LOS ANGELES (AFP) – The jury in Britney Spears' trial for driving without a valid license ended their first day of deliberations on Friday without reaching a verdict, according to court officials.

Jurors will resume deliberations at 9am (1600 GMT) on Monday following a two-day trial that pop diva Spears, 26, was not required to attend. The trial went ahead after the singer rejected a plea deal that would have seen her fined 150 dollars and given one year's probation.

The case stems from an August 2007 incident when paparazzi trailing the singer caught her bumping a car in a parking lot and driving away.

Prosecutors say Spears was later discovered not to have a valid California license. She is charged with a misdemeanor -- punishable by jail or a fine -- but for a first offense Spears is unlikely to receive a custodial sentence.

Spears defense argued the star held a valid Louisiana license at the time of the incident and was not legally required to hold a California permit because she was not living permanently in the state at the time.

Spears -- who hit rock bottom in January when she was twice rushed to hospital for psychiatric treatment after losing custody of her two young sons -- appears to have got her career back on track.

Her new single "Womanizer" went to the top of Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart this week, her first No.1 on the ranking since 1999's "Baby One More Time."

Los Angeles (E! Online) – More than two years after sharing a tear-filled breakup with Heidi Montag on the season-one finale of The Hills, Jordan Eubanks is finally speaking out about his ex-girlfriend...and it ain't so sweet!

"Since dating Spencer [Pratt], Heidi's whole mentality has changed—everything has changed," Eubanks said last night at the Fallout 3 video game launch party in Los Angeles. "It's almost indescribable. You almost had to have known her to know what I'm talking about. But I'm telling you, she's completely different. She's done a total 180, and I think it's so sad."

Brian Drolet, also formerly of The Hills, agrees with Eubanks. "Spencer has done a great job of exploiting Heidi. If I ever see them out, I might hit 'em with something. They are just ridiculous."

But the hating doesn't stop here...

Eubanks and Drolet, avid YouTubers, say their latest video project oughta be an interesting one. "Let's just say it touches on a certain relationship with a certain person," Eubanks laughed. And while the duo won't give away too much more information, Eubanks does say, "If you watch Tupac's video 'Hit 'Em Up', you'll know what we mean by the idea of our video. It's gonna be great, it's gonna be hilarious."

The two former Hills guys say they are still on very friendly terms with Lauren Conrad and Jason Wahler. And as far as Heidi and Lauren's STK-bonding the other night goes, "I know for a fact Lauren will never really become friends with Heidi again, because Lauren is a genuine, awesome person," says Drolet. "We all went through Heidi's transformation as a group, and we know the reunion of their friendship ain't happenin'."

So who else headed downtown to watch Foo Fighters perform at the event last night? Mischa Barton, Matt Leinart, Nick Lachey, Rumer Willis, Lauren Conrad (hugging and kissing her assumed boyfriend Kyle Howard), Frankie Delgado, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Mike "The Miz" Mizanin, Dave Annable, Ryan Eggold, Holly Montag, Chris Masterson and Aisha Tyler.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Walt Disney Co's hotly anticipated "High School Musical 3: Senior Year" arrives in movie theaters around the world next week, with bumper advance ticket sales and plans to keep the $1 billion-plus franchise hot with a fourth film.

Disney is planning a sumptuous roll-out starting on October 22 for the family-friendly movie -- the first to hit the big screen -- after its two made-for-TV forerunners debuted to much less fanfare on the Disney Channel.

"This movie, we are certain, will be very, very successful," said Mark Zoradi, president of Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group.

It will debut in 3,800 U.S. and Canadian theaters, and double that number in the rest of the world, he said.

The film, starring teen-ager Vanessa Hudgens and her on- and off-screen sweetheart Zac Efron, had captured nearly two-thirds of advance movie sales in the United States by Thursday, outselling films that debut this weekend, U.S. online movie ticket sellers Fandango.com and MovieTickets.com said.

"The tremendous success of the first two films is clearly driving sales for this third installment," said Ted Hong, Fandango's vice president of marketing.

Zoradi said Disney's marketing campaign goal was "to expand beyond the traditional Disney Channel audience ... to teen girls, younger boys and have it be an overall family viewing experience."

The original 2006 TV movie "High School Musical" drew 255 million viewers worldwide and had Disney scrambling to assemble a merchandising program and to put a sequel into production.

SHOWS, DVDS, CDS, ETC

The phenomenon grew to embrace a second ratings-busting TV movie in 2007, sold-out stage and ice shows, concerts, record-setting DVD and CD sales, video games and theme park attractions, plus $500 million in "High School Musical" product sales.

"There has never been a TV movie that spawned a business like this," said Rich Ross, president of Disney Channels Worldwide.

"High School Musical 3" sees the main characters graduating and bidding farewell to fictional East High School.

But Disney sees no reason to retire a property that produced $100 million in operating profit in its first 18 months and stands to produce a similar amount in fiscal 2008 alone.

The company has not yet had contract discussions with the actors for a fourth film, set for release in 2010, although it likely will be without Efron and Hudgens and some other key principals.

But Ross said Disney was "very bullish that there is a lot more story to tell about East High. We are going to focus on the new story and the characters and we will go from there."

Disney will factor in more than just box office in deciding whether "High School Musical 4" returns to its cable TV origins or joins big movie franchises like "Pirates of the Caribbean," "The Chronicles of Narnia" and "National Treasure," Ross said.

