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Sony Pictures Entertainment has confirmed it will piece together highlights from hours of footage of Michael Jackson rehearsing for his sold-out ‘This Is It’ London concerts.

The hotly-anticipated film - which shares its name with the never-performed shows - will feature 3D segments, behind-the-scenes footage and a host of classic songs Jackson was perfecting leading up to his sudden death on June 25.

Music executive John McClain – who along with Jackson’s long-time attorney John Branca was named as an executor of his estate in his will – said: “This film is not only a tribute to an artist who created excitement every moment he was on stage, but also is a fitting gift to the millions of fans worldwide who loved him and who he devoted his professional life to entertaining.”

Kenny Ortega, who was creative director for the ‘This Is It’ shows, is delighted the world will get to see Jackson’s vision for the residency.

Ortega said: “Everyone will see what our team was so fortunate to experience, which was the full commitment, passion and creativity that Michael put into this project. He was the architect of ‘This Is It’, and we were his builders. The footage that was captured from the early stages of the production to our technical rehearsals at the Staples Center in Los Angeles will show Michael as he truly was, creatively involved with every aspect of the production.

“It will also show Michael as one of the greatest entertainers in the world. The footage will show that he was on his way to another theatrical triumph.”

A percentage of the proceeds will go directly to Jackson’s estate for the benefit of the Michael Jackson Family Trust.

Branca said: “Our goal is to work with partners who treat Michael’s legacy with dignity and respect, while allowing us to substantially build the value of his estate for the benefit of Mrs. Katherine Jackson, Michael’s three children and the charitable causes that meant so much to him during his life.”

The ‘Billie Jean’ singer’s mother Katherine has been granted full custody of her son’s children - Prince Michael I, 12, and Paris, 11, and seven-year-old Prince Michael II, also known as ‘Blanket’.

Sony Pictures reportedly paid £36 million for the rights to the exclusive rehearsal footage from AEG Live and the movie will hit cinemas worldwide on October 28.

Former American Idol contestant and Dreamgirls star Jennifer Hudson gave birth to a baby boy Monday night, Showbiz 411 is reporting.

Hudson and fiance, reality show I Love New York star David Otunga, named the child David Daniel Otunga Jr. Hudson did not make known the location of the hospital (or home) in which she gave birth, nor whether the child was born naturally or via c-section. Showbiz 411 hints that this is deliberate, saying:

P.S. Note to paparazzi: Hudson is not where you think she is, so just forget it. By the time you read this, she and David Jr. will be snug as a bug in a rug far from prying eyes!

This is the first child for both reality TV stars, and a bright spot in what has been a rather devastating year for Hudson. Last October, Hudson’s mother, brother and young nephew were murdered. Hudson’s estranged brother-in-law stands accused of the crime, and Hudson has since left Chicago.

Connor Cruise, Tom Cruise’s 14-year-old adopted son, has landed a role in a remake of 1984 movie ‘Red Dawn’.

In the film, Connor will play high school student Daryl who joins a group of fellow pupils to battle foreign military forces who have invaded America.

The original movie was set in an alternate 1980s and follows an invasion of the US by then Soviet Union armed forces and soldiers from Central America.

Connor, along with his co-stars, is set to undergo military training ahead of shooting, which is due to start in Detroit in the next month.

‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’ actress Isabel Lucas and ‘Star Trek’ actor Chris Hemsworth have also signed up for the movie.

This is not Connor’s first big screen role.

He played a young Will Smith in the 2008 film ‘Seven Pounds’ and is desperate to follow in dad Tom and mother Nicole Kidman’s Hollywood footsteps.

Miley Cyrus recently revealed she is giving Connor acting lessons to help him fulfil his ambitions, and has let him shadow her on the set of her hit Disney TV series ‘Hannah Montana’.

Miley, 16, said: “I guess he wants to be an actor too, he is really cute.”

Simon Cowell attended magazine founder Hugh Hefner’s annual Midsummer Night’s Dream party, held at the 83-year-old’s Los Angeles home.

Jon Voight, Shaquille O’Neal, Jack Osbourne, James Van Der Beek, Ryan Seacrest, Randy Jackson, Shannon Elizabeth, Jon Lovitz and Hefner’s former girlfriend Bridget Marquardt also attended the bash.

Hefner has hosted the party on the first Saturday of August for years.

Costumes are essential, with most men – including Hefner – expected to wear their finest pyjamas, while women are invited to don their skimpiest lingerie.

This year, Hefner’s new girlfriends Crystal Harris and Karissa and Kristina Shannon stole the show, in miniscule gold bikinis adorned with sparkling beads.

Former ‘Girls Next Door’ star Bridget was also keen to show off some bronzed skin, squeezing into feathered lime green bra and panties.

