Wednesday 23 July 2014

Peaches Geldof was relapsed addict who died of heroin overdose, inquest hears

London (CNN) -- Peaches Geldof, the daughter of musician Bob Geldof and the late Paula Yates, died of a heroin overdose after relapsing into use of the illegal drug following attempts to give it up, an inquest heard Wednesday.

The death of the 25-year-old TV host in April at her home in Wrotham, Kent, southeast of London, shocked the entertainment world.

Detective Chief Inspector Paul Fotheringham of Kent police told the inquest that Geldof had been addicted to heroin for a number of years but had ceased taking the drug more recently.

Geldof, who had two children younger than 2, had been supported by drug treatment workers for 2½ years, being prescribed methadone, he said. She had said she wanted to come off methadone completely and was following a reduction plan.

Jimmy Fallon weighed the pros and cons of decriminalizing marijuana in D.C. on The Tonight Show Tuesday evening.

In a lighthearted segment that lampooned marijuana, the munchies and Matthew McConaughey, Fallon raised some good points about the district's future.

Just what does Vice President Biden think about it? And how will it affect Michelle Obama's diet? Watch the video above to find out.

San Diego’s Comic-Con International 2014 officially opens to fans on Thursday and organizers say it will be the epicenter of all things pop culture.

David Glanzer, Comic-Con’s Director of Marketing, told NBC 7 more than 130,000 fans are expected to attend the event at the San Diego Convention Center through Sunday.

That’s a long way from the 300 people that attended the original San Diego Comic-Con 45 years ago in the basement of the U.S. Grant Hotel on Broadway.

“When we started 45 years ago, nobody ever envisioned this,” said Glanzer. “There’s so much going on here now – anything having to do with pop culture, this is the epicenter of it all for the next few days.”

On Tuesday night’s episode of “The Daily Show”, host Jon Stewart announced his plan to buy out CNN—but there’s a catch. He needs your help. Stewart explained that if media magnate Rupert Murdoch was able to purchase CNN’s parent company, Time Warner, then the news network would have to be sold to avoid any problems with regulatory guidelines. After all, Murdoch also owns Fox News and that creates an inexcusable–and illegal–conflict of interest.

GLEE star Naya Rivera chose glamorous Cabo San Lucas, in Mexico, for her surprise wedding to fellow actor Ryan Dorsey last week.

Los Angeles — Attention pop stars: If “Weird Al” Yankovic shows up at your concert or has tracked down your personal email address, you’re likely his next parody conquest.

Such was the case for artists like Pharrell and Iggy Azalea, who are covered by Yankovic in his latest album, Mandatory Fun.

For his 14th studio effort, released last week, Yankovic had his heart set on Williams’ No. 1 smash Happy. When he didn’t hear back from Pharrell’s camp, he decided to go straight to the source.

“I somehow got Pharrell’s home email address — I won’t say how — and I emailed him and asked if I could do the parody,” recalled the 54-year-old comedian. “He couldn’t have been nicer and he said he was honored to have me do the parody.”

Cissy Houston said the family's 'exhausted by the continuing misinformation' and begged the cabler to 'let her rest'.

Lifetime's "I Will Always Love You: The Whitney Houston Story" faces opposition from the late singer's other family member. Whitney Houston's mother Cissy is pleading the cable network to cancel the biopic that will focus on Houston's tumultuous relationship with former husband Bobby Brown.

"Lifetime has chosen to go ahead with the movie about Whitney in spite of my family's objections," Cissy told Entertainment Tonight. "In the two years since Whitney's death, many people have stepped forward to speak about their close relationship with her."

Kim Kardashian posts adorable picture of North post-first steps.

North West walks!

That’s right. Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s daughter reached another milestone Wednesday (July 23) night: she took those all-important first steps.

The proud mother took to Instagram to share a photo of her holding and kissing her daughter, who is swaddled in a yellow towel.

(CNN) -- Another go at "Iron Man"? Robert Downey Jr. would welcome the opportunity.

Hollywood's highest-paid actor told Entertainment Weekly that he would have no problem putting on the big red suit if Marvel will have him back.

Robert Downey Jr.: Hollywood's highest-paid actor (again)

LOS ANGELES — There is no place to hide on a movie screen when playing the Greek icon Hercules. The first superhero had a demigod body in a time of skimpy clothing.

