Entertainment

Madonna extends tour with dates in Europe

Los Angeles -- U.S. pop star Madonna announced she is extending her successful "Sticky & Sweet Tour" and will perform numerous concerts in Europe this summer.

The singer is scheduled to kick off the latest leg of her concert series in London July 4.

Scheduled stops include appearances in markets she has never played before such as Werchter, Belgium; Marseilles, France; Hamburg, Germany; Oslo, Norway; Helsinki, Finland; Tallinn, Estonia; and Ljubljana, Slovenia, as well as dates in Romania, Hungary, Serbia and Bulgaria, it was confirmed Friday by Live Nation.

Madonna will make return visits after more than 15 years to Madrid, and Gothenburg and Munich, Germany.

"This is a first for me. I've never extended a tour before. I'm excited to be going back on the road, visiting places I've never been and returning to places I love," Madonna said in a statement.

Rosenberg says he won't leave SAG post

Santa Monica, Calif -- Alan Rosenberg said he doesn't intend to leave his position of president of the U.S. Screen Actors Guild, despite the replacement this week of Doug Allen.

"Why would I leave?" Rosenberg asked. "I'm not going to abandon the people who elected me."

Rosenberg made the comments during an exclusive interview with TheWrap.Com, a multi-platform news and information network that examines and comments on the entertainment industry.

The Web site debuted Monday and in its first week broke the news of SAG executive director Doug Allen's ouster due to failed contract talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. TheWrap.com then followed that story up with Rosenberg's response to the current state of SAG's affairs.

"We intend to bring a fresh, informed voice to coverage of the entertainment business," TheWrap.Com founder Sharon Waxman said in a statement. "The world of new media enables us to transmit information faster, and our team of seasoned journalists enables us to maintain accuracy and insight, while making use of a wide net of relationships.

Swimming champ Ian Thorpe rebuffs 'gay' rumors again

New York, January 30:The world's sexiest swimmer Amanda Beard has abruptly rebuffed all reports claiming that she and retired Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe are romantically involved.

Elisabeth Hasselbeck: I'm pregnant again!

New York, January 30: Elisabeth Hasselbeck is expecting a third baby with former football star, Tim Hasselbeck. She’s been heavy with the child for two months now, but discovered her pregnancy only recently.

Digital TV deadline is on after House vote

Washington, January 29: Undisputed vote by the U.S. Senate to push forward the Feb. 17 cut-off date for analog to digital TV transition notwithstanding, the switch will go ahead as initially decided, after a vote by the House of Representatives yesterday.

Kim Kardashian defends chubby Jessica

Florida, Janury 29: Kim Kardashian has come to the defense of Jessica Simpson who's recently been ridiculed by the media for her fuller figure.

Oscar ballots mailed to Academy members

Los Angeles, January 29: The 81st Academy Awards is getting near and to come up with the list of winners, the final ballots which hold the fate of the Oscar nominees were mailed to the members of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences on Wednesday.

Missing Newton-John beau may be in Mexico

Los Angeles -- Patrick McDermott, who dated pop star Olivia Newton-John for nine years before he disappeared in 2005, is alive in Mexico, a private investigator said.

A team of Texas-based private investigators hired by NBC's "Dateline" said they believe McDermott has been traveling along the Mexican and South American coastline since he vanished from a fishing charter off the coast of California four years ago.

McDermott, who had previously worked as a gaffer on television and film sets, reportedly was deeply in debt at the time of his disappearance. Newton-John has since married someone else.

Because he isn't being sought for a crime, law enforcement is not involved in the search for McDermott.

"We believe he is between Puerto Vallarta and Acapulco," lead investigator Philip Klein told ABCNews.com. "He was two months behind in his rent at his home. His disability payments from getting injured on the job as a gaffer had stopped. He had reached rock bottom."

'Fearless' No. 1 on the U.S. album chart

Los Angeles -- "Fearless" is No.1 on the U.S. album chart for an eighth week, Billboard.com reported Wednesday.

Coming in at No. 2 on The Billboard 200 is Beyonce's "I Am ... Sasha Fierce," followed by Nickelback's "Dark Horse" at No. 3, Kanye West's "808s and Heartbreak" at No. 4 and the soundtrack to the vampire movie "Twilight" at No. 5.

Rounding out the top tier are Keyshia Cole's "A Different Me" at No. 6, Britney Spears's "Circus" at No. 7, Jamie Foxx's "Intuition" at No. 8, the soundtrack to the Biggie Smalls biopic at No. 9 and Mariah Carey's "Ballads" at No. 10.

Copyright 2009 by United Press International.

Jerry's kid? Woman claims Lewis is her dad

New York -- A woman says she is willing to take a DNA test to prove she is the never-acknowledged, illegitimate daughter of U.S. comedian Jerry Lewis.

Suzan Kleinman, who also goes by the name Suzan Lewis, told TV's "Inside Edition" her former showgirl mother had an affair with Lewis in the 1950s.
"He loved my mother. Everyone fell in love with her, so it wasn't surprising," Kleinman said in an interview scheduled to air Wednesday.

She went on to say she was conceived above New York's famous Copacabana nightclub in Lewis' suite. Lewis had been performing at the club with his longtime collaborator Dean Martin.

Kleinman said her mother alleged Lewis was Kleinman's father while she was on her deathbed and signed an affidavit to make it official.

Investigators track down Olivia Newton-John’s missing ex

Los Angeles, January 28: Four years after mysteriously disappearing from Hollywood, leaving behind his famous girlfriend Olivia Newton-John, Patrick McDermott has surfaced briefly.

Report: Phoenix rap ambition a hoax

Los Angeles -- Joaquin Phoenix isn't really pursuing a career as a rap artist, two sources close to the Hollywood actor said.

Phoenix, best known for his roles in "Parenthood," "Gladiator" and "Walk the Line," recently announced he was quitting the acting game so he could concentrate on his music.

Earlier this month, he gave a widely criticized performance of three rap songs at a Las Vegas nightclub during which he fell off the stage.

Entertainment Weekly said the performance left people in the audience and the entertainment industry wondering whether the whole thing was a hoax or "he's truly lost his marbles."

Phoenix's brother-in-law and "To Die For" co-star Casey Affleck is also supposedly chronicling Phoenix's career transition for a documentary.