Pam to wed Paris porn video maker

They have appeared in the two most famous celebrity sex tapes of all.

And now Pamela Anderson and Pamela Anderson – Paris Hilton's other half in the One Night In Paris video – are planning to get hitched after a whirlwind romance.

The couple reportedly obtained a marriage licence over the weekend in Clark County, Las Vegas.

Sources say the couple are not planning to tie the knot straight away but within the next month.

The former Baywatch star, 40, had previously revealed that she was engaged. She did not say who her other half was, except that he was a poker player, which is one of Salomon's pursuits.

The 39-year-old has been married twice – once to actress Shannen Doherty – and has two daughters with first wife Elizabeth Daily. Anderson has previously been married to Tommy Lee and Kid Rock.

The wedding plans were revealed as Anderson blasted Rock over comments he had been left alone to look after her two children, Brandon, 11, and nine-year-old Dylan.

On her website, she said: 'Everyone knows I'm a great mom. He's bitter.

'It's sad to see. I don't want to battle with him. But I'd hate to point out habits I had a hard time with. They are personal to him and that's why we are not together. These are desperate attempts. I've moved on.'

Anderson was married to Rock last year for just four months.

He hit the headlines recently after punching Motley Crue drummer Lee at the MTV Music Awards. He said it was because of 'years of disrespect'.

Anderson has also come under fire for partying too much when she has hepatitis C. But she hit back saying: 'I take care of my health. My children are my No.1 priority.'

She is earning £500,000 a week performing as an assistant to magician Hans Klok in Las Vegas.

Metro

$40m Shakira gift for relief fund

A charitable foundation set up by Colombian pop star Shakira has donated $40 million (£19.6 million) to help victims of natural disasters.

The money will go towards repairing damage caused by an earthquake in Peru and a hurricane in Nicaragua.

A further $5 million (£2.46 million) will be spent on health and education in four Latin American countries.

The singer made the announcement at a New York summit on climate change organised by ex-President Bill Clinton.

Shakira, who has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide, will also host a discussion on youth activism at the Clinton Global Initiative on Saturday.

Her foundation, Latin America in Solidarity Action, was set up with fellow Colombian and Nobel Prize laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez, in a bid to combat the deaths of children.

Shakira also fronts a charity to help children who are victims of violence.

BBC News

Global Pavarotti tributes planned

Italian opera star, Luciano Pavarotti, is to be remembered in a series of commemorations around the world.

The concerts and exhibitions begin on 6 October, a month after the tenor died from pancreatic cancer.

They will be held in more than 90 Italian cultural centres around the world, with footage of the singer provided by Italian state television.

Among the events are a series of screenings of Pavarotti's operas in New Delhi, India.

In a statement, the Italian foreign ministry said the aim of the tributes is "to bring the most important moments of Pavarotti's international career to the largest public audience possible".

The ministry announced that video clips of Pavarotti interviews will be shown at the Italian cultural institute in Lima, Peru and concerts will be shown in Hungary, Denmark and France.

Global audience

Pavarotti, who was 71, was known for bringing opera to the masses, particularly through his signature tune, Nessun Dorma, which became associated with the 1990 football World Cup.

His performances with Domingo and Jose Carerras at this time - in the Three Tenors concerts - were seen around the world.

Among the planned tributes are a commemorative evening organised by South Korea's National Opera, and a screening of Verdi's La Traviata in Uruguay.

A photographic exhibition will be held in New York, as well as a series of concerts to remember Pavarotti's career, in which he sold more than 100 million records worldwide.

BBC News

Sex Pistols reunion is expanded

Punk legends The Sex Pistols have added two additional shows to their reunion tour in November.

They will now play a further concert at the Brixton Academy on 12 November, and one night at Manchester's MEN Arena on 17 November.

The gigs were added after three London concerts on 8-10 November all sold out in just 15 minutes.

The tour was announced to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the band's seminal Never Mind The Bollocks album.

'Benchmark'

The Pistols' debut Manchester gig at Lesser Free Trade Hall on 4 June 1976 has been hailed as one of the most influential gigs of all time.

Tickets for the two new shows will go on sale at 0900 BST on 28 September.

Original members John Lydon, Steve Jones, Paul Cook and Glen Matlock will perform at the concerts.

The group, who split in 1978, first reformed for a world tour in 1996 and last performed together in 2003.

Never Mind The Bollocks... Here's The Sex Pistols, which included God Save the Queen and Anarchy in the UK, caused uproar when it was released in October 1977.

But it was one of the defining records of the punk movement and is now recognised as one of the most influential albums in rock history.

Kerrang! editor Paul Brannigan says the new concerts are causing such a high level of interest because "they are still viewed as the benchmark by which all punk bands are measured".

"Their importance is beyond question, their songs still sound incredible played at loud volume and more than 30 years since their formation John Lydon has lost none of his acerbic bite.

"So it's no surprise that anyone with a passing interest in punk rock is gagging to snap up tickets to see them," he added.

Britney's world's worst mum

Britney Spears has been named the world's worst celebrity mother. The troubled singer won 32 per cent of votes, beating ex-Atomic Kitten Kerry Katona into second place.

The results of the poll come at the worst time for the 25-year-old, who is fighting for custody of her children with 29-year-old ex-husband Kevin Federline.

The world's worst mother's former bodyguard told a newspaper yesterday how the star snorted cocaine and teetered on the brink of suicide after her split from K-Fed.

