Zombie master Romero's film targets discrimination

VENICE (Reuters) – Zombie master George A. Romero had no particular conflict in mind when making "Survival of the Dead," the sixth installment in his long-running horror franchise, but rather discrimination in general.

More than 40 years after "Night of the Living Dead" launched Romero's career in 1968, the 69-year-old American is back to his independent movie making roots with a picture in competition at the Venice film festival.

The self-financed Survival of the Dead tells the story of a band of soldiers lured to an island that promises to be the one place on earth where they can escape from the living dead, who feed on human flesh and appear as if from nowhere.

But they become embroiled in a generations-old dispute between two families who have radically different ideas on how to contain the zombies.

Patrick O'Flynn wants to put a bullet through the head of every zombie he can find, while his arch rival, Shamus Muldoon, wants to keep the "dead" alive in the hope of finding a cure.

"I wasn't looking at Iraq and saying, well, lets make a movie about Iraq," Romero told reporters on Wednesday.

"It's much more about man's underlying inability to forget enmity, forget their enemies even long after they've forgotten what started the conflict in the first place.

"I think that part of the problem is that nobody looks at both sides of any issue, it's automatically: I'm on this side or I'm on that side."

RETURN TO INDEPENDENT ROOTS

According to production notes for the film, Survival of the Dead is the second movie in Romero's new cycle of independent pictures made outside the studio system.

"We've made a couple of studio films and it's just a very different process," Romero said.

"These last two films, it's really like going back to the very original films that I made where it was really private financing and real guerrilla-style film making."

Night of the Living Dead was reportedly made on a shoestring budget yet came to redefine the horror genre with its violence and satirical view of American society.

"I've had the flexibility in these films to do whatever I wanted to do. At least there's no policeman looking over your shoulder ... There's no committee. That's a wonderful freedom to be able to have."

Romero credited the zombie's lasting cultural impact more to video games, like the Resident Evil series, than to his movies. "It's really not the zombie films. I think ... it's much more video games that have kept them alive."

Variety's review on the movie from Venice was largely negative, saying it was "steeped in fan-pleasing gore but woefully thin on ideas, originality ... or directorial flair. This is easily the least frightening of all the Dead movies."

Veteran Australian actor Ray Barrett dies aged 82

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Veteran Australian actor Ray Barrett, who became a familiar figure on British television in the 1960s and most recently appeared in the big-budget movie "Australia," has died at the age of 82.

Barrett died in a hospital on the Gold Coast in the state of Queensland after falling at his home and suffering a brain hemorrhage, his agent Jane Cameron told Australian media.

Barrett studied music, elocution and acting before moving to England, where the craggy-faced actor became a popular television star in the 1960s, appearing in a long list of shows.

He was the voice of some characters in the popular children's puppet series "Thunderbirds" and "Stingray," starred in the long-running BBC show "The Troubleshooters" and appeared in "Dr Who," "The Saint" and "Dixon of Dock Green," among others.

He moved back to Australia in the mid-1970s, appearing in various TV shows over the years as well as the screen adaptation of John Williamson's play "Don's Party" and the movie "The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith."

His last major role was as the character Ramsden in Baz Luhrmann's epic "Australia," released last year.

"Ray Barrett was one of Australia's great leading men ... Few Australian actors were as capable of delivering understatement and highly crafted meaning," wrote actor/director Graeme Blundell, who appeared with Barrett in "Don's Party," in an obituary.

Barrett was awarded the Australian Film Institute's Longford Life Achievement Award in 2005 for his long and distinguished acting career.

Rapper Santana accused of threatening girlfriend

TEANECK, N.J. – Rapper Juelz Santana is accused of threatening his girlfriend with a knife in his New Jersey home.

Teaneck police charged Santana, whose real name is LaRon James, with making terroristic threats and possessing a weapon. He's free on $5,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Municipal Court on Sept. 9.

Capt. Dean Kazinci says Santana's girlfriend told police a verbal dispute became physical Tuesday.

Kazinci says the rapper told officers the woman was the aggressor and she had the knife.

Police say the girlfriend, whose name was not released, had minor injuries that did not require medical treatment.

Santana records for Def Jam Recordings. His song "There it Go" was a top ten single in 2005.

Completely Cool at the "Inglourious Basterds" Premiere

Los Angeles – They were the cool couple in black, he in a linen suit and she in a fabulous, form-fitting strapless leather dress. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie stopped traffic on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles on Monday, Aug. 10, as they joined Quentin Tarantino at the premiere of "Inglourious Basterds."

That's Tarantino's quirky film foray into World War II, with Pitt in the starring role. As Tarantino told reporters earlier at a press day for the film, "we've been wanting to work with each other for a little while now, and when I was writing this script with Aldo as the main character, Brad has been in my mind for a long time and he's always just been Aldo. It was Brad Pitt and then there was nobody else. I'm usually happy about having a second and a third choice, but not this time."

Tarantino got Pitt to play "this hillbilly, part Indian, who would know a lot about war history and Geronimo's battle plan, who would take a bunch of Jewish American soldiers, go behind enemy lines and do an Apache resistance against the Nazis," which should tell audiences that this is a slightly wacky, very R-rated war film.

No one seemed to worry much about the graphic violence as the movie unspooled at Grauman's Chinese Theatre, especially not Brad's German-born co-star Diane Kruger, who wore a minidress made with black glass fringe and a daringly low-cut open back.

"People are always asking me, 'Well, how is it going to go down in Germany?' People were cheering when we screened it there, because the truth is they've wanted to get rid of Hitler if they could, for years, get it over with for years," she said.

Joining in the cheering at the premiere were Tarantino fans Bridget Fonda, Sarah Silverman, Carla Gugino, Samuel L. Jackson, Tia Carrere, Tony Hawk, Christina Ricci, Jeremy Renner, Cloris Leachman, Maria Menounos, and the other stars of "Basterds" - Eli Roth, Melanie Laurent, B. J. Novak, Christoph Waltz, and Michael Fassbender.

Second Yves Saint Laurent art sale set for November

PARIS (Reuters) – A second auction of art works once belonging to Yves Saint Laurent will be held in November after the main part of the late designer's huge collection was sold earlier this year, auctioneers Christie's said on Monday.

As well as modern art and Old Master pictures and drawings by artists including Picasso, Fernand Leger and Miro, the sale in Paris will include furniture and various Art Deco objects that decorated the sumptuous rooms of Saint Laurent's chateau.

The first sale of treasures belonging to Saint Laurent and his companion and business partner, Pierre Berge, raised more than 370 million euros ($525 million) in February in the biggest private auction seen in Paris in many years.

The second sale, to be held on November 17-19, will include almost 1,200 works housed in Chateau Gabriel, a 19th-century Normandy country house bought by the couple in the 1980s, as well as their two Paris residences.

