British Pop Singer Arrested On Drug Charge

Tulisa Contostavlos was arrested on drug charges, according to British media.

LONDON — British media say singer and former U.K. "X Factor" judge Tulisa Contostavlos was arrested Tuesday on allegations of supplying hard drugs.

The arrest came after the Sun tabloid ran a story claiming the 24-year-old had acted as a go-between in a deal to sell cocaine.

The Metropolitan Police force said a 24-year-old woman and a 35-year-old man were arrested "on suspicion of being concerned with the supply of class A drugs."

They were questioned at a London police station and later released on bail pending further inquiries.

Police in Britain do not usually name suspects who have not been charged. The BBC and other major media outlets identified the suspect as Contostavlos, who came to fame with London group N-Dubz.

She was recently replaced as a judge on TV talent show "X Factor" by Sharon Osbourne.

Contostavlos' spokesman declined to comment Tuesday.

View the original article at Huffington Post / Celebrity

Ben Stiller recipient of British comedy award (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – The British Academy of Film and Television Arts Los Angeles has named Ben Stiller recipient of the Charlie Chaplin Britannia Award for Excellence in Comedy, BAFTA Los Angeles announced on Tuesday.

In the spirit of Stiller's film "Zoolander," it would be appropriate if BAFTA Los Angeles crossed up Stiller and gave the award to Owen Wilson at its awards dinner on November 30th -- but since the organization hardly seems inclined to that kind of tomfoolery, Stiller will join previously announced Britannia recipients Helena Bonham Carter, John Lasseter and David Yates at the ceremony, which will be hosted by actor Alan Cumming.

"Ben Stiller is a master of comedy who, just like the legendary filmmaker for whom this award is named, embodies the remarkable multi-hyphenate talents of actor, writer, director and producer," BAFTA Los Angeles chairman Nigel Lythgoe said in a statement announcing the award.

Stiller's next film is the action comedy "Tower Heist," directed by Brett Ratner and co-starring Eddie Murphy. His other films include "Tropic Thunder," "Greenberg" and "There's Something About Mary." The movies he's written, directed, produced and/or acted in have grossed more than $5 billion worldwide.

BAFTA Los Angeles, which has been presenting the Britannia Awards since 1989, hands out a variety of Britannia Awards each fall. The Charlie Chaplin Britannia Award for Excellence in Comedy was presented for the first time in 2010, to Betty White.

The Britannia Awards will be presented on Wednesday, November 30th at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.

Yahoo! News

Winehouse back on top of British charts (AFP)

LONDON (AFP) – Fans of soul star Amy Winehouse on Sunday sent her back to the top of Britain's album chart, a week after the 27-year-old was found dead at her London home.

Grammy Award-winning album "Back to Black", which first hit the top spot in 2007, dislodged fellow soul diva Adele's 21 from the summit while Winehouse's debut release, "Frank", also recharted at number five.

The singer also occupied five spots on the singles chart top 40 with Back to Black placing at eight while a box set of Frank and Back to Black entered the album chart at number 10.

The five-time Grammy winner was found dead at her north London home last Saturday. A cause of death has yet to be established, although it is not being viewed as suspicious.

Friends and family attended Winehouse's Jewish funeral at Edgwarebury Cemetery in northwest London on Tuesday, where her father delivered a eulogy which ended with the words: "Goodnight, my angel."

The singer fought a well-publicised struggle with drugs and alcohol, famously singing about her refusal to seek treatment in her biggest-selling single "Rehab".

But she had to scrap a European comeback tour after stumbling through the opening performance in Belgrade on June 18.

Winehouse's family was set to meet with government officials on Monday to discuss the possibility of setting up a drug rehabilitation centre in her name, The Times reported Monday.

Mitch Winehouse, Amy's father, will meet crime minister James Brokenshire and Home Affairs Select Committee chairman Keith Vaz to discuss drugs policy and treatment.

Yahoo! News

British artist Lucian Freud dies aged 88 (AFP)

LONDON (AFP) – Realist painter Lucian Freud, grandson of the inventor of modern psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud and widely seen as Britain's top contemporary artist, has died in London aged 88, his lawyer said.

Freud was known for his signature nudes and self-portraits such as the powerful 1993 work of himself as a naked older man waving his brush like a weapon.

In recent years his paintings have sold for astronomical sums. His 1995 Portrait "Benefits Supervisor Sleeping" fetched 33.6 million dollars at a Christie's auction in New York -- a world record for a living artist.

A statement released by his lawyer Diana Rawstron Thursday said the artist "died peacefully ... at his home in London".

His New York gallery, Acquavella Galleries, said Freud died Wednesday after a brief illness at his home in Notting Hill.

"In company he was exciting, humble, warm and witty. He lived to paint and painted until the day he died, far removed from the noise of the art world," said New York art dealer William Acquavella.

Born to architect Ernst Freud, Sigmund's youngest son, in Berlin in 1922, Lucian moved to England with his family aged 10 to escape Nazism and became a British citizen in 1933.

Freud, once described by art critic Robert Hughes as the greatest living realist painter, studied at London's Central School of Art and Goldsmiths College, but his career was interrupted when he served as a merchant seaman in an Atlantic convoy in 1941.