'Britney has had a rough ride lately, and this isn't going to make it any better for her,' said John Sewell of onepoll.com, which carried out the survey.

'She needs someone to help her get her life back on track so she can concentrate on looking after her children.'

But soul singer Joss Stone has jumped to Spears's defence. 'I think people should shut up and leave her alone,' the 19-year-old thundered. 'She is a young woman, she should be going out.'

A judge is said to be preparing to revoke Spears's temporary custody of her two youngsters after her ex-bodyguard last week claimed she took drugs.

She has also been spotted partying with no knickers on and shaved her head prior to a spell in rehab.

Spears's recent attempt at a pop comeback was panned by critics – she performed new single Gimme More at the MTV awards, but forgot the dance moves and lip-synched out of time.

According to the 2,000 voters who took part in the poll, Spears is not alone in the bad mother stakes.

Katona, who has twice been crowned Mother of the Year, is alleged to have taken drugs and is in the middle of a custody battle with her ex, Brian McFadden, over their daughters, Molly and Lily-Sue.

No. 3 spot went to Jade Goody, who was followed by skinny celebrities Kate Moss and Victoria Beckham in fourth and fifth place.

Metro

Resident Evil captures box office

The latest film in the flesh-eating zombie series Resident Evil has made it to the top of the US and Canadian box office chart in its first weekend.

Resident Evil: Extinction made $24m (£12m) between Friday and Sunday, according to studio estimates.

The film, starring Milla Jovovich and R&B singer Ashanti, is the third in the franchise based on the hit video games.

Jessica Alba's romantic comedy Good Luck Chuck was another new entry at number two, taking $14m (£7m).

It pushed last week's number one, Jodie Foster's revenge drama The Brave One, down to number three.

The critically acclaimed remake of western 3:10 to Yuma, starring Russell Crowe, came next with $6.4m (£3.2m).

Fifth place went to Eastern Promises, David Cronenberg's London-set gangster thriller, which recently won the people's choice award at the Toronto Film Festival.

It was followed by Sydney White, a modern version of Snow White about a girl at sharing a house with seven geeks.

Mr Woodcock, Superbad, The Bourne Ultimatum and Dragon Wars completed the top 10.

A couple of possible Oscar contenders also saw high takings on limited release this weekend.

Into the Wild, Sean Penn's take on the story on a student who gave away his money and possessions and hitch-hiked to Alaska, took $207,000 (£102,000) in ticket sales from just four cinemas.

And The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford, starring Brad Pitt as the legendary outlaw Jesse James, earned $144,000 (£71,000) from five cinemas.

The Bourne Ultimatum was the most popular movie elsewhere in the world, making $13m (£6.5m) in 48 countries, according to industry publication Screen Daily.

US AND CANADA TOP 10 FILMS
1. Resident Evil: Extinction, $24m
2. Good Luck Chuck (above), $14m
3. The Brave One, $7.4m
4. 3:10 to Yuma, $6.4m
5. Eastern Promises, $5.7m
6. Sydney White, $5.3m
7. Mr Woodcock, $5m
8. Superbad, $3.1m
9. The Bourne Ultimatum, $2.8m
10. Dragon Wars, $2.5m
Source: Media by Numbers

BBC News

Kate's stylish resurrection

What a difference 48 hours can make when you're a supermodel.

Kate Moss hit London's fashion scene last night, showing a return to the elegant style that first propelled her to Britain's Queen of Fashion.

Looking radiant in a chiffon blouse and black trouser combo, the 33-year-old was a model of composure at four different parties.

Earlier in the week, a boozy Kate Moss was pictured in a ripped £4,000 Dior dress as she stumbled out of the Golden Age of Couture Gala in London.

But last night a stylish Moss graced Naomi Campbell's Fashion for Relief show at the Natural History Museum, before dashing off to support friend, Stella McCartney's Adidas collaboration.

Earlier she ate with PM Gordon Brown at a dinner hosted by Gordon Ramsay.

Looking markedly happy, the difference was clear to see as she met up with new boyfriend, Jamie Hince, for some drinks at Sadie Frost's party at the Living Room bar in Angel, London.

With her sobriety still in tack for a change, the couple were then pictured leaving together in a black cab.

Moss started dating the Kills guitarist at the beginning of the month.

Their relationship follows Moss' nasty fall out with Pete Doherty, 28, back in July.

The former couple were notorious for their booze and dope sessions in the model's Cotswold hide away.

They made a string of incoherent homemade videos together, with the model swearing at Doherty. Regular images of them inebriated at festivals and images of Doherty hanging the Topshop designer out of windows became a regularity.

Moss ditched Pete after pictures were published of him enjoying a group orgy.

Doherty later verbally attacked the model in the tabloids, branding her a 'nasty old rag' who kicked him in the head.

Metro

Charlotte has a baby girl

CHARLOTTE Church has got her very own Crazy Chick — a baby girl.

The chat show host and singer, 21, who had said she hoped for a boy, gave birth to the 6lb 12oz tot at her new £800,000 home on Thursday night.

Boyfriend Gavin Henson, 24, was there for the arrival of the couple’s first child, which came a few days late.

They haven’t decided on a name yet.

Charlotte, who had a massive hit with Crazy Chick, had said she wanted a boy — because girls are too much trouble.

But a family friend said: “Charlotte and Gavin are over the moon.

She’s everything they wished for. I’m sure Charlotte’s going to be a wonderful mum.”

The party-loving star gave up boozing and smoking to prepare to be a mum.