As in the first sale, which included masterpieces by artists ranging from Picasso and Matisse to ancient Roman sculptures, 17th-century German silverware and art deco furniture, proceeds will be donated to AIDS research.

Berge and Saint Laurent built up one of the world's biggest and most important private art collections over some five decades but Berge decided to sell it all after Saint Laurent died in June 2008 at the age of 71.

Christie's said that after the auction of the main pieces of the collection in February, the second would present objects "of a more understated charm."

The two men decorated their country residence in a style inspired by the rarified atmosphere of Marcel Proust's novel cycle "A la recherche du temps perdu" ("In Search of Lost Time"), a great favorite of the late designer.

Among the items on sale is a large Ming Dynasty basin.

The first auction was hit by a dispute over two bronze sculptures looted from China in the 19th century.

China said the two Qing dynasty bronzes, seized from Beijing in 1860 during the Opium Wars, should be handed back because they had been taken illegally.

Berge rejected the claim but said he would give them back if China guaranteed human rights and allowed the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama to return home.

'Harry Potter' actor admits growing marijuana

LONDON – A teenage cast member of the "Harry Potter" movies has appeared in a London court and admitted to growing marijuana.

Jamie Waylett pleaded guilty to growing the drug during a hearing Thursday at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court.

The 19-year-old Waylett plays school bully Vincent Crabbe in all six installments of the film franchise.

Police found eight bags of cannabis and a knife during a search of a car Waylett was riding in. They then searched his mother's house and found 10 marijuana plants.

Waylett pleaded guilty to producing cannabis, which carries a maximum 14-year sentence. His friend John Innis pleaded guilty to drug possession.

Judge Timothy Workman said the pair would be sentenced Tuesday.

Celebrity birthdays for the week of July 19-25

Celebrity birthdays for the week of July 19-25:

July 19: Country singer Sue Thompson is 83. Country singer George Hamilton IV is 72. Actor Dennis Cole is 69. Singer Vikki Carr is 69. Musician Commander Cody is 65. Actor George Dzundza is 64. Singer-bassist Alan Gorrie of Average White Band is 63. Guitarist Brian May of Queen is 62. Guitarist Bernie Leadon (Eagles, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) is 62. Actress Beverly Archer ("Major Dad, "Mama's Family") is 61. Actor Peter Barton ("Sunset Boulevard," "Burke's Law") is 53. Drummer Kevin Haskins (Bauhaus, Love and Rockets) is 49. Actor Campbell Scott is 48. Actor Anthony Edwards ("ER") is 47. Singer Country singer Kelly Shiver (Thrasher Shiver) is 46. Actress Clea Lewis ("Ellen") is 44. Singer Urs Buhler of Il Divo is 38. Drummer Jason McGerr of Death Cab For Cutie is 35. Actor Jared Padalecki ("Supernatural," "Gilmore Girls") is 27.

July 20: Rockabilly singer Sleepy LaBeef is 74. Actress Diana Rigg ("The Avengers") is 71. Bassist John Lodge of the Moody Blues is 66. Country singer T.G. Sheppard is 65. Singer Kim Carnes is 64. Guitarist Carlos Santana is 62. Drummer Paul Cook of the Sex Pistols is 53. Actress Donna Dixon ("Bosom Buddies") is 52. Keyboardist Mick McNeil of Simple Minds is 51. Country singer Radney Foster is 50. Singer Chris Cornell (of Audioslave and of Soundgarden) is 45. Guitarist Stone Gossard of Pearl Jam is 43. Actor Reed Diamond ("Judging Amy," "Homicide: Life on the Street") is 42. Actor Josh Holloway ("Lost") is 40. Singer Vitamin C is 40. Actor Simon Rex is 35. Actor Charlie Korsmo ("Can't Hardly Wait," "Hook") is 31. Singer Elliott Yamin ("American Idol") is 31. Supermodel Gisele Bundchen is 29. Guitarist Mike Kennerty of All-American Rejects is 29. Actor John Francis Daley ("Freaks and Geeks") is 24. Dancer-country singer Julianne Hough ("Dancing with the Stars") is 21. Actress Billi Bruno ("According to Jim") is 13.

July 21: Singer Kay Starr is 87. Actor Paul Burke ("Dynasty," "Naked City") is 83. Movie director Norman Jewison is 83. Actress Patricia Elliott ("One Life To Live") is 67. Actor Edward Herrmann ("Gilmore Girls") is 66. Actor Leigh Lawson ("Tess") is 64. Singer Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens) is 61. Cartoonist Garry Trudeau ("Doonesbury") is 61. Comedian-actor Robin Williams is 58. Singer-guitarist Eric Bazilian of The Hooters is 56. Comedian Jon Lovitz is 52. Actor Lance Guest ("Lou Grant") is 49. Singer Emerson Hart of Tonic is 40. Country singer Paul Brandt is 37. Actor Josh Hartnett is 31. Reggae singer Damian Marley is 31. "American Idol" runner-up Blake Lewis is 28. Keyboardist Johan Carlsson of Carolina Liar is 25. Actress Vanessa Lengies ("Stick It," "American Dreams") is 24.

July 22: Actor Orson Bean ("Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman") is 81. Actress Louise Fletcher is 75. Singer Chuck Jackson is 72. Actor Terence Stamp is 71. Game show host Alex Trebek is 69. Singer George Clinton is 68. Singer-actor Bobby Sherman is 66. Writer-director Paul Schrader is 63. Singer Don Henley is 62. Actor Danny Glover is 62. Actor-comedian-director Albert Brooks is 62. Composer Alan Menken ("Little Mermaid," "Little Shop of Horrors") is 60. Musician Al Di Meola is 55. Actor Willem Dafoe is 54. Singer Keith Sweat is 48. Singer Emily Saliers of the Indigo Girls is 46. Actor-comedian David Spade is 45. Actor John Leguizamo is 45. Bassist Pat Badger of Extreme is 42. Actor Rhys Ifans ("Notting Hill") is 42. Musician Daniel Jones (Savage Garden) is 36. Singer Rufus Wainwright is 36. Actress Franka Potente ("The Bourne Identity") is 35. Actress Selena Gomez ("The Wizards of Waverly Place") is 17.

July 23: Actress Gloria DeHaven is 84. Radio personality Don Imus is 69. Country singer Tony Joe White is 66. Actor Larry Manetti ("Magnum, P.I.") is 62. Singer David Essex is 62. Singer-turned-Congressman John Hall (Orleans) is 61. Guitarist Blair Thornton of Bachman-Turner Overdrive is 59. Actress Belinda Montgomery ("Doogie Howser, MD") is 59. Actor Woody Harrelson is 48. Guitarist Martin Gore of Depeche Mode is 48. Actor Eriq Lasalle ("ER") is 47. Drummer Yuval Gabay (Soul Coughing) is 46. Guitarist Slash of Velvet Revolver (and Guns N' Roses) is 44. Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman is 42. Model Stephanie Seymour is 41. Singer Sam Watters of Color Me Badd is 39. Actress Charisma Carpenter is 39. Singer Dalvin DeGrate of Jodeci is 38. Country singer Alison Krauss is 38. Drummer Chad Gracey of Live is 38. Actor-comedian Marlon Wayans ("The Wayans Brothers") is 37. Country singer Shannon Brown is 36. Actor Omar Epps is 36. Singer Michelle Williams (Destiny's Child) is 29. Actor Daniel Radcliffe ("Harry Potter" movies) is 20.

