High School Musical hottie will present Best Original Song during ABC's live telecast from Hollywood's Kodak Theatre.

Who will be by Pattinson's and Efron's side?

No one is saying right now, but we wouldn't be surprised if Pattinson's Twilight costar Kristen Stewart and Efron's real-life HSM girlfriend, Vanessa Hudgens, were also in attendance.

And there's more from the Oscars teen scene: I'm told Miley Cyrus will be there, too, but she won't be presenting like she did last year. The Hannah Montana star is going to support her box-office hit Bolt, which is up for Best Animated Feature, sources reveal.

No word if Cyrus' underwear model-actor boyfriend, Justin Gaston, will be her date for the evening.

Reps for the stars and the awards show did not comment.

Robert Pattinson

Zac Efron

Marc Malkin Marc Malkin – Tue Feb 17, 4:20 pm ET

10 Most Expensive Paintings In The World

2009-02-13T21:56:00.000-08:00

List of highest prices paid at auctions or private sales (inflation adjusted)

1. No. 5, 1948
$142.7 Milion

Artist: Jackson Pollock
No. 5, 1948 is an abstract painting by Jackson Pollock (January 28, 1912 – August 11, 1956), an American painter known for his contributions to the abstract expressionist movement. The painting was done on a 8 x 4 feet sheet of fiberboard, with thick amounts of brown and yellow paint drizzled on top of it, forming a nest-like appearance.

2. Woman III
$140.2 Milion

Artist: Willem de Kooning
Woman III is a painting by abstract expressionist painter Willem de Kooning. Woman III is one of 6 paintings by Kooning in which the central theme was a woman. It measures 68 by 48 1/2 inches and was completed in 1953. In November 2006, the painting was sold by David Geffen to billionare Steven A. Cohen for $137.5 million, making it the second most expensive painting ever sold.

3. Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I
137.6 Milion

Artist: Gustav Klimt
Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I is a painting by Gustav Klimt completed in 1907. According to press reports it was sold for US$135 million to Ronald Lauder for his Neue Galerie in New York City in June 2006, which would make it at that time the most expensive painting ever sold.

4. Portrait of Dr. Gachet
129.7 Milion

Artist: Vincent van Gogh
There are two authentic versions of this portrait, both executed in June 1890 during the last months of Van Gogh’s life. Both show Doctor Gachet sitting at a table and leaning his head onto his right arm, but they are easily differentiated.

5. Bal au moulin de la Galette, Montmartre
122.8 Milion

Artist: Pierre-Auguste Renoir
At the time of sale, it was one of the top two most expensive artworks ever sold, together with van Gogh’s Portrait of Dr Gachet, which was also purchased by Saito. Saito caused international outrage when he suggested in 1991 that he intended to cremate both paintings with him when he died. However, when Saito and his companies ran into severe financial difficulties, bankers who held the painting as collateral for loans arranged a confidential sale through Sotheby’s to an undisclosed buyer. Although not known for certain, the painting is believed to be in the hands of a Swiss co

6. Garçon à la pipe
113.4 Milion

Artist: Pablo Picasso
Owned by the estate of John Hay Whitney, on May 5, 2004 it sold for $US104.1 million at an auction in Sotheby’s in New York City, after having been given a pre-sale estimate of $70 million by the auction house. Many art critics have stated that the painting’s high sale price has much more to do with the artist’s name than with the merit or historical importance of the painting.

7. Irises
97.5 Milion

Artist: Vincent van Gogh
Irises is a painting by the Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh. It was one of his first works while he was at the asylum at Saint Paul-de-Mausole in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France in the last year before his death in 1890.