She and Gavin have just spent tens of thousands on a nursery at their mansion home in the Vale of Glamorgan, near Cardiff.

News of the arrival fuelled claims the pair would finally marry.

But Charlotte laughed last week it was “not on the agenda” yet.

The Sun Online

Britney is dropped by management

Pop star Britney Spears has been dropped by her management company, one month after employing their services.

Los Angeles-based The Firm said: "We have terminated our professional relationship with Britney Spears.

"We believe she is enormously talented, but current circumstances have prevented us from properly doing our job," the statement continued.

Spears hired the company for the run-up to her comeback album, which is due out in the US on 13 November.

Sacked

Meanwhile, Spears has parted company with her lawyer in an ongoing child custody battle with ex-husband Kevin Federline.

Laura Wasser, who represented the singer until Monday, said she would be in "excellent hands" with her new legal representatives.

No reason was given for the change.

A former bodyguard for the star, who was due to support claims of erratic behaviour in the case, failed to testify at the hearing in Los Angeles.

Tony Barretto arrived in court but was unable to give evidence before lawyers held debates in a closed session.

His lawyer Gloria Allred said: "Our client was prepared to testify on issues of nudity by Ms Spears, drug use and safety issues involving the children."

Mr Barretto was hired by Spears in March after she left a rehabilitation facility, but was sacked two months later.

According to Ms Allred, he lost his job because "he didn't hear her when she asked him to pick up her hat".

Spears' former lawyer Ms Wasser commented that Mr Barretto was a disgruntled employee.

The singer, whose divorce with Federline was finalised in July, currently has joint custody of their two sons Sean Preston and Jayden James.

Madonna's new purple sex toy

What birthday gift do you buy the man who is married to one of the world's richest women and has everything?

Well, it looks like Madonna bought him a 'purple penetrator'.

Guy Ritchie was a little too embarrassed to carry the intriguing gift away from his 39th birthday celebration at Claridges on Monday night.

So his wife, 49, proudly stepped in and did the honours for her husband, carrying the £30 sex aid away from the exclusive London restaurant in a plastic bag for all to see.

Guys, now you know what it's like 'In Bed with Madonna'.

Metro

America remembers 9/11 under specter of Bin Laden

America commemorated six years since the September 11 attacks Tuesday with solemn ceremonies but under the specter of Osama bin Laden, who used the anniversary to praise the Al-Qaeda hijackers.

Families of the 2,749 people killed when two passenger planes plowed into New York's World Trade Center paid their respects at the site, where rescue workers read out the names of the dead in what has now become an annual ritual.

But unlike in past years, most of the ceremony was being held at a park near Ground Zero, the area where the Twin Towers once stood, and not on the site, where a memorial and other new buildings are being constructed.

The ceremony is more muted than in past years. Last year, President George W. Bush visited New York to lay a wreath at the site, but this year attended a private service and observed a moment of silence in Washington.

In Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where hijackers brought down United Airlines Flight 93 in a field after a passenger uprising, tributes were to be held later Tuesday to honor the 40 passengers and crew killed there.

In Washington, Defense Secretary Robert Gates was to lead a memorial ceremony for the 184 people were killed when American Airlines Flight 77 flew into the Pentagon.

As in previous years, Bin Laden used the anniversary to release two video tapes, mocking the United States, threatening to escalate the increasingly unpopular war in Iraq and praising hijacker Walid al-Shehri as a "champion."

Shehri was on American Airlines Flight 11, the first jet to crash into the World Trade Center in New York.

The hijacker was "a young man who personally penetrated the most extreme degrees of danger and is a rarity among men: one of the 19 champions," a US-based monitoring group that obtained the video quoted Bin Laden as saying.

In a reminder of the reality of the post-September 11 age, Turkish police defused a powerful bomb hidden under a bus in central Ankara, while security was tightened at a US military base in Germany in response to a bomb threat.

In an overcast New York, the reading of the names was to pause for four moments of silence to mark the exact times that the planes hit the towers and when the massive buildings collapsed into piles of rubble and dust.

A choir and pipers introduced the ceremony and a bell tolled at the first moment of silence at 8:46 am (1246 GMT) to mark the moment that Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower.

Speaking immediately ahead of the first moment of silence, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg described the day of the attacks six years ago as "a day that tore across our history and our hearts."

Relatives of those killed were then to descend a long ramp into the World Trade Center site to lay flowers and pause momentarily. The decision not to hold the ceremony at Ground Zero itself has stirred controversy.

But Bloomberg justified the decision again on Tuesday, saying people needed to accept the change.

"The place where we used to hold this ceremony is now a construction site. This is probably the last year people will be able to walk down the ramp into the pit," Bloomberg told CNN ahead of the ceremony.

His predecessor, Republican presidential hopeful Rudolph Giuliani, was also due to give a reading, sparking criticism from some of the families of those killed, given his presidential ambitions.

Giuliani has made much of his role as mayor in the aftermath of the attacks, but firefighters especially have criticized the city's response to the disaster and have accused Giuliani of making political capital out of the attacks.

Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton, a New York senator, is also due to take part in the ceremony, reading the names of the dead.

In the evening, a "Tribute in Light" is to project two massive beams of light into the night sky above Ground Zero to symbolize the collapsed towers.

AFP.com

Millionaire boss wins £26m lotto

THE Brit who won the £26million EuroMillions jackpot is ALREADY a multi-millionaire, it was revealed last night.

He is desperately trying to keep his windfall secret from everyone except his family.

