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THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2008
A three-day trial over an unauthorised Harry Potter encyclopaedia ended with a flash of anger from JK Rowling.
The best-selling British author returned to the witness stand in New York and told a judge that if he allowed the fan-written lexicon to be published, it would clear the way for countless rip-offs of her books, as well as the work of other popular authors.
"I believe the flood gates will open," Ms Rowling said, her voice rising. "Are we the owners of our own work?"
Ms Rowling was giving evidence for the second time in the trial, which began on Monday in Manhattan. A judge will decide whether to grant her request to block publication of The Harry Potter Lexicon, a guide to the characters, places and spells in her novels, written by a passionate Potter fan.
Middle-school librarian Steven Vander Ark, 50, compiled the material from a website by the same name that he had been operating for years.
RDR Books, the small publisher that talked Mr Vander Ark into putting the website into print, has argued that it is little different than any other reference guide to an important novel and should be allowed to go to press without interference.
On the stand, Ms Rowling said she was "vehemently anti-censorship" and generally supportive of the right of other authors to write books about her novels. But she said Mr Vander Ark had "plundered" her prose and merely reprinted it in an A-to-Z format.
US District Judge Robert Patterson, who will decide the case, asked Ms Rowling whether she thought anyone would read the Lexicon and its list of facts about the wizarding world for "entertainment value".
"Honestly, no," Ms Rowling said. The good parts, she said, had simply been lifted from her own work.
A decision in the case is not expected soon. It will be weeks before lawyers in the case have finished filing legal documents, and possibly longer before a verdict is rendered.
Source: The Press Association
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Leelee Sobieski at the 88 Minutes premiere in Las Vegas.
She looked awesome in a skin-tight black tank top and skirt.
Emma Watson has been given $20 million for her birthday.
Watson, who plays Harry Potter's sidekick Hermione Granger in the wizard film series, was handed the fortune upon turning 18 yesterday (15.04.08).
The actress has promised to attend 'millionaire school' in order to learn how to responsibly handle her accounts, which will be managed by the English bank Coutts, who look after Queen Elizabeth's account.
A source said: "It was Emma parents Chris and Jacqueline who opened her Coutts account. The idea is for the money to grow and safeguard her future - not be blown in a couple of years.
Emma is now surrounded by several trusted private bankers who will advise her on her spending."
Source: Female First
In the days since news of Ashlee Simpson’s possible pregnancy broke, Simpson and her fiancé, Pete Wentz, have issued responses that have sometimes sounded like denials and sometimes just seem cagey. Since their reps have yet to issue a firm “no” on the matter, many outlets are standing by their sources and their story, that the 23-year-old pop star is indeed expecting.
OK! is one of those outlets, and the magazine reports that older sister Jessica is happy for Ashlee, but is having a tough time with the news. “Jessica Simpson has yearned for a baby for years. She’s told friends that she can’t wait to be a mom and has even joked that if she has to, she’ll resort to making her hairstylist pal Ken Paves the adoptive daddy,” the magazine reports.
“Jessica never imagined that her tomboy younger sister would have a baby first,” a source close to Jess told OK! “It would be very hard for her not to be jealous.”
Source: MSNBC
The former Lost star has long been dogged by reports she is a 'closet' lesbian, but she insists she will never tell all about her private life - instead choosing to avoid speculation by journalists and online bloggers by imagining them as swine.
She tells Latina magazine, "I picture them turning into pigs, slime coming out the side of their mouth, and I picture them jerking off. I don't answer those questions. I just keep it to myself and it's nobody's business. If I wanna f**k a girl, a boy, a dog-that's my business. That's why there's bathroom doors."
And Rodriguez cannot grasp why the public want to know so much about her love life.
She adds, "What the majority of (people) want to know is what I'm doing with my vagina, and I think that that's sick.
"What do you care who I'm dating? I can tell when somebody just wants to know about sex. And it makes me sick."
Source: Contact Music
Kathy Hilton will play herself on the May 13 episode of the CBS soap opera "The Young and the Restless." She finds a magazine cover model for her friend Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman), but takes over the photo shoot, infuriating magazine staffers, in the episode taped Wednesday.
Hilton starred in her own NBC reality show in 2005, "I Want to Be a Hilton," in which contestants competed for a chance to live like a socialite for a year.
She made headlines last May at daughter Paris' probation-violation hearing by laughing when a city prosecutor argued that Paris deserved jail time.
Source: AP
According to US reports, Emilio Diaz, who was 58, recently picked up the flu, which later progressed to pneumonia.
Reports say that he died suddenly despite the fact that he had been in "terrific health" before his recent illness.
Diaz issued a statement saying: "My mom, sister and I are deeply appreciative of the overwhelming outpouring of love and support during this difficult time for us and all of our family."
"My dad was loved by so many people, and his humour and spirit will always live on in our hearts," she said.
Cameron Diaz is currently working on her new film 'My Sister's Keeper'. Reports suggest that production on this movie has been temporarily shut down.
Emilio Diaz appeared briefly in 'There's Something About Mary', in which his daughter starred.
Source: RTE
Gwyneth Paltrow reveals in the May issue of Vogue that she battled post-partum depression after welcoming her second child, son Moses, in 2006.
“I didn’t know I had it until after it was over," the actress, 35, says. "I just didn’t know what was wrong with me."
She suspects her depression stemmed from scaling back on her usual pre-baby treatments like acupuncture.
"I felt really out of my body," Paltrow says after giving birth. "I felt really disconnected. I felt really down ... I felt pessimistic.”
Paltrow also scaled her career back to focus on mommyhood. (Daughter Apple turns 4 in May; son Moses is 2. Click here to see how Paltrow and other stars bundled up their kids for winter.)
The actress — who returns to the big screen in May's Iron Man — has found her comfort level tackling both, her mother Blythe Danner recently told Usmagazine.com.
"She didn't set out to be a movie star — she set out to be a wonderful actress," Danner said.
“But motherhood is very important to her, as it was to me, and I think she's finding balance.”
Danner also dismissed rumors that Paltrow's 4-year marriage to Coldplay crooner Chris Martin is on the rocks.
“Good god, it's just so tragic that people have to make up stuff,” she told Us. “I've never seen two happier parents — or people — so I don't get it.”"
Source: US Magazine
...she was spotted doing a little research for her eatery
The “Desperate Housewives” hottie, Eva Longoria was caught by the paparazzi leaving legendary LA salsa club The Mayan after checking out their floorplan.
Perhaps Eva is already thinking of expanding Beso!
Source: Celebrity Gossip
Gisele Bundchen is set to take the female lead in the fourth Austin Powers film.
The Brazilian supermodel has reportedly read the script and scheduled a meeting with Mike Myers, who writes and stars as spoof British spy Austin in the film, and director Jay Roach to further discuss the role.
Gisele would be following in the footsteps of fellow beauties Elizabeth Hurley, Heather Graham and Beyonce Knowles, who have all starred as Austin's love interests in the films.
Source: Female First
Jessica Alba sucking a lolipop with her incredible lips.
Doesnt get much hotter than that!
Jessica Alba in Beverly Hills, Sucking On A Lollipop
More pictures:
- Pregnancy Does Jessica Alba's Body Good