Wednesday 21 March 2012

A look at NKorea accordionists behind A-ha moment

In this Feb. 25, 2012 photo, students rehearse with accordions in a practice room at the Kumsong school in Pyongyang, North Korea. A group from the school became an Internet sensation with their accordion version of 1980's pop group A-ha's Five teenagers in school uniforms hold accordions. On the wall is a giant painting of the secret mountain hideout of their nation's founder, Kim Il Sung. Small red stickers on their instruments mark them as gifts from Kim Jong Il.


Celeb birthdays for the week of March 25-31

March 25: Movie critic Gene Shalit is 86. Singer Anita Bryant is 72. Singer Aretha Franklin is 70. Actor Paul Michael Glaser is 69. Musician Elton John is 65. Actress Bonnie Bedelia is 64. Actress-comedian Mary Gross is 59. Actor James McDaniel ("NYPD Blue") is 54. Saxophonist Steve Norman of Spandau Ballet is 52. Actress Brenda Strong is 52. Actress Marcia Cross is 50. Actress Lisa Gay Hamilton is 48. Actress Sarah Jessica Parker is 47. Singer Melanie Blatt of All Saints is 37. Actor Lee Pace ("Pushing Daisies") is 33. Singer Katharine McPhee ("American Idol") is 28.

Healthy George Michael reschedules concert dates

George Michael says he is in good health and resuming a concert tour cut short when he contracted life-threatening pneumonia last year.

Oritel joins Univision to launch first US telethon

A group that runs charity telethons throughout much of Latin America is joining with Univision to launch its first U.S.-based program.

New 'Wimpy Kid' novel coming in November

The 7th "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" novel, one of the few series as popular as "The Hunger Games," is coming out in November.

Comedian Gallagher released from Texas hospital

The comedian Gallagher has been released from a Texas hospital, a week after suffering a heart attack before a performance at a suburban Dallas bar.

DC theater to restage Apple-bashing show in summer

A Washington theater is apologizing for calling a one-man show that purported to show horrific working conditions at Chinese factories that made Apple products a work of nonfiction.

Phillip Phillips moves up on 'American Idol'

In this undated image released by Fox, the remaining ten contestants from the singing competition series, from left, Phillip Phillips, Elise Testone, DeAndre Brackensick, Hollie Cavanaugh, Colton Dixon, Skylar Laine, Heejun Han, Jessica Sanchez, Josh Ledet and Erika Van Pelt, pose for a group photo in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Fox, Michael Becker)Phillip Phillips didn't follow the advice from his "American Idol" mentors รข€" and the judges loved him for it.


Review: Relentless pummeling paces 'The Raid'

In this film image released by Sony Pictures Classics, Joe Taslim as Jaka, left, and Yayan Ruhian as Mad Dog are shown in a scene from The film speed of 24 frames-per-second barely outruns the relentless pace of pummeling that thumps through the Indonesian martial arts flick "The Raid: Redemption."


Review: Hip-hop dance parody 'The FP' is whack, yo

In this film publicity image released by Drafthouse Films, Lee Valmassy, left, and Brandon Barrera are shown in a scene from One gets the sensation while watching the low-budget '80s parody "The FP" that a bunch of people went trolling at a vintage clothing store one day, found some moon boots, acid-washed jean jackets and neon tank tops and then decided to make a movie about them.


Food's not fast, but life is, in 'The Big Meal'

In this theater image released by The Publicity Office are, from left, Phoebe Strole, Cameron Scoggins, Jennifer Mudge, Anita Gillette and Tom Bloom are sown in a scene from รข€œThe Big Meal,รข€ performing off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons in New York. (AP Photo/The Publicity Office, Joan Marcus)Anyone who's part of a family will find recognizable moments in Dan LeFranc's touching but unsentimental new play, "The Big Meal." Rapid-fire vignettes speed past in much the same way that life seems to do at times, as successive generations of a middle-class American family measure out their lives in highs and lows at restaurant meals.


Oscar winner Octavia Spencer honored in hometown

Oscar-winning actress Octavia Spencer arrives at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Ala., Wednesday, March 21, 2012. Spencer was greeted by more than 400 people as she arrived at the Statehouse to a hero's welcome. Earlier this year, Spencer won a best supporting actress Oscar for her performance in The Help. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)Oscar-winning actress Octavia Spencer promised Alabama fans Wednesday that she would do everything possible to make sure some of her future movies are made in her home state.