But The Sun can disclose he is the owner of a business empire worth millions, with investments in the UK and abroad.

In Britain he is thought to own a £4million gated property on an exclusive private estate and his cars include a luxury Rolls-Royce.

Now he has become the UK’s second-biggest lottery winner ever.

It is believed that the man’s son calmly deposited the winners’ cheque in a High Street bank in Surrey last week on his father’s behalf.

He had patiently waited his turn in a queue of other customers.

The amazing £26,533,767 win came on the night of August 31.

The tycoon successfully picked all five numbers — 6, 18, 22, 23, 37 — and both Lucky Stars, 5 and 6.

That made him the second British EuroMillions mega-winner in just three weeks after Scottish postie Angela Kelly scooped a whopping £35.4million last month.

Just like Angela, 40 — the UK’s biggest-ever lottery winner — the latest lucky punter took several days to come forward and claim his prize.

He only contacted organisers Camelot last Thursday — losing £23,000 just in INTEREST because of his five-day delay.

He then asked lottery bosses to let him remain anonymous.

But our top Euro-Millions source said: “I can reveal he’s already a millionaire — people here are stunned.

“It’s incredible that a millionaire should scoop the jackpot but he’s desperate to keep it a secret.

“I think he’s hoping people will think he’s managed to make the money rather than win it.

“He’s not a very flash guy — so it’s no surprise he wants to keep his good fortune hush-hush.”

A spokesman for Camelot said last night: “The winner has asked for no publicity. We can’t discuss this person’s identity.”

Meanwhile, two people shared Saturday’s £4.8million Lotto jackpot, Camelot said.

The numbers drawn were 4, 10, 20, 24, 39 and 49 and the bonus was 31.

The lucky winners who matched all six balls each won £2,443,024.

The Sun Online

Public can join search for Fossett by scanning satellite images

The search for missing aviator Steve Fossett has gone public — at least for people with access to a computer.

Satellite images of the search area in western Nevada provided by DigitalGlobe, the company that supplies images to Google Earth, are now available online.

An aviation Web site, http://www.avweb.com, provides links to review fresh satellite images and instructions on how to look for Fossett's plane or any image that might resemble a small aircraft.

After being shown a satellite image, viewers will be asked to check one of two boxes.

One says the image "contains foreign objects that should be looked at more closely." Viewers then will be asked to describe them.

IHT

Pavarotti back in charts

Italian opera star Luciano Pavarotti returned to the singles charts for the first time in almost 15 years on Sunday as fans bought his "Nessun Dorma" following his death.

His recording of the aria from Puccini's "Turandot" jumped to number 24 from 160, according to the Official UK Charts Company.

The song, played over loudspeakers at his funeral service in Modena on Saturday, reached number two in June 1990.


It has been an anthem for soccer fans ever since Pavarotti performed it at the 1990 World Cup in Italy.

In the album charts, indie rock band Hard-Fi shot to number one with their new release "Once Upon A Time In The West".

The album, the second from the four-piece act from Staines in Surrey, pushed last week's top seller "Hand Built by Robots" from singer-songwriter Newton Faulkner down to number four.

Fans of Amy Winehouse continued to ignore her father-in-law's appeal to boycott her music in protest at her drug abuse, keeping her album "Back to Black" at number two after 45 weeks in the charts.

U.S. pop band Plain White T's debuted at number three with their album "Every Second Counts" and were one stronger at number two in the singles chart with the track "Hey There Delilah".

Also new in the album charts were London indie band Athlete at five with "Beyond The Neighbourhood".

Reuters

8 things you didn't know about Pavarotti

Yesterday, September 6, 2007, one of the best tenors in history, Luciano Pavarotti, died at 71. As a small tribute, we have compiled a list of 8 facts about his life you might not have known.

1 He raised more than US$1.5 million for refugees worldwide (more than any other individual in the world!)
In 2001, Pavarotti received the Nansen Medal from the UN High Commission for Refugees for his efforts raising money on behalf of refugees worldwide. Through benefit concerts and volunteer work, he has raised more than US$1.5 million, more than any other individual. Other awards he received for charity work include the Freedom of London Award and The Red Cross Award for Services to Humanity, for his work in raising money for that organization, and the 1998 MusiCares Person Of The Year, given to humanitarian heroes by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. In 1998, he was appointed the United Nation's Messenger of Peace, using his fame to raise awareness of UN issues, including the Millennium Development Goals, HIV/AIDS, child rights, urban slums and poverty. He performed at benefit concerts to raise money for victims of tragedies such as an earthquake in December 1988 that killed 25,000 people in northern Armenia. He was a close friend of Diana, Princess of Wales. They raised money for the elimination of land mines worldwide. Pavarotti annually hosted the "Pavarotti and Friends" charity concerts in his home town of Modena in Italy, joining with singers from all parts of the music industry to raise money for several worthy UN causes. Concerts were held for War Child, and victims of war and civil unrest in Bosnia, Guatemala, Kosovo and Iraq. After the war in Bosnia, he financed and established the Pavarotti Music Center in the southern city of Mostar to offer Bosnia's artists the opportunity to develop their skills. For these contributions, the city of Sarajevo named him an honorary citizen in 2006.

2 He was called "The King of Cancellations"
Pavarotti's rise to stardom was not without occasional difficulties. He earned a reputation as "The King of Cancellations" by frequently backing out of performances, and his unreliable nature led to poor relationships with some opera houses. This was brought into focus in 1989 when Ardis Krainik of the Lyric Opera of Chicago severed the house's 15-year relationship with the tenor. Over an eight-year period, Pavarotti had cancelled 26 out of 41 scheduled appearances at the Lyric and the decisive move by Krainik to ban him for life was well-noted throughout the opera world, after the performer walked away from a season premiere less than two weeks before rehearsals began, saying pain from a sciatic nerve required two months of treatment.