That's why Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, 42, would perform frequent detailed inspections to make sure he was showing the right stuff everywhere when filming Hercules (out Friday) last year in Budapest.

"Every 72 hours I would strip down to my underwear and get someone on the team to take 360-degree pictures of my entire body. Then I would send the pictures to my (training) coach," says Johnson. "It was an incredible process, the constant management of the visual."

Despite Letterman’s departure, CBS’ ‘Late Show’ will continue to film in New York.

While CBS’ Late Show will be changing hosts in 2015, the network and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday that its location will remain the same.

“I am pleased to announce that the ‘Late Show’ will stay in New York, where it belongs,” stated Cuomo. “As David Letterman passes the baton to Stephen Colbert, I look forward to watching ‘The Late Show’ from the historic Ed Sullivan Theater for years to come.”

We’re quite aware that Lana Del Rey has little interest in being a role model. But her newest revelation seems particularly painful, given how many young girls adore her music.

When Complex magazine questioned Del Rey about a single on her new album Ultraviolence, explicitly called F–d My Way to the Top, she elaborates, calling it commentary on her image. “You know, I have slept with a lot of guys in the industry, but none of them helped me get my record deals,” she says. “Which is annoying.”

Spider-Man fans are going to have to wait a little bit longer to see their favorite superhero on the big screen.

Sony announced its updated release strategy for the nearly $4 billion franchise Wednesday at San Diego Comic-Con and it included a major bombshell about The Amazing Spider-Man 3.

After first scheduling a release date for 2016, Sony told fans that they now have to wait until 2018(!) to see the next installment.

But it's not all bad news. Fanboys (and girls) can look forward to Sinister Six, opening in theatres November 11, 2016. It's a little closer, right?

"Big Brother" producers just broke the news to Ariana Grande's brother that his grandfather passed away -- and the whole 'BB' house is rallying around him.

TMZ broke the story earlier today ... Frankie Grande's grandpa died on Tuesday, but Ariana obeyed his final wish -- to keep his death secret from Frankie, and allow him to continue on 'BB.'

Maisie Williams, the 17-year-old 'Game of Thrones' actress complained on Twitter about not being allowed into an adults-only airport lounge. While many teens long for freedom to go wherever they choose, a little perspective might help too.

British Airways is getting a taste of what it feels like to parent a teen who has a strong sense of entitlement. “Game of Thrones" star Maisie Williams, 17, who plays the orphaned, hard-scrabble character Arya Stark wielded the Twitter blade after being denied entrance to the British Airways business class lounge because of her age.

"Denied from the business lounge once again for being under 18 and without an adult... @British_Airways sort your [expletive] out," Ms. Williams posted on her Twitter account @Maisie_Williams on Sunday, July 20.

The first trailers for the upcoming Alan Turing biopic The Imitation Game have been released, starring Sherlock's Benedict Cumberbatch as the troubled mathematician.

Trailers, plural? Yes -- the international trailer opts for a more action-packed approach, with plenty of explosions and depictions of war-torn London peppering the background to Turing's struggle to crack the Enigma machine and unlock Nazi communications during World War II. The UK trailer instead focusses more on Turing's arrogant personality and conflicts with the political and military figures of the time, painting the film as much more of a character piece.

Disney has announced a specially-themed Play Set for imminent Marvel movie Guardians of the Galaxy, plus toys for all the characters.

The film is out next Thursday in the UK but Disney Infinity 2.0 itself is not out until September, and yet that’s not stopping Disney from announcing a special Guardians of the Galaxy Play Set for the game.

It will feature a new story that has the Guardians on the run from movie bad guy Ronan the Accuser, after stealing a ‘powerful cosmic object’ from him.

Cheryl Fernandez-Versini and her husband Jean-Bernard celebrated their recent marriage with friends and family at a private party in London.

The newlyweds, who tied the knot during a romantic beach ceremony on the island of Mustique earlier this month, coordinated at their wedding party in black, with Cheryl sporting a design by British couture duo Ralph & Russo.

Cheryl is said to have expressed interest in the gown in January, requesting to wear it for Cannes Film Festival but it was unavailable.

