Russell Crowe apologizes for circumcision remarks

 Russell Crowe has apologized for criticising circumcision.

The Oscar-winning actor claimed the practice of cutting off a boy's foreskin—a Jewish religious requirement, a common Muslim practice, and a standard procedure on newborns in the US—was "barbaric and stupid" but has now said sorry for any offense he caused. He wrote on his twitter page: "I'm very sorry that I have said things on here that have caused distress.

"My personal beliefs aside, I realize that some will interpret this... as me mocking rituals and traditions of others. I am very sorry."

Russell—who has two sons, Charlie, seven, and Tennyson, four, with wife Danielle Spencer—had previously tweeted: "Circumcision is barbaric and stupid. Who are you to correct nature? Is it real that GOD requires a donation of foreskin? Babies are perfect. (sic)"

The tweet was in response to one of Russell's 228,000 followers, who asked his advice as to whether they should get their unborn baby "circumstanced (sic)".

This prompted Russell to reply: "Here's a life rule, if you can't spell it, don't do it. (sic)"

After being criticized by a number of his followers, Russell was quick to defend his viewpoint and make it clear he is not anti-Semitic.

He said: "Many jewish friends, I love my Jewish friends, I love the apples and the honey and the funny little hats but stop cutting your babies @eliroth (sic)"

The Gladiator star is currently working with director Eli Roth on a new film, who replied to his tweet, joking: "You didn't seem to be complaining when I was recutting you this afternoon. (sic)"

Read more »

Bono admits Spider-Man musical "didn't work" but only at first

Bono admits Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark initially "didn't work."

The Broadway musical—the most expensive in history—has been hit by many problems since the first preview shows in November 2010 but the U2 frontman, who wrote all the music and lyrics for the production along with bandmate The Edge, is confident they have finally got it right. He said: "The first incarnation was an amazing thing to behold. It was very innovative. There was magic about it. But the story didn't work.

"I'd say we're about 10 percent away from where the show will be."

The Edge added: "But as they say, Broadway shows are never finished—they just open."

After all of the delays and issues surrounding the musical—including storyline alterations, cast and crew changes, and injuries—Bono is now looking forward to being able to relax and watch it as an ordinary customer when it finally opens to the public tonight (June 14, New York time).

Speaking at the weekend, he told the USA Today newspaper: "I think the harshest critics have been people involved with this show. I'm tired of that role. There are a few more things I want to do, but on Tuesday, I'm going as a fan. I'm just going to give myself to it."

The "With or Without You" hitmaker also praised the musical's stuntman Christopher Tierney—who was in critical condition in December after falling almost 10 meters into the orchestra pit during a preview performance—as a "rock star" for his dedication to the show, which he is set to return to tonight.

Bono said: "Some real superheroes have emerged. I always feel like I'm pretending to be a rock star for a living. Chris Tierney is a rock star."

Read more »

Sylvester Stallone inducted into boxing Hall of Fame

Sylvester Stallone has been inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

The American actor—who is not a professional boxer—was honored for the contribution to the sport of his Rocky films, in which he plays a small-time fighter who gets a shot at the world heavyweight championship.

Sylvester told the New York ceremony: "I never pretended to be a boxer, but I have an understanding of what goes on outside the ring." The 64-year-old actor has starred in six Rocky movies—the first of which was released in 1976 and saw Sylvester nominated for an Oscar for his performance—culminating in 2006 movie Rocky Balboa.

Mike Tyson was also inducted into the New York-based hall of fame, which features boxing legends Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, and Sugar Ray Robinson.

But Sylvester has recently moved away from the ring and has turned his hand to fashion designing.

He is set to create his own men's lifestyle brand entitled Sly Inc.—which will feature jeans, shirts, outwear and active wear, targeting men between 25 and 40 years old, to be launched next year.

He previously said: "I thought the time is now. I've lived a life where I know what has worked and what hasn't worked. Clothing is the first step to building a character."