Disney is not too worried that a wholesale cast change will dampen children's devotion to the fictional New Mexico high school because, like the original cast, the "tween" audience is growing up and a new group of young fans awaits.

"I think this franchise is stronger than the individual characters themselves, not that they haven't been hugely popular," said Robert Thompson, professor of television and popular culture at Syracuse University.

"The universe that has been created clearly isn't one that they can populate with the same characters. They grow up."

LOS ANGELES – The jury in Britney Spears' trial is taking the weekend to mull whether the pop singer is guilty of driving in California without a valid license.

Jurors left a San Fernando Valley courthouse late Friday afternoon after deliberating the misdemeanor charge for slightly more than two hours. With no verdict reached, the jury of eight women and four men adjourned and were told to return Monday.

Los Angeles Deputy City Attorney Michael Amerian declined to say what punishment he would seek if Spears is convicted. She faces up to six months in jail and a fine, though her lack of a prior criminal record means a lighter penalty is likely.

Jurors are weighing whether Spears was required to have a California license when she hit a parked car and left the scene in August 2007. Amerian contended that Spears was ostensibly a Los Angeles resident because she chose to get married here, got divorced here, and her two sons were born at LA-area hospitals.

He acknowledged Friday that it was "extremely rare" for misdemeanor driving without a license cases to go to trial, but said that was Spears' decision and pursuit of the case was justified.

But he noted the case stemmed from Spears hitting a parked car and leaving the scene of the accident without leaving a note. The case originally included a hit-and-run charge, but Spears settled that count with the car's owner.

Amerian said Spears rejected two offers for a resolution. Spears' attorney, J. Michael Flanagan, has said she refused the deals because she didn't want a criminal record, and plans to appeal if convicted.

Flanagan told jurors that Spears had a valid Louisiana driver's license at the time of the accident and considered that state home. She takes a homestead exemption on her house there and registered to vote there.

He tried to explain that it would be normal for her to have multiple residences in different states and that she could legally retain her Louisiana license. Jamie Spears testified that his daughter intends to return to Louisiana once she regains custody of her young boys, Sean Preston and Jayden James.

But father Jamie Spears' appearance allowed Amerian to tell jurors that Spears' voter registration had lapsed, and that she signed, under penalty of perjury, a document stating she was a California resident when filing for divorce in Los Angeles.

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Britney Spears' latest courtroom fight got underway here, with a prosecutor telling jurors the pop star had been guilty of driving without a valid California license.

Spears, 26, was not required to appear in court on Thursday as prosecution and defense lawyers presented evidence in the trial, which is taking place after the singer rejected a plea deal that would have seen her fined 150 dollars.

The case stems from an August 2007 incident when paparazzi trailing the singer caught her bumping a car in a parking lot and driving away.

Prosecutors say Spears was later discovered not to have a valid California license. She is charged with a misdemeanor -- punishable by jail or a fine -- but for a first offense Spears is unlikely to receive a custodial sentence.

On Thursday, Deputy City Attorney Michael Amerian called a witness from the Department of Motor Vehicles who testified Spears had listed her address as Beverly Hills, before resting what he described as a "straight-forward" case.

Amerian told a jury of eight women and four men the case hinged on two points -- whether Spears was driving on the night in question and whether she had a valid driver's license.

Spears defense attorney J. Michael Flanagan said there was no dispute that his client had been driving. However he said at the time she had a valid driver's license in Louisiana, one of several states where she was a resident.

"She was residing in California -- I'm not trying to get tricky with terminology -- but 'resident' has a different definition," Flanagan said.

He said Spears planned to return to Louisiana as soon as possible but that her custody dispute with ex-husband Kevin Federline had kept her in California.

Closing arguments in the case are scheduled on Friday.

Spears -- who hit rock bottom in January when she was twice rushed to hospital for psychiatric treatment after losing custody of her two young sons -- appears to have got her career back on track.

Her new single "Womanizer" went to the top of Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart this week, her first No.1 on the ranking since 1999's "Baby One More Time."

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - As we have come to learn, there are two kinds of people in this world: those who adored the Oscar-winning 2004 feature "Crash" and those who loathed it.


But even those who found it an outrageously heavy-handed, gratingly simplistic allegory on the purportedly simmering hellhole of violence and rage that is Los Angeles might grudgingly acknowledge a certain poetic symmetry to the presentation. That lyrical quality is missing from "Crash," the new TV series version of the film and the first hourlong scripted drama series on the cable network Starz.

If you have trouble finding Starz on your cable system, well, that's the reason why Starz has gone to the expense of resurrecting "Crash" as a high-profile 13-episode cable entry. Starz Entertainment would like this show to do for it what "Mad Men" has managed to do in helping brand and define AMC.

Paul Haggis, the co-writer/director of the "Crash" film, has said he originally saw his creation as a TV drama rather than a big-screen flick, and he's listed as one of four executive producers on the new project. But this can't be the show he had in mind.

Even more stupefying one-dimensional than the film, the series blasts out a collection of crude, disturbing images without a true unifying theme. No longer an allegory, it has devolved into an excuse to shock and repulse, as demonstrated in the pilot script from Glen Mazzara, Ted Mann and Randy Huggins. It opens as an off-putting, disconnected series of vignettes about rage and evil and insanity and money. The only big name in the cast is Dennis Hopper, who portrays an angry hip-hop producer prone to bouts of fury whose first scene finds him talking to his penis in the back of a limo. Yes, his penis.