After an early flirtation with surrealism, Freud turned to portrait painting, particularly nudes, in the 1950s.

Former critic for the Observer newspaper William Feaver, who knew the painter for more than four decades, said he had "restored portraiture to its proper place" by painting figures from all walks of life.

"He said everything he did was autobiographical and a self portrait. He was a witty, impulsive artist but generous with it," he added.

His 2001 portrait of the queen under a heavy crown was dismissed by many of her fans as "ugly" and decried as "a travesty" by The Sun newspaper. The queen herself made no comment.

"I paint people," Freud once said. "Not because of what they are like, not exactly in spite of what they are like, but how they happen to be."

Art critic and presenter Tim Marlow called Freud a "very special man".

"He looked at the world was as if he was painting it but when you saw his paintings you saw how he really saw at it," he said Thursday.

"He was the sort of person who had a twinkle in his eye but he would also look at you in a daunting and scrutinising way.

"He was very funny and very dry. He never lost his sharpness."

The painter was notorious for subjecting his models to sittings lasting up to a year, and the intense relationship struck up between artist and subject provided the creative force for many of his works.

Nicholas Serota, director of London's Tate art gallery, said: "The vitality of his nudes, the intensity of the still life paintings and the presence of his portraits of family and friends guarantee Lucian Freud a unique place in the pantheon of late 20th century art.

"His early paintings redefined British art and his later works stand comparison with the great figurative painters of any period."

Freud, who became increasingly reclusive in his advancing years, married twice and was rumoured to have fathered dozens of children.

Yahoo! News

Leading British painter Lucian Freud dies aged 88 (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) – British figurative painter Lucian Freud, whose uncompromising, fleshy portraits made him one of the world's most revered and coveted artists, has died aged 88.

His long-time New York art dealer William Acquavella said the grandson of Sigmund Freud had died at his home in London on Wednesday night after an unspecified illness.

"My family and I mourn Lucian Freud not only as one of the great painters of the 20th century but also as a very dear friend," the dealer said in a statement.

"As the foremost figurative artist of his generation he imbued both portraiture and landscape with profound insight, drama and energy.

"In company he was exciting, humble, warm and witty. He lived to paint and painted until the day he died, far removed from the noise of the art world."

Whatever he thought of the art world, and the celebrity status that often comes with it, Freud was very much its darling toward the end of his life.

His "Benefits Supervisor Sleeping," a 1995 portrait of a obese woman asleep in the nude on a sofa, fetched $33.6 million at Christie's in 2008, an auction record for a living artist.

The buyer was widely reported to be Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich.

Freud tended to paint people he knew -- family, friends and fellow artists, but was also famously commissioned to depict Queen Elizabeth in 2001.

The resulting portrait, an unflattering portrayal of a severe-looking monarch, divided opinion, with Arthur Edwards, photographer for the Sun tabloid, saying: "They should hang it in the kharzi (toilet)."

FLEEING THE NAZIS

Freud was born in Berlin in 1922 to a well-off German family who fled the Nazis for Britain in 1933 and became British citizens in 1939. He went to several schools but is said to have attended few classes.

"I was very solitary. I hardly spoke English. I was considered rather bad tempered, of which I was rather proud," he

once said.

Freud attended a string of art colleges and had a brief spell with the merchant navy before turning to art full time.

Until the 1950s, his paintings were relatively refined, explained by his use of pointed brushes.

But from around 1956, he began to loosen his style and employ stiffer hogshair brushes and thicker paint, resulting in works like "Woman Smiling" in 1959 which Tate Britain gallery in London described as a "landmark work."

Christie's auctioneers said the shift to a fleshier, looser tone was partly down to his friendship with painter Francis Bacon who made a deep impression.

Referring to Bacon's work, Freud was quoted as saying: "(It) impressed me, his personality affected me. He talked a great deal about the paint itself, carrying the form and imbuing the paint with this sort of life."

Freud also said of his own art: "As far as I am concerned the paint is the person. I want it to work for me just as flesh does."

Freud's new style initially alienated many critics, some of whom described it as "shocking," "violent" and "affected." The starkly intimate nature of many of his portraits could also make viewers feel like voyeurs.

According to the New York Times, Freud's art remained unfashionable in the United States until 1987, when the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington exhibited his work in a "watershed event."

Art critic Robert Hughes proclaimed him "the greatest living realist painter" and a Freud cult developed.

Freud married twice and had several children, although he was widely believed to have fathered many more than he acknowledged.

(Additional reporting by Emma Thomasson)

Yahoo! News

Lucian Freud, pre-eminent British painter, dead at 88 (AFP)

LONDON (AFP) – Lucian Freud, who died in London on Wednesday aged 88, was widely recognised as the greatest contemporary British artist in a career spanning seven decades.

The grandson of Sigmund Freud, the inventor of psychoanalysis who helped shape modern views about human behaviour, Lucian Freud also influenced the exploration of the subconscious through his art.

Born to architect Ernst Freud, Sigmund's youngest son, in Berlin in 1922, Lucian moved to England with his family aged 10 to escape Nazism and became a British citizen in 1933.