3 He almost gave up singing
The first six years of study in music resulted in nothing more tangible than a few recitals, all in small towns and all without pay. When a nodule developed on his vocal chords causing a "disastrous" concert in Ferrara, he decided to give up singing. Pavarotti attributed his immediate improvement to the psychological release connected with this decision. Whatever the reason, the nodule not only disappeared but, as he related in his autobiography, "Everything I had learned came together with my natural voice to make the sound I had been struggling so hard to achieve."

4 He was going to be a Soccer Player
After he graduated from the Schola Magistrale, Luciano faced the dilemma of a career choice. He was interested in pursuing a career as a professional soccer player, but his mother convinced him to train as a teacher. He subsequently taught in an elementary school for two years but finally allowed his interest in music to win out.

5 He debuted as an actor in 1982
Pavarotti's one venture into film, a romantic comedy called Yes, Giorgio (1982), was roundly panned by the critics. He can be seen to better advantage in Jean-Pierre Ponnelle's adaptation of Rigoletto for television, released that same year, or in his more than 20 live opera performances taped for television between 1978 and 1994, most of them with the Metropolitan Opera, and most available on DVD.

6 He had difficulties following orchestral parts
In 2002 Pavarotti split with his manager of 36 years Herbert Breslin. The breakup, which was acrimonious, was followed in 2004 with the publication of a book by Breslin entitled The King & I, seen by many as sensationalist and largely critical of the singer's acting (in opera), his ability to read music and learn parts, and of his personal conduct, although acknowledging their mutual success. In an interview in 2005 with Jeremy Paxman on the BBC, Pavarotti rejected the allegation that he could not read music, although acknowledging he sometimes had difficulty following orchestral parts.

7 He is the only opera singer ever on Saturday Night Live
On December 12, 1998 he became the first (and, so far, only) opera singer to perform on Saturday Night Live, singing alongside Vanessa L. Williams.

8 He married his former personal assistant
On 13 December 2003 he married his former personal assistant, Nicoletta Mantovani, with whom he already had a daughter, Alice.

Oddee

Oasis's Noel Gallagher turns radio DJ

Dave Grohl and Arctic Monkeys are also getting behind the the decks

Oasis' Noel Gallagher is set to become a radio DJ.

The guitarist will be a guest presenter on BBC Radio 1 on October 24 as part of the station's 40th anniversary celebrations.

Foo Fighters singer Dave Grohl will DJ on September 18, while Arctic Monkeys will take to the decks on September 26.

The shows go out between 9pm-10pm each night and the the guest DJs are:

Paul McCartney (September 17)
Dave Grohl (18)
Gwen Stefani (19)
Paul Weller (20)
Paul Oakenfold (21)
Noel Gallagher (24)
Debbie Harry (25)
Arctic Monkeys (26)
Ozzy Osbourne (27)
Norman Cook (28)

'Lord Of The Rings' actor Elijah Wood is set to host a special show dedicated to [a]John Peel[/B] on September 30 at 10pm titled 'Keeping It Peel'.

NME.com

Venice honors Burton

Tim Burton, master of macabre movies like "Corpse Bride" and "Edward Scissorhands", was honored with a career award at the Venice film festival on Wednesday.

Organizers of the festival called Burton "one of America's bravest, most visionary and innovative film-makers".

"I've been to this festival a few times, and each time I've come here I've just had this very special feeling about it," the 49-year-old, sporting his trademark dark glasses, told Reuters in an interview in Venice.

"You grow up in Hollywood and that whole scenario and what you feel here is that there is just passion about movies. So that's what makes it special to me -- it's not about business, it's not about finance, it's about just the love of movies."

Burton was handed a Golden Lion lifetime achievement award by Johnny Depp, star of many of his films, at a glitzy red carpet ceremony.

"He is a rare breed in today's cinema," said Depp, wearing a white tuxedo. "Beyond that he is a true original, a true artist, a true auteur. He's my favorite director and friend."

Burton, watched by his partner and actress Helena Bonham Carter, said the award would be "an inspiration to me forever".

Earlier in the day at a press conference, he had joked that it compared favorably to the famous Oscar statuette, which he has yet to win. "It's actually a lot more beautiful-looking thing than a bald, naked man," he said.

Burton mixes critical acclaim, for titles such as ghoulish animation film "Corpse Bride" and "Big Fish", with box office hits that make him a major Hollywood player.

In 2005, the same year "Corpse Bride" was released, he made "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", again starring Depp, and grossed $475 million worldwide. His "Batman", made 16 years earlier, earned $411 million in global ticket sales, according to movie tracking Web site www.boxofficemojo.com.

Wednesday was dubbed "Tim Burton's Day" on the Lido, with the world premiere of the 3-D version of his 1993 film "The Nightmare before Christmas", an animated musical.

There was also a screening of early clips from his next project, "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street", an adaptation of the hit Stephen Sondheim musical starring Depp as the barber seeking bloody revenge for his wrongful punishment.

The movie also stars Bonham Carter, with whom he has worked on several movies. The couple have one child together and are expecting a second.

Burton's dark but often funny films have been described as fairy tales for adults although his offbeat creatures are also popular with children.