Read more »

Twilight Saga: Eclipse dominates 2011 MTV Movie Awards

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse won best male and best female performances for lead stars—and real life couple—Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, while the pair also won the Best Kiss prize at the event at the Universal Studios' Gibson Amphitheatre.

Twilight scooped five awards at the MTV Movie Awards in Los Angeles last night (June 5).

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse won best male and best female performances for lead stars—and real life couple—Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, while the pair also won the Best Kiss prize at the event at the Universal Studios' Gibson Amphitheatre. Picking up her Golden Popcorn, Kristen poked fun at Oscar-winning actress Natalie Portman, who was also up for the award, saying: "Sorry, but the popcorn is mine."

British actress Chloe Moretz picked up two awards for Best Breakout Star and Biggest Badass Star, while the Harry Potter series missed out on all the big prizes, with only Tom Felton winning his category for Best Villain in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.

He joked: "This will look very nice in my downstairs toilet."

Robert Pattinson made sure to embarrass his Water for Elephants co-star Reese Witherspoon, with whom he previously appeared as her son in 2004 movie Vanity Fair, adding the pair had "f**ked" on their latest film.

He joked: "Seven years later we worked together on a movie called Water for Elephants and you played my mother... I didn't cut you out, but I did f**k you."

British star Robert continued to joke at her expense, adding he had learnt lessons from their time together.

He said: "Now I know that Southern girls can wear girdles but they can't talk about it, Tequila is like Lays chips, you can't just have one, and that it is possible to be 33 percent lesbian."

However, Reese did not let him get away with it, and upon accepting the Generation Award from the cast of Twilight, she turned to Robert and said: "You're the best motherf**ker in Hollywood!"

It was not the only shock of the night—Justin Timberlake groped Friends with Benefits co-star Mila Kunis' breasts while the presented the award for Best Male Performance.

Justin said: "Even though we're in the movie Friends with Benefits, we've never dated."

Then, grabbing her chest, he added: "We have a totally platonic relationship, which is why I can do this." 

Full list of winners at the 2011 MTV Movie Awards: 

Best Female Performance: Kristen Stewart The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Best Male Performance: Robert Pattinson The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Best Movie: The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Best Kiss: Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson 

Best Villain: Tom Felton Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. 

Best Jaw Dropping Moment: Justin Bieber Never Say Never

Biggest Badass Star: Chloe Moretz 

Best Scared as S**t Performance: Ellen Page Inception

Best Line from a Movie: Alexys Nicole Sanchez Grown Ups

Best Breakout Star: Chloe Moretz Kick Ass

Best Comedic Performance: Emma Stone Easy A

Generation Award: Reese Witherspoon

Read more »

Prince William and Duchess Catherine to move into into Princess Diana's old home

The British royals—who tied the knot at Westminster Abbey on April 29—will embark upon married life in a "modest apartment" in London's Kensington Palace, where William and his younger brother Prince Harry once lived with their late mother.

Prince William and Duchess Catherine are to move into Princess Diana's old home.

The British royals—who tied the knot at Westminster Abbey on April 29—will embark upon married life in a "modest apartment" in London's Kensington Palace, where William and his younger brother Prince Harry once lived with their late mother. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will split their time between the capital and their cottage in Anglesey, North Wales, where the 28-year-old prince carries out his duties as an RAF search-and-rescue pilot.

An insider explained: "They are really looking forward to moving in soon and having a base in the capital. Kate and William love the peace and quiet of Anglesey but they can't just stay holed up there for the next two years.

"The public want to see them, and it makes sense for them to have a base in the capital. They both love London have lots of friends there and it's a good place for Kate to get stuck into thinking about what charities she wants to promote and other work she might take on."

Until now, the pair had been living in the bachelor pad William formerly shared with Harry, 26, at Clarence House.

It is believed Kensington Palace will be the couple's base for about a year until a more permanent residence is found.

