Cameron Diaz and Julia Roberts 'most dangerous' celebrity online searches

Cameron Diaz, Julia Roberts and Jessica Biel are the “most dangerous” celebrities to search for on the internet, a new survey about online dangers found.
Researchers found Hollywood actresses and beautiful models were who online criminals most likely used to lure unsuspecting web users to bogus sites.

They found more than six million unique, newly created pieces of malicious programming were created over the past year, the equivalent to around 60,000 pieces every day.

Experts say hackers and fraudsters often use such websites “booby-trapped” with malicious software and which target the private details of innocent users.

Clicking on strange sites is often fraught with danger but thousands continue to ignore the risks, often to their peril, which leads to computers becoming infected with viruses.

Once a computer is infected, criminals can steal victims' online banking passwords, email passwords, and undertake other “nasty deeds”.

According to the survey of the "most dangerous celebrities", Diaz was top ranked celebrity, just a step ahead of box office powerhouse Julia Roberts and other leading Lady Jessica Biel.

More than one in 10 internet searches about Diaz, 37, led to “risky websites”, which trick visitors into unwittingly downloading viruses that can seize control or computers or mine them for data.

While an fifth of websites that came from searching the term "Cameron Diaz screensavers" were rigged with malicious code.

Searches related to Roberts, 42, who has been promoting her new film "Eat, Pray, Love," resulted in tainted websites nine per cent of the time, but the risk leapt to 20 per cent when pictures or wallpaper were downloaded.

Biel, 28, who topped last year’s list, was the third most dangerous with her overall risk matching Roberts’ but users had a slightly less chance of being offered booby-trapped screensavers.

Victoria's Secret lingerie models Gisele Buendchen, Adriana Lima, and Heidi Klum were among the Top Ten while tennis stars Maria Sharapova and Andy Roddick were 13th and 14th respectively.

The other most-dangerous celebrities to look for online include Jennifer Love Hewitt, Nicole Kidman, Tom Cruise, Heidi Klum, Penelope Cruz and Anna Paquin, the star of TV hit "True Blood”.

US President Barack Obama and Sarah Palin, the failed vice presidential candidate, ranked last on the list, released by an internet security firm, making them less threatening topics for internet searches.

“Cybercriminals often use the names of popular celebrities to lure people to sites that are actually laden with malicious software," said Dave Marcus, from McAfee, which commissioned the study.

"Anyone looking for the latest videos or pictures could end up with a malware-ridden computer instead of just trendy content.

"This year, the search results for celebrities are safer than they've been in previous years, but there are still dangers when searching online.

He added: "They know that people want to have screensavers of popular individuals. They follow hot topics on the web and create their poisonous content accordingly and (lay) traps based on the latest trends."

McAfee performed its tests in July using the company's technology for identifying dangerous websites.

The rankings measured the likelihood that someone looking for things, such as photos and videos of those celebrities, would land on a malicious site.
By Andrew
source:telegraph.co.uk

Jennifer Aniston under fire for using the word 'retard’

Jennifer Aniston, who was promoting her new movie The Switch on US chat show Live with Regis and Kelly, has been criticised by disability groups after using the word in reference to a recent photo shoot in which she posed as Barbra Streisand.

In reference to the Harper’s Bazaar photo shoot, she replied to a question from co-host Regis Philbin by saying “Yes, I play dress up! I do it for a living, like a retard!”

Peter Berns, CEO of The Arc, a non-profit group who support those with intellectual and developmental disabilities said the use of the word was “extraordinarily offensive and inappropriate.”

Speaking to Us Magazine, he said: “Frankly, someone in her position ought to know better.

“She is using language that is offensive to a large segment of the population in this country.”

Aniston was criticised earlier this week following comments about marriage. Bill O’Reilly, the Fox News host, said the 41-year-old actor was “destructive to our society” after she discussed she said: “Women are realising it more and more knowing that they don’t have to settle with a man just to have that child.”

In Aniston's latest film, she plays a single woman who uses a sperm donor to get pregnant.
source:telegraph.co.uk

Demi lovato and Joe Jonas to rekindle romance

DEMI Lovato and Joe Jonas might — just might — get back together!
The pair split earlier this year after dating on and off for several months.
And even though Joe dumped Demi, he’s still not over her — body language experts insist!

The Final Jam premiere (scrowl through the pics below) apparently prove Joe is “still into” his ex-girlfriend and tour mate.

“Joe still likes Demi because his toe is pointing in her direction. When a guy’s feet are pointed at your direction, that means he likes you,” Dr. Lillian Glass told Hollywood Life.

But Lillian added that “Demi is really not happy to be with him. Even though her mouth is smiling, her eyes are not smiling the whole time.

“They have a lot of tension between them. It’s very awkward.

