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the stars came out And they were talking Derby From American Idol winner Ruben Studdard to Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady, celebrities made the scene last night at the Barnstable-Brown and Mint Jubilee parties. At the Barnstable-Brown party, Grammy winner Usher showed off his baby blue suit while Carson Kressley of Bravo's Queen Eye for the Straight Guy mugged with fans. Revelers stood with their cameraphones aloft, capturing this moment: former Doobie Brother Michael McDonald playing the blues with country star Travis Tritt and rocker Meat Loaf. Derby Eve in Louisville. Hollywood should be so lucky. The Kentucky Derby attracts a who's who of celebrities, and if local partygoers willing to fork out $600 a head to come to the Barnstable gala are lucky, they'll even hear some of them sing for their suppers. Actually, that's one of the few sure bets in Louisville the first weekend in May. "I'll get up there and see what the band knows," McDonald said, entering the annual soiree thrown by former Doublemint Twins Priscilla Barnstable and Patricia Barnstable Brown. The Jim Wilson Session band actually knows quite a lot, and has seen a lot over the years playing for the party. Marilyn Kington, the band's lead singer, calls the Derby evening gala, "The highlight of my year." "They're great," 'N Sync's Joey Fatone said of the house band. "You get up there and say anything and they know how to play it." Though honorary chairwoman Ashley Judd did not attend the Galt House's Mint Jubilee gala which benefits cancer research, the crowd was smitten by the other stars in attendance -- and the stars were smitten by the horses. They were a betting crowd. Studdard says he's not a big bettor; He expects to drop only about $500 on races today. "That's not a big bet, is it?" he asked reporters on the red carpet, decked out in pink pinstripes. "I'm just going to wait till I get there." Others had a much trickier strategy: Silks, names and pretty animals. "A girl knows what she wants," said actress Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon, from ABC's Eyes. "I'll pick a good color or a cute horse tomorrow." Actress Tara Reid -- a surprise arrival -- said she was picking Afleet Alex. "I heard there's a great story behind it," she said. The word, though, was that Bandini will sweep it all -- at least, that's what Master of Ceremonies Rick Dees heard. "Our son has won, but we never have," said Dees, who hosts a weekly Top 40 show heard on more than 350 radio stations in the United States. "My favorite moment is just before the Derby runs, when partially medicated by mint juleps. I hear the first strains of My Old Kentucky Home and I never fail to get chills." Then, there are those who just don't try, like MAD TV's Will Sasso. "I'm betting on the horse from the movie," he said. "You know? Seabiscuit? I'm betting on Seabiscuit." Tori Spelling, 90210, wearing vintage yellow dress said, "I
wanted to get dolled up for the Mint Jubilee and the Derby. It's
southern and pretty. I've been waiting for years to come, ever
since I saw Pretty Woman. I love the hats. My hat is vintage Chanel.
The people here are so nice, so different from L.A."
Surprise Guests Help Disney Debut Happiest Celebration LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Gray skies cleared up just a little for Walt Disney World to put on its happiest face for the kickoff of The Happiest Celebration On Earth. While the weather was on again, off again in central Florida, Thursday's festivities remained on as Walt Disney World held an afternoon celebration to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first Disney theme park, Disneyland in California. Disneyland opened July 17, 1955. The 18-month Happiest Celebration will be a theme throughout all of Disney's 10 parks across the globe and will continue at the 11th theme park, Hong Kong Disneyland, set to open in September. Make no mistake, Disney is creating its spectacular celebration to create excitement for some new attractions debuting at Walt Disney World that are "imported" from its other parks. On Wednesday, Walt Disney World officials unveiled its new stunt show at Disney-MGM studios. "Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show" is "inspired" by a show at Disneyland Resorts Paris. The show features cars and motorcycles, plus other vehicles performing outrageous stunts. On Thursday, guests were introduced to the new "Cinderellabration" at the famous landmark Cinderella Castle at Magic Kingdom. The show is an import from Tokyo Disneyland. Also scheduled for unveilings are "Soarin'," a hang-gliding journey over California at Epcot, and Lucky the Dinosaur at Animal Kingdom. Expedition Everest, a high-speed train-roller coaster attraction, will open next year. Star Celebration Performances by rock group Smashmouth and singer Ashanti helped get the Happiest party started Wednesday night. An unannounced appearance by Orlando resident Joey Fatone of N'Sync brought screams from excited preteen girls at the free show at Disney-MGM Studios. Fatone gave an impromptu performance on a few Smashmouth hits with the band's lead singer, Steve Harwell. Appearing a bit more rehearsed were Broadway talents Andrea McArdle, Jennifer Holiday and Eden Espinoza, who performed Thursday during the official Happiest Celebration On Earth festivities. Former Disney cast member Wayne Brady acted as emcee. Also spotted at the theme park Thursday was Gloria Estefan, with her husband, Emilio, and daughter, Emily. Singer and former American Idol contestant Diana DeGarmo was at the Disney-MGM Studios. Canadian group The Barenaked Ladies was scheduled to perform
a private media party Thursday night.
