Hugh Jackman & Anne Hathaway Asked to Join the A-Team

Hugh Jackman may have hosted this year's Oscars, but he really wasn't a member of the club.

On Tuesday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences took steps to rectify that – inviting the Wolverine star to join the honorary body, along with such other prospective new members as Anne Hathaway, Michael Cera, James Franco, Michelle Williams and Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle.

"These filmmakers have, over the course of their careers, captured the imagination of audiences around the world," said Academy president Sid Ganis, according to the Hollywood Reporter. "It's this kind of talent and creativity that make up the Academy, and I welcome each of them to our ranks."

All told, the Academy dispatched 134 invitations to members of the film community to be a part of the club. Among the privileges of Academy membership is voting rights in the Oscar race.

Among the current crop of new invitees are Tyler Perry, Seth Rogan, Paul Rudd, Viola Davis, Taraji P. Henson, Melissa Leo, Emily Blunt, James McAvoy, Casey Affleck, Amy Ryan, Jeffrey Wright and musician Peter Gabriel.

Michael Jackson Breaks Billboard Charts Records

As predicted, Michael Jackson is once again the King of the Pop charts.

Based on preliminary sales numbers from Nielsen SoundScan, the entire top nine positions on Billboard's Top Pop Catalog Albums chart will house Jackson-related titles when the tally is released in the early morning on Wednesday (July 1). Nielsen SoundScan's sales tracking week ended at the close of business on Sunday (June 28) night.

Jackson himself has a record eight out of the top 10, while a Jackson 5 compilation also finds its way into the upper tier.

The King of Pop's "Number Ones" will fittingly lead the pack at No. 1 with 108,000 (an increase of 2,340%) while "The Essential Michael Jackson" and "Thriller" are in the Nos. 2 and 3 slots with 102,000 and 101,000, respectively. Last week "Number Ones" was the only Jackson title on the chart, at No. 20 with 4,000 copies; both "Essential" and "Thriller" re-enter the tally this week.

Additionally, his classic 1979 studio set "Off the Wall" re-enters at No. 4 with 33,000 while his 1987 album "Bad" returns at No. 6 with 17,000. At No. 5, the Jackson 5's "The Ultimate Collection" debuts with 18,000. Jackson's fourth studio album for Epic Records, 1991's "Dangerous," re-enters at No. 7 with 14,000 while his 2001 compilation "Greatest Hits: HIStory -- Volume 1" also comes back to the list at No. 8 with 12,000. Finally, Jackson's 2004 box set "The Ultimate Collection" charts its first week on the Pop Catalog chart, arriving at No. 9 with 11,000.

The lone non-Jackson-related set in the top 10 is a reissue of the "Woodstock" movie soundtrack, which bows at No. 10 with 8,000.

Collectively, Jackson's solo albums sold 422,000 this past week. That's extraordinary, since his titles sold a combined 10,000 in the week that ended June 21. Of the 422,000 total, 57% were digital downloads.

Additionally, the 422,000 albums sold just last week is nearly 42% more than what Jackson's catalog had sold the the entire year up through June 21 (297,000).

Speaking of digital albums, on the Top Digital Albums chart, Jackson has a record six out of the top 10 slots, including the entire top four. "The Essential Michael Jackson" leads the Top Digital Albums list with 80,000 downloads sold, while "Thriller" is No. 2 with 57,000.

With the Black Eyed Peas' "The E.N.D." moving back to the No. 1 slot on the Billboard 200 chart with 88,000, this week marks the first time since Nielsen SoundScan began compiling data in 1991 that a catalog album has sold more than the No. 1 current set on the Billboard 200 albums chart. (All three of Jackson's top sellers on the Pop Catalog chart outsell "The E.N.D.")

Ironically, the feat almost occurred when Jackson re-issued "Thriller" in February 2008. The set relaunched with 166,000, re-entering at No. 1 on the Top Pop Catalog chart. That week, Jack Johnson's "Sleep Through the Static" led the Billboard 200 chart with 180,000 while Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black" was at No. 2 with 115,000.