The fact that "Crash" was shot in New Mexico -- because the tax incentives are better than those in Los Angeles -- perfectly encapsulates an hour that struggles mightily to be something it's not. Like the film that preceded it, the series wants us to believe there is race-baiting danger and mayhem lurking around every corner of our fair metropolis but lacks even the courage of these convictions. The racial fire is oddly muted, the characters disturbingly undefined, the interaction frustratingly nondescript. It's unclear what the show aims to be other than chaotic and boorish. On those counts, sadly, it succeeds brilliantly.

ORLANDO (Hollywood Reporter) - The movie theater operators who attended the ShowEast conference here had to rush back to change their marquees Friday as another batch of new titles hit multiplexes.

Among the newcomers is 20th Century Fox's "Max Payne," an adaptation of the action-packed videogame that stars Mark Wahlberg in the titular avenging-cop role and has the young-male demographic in its sights. How high into the teen millions it will open depends on how many young men bring dates to the theater Saturday, with its Friday debut likely to be substantial regardless.

But the movie certainly won't have the market to itself, and the studio even has a second wide-release debutante of its own in Fox Searchlight drama "The Secret Life of Bees."

"Bees" -- which stars Queen Latifah and Dakota Fanning in a drama based on the novel of the same name -- couldn't target a more distinct audience from "Payne." It aims to reach older women and, to a lesser extent, younger females. Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys and Paul Bettany fill out the ensemble cast, but reviews could prove key to "Bees" being anywhere near a breakout hit during the crowded weekend.

Elsewhere among the debutantes, Lionsgate unspools Oliver Stone's George W. Bush biopic "W." amid decent early response from critics lauding a relatively even-handed treatment of the subject matter by the film's controversial helmer. A top-three finish seems likely given broad audience anticipation for the release just weeks before the presidential election.

Summit Entertainment's R-rated comedy "Sex Drive" goes after much the same demographic group as does "Payne." Light prerelease interest, according to tracking surveys, indicates that "Sex" will fetch a weekend gross somewhere in the single-digit millions.

Meanwhile, the four wide openers will increase a recent glut of films crowding multiplexes for a piece of the box-office action in a season hardly known for robust grosses. Yet if one or more of the new releases click, that could put another notch in the win column for the industry, much like the year-over-year uptick posted during the previous weekend despite some misfires among the frame's wide releases.

Seasonal grosses are tracking about 8 percent ahead of the same portion of fall 2007. That's mostly thanks to easy comparisons with limp year-ago weekends -- as well as some good box-office bite from Disney's family comedy "Beverly Hills Chihuahua."

"Chihuahua" could approach double-digit millions during its third session to grab one of the frame's top rankings after finishing No. 1 in its first two weekends.

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Emimem's return to hip-hop is now official. After months of rumors, the Oscar-winning MC announced the title of his sixth album, "Relapse," Thursday night (October 15) during an on-air radio launch party for his book "The Way I Am." Eminem also introduced a new track, "I'm Having a Relapse."


There's a lot of album titles floating around that are fake albums titles," Eminem told Shade 45 hosts DJ Kayslay and Angela Yee on Sirius Satellite Radio.

No release date has been confirmed, but the album is rumored to hit shelves before year's end.

Eminem's last release, 2005's "Curtain Call: The Hits," has sold 2.9 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. His last studio album was the previous year's "Encore," with sales of 5.1 million copies.

Representatives for Eminem's label, Interscope, were unavailable for comment.

Reuters/Billboard

Kiev - Turns out there is one perfectly good designer in the Ukraine, and she is Lilla Poustovit, a romantic figure whose collections already retail in some of Europe's best boutiques. Her dreamy, yet elegantly practical collection shown Wednesday night, opened Ukrainian fashion Week, a 41-show season staged in leafy and historic

Poustovit's spring summer 2009 collection had lots of virtues, from its crumpled chic silk dresses, forgivingly cut yet cunningly draped, great graphic print tops and some very charming polka dot sheaths, draped with aplomb and finished with sophisticated lace detailing. Though clearly influenced by her country's ethnic traditions, Poustovit is a smart enough designer to know its best to use small doses of tradition leavened in a contemporary silhouette and mood.

"I had in mind an image of an Adriatic sunset when making this collection. So I wanted something romantic, yet clothes women could understand and wear easily," explained Poustovit backstage.

Lilla also injected an architectural element into her cocktail dresses, with vertical pleats that evoked Grecian columns.

Like all the shows here, Poustovit's collection was staged in a conference center in Pushkin Park, where TV hosts, actresses, Kievan rappers and local politicians all made the scene.

Also impressing was a cool club girl collection called NB Karavay, a display of posh hippie duds for spring that had sass and humor. Ranging from natty multi-flap and pleated cocktails to street chic short sleeve coats, this collection showed that Ukrainians can make commercial collections that connect with young consumers.

The opening day's two other shows were less happy affairs. Victoria Gres was a lackluster collection of predictable denims and formulaic jackets, where most of the models wore fedoras and carried pistols.

The evening finished with an elaborate show called Gromova Design where the clothes, worn by blackened eyed models that recalled Victorian tarts, had a certain energy - layered silk dresses in garish hues of violet and imperial purple. But in the end this show was almost a cliché of Westerners views of eastern European fashion - a pastiche of over the top ideas.

LOS ANGELES - Ellen DeGeneres has made a public service announcement urging California voters to oppose a ballot initiative that would ban same-sex marriage.

