Oprah's network announces 10 show host contestants (AP)

NEW YORK – Oprah Winfrey's new network has announced the 10 contestants competing on "Your OWN Show: Oprah's Search for the Next TV Star."

The would-be hosts include a travel guide who's in a wheelchair, a comedian who thinks the U.S. needs a gay best friend, and a businesswoman aiming to make a show about money both informative and fun.

The finalists were chosen from more than 9,500 online audition videos and thousands more hopefuls at open casting calls, the Oprah Winfrey Network announced Thursday. More than 143 million votes were submitted online, OWN said.

The winner will be selected on the show by judges including Dr. Phil McGraw and Gayle King, who will subject them to a range of TV-host-related challenges.

The winner gets a show airing on Winfrey's cable channel.

With Nancy O'Dell and Carson Kressley hosting, "Your OWN Show" premieres Jan. 7. The Oprah Winfrey Network launches Saturday.

The contestants include:

• Zach Anner, of Austin, Texas, a globe-trotter in a wheelchair who wants to host a show for people who never thought they were physically capable of traveling.

• Elizabeth Espinosa, a TV news reporter from Los Angeles who wants to share what she's learned helping raise a younger brother who is learning disabled.

• Aunt Flora, of Cincinnati, who specializes in Southern cuisine.

• Leigh Koechner, a Valley Village, Calif., mother of four and the wife of actor David Koechner who wants to host a talk show.

• Kristina Kuzmic-Crocco, of Alhambra, Calif., who wants to demonstrate on her food show that "cooking doesn't have to be perfect as long as it's fun, easy and delicious."

• Ryan O'Connor, of West Hollywood, Calif., who says he wants to be the country's gay best friend. "If a variety show and a traditional talk show had a baby, that'd be my show," he said.

• Tony Roach, an Abilene, Texas, minister who dropped out of high school to live on the streets before getting his doctoral degree in divinity.

• Terey Summers, a comedic motivational speaker for youth from Phoenix.

• Alicia Taylor, of Las Vegas, who started a mortgage company and says, "People need a practical and fun show about all things financial."

• Eric Warren, an expert in the kitchen from Lawndale, Calif., who has dropped 62 pounds and wants to host a cooking show that has America losing weight along with him.

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OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network is a joint venture between Harpo Inc. and Discovery Communications.

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Online:

http://www.oprah.com/own

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Beckham lands in Australia, minus 'Posh' (AFP)

SYDNEY (AFP) – Football superstar David Beckham flew into Australia Thursday for an exhibition game with his team LA Galaxy, but minus his popstar wife Victoria who opted to stay at home.

The former England captain said he was "honoured" to be in Australia for this weekend's game against former A-League champions Newcastle Jets at their 26,000-capacity stadium north of Sydney.

"We're honoured to be here, this is something the players have talked about and are excited about," said Beckham, 35. "We're here to enjoy ourselves but also here to perform as well and hopefully win."

Beckham said Spice Girl-turned-fashion designer Victoria, who was widely reported to be accompanying her husband, was in the United States celebrating Thanksgiving with their three children, Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz.

"My wife and kids would obviously love to have been here but they're celebrating Thanksgiving and Victoria's just come back from a long trip working in Europe," he said.

"Unfortunately she wanted to come out but it wasn't possible, but I'm sure she will at some point."

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder's last appearance in Australia, which is bidding to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, drew 80,000 fans to Sydney's former Olympic stadium in 2007.

He will reportedly become the biggest player to visit coal port Newcastle since 1967, when Bobby Charlton and George Best turned out for Manchester United against Northern NSW at No.1 Sportsground.

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Kanye West set to bounce Susan Boyle from No. 1 (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) – Kanye West will likely end Susan Boyle's two-week reign on the next U.S. pop album chart, according to early prognostications from industry gurus.

West's fifth studio album, "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy," could sell perhaps 550,000 units by week's end on November 28, pundits said. Data will be published on Wednesday. Boyle's "The Gift" leads the current chart with sales of 335,000 units in the week ended November 21.