Basketball star Shaquille O’Neal was far more casual, wearing a pair of Superman boxers and a plain white T-shirt.

A total of 800 guests attended the party, which saw the mansion decorated in a Greco-Roman style, with ostrich feather fans, painted murals and millions of sequins.

Dieter Wiesner, who was Michael’s manager from 1996 to 2003, claims the singer was often so “out of control” on prescription medication, he had to be watched at all times to make sure he didn’t overdose.

Recalling one harrowing trip, Dieter said: “On one flight Michael sat in the back row with Paris, and I sat in the row in front with Prince.

“I made sure the doctor was in front and I would watch him for the whole flight to make sure he didn’t walk back to Michael and slip him something.”

Dieter claims the same doctor nearly caused Michael – who died in June aged 50 – to overdose in a Los Angeles hotel.

He explained to Britain’s Daily Mirror newspaper: “I left the room for 30 minutes. I came back and he was drugged and would not act or react like before. He was out of control.”

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office has reportedly ruled on the cause of Michael’s death but is not releasing it at the request of the Los Angeles Police Department.

Gossip website TMZ – who broke the story of the star’s death – claims the official autopsy report found the star’s death was “caused by another person”.

According to police sources, the report has been put on “indefinite security hold” because it could scare potential witnesses into silence.

While many details of Michael’s death remain a mystery, the final days of his life will soon be on the big screen.

Columbia Picture has been granted rights to air footage from the week leading up to the singer’s death, which documents his preparations for his 50 sold-out London concerts.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff announced yesterday (10.08.09) he had approved a deal between Jackson’s estate, concert promoter AEG Live and Columbia Pictures for a movie.

The film - entitled ‘This Is It’, the name given to the mammoth residency - is set to be released on October 30.

Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke has revealed the band aren’t ready or willing to throw themselves into the “creative hoo-ha” of recording a follow up to 2007s ‘In Rainbows’.

He said: “None of us want to go into that creative hoo-ha of a long play record again. Not straight off.

“I mean, it’s just become a real drag. It worked with ‘In Rainbows’, because we had a real fixed idea about where we were going.

“But we’ve all said that we can’t possibly dive into that again. It’ll kill us.”

The band – which is comprised of Thom, guitarist Jonny Greenwood, drummer Phil Selway, bassist Colin Greenwood and guitarist Ed O’Brien - is not, however, totally defunct.

They released a new track via their website last week in tribute to the last British World War I veteran to pass away, Harry Patch, who died aged 111 last month.

All proceeds raised from the song, titled ‘Harry Patch (In Memory Of)’, will be donated to the Royal British Legion – the UK’s leading military charity.

Speaking about the inspiration behind the song, Thom said: “I had heard a very emotional interview with him a few years ago on BBC Radio 4.

“The way he talked about war had a profound effect on me. It became the inspiration for a song that we happened to record a few weeks before his death. It was done live in an abbey. I very much hope the song does justice to his memory as the last survivor.

“It would be very easy for our generation to forget the true horror of war, without the likes of Harry to remind us. I hope we do not forget.”

‘Harry Patch (In Memory Of)’ can be downloaded from Radiohead’s website www.radiohead.com/deadairspace

Londell McMillan has dismissed the actor’s suggestion Paris was conceived using sperm donated by him in 1996 and has accused Lester of “seeking five seconds of fame”.

He said: “These genetic lottery attempts aren’t going anywhere. They have no legal standing. They may seek five seconds of fame but the claims have no merit.”

McMillan was also referring to similar claims made by Jackson’s personal doctor Arnold Klein - who also came forward to say he donated sperm to the star and thought he may be the natural father of the pop star’s two oldest children Prince Michael I, 12, and Paris, 11.

It was claimed on Sunday (09.08.09) that Lester - godfather to Michael’s three children; Prince Michael I, Paris and their and seven-year-old sibling Prince Michael II, also known as ‘Blanket’ – could be the biological father of Paris as he had donated sperm to the star.

Lester was quoted as saying: “It’s been a secret for so long. Michael asked me if I would give him my sperm and I said yes.

“It was a gift to him, no money was paid, it was something I was honoured to do. He wanted children so badly.”

Lester, 51, now claims his comments were taken out of context and although he donated sperm to Jackson and said on camera he could see “strong similarities” between Paris and his 15-year-old daughter Harriet, he believes the ‘Thriller’ singer was the biological father of his children.

Lester told ‘E! News’: “I’m sure, as far as I know, the children were all his.”

British-born Lester and Jackson became friends after bonding over the fact they were both child stars. Jackson was the lead singer of the Jackson 5, while Lester played Oliver Twist in 1968 Oscar-winning film ‘Oliver!’.

The pair were friends for over 30 years and their two families were very close - the ‘Beat It’ singer was godfather to the actor’s four children - up until the pop legend’s death in June.

