In pictures: Hollywood's brightest on red carpet

Designer Valentino poses with Oscar co-host Ann Hathaway on the red carpet before the 83rd Academy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 27, 2011, in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. -- PHOTO: AP

HOLLYWOOD - HOLLYWOOD'S brightest stars finally hit the red carpet on Sunday for the climax of its annual awards season, with British royal drama The King's Speech hoping to be crowned with Oscars glory.

Academy Awards co-host Anne Hathaway was among the first to arrive at the Kodak Theater, resplendent in a red strapless, big bustled dress likely to be the first among numerous costume changes in store during the evening.

'There's a lot more sucking in tonight,' said first-time nominee Jennifer Lawrence, 20, reflecting the mood as photographers snapped away at the parade of glittering gowns on the Hollywood Boulevard runway.

'It's unbelievable. I never played football, so this is the closest I'll get to the Super Bowl,' added Jesse Eisenberg, up for best actor for his portrayal of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network. The Oscars show is the culmination of the multi-billion movie industry's awards season and has been preceded by months or frantic campaigning for the coveted gold statuettes waiting to be handed out on Sunday night.

Ashraf Al-Khaled (left) and Carie Lemack of the film nominated for best short documentary, 'Killing in the Name', arrive at the 83rd Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, February 27, 2011. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

Lisa Maria Falcone, executive producer for best picture nominee '127 Hours', wearing a dress by Zaldy Goco, arrives at the 83rd Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, February 27, 2011. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

Cinematographer Matthew Libatique, nominated for best cinematography for 'Black Swan,' arrives with an unidentified guest at the 83rd Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, February 27, 2011. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

Actress Halle Berry arrives at the 83rd Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, February 27, 2011. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

Iain Canning (2nd from left), Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin (right), producers of the film 'The King's Speech,' nominated for best picture arrive at the 83rd Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, February 27, 2011

Australian actress Jacki Weaver, best supporting actress nominee for her role in 'Animal Kingdom,' arrives at the 83rd Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, February 27, 2011. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

Actress and presenter Cate Blanchett arrives at the 83rd Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, February 27, 2011. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

Actors Robert Forrester (right) and Denise Grayson arrive at the 83rd Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, February 27, 2011. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

Mandy Moore, who is performing the song from the film 'Tangled' nominated for best original song, arrives at the 83rd Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, February 27, 2011. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

Academy Awards presenter Hilary Swank arrives at the 83rd Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, February 27, 2011. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

British actor Colin Firth, best actor nominee for his role in 'The King's Speech,' and his wife Livia Giuggioli arrive at the 83rd Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, February 27, 2011. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

Aron Ralston, subject of the film '127 Hours,' and wife Jessica Trusty arrive at the 83rd Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, February 27, 2011. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

Actress Scarlett Johansson talks with her agent Joe Machota as they arrive at the 83rd Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, February 27, 2011. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

Amy Adams, best supporting actress nominee for her role in 'The Fighter,' and her partner, actor Darren Legallo, arrive at the 83rd Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, February 27, 2011

Actress Sharon Stone arrives at the 83rd Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, February 27, 2011. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

The Social Network hopes it could yet dethrone the British film, nominated in 12 categories including best picture and best actor, which is widely expected to go to Colin Firth.

Ballet thriller Black Swan is also among a clutch of films hoping for one of the prestigious golden statuettes, with Natalie Portman in the lead for the best actress Oscar. Hosted by Hathaway and James Franco - in a bid to attract a younger audience - the show is expected to include music by Randy Newman, Gwyneth Paltrow and Britain's Florence Welch. -- AFP

Justin Bieber Haircut Costs “Baby” Crooner 80,000 Fans

The Biebs’ new look may prove to be the ultimate remedy for Bieber Fever.

Bieber lost 80,000 fans after chopping off his famous locks earlier this week, The Daily Star is reporting. The almost 17-year-old pop star — who had his banged crop chopped for charity on Monday — saw a massive exodus of his 7.5million Twitter followers after he unveiled his buzz cut.