Catalog albums are ineligible to appear on the Billboard 200 albums chart, though they can chart on the all-encompassing Top Comprehensive Albums list. On the latter chart, Jackson's "Number Ones," "Essential" and "Thriller" are at Nos. 1-3, followed by the Black Eyed Peas' "The E.N.D." at No. 4.

Jackson places a record 25 songs on the 75-position Hot Digital Songs chart (21 solo hits and four with his siblings), smashing the mark of 14 charting titles established by David Cook in the June 7, 2008 issue. Jackson's Halloween radio staple, "Thriller," moves 167,000, which is good for second place on the chart behind the 203,000 shifted by the Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling."

"Thriller" was also Jackson's best seller in the week before his death with 5,000 downloads, which translates to a 3,551% jump. Jackson's total volume of downloads this week -- including his tracks with the Jackson 5 and the Jacksons -- account for 2.6 million downloads, a remarkable number considering last week's cumulative sum was 48,000. Moreover, Jackson becomes the first act to sell more than 1 million song downloads in a week.

Besides "Thriller," Jackson places five other songs in the top 10 including "Man In The Mirror" (No. 3, 165,000), "Billie Jean" (No. 4, 158,000), "The Way You Make Me Feel" (No. 6, 136,000), "Beat It" (No. 7, 134,000) and "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" (No. 8, 125,000).

Not surprisingly, each of the tracks in the top 10 of Hot Digital Songs were among the top 10 most-played Jackson selections at radio following his passing. According to research provided by Nielsen BDS of monitored airplay from over 1,600 terrestrial and satellite radio stations and cable music channels, "Billie Jean" was the Jackson track with the most spins for the week ending June 28 with 4,540 -- 97% of which occurred after news of his death became public. The track posted only 318 plays in the prior week.

Blake Lewis to Release Dance-Pop CD

Blake Lewis wants you to dance!

American Idol’s season 6 runner-up will release his second CD, Heartbreak on Vinyl, on October 6th via Tommy Boy Entertainment. Shifting from pop-rock to dance-pop, Lewis says his new album, “the culmination of over 10 years in the dance scene,” will be “filled with electro pop goodness with melodies I cherish.”

Currently in the studio finishing the record, Lewis called on producers Rodney Jerkins (who’s worked with Britney Spears and Lady Gaga) and Dave Aude (who’s worked with the Pussycat Dolls) to craft his new high-energy sound.

“The music in the dance scene gets me out onto the dance floor to lose my inhibition,” Lewis says of the inspiration behind his new project. “The title is an ode to all the record stores that have been closing down due to my industry eating itself. These are the stores that brought inspiration to all of us music lovers and have led me to make the music I create today.”

Michael Jackson's Will Names Diana Ross as Backup Guardian

The close, lifelong ties between Michael Jackson's and his friend Diana Ross are made dramatically clear in his 2002 will – he chose her to raise his three children if his mother is unable to do so.

The Jackson family matriarch Katherine Jackson, who is now watching the children, is named as the primary guardian, followed by Ross, 65, if Katherine dies or "is unwilling or unable" to act as guardian, according to the will, released Wednesday.

As for what Jackson leaves behind, a petition attached to the will values his estate at $500 million – nearly all of it "non-cash, non-liquid assets" in the form of a lucrative music catalog and "interests in various entities."

The inheritance goes into the Michael Jackson Family Trust, originally administered by lawyer John Branca, music executive John McClain and accountant Barry Siegel. But Siegel withdrew as co-executor in 2003.

Although it is the first indication of what Jackson wanted done in the event of his death, the will does little to settle the issues of custody and inheritance.

It was signed almost exactly seven years ago, on July 7, 2002, and predates a 2005 custody fight between Jackson and Debbie Rowe, 51, the mother of his two older children, Prince Michael, 12, and Paris, 11. Rowe's attorney claims Rowe now has parental rights over those kids, which she can exercise now if she chooses. (Jackson has a third child, Blanket, 7, whose mother is unknown.)