8. Dora Maar au Chat
97.0 Milion

Artist: Pablo Picasso
Dora Maar au Chat (Dora Maar with Cat) is a 1941 painting by Pablo Picasso. It depicts Dora Maar, the painter’s Croatian mistress, seated on a chair with a small cat perched on her shoulders. This painting is world-famous and is now one of the world’s most expensive paintings

9. Portrait de l’artiste sans barbe
90.1 Milion

Artist: Vincent van Gogh
The Self-portraits of Vincent van Gogh are, together with his sunflowers, some of his most-admired paintings. From 1886 to 1889 he produced over 12 self-portraits.

10. Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II
89.1 Milion

Artist: Gustav Klimt
Adele Bloch-Bauer II is a 1912 painting by Gustav Klimt. Adele Bloch-Bauer was the wife of Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer, who was a wealthy industrialist who sponsored the arts and supported Gustav Klimt. Adele Bloch-Bauer was the only model to be painted twice by Klimt; she also appeared in the much more famous Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I.

Did You Know This About Leonardo da Vinci?

2009-02-13T05:38:00.000-08:00

10 intriguing facts and trivia about the great artist, Leonardo da Vinci.

I’ve had great fun working my way through the book Da Vinci for Dummies and thought I’d share some of the intriguing things I’d learned about him. The kind of things that come up in trivia quizzes or to drop into conservations at a dinner table.

Leonardo da Vinci Fact No 1: Not a Prolific Painter
Leonardo left fewer than 30 paintings, and these aren’t even all finished. But before you think you can do the same and still go down in art history, remember he also left hundreds of drawings, sketches, and pages of notes. His reputation isn’t just based on his paintings.

Leonardo da Vinci Fact No 2: His Own Worst Enemy
Leonardo was both a perfectionist and a procrastinator. How’s that for a terrible combination of personality traits? It’s said to be one of the reasons why he left so few paintings.

Leonardo da Vinci Fact No 3: Where’s the Sculpture?
There are no pieces of sculpture that can definitely be attributed to Leonardo, even though art historians know he learned sculpture when an art apprentice in Verrocchio’s studio. (So remember to sign your work!)

Leonardo da Vinci Fact No 4: If He Hadn’t Been Illegitimate, He May Not Have Been an Artist
Leonardo was born out of wedlock on 15 April 1452. But if he hadn’t been, he might not have been apprenticed to the artist Andrea del Verrocchio, as he would have more occupations open to him. As it was, being illegitimate, his options were limited. The only thing known for sure about his mother is that her name was Caterina; art historians believe she probably worked in the household of Leonardo’s father, Ser Piero da Vinci.

Leonardo da Vinci Fact No 5: Expensive Paper Makes for Messy Notebooks
Paper was far more expensive and harder to get hold of in Leonardo’s day than it is today. Which is why he made more intensive use of it, “filling” most of every page.

Leonardo da Vinci Fact No 6: A Vegetarian
Unusually for the era in which he lived, Leonardo was a vegetarian, for humanitarian reasons. (Not that this stopped him from dissecting humans to study anatomy and to map out where the human soul was, nor from taking a job as a designer of military weapons at one stage.)

Leonardo da Vinci Fact No 7: One of the First Italians to Use Oil Paint
Leonardo was one of the first artists in Italy to use oil paints instead of egg tempera, enjoying the freedom it gave him to rework a painting. He even concocted his own recipe for oil paints.

Leonardo da Vinci Fact No 8: Lover of Experimenting
Leonardo’s great fresco, The Last Supper began to deteriorate almost immediately. This is because Leonardo didn’t follow traditional, tried-and-tested fresco techniques of water-based paints applied to wet plaster, but used oil-based paint on a surface that was a mixture of gesso, pitch, and mastic.

Leonardo da Vinci Fact No 9: What He Didn’t Invent
Leonardo invented, or drew up plans and sketches for a great number of things. But the telescope wasn’t one of them. Nor gears, ratchets, pulley systems, or screws; these already existed.

Leonardo da Vinci Fact No 10: Don't Call Him Da Vinci
Despite the title of Dan Brown’s best-selling who-done-it, The Da Vinci Code, if you must shorten his name, call him Leonardo. Da Vinci just means “from the town of Vinci”.

