Janet Jackson is taking control. The iconic performer has signed a deal with Lionsgate to select, develop, and produce her own feature film for the independent studio, marking her first foray into production in her decades-long career.


The R&B superstar, who is currently on her worldwide “Number Ones: Up Close and Personal” tour, explained that her background in Hollywood influenced her long before her music career. “Many people forget I started out as an actor,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. “I have been fortunate to work in the film industry, though not as much as I would like. I have a passion for storytelling, and have been doing it through my music for some time.”

Jackson has previously acted in films under Lionsgate, including Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married?, its sequel, and For Colored Girls. Though she doesn’t have a solid project in the works, she is interested in “diverse material,” and is particularly drawn to film noir.

The 44-year-old singer is currently on the U.S. leg of her tour, which wraps at Las Vegas’ Colosseum at Caesars Palace on April 24. A journey through Europe shortly follows with dates in Paris, London, and Monte Carlo from June 26 through July 9.

Lady Gaga's little monsters to the rescue! The songstress created red-and-white "We pray for Japan" bracelets Friday, and fans have already helped raise $250,000 to benefit disaster relief in Japan by buying the $5 accessory.

Lady Gaga's prayer bracelet (Ladygaga.show.bravadausa.com) The bracelets read "We pray for Japan" in both English and Japanese, and also feature Gaga's signature claw symbol. They're selling for just $5 on her website, but people are encouraged to add any extra donation that they can to the purchase price. All proceeds go to relief efforts in wake of the 8.9-magnitude earthquake and 23-foot tsunami that devastated the country Friday.

Gaga revealed the good news about the success of her relief campaign on her Twitter page today. "Monsters: in just 48 hrs you've raised a quarter of a million dollars for Japan Relief" she wrote. "It's important we help. X"

Purchase prayer bracelets here.

Selena Gomez should teach lessons on how to grow up under the Disney spotlight without acting out. The young star showed up at the Late Show with David Letterman in an edgy, but still completely appropriate dress by Emilio Pucci.

The dress had a lot going on with a printed skirt; embellished waist band; leather-and-satin bustier and sheer lace sleeves. But Selena kept her look under control by masterfully pairing it with black pumps and no other accessories. For a fresh look, she straightened her hair and opted for minimal makeup.

What do you think of Selena's ensemble?

I always knew Janet Jackson was legendary, but now it's official! This fall, the superstar is featured in Blackglama's iconic, forty-year-old "What Becomes a Legend Most" campaign--and yesterday, the image was unveiled on a billboard smack in the middle of Times Square. Located on the famous Times Square "Bowtie," the billboard clocks in at a whopping thirty by sixty-eight feet.

Janet looks beyond stunning in the luxury fur ad. What do you think?

Sandra Bullock (Getty Images)With all the hoopla surrounding Sandra Bullock's personal life, it's easy to forget how big 2010 has been for her professionally. The soon-to-be divorced new mom topped Forbes' list of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood, just months after winning a Best Actress Academy Award for The Blind Side.

At 46 years old, Bullock is at an age when most actresses would be considered "past their prime." But between 2009'sThe Proposal and The Blind Side, she's proved herself incredibly bankable: the former earned $320 million in the box office, and the latter raked in $310 million.

As for Bullock, she earned $56 million between July 2009 and July 2010, making her Hollywood's best-paid actress.

Trailing just behind Bullock are Reese Witherspoon and Cameron Diaz, who both made $32 million. Jennifer Aniston and Sarah Jessica Parker came in fourth and fifth with $27 million and $25 million, respectively. 

While the release of the finished “Under Pressure” looms, Dr. Dre teases us with the instrumental from his Jay-Z-assisted single, which is featured in a new spot for HP. Hip-hop’s surgeon general injects the HP Envy laptop with his Beats Audio software. Why rush Detox when you’ve got endorsements?

Zoe SaldanaWhoa momma, did someone turn up the heat?! Following in the footsteps of another vivacious Latina, Zoe Saldana has been named the newest face and bod of Calvin Klein Underwear. She will appear—scantily clad of course—in the fall campaign for Calvin's new line of undies, Envy. CK has released a preview of Zoe's ads and she's looking sexy. Enviable, you might say.

The Calvin Klein underwear campaign may be one of the most international and racially diverse campaigns this season—including Latina, African-American and Asian models. Other bods for the brand include Cristiano Ronaldo, Eva Mendes, Kellan Lutz, Hidetoshi Nakataand Mehcad Brooks.

Congrats to Zoe on her new campaign. We can't wait to see the rest of the ads when they come out!

