MaoBah

No, it’s not a real life love triangle. But it definitely is bizarre.. Kate Winslet is to star in a new movie with Leonardo DiCaprio entitled "Revolutionary Road", and her husband Sam Mendes will be directing them. Let me stress the fact that there will be sex scenes in the film and it was definitely awkward for Sam’s wifey to film those in front of her husband.

"I just kept saying, `This is too … weird,’" Winslet tells Entertainment Weekly magazine. "And Leo was like, `Oh, get over it.’ And I’m going, `Yeah, a little reminder: You’re my best friend. He’s my husband. This is a bit weird.’"

Mendes, who directed "American Beauty" and "Road to Perdition," says, "I will admit it was quite bizarre to direct my wife in how to make love. But it’s difficult whether you’re married to a person or not."

It’s been 11 years since Kate and Leo, who have great chemistry by the way, co-starred in the Oscar-winning blockbuster "Titanic," and Winslet says a spark remains between them.

They play suburban couple Frank and April Wheeler in "Revolutionary Road," based on Richard Yates’ 1961 novel. It is slated for release in December, just in time for Oscar consideration.

When Kate heard about the new film coming up, she was eager to bring Leo on board, and set up a sneaky way to do it: She arranged a meeting with the 33-year-old actor in March 2007, but sent Sam Mendes in her place.

"Leo and I have such a history together and I couldn’t imagine not being able to apply that to this story and these characters," she says. "So I played this very clever cat-and-mouse game to get my husband and then my best friend involved."

Even the most hardened celebrity watchers were taken aback by reports of an $11 million deal for exclusive rights to the first photographs of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s newborn twins.

Despite Hollywood duo "Brangelina" being one of the world’s most famous couples, experts said it would be almost impossible to make back the money through increased sales and advertising.

But winning a bidding war boosts a magazine’s profile, they added, and deals a blow to rivals in the fiercely competitive celebrity news world.

"This would be a world record and is an unbelievable amount of money to pay," said Darryn Lyons, who runs the London-based Big Pictures celebrity photograph agency.

Abe Peck, who was a long-time chair of the magazine program at U.S. journalism school Medill, described the reported deal as "verging toward the unthinkable."

The costs could be offset by selling secondary rights outside the U.S. market, for example, and owning images allows for follow-up stories quoting "friends" and "sources."

However, "if that price is accurate, it likely would become a loss leader for whoever bought it," Peck added.

"The big celebrity magazines might be willing to lose money in order to establish or maintain A-list primacy."

Lyons said rather than dampening enthusiasm among paparazzi in France seeking unauthorized images of the couple and their babies, the exclusive deal may actually heighten it.

"If the official pictures are worth, say, $15 million, I would say that paparazzi would be in for $5 million to $10 million on the open market. I know teams that are working in France at the moment and more paps are flying in."

The Nice-Matin newspaper, in the southern French city of Nice where Jolie had twins on Saturday, was among the first to break the news of the birth, and reported an unnamed U.S. publication paid $11 million for the photograph rights.

It also said the proceeds would go to charity.

U.S. celebrity publication In Touch Weekly actually ran a story on its Web site earlier, quoting sources confirming the birth, but it wrongly reported that Jolie had twin girls.

Still, it was closer to the truth than "Entertainment Tonight," which said in May that the twins had been born.

False starts and factual slip-ups underline the media’s hunger for celebrity news and its earning potential.

According to the New York Times, the top U.S. sales increase based on an exclusive was probably Jolie and Pitt’s first baby, Shiloh, which helped People magazine sell 800,000 extra copies.

But that would not be nearly enough to make up the reported $4.1 million it paid for the rights.

A rise in Internet traffic is another way of earning money.

When actress Lindsay Lohan posed for a set of near-nude pictures this year, New York magazine’s Web site had 20 million views per day over three days, up from around 1.2 million.

Over two days, the spike in traffic would have earned over $500,000 in additional advertising revenue, estimates showed.

Big Pictures’ Lyons, who is offering members of the public money for snaps of A-list celebrities on http://www.mrpaparazzi.com , believes there will always be demand for unauthorized images, even though stars are increasingly striking exclusive deals.

"All celebrities really want to do is to control their image, but it isn’t reality, it’s airbrushed. The public understands that paparazzi photograph real things in real time."

He also argued that even when the proceeds go to charity, celebrities benefit from such contracts.

"I do like the attitude of giving the money away. On the other side of the coin … this is massive brand building."

Source: Reuters

Emma Thompson wields a fierce wand when co-starring in Harry Potter movies, jets around the world and hobnobs with Bill Gates at Davos. But don’t ask her to reboot a laptop. The actress’ favorite piece of technology, she told Forbes.com, is the fountain pen.

Thompson’s in good company. There’s no shortage of celebrities who disdain social networking sites, “don’t do” e-mail and eschew even practical gadgets like computers and cell phones. Some, like President George Bush, are restricted by their office from indulging. Others see technology as yet another intrusion into their paparazzi-filled lives. And still others don’t understand how to use gadgets or shun them as health hazards.

In other words, celebrities are just like us — with two exceptions. Their wealth and status enables them to avoid technology with no ill consequences. (Can’t reach Angelina Jolie by e-mail? Her people will make sure she gets the message another way.) The other difference: It’s much more entertaining when celebrities complain about technology than when your mom does.