Freud will be remembered for his signature nudes -- showing off the plentiful body of male model Leigh Bowery for instance -- and self-portraits such as the powerful 1993 painting of Freud as a naked older man waving his brush like a weapon.

"My work is purely autobiographical," Freud said. "It is about myself and my surroundings. It is an attempt at a record."

Freud's subjects ranged from the powerful to the plain, and he has been known to shy away from professional models.

Like many monarchs before her, Queen Elizabeth II turned to a leading artist of her time when she asked Freud to paint her portrait in 2001, agreeing to several hours-long sittings.

The result was a small closeup portrait of the queen under a heavy crown that was dismissed by many of her fans as "ugly" and decried as "a travesty" by The Sun newspaper. The queen herself made no comment.

"I paint people," Freud once said. "Not because of what they are like, not exactly in spite of what they are like, but how they happen to be."

The painter was notorious for subjecting his models to sittings lasting up to a year, and the intense relationship struck up between artist and subject provided the creative force for many of his works.

Freud, once described by art critic Robert Hughes as the greatest living realist painter, studied at London's Central School of Art and Goldsmiths College, but his career was interrupted when he served as a merchant seaman in an Atlantic convoy in 1941.

After an early flirtation with surrealism, Freud turned to portrait painting, particularly nudes, in the 1950s.

Freud achieved global fame as a sought-after artist in the 1990s when his 1995 Portrait "Benefits Supervisor Sleeping" fetched 33.6 million dollars at a Christie's auction in New York.

His portrait of a pregnant Kate Moss sold for 10 million dollars in 2004 but a 1978 self-portrait of Freud nursing a black eye fetched a disappointing 3.2 million euros at a London auction held just last month.

Little is known about Lucian's relationship with his grandfather, and some experts have suggested that the artist managed to escape growing up in the shadow of psychoanalysis.

"He does talk about his grandfather, he is very fond of him," said Freud's assistant of 19 years, David Dawson. "His teenage years were spent with his grandfather."

After mostly ignoring his work for decades, Paris earlier this year gave Freud top billing in a show at the Pompidou Centre.

"Lucian Freud - The Studio" featured 47 paintings, the first showing of his work in Paris since 1987, with many pieces coming out of private collections for the fist time in years.

Freud, who became increasingly reclusive in his later years, was rumoured to have fathered dozens of children.

Nicholas Serota, director of the Tate gallery, paid tribute on Thursday.

"The vitality of (Freud's) nudes, the intensity of the still life paintings and the presence of his portraits of family and friends guarantee Lucian Freud a unique place in the pantheon of late 20th Century art," he said.

"His early paintings redefined British art and his later works stand comparison with the great figurative painters of any period."

Yahoo! News

'Hacked off' celebrities lead war on British tabloids (AFP)

LONDON (AFP) – It took the hacking of a murdered girl's phone to make the News of the World scandal explode, but British celebrities have wasted no time in using the row to press their own agenda against the tabloids.

Actor Hugh Grant has led the charge by becoming an investigative reporter himself for a day -- one newspaper joked that it was his best role yet -- and taping a former News of the World journalist saying the practice was widespread.

The recent launch of a "Hacked Off" campaign calling for greater press regulation meanwhile attracted figures including socialite Jemima Khan and former world motorsport chief Max Mosley, himself the victim of a tabloid sting.

Grant "has been eloquent, he has been able to talk about it in such a way that people have been interested and taken notice," Martin Moore, director of the Media Standards Trust and coordinator of the Hacked Off group, told AFP.

The petition now has more than 8,300 signatures.

Yet there was little real outcry in Britain about phone hacking until July 4 when it was reported that Rupert Murdoch's News of the World had hacked and deleted the messages of Milly Dowler, a murdered 13-year-old schoolgirl.

The paper has since shut down.

Before that, the jailing of two people in 2007 over the hacking of British royals, and various lawsuits by celebrities including British actors Jude Law and Sienna Miller, attracted relatively little interest from the public.

"Their attitude is, 'Max Clifford and Sienna Miller use the media and do very well from it, so I won't lose too much sleep over it,'" publicist Max Clifford told the BBC.

Since the Dowler hacking emerged, however, showbiz figures have found the scandal a useful stick with which to beat their tabloid foes.

Grant, who starred in the 1994 film "Four Weddings and a Funeral", has toured the TV studios in the past fortnight telling how he secretly recorded a conversation with Paul McMullan, a former News of the World journalist.

During the encounter -- which Grant wrote about in the New Statesman magazine in April with relatively little fanfare -- he said McMullan admitted "industrial scale phone-hacking" at the paper.

On talk shows Grant has since had colourful exchanges with McMullen and other journalists, at one point denying he was bitter about the press after the coverage he received during his 1995 arrest with a Hollywood prostitute.

"If you don't want to get in the paper keep it in your trousers," said John Gaunt, a British radio talk show presenter, referring to the incident.

"Cheap and pathetic," Grant replied.