July 24: Jazz pianist Billy Taylor is 88. Director Peter Yates is 80. Actor John Aniston ("Days of Our Lives") is 76. Comedian Ruth Buzzi is 73. Actor Mark Goddard ("Lost In Space") is 73. Actor Chris Sarandon is 67. Comedian Gallagher is 63. Actor Robert Hays ("Airplane!") is 62. Actor Michael Richards ("Seinfeld") is 60. Actress Lynda Carter is 58. Director Gus Van Sant is 57. Country singer Pam Tillis is 52. Actor Kadeem Hardison is 44. Actress-singer Kristin Chenoweth is 41. Actress Laura Leighton ("Melrose Place") is 41. Actor John P. Navin Jr. is 41. Actress-singer Jennifer Lopez is 40. Basketball player-turned-actor Rick Fox is 40. Actor Eric Szmanda ("CSI") is 34. Actress Rose Byrne is 30. Actress Summer Glau is 28. Actress Elisabeth Moss ("The West Wing") is 27. Actress Anna Paquin is 27. Actress Mara Wilson is 22. TV personality Bindi Irwin ("Bindi: The Jungle Girl") is 11.

July 25: Actress Barbara Harris is 74. Drummer Jim McCarty of The Yardbirds is 66. Bassist Verdine White of Earth, Wind and Fire is 58. Supermodel Iman is 54. Cartoonist Ray Billingsley ("Curtis") is 52. Guitarist Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth is 51. Country singer Marty Brown is 44. Actress Illeana Douglas is 44. Actor Matt LeBlanc ("Joey," "Friends") is 42. Cellist Paavo Lotjonen of Apocalyptica is 40. Actor D.B. Woodside ("24") is 40. Actress Miriam Shor ("Swingtown," "Hedwig and the Angry Inch") is 38. Actor James Lafferty ("One Tree Hill") is 24.

"Harry Potter" works box office magic at midnight

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – British boy wizard Harry Potter conjured his magic at box offices again, as the sixth film in the highly popular movie series earned a record $22.2 million at Wednesday midnight showings in the United States.

"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" from Warner Bros. beat the old record for Wednesday midnight screenings of $18.5 million held by 2008 Batman movie "The Dark Knight," said Hollywood.com Box Office President Paul Dergarabedian.

The debut "portends a huge and potentially record-breaking number for a single-day (box office) gross and best first five-day gross," among movies, Dergarabedian said.

The highest one-day U.S. box office record belongs to "The Dark Knight," which debuted on a Wednesday last summer to $67.1 million and went on to $203.7 million in its first five days. It earned $1 billion worldwide throughout its run in theaters.

The five previous "Potter" movies about the adventures of Harry and his friends at the Hogwarts school, based on the best-selling kids books by author J.K. Rowling, have raked in $4.5 billion worldwide since the first film in 2001.

But in recent weeks, some media reports have suggested the movies' fan base of teenagers and pre-teens may now be too old for the movies and that other franchises, such as the popular "Twilight" films, may steal some of Potter's audience magic.

Still, "Half-Blood Prince" hits theaters a full two years after the most recent "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," causing box office watchers to see a good deal of pent-up demand for the movie.

"Order of the Phoenix" also opened on a Wednesday and took in $140 million in its first five days, on the way to $938 million in total global ticket sales. Warner Bros. is a unit of Time Warner Inc.

Jackson death revives interest in Twitchell mural

LOS ANGELES – When a Los Angeles gallery mounted a retrospective of Kent Twitchell's work earlier this year the acclaimed painter figured the one thing everyone would want to see was his "lost" Michael Jackson mural.

Twitchell's larger-than-life vision, showing the entertainer decked out in a white suit and matching fedora, stood 100 feet tall and 60 feet wide. Once planned for the entire side of a Hollywood building, it was so big it had to be mounted in sections across a two-story gallery wall, the bottom of it strung out along the floor.

When visitors arrived, they made a beeline straight past it, stopping instead to admire Twitchell's two-story portrait of Steve McQueen.

How things have changed.

"Since Michael died my phone is just ringing off the hook," said Look gallery owner Jerri Levi, who mounted the April exhibition. Collectors from around the world have inquired about buying the mural, she said, and others have asked whether it will be displayed again.

But for now Twitchell is keeping it safely rolled up and hidden away.

"It would be nice to see something happen with it eventually," he said this week. "But I don't want to just hawk it and I wouldn't want to get involved in something that might be seen as cheesy. I'm an artist, not an entrepreneur."

The mural was originally planned for the side of Hollywood's historic El Capitan Theatre building, and Twitchell, whose works dot the Los Angeles skyline, collaborated with Jackson on it for three years.

"The nicest guy in the world. Down to earth. Not pretentious at all," is how he remembers him.

The project, part of a Hollywood restoration taking place at the time, was shelved in 1993. Twitchell says he was never told why but suspects Jackson having become the target of a child molestation investigation that year played a role.

Originally Jackson wanted to dress in black leather for the mural, Twitchell said, but he told him he'd like to go for a classic 1930s Hollywood pose, outfitting him in something Cary Grant would have worn at the time.

"He said, 'Oh yes, I can see that,'" Twitchell recalled.

Natalie Portman signs on for comedy "Your Highness"

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Natalie Portman is joining Danny McBride and James Franco in the fantasy comedy "Your Highness."

Written by Ben Best and McBride, the Universal Pictures project centers on an arrogant, lazy prince (McBride) who must complete a quest to save his father's kingdom. Joining him on the quest is McBride's more heroic brother, played by Franco.

Portman will play McBride's love interest, a warrior princess.

Director David Gordon Green ("Pineapple Express," "All the Real Girls") is shooting the film this summer in Northern Ireland.

Portman is working on "Hesher," an indie drama that marks her inauguration as a producer. She next stars with Jake Gyllenhaal and Tobey Maguire in the drama "Brothers," a remake of Susanne Bier's Danish film.

Spielberg's 2011 Christmas Present to Fans: Tintin

Los Angeles (E! Online) – Belgium's intrepid cub reporter will be breaking his first big-screen story in time for Christmas 2011. Paramount Pictures and Sony Pictures Entertainment have announced that Steven Spielberg's big-budget gamble The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn will hit theaters Dec. 23, 2011.

