Entertainment Briefs

Hayek delighted with 30 Rock role

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Salma Hayek is delighted after landing a role alongside Alec Baldwin in comedy TV series 30 ROCK.

The actress will play Elisa, a love interest of Baldwin's character Jack Donaghy.

She says, "I am so excited to be part of such an intelligent, funny show, as well as working with the brilliant Alec Baldwin and the rest of the cast of 30 Rock."

Applegate hid cancer from co-stars

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Christina Applegate hid her breast cancer diagnosis from her Samantha Who? co-stars and avoided hugs for weeks.

Applegate underwent a double mastectomy in a bid to beat the disease following her diagnosis in July (08).

But she admits she kept her cancer secret from her co-stars.

She tells talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, "I told my make-up and hair people and people that are really close to me just so I had a protection wall so that no one was pushing me."

And the 36-year-old confesses she had been reluctant for a time to hug people "but now I'm good".

Mel B turns down Playboy

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Pop star and lingerie model Melanie Brown has turned down a $1.85 million offer to pose nude for Playboy - because she limits her naked antics to the bedroom.

The former Spice Girl, who strips down to her lacy underwear as the spokesmodel for Ultimo, insists she would never shed all her clothes for the men's magazine.

She tells Access Hollywood, "No, I'm not going to do it."

But that doesn't mean Brown isn't an exhibitionist - she just prefers to show off her naked body to her husband Stephen Belafonte in the privacy of their own home: "There is (an exhibitionist side to me) - in my bedroom, late at night for hours on end!"

Radcliffe misses gran's funeral after heartbreaking decision

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Actor Daniel Radcliffe chose to skip his beloved grandmother's funeral in Northern Ireland and continue his stint on Broadway this week (begs06Oct08) - because it's what she would have wanted.

Elsie Radcliffe - mother of Alan Radcliffe, the star's dad - passed away on 2 October (08) after a long battle with ill health. She was 79.

The Harry Potter star is currently starring in Equus on the New York stage and was due to fly back to the U.K. last Monday (06Oct08) to attend her funeral.

But he decided against attending the memorial service after talking it over with his parents.

A spokesperson for Radcliffe says, "It's been a very difficult time but Dan chose to remain in New York after discussions with his family.

"They decided that it was what his grandmother would have wanted. She was a strong supporter of Dan and his career and she wouldn't have wanted him to miss a performance."

Elsie was her grandson's biggest fan, and flew to London last year (07) to see his West End stage debut in controversial play Equus, despite suffering from heart problems.

Mel C to marry

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Pregnant pop star Melanie Chisholm is to wed her longterm boyfriend Thomas Starr.

The former Spice Girl and her partner of six years are expecting a baby together in the new year - thought to be around March (09) - and the couple is reportedly planning to exchange nuptials shortly after the tot arrives.

According to Britain's Daily Mirror newspaper, the parents-to-be got engaged last month (Sep08) and are aiming for a spring (09) wedding.

Chisholm will be the last of the Spice Girls to become a mother - Melanie Brown has two daughters; Posh Spice Victoria Beckham has three sons with soccer ace David Beckham, and Geri Halliwell and Emma Bunton each have one child.

Cusack's alleged stalker ordered to stay away for 10 years

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Actor John Cusack's alleged stalker has accepted a plea deal in court to stay out of prison.

Emily Leatherman initially dismissed the deal in court earlier this week (08Oct08), but pleaded no contest to a felony count of stalking on Friday (10Oct08).

She was placed on probation for five years and will undergo mandatory psychiatric counselling.

A Los Angeles judge also ordered her to stay away from Cusack, his home, and business for the next decade.

Leatherman was arrested outside Cusack's home in March (08). In 2006, Cusack was granted a temporary restraining order, stipulating Leatherman must stay at least 500 feet away from him, his home, his work, his car and offices or companies where he does business.

In a statement read in court by the absent Cusack's lawyer, the actor revealed he had never met his alleged stalker and now hoped she received the help she needs.

Priestley confirms 90210 return

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Actor Jason Priestley has confirmed he'll return to his former TV zip code to direct a post-Christmas (08) episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 spin-off series, 90210.

The actor, who directed 18 episodes of the beloved teen soap he starred in, will take charge of a 90210 show in January (09) - but he insists he won't be joining former castmates Shannen Doherty, Joe E Tata and Jennie Garth in front of the camera.

He says, "I'm coming back as a director thus far... They hired me to direct an episode in January, right after the Christmas break. I'm really looking forward to it.

"This is nothing new. I directed more episodes (of Beverly Hills, 90210) than anybody else."

Priestley hopes Doherty will return to the show for his episode, and he's looking forward to working with Garth: "I just hope that Jennie's in the episode that I do, or that Shannen's there - that'll be fun for me.

"I talk to Jennie all the time - we're actually neighbours - and she's having a great time over there (on the show)."

No plans for another Batman Begins sequel just yet

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The Dark Knight screenwriter David Goyer is baffled by reports he's working on a second sequel to 2005's Batman Begins - because he hasn't even discussed the possibility with director Christopher Nolan.

Goyer was rumored to have reteamed with Nolan to pen a script for another installment of the superhero franchise following the huge box office success of this summer's (08) The Dark Knight.

The film has grossed $988 million worldwide since its July (08) release.

But Goyer insists there are no plans for another Batman movie just yet, telling MTV, "It's all B.S. (bulls**t). All of it."

He adds, "Chris and I haven't even talked about it. He quite understandably is taking a long, long vacation and wants to purge himself.

"We have mused here and there (but) I mean Chris is pretty much a one-movie-at-a-time kind of guy. I wish I could tell you more. There really isn’t anything to tell."

Mendes dreamed of being Calvin Klein model

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Actress Eva Mendes jumped at the chance to be a spokesmodel for Calvin Klein, because she was convinced it would give her career a big boost.

The Hitch star is the face of the designer's new underwear range.

She shot print and TV adverts for the campaign with fashion photographer Steve Meisel earlier this year (08) - but the promo, which sees the actress writhing around topless, was deemed too sexy to be shown on TV in August (08), and several networks refused to air the footage.

But Mendes, who declared Americans too "prudish" for censoring the ad, doesn't regret making the saucy film because it fulfilled one of her teenage dreams - to follow in the footsteps of Mark Wahlberg, whose rap alter ego was Marky Mark, and supermodel Kate Moss, who both shot to stardom as Calvin Klein models.

She says, "I grew up on those ads. When Kate Moss and Marky Mark - I mean my friend Mark Wahlberg... can’t say Marky cos he hates that - came out with them, I was like 15 years old. Me and my friends just went crazy. Crazy, crazy. He was so gorgeous... delicious... and still is, of course."

Reverend Run: '50 Cent and West feud was faked'

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Rapper Reverend Run has exposed Kanye West and 50 Cent's highly publicized feud as a sham - insisting the pair are "really close".

50 Cent - real name Curtis Jackson - vowed to quit music last year (07) if his album Curtis lost out in the charts to West's Graduation.

But the fall out between the pair was just a ploy to sell more records, according to the Run DMC star.

He says, "They are not really fighting. They are friends. That was just a publicity thing for their albums. I think they are really close and nice to each other. That was just a first week sales battle."