Another vocal celebrity has been comedian Steve Coogan, who plays the inept chat-show host Alan Partridge on television and has starred in Hollywood movies including "Around the World in 80 Days."

A victim of phone hacking himself, he also appeared on a television panel show with McMullan, angrily accusing him of being "morally bankrupt".

McMullan hit back by noting that Coogan had received money for appearing in films including "Night at the Museum" made by 20th Century Fox, owned by Murdoch's News Corp.

Meanwhile Khan, who is Grant's former girlfriend, wrote a lengthy account in The Independent newspaper describing the "long, painful process of trying to find out the truth" about how she was hacked.

"The press, police and Parliament have all colluded on the issue of phone hacking," Khan wrote.

Moore, of the Hacked Off campaign, says he wants "transparency" in the press and a change in the culture of tabloid newsrooms to one that "doesn't encourage hacking."

Meanwhile new celebrity lawsuits are coming in. Jude Law on Friday sued The Sun, what is thought to be the first such legal action against Rupert Murdoch's best-selling daily tabloid.

Yahoo! News

British royals head home after dazzling tour (AFP)

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Britain's Prince William and his new wife Catherine were on their way home Monday after a 12-day north American tour during which they were greeted as rock stars, and even outshone Hollywood celebrities.

The royal couple, making their first official overseas trip since marrying in April, were feted from Canada's far north to the Californian sun of the US west coast.

Apart from a few protestors in Canada's French-speaking province of Quebec, the public hailed the newlyweds as the new down-to-earth modern face of the British monarchy.

"They're great role models for young people, they're elegant and great ambassadors for their country," said local Victoria Hines, 65, attending a polo match Saturday in Santa Barbara, in which William's team won.

The energetic young couple, both 29, will likely be exhausted and looking forward to returning to their cottage in north Wales after the busy visit, which began on June 30.

In Canada, the duke and duchess of Cambridge paddled in a canoe in the far north, shared the grief of thousands displaced by forest fires in Alberta and snuggled in a rustic wooden cabin in the Rockies.

William also took time to pilot a Sea King helicopter into a lake in emergency water landing drills in Prince Edward Island.

Huge crowds turned out daily to welcome them and millions more watched their adventure on television.

On their last Canadian stop in Calgary, the couple took in a night of rodeo chuck wagon races, bull riding and "mutton busting" for kids, and rode in 1912 stagecoach, all part of Calgary's world-famous annual Stampede.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper called the trip "the beginning of a beautiful and lasting friendship, one of deep affection and loyalty ... We look forward to sharing more of our splendid country with them on their next Royal Tour."

"I say, we haven't seen a love-in like that since the first visit of the Beatles!" Harper told a private reception. "Indeed, everywhere you went you left a trail of utterly charmed Canadians in your wake."

William will one day become head of state of Canada, a member of the Commonwealth which is mostly proud of its British connections, so its choice as the prince's first post-wedding trip was a fairly safe move.

California was a less obvious one -- but the couple had few problems charming the West Coast during a lightning three-day visit which started when they landed in Los Angeles on Friday.

The highlight of the weekend was a black-tie dinner for Hollywood A-listers including Tom Hanks, Nicole Kidman and Barbra Streisand on Saturday night.

Hundreds of fans gathered outside the Belasco Theater in downtown LA, cheering as the usual celebrities arrived for the red carpet entry -- but screaming the place down when William and Catherine arrived.

On Sunday the couple visited a children's arts project in the deprived Skid Row area of downtown Los Angeles, before a final event honoring US servicemen and helping them and their families.

William found time to take a dig at his younger brother Harry -- after making a clay turtle at the arts project, he asked the children: "Should we give it a name? Is it a boy or a girl?" at which they squealed: "Boy!"

"Should we name it Harry?" the prince replied, before relenting and calling it William.

Catherine has drawn admiring comments for her elegant style and dress sense -- she reportedly brought 40 outfits for the 12-day trip.

On Friday she wore a vibrant green Diane Von Furstenberg dress in the evening. At the polo she was in a silver and marble grey number by Jenny Packham, before switching to a flowing lilac dress by Alexander McQueen.

One criticism initially made of the California leg of the trip was the lack of contact with the public -- they did lots of walkabouts in Canada, but security appeared to be tighter in Los Angeles.

But this was rectified when they slipped the protocol to shake hands with fans at the Saturday night celebrity event, and they did so again on Sunday morning, before their Skid Row visit.

Fans at the Hollywood red carpet made it clear that the British royals were the stars of the show.

"They're not just actors, their position is so much greater," said LA local Sarah Pijuan, 28, after meeting the British royal couple at the end of the red carpet.

Yahoo! News

Hollywood royalty meets real British royalty (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Quoting from "The King's Speech," the Oscar-winning movie about his great-grandfather, Prince William projected his royal voice on Saturday to woo the Hollywood power crowd in a bid with wife Kate to promote young British talent.

He in black tie, she in a pleated lavender Alexander McQueen gown, the young newlyweds set a tone of classic elegance for the most high-profile event in their three-day visit to the United States.

Hollywood royalty -- from actors Tom Hanks, Nicole Kidman, and Barbra Streisand to studio mogul Harvey Weinstein -- turned out for the couple of the moment at the $25,000 a table gala organized by British Academy for Film and Television (BAFTA), of which William is president.

