Halle Berry: Mother-Daughter Lunch Date

Playing the part of the doting mother, Halle Berry took her daughter Nahla out to lunch in Beverly Hills today (May 6).

The ?Swordfish? actress looked casually stylish as she made her exit from the restaurant, sporting a grey top and slim fit jeans with a massive black handbag.

In career news, Halle is set to receive the Celebrity Fragrance of the Year trophy at the upcoming FiFi Awards.

Berry told press, "For years, I have created my own personal scents by mixing and layering fragrances, trying to come up with something unique and different. It's a wonderful form of self-expression and I am thrilled to share these fragrances with consumers worldwide."

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Pippa Middleton Arse Appreciation Society Membership Ranks Swell on Facebook


Her sister may be the Duchess of Cambridge now, but Pippa Middleton also caught the attention of millions tuning in to the British royal wedding last Friday.

Thanks to her white, body-hugging Alexander McQueen gown, some even say Pippa stole the spotlight from her older sister. We wouldn't go that far, but ...

The fascination with Pippa Middleton, Kate's maid of honor, has even spawned a Facebook page: The unofficial "Pippa Middleton Arse Appreciation Society."

It's been "Liked" by nearly 200,000 people and counting.

Pippa Middleton at the Royal WeddingHot Pippa Middleton Pic

Pippa does look unreal in that dress. Just saying.

Not shockingly, the younger Middleton sister has quickly become one of the U.K.'s hottest bachelorettes, although she may not be that way for much longer.

She brought rumored beau Alex Loudon, a cricket player turned businessman, as her date to the wedding, and the two are reportedly getting very serious.

Regardless, tabloid interest in Pippa's personal life should only increase, thanks to Kate marrying Prince William - and because she's a great catch herself.

"At heart, Pippa is a nice, smart girl who likes to party and have fun," a source told the Daily Mail. Not a lot to dislike about that combination, is there?

[Photos: WENN.com]

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'Gypsy' playwright Arthur Laurents dies in NYC

NEW YORK - Arthur Laurents, the director, playwright and screenwriter who wrote such enduring stage musicals as "West Side Story" and "Gypsy," as well as the movie classics "Rope" and "The Way We Were," died Thursday. He was 93.

Laurents died at his home in Manhattan from complications of pneumonia, said his agent, Jonathan Lomma.

Laurents had an extensive career in radio and in Hollywood, but it was on Broadway where he had his biggest successes - particularly with two musicals many consider to be among the finest ever written. And Laurents provided the book - or story - for both of them.

"West Side Story," which opened on Broadway in 1957, transformed Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" into musical theater. It had pulsating, jazz-flecked music by Leonard Bernstein and galvanizing direction and choreography by Jerome Robbins.

Robbins also directed and choreographed "Gypsy," based on the memoirs of stripper Gypsy Rose Lee. The 1959 musical, with a score by Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim, told the story of Rose, a domineering stage mother who pushed her daughter into show business. As Rose, Ethel Merman had the greatest triumph of her career.

"Gypsy" has been successfully revived four times on Broadway, first in 1974 with Angela Lansbury as Rose, then with Tyne Daly in 1989 (Laurents directed both of them) and Bernadette Peters in 2003.

Laurents was back as director for the 2008 Broadway version, with Patti LuPone as Rose. The

production won Tonys for LuPone and two featured, or supporting, performers. Laurents was nominated for best director but did not win.

In 2009, Laurents directed a revised version of "West Side Story," giving the show a new dose of realism by having much of the dialogue in Spanish.

His credits as a stage director also include "I Can Get It For You Wholesale," best remembered as the musical which introduced a 19-year-old Barbra Streisand to Broadway in 1962, and "La Cage Aux Folles" (1983), the smash Jerry Herman musical that ran for four years.

Laurents was a short, compact man with a trim fighter's build and a direct manner of speaking. He was known for saying exactly what was on his mind.

Laurents was born in Brooklyn, the son of an attorney. He attended Cornell University and after graduation began writing radio plays including scripts for such popular series as "Dr. Christian" and "The Thin Man."