Asked what kind of books and stories triggered his imagination as a child, he said: "Just in terms of fairy-tales, I didn't really read any, in the sense that monster movies and films were sort of fairy tales for me."

Opera great Pavarotti dead at 71

Operatic legend Luciano Pavarotti, whose showmanship and crossover celebrity turned him into a global superstar, died Thursday at his home in northern Italy at the age of 71.

Hailed by many as the greatest tenor of his generation, Pavarotti passed away during the night at his villa near the city of Modena after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.

The mayor of Modena, Giorgio Pighi, said Pavarotti, who underwent surgery for cancer in July, 2006, had died shortly before 5:00am (0300 GMT).

Police established a security cordon in front of the villa to keep in line those who had already gathered to pay their respects.

Pavarotti -- known in his prime for the clarity of his voice and ability to hit high Cs with ease -- broke into the opera world when he won a competition in 1961.

He went on to perform across Europe before crossing the Atlantic in February 1965 for a production of Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor" in Miami, co-starring famed Australian soprano Joan Sutherland as Lucia.

It was with Sutherland in February 1972 that Pavarotti truly came of age, taking Covent Garden and the New York Metropolitan Opera by storm with a sparkling production of a Donizetti favourite, "La Fille du Regiment".

"Luciano Pavarotti was one of the finest singers of our time," the Royal Opera House in London said in a statement.

"He had a unique ability to touch people with the emotional and brilliant quality of his voice. He was a man with the common touch and the most extraordinary gift. He will be truly missed by millions," the statement said.

To the shock of some classical music purists, the larger than life singer extended his appeal far beyond the operatic world, collaborating with pop musicians like Sting and U2's Bono.

In 1991, a crowd of 150,000, including the Prince and Princess of Wales, braved the rain and cold in London's Hyde Park to hear him sing.

The previous year Pavarotti hit an even wider audience when his performance of the aria "Nessun Dorma" from Puccini's "Turandot" was chosen as the theme music for football's 1990 World Cup finals, hosted by his native Italy.

Among his best-known initiatives in recent years have been his appearances with two other leading singers, Jose Carreras and Placido Domingo, known as the "Three Tenors", and the annual "Pavarotti and Friends" concerts in Modena.

Sutherland told BBC radio that there was "no question" that Pavarotti ranked among opera's greats, adding: "I'm very sorry to hear he's gone, God bless."

"It was incredible to stand next to it and sing along with it," the 80-year-old Australian star, nicknamed "La Stupenda", said.

"The quality of the sound was quite different -- you knew immediately it was Luciano singing."

She added that she had seen Pavarotti recently and he was "not the same person at all".

Luciano Pavarotti posing before a press conference in Belgrade in 2005
©AFP/File - Andrej Isakovic

Pavarotti's success also attracted the attention of the society columns.

He left his wife Adua in 1996 after 35 years of marriage and three grown-up daughters for his secretary Nicoletta Mantovani, whom he married in 2003, and with whom he had one child.

Since his surgery in 2006, Pavarotti had at least five rounds of chemotherapy. He was hospitalised again on August 8 with a fever, and was discharged more than two weeks later after a battery of tests.

This summer, during a ceremony in honour of the singer on the island of Ischia near Naples, Mantovani said Pavarotti had been feeling well and was preparing a new album.

The same day, July 10, Pavarotti called the ceremony's organisers and concluded by saying he was preparing another "Pavarotti and Friends" album.

Early Wednesday, Pavarotti had expressed his "emotion" following the establishment of a "cultural excellence" prize in Italy that he had been the first to receive.

He said he was "full of emotion and gratitude ... because it gives me the opportunity to continue to celebrate the magic of a life spent in service of art."

The death of Pavarotti is the second to rock the opera world in recent months. Acclaimed American soprano Beverly Sills died of cancer at her New York home in July. She was 78.

In Modena, mayor Pighi said Pavarotti's funeral would probably be held Saturday.

"Pavarotti wanted to die at home. I saw him last week. He was very worn by the illness but he wanted to make conversation. We even spoke in the local dialect," Pighi said.

AFP.com

Pavarotti unconscious, family gathers: report

Luciano Pavarotti's health has deteriorated sharply and the 71-year-old tenor is at home, unconscious and suffering from kidney failure, a television station reported on Wednesday.

Family and friends went to Pavarotti's home to be near the singer, considered one of the greatest tenors of his generation, E' TV Antenna Uno television station in Modena, the tenor's home town, reported.

In July 2006 Pavarotti underwent surgery in New York for pancreatic cancer and retreated to his villa in Modena. He had to cancel his first planned public reappearance a few months later.

Taken to hospital with a fever last month, Pavarotti was released from hospital in Modena on August 25 after undergoing more than two weeks of tests and treatment. Italy's AGI news agency said cancer specialists were treating Pavarotti at home, and described his condition as "very serious."

One of Pavarotti's friends contacted by Reuters said she had also heard the singer was in "serious" condition.

A spokesman at the Modena hospital declined to comment.

Reuters

Rescuers resume search for adventurer Steve Fossett

The search for millionaire aviator Steve Fossett resumed on Wednesday with rescue planes scouring a rugged region of Nevada two days after a light plane piloted by the adventurer went missing.

A spokesman for the Nevada State Police said planes had set out at first light in an attempt to find Fossett, who took off from a private airstrip early Monday and has not been heard from since.

"The search is back on, and we've got several planes in the air already," the spokesman told AFP. "We expect to be flying throughout the day.