Two Ogres, A Donkey And A Trousersnake? We last saw them strolling happily ever after into the sunset of Far, Far Away, but after grossing over $918 million worldwide on their second outing alone, a return of our favourite green ogres and jive-talking donkey was always on the cards, and now the Dreamworks animation head Jeffrey Katzenberg has revealed his plans for Shrek 3. Talking at a press conference for his company’s upcoming CGI flick Madagascar, Katzenberg revealed a huge chunk of what we can look forward to in the third instalment. Our friends over at Coming Soon.net were there to record the whole thing. "When Shrek 3 opens, Shrek and Fiona are having to take on the duties of being the active king and queen of Far, Far Away”, said Katzenberg. “When we left him, the King was quite literally croaking. The King says to them, "If you can find the heir to the throne and bring him back, the Kingdom will be in good hands, then you can return to swamp and live your lives." “Shrek, Donkey and Puss go to the far side of the Kingdom of Far, Far Away where young Artie, who is the nephew of Queen Lilian, is about to graduate school. Artie turns out to be young King Arthur and Shrek, Donkey and Puss have to convince this extremely rebellious young man, who's being voiced by Justin Timberlake, to come back and assume the throne. Along the way, Shrek invents the Round Table, chivalry. Donkey is the Lady in the Lake with the sword. You get it. “ Justin Timberlake? Well, before the fanboys riot, remember that the Shrek films are, y'know, for kids, and the Trousersnake is well-beloved by the under-12s. And let's focus on the positive – Eddie Murphy voicing a cross-dressing Donkey sounds about right. We just hope that Puss, our favourite character in Shrek 2 still gets his paws into a nice meaty role. But back to Katzenberg… “Meanwhile, back at the Kingdom of Far, Far Away, Prince Charming decides that it's time for a coup d'etat. "The cat's away, he will play", so Fiona organizes all of the princesses into the underground Resistance movement, who are trying to hold things together until Shrek, Donkey, Puss and young King Arthur return." So the usual suspects are all back, with Justin Timberlake as
the main addition, alongside his current squeeze, Cameron Diaz,
who voices Fiona. Whether or not JT will prove to be in sync (get
it?) with his co-stars however, remains to be seen. With his upcoming
roles in Edison and Alpha Dog, the buzz is building on Timberlake
as an actor, putting his career at something of a crossroads.
Let's just hope he doesn't follow his ex along the downhill path.