"Fantasy" would mark West's fourth consecutive album, following "Late Registration" (2005), "Graduation" (2007) and "808s & Heartbreak" (2008). The latter began with 450,000 and also was released over Thanksgiving week. His 2004 debut "The College Dropout," peaked at No. 2.

Also gunning for a big entrance next week is rookie rapper Nicki Minaj's debut effort, "Pink Friday," which is on target to begin with more than 400,000 copies.

R&B singer/songwriter Ne-Yo's fourth studio album "Libra Scale" could launch with 125,000, while rock band My Chemical Romance's "Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys" should start with 100,000 to 110,000.

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Jim Carrey's "Christmas Carol" tops DVD sales chart (Reuters)

By T.K. Arnold T.k. Arnold – Wed Nov 24, 10:50 pm ET

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – "A Christmas Carol" topped the national home video sales charts Wednesday, a year after Disney's Jim Carrey movie kicked off a modest $139 million run at the North American box office.

The film won the top spot on the Nielsen VideoScan sales chart over "Avatar," which was boosted by the release of a new extended collector's edition.

A third major theatrical release, "The Last Airbender," rode its $132 million theatrical gross to a No. 3 debut. The previous week's top seller, "Toy Story 3," fell to No. 4.

On Nielsen VideoScan's dedicated Blu-ray Disc sales chart, "Avatar" outsold "A Christmas Carol." According to Nielsen data, 50% of first-week sales of Avatar were on Blu-ray Disc, compared to just 37% for Carol. "The Last Airbender" and "Toy Story 3" were No. 3 and No. 4, respectively.

On Home Media Magazine's video rental chart for the week, "Grown Ups" repeated at No. 1, with "The Last Airbender" debuted at No. 2, "Toy Story 3" slipped one to No. 3, and "A Christmas Carol" came on at No. 4. In its first week of availability at Redbox and Netflix, "Predators" soared 13 places to No. 5.

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Beauty queen stumbles over Korea crisis (Reuters)

CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela's former Miss Universe Alicia Machado closed her Twitter account after being mocked for confusing the Koreas with China.

Concerned by North Korea's artillery attack on a South Korean island, the 1996 beauty queen winner got muddled when tweeting for world peace via her @aliciamachado77 account.

"Tonight I want to ask you to join me in a prayer for peace, that these attacks between the Chinas do not make our situation worse," she wrote late on Tuesday.

Her gaffe unleashed a rush of insulting posts, prompting her to go offline. "I now have a lot of psychopaths on the account and it's best I start another one, kisses," she signed off, according to Venezuelan media.

Machado is no stranger to unwelcome attention.

She caused a media furor by gaining 22 pounds (10 kg) right after her 1996 triumph and Miss Universe organization president Donald Trump called her an "eating machine."

(Reporting by Diego Ore; Writing by Andrew Cawthorne; Editing by Xavier Briand)

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Billy Joel recovering from double hip replacement (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Singer Billy Joel is recovering from a double hip replacement, his publicist said on Thursday.

"Billy Joel is doing extremely well following bilateral hip replacement and will be back at his Long Island (New York) home by the end of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend," Joel's publicist Claire Mercuri said in a statement.

Grammy Award-winner Joel, 61, is the singer of hit songs "Piano Man," "My Life," and "Just the Way You Are," among others, and has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide.

He released "Billy Joel: The Hits" last week to celebrate the 40th anniversary of his first solo album.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; editing by Mohammad Zargham)

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Susan Boyle tops Rihanna on album chart (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) – Scottish singer Susan Boyle's second album "The Gift" held on to the top spot on the Billboard 200 album charts for a second week, beating new releases by R&B artist Rihanna, and Kid Rock.

Boyle, who became an Internet sensation after appearing on "Britain's Got Talent" in 2009, also scored a rare second-week sales increase, up 5 percent with 335,000 sales of her Christmas-themed album, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Boyle was joined by a kindred TV spirit as 10-year-old "America's Got Talent" runner-up Jackie Evancho saw her "O Holy Night" bow with 239,000 at No. 2. The four song EP -- bolstered with a DVD of performances -- carries an economical list price of $8.