Fossett's family raised the alarm when the 63-year-old daredevil failed to return following his departure at around 9:00 am (1600 GMT) Monday in a single-engine Bellanca plane, Federal Aviation Administration officials said.

More than a dozen rescue planes scoured until late Tuesday the remote terrain that Fossett was believed to be flying over before he vanished, officials said.

However Fossett's failure to lodge a flight plan before take-off was complicating efforts to locate him, the FAA said.

Fossett made the first solo nonstop, non-refueled circumnavigation of the world in 67 hours in the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer.

In 2002, he was the first person to fly solo around the world in a balloon.

AFP.com

Star Held On 'Snapper Attack'

Jude Law has been arrested after allegedly attacking a photographer outside his London home.

The Hollywood star is said to have attempted to grab the snapper's camera in the alleged incident yesterday.

Law, 34, was bailed to return to a London police station in October.

A police spokesman said: "A 34-year-old man from Maida Vale was arrested yesterday on suspicion of actual bodily harm after voluntarily attending a London police station.

"The arrest followed an allegation of assault yesterday at a residential address in Maida Vale.

"The 34-year-old man was released on bail to a date in October pending further inquiries."

Law's spokesman was unavailable for comment.

The actor, ex-husband of Sadie Frost, recently returned from the Venice Film Festival.

There, he promoted his new movie Sleuth, in which he co-stars with Sir Michael Caine.

The remake is in competition for the Golden Lion prize for best film in Venice.

In April, actor Hugh Grant was arrested for allegedly hurling a tin of baked beans at a photographer near his London home.

The CPS said it was "not in the public interest" to prosecute the star.

Housekeeper sues Leona Helmsley's £6m dog

A pet dog left £6 million by the late billionaire Leona Helmsley may have to fight for her inheritance after a former housekeeper said she planned to sue the fluffy white heiress for biting her.

Trouble, an eight-year-old Maltese who was Mrs Helmsley's constant companion before her death last month, came out better than nearly all of the billionaire's family in her will.

Money, however, does not always bring happiness, even in New York, and storm clouds are already gathering over Trouble's future.

Not only may Trouble need a lawyer, but she may also need a new owner after it was reported yesterday that Mrs Helmsley's brother, Alvin Rosenthal, to whom the dog was left, does not want her.

Zamfira Sfara, a former housekeeper at Mrs Helmsley's Manhattan home, has previously tried unsuccessfully to sue the hotel and property billionaire, a convicted tax evader and the so-called Queen of Mean, over a bite inflicted by Trouble.

Miss Sfara claims she still suffers from the bite and wears a brace on her right hand.

Her son, Remus Pop, said the family were talking to a law firm about restarting the case, this time against the trust holding Trouble's inheritance. "That dog got money," he said. "That money is going to be taken away from that dog."

Miss Sfara said Trouble bit her dozens of times during the three months she worked for Mrs Helmsley in 2004. Trouble also bit bodyguards, a nurse and a hotel guest, she said.

Telegraph

Guitar Hero III to Feature Tom Morello as Boss

Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave guitarist Tom Morello will appear as a boss character in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, joining the previously announced Slash (both pictured) from Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver. Rumored earlier in the week by a German brochure (reportedly from publisher Activision), Morello's appearance was confirmed today via a Rolling Stone blog post, in which the guitarist admitted that his real-life skills don't necessarily carry over when he plays the game.

"Whenever I play Guitar Hero my opponent always kicks my ass on my own riffs," said Morello. "It's embarrassing. Now that I'm actually in the game I hope the digital me will win once in a while!"

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock will hit retail in November for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, and PlayStation 2.

1UP.com

Rock stars more likely to die prematurely

Rock stars -- notorious for their "crash and burn" lifestyles -- really are more likely than other people to die before reaching old age.

A study of more than 1,000 mainly British and North American artists, spanning the era from Elvis Presley to rapper Eminem, found they were two to three times more likely to suffer a premature death than the general population.

Between 1956 and 2005 there were 100 deaths among the 1,064 musicians examined by researchers at the Centre for Public Health at Liverpool John Moores University.

As well as Presley, the toll of those dying before their time included Doors singer Jim Morrison, guitar hero Jimi Hendrix, T Rex star Marc Bolan and Nirvana's Kurt Cobain.

More than a quarter of all the deaths were related to drugs or alcohol abuse, said the study in the Journal of Epidemial Community Health.

"The paper clearly describes a population of rock and pop stars who are at a disproportionate risk of alcohol and drug related deaths," said Mark Bellis, lead author of the study.

He said the study raised questions about the suitability of using rock stars for public health messages such as anti-drug campaigns when their own lifestyle was so dangerous.

"In the music industry, factors such as stress, changes from popularity to obscurity, and exposure to environments where alcohol and drugs are easily available, can all contribute to substance use as well as other self-destructive behaviors," the report said.

FIRST FIVE YEARS RISK

It found that musicians were most at risk in the first five years after achieving fame, with death rates more than three times higher than normal.

Hendrix, Bon Scott of AC/DC and punk rocker Sid Vicious all died within five years of hitting the big time, said Bellis.

Among British artists the risk of dying remains high until around 25 years after their first success, when they return to near normal life expectancy.

That bodes well for rock survivors like The Who's 63-year-old Roger Daltrey, who famously first sang "I hope I die before I get old" in the song "My Generation" back in 1965.

But this trend was not found in North America, where ageing rockers remain almost twice as likely to suffer a premature demise, particularly from heart attack or stroke.