Ahoy, matey!: Hugh Grant at 'Pirates' premiere

British actor, Hugh Grant, poses with a parrot at the UK premiere of The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists, at a central London venue, Wednesday, March 21, 2012. Hugh Grant is stepping away from his usual romantic fare _ to walk the plank. The British actor is starring in Hugh Grant is stepping away from his usual romantic fare รข€" to walk the plank.


The Situation says he's in drug treatment

FILE - In this March 9, 2011 file photo, Mike The party is on hold for The Situation. The "Jersey Shore" cast member is getting treatment for prescription medication use.


Capsule reviews of new releases

In this image released by Lionsgate, Jennifer Lawrence portrays Katniss Everdeen in a scene from One gets the sensation while watching this low-budget '80s parody that a bunch of people went trolling at a vintage clothing store one day, found some moon boots, acid-washed jean jackets and neon tank tops and decided to make a movie about them. "The FP" makes fun of several genres รข€" dance movies, underdog sports flicks, glossy action pictures รข€" and mixes them together in an attempt at kitschy cult infamy. But rather than crafting a movie that's so bad it's good, writer-director brothers Jason and Brandon Trost have come up with something that's just plain bad รข€" and boring, and repetitive. Once you get past the initial laugh factor of the hideous retro trappings, there isn't much left. The predominately white characters talk in the sort of co-opted, clunky hip-hop slang that might have worked for a little while in a sketch but soon grows tiresome. As an attempt at social commentary, this approach feels half-baked; as comedy, it just feels numbing. In a futuristic wasteland known as "The FP" (actually the Southern California mountain town of Frazier Park), a turf war is raging between trash-talking dance gangs. Jason Trost stars as JTRO (pronounced JAY-tro), who loses his older brother, BTRO (Brandon Barrera), in a deadly "Beat-Beat Revelation" video game showdown with their gold-toothed rival, L Dubba E (Lee Valmassy). A year later, JTRO is dragged out of hiding to avenge his brother's death in a rematch. R for pervasive language, sexual content, some nudity and brief drug material. 83 minutes. One star out of four.


Cate Blanchett to star in Lincoln Center Festival

FILE - In this Feb. 14, 2012 file photo, actress Cate Blanchett attends the unveiling of Mikhail Baryshnikov, Cate Blanchett and Alan Cumming will be among the stars in this summer's Lincoln Center Festival.


Charges against "Teen Mom 2" star are dropped

Charges of making threats and harassing phone calls have been dropped against the North Carolina woman who stars on the MTV reality show "Teen Mom 2."

Nonprofit: North Korea orchestra plans to visit US

An Atlanta-based nonprofit is planning to bring North Korea's national orchestra to the U.S. for a tour that would start in Atlanta, according to the group's president.

Tampa hosts convention for sexy pin-up culture

In this March 5, 2012, photo, Nicole Nadreau, who goes by the stage name of Kelly Ackley, a 30-something mom of three, is wearing a black bustier, pink taffeta tutu and pink, kitten-heel boots. She's straddling a small rocking horse and with a saucy glance over her right shoulder, giggles as her is photo is snapped. Jerry Lee Lewis' "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On," squawks softly in the background.


Script-writer to Italian greats Tonino Guerra dies

Italian script-writer and poet Tonino Guerra, who worked with renowned directors such as Federico Fellini and Michelangelo Antonioni, died Wednesday aged 92 in Rimini in central Italy.

Disney sketches sequel to 'Epic Mickey' video game

In this vide game image released by Disney, a scene is shown from Warren Spector realizes that he made a mistake with "Epic Mickey," his 2010 action-adventure game starring the world's most famous mouse


One Direction excited about history making debut

FILE - In this March 12, 2012 file photo, One Direction band members Harry Styles, from left, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, Liam Payne and Zayn Malik attend a CD signing at J&R Music World in New York. One Direction's debut album One Direction's Niall Horan was in a taxi when he learned that the group's first album, "Up All Night," debuted at the top of the latest Billboard Top 200 albums chart.


