Rapper Pras Michel takes the ice bucket challenge in Pyongyang

US RAPPER TAKES THE ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE IN NORTH KOREA

Grammy award-winning rapper Pras Michel has come up with a novel approach to the viral charity campaign, the ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) Ice Bucket Challenge, by taking it while in North Korea.

Michel, documentary maker and former member of The Fugees, had two buckets of ice water dumped on his head along Pyongyang's Taedong River, much to the surprise and bewilderment of North Koreans out for a stroll.

He nominated the UK's Prince Harry to take up the charity challenge, along with Hollywood actor Edward Norton, former bandmate Lauryn Hill and celebrity magician David Blaine.

Michel, who is in North Korea to watch a pro wrestling exhibition and "explore," said he is currently working on several projects, including a documentary about Haiti's presidential election that is due out by the end of the year.

More than 3 million people around the world have joined in the challenge, which has raised more than 100 million US dollars for the ALS Association.

ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a progressive illness that hits the nerves and the brain and can lead to paralysis and death.

There is no cure, though a treatment now available can extend the life expectancy for its sufferers.

Al Pacino on meeting fans, on how he can easily leave a role behind and Berry Levinson on how it's harder to retire for an actor.

Following his night of two premieres at this year's Venice Film Festival, Al Pacino had time to reflect on proceedings.

The iconic actor visited the festival on Saturday (30 AUG. 2014) with two new films, "Manglehorn," which is showing in competition and "The Humbling" which isn't.

"I didn't think I was going to have both movies and I had both movies in the same day. So go figure that," smiled the 74-year-old star.

"But this is a great festival I have to say, it's very artistic and of course I love Venice," he added.

Despite visiting the carpet twice in the space of 6 hours, Pacino looked enthusiastic throughout and took plenty of time at both events to meet with fans.

"Meeting fans? Oh yeah I love it." Said the star.

"It comes with the territory, it's fine. There's meeting fans in an atmosphere like this and then there is meeting fans at your house, that's different. But in the world it's kind of cool, in this environment, it's fun to know that people are out there and it's good."

Both his movies happen to be about aging, regret, giving up and letting go.

In "The Humbling," he plays waning actor Simon Axler who rattles around his half-empty mansion like a Connecticut King Lear, pinning his misguided hopes of love and redemption on a much younger lesbian, played by Greta Gerwig.....

Adam Driver says being in new 'Star Wars' movie is 'surreal', talks working with a baby in new movie

STAR WARS STAR FOCUSSES ON HUNGRY HEART
The first rule of Venice is, you don't talk about "Star Wars."
Adam Driver, star of the forthcoming "Episode VII", says working on the latest installment of the classic sci-fi saga is "surreal."
His comment was made during a press junket for "Hungry Heart," his new film, which is showing in competiton at the Venice Film Festival.
While remaining tight-lipped about the hot topic, Driver focused on his role in the creepy relationship drama he was there to promote.
"Hungry Hearts" is directed by Saverio Costanzo and tells the story of a couple living in New York who are expecting their first child.....

Actress Gabrielle Union weds basketball player Dwayne Wade

GABRIELLE UNION MARRIES DWAYNE WADE
Gabrielle Union is now a basketball wife.
The actress married Miami Heat basketball player Dwayne Wade Saturday (30 AUG. 2014.)
The ceremony took place in Miami.
This is the second marriage for 41-year-old Union and 32-year-old Wade. The two began dating in 2009. They briefly split last year.
Wade has two sons from his first marriage and also raises his nephew.
Union stars on the BET series "Being Mary Jane" about a successful career woman who has problems finding Mr. Right.