Artist Of The Month - Justin Timberlake Justin is just one in a long line of boyband members to strike out on their own. But, he does stand out from the crowd because unlike many others, he's truly credible. After all, Justin has even worked with Snoop Dogg! As a member of *NSYNC, southern superstar Justin Timberlake has played a major role in the teen pop explosion of the '90s and 2000s and like many similar teen pop favorites including the Backstreet Boys, Christina Aguilera, Hanson, the Spice Girls, and Britney Spears, critical acclaim was very thin on the ground. However, he was and still is adored by millions of fans, many of whom have been female. Like his ex Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and *NSYNC's JC Chasez, Justin kicked of his career on the Disney Channel's Mickey Mouse Club. *NSYNC got started in Orlando, FL, in 1996, when Justin and JC teamed up with Lance Bass, Chris Kirkpatrick, and Joey Fatone. The vocal quintet's self-titled debut album sold millions of copies in both the United States and Europe and contained the smash hits "I Want You Back" and "Tearing Up My Heart." The group's second album, No Strings Attached, was released on Jive in 2000 and was even more commercially successful; it went double platinum in only one week, and the singles "Bye Bye Bye" and "This I Promise You" became major hits. Soon after Jive released Celebrity, *NSYNC's third album, in 2001, Justin quit the band. By now, his much publicised relationship with Britney Spears was keeping the singer in the headlines and this did his solo ventures no harm at all. The singer had performed live as a solo artist before *NSYNC but it wasn't until the early 2000s that he actually recorded an album as a solo act. Justified, Justin's first solo album, was released on Jive in November 2002. The album's first single "Like I Love You," which mixed rock and hip hop, became a major hit. This was partly thanks to it's cool association who produced the release. They were also responsible for the hits `Rock Your Body' and `Seniorita'. Meanwhile, the urban ballad `Cry Me A River' was also a massive success. In true heart-throb style, Justin courted publicity and controversy by involving himself with a string of women including Christina Aguilera and his latest lover Cameron Diaz. However, his biggest headlines came during that performance with Janet Jackson at The Superbowl. The incident, in which Janet "popped out" of her costume mid-set, caused a furious reaction in the media and despite claims that it was an accident, many assumed it was simply a very successful PR stunt. However, Justin knows that tacky stunts are not enough to secure his status as international superstar and he certainly wants so much more than the teen heart-throb tag. Justin is being taken seriously as an artist and has proved that he has a talent which truly outstrips any early success with N-Sync. His urban edge and cool dance moves have attracted collaborations
with the likes of Black Eyed Peas on `Where Is The Love', Nelly
on `Work It' and more recently Snoop Dogg on `Signs'. With such
cool friends and incredible charisma, Justin's success is surely
`Justified'.
TEEN PEOPLE's Annual 25 Hottest Stars Under 25 The 'It List' of the Youngest, Biggest Names in Film, TV and Music From Britney to Ashlee, Justin to Jesse, Olsens to the O.C. All Dazzle in TEEN PEOPLE's June/July Issue Out May 6 TEEN PEOPLE's 25 Hottest Stars Under 25, This year's TEEN PEOPLE 25 Hottest Stars Under 25 are: Alicia Keys, 25 Hayden Christensen, 24* Kirsten Dunst, 23 Some make their debut this year, others are veterans. Many of
them are Justin Timberlake - With
only one more year before he's "too old,"
Scene Report: Coachella goes Hollywood! More shameless Us Weekly reportage: Cameron Diaz and Justin
Timberlake were seen cuddling on a blanket just like
any ol’ nobody couple (sans bodyguard), while Timby’s
ex-bandmate JC Chasez was
accompanied by a big black dude who never left his side. What
up wit dat?
Jaw-dropping celebrity sighting of the weekend: Cameron Diaz
and Justin Timberlake in the
VIP section on Saturday afternoon. Wow, is Cameron super cute
in person, and super friendly to boot, chatting up Spin designer
Alexandra Gershman for a bit in the VIP. Sadly, the couple turned
down our request for a candid photo. Honorable mention: JC
Chazez from N'SYNC with unnecessary body guards. Like
some hipster is going to start something with JC?
Today In History – May 4, 2005 Today’s Birthdays: The president of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak,
is 77. Jazz musician Maynard Ferguson is 77. Opera singer Roberta
Peters is 75. Jazz musician Ron Carter is 68. Rock musician Dick
Dale is 68. Singer-songwriter Nick Ashford is 63. Actor Paul Gleason
is 61. Pop singer Peggy Santiglia (The Angels) is 61. Country
singer Stella Parton is 56. Actor-turned-clergyman Hilly Hicks
is 55. Singer Jackie Jackson (The Jacksons) is 54. Country singer
Randy Travis is 46. Actress Mary McDonough is 44. Comedian Ana
Gasteyer is 38. Rock musician Mike Dirnt (Green Day) is 33. Rock
musician Jose Castellanos is 28. Singer Lance Bass (‘N
Sync) is 26.