By Marion Boddy-Evans, About.com

HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE (2009)

2009-02-13T04:34:00.000-08:00

Title: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Names: Rupert Grint, Daniel Radcliffe, Bonnie Wright, David Yates

This Film premieres in July 17th, 2009.

Release Date: July 17th, 2009
Director: David Yates
Writer: Steven Kloves
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter,
David Bradley,Jim Broadbent, Jessie Cave, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis,
Frank Dillane, Tom Felton, Michael Gambon, Matthew Lewis,Evanna Lynch,
Helen McCrory, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, NataliaTena, Bonnie Wright
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Summary:

Voldemort is tightening his grip on both the Muggle and wizarding worlds and Hogwarts is no longer the safe haven it once was. Harry suspects that dangers may even lie within the castle, but Dumbledore is more intent upon preparing him for the final battle that he knows is fast approaching. Together they work to find the key to unlock Voldemort's defenses and, to this end, Dumbledore recruits his old friend and colleague, the well-connected and unsuspecting bon vivant Professor Horace Slughorn, whom he believes holds crucial information. Meanwhile, the students are under attack from a very different adversary as teenage hormones rage across the ramparts. Harry finds himself more and more drawn to Ginny, but so is Dean Thomas. And Lavender Brown has decided that Ron is the one for her, only she hadn't counted on Romilda Vane's chocolates! And then there's Hermione, simpering with jealously but determined not to show her feelings. As romance blossoms, one student remains aloof. He is determined to make his mark, albeit a dark one. Love is in the air, but tragedy lies ahead and Hogwarts may never be the same again.

The war against Voldemort is not going well; even Muggle governments are noticing. Ron scans the obituary pages of the Daily Prophet, looking for familiar names. Dumbledore is absent from Hogwarts for long stretches of time, and the Order of the Phoenix has already suffered losses.

And yet...

As in all wars, life goes on. Sixth-year students learn to Apparate - and lose a few eyebrows in the process. The Weasley twins expand their business. Teenagers flirt and fight and fall in love. Classes are never straightforward, though Harry receives some extraordinary help from the mysterious Half-Blood Prince.

So it's the home front that takes center stage in the multilayered sixth installment of the story of Harry Potter. Here at Hogwarts, Harry will search for the full and complex story of the boy who became Lord Voldemort - and thereby find what may be his only vulnerability.

Hollywood sheds few tears over Beckhams

2009-02-12T06:02:00.000-08:00

Soccer star David Beckham and his wife Victoria arrive at the 2008 ESPY Awards in Los Angeles, California July 16, 2008. (Danny Moloshok/Reuters)Reuters

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Maybe it was Posh's hair, her high-fashion style, the meager five goals from David or simply a lack of time.

But after the excitement over the arrival in Los Angeles of British soccer star David Beckham and his wife, Victoria ("Posh Spice"), almost two years ago, the Hollywood celebrity scene is shedding few tears over their expected departure.

"Their impact was hugely anti-climactic for me," said Ted Casablanca, online columnist for celebrity show E! "Hollywood should have kept Posh and Becks as a fantasy, because in reality they didn't pan out."

Beckham, who has a five-year deal worth an estimated $250 million with the Los Angeles Galaxy, joined the Major League Soccer club in June 2007 amid a wave of publicity and enthusiasm about helping raise soccer's profile in America.

But after an injury-plagued first season and a total of five goals during his time with the Galaxy, Beckham, 33, made clear this week he wanted to make a permanent move to Italian club AC Milan, where he is on a two-month loan.

Milan has not yet made an offer but lawyers on both sides are exploring the best way forward.

The news made the inside pages of the Los Angeles Times sports section and barely a mention in celebrity magazines.

Household names in Britain and the rest of Europe, the Beckhams struggled to translate their appeal to star-heavy Los Angeles and a celebrity media obsessed with the antics of Britney Spears and the expanding family of Angelina Jolie .