For nearly half his life, Daniel Radcliffe was Harry Potter. But he's a grown-up actor now, with starring roles on Broadway and in indie films like Kill Your Darlings. Yes, the role of Potter will likely dog him all his life, but there's a lot more to the actor – who turned 25 years old on Wednesday – than those famous round glasses.

To prove it, here are 25 things that make Radcliffe quite different from the character he played over the course of 10 years.

1. Daniel Radcliffe was born on July 23, 1989. Harry Potter was born on July 31, 1980, a fact the books occasionally forgot and the film series dispensed with entirely.

2. Harry Potter is an orphan. Daniel Radcliffe's parents have not yet been murdered by an evil wizard bent on world domination.

The Sun on Sunday's 'fake sheikh' has won awards for his elaborate set ups. Yet the ruthlessness with which he entraps his prey means singer Tulisa Contostavlos can count herself lucky to have escaped his clutches

Mazher Mahmood is a clever, canny and creative reporter who generates his own stories. It's important to place that on record because, before we delve into his use of the darker journalistic arts, there should not be any illusion about his reporting skills.

He is a genuine one-off, a self-starter who, when properly directed and chasing a story of genuine public interest, has much to be proud of. Down the years he has been responsible for many people going to jail for breaking the law – perhaps not quite as many as he has boasted, but a lot all the same. His greatest triumph, the exposure of Pakistani cricketers in 2011 for so-called spot-fixing during matches, rightfully won him awards. Three players were jailed and banned from cricket. A bookmaker was also jailed.

Dora Bryan, the veteran British actress whose long career encompassed theatre, film, radio and television, has died in Hove, near Brighton, at the age of 91.

She was best known for her roles in Last of the Summer Wine and Absolutely Fabulous, and won a best actress Bafta for the 1962 film A Taste Of Honey.

Her manager, David Hill, confirmed her death, calling the actress "a legend, an icon and a true star".

Brighton newspaper The Argus, reported she had died at a nursing home in Hove.

An inquest into the tragic death of 25 year-old Peaches Geldof has concluded that the model and presenter did die of a heroin overdose.

"It has been established that Peaches Geldof-Cohen had been previously addicted to heroin for a number of years but that more recently had ceased taking the drug," a statement from senior investigating officer Paul Fotheringham reads.

"Peaches had been supported by drug treatment workers for two-and-a-half years, being prescribed methadone."

"Peaches had indicated her desire to come off of methadone completely, and was following a plan to reduce the level of methadone she was taking. A drugs test in November indicated that she was not taking any illicit drug."

Sarah Probert reviews Two Gentlemen of Verona at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon.Two Gentlemen of Verona at Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon

This rarely performed play is one of Shakespeare’s earliest comedies and is packed with those familiar themes we see in the playwright’s later works.

In Two Gentlemen we get friendship, betrayal, love and that familiar element of cross dressing.

It was last seen here at the RSC main stage 45 years ago when a young Helen Mirren was Julia, Patrick Stewart was Launce and Ian Richardson was Proteus.

Sam Smith has revealed the inspiration behind his debut album – and it was the unrequited love of a man.

Right now, Sam Smith is at the top of his game. He’s had success in the UK, the US is trying to snap him up, and the 22-year-old is enjoying seeing the world appreciate his hard work. And it’s all thanks to the fact his heart was broken.

Previously he’s been pretty guarded about his sexuality, but he’s now opened up about the fact that an early heartbreak provided him with inspiration for the music that has made him a success.

Sam admits he let the man know he’d been his muse before the album was released.

Paul Kingsnorth earns place on Man Booker Prize longlist after his novel The Wake was published via donations from the crowdfunding website Unbound

A debut novel that was ‘crowdfunded’ by members of the public has made it to the longlist for the Man Booker Prize.

The Wake by Paul Kingsnorth is a historical novel set in 1066 and written in what the author calls “shadow tongue”, a mix of modern and Old English.

“Glee” star Naya Rivera has wed actor Ryan Dorsey in Mexico just three months after she called off her engagement to rapper Big Sean.

The actress married Dorsey, who has enjoyed roles in “Parks and Recreation” and “Southland,” on July 19 in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, in an intimate ceremony in front of a small group of family members.