Custody, Money Disputes

With disputes already brewing over the children and the money, Katherine Jackson has been granted temporary guardianship and named a special administrator of the estate.

But Paul Gordon Hoffman, an attorney for the estate, appeared at a hearing in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday morning seeking to vacate that special admimistrator order.

"Tens of millions of dollars are at stake here,” said Hoffman. At issue were "contacts and obligations" that needed immediate attention, including the refunds of the $85 million in ticket sales for the planned concerts by Jackson in London this summer. Also, Hoffman said a witness has informed estate attorneys that Katherine has been exceeding her powers in trying to collect and access funds from the estate.

Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff denied the motion and left Katherine with temporary oversight of the estate. He said he expected Katherine Jackson to operate within the limits of her authority. He said that he granted her the temporary guardianship of the estate in large part to protect Michael’s memorabilia, which recently was subject to a failed auction attempt and lawsuit.

The $500 million value of the estate is seriously in question, with Jackson hit by a number of severe financial setbacks after the will was signed and now facing a variety of lawsuits for unpaid bills.

Permission Denied for Michael Jackson Burial at Neverland

Michael Jackson will not be allowed to rest in peace at his beloved Neverland Ranch.

The singer's family, who wanted a funeral at Jackson's former home north of Santa Barbara, was not able to obtain a residential exemption required for a burial on private property.

"Contrary to previous news reports, the Jackson family is officially stating that there will be no public or private viewing at Neverland," says a Jackson family statement. "Plans are underway regarding a public memorial for Michael Jackson, and we will announce those plans shortly."

Colony Capital, the investment company that purchased Neverland in May 2008, tried to get an exemption for burial. "They couldn't get it in time," a Colony spokesperson says.

As for reports that Jackson's body is being held at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills, William Martin, communications director for the funeral home, won't confirm or deny if Jackson will be buried there.

Oscar Winner Karl Malden Dies at 97

Karl Malden, the bulbous-nosed character actor who won a Best Supporting Oscar for his role as Mitch, the guiless suitor of Blanche DuBois in the 1951 classic A Street Car Named Desire – a role he created on Broadway – and lent his particular brand of gravitas to American Express commercials in the 1980s, died Wednesday of natural causes in his Brentwood, Calif., home, his family announced. He was 97.

Born Malden Sekulovich to Czech and Siberian immigrants in Chicago, Malden barely spoke English as a child until the family moved to Gary, Indiana. He returned to the Windy City in the '30s and studied acting at the Goodman Theatre Dramatic School, before making his Broadway debut in 1940.

He would go on to star in more than 50 Hollywood films, often playing richly complex and often dark characters, while also making a mark on the small screen starting in 1972, on The Streets of San Francisco. He played a veteran police investigator who takes under his wing a young greenhorn, played by Michael Douglas.

"[Karl] was my surrogate father," Douglas told People recently. "I love this man with all of my heart. He had an incredible work ethic. This is where I established mine."

Malden continued to work in TV after the series was cancelled in 1977, winning an Emmy as a father who solves his daughter and grandchildren's murderer in the non-fiction 1984 TV movie Fatal Vision. More recently, he played a priest in a 2000 episode of West Wing.

A corporal in the 8th Air Force during World War II, Malden, who was well respected in the industry, also served as the president of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences from 1989 to 1993.

Besides his wife of 70 years, Mona, Malden is survived by daughters Mila and Cara and their husbands, three granddaughters, and four great grandchildren.

Off to See Mickey & His Friends!

Well, I am taking a well deserved vacation through this Sunday. I am on my way to visit Mickey's house in Central Florida.

Since I will be occupied with my vacationing, this blog will not be updated frequently. But, please don't disappear, 'cause I plan to still keep you informed as much as possible.

Have a Happy & Safe 4th of July!

Big Brother 11 Houseguests Have Been Revealed!

It looks like another interesting group of houseguests and most of them are good looking too!

The resident "gay guy" this season is Kevin and we also have a "bi girl", Lydia. The cutie one this season is Jeff.