Anything is possible when you smell like Old Spice and not a lady. Just ask Old Spice guy Isaiah Mustafa, who has signed a talent deal with NBC.

“We felt he was a piece of talent worth developing. He’s an attractive guy who’s just as funny and charming,” NBC Universal casting executive VP Grace Wu tells Variety.

Mustafa’s Old Spice commercial has attracted more than 10.5 million views since it first launched on YouTube — and even snagged airtime during the Super Bowl.
Mustafa, known as “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like,” will audition for several current NBC shows, as well as new ones. According to Variety, he’ll take a first crack at sitcoms, although he may make his way to other shows like Chuck or the upcoming Love Bites.

“I grew up in that Cosby Show, Family Ties era, and kept that going even through college with Seinfeld and Friends,” he says. “To me, they controlled comedy and dictated my life on Thursday nights. And I think that’s my strength — doing comedy.”

The former NFL player previously appeared on Ugly Betty, Days of Our Lives and Castle.

Poet Maya Angelou celebrated a belated 82nd birthday Thursday with a few celebrity friends and a few choice words about political divisiveness in the United States.

Singers Naomi Judd and Martina McBride sang "Happy Birthday to You" to Angelou, who sat at a table in her newly refurbished backyard garden, while hip-hop artist and actor Common improvised a song to honor her.

"I have an attitude of gratitude. Nobody promised me this day," Angelou said in an interview with The Associated Press, explaining how she keeps writing.

Despite her generally upbeat attitude, Angelou said she finds the state of national politics to be tragic.

"I mean, this is our country," said Angelou, whose birthday was April 4. "This is a country of Republicans, of Democrats and of independents. And we are going to work together to make it better. Or we will not. And we will make it worse. And that's dumb."

She declined say whether she blamed racism because President Obama is black or whom she blames for the problems: "I can't deal with it. Some of it is blithering ignorance. We look stupid in the world's eyes. ... It polarizes us more, and I'm not that. I don't do that."

Most of the day focused on the friends and family who gathered to honor Angelou, who wore a pink pantsuit, a printed top and a mauve hat, along with fuzzy socks that helped her walk. A tent with yellow and white drapes covered the tables where about 100 guests ate while Common and McBride told the crowd what Angelou meant to them.

Common said he first discovered Angelou's poetry in the fifth grade on the South Side of Chicago, when her poem "Still I Rise" touched his soul.

"It was always something that I could reference to at times when I was feeling down or doubting myself," he told AP. "I just thought of that phrase, 'Still I Rise.' And it still resonates with me."

While others waxed poetic about Angelou and her affect on them, Lee Daniels, the Oscar-nominated director of "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Lee Sapphire," kept his words simple.

"She inspires me to tell the truth," he said. "Her voice can't be any more powerful. And she inspires me to do better work, to dig deeper in my soul and do better work."

Angelou's next effort, to be published later this year, is a cook book titled "Great Food All Day Long."
The recipes are based on the idea of eating small amounts of food during the day, a way of eating that she said helped her lose 40 pounds over the last two years.

The party was sponsored by Lowe's, the North Carolina-based home improvement store chain, and Harpo Radio, where Angelou has a radio show.

Hugh Hefner just pulled a rabbit out of his hat to save Hollywood – the iconic sign, that is.

The Playboy founder has donated the final $900,000 needed to preserve 138 acres behind the film capital's most famous visual symbol on Mount Lee, just as time was running out.

"It would have been a real shame after having restored it if it wound up sold," Hefner, 84, told PEOPLE on Monday at the Hollywood premiere of Iron Man 2, with the legendary 45-foot white letters looming in the background. "It's become something iconic and represents not only the town but represents Hollywood dreams, and I think that's something worth preserving."

Developers have been eyeing the hillside, once owned by Howard Hughes, for luxury mansions, but a nonprofit land-conservation group was given the chance to buy the land for $12.5 million. As an April 30 deadline neared, the group was nearly $1 million short.

"I was aware of the fact that they were raising the money, but I only learned about a week ago that they were running out of time," said Hefner. "They only had about a week and a half left to go."

The sign was built in 1923 as part of a real-estate promotion, originally spelling out "Hollywoodland" (the "land" was removed in 1949). In 1978, after years of neglect, Hefner was one of a number of patrons who donated funds to restore it.

Meanwhile, Hefner continues to develop his own Hollywood fantasy: a feature film chronicling his life, with Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr. potentially in the lead role.

"It would be my hope and dream," said Hefner. "Right after Iron Man first came out, he called me the following week and said, 'When are we going to start the Playboy film?' So, we have to get a good screenplay."