DeGeneres married actress Portia de Rossi on Aug. 16, two months after the California Supreme Court ruling that legalized gay marriage took effect. In recent days, the popular talk show host has been criticized in the gay press for not giving money to the campaign to defeat Proposition 8 or otherwise lending her star presence to the cause.

She still hasn't made a campaign contribution, but on Tuesday she posted a video on her show's Web site. She said when she got married it was the happiest day of her life.

DeGeneres' mother, Betty, has given $700 to help defeat the initiative.

LOS ANGELES - Rocco DiSpirito won't be cooking up any more moves on "Dancing with the Stars."

The celebrity chef and his partner, Karina Smirnoff, were eliminated Tuesday from ABC's popular dancing competition. The pair received the judges' lowest score — 18 out of 30 — for their samba routine. Viewer votes and the judges' scores from last week and Monday were combined after injured contestant Misty May-Treanor dropped out of the competition.

"For my final request, I would love it if Bruno could show me how to make my hips move properly," DiSpirito said, prompting flamboyant judge Bruno Tonioli to accompany DiSpirito on the dance floor for a duel hip gyrating session.

Outspoken actress Cloris Leachman joined DiSpirito in the bottom two with the next-to-lowest combined score and votes, while model-actress Brooke Burke remained in the top spot. Her samba earned a 26 from the judges Monday, bringing her two-week total to 54. Burke and her partner, Derek Hough, have maintained first place all season.

Other celebrities in the competition include: singers Lance Bass and Toni Braxton; former NFL star Warren Sapp; Olympic gold medalist Maurice Greene; actor Cody Linley; and actress Susan Lucci. Reality TV star Kim Kardashian, actor Ted McGinley and comedian Jeffrey Ross were dismissed earlier.

HONG KONG - Despite landing roles alongside Tom Cruise and Bruce Willis, Maggie Q says Asian actors still have a hard time getting good roles in Hollywood movies.

The 29-year-old actress, whose full name is Maggie Quigley, told The Associated Press in an interview Tuesday that 90 percent of the scripts she receives are written for Caucasian female characters.

"The first part of it is going into a room (for an audition) and trying to quell this stigma that people have about Asians only doing certain kinds of roles and Asians only being looked at a certain way," Quigley said. "You run into these stereotypes a lot."

She was speaking after a press conference in Hong Kong to promote the video game "Need for Speed Undercover," which features a character she portrayed.

Quigley said American filmmakers are confused by her biracial background. Born in Hawaii to an American father of Polish-Irish descent and a Vietnamese mother, the actress first made her name in the Hong Kong film industry.

"They think, 'Wow, what is this? There's this girl. She's Asian, but she's not. ... They're really not sure where to put me," Quigley said.

She described competing for roles in Hollywood as a "battle."

"It's a struggle. You got to win roles. You really got to fight for them. When I left Asia and went to the U.S., essentially I was starting over. It's very hard. It's a lot of work," she said.

Quigley's credits include "Mission: Impossible III," starring Tom Cruise, and the fourth installment in the "Die Hard" series, "Live Free or Die Hard," starring Bruce Willis. She also appeared in "Deception" alongside Ewan McGregor, Hugh Jackman and Michelle Williams.

Quigley is currently shooting Chinese director Tian Zhuangzhuang's "The Warrior and the Wolf," which is about the friendship between two generals in ancient China traveling near the Silk Road.

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Confirming news that Garbage frontwoman Shirley Manson let slip recently on "The Carson Daly Show," Green Day is in the studio with veteran producer Butch Vig working on the follow-up to 2004's "American Idiot."

In a video posted over the weekend on YouTube, the band is seen in the control room as the camera pans over to Vig, who smiles and extends his middle finger. Instrumental bits of two new songs are heard in the background.

Vig is best known for his work on Nirvana's "Nevermind" but has also logged time behind the boards with Smashing Pumpkins and Sonic Youth, in addition to his musician role in Garbage. Of late, he has produced albums from Jimmy Eat World, Against Me! and Tad.

Green Day worked with producer Rob Cavallo on "American Idiot," a Grammy-winning smash that has sold 5.8 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The group reappeared this spring masquerading as the band Foxboro Hot Tubs, releasing an album and playing a handful of small club shows. The upcoming Green Day album, as-yet-untitled, is expected next year via Warner Bros.

Los Angeles - Let's face it, when it comes to actually swimming, Beach Bunny Swimwear and designer Angela Chittenden really don't expect women to get into the water and get wet while wearing their bathing suits. But that said, the 60 looks that came down the runway at the Mercedes-Benz Los Angeles Fashion Week show on Monday were cute and sexy, and perfect for lounging on the yacht or slinking around the pool in Las Vegas.


The Spring 2009 show began with a nautical theme, with a bikini in navy lace paired with a tiny white cheerleader-skirt bottom; then a navy leather bikini wowed the crowd, with its gold chain embellishments on both tiny top and bottom. The audience in the also tiny Lightbox Stage at Smashbox Studios noticed immediately that while the suits were mostly minuscule, the models were not, at least not on top, where they were busting out all over, many with a less-than-natural look to them.

The look was perfect, however, when paired with the slightly trashy theme of the Beach Bunny line, of bringing "the boudoir to the beach." It was hard to tell the difference sometimes, like with the "Need You Tonight" suit, a white triangle top paired with white-and-fuchsia lace "skimpy" bottoms; that is a bedroom-only suit, for sure, as is the "Lady Marmalade," a pink satin bikini trimmed in vintage black lace.