Here's the CBS Early Show segment from this morning when the houseguests were revealed.



Big Brother 11 starts a week from tomorrow (July 9th) at 8:00 pm (ET). It will be broadcast every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday on CBS. Then also watch 3-hours of "Big Brother After Dark" live on SHO2 at 12:00 midnight every night.

Madonna: New Louis Vuitton Ads!

Scope out these new Louis Vuitton Fall/Winter 2009/2010 ads featuring Madonna. Madonna looks young and mighty HOT in these pictures.

Simon Cowell Could Get Up to $144 Million for Another Year of 'American Idol'

How much would you pay to watch Simon Cowell crush the dreams of a would-be pop stars on American Idol?

If you're FOX, you'd reportedly shell out between $100 million and $144 million per year to keep the Cowell around. As reported in the Guardian (and picked up over here by the New York Post ), that's how much FOX and American Idol producer 19 Entertainment are considering shelling out when Cowell's contract expires next May.

While it's a staggering amount of money for any television personality, it's worth it to remember that American Idol itself brings in a staggering amount of money every year -- an estimated $900 million every year.

And yet for all that, Cowell could still walk away from Idol. The rumors are that he's tired of working on something not of his own creation, and that he's seeking to instead spend his time buliding up shows wholly owned by him.

The Guardian reports that Cowell is about to create an international TV production, talent management, and merchandising company with Sir Philip Green, Britain's sixth wealthiest man. Every man may have his price, but it seems like Cowell's may quickly be exceeding even FOX's budget.

"Hung" Starts Big for HBO

The premiere of HBO's newest comedy, "Hung," was seen by 2.8 million viewers, making it the network's most-watched series debut in two years.

"Hung," about a well-endowed man (Thomas Jane) who becomes a hustler, was the strongest premiere for the network since "John From Cincinnati," which aired after the series finale of "The Sopranos" in June 2007.

Lead-in "True Blood," meanwhile, hit yet another series high, drawing 3.7 million viewers. "Hung" held 76 percent of the vampire drama's audience.

If you throw in encore presentations of both shows, the audience for "Hung" grows to 3.7 million viewers and for "Blood" to 5.1 million.

Video: "Radar" by Britney Spears

The Britney Spears music video for “Radar” just leaked out onto the Internets!

It’s the fourth single from her latest album, Circus. The vid was shot on May 27th and 28th at the Bacara Resort & Spa just north of Santa Barbara, California. It was directed by Dave Meyers, who previously worked with Brit on her music videos “Lucky”, “Boys”, and “Outrageous.”

Lookin’ good, Brit!

Michael Urie: “I Don’t Think It’s Really Newsworthy If the Gay Guy From ‘Ugly Betty’ is Gay or Not”

Obviously any gay person has the absolute right to come out - or not - whenever they choose. But Ugly Betty star Michael Urie has so far declined to come out as anything despite playing a gay role on TV in Betty, currently playing an early gay activist on stage in The Tempermentalist, and appearing at countless LGBT events.

He was interviewed by New York Magazine about his refusal to discuss his sexuality even though ion his website he describes himself as “a member of the LGBT community.”

“Actors have to be able to do lots of different things, and while I’d say there’s an ongoing theme [to the parts I play], I’m also not interested in having any real publicity about who I am and what my private life is and things like that,” Urie said. “I’m an actor and I don’t want to be a [fill-in-the-] blank actor.”

He was asked if he was tired of interviewers asking him about his sexuality: “They don’t ask about it as much as you might think. Actually, it’s been a long time since anyone asked it. I don’t think it’s really newsworthy if the gay guy from Ugly Betty is gay or not

Michael Jackson's Tour Transforms into Tribute Concerts

As part of the pop star routine, Michael Jackson was planning a comeback. In March, the 50-year-old singer had announced that he would perform 50 concerts at the London O2 Arena. The sold-out “This Is It” tour was scheduled to kick off July 13th, and Jackson was in the midst of rehearsals at the time of his death.

At a June 26nd memorial gathering with the tour's cast and crew, concert organizers announced that the show will go on.