The two studios are coproducing the 3-D motion-capture event film, the first in a pair the E.T. director is doing with Lord of the Rings master Peter Jackson (who will helm the sequel). But in an unusual move, Paramount and Sony plan to roll out Tintin internationally up to two months before the U.S. release.

The strategy is the reverse of Hollywood's normal distribution pattern, but makes sense since it enables the partnering companies to capitalize on the comic book character's popularity abroad and build buzz, since Tintin is not well known stateside.

The film, which Spielberg started shooting in January, stars Jamie Bell as the titular hero and Daniel Craig as the despicable pirate Red Rackham. Andy Serkis, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Toby Jones also star.

Tintin will face some family-friend competition during the 2011 holiday season, with Warner Bros. set to release Happy Feet 2 and Disney/Pixar unleashing The Bear and the Bow.

Nia Vardalos back in spotlight

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Seven years after being catapulted to fame and fortune with her hit comedy "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", Nia Vardalos makes a long-awaited return to the big screen this month with another film that takes the Canadian-born actress back to her ancestral roots.

Vardalos, 46, became an overnight success in 2002, when the romantic comedy she wrote and starred in went on to become a monster hit, earning more than 350 million dollars worldwide after being made for only five million dollars.

The success of the film -- which also earned Vardalos a best original screenplay nomination at the Oscars -- allowed Vardalos to take her time deciding her next career move.

Although she starred in a short-lived television spin-off of "Greek Wedding", Vardalos has been largely inactive since 2002 preferring to focus on starting a family before relaunching her career with "My Life in Ruins."

Her new film, which goes on release in North America on June 5, sees her play a Greek-American history professor who returns to Greece to work as a tour guide in Athens.

Vardalos said the script for the film, which includes several scenes shot at the Acropolis and other historic sites, had fired her enthusiasm after years out of the spotlight as she attempted to start a family.

"When we got the permission to shoot this film, it was so exciting and it was the first that I had found something where I wanted to be on camera in for a long time," she told reporters in Beverly Hills.

"In 2004, I had come to the end of a 10-year infertility battle and I just chose to privately deal with it, so I stepped back out of acting," said Vardalos, who recently adopted a three-year-old girl with her husband.

"I was really happy to be offered a nice clean script that celebrates Greece and is a love letter to Greece," she adds.

Vardalos says that despite the commercial success of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", her business relationships with her producers, who include actor Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson, have not changed.

"The good news is that you strive for what happened with my first movie for your whole life," Vardalos said. "And so it happened and its like, 'oh that's over, the rest is gravy.'

"The greater news is that my producers are the same producers. They treated me like gold before 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' made a dime. And they don't expect anything from me, except let's have fun and let's tell fun stories."

Vardalos, who did not write "My Life In Ruins," continues to pen screenplays.

But she says she has resisted the temptation to try and regurgitate the formula from "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" in an attempt to score another commercial bullseye.

"I write little movies and then the rest is up to the audience," she said. "It's the audience that made 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' a success.

"I think if you create with a financial goal in mind, artistically you are dead. Its best to tell fun stories and let the audience decide."

However Vardalos makes no apologies for the fact that "My Life In Ruins" and another upcoming film "I Hate Valentine's Day," which she wrote, directed and stars in, are both romantic comedies, like "Greek Wedding."

"I think that reviewers and the industry think that romance is dead," Vardalos said. "I think the audience wants it and needs it. I know I do.

"As I keep saying, as the average person, I like to escape into a movie. I like movies like 'Terminator' and 'Star Trek' as well."

Prince Harry plays polo on 1st official trip to US

NEW YORK – Prince Harry reminded New Yorkers on Saturday how much his mother had loved their city, then climbed onto a pony for a rousing game of polo to raise money for impoverished children in Africa.

On a brilliantly sunny day on Governors Island in New York Harbor, the 24-year-old prince drew a crowd that included stars like Madonna, actresses Kate Hudson and Chloe Sevigny, and rapper LL Cool J, but also lots of ordinary New Yorkers out for a rare sight: a polo game in the city.

"You see this out in the Hamptons, but not so much in the city," said Vincent Hodgins of Manhattan, who brought his two sons to watch the prince play.

The Veuve Clicquot Manhattan Polo Classic was a fundraiser for Sentebale, the charity that Harry has set up with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho to help poor children and AIDS orphans in that small African nation surrounded by South Africa.

"Prince Seeiso and I both lost our mothers when we were very young," Harry said in brief remarks before the match. "We set up Sentebale in their memory, and because my mother loved this city, it makes this occasion all the more poignant for me."

His team, named after the charity, proceeded to defeat the opposing Black Watch team 6-5. Harry assisted on the winning goal in the last seconds, drawing the biggest cheer of the afternoon. Both teams included prominent polo stars like Argentine Nacho Figueras, also a Ralph Lauren model, who played for Black Watch.

It was the second and final day of Harry's first official visit to the United States, which began with a sober visit Friday to the site of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack. On Saturday morning, the prince toured Harlem's Children Zone, a community organization that offers families social and educational services. He and Prince Seeiso chatted with students working preparing for a Regents Exam.

"Who's the best pupil?" Harry asked the ninth-graders. "I was always the worst!"

Harry, the son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, is third in line to the British throne, after his father and older brother, William. He's been dubbed the "party prince," and his New York trip seemed designed partly to counter that image with a focus on his charity work.

"I won't bore you with statistics, but please believe me when I say that Lesotho is a mere microcosm of what is so wonderful, but also so tragic about Africa today," he said before the match, reading from notes. "This beautiful kingdom has been ravaged by HIV/AIDS and poverty, leaving thousands of children without their parents."

The event was free to the public, but guests in the VIP tent on the opposite side of the field had paid from $50,000 a table down to $500 a head to picnic on the lawn. In true polo-watching fashion, there were more hats than at an Easter parade; for the women, they were topped by flowers, feathers and even butterflies climbing up a wire trellis.

Harry, though, was casual before the match in a navy blue blazer, open-collared shirt and white jeans, and loafers. And Madonna, accompanied by her sons, Rocco and David, was positively dressed down: She wore jeans and a denim jacket as she chatted with designer Marc Jacobs.

In the bleachers, Mike Hallman, visiting the city from North Carolina enjoyed the match with his family. "My kids have never seen polo before," he said. Added his 9-year-old son, Jason: "It's pretty exciting. I have never seen a prince."

Another spectator who'd never seen a polo match was LL Cool J.

"Hopefully, it'll be quite good," Harry told the singer during the reception.

"Are you going to win?" LL Cool J asked. "Mmmm. I don't know. Hopefully it's fixed," joked Harry.

The prince also said his visit had been "wonderful."

"It's been a whirlwind," he told The Associated Press. "I haven't had a chance to let the jet lag set in, and it's time to go already."

