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Ellen DeGeneres will replace Paula Abdul as the fourth judge on American Idol 9, according to Fox. The network said Ellen 'will sit alongside Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi and offer her own unique perspective to the contestants throughout the competition' but 'will join the judges' panel after the auditions.' Guest judges have been sitting in the fourth chair during the auditions over the past month or so. Fox's Mike Darnell said in the press release that Ellen 'is truly one of America's funniest people and a fantastic performer who understands what it's like to stand up in front of audiences and entertain them every day. We feel that her vast entertainment experience -- combined with her quick wit and passion for music -- will add a fresh new energy to the show.' Ellen said, 'I'm thrilled to be the new judge on American Idol. I've watched since the beginning, and I've always been a huge fan. So getting this job is a dream come true, and think of all the money I'll

Freetown (Sierra Leone), Sep 10 (Xinhua) At least 80 children were killed when the boat in which they were travelling capsised off the coast of Sierra Leone capital during a storm, media reports said.

Who is Louise Griffiths? I’ll be honest with ya, I’m not really sure, but according to my buddies at Wikipedia (we talk regularly, you know), Louise Griffiths is a English female pop singer, songwriter and actress, and came to fame during a stint as a contestant on the BBC television series Fame Academy from the wonderful year of 2003. You know, back during the good old days, when money fell out of the sky and gold was free for everyone. Ah, I miss those days. images resized for faster load time; click to enlarge Visit Gallery

Film News: Case may overturn campaign finance reform laws -- A scathing documentary about Hillary Clinton, released during the height of campaign season last year, on Wednesday once again came under the scrutiny of the Supreme Court, which is weighing whether the movie's release should have been restricted under campaign finance laws.

Stars of Tyler Perry's latest flick, 'I Can Do Bad All By Myself,' caught up with ET at the film's premiere. Gladys Knight praises Perry, saying, "When he's working, he is serious about his work. But he keeps you relaxed enough and laughing enough to be relaxed and do what you gotta do, but he drives you till you get that character." She continues, "He took Gladys Knight out of the picture and made me Wilma." Perry was able to sign an all-star lineup of talent to his cast. When offered the role, Mary J. Blige tells ET she committed right away and believes the part was written for her. Her background being in singing, she did find acting to be a challenge, so she sought the help of an acting coach. She says, "It's complicated to just paint a blank canvas, make this person come to life, but I found who Tonya was."

Advertisement shows the late singer Michael Jackson in rehearsals for his planned showsPromotional material made available today for the Michael Jackson documentary This Is It shows a composite of colourful images of the singer rehearsing for his comeback tour, superimposed on a full-size image of the star in a familiar pose. It includes the tagline: 'Michael Jackson's This Is It. Like you've never seen him before.'This Is It, directed by Jackson's creative partner and tour co-ordinator, Kenny Ortega, will be released for a limited two-week period. Billed as a rare, behind-the-scenes portrait of the singer, the film will chronicle the period from April to June 2009, during which Jackson was rehearsing for his proposed 50-date O2 Arena stint, due to begin in July.Ortega, who has also directed the High School Musical films, said: It's a very private, exclusive look into a creative genius's world. This Is It may go down as the greatest concert that no-one got a chance to see, but with thi

Former News International executive chairman Les Hinton in talks with Commons committee about giving evidenceThe former News International executive chairman Les Hinton is understood to be in talks to give evidence to the Commons culture, media and sport select committee about allegations of phone hacking by the News of the World.The committee of MPs reopened its existing inquiry into press standards, privacy and libel in July after the Guardian revealed that News International had paid about £1m in damages and costs to three individuals to settle legal cases over alleged phone hacking by NotW journalists.However, the committee has previously been unable to secure an appearance by Hinton, who ran News International during the period that saw the News of the World royal editor, Clive Goodman, and private investigator Glenn Mulcaire jailed in January 2007 for hacking into phones of royal aides.The committee has scheduled a hearing for next Tuesday, 15 September, and MPs hope that Hinton

Passionate Italian fan steals limelight at Venice press conference for The Men Who Stare at GoatsGeorge Clooney is used to being swooned over by adoring fans, so it was with typical cool humour that he dealt with a very public proposition at the venice film festival. During the press conference for his new film, The Men Who Stare at Goats, Italian fan Mauro Casciari stripped down to his underpants, which had the words: 'George, pick me,' felt-tipped onto the crotch. He then shouted, 'I love you, George,' before being escorted from the room by security guards. Clooney remained unflappable. 'You stay there,' he joked, 'there's a little ambulance on its way here.'Speaking later, Cascaria explained: 'I wanted him to come out [as gay] and offered myself to him. So I wrote on my underwear 'choose me', and stripped off. I didn't get the answer I wanted.'The Men Who Stare at Goats, directed by Clooney's one-time writing partner Grant Heslov, is based on Jon Ronson's investigation of the same n

Media mogul Oprah Winfrey, who has interviewed several high profile political figures and celebrities during the past 20 years, is ecstatic about her no-holds-barred chat with comeback queen Whitney Houston and calls it as 'the best interview I've ever done'.

But times have now changed. There is news of not one, but two upcoming films that feature women in major roles. The first is an untitled Shilpa Shetty? Bipasha Basu starrer. While it was kept on hold during the recession, its shooting has ...