Of course, that hasn’t stopped a select group of Beliebers from shelling out top dollar for a lock of his hair. After his much-talked about trim last week, Justin presented talk show hostess Ellen DeGeneres with a few precious strands of his shaved hair, telling the Emmy winner: “I’m giving pieces of it to different people. We’re doing something special. We want you to donate it to whatever charity you want.”

Ellen put the hair up for auction on ebay, with all proceeds going to the California animal rescue organization, The Gentle Barn. Bidding started at $10 and after just three days has already hit $10,000.

The death of The Bieber Cut hasn’t, however, adversely affected Justin’s album sales. He notched his second No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 this week when Never Say Never: The Remixes opened in the top slot with 165,000 copies sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Bieb’s first topper came with My World 2.0, which debuted at No. 1 last April.

Catherine Zeta-Jones receives UK royal honour

Catherine Zeta-Jones has received a royal honour from Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace. -- PHOTO: AP

LONDON - HOLLYWOOD actress Catherine Zeta-Jones has received a royal honour from Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace.

The Swansea, Wales-born actress became a Commander of the Order of the British Empire at the ceremony on Thursday, where she was accompanied by husband Michael Douglas and their two children Carys and Dylan.

Zeta-Jones, 41, said she was 'very emotional and rather nervous' to receive the honour, which was given for her services to the film industry and her charity efforts.

She said 'it was worth (it) to have Michael in good health to be able to enjoy it with me.'

Zeta-Jones said Prince Charles had expressed his sympathy and was 'happy to hear' that Douglas was recovering.

Lohan faces jail over gem theft, US judge warns

Lohan allegedly walked out of the jewellery store in Venice Beach - the seafront area of LA where she lives - with the gold necklace on January 22. -- PHOTO: AP

LOS ANGELES - A JUDGE warned troubled US starlet Lindsay Lohan on Wednesday that she faces jail, as she appeared in court again over the theft of a US$2,500 (S$3,192) necklace from a Los Angeles jewellery store.

Judge Keith Schwarz told the 24-year-old that she would be sent to jail if she pleads guilty under a deal offered by prosecutors, connected with an earlier probation violation.

'This case does involve jail time - period,' he said. 'If you plead in front of me - if this case resolves in front of me - you are going to jail. Period. It may be an issue as to amount of time.' The actress, who could have been ordered back into detention immediately, was told to appear in court again on March 10 over the alleged theft in January near her home.

She could ask for a trial instead of pleading guilty. Dressed in a black top and ivory-coloured pants, she sat quietly and conferred with her lawyer during the brief hearing, and afterwards left without saying anything to waiting reporters.

Lohan, who completed a court-ordered spell in rehab for drug addiction last month, allegedly walked out of the jewellery store in Venice Beach - the seafront area of LA where she lives - with the gold necklace on January 22.

The actress, who is on probation for a 2007 drunk driving offence, could face up to three years in jail if convicted on the grand theft charge. She pleaded not guilty in a first appearance on February 9. -- AFP

Bieber Fever

Venues hoping to host a concert featuring banged singing superstar Justin Bieber better have plenty of seats….and an emergency case of pepper spray couldn’t hurt.

Thanks to the onslaught of teen girls afflicted with an acute condition popularly known as “Bieber Fever,” The Biebs can no longer perform in amphitheaters, concert halls, oranywhere for that matter that doesn’t have seating, according to the teen’s management and security detail.

Justin’s rabid fanbase is notorious for losing control at shows — in fact, there’ve been at least three Bieber-related stampedes in the past 18 months — and standing-room-only arenas pose security risk, Bieber’s bodyguard Kenneth Hamilton tells Rolling Stone Magazine.

“You’ve got a mob pushing, and even if it’s little girls, they’re crawling on top of each other with their arms and elbows, and getting injured.”

Bieber’s manager, Scooter Braun, was arrested last year after he was deemed culpable for a riot at a Bieber CD signing at a mall in suburban Long Island, NY in Oct. 2009.

Bieber wins MVP at celebrity NBA game

Justin Bieber may have been shut out at the Grammys, but he picked up the Most Valuable Player award in the NBA All-Star celebrity game. -- PHOTO:

LOS ANGELES - JUSTIN Bieber may have been shut out at the Grammys, but he picked up the Most Valuable Player award in the NBA All-Star celebrity game.