But his trip wasn't over after the match: Leaving Governors Island, the prince took a Coast Guard cutter up the Hudson River for an unannounced visit to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum on Manhattan's west side.

He inspected the World War II aircraft carrier and checked out the cockpit of a retired British Airways Concorde jet. Museum president Bill White said the staff presented the prince with a section of the 1943 carrier's original wooden flight deck. Also present was a British Marine commando, Joe Townsend, who lost both legs while on duty in Afghanistan.

The prince's visit began Friday morning with a prayerful stop at ground zero. There, he spent about 15 minutes quietly speaking to a half-dozen relatives of 9/11 victims.

Harry then attached a wreath to a chain-link fence overlooking the Sept. 11 memorial under construction, bowing his head in silence for a few minutes. He also visited the firehouse across the street that houses Engine 10 and Ladder 10, which lost five members on Sept. 11, talking and laughing with firefighters there.

Later Friday, Harry formally named the British Memorial Garden in Hanover Square downtown to honor the 67 British victims of the terrorist attack. He also visited Manhattan's Veterans Affairs Medical Center, touring a clinic that treats veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and the prosthetics facilities.

How Can Angelina Jolie Be Pregnant Every Week?

Los Angeles (E! Online) – How can mags get away with proclaiming Angie and Brad preggers and in love one week, breaking up the next, ready to adopt the week after? Are they really that volatile? Do mags just make s--t up?

—Carly, via Facebook

We're talking about a pair of bazillionaire mega-movie stars. Why wouldn't Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt be at least partially as volatile as the headlines claim? Sure, mags are responsible for their own drama-queen headlines. But in general, when it comes to this couple, I am told that the crazy Brangie reports are at least believed to be true by the people who gather and write them.

Still, let's dig a little deeper and take a look at a few of the rumors you mention, starting with the constant whisperings of pregnancy...

Of course many mags have just gotten this story wrong at one point or another; Angie has birthed one single baby and one set of twins, despite rumors of her being pregnant every second of every day. In fact, according to Star, Angelina is carrying a fourth messiah child right this very millisecond. This could be true or not—I really can't say I care.

But remember, reporters rely on sources, some of whom are more connected than others. When there's a very clear-cut story about a pregnancy, there's usually a source, or someone, who heard something that led someone to believe that Angie was preggers.

"There are a lot of reasons why someone could report a pregnancy," says CoverAwards founder and former Life & Style editor Mark Pasetsky. "They could have someone tell them they are pregnant, or just trying to get pregnant."

Many magazines say one thing on their covers and report something quite different on the inside.

A headline may scream something like the oh-so-fresh phrase "baby joy," but inside, the copy is all about some couple just talking about a baby. Remember that candy-colored headline from OK! magazine proclaiming Shiloh and Suri to be "best friends"? That was based on a report of some vague conversation between the parents about maybe arranging a play date.

Read the whole story—if you can stand it—and not just the cover.

But the most important point to remember here is that some celebrity couples really are that dramatic. Would you really be all that shocked if Brangelina were one of them?

Kiefer Sutherland, designer resolve issues

NEW YORK – Kiefer Sutherland and the fashion designer he's accused of head-butting at a Manhattan night club said Friday they resolved their differences, clearing the way for the charges to be dropped. Sutherland and Jack McCollough issued a brief joint statement Friday to The Associated Press through Sutherland's attorney.

"I am sorry about what happened that night and sincerely regret that Mr. McCollough was injured," Sutherland said in the statement.

The star of Fox television's "24" was charged May 7 with third-degree assault in the alleged incident two weeks ago at a nightclub at the Mercer Hotel in the trendy SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan. The minor charge is comparable to a speeding ticket.

A spokeswoman for the Manhattan District Attorney's office declined to comment on whether the charges would be dismissed.

But now that Sutherland and McCollough say they have resolved their differences, a prosecutor may go before a judge and ask that the case be dropped. That could happen at Sutherland's next scheduled court appearance on June 22.

"I appreciate Mr. Sutherland's statement and wish him well," McCollough said in the statement.

McCollough, of the high-end Proenza Schouler fashion house, said Sutherland head-butted him and broke his nose after an argument. The two were out following the gala at the Costume Institute of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, a fancy affair studded with celebrities.

The story spurred a media frenzy as a swarm of reporters gathered outside the 1st Precinct in Manhattan to watch as Sutherland arrived for questioning and was charged. Photographers also shadowed Sutherland and McCollough while rumors swirled about the nature of their altercation and what role, if any, actress Brooke Shields might have played.

Sutherland, who has won a Golden Globe and an Emmy for his portrayal of dashing federal counterterrorism agent Jack Bauer on "24," pleaded no contest in October 2007 to driving with a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit of 0.08 percent.

He served 30 days in jail, in addition to 18 days for violating probation in a 2004 drunken-driving arrest.

Brazil fashion show to push for racial inclusion

SAO PAULO – Organizers of Sao Paulo Fashion Week have promised to take steps to try to make sure that at least 10 percent of the models walking the runways will be blacks or Indians.

State prosecutors say they struck a deal with the event's organizers calling for proof that they will attempt to convince designers taking part to promote racial inclusion.

Noncompliance by organizers could result in a fine of as much as 250,000 reals ($125,000) in a nation where nearly 50 percent of the population is black and there is a large Indian minority.

Prosecutor Deborah Kelly Affonso said the deal announced Thursday with Luminosidade Marketing & Producoes followed a state investigation. It stemmed from complaints the event recently had fewer black models.

Giorgio Armani recovering after hepatitis

MILAN (Reuters) – Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani said on Thursday he had had a case of hepatitis and is now recovering.

The 74-year-old said in a statement he had decided to "calm worries" after a high level of interest concerning his personal well-being in the last few days.

"I have in fact suffered from hepatitis by poisoning, which, certainly is not a rare illness. Nevertheless it is one which requires some time for a complete recovery," Armani said.

The designer, who counts numerous celebrities as his fans, added that he was recovering and that the company had continued to operate "normally with business as usual."

"My commitment both on the creative and management side has never relented," he said.

"Consequently there has been no shift in delegation of my authorities to any one of the executives and everything in the company is proceeding with the usual energy."

Armani is considered the doyen of Italian fashion. His clothes are known for their classically elegant lines and muted colors.

He is due to showcase his menswear collections for the Giorgio Armani and Emporio Armani brands during Milan's fashion week in June.

Coco Chanel film brings curtain down in Cannes

CANNES, France (Reuters) – A lavish portrayal of a brief affair between Russian composer Igor Stravinsky and fashion pioneer Coco Chanel in the early 1920s brings the curtain down on the Cannes film festival on Sunday.

The festival's closing film, "Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky", directed by Dutch-born Jan Kounen, stars Anna Mouglalis and Mads Mikkelsen in the title roles, and is based on Chris Greenhalgh's novel which weaves together fact and fiction.