More wearable for public display are the cute "Wicked Games" black croc buckle bikini, the groovy "Can't Buy Me Love" trapezoid one shoulder bikini done in aqua, and the "Stop and Stare" zebra bandeau, a suit covered in chains and embellishments. That one does look like it might get awfully hot in the sun, however, with all that metal to heat up.

Chittenden also threw in a few bathing suit cover-ups, including a form-fitting fuchsia romper with ruffles, a low-cut silk chiffon tunic studded with large stones, and the "French Kiss," a satin underwire bubble dress that again would look a bit odd on the beach, but great in the bedroom.

LONDON (AFP) - Two housekeepers working at a mansion owned by former England football captain David Beckham and his pop star wife Victoria have been arrested on suspicion of theft, reports said Tuesday

Newspaper reports said items belonging to the LA Galaxy star and his wife, a former Spice Girl, turned up for sale on Internet auction website eBay.

Police said they are looking into allegations of theft from a private address in the eastern English country of Hertfordshire, where the Beckhams have a home.

They confirmed a 56-year-old woman and a 55-year-old man, both from the neighbouring county of Essex, had been arrested and released on bail.

YORK, England - A tall blond man sits on a bench by the River Ouse, which threads through this city in Northern England. Philip Winchester's good looks would turn heads under most circumstances, but his late-Jacobean style clothes draw additional attention — a full-sleeved white muslin shirt, blue jerkin, tan leather breeches and long boots.

Winchester is portraying Robinson Crusoe in NBC's "Crusoe," a new series inspired by the exploits of the castaway hero of Daniel Defoe's classic novel, premiering 8-10 p.m. EDT Friday. (Subsequent hourlong episodes will air 9 p.m. EDT Fridays.)

"Everyone has read the book and just every boy has gone, `I want to be Robinson Crusoe!'" Winchester said, offering enthusiastic reasons for the "fun" of playing the role. "There's a lot of running through the jungle, jumping off waterfalls, sword fighting, shooting flintlock muskets ... basically, if you took anything a kid said he wanted to do ... that's in the script."

On this sunny day there's no jungle in sight, of course. Winchester was filming in York, famous for its Roman ruins, Gothic cathedral and medieval streets. The city was standing in for London circa 1700, Crusoe's pre-shipwreck home and the place he longs to return to reunite with his wife and children. (Anna Walton plays Crusoe's wife, Susannah, one of several characters not in the original novel. The cast also includes Sean Bean and Sam Neill.)

The English-based scenes were designed to be woven in flashbacks and dreams throughout Crusoe's action-packed adventures on a remote island, where, lost to civilization, he fights nature and all manner of savage foe and meets up with faithful companion Friday (played by Tongayi Chirisa).

Winchester's costume would, he knew, gradually get more tatty — and revealing — as Crusoe's time on the wild and dangerous island lengthens. He laughed, a little embarrassed, when asked whether those breeches would finally be reduced to a loincloth, but he did concede: "I think we are going a little more kind of scruffy."

Fairfax House, one of York's prestigious mid-18th century townhouses, provided the location for the Crusoe home in England. The building wouldn't have existed at the time Crusoe sailed away, but the production team isn't too concerned about exact dates. After all, this is fiction — although Defoe's Crusoe is thought to have been inspired by the real adventures of British seaman Andrew Selkirk, marooned off the coast of Chile in 1704.

Furthermore, Stephen Gallagher's script for the NBC adventure does not pretend to be a close adaptation of the Defoe novel. While it tries to pay heed to the cultural, religious and political values of the era in which the story is set, it seeks to have "Pirates of the Caribbean"-type fun with the genre.

Born is Montana, the 27-year-old Winchester inherited a love of theater from his parents. His screen debut was a supporting role in the 1998 Steven Seagal movie "The Patriot," filmed in his home state. (He also co-starred in the 2006 film "Flyboys.")

More recently he has lived, studied and worked in England — the reason his accent and colloquialisms slip easily back and forth. He's just as likely to say "chaps" as he is to say "guys."

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "Eagle Eye" bumped longtime champion "Mamma Mia!" from the top spot at the weekend box office overseas, in a transitional period before the major studios unleash their holiday-season wares.

The Shia LaBeouf thriller took in $10.7 million from 36 territories, 11 of them new. It opened at No. 1 in South Korea with $3.3 million, but only at No. 5 in Germany with $1.1 million.

"Mamma Mia!" -- which had led the field for five consecutive weeks -- is hardly fading away. The musical romance pulled in $8.3 million from 45 markets to lift its foreign gross to $390.7 million. The U.K. has contributed a hefty $125 million. The ABBA-inspired film remained No. 1 in Italy for a second weekend, for a 10-day total of $5.3 million.

In 10 key markets, 10 different films held the No. 1 spot, including North American champ "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" in Mexico, and new domestic dud "Body of Lies" in Australia.

Woody Allen's "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" opened at No. 1 in France with $3.9 million, a record for the director. "Burn After Reading" opened at No. 1 in Spain with $2.6 million, the best opening for a Coen brothers film.

"WALL-E" continued its steady climb overseas, raking in $5.5 million from 26 markets, raising its total to $238.1 million. In Germany, "WALL-E" held at No. 1 for a third straight week, for a market total of $16.7 million.

"The House Bunny" opened to $5.1 million from 25 markets, landing in the top spot in the U.K. ($1.6 million), but found little favor elsewhere in Europe.

