Baron Cohen MTV landing was staged

Baron Cohen MTV landing was staged, writer says

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actor Sacha Baron Cohen's outrageous bare buttock landing in Eminem's face at the MTV Movie Awards was a rehearsed stunt, according to one of the show's writers. And another report on Tuesday suggested the Detroit rapper wasn't the first choice target of the British provocateur to promote his upcoming movie "Bruno."

Susan Boyle worried about career: brother

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Talent show contestant Susan Boyle's biggest concern after being admitted to a London clinic suffering from anxiety and exhaustion is where her career is headed, her brother said. The 48-year-old Scottish singer was defeated in the final of "Britain's Got Talent" TV contest on Saturday after becoming a global Internet sensation. Following her second place showing doctors were called to her London hotel and suggested she go to a clinic for rest.

LONDON (Hollywood Reporter) - Composer Michael Nyman is making edited tracks from his score to "The Piano" available to a group of short-film directors. The tracks, "The Embrace" and "Lost and Found," are being offered for use in shorts made by members of Shooting People, a networking organization dedicated to the support and promotion of independent filmmaking.

Nia Vardalos says life is far from "in Ruins"

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The title of her new movie is "My Life in Ruins" but Nia Vardalos who shot to fame in the 2002 autobiographical hit "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" couldn't be happier. The actress returns to the Greek theme in her first big screen outing in five years, playing a tour guide who goes to Athens to regain her mojo -- or kefi as the Greeks call it.

"Kidnap" in Fox Searchlight's sights

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - "Kidnap," a missing-child thriller from a script by "Jackass" veteran Knate Gwaltney, is the latest Hollywood project in the mold of this year's box-office hit "Taken." The story centers on a woman whose son is kidnapped at a local mall and her chase to save him. Those familiar with the script say it also bears similarities to "Breakdown," the 1997 thriller about a man who must locate his wife when she goes missing after their car breaks down in the desert.

Oscar-winning director sees film's positive impact

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - A short film about a poor Indian girl with a cleft lip fetched filmmaker Megan Mylan her maiden Oscar this year, and now she can't wait to do more films that could help improve people's lives. Her 39-minute "Smile Pinki" documentary shows how the life of its outcast heroine, Pinki Sonkar, changes after she is taken to a hospital that provides free surgery to fix the deformity for thousands of children.

Musicians reflect on Bo Diddley's influence

DETROIT (Billboard) - Mention Bo Diddley's name and most everyone thinks one thing -- the beat. Bomp ba-bomp-ba-bomp, bomp bomp. Applied to such songs as "Bo Diddley," "Hey Bo Diddley" and "Who Do You Love," it's perhaps the most influential musical motif since the devil purportedly handed Robert Johnson the I-IV-V chord progression at the crossroads. It earned Diddley -- who died June 2, 2008, of heart failure at age 79 -- his rightful moniker as the Originator and his spots in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, as well as other lifetime achievement honors. But there was more to Diddley than the beat.

Celebrity Indian blogger publishes first novel

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Amit Varma, one of India's most popular bloggers, once wrote a column for the Wall Street Journal, worked on a cricket website and also dabbled in advertising. Now, he's turning his writing skills to books. Varma's debut novel, "My Friend Sancho," which was published in India this month, tells of the unlikely friendship between a wisecracking young crime reporter and the daughter of a man who has been mistakenly killed by police. The novel was long-listed for the 2008 Man Asian Literary Prize.

Novelist explores psychotic side in memoirs

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian author Will Elliott got tired of telling people that his first novel, about a schizophrenic clown, was not autobiographical, so he wrote about what it's really like to deal with the illness in a memoir. Filled with dark humor and honest insights, "Strange Places" details the 30-year-old's journey through the drugs, delusions and insights that psychosis, and recovery, bring. The book was published in May.

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