American stars Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead, Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys and Johnny Ramone of the Ramones all died in their 50s.

Bellis suggested that the high death rate among older American musicians could be related to the continent's greater appetite for reunion tours, exposing the artists for more years to an unhealthy "rock'n'roll" lifestyle.

It could also be due to the poor medical outlook for impoverished American ex-pop stars who have no health insurance, he said.

Yahoo News

Final book is top of Potter poll

The seventh and final Harry Potter novel, Deathly Hallows, has been named the fans' favourite just one month after it was released.

JK Rowling's novel, which broke sales records on both sides of the Atlantic, came top of a poll of 45,000 fans conducted by MSN Entertainment.

The third book, The Prisoner Of Azkaban, came second while The Chamber Of Secrets was the least popular.

More than 11 million copies of Deathly Hallows were sold in just one day.

The novel rounds off the Harry Potter series, which follows the boy wizard through his school career.

It is a much darker novel than its predecessors, with several characters coming to a sticky end.

The English language edition was published simultaneously in more than 90 countries when it was released in July.

It smashed single-day sales records by shifting 2.7 million copies in the UK and 8.3 million in the US during its first 24 hours on the shelves.

The previous record for the fastest-selling book was held by the sixth Harry Potter novel, The Half-Blood Prince, which sold nine million in its first day in 2005.

The movie version of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, in which Daniel Radcliffe will appear as the teenage wizard for the final time, is not expected to hit cinema screens until 2010.

BBC News

Joy Division Writer Plots John Lennon Movie

The Writer behind the critically acclaimed film about Joy Division front man Ian Curtis has revealed plans to make a similar film about former Beatle John Lennon.

Matt Greenhalgh has received endless praise for his Joy Division biopic, ‘Control,’ and now wants to make a film showing the teenage years of John Lennon in Liverpool.

"The film is called ‘Lennon’ and details John's adolescent years, pre-Beatlemania,” Greenhalgh told the Manchester Evening News.

"It came to me off the back of ‘Control’ - the producers of Lennon saw ‘Control’ and then asked me if I'd consider doing their script for them. It wasn't a particularly hard decision for me to say yes."

There is no release date for the film, although ‘Control’ will hit cinemas nationwide in October.

GIGWISE

Film academy sues to stop sale of Oscars

The Motion Picture Academy of Arts & Sciences is suing to stop the public sale of two Academy Awards given to silent film star Mary Pickford.

In the lawsuit filed Wednesday, the academy claims it has the right to buy the historic statuettes and one owned by her late husband for $10 each.

The academy contends an heir to the Oscars demanded $500,000 for one statuette alone in July — an offer the academy refused.

Pickford won the Academy Award for best actress in 1930 and was given an honorary Oscar in 1975.

When she died in 1979, they went to her one-time husband, Charles "Buddy" Rogers, the lawsuit said.

In 1986, Rogers won the academy's Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, and when he died all three awards went to his second wife, Beverly.

She died in January, leaving the statuettes to her heirs, who are co-executors of her estate.

The lawsuit names three of the heirs, in their roles as co-executors. It alleges anticipatory breach of contract.

The suit claims that academy bylaws dating from 1950 and agreements signed by Oscar winners give the academy the first chance to buy Oscars for $10 each if they ever go on the market.

"If the public believes that any multimillionaire can buy an Oscar, then it becomes cheapened," David W. Quinto, an attorney representing the academy, said Friday. "It becomes an article of commerce rather than a very prestigious award."

Quinto said Pickford was a founder of the academy and helped approve the Oscar design.

"From the academy's point of view it's just unthinkable that Mary Pickford ... would ever consent to do anything that would ever cheapen it in the eyes of the public," he said.

A call to John Shevlin, an attorney representing Beverly Rogers' estate, was not immediately returned.

Famed 'beer hunter' dies

Michael Jackson, a leading world beer critic who praised the brews of Belgium and acknowledged he would never be as famous as "that Michael Jackson," has died. He was 65.

Jackson, known as "the beer hunter," died Thursday of a heart attack at his home in west London. His body was found by his house cleaner, Paddy Gunningham, his long-term partner, said Friday.

She said he had kept writing and traveling, despite suffering from Parkinson's disease, and that he planned to write a book about the ailment.

"He was simply the best beer writer we've ever known," said Tim Hampson, chairman of the British Guild of Beer Writers.

"He told wonderful stories about beer, breweries and far away places. He told the story of beer through people, and he was humorous and erudite at the same time," Hampson told The Associated Press.

Jackson especially loved Belgian brews. His books "The Great Beers of Belgium" and "World Guide to Beer" introduced them to many export markets, including the United States.

By identifying beers by their flavors and styles, and by pairing them with particular foods and dishes, Jackson helped give birth to a renaissance of interest in beer and breweries worldwide that began in the 1970s, including the North American microbrewery movement.

His TV documentary series, "The Beer Hunter" -- which popularized his nickname -- was filmed around the world and shown in 15 countries.

He worked as a beer critic for more than 30 years, writing in newspapers and gastronomic magazines, holding seminars and giving speeches, appearing on U.S. talk shows and writing books about beer and whiskeys published in 18 languages.

Jackson knew he would never be as famous as Michael Jackson the rock star, and that was reflected on the beer critic's Web site. "Hello, my name is Michael Jackson. No, not that Michael Jackson, but I am on a world tour. My tour is in pursuit of exceptional beer. That's why they call me the Beer Hunter," it says.

Associated Press