Rivera wore a Monique Lhuillier gown and carried a bouquet of daisies as they exchanged vows, according to People.com.

Adele's 1-year-old son Angelo will get a 5-figure settlement from paparazzi ... after the singer sued a British photo agency for ruining her son's "milestone moments."

Adele sued Corbis Images UK ... accusing the agency's photogs of illegally taking and posting pics of her little boy during his first family outings -- which she calls his milestone moments.

Dumb Starbucks is coming back, but only on TV.
The comic who came up with the fake-store concept will discuss its origins and aftermath on next Tuesday's episode of Comedy Central's "Nathan For You."

Star Nathan Fielder opened the Dumb Starbucks coffee shop in a Los Angeles strip mall in February and it quickly drew lines of curious residents, national media attention and legal scrutiny by the real Starbucks. The city's health department closed Dumb Starbucks after three days for not having the proper permits.

So far, Fielder, Comedy Central and parent company Viacom have escaped legal action. But Dumb Starbucks is done.

Nicki Minaj, One Direction, Ed Sheeran, Paramore and Iggy Azalea are also part of the fourth annual lineup.

The iHeartRadio Music Festival makes its fourth trip to Las Vegas on September 19 and 20, and this year's lineup is appropriately star-studded. Taylor Swift, Coldplay, Usher, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj, Motley Crue, Zac Brown Band, One Direction, Ed Sheeran, Paramore, Iggy Azalea, Train, Eric Church, Lorde, Calvin Harris, Bastille and Steve Aoki are the first performers to be confirmed for the main stage at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino.

Swift, Usher, Minaj and Harris are among this year's return performers, and are all prepping major releases for the fourth quarter, which iHeartRadio has helped labels and managers tee off for three years running.

"Downton Abbey" will be back for its fifth season on Jan. 4, but the return date for another hit PBS series, "Sherlock," is up in the air, PBS chief executive Paula Kerger said Tuesday.

"We will have to wait to know when it's finished and available," Kerger said of the mystery starring Benedict Cumberbatch. "Whenever it comes, we'll put it in a wonderful place."

PBS is making its shows available for flexible viewing, using both digital platforms and creative scheduling on public TV stations, she said. All episodes of Ken Burns' "The Roosevelts," for instance, will be available for streaming the day after the first episode airs on Sept. 14.

Golden Globe Award winner and Academy Award nominee Angela Bassett will make her directorial debut with the Lifetime Original Movie Whitney Houston. Today, ET shares an exclusive behind the scenes look at the highly anticipated project. Check it out below!

While Houston's daughter Bobbi Kristina wanted to play her mother in the film, America's Next Top Model contestant Yaya DeCosta will take on the role, while R&B artist Deborah Cox lends her voice for the singing segments.

UPDATE: The Hollywood Reporter has since removed the below story from their site without explanation. Meanwhile, Zoe Saldana's rep tells E! News he has not confirmed or commented on the widespread pregnancy speculation to any outlets.

First three 'Iron Man' films have been hugely successful

Another go at "Iron Man"? Robert Downey Jr. would welcome the opportunity. Hollywood's highest-paid actor told Entertainment Weekly that he would have no problem putting on the big red suit if Marvel will have him back. "It's down to Kevin (Feige, Marvel Studios president) and Ike (Perlmutter, CEO of Marvel Entertainment) and Disney to come to us with what the proposal is, and that's on us to agree or disagree," Downey said. But he added, "Right now, this has just been swell, hasn't it?"

Celebrations are in order—Daniel Radcliffe turns the big 2-5 today!

The Harry Potter star has grown up quite a bit since he first picked up his wizard wand in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone back in 2001. The sexy Brit is no longer that cute young boy with round glasses. He's now a handsome leading man with an impressive body of work.

The hottie is currently busy with a couple movie roles in Frankenstein and Trainwreck, which are both due out in 2015.

Jimmy Fallon and Dwayne Johnson want to pump you up.

The late-night host and the "Hercules" star totally got into the spirit of the 1980s Tuesday night in a pair of aerobics sketches on "The Tonight Show."

Fallon and Johnson pretended to be The Fungo Brothers -- tube sock-clad siblings who apparently were using the Thighmaster, or the "Thighcruncher" as they call it, before everyone else.