Country star reveals why he leaked his own album, 'Moonshine in the Trunk'

Country star Brad Paisley was so tied to his Twitter account in the days leading up to the release of his new album, "Moonshine In The Trunk," he had to finish tweeting during an interview.
"So I am sending a tweet," Paisley said during an interview at his home in Franklin, Tennessee. "You can film it if you want."
Paisley has had a lot of fun with leaking songs directly to his fans, either doing it through his own account or through his famous friends like NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon, Ellen DeGeneres or even a NASA astronaut. But he's quite serious about why he's doing it this way.
A controversy erupted when his song with LL Cool J, called "Accidental Racist," leaked out last year. Critics panned the song before the album, "Wheelhouse," was released to the public.
Paisley said he felt blindsided and decided that he'd be in control of the leaks this time.
"I am trying to lead the conversation," Paisley said. "I should be the one starting the conversation, not like journalists or something. I felt like last time…. Or the Twitterverse, or something. Last time I had my album high-jacked. It was just before I was able to say the first thing about it, it was making the news. And not positively, necessarily."....

Recording artist Ariana Grande on her new album, performing Sunday at the MTV VMAs, and her brother on 'Big Brother'

In just one year pop princess Ariana Grande has moved up from pre-show performer to headline act at the MTV Video Music Awards and the 21-year-old singer couldn't be more excited.
"It's a dream. I mean last year I sang on the preshow and it just shows like how much has happened this year. It's absolutely insane the fact that I'm opening and last year I was just performing at the preshow. It's like the craziest thing in the world to me and I'm very excited, very excited," said Grande.
Grande is the first performer for the awards show, which will air live on Aug. 24 from the Forum in Inglewood, California.
She'll perform her chart-topping new single "Bang Bang," with Nicki Minaj and Jessie J.
"It was amazing. She is so great," said Grande of Minaj. "I met her at the video shoot with Jessie J and those two girls are so talented and like so much personality. I was a big fan of both of those like way ahead of any of this. So the whole thing has been so surreal and so great and I'm very excited to be able to do that with them."
Her sophomore album, "My Everything," arrives Aug. 25 at midnight, moments after the VMAs, where Grande is nominated for three moonmen.
It features the Iggy Azalea-assisted "Problem," which has sold 2.6 million tracks, and her another single, "Break Free," a rising radio hit.
"Well I think that people can expect to learn a little more about me," she said of the new album. "The rest of the album sits in a little bit more of a mature vocal placement. Like I feel like some of the songs sit in a lower part of my voice, which I'm very excited to showcase a little more. I didn't have much of that on my first album or in the first couple singles off the album. So I'm very excited for people to listen to the ballads and the other sort of mid-tempo songs on the album and get to hear another side of my voice as well as another side of me as a person. So I'm very excited."
Grande's latest work also boasts an eclectic group collaborators: The Weeknd, Childish Gambino and A$AP Ferg make appearances; EDM darlings David Guetta and Zedd work on tracks; and hitmakers like Max Martin, Benny Blanco, Ryan Tedder and Rodney Jerkins are also part of the lineup. There's a ballad written by One Direction's Harry Styles and she teamed with Big Sean for the track "Best Mistake.".....

Girl band discuss being arrested for their video, falling of stage and Pitbull

There's a new G.R.L. in town and she's bit of a wild card.

Paula Van Oppen of girl band G.R.L. says she enjoyed being arrested on the set of the group's new music video "Ugly Heart."

Luckily, it was all for the camera.

"It's terrible to say, but it's the best way to get arrested right? On set, rather than in life," she said adding "everybody wants to be like a little bad and get arrested but not like real arrested, so it was a nice fake arrested fantasy."

After having to wear outrageous clothes and dancing on tables for the video, the girls weren't fazed by anything. Not even when Van Oppen took a face plunge onto a stage at a presentation.

"I was looking out smiling at people and then it's like all fours," she explained, "Emmalyn was the only one who turned around. Lauren walked passed me, kept going."......

