Will Smith, Johnny Depp and Eddie Murphy were the best paid Hollywood actors in the past year, according to Forbes magazine's special issue "Entertainment All Stars." Smith, 39, made 80 million dollars between June 1, 2007 and June 1, 2008, thanks to blockbusters like "I Am Legend," "Hancock" and "The Pursuit of Happyness," for which he was nominated for best actor in the 2007 Oscars.
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Mr Bean wrecking a Whistler or Julia Roberts expounding on a Pollock: in much the way James Bond films help cocktail connoisseurs improve their drinks skills, Hollywood in the past half century has provided key insights into US art. So says a rare exhibition on film and art opening this week outside Paris in Giverny, the leafy sprawling home of Impressionist giant Claude Monet. 
Dubstep artist Burial is the surprise early favourite to claim Britain's prestigious Nationwide Mercury Music Prize, awarded annually for the country's best album, according to bookmakers on Wednesday. Previous winners of the award include Portishead, Dizzee Rascal, Franz Ferdinand and Arctic Monkeys, and it is often seen as vital showcase for exposing underground genres and performers to the mainstream. 
Austria's annual tuxedo-and-ball-gown shuttle in Mercedes and Rolls across a storybook landscape returns Saturday with the start of the Salzburg Festival, one of the world's most prestigious music fests. Whereas Europe's other top summertime festival in Bayreuth, Germany, three-and-a-half hours up the road, is dedicated exclusively to the works of its founder, composer Richard Wagner (1813-1883), the Austrian venue offers a wide mix of opera, concerts and drama. 
London's Royal Opera House triggered an energetic debate about "culture for the masses" Wednesday after limiting tickets for a prestigious premiere to readers of a tabloid newspaper. The respected venue will open its autumn season with a performance of "Don Giovanni" on September 8, but only for readers of The Sun, which is more famous for its Page Three topless models than its coverage of Mozart's masterpieces. 
Hundreds of Harry Potter fans dressed up in costume Wednesday as they snapped up the Japanese translation of the seventh and final book of the series, a year after it appeared in English. Readers gathered in costume at bookstores, some of which opened as early as 7:00 am (2200 GMT) to start selling the Japanese version of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows". AP
A popular Indonesian singer has been banned from giving a concert in southern Malaysia because her performing is considered too risque by authorities, reports said Saturday. Inul Daratista, known for gyrating her hips at fast speed while on stage, has demanded an explanation for the cancellation of the July 10 show in Johor state bordering Singapore, the New Straits Times said. A popular Indonesian singer has been banned from giving a concert in southern Malaysia because her performing is considered too risque by authorities, reports said Saturday. Inul Daratista, known for gyrating her hips at fast speed while on stage, has demanded an explanation for the cancellation of the July 10 show in Johor state bordering Singapore, the New Straits Times said. A recreation of the crucifixion and last days of Jesus played out against the backdrop of some of the city's most famous landmarks Friday, as an actor playing Christ was strung upside down, dragged through the streets and eventually "nailed" to a cross. Pope Benedict XVI, in Sydney for the Roman Catholic Church's World Youth Day festival, offered a prayer before the grim three-hour performance, known as the stations of the cross. The pope attended the first act, a live recreation of The Last Supper, at St. Mary's Cathedral in downtown Sydney. Bruce Lee fans are marking the 35th anniversary of the Hong Kong action star's death with an exhibit featuring movie posters, magazine covers and books about the actor. Also among the 800 items on display are letters written by Lee that detail his life in the U.S., where he attended university and taught kung fu before returning to Hong Kong. Police said they have video of a bar brawl in which members of a crew filming an Oliver Stone movie _ including actors Josh Brolin and Jeffrey Wright _ were arrested. Police Chief Henry Whitehorn told The Times of Shreveport on Wednesday he is reviewing the case and will submit it to the city prosecutor's office, which will decide whether to proceed with charges. Other Entertainment Stories
- Heather Locklear leaves depression treatment facility: report
- Sex Pistols singer hits back at race attack claims
- Internet television service Joost enters China
- Hollywood 'Walk of Fame' gets much-needed makeover
- Siberian emo fans protest planned ban: report
- Sting and other top stars sing for Tibet
- 'The Dark Knight' rewrites box-office record books
- After 57 years, Wolfgang Wagner bows out in Bayreuth
- Holy blockbuster! Batman shatters box-office record
- Canadian music mogul takes on China, pirates welcome
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The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) launched Tuesday a multi-million dollar appeal for an AIDS treatment programme in five African countries. The IFCR is seeking 21 million Swiss francs (13 million euros, 21 million dollars) for a three-year programme in Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea and Nigeria.
Latest Entertainment News
Will Smith, Johnny Depp and Eddie Murphy were the best paid Hollywood actors in the past year, according to Forbes magazine's special issue "Entertainment All Stars." Smith, 39, made 80 million dollars between June 1, 2007 and June 1, 2008, thanks to blockbusters like "I Am Legend," "Hancock" and "The Pursuit of Happyness," for which he was nominated for best actor in the 2007 Oscars.
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Joe Calzaghe's keenly anticipated meeting with American legend Roy Jones Jr has been postponed after the Welshman suffered a hand injury in training. Calzaghe, unbeaten in 45 fights fought mainly at super-middleweight, had been scheduled to meet 39-year-old Jones - who has held world titles at middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight - in a light-heavyweight bout at Madison Square Garden, New York, on September 20.
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US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pressed her North Korean counterpart to move rapidly on new nuclear disarmament steps Wednesday but hailed the "good spirit" at unprecedented six-party talks. Rice said she shook hands twice with North Korean Foreign Minister Pak Ui-Chun who she met for the first time as she and her negotiating partners gave him a "very tough message" for Pyongyang to meet its obligations.
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London-based Internet television service provider Joost said it launched a Chinese service Wednesday with local portal TOM Online to tap the world's largest online market. The company has also set up a joint venture with Hong Kong-listed TOM Group, parent of TOM Online, to bring a full Joost offering to China, Joost said in a statement posted on its website.
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