While serving in the army during World War II, Laurents wrote military training films as well scripts for such radio programs as "Army Service Forces Present" and "Assignment Home."

His wartime experiences led to his first Broadway play, "Home of the Brave," which opened in December 1945. The military drama, which dealt with anti-Semitism, had a short run but later was made into a well-received movie in which the theme was changed to racial rather than religious prejudice.

In Hollywood after the war, Laurents wrote or co-wrote scripts for such films as "Rope" (1948), Alfred Hitchcock's masterful take on the Leopold-Loeb murder case; an uncredited contribution to "The Snake Pit" (1948), a look at mental illness underlined by Olivia de Havilland's harrowing lead performance; "Caught" (1949), Max Ophuls' love triangle melodrama starring James Mason, Barbara Bel Geddes and Robert Ryan, and "Anna Lucasta," (1949) an all-white version of the black stage hit about a Brooklyn prostitute.

Laurents returned to the New York theater in 1950 with "The Bird Cage," a drama about a nightclub owner. It quickly flopped despite a cast that included Melvyn Douglas and Maureen Stapleton.

Two years later, Laurents had one of his biggest successes, "The Time of the Cuckoo," a rueful comedy about a lonely spinster who finds romance in Venice with an already married Italian shopkeeper. "Cuckoo" provided Shirley Booth with one of her best stage roles and was later made into the movie "Summertime," starring Katharine Hepburn.

In 1966, Laurents reworked "Cuckoo" as a musical. Retitled "Do I Hear A Waltz?", it had music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Sondheim. The following year, he wrote the book for the musical "Hallelujah, Baby!" The show, starring Leslie Uggams and with a score by Styne, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, won the best-musical Tony Award in 1968.

Laurents' biggest film successes occurred in the 1970 s, first as screenwriter for "The Way We Were," the 1973 movie starring Streisand and Robert Redford who played lovers pulled apart by the ideological conflicts of the McCarthy period of the late 1940 s and '50 s.

He also wrote the script for "The Turning Point," a 1977 film starring Shirley MacLaine and Anne Bancroft as two former dancers still enmeshed in a personal rivalry. Other movies with screenplays by Laurents include "Anastasia" (1956) and the unsuccessful "Bonjour Tristesse" (1958), based on the novel by Francoise Sagan.

Laurents was not immune to stage failure either. "Anyone Can Whistle," his 1964 collaboration with Sondheim, lasted only nine performance on Broadway. Yet thanks to its original cast recording featuring Angela Lansbury and Lee Remick, the show developed a cult following among musical-theater buffs.

In 1991, Laurents directed the musical "Nick and Nora," which he called "the biggest and most public flop of my career." Based on Dashiell Hammett's famous "Thin Man" detective couple, Nick and Nora Charles, the show played nearly two months of preview performances before finally opening - and closing - in less than a week.

___

AP Drama Writer Mark Kennedy contributed to this report.

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Cheryl Cole's homesickness worries

06 May 2011

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Cheryl Cole is worried about being homesick when she travels to the US to work on musical talent show 'The X Factor' and will take teabags and hot chocolate with her.

Cheryl Cole is taking teabags with her to the US while she works on 'The X Factor'.

The British singer - who was announced as a judge on the musical talent show alongside Simon Cowell and L.A. Reid yesterday (05.05.11) - will miss home while she is in the US on the programme, but is taking some of her favourite comforts with her.

She told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "I'm a really homely person and I miss home even when I'm only away for a few days.

"But I'm only working there so I'll be back as much as I'll be away. I just need to take some home comforts like teabags and hot chocolate and I'll be fine."

But I'm only working there so I'll be back as much as I'll be away. I just need to take some home comforts like teabags and hot chocolate and I'll be fine.

The 27-year-old star is also set to drop her surname and be known as Cheryl and although some had been concerned at her strong accent - as she hails from the North East of England - she believes it will be a strength.

She told The Sun newspaper: "So far I have only ever been complimented on my accent. Americans are always really sweet about my accent and seem to find it intriguing, which I think is quite funny.