"Wanted" grossed $4.9 million from 17 countries, putting it close to $200 million as it completed the weekend with $196.2 million with the help of a No. 1 opening in China ($3.4 million), its final overseas date.

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Reversing a year-old regulation, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has approved the use of CDs of songs and scores in campaigns for the music Oscars.


Last year, in its annual tweaking of campaign rules, the Academy banned campaigners from sending specially-produced CDs, as well as sheet music and music videos, to its members as part of an effort to force voters to focus on how music is used within a film rather than how it sounds in isolation.

But that triggered an outcry from many members of the music branch, and so this year the Academy has revised that revision.

Under the new campaign regulation for the 81st annual Academy Awards, which will be handed out February 22, CDs of eligible scores may be distributed to voting members of the music branch anytime prior to the nominations announcement on January 22. Once the nominees are announced, the nominated scores may be distributed to all voting members of the Academy.

The campaigns can't send out commercial soundtrack CDs, though. Instead, they must used specially prepared CDs, and each music track must be titled, include the name of the composer or composers and be identical to the music used in the finished film.

The CD may contain only music written by the eligible composer. Music written by other composers, licensed music or music that is otherwise ineligible for award consideration is not permitted.

Songs are treated slightly differently. Distribution of eligible songs prior to the nominations announcement is not permitted, though as a result of a rule change announced in June, the Academy itself will be sending DVDs containing film clips featuring the songs to music branch members during the nominations balloting phase. The DVDs will contain the same clips to be screened at the annual voting event at which branch members may cast their nominations ballot in person. Once the nominations are announced, CDs of the songs may be sent to all members.

Music videos and sheet music remain off limits.

The changes in the music regulations are the only changes in the Academy's campaign regulations that have been made for the 81st season.

Los Angeles - You know you are doing something right when a star-studded packed house repeatedly breaks out in cheers and applause in the midst of your runway show; that's what happened to designer Kevan Hall as his latest womenswear collection launched this season's Los Angeles Fashion Week on Sunday. Hall, showing his Spring 2009 designs, as usual did not disappoint his legions of fashionista fans with this show, his "Stage Door" homage to the classic, movie-star ready designs of the legendary Adrian. And, as usual, Kevan Hall set the standard that all other designers showing this week will be hard-pressed to match.


"I was a little nervous about this show," Hall revealed after receiving a standing ovation from his diverse fans, including actresses Dana Delany, Rachel Griffiths, Tia Mowry, Gina Torres, Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon, stylist George Blodwell, Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and Hall's brother, actor-director Vondie Curtis-Hall. "It was a bit different for me, this show, because I changed up the feel of the show, and went more for a classic vibe."

Which meant evoking the gorgeous looks of yesteryear. Think of the most beautiful clothes that stars like Grace Kelly, Lauren Bacall, Katharine Hepburn, Joan Crawford, or Jean Harlow wore in their heyday, and that's what Hall presented on the runway. From the slim, sleeveless "Garbo" double-breasted black-and-white belted dress that began the show to the stunning navy and black "Filmstrip" gown that closed it, Hall sent 54 exemplary red-carpet-ready looks down the runway.

A master of the evening gown, Hall used his signature "hot" colors brilliantly, in looks ranging from a bright yellow dress with a high-necked bodice over a flowing skirt to a strong turquoise satin-crepe beaded spiral strap dress to a heavily beaded apple-toned tulle and organza "Society" gown, complete with train.

"I think you can always find a beautiful black dress," Hall said, " but I like taking those slinky silhouettes and doing them in hot colors, to really make them more modern. I'm really sensitive about the color choices that I make. I try to make them really flattering and warm, and that evoke a kind of emotion."

Women in the audience were getting very emotional about his clothes, literally gasping with glee as his citrine silk charmeuse color-block "Harlow" dress arrived, and grinning giddily at one of the more casual looks, a black-and-white silk shantung gingham "Bacall rehearsal blouse" paired with skinny black silk pencil pants and a wide patent leather belt, that evoked the best of the 1950's, with a definite modern edge.

This Kevan Hall collection continues in his tradition of creating exquisitely tailored clothes that flatter a woman's figure and set her instantly apart from the crowd; perhaps that's why "Desperate Housewives" star Dana Delany told Hall afterward that she now knows "exactly what she's going to wear during awards season."

MADRID (AFP) - Spanish golf legend Seve Ballesteros, a five-times major winner, said Sunday he has been diagnosed with a brain tumour.

"I inform you that after an exhaustive check, that was realized at Hospital La Paz, a brain tumour has been detected," the 51-year-old said in a statement issued by the Madrid hospital.

Ballesteros said he will undergo a biopsy on Tuesday and then doctors would decide on a course of treatment.

"During my career I was one of the best at getting around obstacles on golf courses. Now I want to be the best at confronting the most difficult match of my life with all my strength, and counting on all of you who are sending encouraging messages," he said.

"I have always felt very close to people who suffer serious illness, even more severe than mine. I want to remind them that with courage, faith, serenity, confidence and a lot of mental strength we have to face every situation no matter how difficult it is.

"I want to thank from the bottom of my heart all those people who have shown affection and interest in my state of health, with all kinds of support."

His close friend, and Spanish compatriot, Jose Maria Olazabal said he had visited Ballesteros in hospital.

"I saw Seve looking very well. We were speaking for quite a little while. I wish him a prompt recovery," said Olazabal.