Timberlake op to save singing career Pop hunk Justin Timberlake will undergo surgery on his throat next week to remove nodules which threaten to destroy his singing career. Timberlake allegedly discovered the condition while recording his latest single Signs with rapper Snoop Dogg and immediately contacted doctors, who banned him from straining his voice until medics at a private Los Angeles hospital have dealt with the problem. A close friend tells British newspaper The Sun: "Recently Justin's been in the studio again making Signs with Snoop Dogg. That's when he realised there was a problem with his voice. "He saw a specialist and was diagnosed with nodules. The operation is fairly simple so he should be fine. But he will have to rest by talking very little and not singing." Timberlake joins a list of stars including Geri Halliwell, Rod
Stewart, Dame Julie Andrews and joss Stone who have had operations
to remove throat nodules.
Is Britney Getting Funky With Har Mar Superstar? Well ...
You may not have heard of Har Mar Superstar yet, but if the other prince of Minnesota-bred funk has his way, you will soon. Har Mar — the artist formerly known as Sean Na Na (and born Sean Tillman) — is preparing a media blitz that he predicts will take him from little-known fringe celebrity to, um, mainstream fringe celebrity. Har Mar — an unassuming vocalist built like a cross between "Seinfeld" co-star Jason Alexander and porn star Ron Jeremy, but possessed of a funky falsetto worthy of Jackson 5-era Michael Jackson — says he's been on a roll lately. He claims to have written songs for Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, JC Chasez and INXS and is working on a cartoon he hopes will join the "Adult Swim" block on Cartoon Network. He's slated to appear in an upcoming VH1 pilot, as well. "This has all been building up over the years, and the more people I meet, the easier it becomes for me to do whatever I f---ing want to," said Har Mar, 27. "I will take the U.S. over by storm in the fall." Much of the heat Har Mar is experiencing is a result of the relentlessly funky, danceable songs on last year's The Handler album, which sounds like a mix of Rick James, Michael Jackson, Prince and Peaches, slathered with the kind of double-entendre that would make Tenacious D blush. Har Mar's stage show typically finds the portly singer writhing on the stage in his underwear, breakdancing and twirling the thick patch of hair on the small of his back. In the past, Har Mar has written for pal Kelly Osbourne — she thanked him in the liner notes to Shut Up but did not use his contribution — and appeared in the video for Ben Lee's "We're All in This Together." Har Mar said he wrote a song called "Tall Boys" for Paris Hilton's debut album, but it came in too late to make the cut. Now — according to Har Mar, at least — the song has made its way to Britney Spears' people. "I guess Britney's way into it," Superstar said of the track, which he described as "super funky." (Spears' spokesperson did not return calls for comment, and even Har Mar's management said the Brit connection was news to them.) The ever-confident Har Mar said it's his versatility and humor that are attracting big names. "My songs could work for any pop star. Artists like working with me in the studio because I can help take the serious edge off." Har Mar's mojo must be working, as he's already managed to lure boy-band survivor JC Chasez. "I was just in the studio with JC and some members of the Black Eyed Peas' band working on some songs," Har Mar said. "We were supposed to do one, but it went so well we did three songs together." Among the tracks is "Cover Girl," which he described as "an R&B, Prince-y, awesome, kinda dirty dance jam." Har Mar said he's also written a song for the next Kylie Minogue album, penned the track "Get Off My Girl" for former British boy-band member Ben Adams (A1), and was recently in the studio with members of INXS, writing three songs for the album they plan to cut with the singer who wins their upcoming reality show. In addition to all that, Har Mar wrote the theme song for the new BBC fake mind-reader show "Ghost Man" and is currently writing the theme for the pilot of "Minoriteam," a short created for the Cartoon Network's late-night "Adult Swim" block. What he's most excited about right now is a show he's developing for "Adult Swim" called "Jasperwood," which sounds like it will fit right in with "Robot Chicken" and the like. "It's a cartoon with some puppets from the guys from 'Crank Yankers' that's about a drug mule named Jasper who moved to L.A. from Tijuana and hangs out in the rock scene and solves a lot of mysteries," Har Mar explained. He said he plans to supply the voice of Jasper and start writing the script once the show is given the green light. (A Cartoon Network spokesperson said the network has not yet signed a production deal for the show.) The multi-tasking Har Mar filmed a slot for a VH1 reality-show pilot called "America's Most Extraordinary Dancer," in which judges seek out the most unique dancers in the country. As if that weren't enough, Har Mar said he's already written
a full album's worth of songs for his follow-up to The Handler.