The 16-year-old teen singing sensation had eight points, four assists and two rebounds for the West team, which lost 54-49 to the East on Friday night at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

The All-Star celebrity game features former NBA players, WNBA players, actors and singers. It precedes the NBA All-Star game on Sunday night.

Retired player Scottie Pippen led the East team with 17 points and had what could have been the defensive highlight of the night - a third-quarter block of Bieber.

Bieber was nominated for two Grammy Awards, but didn't win either in the ceremony last weekend. 

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Lady Gaga breaks iTunes records

Lady Gaga's Born This Way has become the fastest-selling single ever on Apple's iTunes store worldwide, racking up more than one million downloads in five days. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

LOS ANGELES - LADY Gaga's Born This Way has become the fastest-selling single ever on Apple's iTunes store worldwide, racking up more than one million downloads in five days, Apple said on Friday.

Apple said the song - a Madonna-influenced dance track that the 24 year-old singer performed after 'hatching' from a giant egg at the Grammy Awards - had hit the No. 1 spot on iTunes in 23 countries.

Born This Way, the title track of a new album to be released in May, also went straight to the top of the US Billboard Hot 100 singles charts earlier this week.

The flamboyant performance artist also revealed her secret for staying so thin, and how she gets her creative juices flowing.

'I am on the drunk diet,' she told Sirius XM radio on Friday.

'I live my life as I want to, creatively. I like to drink whiskey and stuff while I am working. But the deal is I've got to work out every day, and I work out hung over if I am hung over. And it's about the cross-training and keeping yourself inspired. I have to say, I do a ton of yoga,' she added. The singer said in a television interview last weekend that she also smoked marijuana while writing her songs. -- REUTERS

Hannah Montana' destroyed family, Miley's dad says

Country singer Billy Ray Cyrus (right) said he was scared for 18 year-old Miley (left) after a series of scandals including an infamous video last year which showed her getting high on the psychedelic herb salvia. -- PHOTO: AP

LOS ANGELES - THE father of teen star Miley Cyrus said the Disney TV show Hannah Montana that made her a worldwide star, in truth destroyed his family, and he blamed it for sending his daughter out of control.

Country singer Billy Ray Cyrus said he was scared for 18 year-old Miley after a series of scandals including an infamous video last year which showed her getting high on the psychedelic herb salvia.

And he said he wished that Hannah Montana had never happened.

'The damn show destroyed my family,' Cyrus told GQ magazine in an interview for its March edition. 'I'd take it back in a second. For my family to be here and just everybody be okay, safe and sound and happy and normal would have been fantastic.' Cyrus, 49, played father to his daughter on Hannah Montana - a wholesome Disney Channel show about a normal teenager by day but a singing star at night - that launched Miley Cyrus as a teen idol and top-selling recording artist.

Cyrus compared his daughter's current situation to celebrities like Kurt Cobain, Anna Nicole Smith and Michael Jackson, who all died in tragic circumstances.

'I'm scared for her,' Cyrus said of Miley. 'She's got a lot of people around her that's putting her in a great deal of danger. I know she's 18 but I still feel like, as her daddy, I'd like to try to help. Take care of her just a little bit, to at least get her out of danger.' he said. -- REUTERS

Lady Gaga arrives at Grammys in giant egg

Lady Gaga, being carried in an egg-shaped vessel, arrives at the 53rd annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

LOS ANGELES - FLAMBOYANT pop star Lady Gaga made her entrance to the Grammy Awards on Sunday encased in a giant egg.

Gaga, 24, who was competing for five Grammy Awards, arrived on the red carpet inside an alien-like egg carried aloft by attendants dressed in gold.

The singer and performance artist could barely be seen inside the enclosure, apart from the occasional wave of a black-gloved hand.

It was the latest in a series of increasingly bizarre outfits from Lady Gaga, including a headline-grabbing dress made entirely of raw meat that she wore to the MTV Music Video Awards in September.