That Rihanna reign just won’t let up. The Barbados singer rules the charts once more with her latest single “Rude Boy.”


Rihanna earns her fifth solo and sixth overall No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 as her single jumps 4-1, replacing labelmate Taio Cruz atop the Hot 100. The last time she occupied that spot was in 2008 on T.I.’s single “Live Your Life.” Other No. 1s include “S.O.S.” (2006), “Umbrella” (2007), “Take a Bow” (2008), and “Disturbia” (2008).

“Rude Boy” is the third song from Rihanna’s Rated R album to land in the Top 10. The-Dream and Tricky Stewart-produced “Hard” peaked at No. 8, while lead single “Russian Roulette” topped off at No. 9.

Little Miss Sunshine is already back in the lab working on more potential chart-toppers for her next album. Sean Garrett shared details of the project with Rap-Up.com. “The record I gave her was very, very positive, very big,” said the singer-songwriter. “It’s just so infectious. It’s about getting past any drama and just being happy to be alive.”

“GMA” news anchor Juju Chang tours the newly-opened Beyoncé Cosmetology Center for recovering addicts and sits down with the superstar and her mother Tina Knowles to discuss their mother-daughter bond.

During the interview, B accidentally shows off the wedding ring Jay-Z gave her (“I usually take this off for interviews”) and is caught off guard when her mom excitedly shares that she wants grandchildren (“I’m praying for it now”).

Sandra Bullock taking the stage to accept the Best Actress award at the Oscars last night was one of the evening's many highlights, thanks to her sincere and heartfelt acceptance speech. The actress dedicated her standout performance in The Blind Side to "the moms who take care of the babies and the children no matter where they come from," all while paying tribute to her own parents and fellow nominees.

Sandra and Jesse partied way past their bedtime last night (Getty)But in typical Bullock fashion, she's not letting any of it get to her head. Sandra told People.com after the ceremony, "I didn't aspire to this. I was in awe of it. I admired it. I got to watch it like everyone else did, or present, but it wasn't something that I said, 'One day when I get the Oscar.'"

But she did, and she quickly won over the audience with a perfect mix of humor and gratitude -- especially her husband of five years, Jesse James, who visibly teared up when his wife walked onstage.

"Did he cry? He doesn't cry," she said. "He had something in his eye. It's very dusty from the dance music. I'd never divulge what Jesse says unless he divulges it first. It's between me and the man."

As for James, he admitted he was "feeling everything" and was incredibly proud of Bullock. He added, "She looks amazing. I like her like this or first thing in the morning, equally as well."

What a guy. 

Jamie Foxx teamed up with Lost star Dominic Monaghan to unveil $500,000 worth of musical instruments he helped donate to high school students at LA's Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Dominic Monaghan helped Foxx present the instruments to the kids (Photo Agency)Fox, for one, was eager to entertain the youngsters with his hit "Blame It," but since the song is an ode to the effects of alcohol, he changed the lyrics to, "Blame it on the a-a-a-apple juice," much to their amusement. He then joked: "I changed it so you guys could sing it."

The equipment included new violins, flutes, French horns, trumpets and drums that will help students in 16 American schools, who use the Fidelity FutureStage program. The project aims to enrich arts education in public schools by providing instruments, specialized training by professional musicians, and a chance for aspiring artists to perform with renowned orchestras.

Foxx praised Fidelity for stepping in and helping out when public funding had failed, because he knows how important it is. He said: "Even if a kid is not going to be the greatest musician in the world, just the fact that you gave him something, the fact that you said, 'Hey, I care about you,' that's what it's about." 

A long-standing television record was rewritten last night, as CBS’s broadcast of Super Bowl XLIV became the most-watched TV program in history.

Nielsen says 106.5 million TV viewers watched the New Orleans Saints defeat the Indianapolis Colts, according to reports by the Associated Press. That surpasses the 105.97 million who watched the series finale of M*A*S*H on Feb. 28, 1983, which was also aired on CBS.
The previous record viewership for a Super Bowl was set just last year, when 98.7 million people watched the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Arizona Cardinals.

While Drew Brees and Peyton Manning certainly attracted plenty of attention on Sunday night, Hawkeye and Klinger can be comfortable knowing their mark was made in an era with fewer TV sets and a smaller population.

The first pictures from Monday's star-packed recording session for the remake of "We Are the World," were released Tuesday and it looks like the follow-up will be a landmark moment in 2010.

Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie brought back the "We Are the World" project 25 years after Richie wrote the song with Michael Jackson (Getty)The very large cast of very large stars was surely hard to manage. Kanye West reportedly showed up to the Jim Henson Studios with an entourage complete with girlfriend Amber Roseand a film crew. In 1985, Quincy Jones did his best to get his talent in line by hanging a sign over the studio entrance that said, "Check Your Ego at the Door."