The source added to the Daily Mirror newspaper: "After looking at a few apartments the couple decided this is the one they feel most comfortable in.

"Kate has enjoyed picking things out to decorate it and make it their home."

Read more »

Twilight star Nikki Reed is now engaged to American Idol finalist Paul McDonald

  
  


Nikki Reed—who plays Rosalie Hale in the vampire movie franchise Twilight—has been dating American IdolSeason 10 finalist Paul McDonald since March and, after showing off a diamond ring at the MTV Movie Awards last night (June 5), Nikki has confirmed she is getting married.

Twilight star Nikki Reed has got engaged—after a whirlwind three-month romance.

The 23-year-old actress—who plays Rosalie Hale in the vampire movie franchise—has been dating American Idol Season 10 finalist Paul McDonald since March and, after showing off a diamond ring at the MTV Movie Awards last night (June 5), Nikki has confirmed she is getting married. She said: "He's the one."

The engagement was later confirmed to E! News.

Nikki also revealed she has been inspiring the songwriting of Paul, who finished in eighth place on this year's American Idol.

She said: "He says he's going to release a Nikki Reed EP."

Nikki and Paul, 26, are currently house-hunting together and she has previously insisted she doesn't care if people think their romance has progressed too quickly.

Last month, she said: "I love him and I don't care.

"I've never met anyone like him.

"I've never met anyone who has such a good solid heart and comes from such a good solid family and is just a genuine person.

"We have the exact same sense of humor. I've never laughed so much with anyone as I do with him."

Read more »

Scarlett Johansson splits from Sean Penn

Scarlett Johansson and Sean Penn sparked speculation their romance was in trouble when the actress failed to attend the Cannes Film Festival in France last month with Sean for his film Tree of Life. Instead, she was said to be concentrating on her new film The Avengers in New Mexico, where she is reprising her role of Black Widow from Iron Man 2. Now a source has confirmed to U.S. publication People they have split, although the reasons behind their parting are not yet known.Scarlett Johansson and Sean Penn have reportedly split.

The pair sparked speculation their romance was in trouble when the actress failed to attend the Cannes Film Festival in France last month with Sean for his film Tree of Life.

Instead, she was said to be concentrating on her new film The Avengers in New Mexico, where she is reprising her role of Black Widow from Iron Man 2. Now a source has confirmed to U.S. publication People they have split, although the reasons behind their parting are not yet known.

Scarlett, 26, and Sean, 50, started dating in February, shortly after the Lost in Translation star split from husband Ryan Reynolds, and in April, sources suggested they were already moving in together.

An insider said the actress had "essentially moved in over the last few weeks," to the Milk actor's $3.8 million Malibu home.

Scarlett initially struck up a friendship with Sean—who divorced wife Robin Wright in 2010 after 13 years together—when she was considering flying to Haiti to help people affected by the two earthquakes in January 2010.

A source explained: "Scarlett first reached out to Sean when she was planning to visit Haiti with Oxfam. She knew Sean was living there in a tent and turned to him for advice."

Although Scarlett wasn't able to make the trip, the couple started dating and made their first public appearance together at the wedding of Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth in March.

They were then spotted at a number of public engagements together, including a White House Correspondents' Dinner party in Washington D.C. in April.

Representatives for the couple declined to comment.

Read more »

Pink gives birth to a baby girl

Pink—whose real name is Alecia Moore—revealed her and motocross racer husband Carey Hart are "ecstatic" with the arrival of their new daughter last night (June 2), and she took to her Twitter account this morning (June 3) to announce her joy.

Pink has given birth to a baby girl.

The "Raise Your Glass" singer—whose real name is Alecia Moore—revealed her and motocross racer husband Carey Hart are "ecstatic" with the arrival of their new daughter last night (June 2), and she took to her Twitter account this morning (June 3) to announce her joy. She tweeted: "We are ecstatic to welcome our new beautiful healthy happy baby girl, Willow Sage Hart. She's gorgeous, just like her daddy. beyondblessed."