Country artist Chase Rice defends so-called 'bro country'

Country singer Chase Rice is out to make a name for himself after helping to pen one of country's biggest hits in decades, the monster crossover hit for Florida Georgia Line, "Cruise."
Rice's new album, "Ignite The Night," released on Tuesday, continues to push the boundaries of country music by mixing pop and hip-hop influences.
Rice said he's not resting on the success of "Cruise" and already has a gold single for himself with "Ready Set Roll," a Top 15 country single.
"I wanted to top 'Cruise,' and will I ever do it? I don't know but it is a fun goal to try to attain," Rice said. "And 'Ready Set Roll' is on it's way to becoming my first platinum single. It's already gone gold."
But he's faced his share of criticism for the popularity of bro-country, which is dominated by male singers such as Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean and Florida Georgia Line.
He said he's only singing about what he knows.
"A lot of my music up until now has been geared, when you get down to the nitty gritty of it, towards guys," Rice said. "And that's cause I'm a dude. And that's all I really know to sing about. What I do and what I want to do with women. And that's what any guy wants to do. He wants to get her in a truck and drive her down a dirt road."
While he wants women to enjoy his music, he said it's just as important to write songs that men love as well......

BMI honors Christopher 'Ludacris' Bridges with the President's Award

Ludacris was honored for his outstanding achievement in songwriting and his profound global influence on culture and the entertainment industry at the BMI R&B/HIP-HOP Awards in Los Angeles. As the 2014 President's Award recipient, Ludacris joins an elite list of previous honorees that includes will.i.am, Adam Levine, Carlos Vives, Taylor Swift and Pitbull.

The night's top honoree got the crowd moving with a medley of his greatest hits including "Fantasy," "How Low Can You Go," "Southern Hospitality," "Area Codes," and "Yeah," joined by special guest Mystikal.

The evening also featured a slew of performances: rapper TeeFlii and DJ Goofy delivered "24 Hours"; Tamar Braxton offered "Love and War"; and a special set by DJ Mustard and YG.

Additional top honors were presented at the awards ceremony: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' "Can't Hold Us" earned the Song of the Year prize; Lil Wayne was crowned the Songwriter of the Year for penning hits "Ball," "Bandz A Make Her Dance," "Beware," "Love Me," "No Worries," and "Pop That." DJ Mustard won the coveted Producer of the Year award and Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. accepted the prestigious Publisher of the Year crystal for having 14 of the most-performed songs from the previous year.....

Nominees share Emmy-day rituals, plans, perspectives

Almost everyone was still a potential winner Saturday, as nominees stepped out to celebrate in advance of Monday's Emmy Awards ceremony.

Festivities began early afternoon, with the annual BAFTA L.A. TV Tea event, sponsored by the Los Angeles branch of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, which brought out, among dozens of others, nominees from the hit Brit drama "Downton Abbey."

"It's great fun because you get to see everyone before the big day," said actress Michelle Dockery, who portrays the Abbey's Lady Mary Crawley. "It's also ("Downton" actress and nominee) Joanne Froggatt's birthday," Dockery continued, sliding into a joke: "So, it's great! They're putting on all these parties for her."

Noted Froggatt, nominated this year for playing Lady's Maid Anna Bates, "I think there's four possible parties tonight. I don't think I'll make all four. I'll see how my stamina holds out. But, then, tomorrow is quite quiet, just the evening-before party and then the big day."

Among Saturday's other major Emmy-related bashes: the Television Academy's performers-nominee reception as well as the "Variety" and Women in Film pre-Emmy celebration.

Like Dockery and Froggatt, actress Mayim Bialik is an Emmy veteran. She has three nominations, but no wins, for her portrayal of neurobiologist Amy Farrah Fowler on the sitcom "The Big Bang Theory."...

Authorities block annual independent film festival from opening

Organisers of an annual independent film festival in China said on Saturday that authorities had blocked it from opening.

The Beijing Independent Film Festival has become a rare and influential venue for the showing of movies that could be critical of the government.

The artistic director, Wang Hongwei, said authorities had forced the cancellation of the event, which was scheduled to run through to 31 August.

"In the past few years when they forced us to cancel the festival, we just moved it to other places, or delayed a day the screening. But this year, we cannot carry on with the festival, it is completely forbidden," he said.