Rihanna captured her fifth top 10 set with "Loud" coming in at No. 3 with 207,000 -- her best sales week yet -- while her single "Only Girl" rebounded to No. 1 on the Hot 100 chart.

Boyle and Evancho's albums are two of three holiday efforts in the top 10, making the biggest Christmas tally since January 1993. The cast of TV musical comedy "Glee" with their "Christmas Album" came in at No. 8 with 161,000.

The top nine albums all sold more than 100,000 each.

Josh Groban's "Illuminations" lit up at No. 4 with 191,000 sales. Kid Rock's "Born Free" bowed at No. 5 with 189,000, with digital downloads accounting for 23,000 of his total. It is the sixth top 10 for both singers.

Rascal Flatts' "Nothing Like This" entered at No. 6 with 165,000, marking the country band's seventh top 10 album. Meanwhile, Keith Urban saw his latest release, "Get Closer," start at No. 7 with 162,000.

The eighth and final top 10 debut of the week belonged to Nelly, who took 10th place with his "5.0" shifting 63,000.

Aside from Boyle, the only holdover in the top 10 was Taylor Swift's "Speak Now," which dropped seven slots to No. 9 in its fourth week.

On the digital songs chart, the "Glee" cast's take on Cee Lo Green's "Forget You," featuring actress Gwyneth Paltrow, arrived at No. 1 with 192,000. It was Paltrow's second No. 1 on a Billboard music chart following "Cruisin'," a duet with Huey Lewis, which topped the adult contemporary radio chart in 2000.

Green's original version of "Forget You" (aka "F*** You") rallied up 10 slots to a new peak of No. 2 with a one-week high of 191,000 downloads (up 94 percent).

The "Glee" mash-up of "Singing in the Rain/Umbrella" also made the Top 10, taking 7th place with 140,000 downloads.

Overall album sales in the chart week ending November 21 totaled 8.12 million units, up 2 percent compared to the comparable sales week of 2009.

Year to date album sales stand at 261.78 million, down 13% compared to the same total at this point last year. Digital track sales for the week were 22.47 million, up 19 percent compared to the comparable week of 2009.

(Editing by Jill Serjeant)

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Baby boy for John Travolta after son's tragic death (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Actor John Travolta and his wife Kelly Preston on Tuesday announced the birth of their third child, a baby boy born nearly two years after the death of their 16-year-old son Jett.

The baby, named Benjamin, was born at a hospital in Florida on Tuesday evening weighing more than 8 lbs (3.6 kg), according to a statement from Travolta's publicist.

"John, Kelly and their daughter Ella Bleu are ecstatic and very happy about the newest member of the family. Both mother and baby are healthy and doing beautifully," the statement said.

Jett, the first child of Travolta, 56, and Preston, 48, died of a seizure in January 2009 while the family was on vacation in the Bahamas. Travolta confirmed after the death that Jett was autistic.

The "Pulp Fiction" and "Grease" star and his actress wife spent a year out of the public spotlight grieving for Jett. The family was also the victim of an alleged $25 million extortion plot over the death that ended in a mistrial for those accused.

Travolta was back on the red carpet in January to promote his comedy adventure movie "From Paris with Love" and Preston appeared in the Miley Cyrus movie "The Last Song" in April.

(Reporting by Elaine Lies; editing by Paul Casciato)

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Obama's hajj grandmother 'prayed for him to be Muslim' (AFP)

RIYADH (AFP) – US President Barack Obama's Kenyan grandmother says she prayed during a hajj pilgrimage to Mecca for the American leader to convert to Islam, a newspaper revealed on Thursday.

"I prayed for my grandson Barack to convert to Islam," said Sarah Omar, 88, in an interview with Al-Watan Saudi daily held in Jeddah after she had performed hajj.

The paper said that Omar was in Saudi Arabia on pilgrimage along with her son, Obama's uncle Saeed Hussein Obama, and four of her grandchildren.

Omar told the newspaper that she could only discuss hajj matters and would not comment on Obama's politics.

The family appeared to have been hosted by the Saudi government for hajj. Saeed thanked King Abdullah for his "kind hospitality," the paper said.