"I would like to thank Colin Firth for my perfect opening line -- I have a voice," William joked with the crowd, quoting one of the most famous lines in the 2010 movie about King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth who overcame a stammer.

Alas, Oscar winner Firth was not there nor were many established British actors. William and BAFTA instead wanted to introduce 42 emerging British actors, producers, writers and videogame designers to the movers and shakers of the entertainment capital of the world.

"Please give them the opportunities that you have always extended to some of the brightest and best that Britain has to offer," William told the gathering at the Belasco, a restored theater in downtown Los Angeles.

"When American and British creative talent gets together, magic happens. Let's continue the winning formula."

British actor Stephen Fry praised the idea to promote Brits in Hollywood while fascination with the royal couple was at its height following their April wedding.

"Royalty creates a glamour, prestige and luster that trumps anything Hollywood can produce," Fry said.

SKID ROW LIES AHEAD

That impact was likely what the British royal family sought in the young couple's first official trip overseas, first to Canada and then to California.

And as images go, the second day in sunny Southern California for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge was just about picture perfect.

On a green and glamorous Santa Barbara polo field, William and Kate charmed the deep-pocketed polo set and raised millions of dollars for charity. To top it off, William made good on his promise to win the charity polo match and scored four goals for his team, earning a pair of kisses from Kate.

While polo may be an elite sport, William and Kate have tried to make their visit to California anything but stuffy. On their final day Sunday, they will visit a children's art center in the middle of Los Angeles' Skid Row and meet military veterans and their families.

Despite the high wattage celebrity turnout of Saturday night, the duke and duchess have tried to keep the celebrity quotient in check, mindful of how excess might not play well in a Britain beset by austerity measures.

The California visit is more about business than pleasure, with most activities centered on charity and trade promotion. Upon arrival Friday, they talked technology investment with a room full of innovators and financiers.

While the royal couple won't have contact with large crowds like they did in Canada, they did try to talk to ordinary Angelenos when they got the chance. At the end of the red carpet at the Belasco, they made a beeline to shake hands with a smattering of fans who'd been allowed in to see them up close.

(Writing by Mary Milliken; Editing by Eric Walsh)

Yahoo! News

Royal couple promote British talent in Hollywood (AFP)

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Prince William and his new wife Catherine used their star power to promote British acting talent, at a glittering dinner with Hollywood A-listers on the last night of a 12-day north American tour.

Preparing to fly home Sunday after visiting Canada and California -- their first overseas trip since marrying in April -- the future British king paid tribute to the "magic" of Anglo-American creative dynamism.

William, president of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), urged guests including Tom Hanks and Nicole Kidman to give a chance to 42 up-and-coming "Brits to watch" invited to mingle with the Hollywood stars.

"Please give them the opportunities you have always extended to some of the brightest and best that Britain has to offer. When American and British creative talent gets together, magic happens," he said Saturday night.

"Let?s continue the winning formula," added William, who with his wife received a Beatles-like reception in Canada last week, and who are hugely popular with Americans fascinated by the British royal family.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were given the full red carpet treatment in Los Angeles -- and generated more excitement than A listers including Tom Hanks and Nicole Kidman attending the star-studded event.

Hundreds of fans gathered outside the Belasco Theater in downtown LA, cheering as the usual celebrities arrived for the red carpet entry -- but screaming the place down when William and Catherine arrived.

"They're not just actors, their position is so much greater," said LA local Sarah Pijuan, 28, after meeting the couple who for the first time here stopped to talk to fans -- a contact with the public which they had lots of in Canada.

Earlier in the day they had wowed the crowds at a charity polo match in Santa Barbara, an hour north of Los Angeles up the Pacific coast -- especially after the prince's team won the afternoon's tournament.

Tickets for the one-off event went for $400 dollars -- $4,000 for the privilege of lunching with the royal couple before the on-field action.

The 29-year-old future king drew whoops of approval when he took the field under a blazing West Coast sun at the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club, as Catherine watched admiringly from the stands.

"They're great role models for young people, they're elegant and great ambassadors for their country," said Santa Barbara resident Victoria Hines, 65, dressed up for the exclusive event an hour north of Los Angeles.

Catherine's clothes have also impressed -- she reportedly brought 40 outfits for the 12-day trip. On Saturday she wore a silver and marble grey dress by Jenny Packham to the polo, and a full-length light blue number in the evening.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge -- as they have been since marrying in London in April -- arrived in Los Angeles on Friday for the weekend trip following a nine-day tour of Canada.

Officially, the Californian mini-tour will aim to "contribute to deepening and strengthening the multi-layered links between the United States and the United Kingdom," according to a British official briefing.

Unofficially, all eyes have been on who they meet -- after David Beckham and British writer-broadcaster Stephen Fry on Friday, Saturday's celebrity crop included Jennifer Lopez, Barbara Streisand and Jack Black.

On Sunday, they visit "Skid Row" in downtown to visit the Inner-City Arts school, a non-profit academy that provides free classes in visual and performing arts to children from poor neighborhoods.