The 31-year-old singer was thought to have been admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles last night and preparing to give birth via Caesarean section after reports the baby was breech, meaning the little one had entered the birth canal feet or buttocks first, rather than the usual head first way.

A source said: "Pink's baby was breech, so they were going to schedule a Caesarean section if the baby didn't correct its position.

"Her last check-up was on May 12 and she was expected to give birth three weeks from then, so today is perfect timing!"

Pink hinted yesterday her baby could have arrived when she tweeted: "New Moon in Gemini today :) a good time to start something new. Also called the Honey Moon."

The "So What" singer confirmed she was pregnant in November last year, but admitted she was "nervous" about disclosing the news after previously suffering a miscarriage.

She said: "I didn't want to talk about it because I was just really nervous and I have had a miscarriage before. I worked for it. It was not an 'Oops!'"

Read more »

Cameron Diaz and Alex Rodriguez reportedly split up

  

Cameron Diaz (in photo) only confirmed she was dating baseball star Alex Rodriguez last month even though they had been together for over a year but pals have now claimed the pair have decided to split.

Cameron Diaz and Alex A-Rod Rodriguez have reportedly ended their relationship.

The Bad Teacher actress only confirmed she was dating the baseball star last month even though they had been together for over a year but pals have now claimed the pair have decided to split. Perez Hilton: "They've broken up. [Cameron] is hurt and betrayed, because she tried so hard to please him... She went overboard."

Although the couple had been inseparable for the past year, the 38-year-old beauty has previously claimed she is in no rush to settle down.

When quizzed about her thoughts on marriage and children, Cameron—who has dated a string of Hollywood hunks, including Justin Timberlake, Jared Leto and Matt Dillon—said: "What about it? If I say, 'This is how I'm going to live my life,' I am closing myself off to all these other possibilities. I'm the kind of girl who likes to be open to every possibility, who is open to all my options."

Read more »

Paris Hilton recalls sex tape hum

  

Paris Hilton—who made a sex video with her then-boyfriend Rick Salomon at the age of 20—felt "betrayed" by her former lover because the scandal changed the way people thought of her and unfairly damaged her reputation.Paris Hilton says having a sex tape of her leaked was the "most humiliating" thing that has ever happened to her.

The 30-year-old socialite—who made the video with her then-boyfriend Rick Salomon at the age of 20—felt "betrayed" by her former lover because the scandal changed the way people thought of her and unfairly damaged her reputation. She said: "It was the most embarrassing, humiliating thing that has ever happened to me in my life. I just felt so betrayed.

"This was not some random guy. This was someone I was with for a few years.

"I can't believe that he would do something like that to me.

"It's something that changed my life forever. You know, I was a little girl.

"Now when people look at me they think that I'm something I'm not just because of one incident one night with someone who I was in love with.

"People assume, 'Oh, she's a sl*t just because of one thing that happened.'

"It's hard because I'll have to live with that for the rest of my life and explain it to my children."

Paris has put the scandal behind her and forged a successful career and now, after dating nightclub owner Cy Waits for over a year, says she has "never been happier."

She added to TV talk show host Piers Morgan: "I've never been happier. He makes me feel so safe. He's so loyal. He's my best friend. He's an incredible man. So I feel lucky.

"You know, I would love to have a family and children in the next couple of years, definitely. I couldn't imagine myself with anyone else."

Read more »

Ryan Phillippe and Amanda Seyfried split again

Ryan Phillippe and Amanda Seyfried (in photo)—who briefly split in February—are said to have mutually agreed to call time on their seven-month romance but plan to stay friends. A source said: "It was mutual. They were never fully committed. There's no bad blood. They're cool."Ryan Phillippe and Amanda Seyfried have ended their relationship again.

The couple—who briefly split in February—are said to have mutually agreed to call time on their seven-month romance but plan to stay friends.