US opinion polls in August revealed that roughly one in five Americans believe that Obama is a Muslim, a claim categorically denied by the White House which has maintained that he is a "committed Christian."

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Presenter Ross joins forces with Big Brother team (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters Life!) – British TV presenter Jonathan Ross has signed a deal with Endemol UK, the production team behind blockbuster reality show Big Brother, an Endemol spokesman said on Thursday.

The Dutch television and digital production company announced the deal with Ross's own production firm Hotsauce TV to create entertainment programing for the British and global markets.

The deal is unrelated to Ross's scheduled ITV chat show which will air in 2011.

Ross could bring in the necessary star power to help fill the void left after Britain's Big Brother series finished this year at the end of an 11 year run.

Endemol's lenders have said the company has struggled with its levels of debt dating back to its 2007 buy-out, and that it needed to develop new shows to syndicate.

"Obviously we're always looking for new ideas," the spokesman said.

"The company lives and breathes creativity and Jonathan and his company really embody that. Ross is a very well known on-screen talent, but he's also got a lot of great ideas as well as knowledge on the production side."

The deal marks a return to action for Ross after a spell away from the limelight following the infamous 'Sachsgate' affair in 2008, involving a lewd radio prank, and his departure from the BBC this year.

Ross first hit the headlines with his chat show The Last Resort in the 1980s, and became one of the country's highest paid entertainers with BBC1 chatshow Friday Night With Jonathan Ross.

Endemol's entertainment roster includes shows such as Channel 4's The Million Pound Drop Live, Deal or No Deal and BBC1's Would I Lie To You?

(Reporting by Adam Jourdan; editing by Mike Collett-White and Paul Casciato)

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Charlie Sheen Files Lawsuit Against Capri Anderson, Claims Extortion (ContributorNetwork)

Recent Charlie Sheen news reveals a hotel room melee; allegations of drug use; and a date-for-hire, Capri Anderson. Now there is the news that Sheen is suing Anderson. Well, Capri is thinking of suing Sheen, so there. Is anyone still keeping track?

Charlie Sheen Harassed Capri Anderson?

E!Online reveals that the New York Police Department is looking to talk to ex-wife Denise Richards, Sheen (and most likely also others) after being contacted by gal-pal for the occasion Capri Anderson. In fact, Anderson alleges harassment by Sheen. Not one to let his reputation be sullied unduly, Sheen is suing Anderson, alleging extortion.

Taking a Page from the Playbook of Rob Lowe

Sheen's attorney, Yale Galanter -- insert your favorite O.J. Simpson memory here -- told GMA (as retold without delay by TMZ) that Anderson is looking to get a "7-figure sum" from Sheen to buy her silence.

Suing for extortion is not a new concept among high-profile employers. A couple of short years ago, People reported on Rob Lowe's extortion suit against a former babysitter who made noises over airing some untoward bits and pieces of information. The figure discussed in this case was $1.5 million.

Stars Behaving Badly?

The personal or professional involvement of Charlie Sheen and Capri Anderson is not nearly as scandalous as it would have been in the distant past. Indeed, stars behaving badly are par for the course. Even highly respected Robert De Niro had a run-in with police that involved a call girl.

Sure, the BBC outlined that a call girl of a busted prostitution ring named him in passing to French police, but even so, the allegation stuck sufficiently long to get paparazzi on the scene. Citing the need to protect his (then) pregnant wife and also a mother with a heart condition, the star went on the attack against the French cops.

Perhaps if the Lowe approach does not work for Charlie Sheen, he might fall back on the De Niro way of handling a Capri Anderson-like situation. Then again, it doesn't help that Sheen just this month filed for divorce.

Sources

E!Online: "NYPD Targets Charlie Sheen .. and Denise Richards"
TMZ: "Sheen's Lawyer: Capri Wasn't Hired for Sex"
People: "Rob Lowe Accuses Babysitter of Extortion Attempt"
BBC: "De Niro furious over French grilling"

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Rihanna returns to No. 1 on singles chart (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Billboard) – Two weeks after topping the Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart with "What's My Name?", Rihanna reclaimed her crown Thursday with "Only Girl (In the World)," the debut single from her new album, "Loud."