Ballesteros collapsed unconscious on Monday and was taken to the hospital where he remained in intensive care while doctors conducted tests.

Hospital officials released a statement on Friday confirming the Spaniard had suffered "a partial epileptic fit" but said he had left intensive care and was in "a stable condition."

He posted a reassuring message on his personal website during the week, saying he was "feeling very well" as he waited for the results of clinical tests.

In his latest statement, Ballesteros said he had waited to make his brain tumour diagnosis public until he had first personally informed his three teenaged children, including two who were out of the country, and his ex-wife.

His family flew to Madrid this weekend to be by his side, Spanish media reported.

He thanked well-wishers for their support, asked that his family's privacy be respected and vowed to provide updates on his condition.

Last year doctors discovered he was suffering from an irregular heartbeat, a condition which his manager said at the time was not serious.

Ballesteros won the British Open in 1979, 1984 and 1988 and became the first European to win the Augusta Masters in 1980, a title he repeated in 1983.

He was an influential figure in the Ryder Cup, winning 20 points from 37 matches and captaining Europe to victory at Valderrama in 1997.

He collected 87 titles before knee and back problems forced him to retire last year.

Known for his flamboyant and imaginative style of play, he won one of his three British Open titles by playing a shot from a temporary parking lot.

NEW YORK - The debate season that has chewed up its moderators comes to a close Wednesday when John McCain and Barack Obama meet for the third time, with CBS News' Bob Schieffer directing the discussion.
The veteran "Face the Nation" host won't telegraph what he will ask. But he said he will be seeking more details about their potential presidencies than have been evident so far.

"By now we've all heard their talking points," he said. "We've heard the general outlines of what they are talking about. The time has come to be a little more specific."

Jim Lehrer, Gwen Ifill and Tom Brokaw had great plans going into their debates, too. Each had their own frustrations.

Lehrer tried hard to get McCain and Obama to speak directly to the other when it was evident they didn't want to.

During the vice presidential debate, Republican Sarah Palin took pride in not answering Ifill's questions. "She blew me off," a bemused Ifill said later.

The advantages of a town hall style meeting were muted in Brokaw's presidential debate. The longtime NBC newsman was spoofed by his own network's "Saturday Night Live" for overseeing a dry debate: "From this list of penetrating, insightful and provocative questions, I have chosen the eight least interesting," said Brokaw impersonator Chris Parnell.

The "SNL" skit's running gag was about debate rules with time so short that Brokaw cut off the contenders before they could answer a question.

"Why can't we have a debate that allows the candidates to go deeper into the issues and actually engage each other?" wondered Richard Greene, a public speaking coach and author of "Words That Shook the World: 100 Years of Unforgettable Speeches and Events." "At this point the moderator stands in the way and it's the fault of the campaigns for setting up these rules."

The two candidates will sit at the same table for the third debate, so close that will be able to reach out and touch each other. Schieffer hopes this will encourage more interaction.

He's not reluctant to press the men to stay on point.

"It will not embarrass me, if they go off in a different direction, to say `excuse me, could you focus on the question that I just asked?'" he said.

Good luck.

"He'll try," said Vincent Hutchings, a political science professor at the University of Michigan. "But they're pretty good at avoiding that."

It's always a tough call for a journalist in this situation. Do you ask the question, and trust that it's evident to viewers when the candidate is completely ignoring it? Or do you press persistently, taking the risk that your conduct becomes the issue as much as the question itself — as CNN's Campbell Brown found when her questioning of a McCain aide angered the campaign.

Bruce Cain, director of the Washington program for the University of California at Berkeley, said he hoped Schieffer could compel the candidates to speak more specifically about the steps they would take to solve the economic crisis, both short- and long-term.

"We didn't, as many people have noted, hear anything in the (second) debate that we didn't hear three months ago, other than they support the bailout plan," Cain said.

That's not entirely true, as McCain used the forum to discuss a plan to buy the mortgages of struggling homeowners. Making new proposals carry a risk; MSNBC's measurement of what undecided Republican voters were thinking while listening to the debate found an immediate negative reaction to the idea.

To a certain extent, the debates at this stage are almost moderator-proof, Cain said. The candidates have long since figured out what they do or don't want to say, and they've had a year's worth of practice making their points in regular debates.

"It may be that our expectations of what the debates are all about have to be adjusted to reality," Cain said.

Sam Feist, political director at CNN, said he believed the debate's format allows for some flexibility. "It sets the stage for the last debate to be the most interesting of the debates," he said.

Since he knew he would be moderating the debate, Schieffer has been clipping articles and consulting think-tank experts to come up with ideas for questions. He was sitting down to read the transcript of the first two sessions.

When he moderated a Bush-Kerry debate, Schieffer showed up with three times as many questions as he had time to ask. He said he had a nightmare that all of his questions had been used up with a half-hour to go.

He believes the election is still very close and many people will finally make up their minds based on what they see on Wednesday.

"I don't want to think about it too much," he said, "but I think it could very well determine who our next president will be."

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LOS ANGELES - An adorable talking dog remained just the sort of escapist movie hero audiences wanted after a week of awful economic news.

Disney's family comedy "Beverly Hills Chihuahua," with Drew Barrymore providing the voice of the pooch, was the No. 1 flick for the second-straight weekend with $17.5 million, raising its 10-day total to $52.5 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

"Beverly Hills Chihuahua" is the only light comedy in a market heavy on drama. Chuck Viane, Disney's head of distribution, said movie-goers may be turning to the perky pooch to help forget the market free-fall on Wall Street.