The movie opens with the infamous 1913 premiere of "The Rite of Spring" in Paris, where Stravinsky's score and Vaslav Nijinsky's experimental choreography were greeted with boos, jeers and a near-riot.

Seven years later Chanel, who attended the premiere, is introduced to the impoverished composer, and invites him and his family to move into her villa.

Although the facts of what happened during the brief sojourn are hazy, in the film the characters have a passionate affair which feeds into their creative energy.

"I ... discovered that Coco attended the first premiere of The Rite of Spring and that Stravinsky lived in the house in 1920, that's a fact," Greenhalgh told reporters in Cannes.

"Other than that there was very little (information). I had the framework of the facts but the freedom to invent everything that happened inside the villa."

Early reviews have praised the look of the movie, which recreates the sumptuous Art Deco style of the villa and the fashions of 1920s Paris, but several said the actors failed to bring the historical characters fully to life.

SECOND CHANEL PICTURE THIS YEAR

Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky is not the first feature film on the life of the fashion designer to be released this year, after Audrey Tautou portrayed her in "Coco Before Chanel".

Kounen said the coincidence was not necessarily a bad thing for his movie, because it forced him to speed up his production which was therefore less affected by the financial crisis.

Coco Before Chanel hit French cinemas in April but has yet to be screened in most other countries.

"When there are two films with the same character you have to work fast, you have to be out fast," he said. "The film exists partly thanks to the fact that there were two projects."

And while Kounen's movie focuses on the relationship between Chanel and Stravinsky, Coco Before Chanel is about her rise from humble beginnings to fame and fortune and her love affair with Arthur "Boy" Capel, who died in a car crash in 1919.

Coco Chanel & Igor Strvinsky has its premiere in Cannes on Sunday evening, when the main prizes at the end of the 12-day festival are handed out.

In the rumor-filled atmosphere that traditionally precedes the award of the Palme d'Or, French newspapers carried talk that the jury was split due to the imperious style of Isabelle Huppert, the French actress heading the panel.

The Journal du Dimanche said there was speculation that some members could quit the jury, leaving Huppert to present the award for best film among the 20 main competition entries almost alone on stage. The Chanel movie is out of competition.

Indie filmmakers in Cannes still dreaming of 3-D

CANNES, France (Reuters) – When rock band U2 played at the Grand Palais of the Cannes film festival in 2007 to trumpet their new three-dimensional concert movie, backers of modern 3-D films hailed the coming of a new era in movies.

Two years later, independent producers and distributors making films outside Hollywood's major studios are still waiting for that day to dawn.

Many of them face the same hurdles major studios face -- a lack of theaters equipped to play 3-D films, especially in Europe and Asia, and questions over who will pay for the special eyeglasses to watch them.

They also face a hurdle of their own, lack of money, because independents are rarely as well financed as studios.

But much as The Walt Disney Co. did in 2005 with its 3-D version of "Chicken Little," a few indie producers are wading in, lured by the possibility of bigger box office from higher ticket prices and more fans.

Their involvement is good news for film fans, because in recent years independents have made many of the best movies with original tales like Oscar winner "Slumdog Millionaire."

Jonathan Wolf, executive vice president of U.S.-based trade group the Independent Film and Television Alliance, said that when special effects-filled movies became big business, people wondered if indies could keep pace with the majors.

At the time the answer was yes, and it is the same with 3-D.

"Anywhere there is commercial viability, there will be a market," Wolf said.

Three-dimensional images date back to early movies and gained popularity in sci-fi films of the 1950s. But they quickly faded due to unsophisticated technology.

New 3-D movies use improved eyeglasses and new digital projectors that improve the quality and theatrical experience.

INDIES IN 3-D

The opening night film in Cannes this year was Disney/Pixar's "Up," which will have 2-D and 3-D versions.

DreamWorks Animation Inc. enjoyed a $334 million global success this year with its $175 million "Monsters vs. Aliens," some of which came from 3-D, and Hollywood has a large slate of 3-D pictures ahead.

Ticket prices for 3-D films can range from $2 to $5 higher than normal, and distributors find the excitement of seeing some types of movies -- animated family films, action, fantasy and horror -- in 3-D lures more fans to theaters.

U.S. independent Lionsgate enjoyed a strong, $71 million global box office with its "My Bloody Valentine 3-D," which had a reported production budget of $15 million.

Joe Drake, president of Lionsgate's motion picture group, said his company saw opportunities in 3-D, but initially did not know how to make a 3-D movie. Still, it forged ahead, learned the technology and after a time, found it workable.

"The fact is, it's a very accessible, and not actually an over-complicated thing," Drake said.

He declined to give a figure on how much making 3-D added to "Bloody Valentine," but said it ran into "the millions."

Technology experts said 3-D can add as much as 10-15 percent to the cost of making a film, and DreamWorks chief executive Jeffrey Katzenberg has said the additional cost for making one of his big-budget flicks is $15 million.

For now, the higher cost keeps 3-D in the realm of major studios or independents like Lionsgate that are well-financed and have their own -- or easily accessible -- distribution.

The expense precludes low-budget filmmakers whose costs are $5 million or less from venturing into 3-D. Moreover, the human dramas or comedies made on low budgets for limited release in art-houses have little to gain from 3-D, industry experts said.

However, the rule of technology is that costs decrease over time as commercial markets heat up, and executives envision a young Danny Boyle, for example, one day making a 3-D film that is as big a hit as Slumdog Millionaire, which he made in 2-D.

Pink slams American Idol finalists

PINK has criticised this year's American Idol finalists for butchering her song.

The 13 singers had to perform a version of her song 'So What' during the show's finale.

Writing on her Twitter page, Pink, who is currently on tour in Australia, said: "I heard it through the grapevine that someone butchered my song last night on TV. Does that mean I've 'made it'?"

Pink appeared on American Idol in 2007 for the show's annual 'Idol Gives Back' episode but reportedly fought with the show's producers, who wanted to alter the lyrics to her song 'U and Ur Hand'.

She refused to change the track and instead performed her hit 'Who Knew'.

"Tulips & Pansies: The Headdress Affair" - A Night of Flowers and Fashion to be Remembered

New York – If you hadn't yet become savvy to the fact that pollen season has begun in New York City, then the "Tulips & Pansies: The Headdress Affair" fashion show fundraiser thrown by Village Care New York on Thursday, May 14, was a true spring awakening, merging fashion and flowers for a good cause.

Fashion designers and florists, 17 duos in total, teamed up for the eighth annual VCNY event where there was more coming down the catwalk to look at than just a pretty dress. Each florist worked with a clothing designer to come up with an extravagantly decorative headpiece that models adorned, complementing the runway look. Lilies, orchids, poppies, roses and even palm leaves all served in the cast of foliage that stood high atop the models' crowns.