Later Sunday they attend a job fair for military veterans at Sony Studios in Culver City, before leaving Los Angeles to return to the United Kingdom after their succesful north American trip.

Yahoo! News

British royal couple arrive in US (AFP)

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Prince William and his new bride Catherine arrived in Los Angeles on Friday for a weekend of Hollywood glamour and Californian sun, after a nine-day tour of Canada.

The heir to the British crown is also due to play polo up the Pacific coast in Santa Barbara, and visit an inner-city project in downtown Los Angeles during the three-day stay, Catherine's first ever trip to the United States.

The couple were greeted by California Governor Jerry Brown and other dignitaries after flying in on a gray Canadian Air Force plane direct from Calgary, where they had capped their Canadian tour at the world-famous Stampede.

Their first engagement was at the Beverly Hilton hotel, a conference supporting UK trade and investment, followed by a reception at the British consul-general's residence, where they will stay during the trip.

Yahoo! News

Hollywood glamour and sun for British royal couple (AFP)

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Britain's Prince William will be the star of the show at a charity polo match Saturday, on the second day of a weekend trip to California with his new wife Catherine.

The royal couple, in the western US state for three days after a nine-day tour of Canada, will also use their star power to promote British actors and filmmakers in Hollywood.

After arriving in Los Angeles from Calgary on Friday, they spent the night at the residence the British consul-general in Los Angeles, who also hosted a reception for them on their first evening in town.

On Saturday they will travel an hour up the Pacific coast to the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club, for a charity match in aid of the American Friends of The Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry.

The 29-year-old prince, second in line to the British throne after his father Prince Charles, will demonstrate his horsemanship while Catherine will present the prize to the winning players.

Tickets for the one-off event have been fetching thousands of dollars, and spectators will certainly hope to get their money's worth, whether or not William wins -- or takes a tumble.

But the prince, who follows in his father's and grandfather's footsteps in playing polo, may have to watch out for a more aggressive American approach to a sport perceived as an upper class in Britain.

"There's huge differences," said Ebe Sievwright, a player and coach with the California Polo Club who is also a British-born actor who says he has played with William.

"Polo in England is very Argentine influenced, and in America there is a great history of cowboys and riding from their own history out in the Wild West," he told CNN.

"It will be interesting for William out in Santa Barbara to play in a game where it's really flowing like a pinball game," he added.

Whatever the outcome on the polo field, the couple will have to pick themselves up Saturday evening for a black-tie dinner hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) in downtown Los Angeles.

William is BAFTA's president, and the aim of the event will be to give up-and-coming British actors a chance to meet Hollywood movers and shakers.

Officially, the Californian mini-tour will aim to "contribute to deepening and strengthening the multi-layered links between the United States and the United Kingdom," according to a British official briefing.

Unofficially, all eyes are on who they will meet during the barely 48-hour stay in California.

Britain is well represented here, and there has been much speculation that they could squeeze in meetings with David and Victoria Beckham -- guests at their April wedding -- or Elton John, a close friend of William's mother Diana.

On Sunday, they will visit "Skid Row" in downtown to visit the Inner-City Arts school, a nonprofit academy that provides free classes in visual and performing arts to children from poor neighborhoods.

Later Sunday they will attend a job fair for military veterans at Sony Studios in Culver City, before leaving Los Angeles to return to the United Kingdom after their 12-day north American trip.

Yahoo! News

British actress Anna Massey dies at 73 (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) – Veteran actress Anna Massey, best known for her supporting roles as a lonely spinster, has died at the age of 73 from cancer, British media reported on Tuesday.

Massey made her professional debut on stage at the age of 17 and enjoyed a career in film and television spanning five decades, including roles in Alfred Hitchcock's "Frenzy" and an adaptation of "The Importance of Being Ernest."

She won a BAFTA for her role in a 1986 TV adaptation of Anita Brookner's novel "Hotel du Lac.

In 2004 Massey was awarded a CBE, an honor from the Queen, for her services to acting.

Two years later she played former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the television drama "Pinochet in Suburbia."

"I find acting incredibly difficult -- it demands much more of my time than it does for some people," the actress told The Independent newspaper in 1996.

"I'm not instinctive. It takes enormous discipline and bravery to get me there."

Massey was married to Sherlock Holmes actor Jeremy Brett for four years until 1962. She met her second husband, Russian scientist Uri Andres, 27 years later.

"She will be remembered as a loving wife and mother, a cherished grandmother, a generous colleague and, always, a consummate professional," her agent said in a statement.

(Reporting by Karolina Tagaris; Editing by Janet Lawrence)

Yahoo! News

British actress Anna Massey dies at 73 (AP)

LONDON – Anna Massey, the member of an acting dynasty whose roles ranged from lonely spinsters to Margaret Thatcher, has died. She was 73.

Massey died Saturday after a battle with cancer, with her husband and son at her side, her agent Pippa Markham said Monday.

The actress was born in 1937 into a performing family — her father was Canadian actor Raymond Massey and her mother British actress Adrianne Allen. Her brother Daniel Massey also became an actor, and her godfather was director John Ford.