It's the first time in the 52-year history of the Hot 100 that an album's debut single has reached No. 1 after the second single. "What's My Name?" slipped one place to No. 8, while "Loud" debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 album chart on Wednesday.

"Only Girl" is Rihanna's fourth single to ascend to No. 1 in 2010, making her the first woman, and first artist overall since Usher in 2004, to hit the top that many times in a calendar year. Her career tally of chart-toppers stands at nine.

Pink rose two places to No. 2 with "Raise Your Glass," while Far*East Movement's "Like a G6" fell to No. 3 after three non-consecutive weeks at the top. Ke$ha rebounded two places to No. 4 with "We R Who We R," which debuted at No. 1 three weeks ago. Nelly's "Just a Dream" held at No. 5.

Katy Perry's "Firework" jumped three to No. 6, Bruno Mars slid four to No. 7 with "Just The Way You Are." Just behind Rihanna's "What's My Name?", Cee-Lo Green's "F--- You (Forget You)" jumped 13 places to No. 9 on the wings of the "Glee" Cast's family-friendly cover at No. 11. Trey Songz' "Bottoms Up" was No. 10 for a second week.

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Disney animators faced knotty problem with 'Tangled' (AFP)

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – The makers of the latest Disney animated blockbuster "Tangled" say one of the biggest challenges was making Princess Rapunzel's long flowing hair seem realistic, including in 3D.

Disney's 50th animated feature is based on the Brothers Grimm fairytale and fits into the long tradition of a studio that brought children's classics "Dumbo" and "Cinderella" to the world decades ago.

But moviegoers can be forgiven for being reminded of films by younger animated movie rivals Dreamworks (with "Shrek" for example) and Pixar, of "Finding Nemo" and "Toy Story" fame.

"There's a look in the film that kind of relates back to the Disney animated from the 40s and the 50s," said Nathan Greno, co-director of the movie, which opened Wednesday on the eve of the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States.

"But because it's been made by computer, it's so fresh it's so new, it's unlike anything audience have seen. We really tried to have one foot in the past and one foot firmly planted in the present," he told AFP.

The film -- initially called "Rapunzel" but changed to reflect the boosted role given to her charming rescuer -- tells the story of the long-haired princess trapped in a tower.

She is saved by bandit Flynn Ryder -- voiced by Zachary Levi -- but that only marks the start of her real journey.

"The core of the script is this coming-of-age story with this girl trying to find herself," said Greno's co-director Byron Howard.

"We did look at the original Grimm's fairytale, which is very dark and kind of confusing in a lot of ways. And we tried to take the best part of that and expand it to something epic and huge."

In addition to its narrative drive, the film used the very latest hi-tech advances in computer-generated graphics -- in particular for the princess's river-like hair, splashed across giant publicity posters for the movie.

"The biggest challenge has been to raise the bar, the artistic bar, the animation bar for the human characters," said animator Carlos Cabral.

"The hair was a huge technical bar that we had to achieve. The interaction of the hair with the clothes and multiples layers of clothes really kind of raised the bar on CG character animation."

Cabral said it was particularly difficult to simulate hair because every strand of the princess's locks had to be reproduced.

"And every hair has to collide with everything. This is a huge calculation. Literally up until recently, we haven't had the computing power to be able to get even close to that," he added.

The latest technology also helped the animators give the characters expressions reflecting the actual faces and movements of the actors who lend their voices.

"I saw Flint's face when I first auditioned for the role, they had pretty much already conceived it. And I thought, 'Well it's a good looking guy!,'" said Levi.

"There's a camera in the voice-over booth, kind of picking up your movements and facial expression. There's a little bit of you in the character."

Voicing characters -- a growing source of income for actors amid the explosion of animated movies in recent years -- presents unique challenges.

"It was very strange not being able to have like a give-and-take with another actor," said Levi.

"You always have to use you imagination to picture the world. At least in a live-action show you have all this things that help you to picture this fictitious world.

"In voice-over, it's all about imagination."

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