While the orginal recording was sold to raise money in the fight against world famine, the remake will be sold to benefit victims of the recent earthquake in Haiti. Many stars have already started talking about the experience, and it sounds like it will match up to the original.


Nicole Richie was there with her father, Lionel Richie, when he worked on the original. This time she was there with husband Joel Madden and their son, Sparrow. She wrote on her Twitter Monday, "WOW. Brian Wilson stood next to me & I got to hear him sing right into my left ear. Can you say AWESOME!"

Meanwhile young singer Justin Bieber said he could barely keep his eyes off Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls. He Tweeted, "Singing We Are The World right now with celine dion next to me!! Everyone is here!! I'm meeting everyone!! This is insane! Ok ok chill."

The full list of all 81 choir singers hasn't yet been released, but here are some of the stars we know were there.

Celine Dion
Jennifer Hudson
Justin Bieber
Vince Vaughn
Kanye West and Amber Rose
Julianne Hough
will.i.am
Wyclef Jean
T-Pain
Randy Jackson
Gladys Knight
Brandy
Keri Hilson
Faith Evans
Rob Thomas
Nancy Wilson
Nicole Scherzinger
Harry Connick Jr
Katharine McPhee
Robin Thicke
Josh Groban
India.arie
Usher
Carrie Underwood
Fergie
Jason Mraz
Anthony Hamilton
Trey Songz
Musiq Soulchild
Jennifer Nettles (Sugarland)
Kristian Bush (Sugarland)
Nicole Richie
Joel Madden
Snoop Dogg
Tyrese
Miley Cyrus
Nick Jonas
Joe Jonas
Kevin Jonas
Jordin Sparks
Enrique Iglesias
Jeff Bridges
LL Cool J
Natalie Cole
Toni Braxton
Barbra Streisand
Lady Gaga
Jay-Z
Eminem

Leonardo DiCaprio is another star who's stepped up to the plate and donated some serious cash to the Haiti relief effort. The Titanic actor gave $1 million to help aid victims of the two devastating earthquakes that have hit the Caribbean island over the last 11 days.

Leo (Getty)The donation, which will be dispersed through the Leonardo DiCaprio Fund, will help with immediate relief efforts as well as with longer-term redevelopment and infrastructure projects, including a focus towards sustainable development.

Former US president Bill Clinton, who set up the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund (CBHF) with another ex-president, George W Bush, said (via PopEater): "I am grateful for the generous gift Leonardo DiCaprio and his Foundation have made in support of our Clinton Bush Haiti Fund around the world of all means, this support will go a long way to help save more lives, reach more people with emergency assistance, and help the Haitian people build their nation back stronger and more secure than it was before the earthquake."

George Clooney is also donating $1 million to the relief effort, which he will do live on the telethon he is hosting tonight on TV. Other stars to have given help to the disaster-stricken state include Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Wyclef Jean and John Travolta.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's foundation is contributing $1 million to the emergency medical operation responding to the devastating 7.0-magnitude quake in Haiti.

"It is incredibly horrible to see a catastrophe of this size hit a people who have been suffering from extreme poverty, violence and unrest for so many decades," says Jolie.

Adds Pitt: "We understand the first response is critical to serve the immediate needs of countless people who are now displaced from their homes, are suffering trauma, and most require urgent care."

The Jolie-Pitt Foundation is donating the funds to Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontiéres, whose three hospitals in Port-au-Prince were severely damaged, forcing the staff to work out of open-air hospitals.

A set of killer abs and a dark brooding look can pay off, and pay off big. Just ask Taylor Lautner. The 17-year-old Twilight star has now become the highest paid teen actor in Hollywood, thanks to the $7.5 million paycheck he'll be taking home for filming the upcoming flick Northern Lights, opposite Tom Cruise.

Taylor Lautner gets paid, son. (Bauer Griffin)
The film, about a "a gifted, young, aerobatics pilot who faces off with his controlling, billionaire father and falls in love with a gifted, female pilot," is still in the early stages of production, with IMDB listing it as coming out sometime in 2012.

It's the second big role that Lautner has landed, after news broke that the young heartthrob will be leading up Max Steel, Marvel Comic's latest foray into the theaters. No word on how much Lautner will be taking home for that one.

Still, considering his last picture, New Moon, took home $288 million after seven weeks in theaters, we'd say that $7.5 million is not money entirely misplaced. Just as long as he takes his shirt off at some point, of course.