Smokey Robinson-backed Aussie pop group to tour US

In a July 6, 2011 photo released by HN ENT US LLC, the Australian pop quartet Human Nature performs in Las Vegas. The group's music really got a hold of Smokey Robinson. Motown Records' signature vocalist loved Human Nature's take on the legendary label's standards so much that he signed on as the group's official presenter and are now heading out for their first U.S. tour, which kicks off Saturday, March 24, 2012 in Detroit. (AP Photo/HN ENT US LLC, Denise Truscello)An Australian pop quartet's music really got a hold of Smokey Robinson.


North Carolina gets ready for 'Hunger Games' fans

This undated image provided by VisitNC.com shows an old company store at the abandoned Henry River Mill Village in Hildebran, N.C., where scenes from Fans of "The Hunger Games" are already turning up in North Carolina, seeking out places where the movie was shot, from old-growth forests to an abandoned mill town.


VH1 orders series about Hollywood ex-wives

FILE - In this May 22, 2011 file photo, Nicole Murphy, ex-wife of comedian-actor Eddie Murphy arrives at The 26th Annual Sports Spectacular in Los Angeles, Calif. VH1 said Wednesday that it is making รข€œHollywood Exes,รข€ a one-hour series that will air this summer. Featured players are the ex-wives of Eddie Murphy, Prince, R. Kelly, Will Smith and Jose Canseco. (AP Photo/Katy Winn, file)Hollywood ex-wives surely have stories to tell, and now five of them will have their own TV series.


'The Book of Mormon' celebrates with giveaway

In this theater publicity image released by Boneau/Bryan-Brown, Andrew Rannells, center, performs with an ensemble cast in One of the hardest tickets to get on Broadway could be yours for free รข€" as long as you've got some luck.


Hemsworth: 'Hunger Games' violence not gratuitous

Actor Liam Hemsworth attends a special screening of "The Hunger Games" may be about kids who are forced to fight to the death on live TV, but one of its stars, Liam Hemsworth, said the violence in the film isn't for nothing.


Titanic a magnet for kids, fine line for educators

This March 9, 2012 photo shows John Marcus Payne with his Lego model of the Titanic cruise ship in Glencoe, Ill. Payne has been a student of the Titanic since kindergarten. He has scrupulously researched the ship, built a model out of Lego freehand and successfully lobbied his fifth-grade teacher in suburban Chicago to let him mark the disaster's centennial with a multimedia presentation for his class. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)Eleven-year-old John Payne has been a student of the Titanic since kindergarten.


Surviving cancer, singing at Radio City Music Hall

In this March 5, 2012 photo released by Madison Square Garden Photo Services, Alicia Fournier, 13, of Scarborough, Maine, performs In a packed rehearsal room a few floors above the massive stage at Radio City Music Hall, 13-year-old Alyssa Casson walked to a spot in front of a panel of judges and paused, preparing to sing.


'Hunger Games' has perfect blockbuster ingredients

In this image released by Lionsgate, Jennifer Lawrence portrays Katniss Everdeen in a scene from With "Harry Potter" done and "Twilight" nearly done, there's a strong craving for Hollywood's next teen-based fantasy franchise. And what an appetizing mix of ingredients "The Hunger Games" has cooked up.


R. Kelly brings back 'Trapped' series

In this Feb. 12, 2011 photo, R. Kelly performs at the pre-Grammy gala & salute in Beverly Hills, Calif. The outrageous musical series started off as five videos for the R&B singer's dramatic cliffhanger songs in 2007. It quickly became a cult classic and he added more chapters and put the accompanying videos on a DVD also teamed up with IFC to premiere it. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)Get ready for more drama from Sylvester, Twan and Pimp Lucius รข€" R. Kelly is delivering more chapters of "Trapped in the Closet."


OWN shakeup tests Winfrey, Discovery relationship

FILE - In this April 14, 2011 publicity image originally released by OWN, TV personality and media mogul Oprah Winfrey presents at the OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network portion of the Discovery Communications Upfront at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York. Oprah Winfrey's struggling network, OWN, is laying off 30 workers and restructuring its operations in New York and Los Angeles. (AP Photo/OWN, George Burns) MANDATORY CREDIT: GEORGE BURNS/OWNOprah Winfrey is used to running the show, whether it was her hit daytime TV program or the fledgling cable channel named for her and which she rules as chairman and chief executive.