When he finishes his tour with Ben Lee on Friday, he's going to
try to find some time to record those tracks as well. "I'm
awesome," he said. "What can I say?"
Coachella Coldplay, NIN Top Coachella With Emotional Performances INDIO, California — One played tender melodic rock, the other fierce industrial metal, but at the heart of Coachella's headliners was the same thing: a man with a piano and something to say. On paper, Coldplay and Nine Inch Nails, who topped Saturday and Sunday's lineups respectively, represent the wide diversity that is the Coachella Valley Music Festival. However, when it came to their performances, both bands drew from deep emotions for sets that, despite the massive setting, felt intensely intimate. Whether it's "Yellow" or "Hurt," there's just something profoundly personal about a piano solo under the stars. While new parent Chris Martin clearly had love and happiness on his mind (one of their new songs is even titled "Love"), Trent Reznor's song selections stuck to his signature declarations of hatred (at himself and others) and isolation. "Don't you f---ing know what you are?" he screamed over and over during one new track. Now in its sixth year, Coachella has mastered the recipe for the perfect weekend festival: enough buzz bands to fill a season of "The O.C.," a couple of chart-toppers and a pinch of under-the-radar show-stealers to perform for 22 hours over two days on five stages. All this and not one stage named after a corporate sponsor. With attendance back to about 50,000 per day (last year topped 60,000) and temperatures 20 degrees below 2004's scorching 100-degree days, navigating the five stages was much more bearable, although there was still the juggling act of trying to catch all the anticipated shows. It's not easy when the Bravery, the Futureheads and Tegan and Sara are playing simultaneously, but here at MTV News, we did our best. Although not spotted together, 'NSYNC's Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez both took in Coachella. JT and girlfriend Cameron Diaz mingled in the VIP area before joining Gwyneth Paltrow on the side of Coldplay's stage. Meanwhile, Chasez was seen checking out a DJ set from Perry Farrell, the only artist to perform at all six Coachellas. Chloë Sevigny, Danny Masterson and Danny DeVito were also seen around the festival. See link above for full story.
Paris Hilton Striking Out Musically The recording studio has not been kind to Paris Hilton. The person famous for being famous is working on her debut album but is having a hard time finding help. According to MTV, she recently approached Le Tigre, but nothing transpired. She also wanted to work with Black Eyed Peas but they've vetoed that idea. JC Chasez also recently told andPOP that while he sat in on a studio session, he had no plans to work with her. She does have a companion in Lil Jon, who will be producing a few tracks off the album. There is no name or release date yet for Ms Hilton's album.
Justin Timberlake Voicing Shrek 3 DreamWorks Animation announced at "Animation Now: Imagination Innovation Inspiration" at Lincoln Center today that Justin Timberlake is joining Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Antonio Banderas and real-life girlfriend Cameron Diaz in the voice cast for Shrek 3, opening May 18, 2007. Timberlake will play a young King Arthur, or "Artie," King Harold's rebellious nephew who has no interest in being king, producer Aron Warner says. It's up to Shrek (Myers) to teach Artie how to act like royalty, Warner says. You may remember that in Shrek 2, a poster of "Sir Justin" hangs in Fiona's girlhood bedroom. Warner revealed a few more details saying "there is a baby
involved" and that "in teaching Artie to be king, Shrek
has to overcome his deep-seated fear of being a father."
Star struck Sure, plenty of Disney execs will be in Orlando this week to
kick off the company's "Happiest Celebration on Earth"
promotion -- tied to the 50th anniversary of Disneyland. But what
about the stars? More than 25 celebrities are said to be on tap
for the event, either as performers or attendees. That list includes
'N Sync members Joey Fatone and Lance
Bass, American Idol runner-up Diana DeGarmo, R&B
pop star Ashanti, former Trading Spaces host Paige Davis, race-car
driver Kyle Petty and more.
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| * All typos are that of the original author, not that of DirtyPop.net. |