The event was hosted by James Aguiar from Full Frontal Fashion and Style Network and featured apparel designers including Tory Burch, Pamella Rowland, Ralph Rucci and Cynthia Steffe.

Winning accreditation from the judges for most entertaining design was Sara Jordan of Sara Claire and Esther, who paired fishnet stockings to her Bordeaux colored, man-tailored cropped jacket highlighting this season's special vintage embellishment - lace. "Lots of feathers," said Amy Wolk of Fleurs as she made final preparations backstage before the show, which proved to be essential to her winning top hat design that completed the cabaret inspired ensemble. The headdresses, each with their own themes, styles and inspirations, were floral masterpieces in height and length, some towering over four feet high and others spanning the same in width. Creativity was in full bloom with designs that included a fantasy bird's nest with eggs, a Greco-Roman Cleopatra hair style, a floppy "over the top" brim hat made of roses, and a Napoleon hat.

Fashion entrepreneur and founder of public relations firm People's Revolution, Kelly Cutrone chaired the event for Village Care New York along with Jack Curry. "This is the only place that helps people with HIV when they have no where else to go," said Cutrone. Having lived in the West Village area of Manhattan, she reaffirmed her loyalty to the cause, as well as her old neighborhood, shrugging her shoulders and saying, "What can I say. I'm a downtown girl."

'Angels & Demons' wins box office from 'Star Trek'

NEW YORK – "Angels & Demons" took the box office from "Star Trek" by earning $48 million in its first weekend of release.

The haul was far less than the earlier Dan Brown adaptation "The Da Vinci Code" — which earned $77.1 million when in opened in 2006 — but still enough to topple the popular "Star Trek," according to studio estimates Sunday.

In its second weekend, Paramount Pictures' "Star Trek" took in $43 million, a strong number after its $75.2 million opening last weekend, excluding its Thursday midnight screenings. The cumulative total for J.J. Abram's reboot of the sci-fi franchise is $147.6 million.

Sony's "Angels & Demons" reunites Tom Hanks and director Ron Howard for the sequel to "The Da Vinci Code." It opened without the benefit of the buzz and controversy that propelled "The Da Vinci Code" to a $753 million worldwide total.

Overseas business was again strong for "Angels & Demons," which earned $104.3 million internationally. Rory Bruer, president of worldwide distribution for Sony, said the studio expects the film will eventually take in half a billion altogether in theatrical release.

"That chemistry (of Hanks and Howard) worked incredibly well with 'Da Vinci' and it looks like it's absolutely headed in that same vein, certainly on a lesser scale," said Bruer. "We never expected anything to the phenomenon of `Da Vinci.'"

Like "The Da Vinci Code," reviews were not illustrious for "Angels & Demons," but they were mostly better. Bruer called Brown's action-packed best-seller "a far more cinematic story" than "Da Vinci." In it, Hanks again plays Harvard symbolist Robert Langdon who's trying to prevent a series of murders at the Vatican.

"Sony positioned it well," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "They didn't try to say, `This is going to be "The Da Vinci Code."' It was actually quite the contrary. They tried to say this was not `Da Vinci Code,' that it was a different kind of movie."

"Angels & Demons" was the only new wide-release film of the weekend. Coming in third was "X-Men Originals: Wolverine," which earned $14.8 million in its third week, bringing its total to $151.1 million. The prequel to the "X-Men" franchise, starring Hugh Jackman as the mutant with metal claws, had a step drop-off in its second week.

On the whole, it was another robust weekend of business at movie theaters, which have been drawing large crowds throughout the recession. Dergarabedian pegs the year-to-date box office at a 16 percent increase over last year.

"We're headed toward a record breaking summer," said Dergarabedian. "If you've got a blockbuster in the pipeline, you're very happy about all the strength of the box office right now. Momentum is key in this business."

That's good news for the two blockbusters opening next weekend: "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" and "Terminator Salvation."

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Angels & Demons," $48 million.

2. "Star Trek," $43 million.

3. "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," $14.8 million.

4. "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past," $6.9 million.

5. "Obsessed," $4.6 million.

6. "17 Again," $3.4 million.

7. "Monsters vs. Aliens," $3 million.

8. "The Soloist," $2.4 million.

9. "Next Day Air," $2.2 million.

10. "Earth," $1.7 million.

"Wolverine" slashes rivals in debut

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Comic book movie "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" slashed its rivals at box offices over the weekend with a $160 million worldwide debut, leaping to No. 1 on ticket charts in a solid start to Hollywood's summer.

The action adventure, starring Hugh Jackman as the heroic Wolverine who wields long claws as his weapons, raked in $87 million in the United States and Canada and helped push total ticket sales just slightly ahead of the same weekend last year, according to tracking service Hollywood.com Box Office.

Landing at No. 2 on domestic box office charts with $15.3 million was romantic comedy "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past," starring Matthew McConaughey. Last week's No. 1, thriller "Obsessed," dropped to third place with a weekend haul of $12.2 million for a cumulative total of $47 million in two weeks.

But it was "Wolverine" that lured the vast majority of fans to theaters. It was widely watched as the first major film of the studio's summer movie season that runs through August and can account for 35 to 40 percent of the annual ticket sales.

The $87 million domestic box office for "Wolverine" was lower than the $98.6 million debut of last year's No. 1 film, "Iron Man,' and box office trackers had estimated an opening in a range of $85 million to $100 million.

But Chris Aronson, senior vice president of domestic distribution at "Wolverine" backer Twentieth Century Fox, said the studio was guiding industry watchers lower for reasons that included the movie being the fourth in the "X-Men" series.

"I'd been telling people that at anything over $70 million, we were going to be very happy," he said.

Moreover, Aronson said "Wolverine" enjoyed the second biggest domestic opening for an "X-Men" movie behind "X-Men: The Last Stand," which posted a $102 million debut in May 2006 and eventually earned $459 million globally.

The four movies in the "X-Men" series have combined for more than $1.1 billion in ticket sales around the world.

SALES TOPPED PRODUCTION COSTS

The Fox executive said ticket sales of $73 million in 101 markets outside the United States and Canada brought the global haul to $160 million. He called that figure "fantastic," and noted it topped the movie's production cost of around $130 million.

Aronson said "Wolverine" may have been affected by other issues including the flu outbreak that shut theaters in Mexico, where "Last Stand" took in $6 million at its debut.

In the United States, Aronson said, a Saturday night professional basketball game between the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls likely reduced moviegoing in those cities. In Boston, ticket sales were off around 21 percent and in Chicago, they were down about 30 percent.

Finally, an early and unfinished copy of "Wolverine" had leaked on the Internet and may have kept some fans away. But the true impact of Web watching is hard to calculate. "I don't know that we'll ever know" the effect, Aronson said.

Rounding out the top five movies were comedy "17 Again" with $6.4 million ($48.5 million cumulative) at No. 4, and animated "Monsters vs. Aliens" with $5.8 million ($182.4 million cumulative) at No. 5.