In a Twitter message sent shortly after her red-carpet arrival, Lady Gaga said: 'This is Nicola, Haus of Gaga: Gaga is in incubation. Tonight's performance is in collaboration with Hussein Chalayan and House of Mugler. X'

Lady Gaga was expected to perform her new single Born This Way live on the Grammy stage later on Sunday.

Justin Bieber conquers film critics, box office awaits

The Canadian teen idol's 3-D biopic is expected to pull in about US$24 million (S$30.7 million) on its opening weekend after mostly positive reviews - even from middle-aged movie critics. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

LOS ANGELES - HIS records sell millions, his Facebook fans number more than 20 million, and even his nail polish is a sell out.

But can 16 year-old Justin Bieber conquer the North American box office this weekend with his new concert movie Never Say Never?

Probably not, according to Hollywood box office analyst Exhibitor Relations. But the Canadian teen idol's 3-D biopic is expected to pull in about US$24 million (S$30.7 million) on its opening weekend after mostly positive reviews - even from middle-aged movie critics.

'Bieber may have box office clout, but not like Adam Sandler, who will likely top the Valentine's weekend session with his latest Just Go With It romantic comedy,' wrote Jeff Bock of Exhibitor Relations.

Never Say Never - a combination of concert movie and behind the scenes footage of Bieber's rise to fame after being discovered on YouTube - is the latest concert movie to test fans' appetite for seeing singers perform on the big screen.

Miley Cyrus set the bar in 2008 with her 3-D Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour that pulled in US$31 million at the North American box office on its opening weekend. The Jonas Brothers fared less well in 2009 with a disappointing US$12.5 million opening for The 3D Concert Experience.

Lindsay Lohan to Be Charged With Grand Theft

Lindsay Lohan's excuse for walking out of a jewelry store with a piece the owner says she ripped off was that the store let her borrow the thing on loan.

The store basically called BS on that, saying they don't just loan stuff out. There are insurance requirements and lots of paperwork required beforehand.

Apparently the L.A. County District Attorney agrees with the owner. Sources say that officials will soon file felony grand theft charges against Lindsay.

Lindsay's freedom in the great necklace caper is riding on her claim that the Venice, Calif., jewelery store owner loaned her the $2,500 necklace in question.

Proving that might be a tough task, but proving she's lying may be equally difficult for the accuser and D.A.'s office. Especially if someone else signed for it.

But the simple fact that surveillance video from the store shows LiLo with the necklace and photos of her wearing it a week later were enough for the D.A.

If convicted, Lindsay faces a maximum of three years in state prison.

Can she beat the wrap on this? It will all depend on what happened at the store, or more accurately, how much of what happened the store can prove.

According to a Lohan source, she doesn't fill out diddly when she "borrows" necklaces ... she leaves that to her people, or so pals of the star are saying.

Lindsay is telling friends ... "I don't deal with things like that" and blowing it off as a "misunderstanding." But there's one issue with the "on loan" theory.

When she figured it out, why didn't she just return it to the store instead of sending an underling to the LAPD, just as they were ready to raid her place?

That's what law enforcement likely isn't buying.

Mumbai Based Bong Model Bindu Chowdhury

Bindu Chowdhury(5 ft 5 in, 36-26-36), perhaps not many will remembers this name. However, two years ago, this pretty Bengali babe made a name for herself by winning the controversial and Ekta Kapoor’s first reality show ‘Kaun Jeetega Bollywood Ka Ticket’. Naman Shaw was her partner in this dance reality show. As the title suggested, the winning jodi was to be cast together in film produced by Sunil Shetty’s Popkorn Entertainment. Unfortunately, equation between Balaji Telefilms and Popkorn soured. Low TRPs and recession has forced 9X to shut down its activities. As a result, poor Bindu’s dreams were shattered. Naman at least had TV to look up to, but Bindu had to settle for modeling assignments.

This long wait is over as Bindu has finally bagged not one but two films. The first one is a low-budget film called Bloody D. The plot is similar to that of the international horror flick Saw. The other film is directed by actress Mandakani’s husband.