"It's going be very different for me from our British version just because America is so huge and the age range on X Factor is going to open it up to age 12 to age 80.

"But talent is talent no matter where in the world you're from.

"That's one of the special things about it. Talent doesn't have a class or an accent or a country, it's a gift - and I love finding that in people."

Following the announcement that Cheryl is joining 'The X Factor' panel in America, it has now been confirmed she will no longer be part of the British version of the show.

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Martinis And Popcorn: Race To The Finish Line ?Fast Five? Versus ?Thor?

It?s going to be muscles and machine against the Mjolnir and more muscles! Thor, God of thunder played by Chris Hemsworth, will premiere this weekend, wielding his mythical hammer against last weekend?s number one box office film, Fast Five.

Fast Five, which reunites Vin Diesel and Paul Walker, grossed $3.7 million its first weekend and now that we know Dwayne Johnson did not fall over 60 feet to his death, the cast will continue to push to stay on top for a second weekend in a row.

PHOTOS: Dwayne Johnson laughs in the face of danger!

But will it succeed against Marvel comic?s Thor? Although Thor is lesser known than the other two comic hero films set to release this summer, Ryan Reynolds in The Green Lantern and Chris Evans as Captain America, Hemsworth worked hard to perfectly embody the brawny God in his breakthrough role. By the way, did we mention that Black Swan Academy Award winner Natalie Portman is his co-star? She?s really carrying some weight these days ? literally.

If glistening muscles are towards the bottom of your must-see list, romantic comedies Something Borrowed and Jumping the Broom release worldwide, too.

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'West Side Story' Playwright Arthur Laurents Dies

It's a sad day on Broadway. Arthur Laurents, the playwright behind the iconic musicals 'West Side Story' and 'Gyspy,' has passed away.

According to the New York Times, Laurent died Thursday from pneumonia complications at his Manhattan home. He was 93.

Though his work can be found across many genres, Laurents spent the majority of his career -- 65 years -- writing and directing plays, and did so up until just two years ago.

After several less successful endeavors, his big break came in 1957 with 'West Side Story,' his new spin on the classic 'Romeo and Juliet' story. Laurents took his play to composer Leonard Bernstein and lyricist Stephen Sondheim and together they created the unforgettable Broadway hit.


"What we really did stylistically with 'West Side Story' was take every musical theater technique as far as it could be taken," Laurents wrote in his 2009 memoir, 'Mainly on Directing: 'Gypsy,' 'West Side Story' and Other Musicals.' "Scene, song and dance were integrated seamlessly; we did it all better than anyone ever had before."

In 1959, Laurents created another musical, 'Gypsy,' which many consider one of Broadway's best. Laurents was also involved in the direction of several successful revival shows of 'Gypsy' after its initial premiere.

Laurent's first novel, 'The Way We Were,' was published in 1972 and he wrote the screenplay for the romantic 1973 film starring Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford.

After dabbling in film, Laurent spent his last decades involved with various other plays and musicals. His last play, 'Come Back, Come Back, Wherever You Are,' premiered off-Broadway in the spring of 2009.

Recently Departed Celebrities

David Nelson, Jan. 11: An actor who starred alongside his parents and little brother Ricky in the beloved TV series 'The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet,' Nelson died at age 74 after battling complications of colon cancer.

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Everett Collection


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Cheryl Cole: Americans are always really sweet about my accent

Cheryl Cole's not nervous about moving to the USA for The X Factor US

Celebrity hair: Cheryl Cole | Pictures | Star Style | Now Magazine

Cheryl Cole's launching her career Stateside

Cheryl Cole was finally confirmed as a judge on the US X Factor yesterday, and the pop singer reckons she's already got the American public on her side.

The announcement ends months of speculation that TV bosses were reluctant to hire the pop star because the US public may struggle to understand her Geordie twang.

'So far I have only ever been complimented on my accent,' says Cheryl, 27.

'Americans are always really sweet about my accent and seem to find it intriguing, which I think is quite funny.'

Cheryl will be leaving the UK version of the show to take up her seat next to Simon Cowell, 51, in America.