AEG, the entertainment company behind Jackson’s tour and owner of the O2 Arena, has begun reaching out to performers to try to work out a possible star-studded series of tribute concerts to the King of Pop later in the fall.

A source confirmed to the Evening Standard that, “There will be tribute concerts eventually. Initial discussions are taking place—nothing formal yet, just sounding some artists out and the response has been very positive.”

Madonna, who was schedule to appear alongside Jackson in London, is one of the artists in consideration along with Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, Usher and Diddy.

And to pay tribute to the icon’s Motown legacy, artists like Diana Ross, Lionel Richie and Stevie Wonder are also being considered. Promoters hope to get the blessing of the Jackson family and producer Quincy Jones to go ahead with the production.

“It is definitely something we would like to happen and we have received lots of requests from the fans,” the source said.

Michael Jackson Public Viewing Set For Friday At Neverland

Michael Jackson's body will return to his former Neverland Ranch estate in Santa Barbara, California for a public viewing on Friday, according to new reports.

Jackson bought the estate in 1987 and turned it into an amusement park. He moved out of the mansion in 2005 after local authorities swept through his private sanctuary looking for evidence to use against the singer in his child molestation case.

Following his acquittal, he insisted he'd never return to live at Neverland, but he retained a stake in the property up to his death last week.

Funeral details are yet to be announced. The late pop star's family is awaiting the results of an independent autopsy, conducted on Monday, before announcing burial plans.

A private memorial service is scheduled for Sunday, according to CNN.

Rudy Clay, the Mayor of the singer's hometown of Gary, Indiana, has publicly asked the Jackson family to consider burying or cremating the pop star in his birthplace.

Clay has told Chicago radio station Wgn that he expects Jackson's body will be taken to Gary for a memorial service at Steel Works ball park he is planning for next week (beg06Jul09).

He says, "I believe that his body will lie in state in Gary, Indiana."

Clay's spokeswoman Lalola Burns tells CNN, "The Mayor had spoken with a contact of the Jackson family and expressed our interest in having that to be a part of the history of this great family (sic)."

Jackson's father, Joe, returned to Gary in 2008 to discuss plans for a Jackson museum with the Mayor.

Star Sighting: Dude Looks Like a Lady

Dude looks like a lady – and it is! Mariah Carey plays dress-up, sporting two manly looks (one looking suspiciously similar to Eminem) while continuing to shoot her "Obsessed" music video on Monday outside New York's Palace Hotel.

Inside Story: The Private Farrah Fawcett

To most of the world, she was the sex symbol with the flowing hair and dazzling smile – but Joan Dangerfield remembers Farrah Fawcett as the daredevil friend who took her out for a night of breaking and entering.

A few years ago, after the death of Joan's husband, comedian Rodney Dangerfield, Fawcett stopped by her house in the Los Angeles hills with a bottle of tequila.

"We stayed up all night long, talking and laughing and making plans," recalls Dangerfield. "Farrah decided that she wanted a house up here too." They set out to investigate a house for sale.

"We rang the doorbell, but it was clear that nobody was home. The next thing I know, Farrah climbed the gate –a big iron gate with spikes on top. I remember thinking she must have done her own stunts on Charlie's Angels. Within minutes she was waving at me from inside the house. Finally, she comes bouncing back down the driveway and she said, 'No, not for me, they have green toilets.' "

Fawcett, who died on June 25th at age 62 and will be honored with a private funeral in L.A. Tuesday, was "genuinely funny and genuinely caring," says Dangerfield – "the kind of friend who would show up with a German chocolate cake she baked from scratch and tell stories all night, acting out every part."

All in Stride

Another longtime friend, David Pinsky, recalls her competitive spirit. "When I first moved to L.A., she bet me that she could easily outrace me. So up Mulholland Drive we went, at speeds I should never disclose, and guess who got there first?"

Yes, Fawcett – who, Pinsky adds, never took herself or her fame too seriously. She would head out for Mexican food at her favorite dive restaurant in Sherman Oaks, Calif., and graciously sign autographs. "She would joke that she didn't think her fan base extended to the Valley," Pinsky says.