"You'll know it's working when you feel the burn between your legs," Johnson explained, as the audience howled. Fallon didn't have quite as much success.

So much for getting by with a little help from your friends. A memorial pine tree in Los Angeles’ Griffith Park dedicated to George Harrison, the Beatles’ lead guitarist, has been massacred by an onslaught of beetles.

The musician lived in Los Angeles in his later years (“Blue Jay Way” refers to a street there) and was a fervent gardener. Planted in 2004, the wee sapling had reached 12 feet in height this year. Ladybug and bark beetles have infested other trees in Griffith Park in the past, but the Harrison tree was among others reportedly weakened by California’s ongoing drought.

Harrison, who died in 2001, would have presumably found this irony comical. The musician once said that his biggest break in life was getting into the Beatles; his second biggest was getting out of the group.

Stranger things have happened, but not much.

Pop music's king of strange, "Weird Al" Yankovic, lands atop the Billboard 200 albums chart this week, with sales of 104,000 copies in the week ending July 20, according to Nielsen SoundScan. That makes it the first comedy album to reach No. 1 on the chart since 1963.

This week's top four are all new releases, with Mandatory followed by Jason Mraz's Yes! entering at No. 2 (102,000 copies), rock band Rise Against's The Black Market at No. 3 (53,000) and Kidz Bop Pop's Kidz Bop 26 at No. 4 (46,000).

LONDON - The Americans have arrived in force for Britain's Booker literary prize.

Five U.S.-based writers are on the 13-book long-list for the prestigious fiction award, announced Wednesday.

This is the first year writers of all nationalities have been eligible for the Booker, previously open only to authors from Britain, Ireland and the Commonwealth of former British colonies.

Rapper Snoop Dogg risked arrest by smoking weed in a bathroom at the White House.

The hip-hop star has revealed he defied the security team at the U.S. president's official residence to light up a joint during a bathroom break.

During an installment of his YouTube.com web series Double G News Network featuring an appearance by Jimmy Kimmel, the late night talk show host asked the rapper, "Have you ever smoked (weed) in the White House?"

Bad news, everybody: Jon Stewart isn’t actually launching a Kickstarter campaign to buy CNN, despite what last night’s Daily Show might have you thinking.

The joke drive came up during a segment about Rupert Murdoch’s recent bid to purchase Time Warner. If the deal had actually happened—or if it does happen eventually—Time Warner would be forced to sell off its subsidiary CNN, since the news net’s work conflicts with that of News Corp’s own Fox News. (Though fans of both CNN and Fox would probably balk at the comparison.)

A coroner ruled that Peaches Geldof died of a heroin overdose,BBC reports.

When Geldof was found dead in April, the police initially said the death as being treated as "unexplained," but a toxicology report soon revealed heroin in her system. Police found 6.9g of heroin in the house, but said there were no signs Geldof intended to take her life. Traces of codeine, methadone and morphine were also found in her blood.

The 25-year-old TV presenter had struggled with heroin addiction, but had been taking methadone for the two-and-a-half years leading up to her death. But according to her husband Tom Cohen, Geldof had begun using again in February.

“Beauty has no expiration date” — those words flash across the screen at the beginning of Pharrell Williams‘ new video for “Come Get It Bae,” featuring Miley Cyrus. We’re not exactly sure what he’s referring to, since the video is jam-packed with youthful, lovely dancing ladies — a la his vid for “Marilyn Monroe” — but it’s a cool message all the same.

Perhaps he’s responding to joking claims that he retains his youthful appearances via vampiric methods? But I digress …

The video’s a simple affair, more pared down than previous videos for G I R L, featuring Skateboard P filming and grooving with a variety of ladies — and sporting a significantly smaller hat than he’s been donning since the Grammys.

The ‘West Coast’ singer opened up about her relationships with men in the industry, which she said have not helped her career.

Lana Del Rey may have written a song called "F---ed My Way Up To The Top" for her new album, but the singer says her real life romps within the industry didn't actually get her very far.

Describing the stand-out track from new album "Ultraviolence" in a feature with Complex magazine, Del Rey, 29, explained that the shocking song title is more of a tongue-in-cheek jab at her reputation.