A source said: "It was mutual. They were never fully committed. "There's no bad blood. They're cool."

According to friends, 36-year-old Ryan—whose former lover Alexis Knapp is due to give birth to what she claims is his baby later this month—and Amanda, 25, were never serious about their relationship and continued to date other people.

The source added to Us Weekly magazine: "They were always on and off. They were always seeing other people."

News of the split comes weeks after Amanda spoke of her desire to have children.

She said: "I want children! My publicist now has two kids—I love her, so I like to think I'm an auntie to her kids. I can't wait to have my own! I think it's really exciting to know that I want them. Knock on wood, I hope I'm fertile, but I've never got pregnant before."

Ryan has daughter Ava, 11, and son Deacon, seven, with ex-wife Reese Witherspoon.

Read more »

Maltese vote yes to divorce, PH to be only country in the world with no divorce

Citizens of the Catholic Mediterranean state of Malta have voted in favor of legalizing divorce, announced Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzo on Sunday, May 29, reports ABS-CBN News. Malta is the only other country apart from the Philippines that bans divorce. It is also the last European country where divorce is considered illegal.

On Saturday, 306,000 of mostly Catholic voters were asked in a non-binding referendum whether the parliament should introduce a divorce law after four years of separation. Legal separation, though widespread in Europe, presents many challenges in re-marrying, reports the article.

Gonzi, who campaigned against divorce, said, "This is not the result I wished for, but the will of the people has to be respected and the parliament should enact a law for the introduction of divorce." He added it was now up to the parliament to legalize the dissolution of marriage.

Pro-divorce leader of the opposition Labor party, Joseph Muscat said in The Guardian that a New Malta had been born. According to the article, Muscat is confident that the anti-divorce law would not thwart the will of the people. The Roman Catholic Church, meanwhile, did not participate in Malta's referendum. However, Malta Archbishop Paul Cremona warned churchgoers that their decision was a choice between building and destroying family values.

For more on this story, log on to ABS-CBN News and The Guardian.

You might also like:

Read more »

800 tons of fish die, rot on Philippine fish farms

TALISAY, Philippines (AP) — More than 800 tons of fish have died and rotted on fish farms in a lake near Taal volcano south of Manila, with authorities blaming it on a sudden temperature drop.

The massive fish deaths started late last week but have eased. Officials have banned the sale of the rotting fish, which are being buried by the truckload in Talisay and three other towns in Batangas province, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources official Rose del Mundo said Sunday. The deaths are unrelated to recent signs of restiveness in Taal volcano, which is surrounded by the lake where many villagers have grown milkfish and tilapia — staple foods for many Filipinos, officials said. The volcano and lake are a popular tourist draw.

Government volcanologist Allan Loza said Monday that 115 earthquakes were detected in Taal in the past 24 hours compared to an average of 10 to 15 quakes daily in recent weeks, a sign that magma is rising from within the small volcano. Such unrest has been monitored since April, long before last week's fish deaths, he said.

Talisay agricultural officer Zenaida Macatangay said an initial investigation showed the deaths may have been caused by the temperature change as the rainy season set in last week after a scorching summer, which also depleted the lake's oxygen levels.

Schools of fish were seen swimming in circles before they floated dead to the surface in huge numbers. The deaths have occurred in the past at summer's end but in much smaller numbers, Mendoza said.

Some Taal lake areas turned white due to the massive numbers of dead milk-colored fish. Workers covered their noses with their hands or clothing Sunday as they scooped up the rotting fish and placed them into sacks.

"Many were sad and devastated because they invested a lot in these fish cages," Talisay Mayor Zenaida Mendoza told The Associated Press by telephone.

More than 400 tons of milkfish have died in Talisay alone since Friday in 84 out of about 1,000 fish pens — lake areas about half the size of a basketball court that are fenced off by bamboo poles and nets. Damage has been estimated at $770,000 (33 million pesos), Mendoza said. About 400 tons more have died in the other towns.

Read more »