When she returned to the Late Show with David Letterman for the first time after her notoriously incoherent 1997 appearance, "her PR team ran around stressing," Pinsky says. "All Farrah seemed to care about was finding a great pair of shoes to wear on the show. She never had too great of a concern about what others thought of her, she simply wanted to have a good time, laugh and entertain."

Always with Grace

Even her 2½-year battle with cancer didn't dim her personality. "She remained kind and strong and funny even in the face of this vicious enemy," says Dangerfield. "When she would go in to get chemo or radiation and she'd see the other people suffering, she would talk to them. She'd want to know all their stories. And she was willing to share her story with others to lend them her strength."

About a week before Fawcett died, Dangerfield visited her in the hospital. Fawcett had been weak, but that day, she sat up in bed and demanded a steak dinner. Dangerfield rushed to a restaurant for takeout, which Fawcett devoured.

"We sat on the bed and talked about fashion, Obama, just letting the conversation flow without a care. She said, 'Shouldn't we have music?' The nurse pushed a button and on came a song with the line 'calling all angels.' She was laughing." Fawcett, says Dangerfield, "breathed a different air. She was such a joy to be around."

Drea De Matteo Joins Desperate Housewives

An Emmy winner for her role as Adriana, the put-upon — and put-down — girlfriend of Christopher (Michael Imperoli) on The Sopranos, and sister Gina on the short-lived Joey (with Matt LeBlanc), Drea de Matteo proves once again she’s one of the hardest working actresses on TV. Her next stop: Wisteria Lane.

EW.com reports that de Matteo, 37, will join the cast of Desperate Housewives as the head of a new Italian family that moves on to the block. Also inhabiting her house: a landscape architect husband and a neurotic son. (Their casting is still to come.)

Last season, the show, which premiered in October 2004, lost series regular Nicollette Sheridan, who played the bombshell Edie.

Lou Ferrigno:'Michael's Body Went Through a Lot of Stress'

Michael Jackson was determined not to let his chronic back pain slow him down as he prepared for his comeback tour. So he enlisted the help of The Incredible Hulk to whip him into shape.

"When the promoter hired him to do the tour it wasn't any question for me to train him again because he knew that he trusted me especially with toning and shaping his body," says Ferrigno, who had worked with Jackson on another tour 15 years ago. "Being such an icon and he couldn't afford to have any injuries."

Implementing the same type of routine he had for Jackson years ago – "conditioning, toning, and increasing his flexibility and stamina" – Ferrigno says the entertainer, "wanted to increase strength in his legs.

"The workout wasn't any heavy resistance. A lot of stretching and a light walk on the treadmill," Ferrigno told People. "Being 50, his body went through a lot of stress getting ready for the tour, but he was awesome."

Like others who had seen Jackson rehearse, the singer's death came as a surprise for Ferrigno. "I was devastated. I mean I was shocked. I still think of it as like a joke or a like a dream," he says.

Ferrigno even recalled how Jackson wanted to show him one of his signature moves.

"He heard I was in the running to do Dancing with the Stars, so he said that he would teach me the moonwalk if I did the show," Ferrigno says. "We had a lot of fun."

Jude Law in Hamlet Coming to Broadway

Jude Law is about to vacillate – in front of everybody.

The actor, who's currently starring in a Donmar Warehouse production of Shakespeare's Hamlet, will bring the show to Broadway in September, The New York Times reports. His Hamlet will play a 12-week run at the Broadhurst Theater, with previews beginning September 12th, says the paper.

Reviews of Law's performance have been particularly positive. "[He] joins the modern pantheon of spellbinding sweet princes with a performance of rare vulnerability and emotional openness," Charles Spencer wrote in the Telegraph. Times of London critic Benedict Nightingale called the actor "robust and tough."

Law, 36, previously appeared on Broadway – nude – in the 1995 play Indiscretions alongside Kathleen Turner and Cynthia Nixon. Tickets for Hamlet go on sale July 18th.