Massey made her West End stage debut at 17 in "The Reluctant Debutante" and her film debut in Ford's 1958 police procedural "Gideon's Day."

She had roles in films including Michael Powell's classic chiller "Peeping Tom," Otto Preminger's "Bunny Lake is Missing," Alfred Hitchcock's "Frenzy" and the 2002 adaptation of "The Importance of Being Earnest," in which she played the comic governess Miss Prism.

Massey worked most frequently in television and was a stalwart of British period dramas, often cast as a waspish spinster or maiden aunt. She appeared in TV adaptations of Anthony Trollope's "The Pallisers," Thomas Hardy's "Tess of the D'Urbervilles," Charles Dickens' "Oliver Twist" and many others.

In 2006, she played former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the TV drama "Pinochet in Suburbia."

Markham said Massey would be remembered as "a consummate professional," but the actress revealed in a memoir that she had struggled with depression and stage fright, and suffered a nervous breakdown in the 1960s.

She once said that as an actor, "I'm not instinctive. It takes enormous discipline and bravery to get me there."

Massey won a BAFTA, Britain's top acting award, for her role in the 1986 TV adaptation of Anita Brookner's novel "Hotel du Lac."

In 2004 she was named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, or CBE, by Queen Elizabeth II for services to drama.

Massey is survived by her husband, Uri Andres, and David Huggins, her son from a first marriage to the late actor Jeremy Brett.

Funeral details were not immediately available.

Yahoo! News

British royals put down roots in Ottawa (AFP)

OTTAWA (AFP) – Britain's royal stars Prince William and bride Catherine marked their first official trip abroad as newlyweds Saturday by planting a tree in Canada's capital symbolizing their everlasting "love and marriage."

In front of a small crowd of well-wishers -- a marked change from the throng of hundreds of thousands who celebrated Canada Day with the royals on Friday -- the couple strolled among commemorative maples, oaks and conifers that dot the grounds of Rideau Hall, the official residence of Canada's governor general.

To applause, they shovelled soil onto the base a Canadian hemlock planted to commemorate the couple's nine-day royal tour of the country.

In 1907, then-governor general Earl Grey planted the first tree in the arboretum, a young maple to mark the first official trip to Ottawa by Japan's Prince Fushimi.

In the century since, planting ceremonial trees has become a Canadian tradition symbolizing friendship and international cooperation.

"This tree (planted by William and Kate) will serve as an ongoing symbol of the love and marriage of their royal highnesses," officials said in a statement. The hemlock is known to live up to 800 years.

Afterwards the couple chatted with an ailing man whose last wish reportedly was to meet the royal pair, and received a few words of advice from a couple married for 50 years.

Kate, wearing a grey Kensington dress by Catherine Walker, and William also paused for a solemn moment at a tree planted in honor of his late mother Diana, who would have turned 50 on Friday.

The duke and duchess of Cambridge later attended a reception with veterans and war brides at the Canadian War Museum and unveiled a mural before heading to Montreal for the second leg of their cross-Canada tour.

Yahoo! News

British princess celebrates graduation with tennis trip (AFP)

LONDON (AFP) – Britain's Princess Beatrice, whose eccentric hat made headlines at the royal wedding, celebrated her graduation Friday by spending the day at the Wimbledon tennis championships.

Beatrice, fifth in line to the throne, earned a 2:1, the second-highest grade, in her history and history of ideas degree at London's Goldsmiths College.

The 22-year-old, the eldest daughter of Queen Elizabeth II's second son Prince Andrew, was diagnosed with dyslexia in her childhood.

"I have had the most amazing university experience," the princess said in a statement.

"I am so excited about my results."

The redhead's flamboyant hat, which stunned onlookers at the April 29 wedding of her cousin Prince William and Kate Middleton, was likened to a giant pretzel and a toilet seat.

It made ?81,100 ($130,375, 89,700 euros) when it was auctioned for charity.

Beatrice was in the Royal Box on Centre Court on Friday to watch the men's semi-finals.

The princess does not currently carry out royal engagements.

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: "In terms of her future, like a lot of students she'll be considering her options."

Yahoo! News

British actress Elizabeth Hurley divorces (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) – British actress and model Elizabeth Hurley's four-year marriage to Indian businessman Arun Nayar ended in divorce on Wednesday.

The couple was granted the divorce by a district judge at the High Court's Family Division in London, according to the Press Association.

Hurley, 46, married the textile heir at Sudeley Castle in western England in 2007 and had a traditional Hindu wedding in Jodhpur, India.

Hurley dated British actor Hugh Grant for more than a decade and has a child from a relationship with film producer Steve Bing.

(Reporting by Mike Collett-White; editing by Keith Weir)

Yahoo! News

British royal visit to boost California tourism (AFP)

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Britain's Prince William and his new bride Catherine are due in California next month, for a trip the cash-strapped US state hopes will give a royal boost to its tourist industry.

While travel chiefs hope to showcase the Golden State's attractions for visitors, speculation is intense over exactly where the newlyweds will go and who they will see during the July 8-10 trip.