Take Vince Vaughn. In November 2007, the actor told MTV that he doesn’t own a cellphone, explaining he doesn’t like getting calls. Instead, he relies on the buddy system, borrowing a friend’s cell phone when necessary. “I am an annoying friend that way,” he confessed.

Some tech-free celebs are recovering tech addicts. Tyra Banks told New York Times Magazine that her BlackBerry habit caused her physical pain. She has since gone low-tech and jots her thoughts in a notebook.

Technophobia, of course, extends far beyond cellphones. Christopher Walken and David Sedaris don’t use cell phones or e-mail. Simon Cowell says he doesn’t know how to work a computer. President Bush was lampooned in 2006 for saying he uses “the Google” to look at maps of his Texas ranch. He reportedly doesn’t use e-mail for fear that his messages might be subpoenaed. Recently, however, his 84-year-old father, George H.W. Bush Sr., said that he enjoys e-mailing.

Paul McCartney has admitted he doesn’t know how to use ATMs and prefers writing letters over e-mail for “aesthetic” reasons. Elton John is nostalgic for the low-tech vibe of the 1970s. The singer frequently talks about the Internet’s stifling effect on community and creativity and even suggested to U.K. paper The Sun that the Internet be shut down for five years to spark better quality art and music.

Technophobia isn’t simply generational. Some young celebrities strive to be tech free, too. Thirty-one-year-old Orlando Bloom has revealed that he doesn’t e-mail or own a computer, because he “just [doesn’t] want to deal with it.”

A few celebrities manage to be plugged in without being wired. Jolie often jokes about her lack of technology skills, saying that partner Brad Pitt helps her navigate computers. Jolie’s admission is surprising, says Heather Dale, editor of gadget blog GeekSugar. “She’s so up on the news and involved, and it doesn’t seem like she would want to be dependent on anyone for tech help,” explains Dale. “She must get her news from newspapers and other traditional media.”

Larry King, despite knowledgeably chatting up guests every night on his talk show, says he has never done an Internet search. As if to prove his techno-ignorance, he once asked guest Roseanne Barr, “What do you punch [on the Internet], little buttons and things?”

Technophobia does have its benefits, at times. When Billy Bob Thornton’s former sister-in-law accused him of harassing her via e-mail, his rep defended him by noting, “Billy doesn’t use e- mail and never has.”

Fictional celebrities can be technophobes, too. In the new “Sex and the City” film, Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) fumbles with a borrowed iPhone before returning it, unused, out of frustration.

Some technophobes appear to be making their peace with gadgets. Jessica Alba famously said last year, “I don’t have a MySpace thingy.” But in January, she created a MySpace profile and began blogging sporadically on it. Since hooking up with husband Cash Warren, who heads an Internet video start-up called IBeatYou.com, Alba has ventured further online to help promote the venture. In one video, viewed more than 4 million times on YouTube, Alba gazes at a camera in a two-minute staring contest.

Still, there are lingering signs that Alba isn’t completely tech fluent. Dale notes that Alba sometimes blogs in all capital letters. “That’s a clear sign that she doesn’t use a computer that much,” says Dale.

Other selective technophobes include Liam Gallagher of U.K. band Oasis, who uses his computer to sate his eBay addiction — but not for e-mail — and Casey Affleck, a health- conscious vegan, said his fear that cellphones cause cancer caused him to pitch his handset into the Hudson River. But within a few days, Affleck admits, he headed back to a store for a new one.

Source: omg.yahoo.com

A town clerk in New York City witnessed

long-time couple Beyonce and Jay-Z file a

wedding license. On April 4, they had a private celebration but was mum about the details of their wedding.

Beyonce, who is 26 and Jay-Z, also known as Shawn Carter, is 38. They have been linked since September 2002.

Eva Longoria has taken her husbands surname as her own, and will now be credit as "Eva Longoria Parker" in the TV series Desperate Housewives, which she stars in, as well as other films and articles where she will be involved. She says that she has decided to completely adopt the new name and she loves every bit of the tradition in changing the name once a woman gets married.

Eva also added that everyone in Texas (where the couple have a residence as Tony plays for the San Antonio Spurs) is respectful, calling her Mrs. Parker almost everywhere. She admits that it is a very nice thing to hear.

The couple got married in France last July with a small civil ceremony on July 6, had a bigger religious ceremony the next day and a star-studded bash at a country estate. So, are more little Parkers in store for the newlyweds – in reality or on Longoria-Parker’s hit show? As the actress told reporters at Vogue’s Fashion Mexico gala Wednesday in Mexico City, "Not for me, and not for Gabrielle."

I know several pregnant women out there who say that having morning sickness was one of the worst parts of being pregnant, but it’s definitely the opposite for one of my favorite celebrities. For those who don’t know yet, Halle Berry is four months pregnant and loves every second of it – yes, even the side effects that come along with it, such as cramps and dizziness.

 
Halle, who admitted that she’s a slave to fashion, also confessed that it’s been a lot easier to find clothes that fit her, which is just bizarre because I thought she had one of the hottest bodies in Hollywood. During her interview with one of the most famous tabloid magazines, she proved that she enjoyed being pregnant so much, she is said to have stated that as soon as her first child is born, she’s looking forward to have another one soon!

 
Are wedding bells happening anytime soon for Halle and long time boyfriend Gabriel Aubry? Well, she definitely insisted that she does not have any plans on marrying him and that being a mother will never let her change her mind. Then again, as the saying goes, “Never say never.”