Police in the Beijing suburb of Songzhuang, where the event was supposed to open, said on Saturday that they were unaware the festival had been cancelled. ......

Variety Magazine and Women in Film host the Pre-Emmy Celebration party

The stars hit the dance floor to support Women in Film at Gracias Madre in West Hollywood on Saturday (23AUG2014).

Among those encouraging awareness about gender equality in the film industry were Selena Gomez and Taylor Schilling.

"I think it's incredible, I think it's very relevant. I think it's an important time for a lot of these women's stories who have previously gone unheard and unseen to be made visible." said Schilling.

Whilst Gomez wanted to draw attention to the struggle that women still face in this line of work.

She said "To celebrate women in film is so important and being someone who's auditioning and constantly wanting to do great things. It's hard for women. I'm convinced it's definitely harder for women than it is for men. You know it's great though we have strong women here representing what it means to be in film and I'm happy to be a part of it."

Jesse Eisenberg talks about his new eco thriller 'Night Moves' and why he loves writing plays

Young actor Jesse Eisenberg is known for playing complex, analytical characters, such as in his previous films "The Double" and "The Social Network."

For his latest role in the eco thriller "Night Moves," he takes on another troubled soul, this time fighting for a better future for the planet.

"The character's in the movie, arguably their hearts and minds are in the right place. I would say their flaws, that they have a kind of not fully realized view of what the consequences could possibly be from their actions," explains the actor.

"My character views himself as a solider of war against environmental destruction and so he thinks any kind of damage caused by his actions is justified collateral damage rather than a reason to stop. And I think that's a sentiment echoed in a lot of kind of extreme political movements is that if something bad were to happen, that would be a necessary collateral damage for an otherwise lofty and righteous goal."....

Julianne Hough dances back to 'Dancing' as judge

"Dancing With the Stars" says two-time champion Julianne Hough is returning to the ballroom as a judge this season.

She will preside alongside Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli.

After serving as a company dancer-choreographer, Hough left the show in 2009 to focus on acting and music.

Her films include "Safe Haven," "Paradise," "Rock of Ages" and the 2011 remake of "Footloose."

She released a best-selling album in 2008.

"Dancing With the Stars" is hosted by Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews.

Its new season launches Sept. 15 on ABC.

Mexican fans welcome a new season of the BBC hit and a new Dr Who as Peter Capaldi takes over role

The ¨TARDIS¨ landed in the Mexico City Sunday, part of a world tour to promote the new season and the new Doctor Who of the longtime BBC sci-fi series "Doctor Who."
New "Doctor Who" star Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman met to their fans premiering the new season's first episode.
The 56-year old actor said it was a fantastic experience could see the public reaction:
"I was watching you guys, watching this (1st episode of Dr Who new season) and It was so fantastic because we could see the screen and we could heard your screams and applause and I was so happy that you like what we had done.".....

Highlights from MTV World Stage Malaysia 2014 featuring B.o.B, Yuna, Thaitanium, and Boys Republic

MTV Asia's benchmark concert event "World Stage" kicked off in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Saturday (16 AUGUST).

The show featured performances from American rapper B.o.B, Malaysian singer Yuna, Thai rap group Thaitanium, and South Korean boy band, Boys Republic. Each act took turns to rock the stage in front of 10,000 screaming fans.

Thaitanium opened the show with a medley of their hits like "Put Your Hands Up," "Do What I Say" and "Sukebe."

On Saturday night, they also performed, for the first time, a brand new single which they collaborated with rapper Snoop Dogg on called "Wake Up (Bangkok City)."....

Michelle Dockery and Joanne Froggatt on their Emmy nomination

'Downton Abbey' enters the Primetime Emmy Awards on Aug. 25 as one of the top-nominated shows....

Two of the female stars, Michelle Dockery, who plays Lady Mary, and Joanne Froggatt, who plays her maid Anna, are nominated as Outstanding Lead Actress and Best Support Actress in the drama category, respectively.....