Meeting Hollywood stars, enjoying the beach at Malibu, dinner with Elton John or the Beckhams -- who may have some fresh baby tips for them -- nothing can be ruled out for the three-day trip, due after a seven-city tour of Canada.

"No matter where they venture in California, the royal visit will create a global postcard for the Golden State this summer," said Caroline Beteta, head of the California Travel and Tourism Commission.

"Certainly at a time when international travel is leading the rebound in the industry, it's a pivotal time for California to be on the world stage with a such a highly-publicized visit by the royal newlyweds," she told AFP.

The couple have already narrowed down the options, saying last week they plan to visit "Los Angeles and surrounding areas" on the trip, the first to the United States by Catherine, who married the man second in line to the British throne April 29.

That will have disappointed some of California's top tourism spots further north, including Yosemite and Redwood national parks, San Francisco or Death Valley on the other side of the Sierra Nevada.

But it still leaves open a swathe of possibilities centered on LA, home to an enormous British community as well as the center of the US movie industry, and playground to its Tinseltown stars.

"Their lives have already been made into a movie, so a stay in Hollywood seems natural," said celebrity bible People magazine, referring to a television film released to coincide with their wedding.

A meeting with David and Victoria Beckham -- guests at the wedding who live with their children in a Beverly Hills mansion -- is seen as among the most likely stops.

In theory, they could even catch the British soccer megastar in action when his team LA Galaxy plays on July 9 -- although that could be torpedoed by the birth of the Beckhams' fourth baby, due in July: who knows, the royal couple could be among the first to welcome the newborn.

Elton John, a close friend of William's mother Princess Diana, also has a place here, although he too has a baby to look after since he and partner David Furnish announced Zachary's birth by a surrogate mother in December.

Then again, they might prefer to hang out in Santa Monica, home to a huge British population who have long flocked to the sea-front community and its lively pier, end of the world-famous Route 66.

"We are very excited to have the royals coming to California, and would very much welcome a visit from them," said Lisa Powers, manager of Ye Olde King's Head pub, steps from the pier and beach.

"A lot of our customers are anticipating that they will show up for a pint of British beer and some fish and chips -- we would of course welcome them with open arms."

It will not be the first British royal trip to California: William's grandmother Queen Elizabeth II visited in 1983, stopping in LA, San Diego, Palm Springs and San Francisco.

Princess Diana was a hit when she came in the 1980s, while father Prince Charles and his second wife Camilla visited the San Francisco Bay area in 2005.

The trip comes as California, the most populous US state whose economy would make it the eighth largest economy in the world if it were a country, struggles to recover from the global recession.

But tourism chiefs say the travel sector is leading the recovery.

"Travel no doubt took a hit in 2009 when the global economy took a major downturn and people were forced to make tough spending choices. The good news now is that travel is on the rebound," said Beteta.

"Leisure travel from all of California's top international markets, with the exception of Japan, are forecasted to experience growth into 2015," she added.

And she said: "California is already a premier travel destination for visitors worldwide. The royal visit will not only cement that status but spur new demand for people to come and visit California."

Yahoo! News

British singer Adele cancels tour due to illness (AP)

NEW YORK – British singer Adele has canceled the remaining dates on her North American tour because of her laryngitis.

In a statement Friday, Adele said she was "really frustrated" but "there is absolutely nothing I can do but take the doctor's advice and rest some more."

The announcement comes days after the singer postponed five dates on the tour. She is now canceling the nine remaining shows.

The 23-year-old's sophomore album, "21," is the best-selling album of the year. It has sold close to two million units in America.

Her single, "Rolling In the Deep," is currently No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 charts.

The statement also said that rescheduling the tour dates was "being investigated."

___

Online:

http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_en_mu/storytext/us_people_adele/41729383/SIG=10m4ghma6/*http://www.adele.tv/

Yahoo! News

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

British footballer takes legal action on Twitter (AFP)

LONDON (AFP) – A British footballer is taking legal action to force Twitter to give the details of users who broke a gagging order granting him anonymity over an alleged affair, his lawyers have said.

The married player had earlier obtained an order from a judge banning publication of his identity over an alleged sexual relationship with a female contestant on the reality television show Big Brother.

"An application has been made to obtain limited information concerning the unlawful use of Twitter by a small number of individuals who may have breached a court order," his law firm, Schillings, said in a statement on Friday.

The player is not identified in the court documents.

A spokesman for US-based Twitter said: "We?re not able to comment."

Earlier this month a Twitter user published the names of several British celebrities who have allegedly obtained anonymised injunctions or so-called super-injunctions which prevent even the mention of the order itself.

A long-awaited judicial report on Friday said that the gagging orders should only be granted where strictly necessary and that media who may be silenced by such bans should also be informed beforehand.

But senior judge David Neuberger also urged lawmakers to think twice before using their right of unrestricted freedom of speech in parliament to undermine them.

On Thursday, a member of the House of Lords revealed that Fred Goodwin, the former boss of the bailed-out Royal Bank of Scotland, had won an injunction banning publication of details of an alleged affair with a colleague.

The High Court subsequently quashed the anonymity order that had been protecting him.

Yahoo! News

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.