'I'm so excited,' she tells The Sun.

'I absolutely love finding new talent and helping them grow, so this is very exciting for me to take part in.'

Cheryl Cole and Simon Cowell | Simon Cowell | Life Story | Pictures | Photos | New | Now Magazine

SEE PICTURES Stars arrive at Simon Cowell's 50th birthday party>>

NEW PICTURES Cheryl Cole wears nude dress to meet Prince Charles>>

SEE PICTURES Cheryl and Ashley Cole: The story so far>>

MORE PHOTOS Cheryl Cole looking red hot at the Elle Style Awards 2011>>

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FASHION GALLERY SPECIAL Cheryl Cole's fashion history - the highs and the lows>>

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Video: Which Contestant Was Eliminated on 'American Idol'?

American Idol ContestantsIt's down to the wire now on 'American Idol'. With only five contestants left, each of them had two solo performances in the performance show. For most of them, this proved to be a blessing as they were able to nail at least one of their songs.

Haley Reinhart had a shaky start, according to the judges, with an unreleased Lady Gaga song. But she closed the show with an amazing take of 'The House of the Rising Sun.' Scotty opened strong with 'Gone,' but wasn't as strong on his second number.

James lost himself in the emotions a bit in his second number, which could have hurt or helped him with viewers. Lauren held back a bit on 'Unchained Melody' while Jacob floundered a lot on 'No Air.' It's one of the strongest Top Five's in recent memory, so it was anyone's week to lose.


!!SPOILER ALERT!!

After putting James and Lauren through an emotional roller coaster throughout the episode, it was finally revealed that Jacob and Lauren were in the Bottom Two. Lauren had tears streaming down her face, and still Ryan Seacrest forced her through another commercial break.

Afterward, he put her out of her misery by sending her to safety. Jacob Lusk was eliminated, which seemed appropriate. He's been having a harder time reigning his vocals into the songs he's been choosing, and he had two uncomfortable performances this week.

Get more at TV Squad >>

PopScene: Week's Hottest Pics

Gabourey Sidibe attends The American Cancer Society's Choose You luncheon on May 5th in New York City.

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Amy Sussman, Getty Images


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Stefan Glaenzer, Mike Butcher and The NextWomen's Joana Picq on the Jury for the NEXT Elevator

The jury for the NEXT Elevator Pitch - the large Start-up competition for the NEXT Conference in Berlin on May 17 & 18 - has been finalised. After the community selected the top 30 start-ups from all submitted applications, by voting at elevator.nextconf.eu, the final choice now rests with the jury. Mike Butcher, the European face of TechCrunch, and Stefan Glaenzer, prominent player in all matters of founding a business, are just two of the names on the international jury.

The German and European Venture Capital scenes are well represented with Sarik Weber (Hanse Ventures), Stefan Glaenzer (White Bear Yard) and Reshma Sohoni (Seedcamp) among others. Other members of the jury have already completed the journey from start-up to big player with their own businesses. Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten, founder of The Next Web and other companies; Mike Butcher from TechCrunch; The NextWomen's very own COO Joana Picq; and the media partner Wired UK, all assure that the participating start-ups will get the international attention necessary.

The jury will decide which 12 founders will present their businesses at the NEXT Elevator Pitch on the first day of the NEXT Conference on May 17.

The presentation and the subsequent award ceremony will be moderated by Hermione Way (The Next Web).

The complete jury consists of Marco Börries (NumberFour AG, Founder), Mike Butcher (TechCrunch Europe, Editor), Alexander von Frankenberg (High-Tech Gründerfonds, Managing Director), Maks Giordano (juuman´okudo, Founder), Stefan Glaenzer (White Bear Yard, Founder), Olaf Jacobi (Target Partners, Partner), Torsten Oelke (YOU IS NOW, Manager), Joana Picq (The Next Women, COO), Christoph Räthke (Founder Institute, Berlin Director), Reshma Sohoni (Seedcamp, Partner), Boris Veldhuijzen from Zanten (The Next Web, Founder), and Sarik Weber (Hanse Ventures, Founder).

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