Naya Rivera's marriage to actor Ryan Dorsey came out of nowhere for everyone, except Naya -- who actually co-opted a lot of the ceremony from her planned wedding to Big Sean ... including the date.

Rivera and Dorsey tied the knot in Cabo San Lucas over the weekend. The longtime friends began dating right after Rivera broke off her engagement to rapper Big Sean in April.

The now 22-year-old starlet celebrated her special day with another night out in Saint Tropez with rumored new man Tommy Chiabra and model gal pal Cara Delevingne.

The party isn't over for Selena Gomez.

The "Come & Get It" singer continued her birthday celebrations in Saint Tropez Tuesday evening with model Cara Delevingne and her mystery man, who has now been identified at Tommaso (Tommy) Chiabra.

The start of San Diego Comic-Con is nearly here, and that means you’re just a few nights of sleep from a deluge of insane movie news, like announcements, cast appearances and footage previews.

Since there’s so much to look forward to at this Comic-Con, I’m splitting up my preview pieces, (I’ll take a closer look at Warner Bros’ Justice League plans and Marvel Studios later in the week) but here is what I’m dying to see go down in Hall H of the San Diego Convention Center this year.

Authors from most Commonwealth countries have been sidelined from the Man Booker longlist, after the prize was opened up to American writers.

Australia's Richard Flanagan is the only non-British representative of the Commonwealth on the 13-strong list, while US novelists fill four spots.

Former winner Howard Jacobson is in the running again, but some high-profile names, including Ian McEwan and Donna Tartt failed to make the list.

Adele doesn’t want someone like you to see photos of her two-year-old son, Angelo, so she’s taken legal action to protect his right to privacy. And like everyone else in the world, the court is siding with the 21 singer.

According to the BBC, Adele Adkins and her partner, Simon Konecki, brought a case against photo agency Corbis Images UK Limited over pictures of their son, Angelo Adkins’ “milestone moments.” The photo agency took the photos in June and November 2013 without the couple’s permission and then sold them to the English press.

The Toronto International Film Festival has announced the first batch of films that will screen this year. Although the opening night gala has not yet been disclosed, the closing night film will be Alan Rickman’s A Little Chaos, starring Kate Winslet. Other films announced included several by Canadian directors, such as David Cronenberg for Maps to the Stars, Philippe Falardeau for The Good Lie and Jean-Marc Vallée for Wild. The latter two both star Reese Witherspoon, who is sure to make an appearance in Toronto to promote the films. The full slate of Canadian films will be revealed early next month.

Jamie Dornan has landed his first big screen acting project since nabbing the coveted role of Christian Grey in the upcoming romantic drama film "Fifty Shades of Grey."

The 32-year-old Northern Irish actor will join the cast of the new Weinstein Company culinary-themed movie "Adam Jones," The Wrap reported.

The film will be directed by John Wells from a screenplay written by Steven Knight.

Michael Shamberg and Stacey Sher are producing alongside Erwin Stoff.

The name Bill Finger.
While the casual fan might be asking “who?,” most Batman devotees know Bill Finger as the writer on the earliest Batman stories and a consistent contributor to tales of the Dark Knight during the character’s evolutionary years.

But according to author Marc Tyler Nobleman, who chronicled Bill Finger’s life in 2012′s “Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman,” an illustrated story which Nobleman calls “an all-ages book,” Finger was much more than that.

It was the movie that catapulted her for teen star to dramatic actress, but that does not mean Rachel McAdams can look back on the Notebook - or her audition at least - fondly.

The 35-year-old was left cringing after she was shown a clip of herself trying out for the iconic love story for the first time on Tuesday.

The Mean Girls star was on the Today Show promoting her latest film when host Matt Lauer revealed they had the old tape.

Anthony Hopkins and Evan Rachel Wood to star in TV show based on the 1973 sci-fi film

JJ Abrams will produce HBO's small screen rework of the 70s sci-fi classic Westworld. Anthony Hopkins and Evan Rachel Wood are set to star in the latest project from the TV network behind True Detective and The Sopranos.

The 1973 film from writer/director Michael Crichton (Jurassic Park) imagined a near future where holiday makers could visit the themed world and interact with artificially intelligent cowboys in bar room brawls and shoot outs while satisfying their sexual desires with seductive robots.

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