Victoria Beckham 's passion for high heels and tight black dresses were at odds with LA's laid-back flip flops and sweatpants, and earned her the epithet of worst dressed-celebrity of 2007 by style maven Mr. Blackwell.

Bonnie Fuller, former editor of Us Weekly, said she loved Posh, 34, and her style, but felt the average American did not relate to the former "Spice Girls" singer.

"She didn't have enough hair," Fuller said of Victoria's Beckham's short mane, which she cropped further last year.

"American women are big hair girls. They want celebrities with long, sexy hair which they can aspire to. Posh is also superglam most days, all day, and American women relate much more to Jennifer Aniston or Angelina Jolie 's uniform of jeans, T-shirts and sexy little sweaters."

FRIENDS WITH TOM AND KATIE

Fuller, who now runs Bonnie Fuller Media, said time was also a factor. "In America it takes time for your star to build, especially if you are not on a regular TV show or starring in a hit movie. And professional soccer still doesn't get that much national attention," she said.

Victoria Beckham landed a cameo acting role -- as herself -- in an episode of the TV comedy "Ugly Betty" in 2007, did an advertising campaign for fashion designer Marc Jacobs and both Beckhams made waves stripping down for an Emporio Armani underwear advertising campaign.

They struck up a friendship with Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes , but never appeared on the biggest red carpet of them all -- the Oscars -- and not a whiff of scandal marked their LA adventure.

Casablanca said Victoria Beckham seemed nervous and timid. "It was as if now she'd got to Hollywood, she was afraid people would see she didn't have what it takes once she was up among the big guns," he said.

Hollywood PR veteran Howard Bragman said the Beckhams may have seen the lack of intense scrutiny as a plus. "I'm not sure if they chose to not be that social or if it was because there are so many other celebrities in Los Angeles."

"I think their careers are just fine. I think they both have had enough publicity for 10 lifetimes and I don't think not getting it is something they go home and commiserate about," said Bragman, author of "Where's My 15 Minutes?"

(Editing by Peter Cooney)

Taylor Lautner Remains as Jacob Black

2009-02-12T05:16:00.000-08:00

Debate rages on as to which beau is best for Bella Swan. However, whether you’re rooting for fangs or fur, fear not! Jacob Black remains as cute, cuddly and Taylor-y as ever before. Throughout the last month or so, the part of Jacob Black in New Moon, the next installment of the Twilight saga, has been a murky subject. Chris Weitz, the director of the Twilight saga’s newest installment, New Moon, was reportedly unsure as to whether Lautner could believably carry off the role. The growth spurt undergone by the character was the main bone of casting contention with Taylor’s youthful facial features perfect for the pre-transformation Black, but not quite carrying off the beefed up version from the latter half of the book.

However, Lautner stepped up to the plate in fine fashion and showed his dedication to the part. A little over a month later, Lautner has gained 19lb (hopefully of muscle) and has promised to deliver another 10lb to the director prior to starting shooting. Something about his changed physique must have clicked, because Weitz released a statement yesterday on Stephenie Meyer’s (the author of the Twilight saga) blog, confirming that the part of Jacob Black would NOT be played by someone new.

The characters in Stephenie’s books go through extraordinary changes of circumstance and also appearance; so it is not surprising that there has been speculation about whether the same actor would portray a character who changes in so many surprising ways throughout the series. But it was my first instinct that Taylor was, is, and should be Jacob, and that the books would be best served by the actor who is emotionally right for the part.

I recently saw Twilight for the first time and it seems to me that Lautner, despite the lack of screen time, was well able to handle the emotional aspect of the role. What can’t be achieved with height displacement and camera trickery (unless you are telling me that Elijah Wood actually shrank for his Lord of the Rings appearances) is probably not worth worrying about, and with an extra 29lb on him, it’s unlikely that Lautner’s going to disappoint his Team Jacob fans.