Twentieth Century Fox is a unit of News Corp. Warner Bros. is part of Time Warner Inc. "Obsessed" was distributed by Sony Pictures Entertainment unit Screen Gems. "17 Again" was distributed by Warner Bros., and "Monsters vs. Aliens" by DreamWorks Animation.

"Angels & Demons" director sees Vatican meddling

ROME (Reuters) – Director Ron Howard accused the Vatican on Sunday of trying to hamper the filming and the Rome roll-out of his new movie "Angels & Demons," and challenged Catholic critics to see the film before condemning it.

The movie sequel to author Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code" will premiere in Rome on Monday, with fictional symbologist Robert Langdon returning to the big screen to help the Vatican rescue kidnapped cardinals and find a ticking time-bomb.

The Vatican was outraged by "The Da Vinci Code" and the Rome archdiocese made no secret about denying Howard authorization to film parts of the follow-up inside its churches.

Howard said the Vatican also exerted its influence "through backchannels" to try to prevent him from shooting in areas around certain churches and got an event related to the film's premiere canceled, he said.

"There was supposed to be a reception or screening here in Rome that had been approved and I suppose that the Vatican had some influence over that," Howard told a news conference.

A Vatican spokesman declined to comment.

Fanning controversy, a 102-year-old Italian bishop was quoted in Italian media over the weekend calling the film "highly denigrating, defamatory and offensive to Church values and the reputation of the Holy See."

"My only frustration as a film-maker is that we actually reached out a couple of times, going back to March, to sort of offer opportunities for bishops and others just to see the film. And those opportunities have all been declined," Howard said.

"So far all the criticism, all of the complaints about the film have been coming from people who haven't seen it."

SECRET BLOODLINE

"The Da Vinci Code" upset the Vatican and some Catholics because of its storyline that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and had children, creating a royal bloodline that Church officials kept secret for centuries.

Christians are taught that Jesus never married, was crucified and rose from the dead.

The storyline of "Angels & Demons" does not raise questions about Jesus Christ. It is billed as a "science-vs-religion" thriller that deals with an attempt to hijack a papal election.

Despite some criticism in Italy and the United States, reaction so far by Catholics to "Angels & Demons" has not been as thunderous as it was with the release of "The Da Vinci Code."

Tom Hanks, who again stars as Langdon, acknowledged that films thrive on controversy.

"The marketing department of any studio would love to create controversy over their films, but they can't do it on their own. They need a shared partner," Hanks said.

Dan Brown refused to discuss his next novel about Langdon's adventures, which publisher Random House has said will be called "The Lost Symbol" and will be released in September.

But Brown suggested that Howard was the ideal director for a film adaptation of the new book. Howard's adaptation of "The Da Vinci Code," which was panned by critics, earned more than $750 million at the box office worldwide.

"I am very certain that someday, in the hands of Ron Howard, it is going to make an absolutely terrific movie," he said.

Jackie Chan stages show at Beijing's Bird's Nest

BEIJING – Jackie Chan and a host of Chinese pop stars performed at Beijing's massive Bird's Nest stadium on Friday without a hint of the uproar caused by the veteran action star's recent comments about freedom and China.

The 55-year-old "Rush Hour" star told a business forum last month that freedom may not be a good thing for authoritarian mainland China. Critics called his comments an insult to the Chinese people.

Chan's spokesman, Solon So, later said Chan's comments were taken out of context and that the actor was referring to freedom in the entertainment industry and not Chinese society at large.

There were no signs of protests as Chan took the stage Friday at the site of the Beijing Olympics' opening and closing ceremonies, with the 91,000-capacity stadium about three-quarters full as the concert got under way.

Chan told the crowd that organizers sold 70,000 tickets. The controversy over Chan's remarks was widely reported in Hong Kong and Taiwan, but largely ignored in mainland China.

Chan sang the patriotic song "Descendants of the Dragon." Other performers included Taiwanese singer-songwriter Jonathan Lee and Hong Kong's Emil Chau, Alan Tam, Joey Yung and Hacken Lee.

South Korean singer Rain and the South Korean boy band Super Junior were to perform later.

The concert, timed to coincide with China's May 1-3 Labor Day national holiday, is the first major event to take place at the Bird's Nest since the closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics and Beijing Paralympics and came amid questions about the stadium's future.

Chan is known for his unique brand of action comedy, but has also dabbled in singing and sang with other stars at both the opening and closing ceremonies.

Madonna adoption case heard amid paternity dispute

BLANTYRE, Malawi – Malawi's highest court began deliberating on Madonna's bid to adopt a 3-year-old girl from the southern African country, as a dispute erupted over whether a man trying to stop the proceedings is the girl's father.

Madonna was not at Monday's closed-door hearing at the Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal, and a ruling may not be announced for several days.

The 50-year-old pop star is fighting a lower court's decision that she cannot adopt Chifundo "Mercy" James because she had not been screened over time by Malawi authorities. The court said the rules were bent when Madonna adopted her son David from Malawi last year.

Madonna's Malawian lawyer Alan Chinula said he was "hopeful" the appeal would succeed, and argued the lower court had relied on outdated law to block the girl's adoption.

Madonna found the girl in 2006 at Kondanani Children's Village, an orphanage in the southern town of Bvumbwe just south of the commercial capital of Blantyre. It was the same year she adopted David, whom she found at another orphanage in the central Mchinji district.

On Sunday, a man told The Associated Press he was the girl's father, and has sought help from the Malawi Law Society to stop the adoption.

James Kambewa, a 24-year-old a security guard, acknowledged he has never seen the child, who according to court documents was placed in the orphanage when her 14-year-old mother died a few weeks after giving birth to her.

But Kambewa said he now wanted to claim custody of Chifundo.

"I may be poor, but I think I have what it takes to raise a daughter," he said. "I will fight the adoption."

The brother of the girl's mother told the AP the family does not know Kambewa.

"How can he claim he is the father when he hasn't been around all this time?" said Peter Baneti, who explained that the girl was put in the orphanage because there was no one to breast-feed the baby.

Baneti said he had agreed to the adoption on behalf of the family, and that Kambewa was "just an opportunist."

Madonna spokeswoman Liz Rosenberg said in an e-mail message she doesn't know if Kambewa is the father.

"All I know is that Mercy has been in an orphanage since the day she was born," Rosenberg said.

Kambewa, in an interview to be aired Monday on CBS' "The Early Show," said he has only seen the girl "in newspapers and TV — not face to face." But he told CBS the girl "is a Malawian — so (I) need her to grow as a Malawian as well with our culture."

On the show, Kambewa wore a necklace bearing the girl's name.

Madonna has founded a charity, Raising Malawi, that helps feed, educate and provide medical care for some of Malawi's more than 1 million orphans, half of whom have lost parents to AIDS.