And neither can believe their luck.

"The first time around I was obviously so thrilled and over the moon - and I guess I felt like I was the sort of curveball nomination the first time and I just felt so lucky that I managed to get into this group of actresses and I was just like, 'Wow,'" said Froggatt. "And to get a second nomination is... I actually feel like welling up just talking about it, because it is just such, that I can say that I'm a double Emmy nominee is the most amazing thing. It's such a dream come true. And it's even more of an honor because a second time around, not that many people get to have that experience again and it was such a wonderful experience."

"I really wasn't expecting let alone my nomination but for the rest of the nominations, because we, you do expect that, you think, 'Well, other shows are coming in now.' 'True Detective' is of course, you know, it's exploded into people's lives, and there's a natural kind of, you know, the new ones start and maybe some of the old ones get forgotten," said Dockery. "So for us it was a huge surprise to be acknowledged again and a wonderful feeling to know that people aren't, you know, they're not cooling down, they're still really enjoying the show and that's a lovely feeling for us."

Both women are sure to turn heads for their fashion choices on the Emmys red carpet, but Dockery says now that she's walked that stretch of Los Angeles real estate a few times, she's learned to relax and enjoy it....

Taiwanese actor Kai Ko arrested on drug charges

China's state broadcaster, CCTV, has confirmed that Taiwanese actor Kai Ko has been arrested in Beijing on drug related charges.

The drug arrest could put Ko's career in serious jeopardy, especially after the Chinese government recently took stern measures to crackdown on illegal drug use.

More information on the arrest is expected later today at a press conference.

Fergie, 'Chasing Life' star Italia Ricci attend event benefiting the American Cancer Society

Grammy-winning recording artist Fergie was on hand in Hollywood Saturday to kick off the #MoreKisses campaign to benefit the American Cancer Society. At her side was Italia Ricci, star of ABC Family's series "Chasing Life," about a young woman who has been diagnosed with the disease.
The campaign got its start with a recreation of photo - much like the iconic photo of a sailor and nurse smacking lips in Manhattan's Times Square at the celebration of Japan's surrender on August 14th 1945. But as Ricci noted, this photo was slightly different from the one most often viewed. "So this picture - (hits poster) - ooh, sorry - I'm a hug fan of it. I used to have it on my background on my laptop when I was in college just because, I mean, I'm a girl and so this one isn't the one from the Life Magazine photographer that you probably all recognize, the very common one that you see all over the Internet. This one is taken by a Naval photographer in the exact same moment but a slightly different angle showing Walgreens in the background."

South Korean boyband JYJ on their chemistry, touring Asia and solo careers

South Korean pop group JYJ attended a press conference ahead of their tour, "The Return of The King," in Hong Kong on Friday (15 August).

The tour marks their comeback, an end to a three-year hiatus in which individual members pursued their own projects, such as solo albums and acting.

The members were excited to be in Hong Kong again, as they have a strong following there.

Kim Junsu hoped that this energy from fans would carry them to further success in other cities.

"The first concert was in Seoul, and now we are in Hong Kong. After that there will be more concerts in Asia. Why did we pick Hong Kong as the first stop? Because I know that the fans in Hong Kong are very passionate and Hong Kong people love Korean songs. So we want to absorb this energy from the fans and bring it to other cities in our tour. So that's why we picked Hong Kong," said Kim.

Park Yoo Jun added that he was excited to bring their new album "Just Us" to fans worldwide.

"After the Hong Kong concert ends, we will have more concerts in Asia, until September. We have been preparing the album for a long time, so we hope that we can sing and perform it for our fans all over the world," said Park.

Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan launches the trailer of his upcoming film 'Happy New Year'

Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan says that his new heist comedy, "Happy New Year," "can compete with any film internationally."

The actor was speaking at the launch of the film's trailer in Mumbai Thursday (14 AUG. 2014). He was joined at the event by director Farah Khan and co-stars, including Abhishek Bachchan and Deepika Padukone.