Mischa Barton - who was placed under involuntary psychiatric hold at Los Angeles’ Cedars-Sinai Medical Center last month - has infuriated her close pals by partying at the All Points West music festival in New York just days after her release from hospital.

Family friend Eric Ziegenbein told Heat magazine: “It’s scary to see her out right after she’s received treatment. When I found out she’d been partying again, I was shocked. I thought she would chill out for a bit. The fact she was out right away proves she’s not taking things seriously enough. It was like a big ‘f**k you.’ She’s too proud and independent sometimes.”

The 23-year-old starlet spent two weeks under a 5150 hold - which allows people to be forcibly held if they are deemed a danger to themselves or others, are gravely disabled or have a mental disorder - after friends became concerned she was suicidal. It has been alleged the actress’ drink and drug use was affecting her career and personal.

Another friend, Suzanne Coppin, is frustrated Mischa isn’t listening to the advice of loved ones and is trying to deal with her problems alone. She explained: “She has a support group, but it’s obvious she’s ignoring them. I’m disappointed she’s not taking advice and is still doing her own thing.”

This is not the first time the actress’s friends have voiced concerns about her wellbeing. Earlier this month, they openly expressed their fears she had returned to work on her new TV series ‘The Beautiful Life’ too soon after leaving hospital.

One said: “There still are issues. Mischa’s just not herself at all. I think she’s gone back to work too soon.”

Lindsay Lohan is such a fan of the fattening dairy treat she can’t bare to have a meal without it, and even slathers it over her
breakfast.

A source said: “Lohan shared this personal food fact - she loves whipped cream so much, she even puts it on her oatmeal in the morning.”

The 23-year-old actress let her guilty food secret slip while out celebrating her on/off girlfriend Samantha Ronson’s 32nd birthday on Friday (August 8.) Samantha was due to DJ at Chicago’s Hotel Sax’s Crimson Lounge, and was amazed when Lindsay and her younger sister Ali Lohan flew to the US city to surprise her on her special day.

The trio and a group of friends ate dinner at eatery Hub 51, where they munched chicken and steak tacos followed by carrot cake.
Lindsay - who has completed three stints in rehab - and Samantha frequently
went outside to smoke cigarettes, prompting an onlooker to chastise her.
Lindsay replied: “This is far from the worst thing I’ve ever done to my
body!”
The group then went to watch Samantha perform, after which they moved on to
nightspot Angels and Kings.

the following is reposted with permission from “Kyle Brady: A Blog”

…maybe.

Potentially legitimate rumors have surfaced that Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles will be returning to television, presumably with cries of joy from around the world, starting with a direct-to-DVD release prior to the next chapter in the Terminator movie saga, and a TV show potentially following – all starting some time in 2010 or 2011.  The network sponsoring the direct-to-DVD process isn’t clear, although the WB was mentioned several times, not to mention the total silence on whether the TV show would appear on FOX.  Either way, it seems that the important people in this dance listened to both the praise and wails of fans.

This news, if true, could prove to be a gamechanger for the future of television – TV networks that actually produce intelligent, thought-provoking, and deep shows that fans want, even if they don’t achieve the hyper-success of idiotic nonsense like American Idol.  If the WB is the network for the future of Sarah Connor and her band of rebels, which includes one humanoid robot, FOX will be highly embarrassed should the show do well, but if FOX somehow manages to hold on to the baby they threw out the window, they will still have dirt on their face at the end of the day, and be subject to the emotionality of a rabid fanbase.

Even if the show continues thematically mostly on its own, despite rumors of being intertwined with the upcoming movies, TV as a whole will be all the better for it, and so will the Terminatorverse – Terminator: Salvation was a good action movie, and a halfway decent Terminator film, but it fell flat on the expectations of a smart and highly complex film that many hoped would have more in common with TTSCC than T3.  The cast itself is critical component of the show’s brilliance:  Lena Headey is a much better Sarah than Linda Hamilton ever was, and Thomas Dekker has evolved from a whiny “emo” teenager into a very believable and intensely brilliant John – not to mention the characters played by Summer Glau, Brian Austin Greene, Richard T. Jones, and Garret Dillahunt that make a beautiful small-screen ensemble and help set the tone of the show.

Regardless of the acting prowess of Christian Bale, the simple fact is that barring an extreme change of pace and tone in the upcoming T5 movie, the Terminatorverse is likely to have a longer, smarter, and better future on television.  All of that changes if the network behind the TTSCC decides to place demands on the writers, restrict the show’s budget, or act in other stereotypically ignorant behavior that is so often seen at FOX.  However, if the show returns in “same or better” form than when it was canceled, fans will flock in droves to any network that cares to finance the triumphant return of Sarah Connor.