Nonprofit: North Korea orchestra coming to US

An Atlanta-based nonprofit is planning to bring North Korea's national orchestra to the U.S. for a tour that would start in Atlanta, according to the group's president.

Sutherland brings a common 'Touch' to new series

In this March 18, 2012 photo, Kiefer Sutherland attends the premiere of the new Fox series "Touch" hero Jake Bohm is obsessed with numbers, and in a voiceover on this week's premiere episode, the otherwise mute 11-year-old numerologist shares an interesting statistic: "Today the average person will say 2,250 words to 7.4 other individuals."


De Niro says meant no offense with first lady joke

FILE - In this Sept. 22, 2011 file photo, actor Robert De Niro is seen in New York. De Niro opened a fundraiser starring Michelle Obama by listing her Republican rivals and jokingly suggesting that America isn't Robert De Niro says he meant no offense when he joked at a presidential fundraiser featuring Michelle Obama that America might not be ready for a white first lady.


Gospel singer goes from homelessness to top charts

In this undated image released by Light Records, gospel singer James Fortune is shown. For Fortune, being homeless for seven months in 2007 was the most strenuous stint of his life. Fortune said he went from being emotionally stifled to at peace. That's when he was led to write the words to his 2009 hit song, James Fortune used to watch his children sleep in the bathtub before he lay beside his pregnant wife at night in a motel, wondering how he was going to provide for his family the next day.


Olivia Wilde to host cancer research run in NY

Nine years ago, actress Olivia Wilde ran, or rather walked, in the EIF Revlon Run/Walk. In May, she will host the event that supports women's cancer research with fellow first-time ambassador Emma Stone.

Pioneering variety TV producer Bob Henry dies

Bob Henry, a producer and director of television variety shows including "The Nat King Cole Show" and "The Flip Wilson Show," has died.

HTC's Beats by Dr. Dre in talks to buy MOG

Upscale headphone maker Beats by Dr. Dre is in talks to buy subscription music service MOG, a person familiar with the matter said Tuesday.

Review: 'Fall From Grace' is sappy family drama

"Fall From Grace" (Scribner), by Richard North Patterson: Buried secrets threaten to devastate a family in Richard North Patterson's latest saga, "Fall From Grace."

Olivia Wilde to host EIF Revlon Run/Walk in NYC

FILE - In this Jan. 7, 2012 file photo, actress Olivia Wilde poses at the 2012 Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala in Palm Springs, Calif. Wilde will host the EIF Revlon Run/Walk in New York on May 5. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, file)Nine years ago actress Olivia Wilde ran, or rather walked, in the EIF Revlon Run/Walk. This year she will host it for the first time when it takes to the streets of New York on May 5. Wilde joins fellow first-time ambassador Emma Stone for the event that supports women's cancer research.


Hugh Hefner's son pleads in domestic violence case

Hugh Hefner's 21-year-old son has pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor domestic violence charge stemming from an incident with his girlfriend at their Pasadena home.

'Harry Potter' actor jailed for joining riots

A judge has sent a cast member of the "Harry Potter" films to prison for taking part in rioting that flared across England last summer.

StreetDance sequel gets world premiere in London

The stars of "StreetDance 2" will be walking the red carpet rather than busting a move at the world premiere of the 3D movie in London.

Zuiker to debut 'Cybergeddon' movie on Yahoo

FILE - In this May 14, 2008 file photo, creator of "CSI" creator Anthony Zuiker is making a movie destined for the small screen.


Aziz Ansari releases comedy special online for $5

Aziz Ansari is bringing his new standup special straight to his fans. The "Parks and Recreation" star is bypassing cable networks to release his latest comedy special on his website.

Tornado-hit Ind. students hope to land concert

An Indiana high school that was destroyed by tornadoes will soon find out if an online campaign, with support from students elsewhere, will land students a free Lady Antebellum prom performance.

Dutch author wins 2012 Astrid Lindgren award

Dutch writer Guus Kuijer has been named this year's Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for children's literature, honored for his ability to portray life's big problems with humor and warmth, the prize jury said Tuesday.