"This is only word-of-mouth coming back to us from theaters. I don't have any statistical proof. But they're telling us we're getting more unaccompanied-by-children adults coming on their own. They're looking for a little entertainment," Viane said. "The axiom we've always lived by is funny is money. People come out for comedy. They love to sit back and let someone give them a couple of hours of escapism."

The weekend's No. 2 flick — the fright film "Quarantine," which debuted with $14.2 million — filled the escapism needs for the horror crowd. The Sony Screen Gems release centers on a contagion that turns an apartment building's tenants into flesh-hungry monsters.

"It's probably the perfect kind of movie for today's climate," said Rory Bruer, Sony head of distribution. "Let's just get away from the news, from all that's going on, and go someplace else, and this is something that'll take you someplace else."

The marquee trio of Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe and director Ridley Scott had to settle for third-place with their terrorism thriller "Body of Lies," which had a $13.1 million debut. The Warner Bros. film centers on a CIA operative hunting the terrorist responsible for bombings around the world.

"Body of Lies" may have dealt with too sober a topic after all the disastrous financial news, said Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros.

"I think we ran into really difficult timing. The nation suffered such an economic loss this week that the mood of our audience was such that they were probably looking for a little more escapism than to see a movie on terrorism," Fellman said.

The weekend's other new wide releases, Universal's football drama "The Express" and 20th Century Fox's family fantasy "City of Ember," opened weakly.

"The Express" — starring Rob Brown and Dennis Quaid in the story of Ernie Davis, the first black player to win the Heisman Trophy — came in at No. 6 with $4.7 million.

"City of Ember," with Tim Robbins and Bill Murray in a post-apocalyptic adventure set in an underground realm, took in $3.2 million to finish at No. 10.

Keira Knightley's historical saga "The Duchess" climbed into the top 10 as it expanded nationwide after three weekends in limited release. The Paramount Vantage drama, which stars Knightley as an 18th century aristocrat stuck in a loveless marriage, pulled in $3.32 million to place No. 9.

Two British movies started well in limited release. Guy Ritchie's London crime romp "RocknRolla" opened with $141,000 in seven theaters. The Warner Bros. release features Gerard Butler, Thandie Newton and Tom Wilkinson heading an ensemble cast.

Mike Leigh's "Happy-Go-Lucky," a Miramax release starring Sally Hawkins as a woman whose eternal optimism is continually challenged, premiered with $80,000 in four theaters.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Beverly Hills Chihuahua," $17.5 million.

2. "Quarantine," $14.2 million.

3. "Body of Lies," $13.1 million.

4. "Eagle Eye," $11 million.

5. "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist," $6.5 million.

6. "The Express," $4.7 million.

7. "Nights in Rodanthe," $4.6 million.

8. "Appaloosa," $3.34 million.

9. "The Duchess," $3.32 million.

10. "City of Ember," $3.2 million.

NEW YORK - Although T.I. owns both the No. 1 album and single in the country, the platinum-selling rapper says he still feels like the underdog

"Nobody has ever given me a win and nobody has ever said, 'T.I., you know he's going to do this thing.' They always (say), 'He's not going to do this much, he's not going to do that good, I don't believe he'll do that well.' So its always been an uphill battle for me no matter how big I get I'm always the underdog," he said in an interview.

But the 28-year-old may not be able to claim that underdog title for long. His latest CD, "Paper Trail," sold more than 560,000 copies in its first week to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 album charts, and his newest single, "Live Your Life" featuring Rihanna, supplanted the album's first single, "Whatever You Like," at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

The 28-year-old rapper made the comments before taking the stage at Diesel's 30th birthday celebration in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Saturday night. The circus-themed event for the apparel company featured mash-up performances; other artists performing included N.E.R.D., Hot Chip, Franz Ferdinand, Joel and Benji Madden of Good Charlotte, Chaka Khan and M.I.A., who performed her breakthrough Top 10 hit, "Paper Planes."

Other celebrities in attendance included Lindsay Lohan, "Gossip Girl" co-stars Chace Crawford and Taylor Momsen, actresses Emma Roberts and Zoe Kravitz, and former Destiny's Child member Michelle Williams.

T.I. also performed a song with the pregnant M.I.A., and called the lyricist "the hottest rap chick in the game right now, period." T.I. recently sampled "Paper Planes" for a collaboration with Jay-Z, Kanye West and Lil Wayne. The song, "Swagga Like Us," appears on "Paper Trail."

T.I. said the collaboration between the top rappers is a reflection of the respect they have for one another.

"It wasn't like I said let me get Jay, Wayne and Kanye on the same song," he said. "The song started off with me and Kanye and it was just me and Kanye, and mutual associates of all four of us suggested, 'Hey man, if Jay and Wayne were on here too, it'll be one of the biggest songs in hip-hop history.' So I said, 'You know what, that's a great idea. It's ambitious, but it's a great idea.' So we reached out and they agreed and it's a pleasure to have them involved."

The rapper, whose real name is Clifford Harris, was sentenced to one year in prison on federal weapons charges after he was arrested last October before the BET Hip-Hop Awards in Atlanta for allegedly trying to buy automatic weapons. He is scheduled to start his prison sentence in March 2009 after completing 1,000 hours of community service.

"It's a blessing to come from where I was at the beginning of the year all the way to right here," he said. "It's an honor and a privilege to assume such levels of achievement."