"I am not showing off," said Shah Rukh Khan.

"It may not do the business of a heist international film, it may not be the time right now for Indian films to take that, but here is the film that in the terms of quality will make every Indian, every one around the world, extremely proud."

Bachchan agrees.

"(With) immense pride I say, after (international filmmakers) see this film they will be competing with us," he said.

"This is the Indian film industry, we're the biggest and the best film industry in the world and let them start competing with us now."

Country newcomer Mary Sarah duets with Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson on debut album

"I would say a big part of it was getting to sing with The Oak Ridge Boys," said Sarah, who met the legendary country group in 2012. "We did actually send a little CD with a couple videos, like a National Anthem, and one of the videos was me getting to sing with The Oak Ridge Boys. And I thin kthat was a big sign that they were like, 'Ah, she's kind of, makes her a little more legit that The Oak Ridge Boys got to pull her up and let her sing acapella on their stage.' So I think that was a big part of all of them saying yes to it and it just kind of, you know, it rolled on. It just kept happening. They just kept coming and coming and it was very overwhelming. And I mean I never expected it to go like that."
Sarah's debut album, "Bridges," features duets with their original performers including Parton and Nelson on their well-known country songs. It also includes one of Ray Price's final recordings before he died last year.
"I wouldn't say like intimidated, I was just really nervous!" said Sarah about working with Parton. "I grew up listening to Dolly and a lot of her music and watching her on '9 to 5,' and like, a lot of her movies, and so I knew her so well. And for her to be the first one on the project, too, was an absolute blessing. It was mind-blowing, too, because I'm going to the studio and I'm like, 'I'm about to meet Dolly Parton.' Like, this is crazy!"

Kim Woo Bin promotes new film "Friend: The Great Legacy" in Hong Kong.

South Korean heartthrob Kim Woo Bin attended a mall event in Hong Kong to promote his debut movie "Friend: The Great Legacy" on Saturday (16th August 2014).

Hundreds of enthusiastic fans were packed in a small space to welcome the actor/model. The movie is a sequel of the 2001 South Korean box office hit "Friend," which was highest grossing South Korean film of all time until 2003.

Kim plays the role of Sung Hoon, a gangster who was put in prison and hooks up with his fellow inmate Joon Seok, played by South Korean actor Yu Oh Seong.

The two soon scheme to help Joon regain power in his gang.

Kim admitted that the pressure of sharing leads with acclaimed South Korean actors Yu Oh Seong and Joo Jin Mo was great, but advice from the two helped him to act better.
"They are such established actors, so there is definitely some pressure. I'd be lying if I said there was no pressure. The thing I worried most about was that they were acclaimed actors. I don't want to sully their name, so I tried my best to act out my part. I want to give my thanks to the two actors, who taught me a lot. I told them that I love them," he explained.

Regional Mexican singer Larry Hernandez on marrying his longtime girlfriend and new upcoming music.

Regional Mexican singer Larry Hernandez may not be in a rush to put a ring on it, but it doesn't diminish the love he has for his partner Kenia Ontiveros.

"It's been a few years now that I've been with Kenia (Ontiveros) and I'm one of the people that believe that a ring or a piece of paper, the signature, are not things that make your love grow," said Hernandez. "I'm not saying that one day we won't do it, my fans are always screaming for this because this topic always comes up. The topic of making our relationship formal. It is already formal. We have two beautiful daughters and it's a blessing that she has made me a father for the fourth time and that the audience witnessed it during the season. They witnessed the birth of Dalary. It is important for me but from the moment I asked her if she wanted to be with me, to come and live with me, from the moment we decided to be a couple and to make join our lifes that was our official commitment. It really would just be for social egos and someday I will decide to give her a ring and marry her but at the moment it's not on my list."

Hernandez is in his third season of "Larrymania," a reality show about his day to day life which airs weekly on Mun2. The show features the relationship with his girlfriend, their two daughters, his two sons from a previous relationship and his mother.