“She’s trying to show her assertiveness and say, ‘Hey, I’m not little Demi Lovato.’ She wants to be a star within her own right.

“It’s got to be a really big challenge for them.”
article by:showbizspy.com

Zsa Zsa Gabor declines treatment, opts to spend "final days" at home

Zsa Zsa Gabor's publicist says the ailing Hungarian-born actress has left a Los Angeles hospital to spend her "final days" at home.
"They wanted to do a liver treatment ... and she's decided she doesn't want to do anymore and (she and her husband Prince Frederic Von Anhalt have) gone home to stay at the house," publicist John Blanchette told TVGuide.com Tuesday.

"She got her last rites (from a priest) ... She's being fed intravenously through a tube and they have all the equipment at the house," Blanchette added. "I think she just wants to spend her final days there."

Gabor, 93, underwent hip-replacement surgery more than a month ago to repair injuries sustained in a fall at her Bel Air, Calif., home.

She was discharged from UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center Aug. 11 but returned to the facility two days later for further treatment.

Nirvana Catalog Lawsuit with Courtney Love Settled

Nirvana's publishing catalog sale was finally settled up. Court records show a management firm and Courtney Love have settled a $1 million lawsuit over the profits of the sale of Nirvana's publishing catalog. Love is the widow of former Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain. London & Co. sued Love two years ago, claiming she failed to share the earnings of a deal in which sold a portion of Nirvana's catalog for nearly $20 million.

Court records show attorneys for London & Co. and Love told a judge last Wednesday that they had settled and the case was dismissed.

The Hole frontwoman has controlled many of the rights to Cobain and Nirvana's work since his suicide in Seattle in 1994.

Love's attorney, James Janowitz, confirmed the settlement but said he could not provide any further details.

Q&A: Miss Haiti gives hope to devastated country

NEW YORK, N.Y. — The first Miss Haiti in 22 years is not the typical contestant you'd find in a beauty pageant. She is a young lawyer who speaks four languages and is happy to be able to help her country after the horrific earthquake that devastated the impoverished Caribbean nation last January.

Sarodj Bertin had a privileged childhood in Port-au-Prince until age 9, when her mother, lawyer and opposition leader Mireille Durocher Bertin, was gunned down after announcing the creation of a political party that would compete with that of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in the upcoming elections.

Her father then moved Sarodj and his other children to the neighbouring Dominican Republic, where the 24-year-old beauty, who considered her mother her idol, studied law and worked for the International Alliance for Haiti's Recovery.

Nevertheless, she was obsessed with the Miss Universe pageant. After the earthquake, she entered a contest, won and spent the last few months in Puerto Rico with the director of the Miss Dominican Republic and Miss Haiti franchises, Magali Febles, who took charge of her training for Miss Universe, to be held Aug. 23 in Las Vegas. (The pageant will air on NBC and Telemundo, 9 p.m.-11 p.m. EDT.)

In a recent interview at the Miss Universe headquarters in New York, Bertin spoke with The Associated Press about the importance of her new role, how she expects to help her country and a mishap that would have been the end of the world to any other contestant: Her luggage with her entire Miss Universe wardrobe disappeared on a recent flight to Miami.

AP: What are you going to wear now that you have lost your Miss Universe wardrobe?

Bertin: The people of Haiti have been extremely supportive. They learned what happened and a few designers came to me and loaned me their gowns, bags, shoes. And I, I feel like the most special person in the world right now because they cared for me.

AP: You are a lawyer, you're studying for a masters, you speak French, Spanish, English and Creole, and you are learning Mandarin. You are not the typical Miss Universe contestant.

Bertin: The Miss Universe pageant has always been a dream for me, since I was a kid. I used to watch the contest and think, "Why is my country not participating? I want to see Haiti participating." ... When I finished college, I gave up on the idea. I thought it would never happen. I thought someday ... I could celebrate the contest and send a girl myself. So when they told me that they were going to do it this year ... I trembled, I cried, I screamed.

AP: Some criticized the contest, considering it too frivolous, especially amid such a state of emergency.

Bertin: Everybody remembers Haiti in moments of crisis. ... I want them to see also the beauty that there is in my country, to be interested in giving opportunities to the young people. ... They should see it as a light, a hope.

AP: How do you think your participation in the contest can help your country?

Bertin: There are many people who want to help but don't know how and sometimes they need a voice to tell them what are the necessities of the people. I want the people, through me, to be who says what their necessities are.

AP: What are your expectations for the big day?

Bertin: Obviously, if I win I'm going to be the happiest woman. ... (But) regardless what occurs that night, my objectives are the same: work for my people.

Miss indonesia universe 2010 Qory Sandioriva

Qory Sandioriva which is known as Puteri Indonesia 2009 who is take part as a miss universe 2010 contestant from indonesia has the highest chance to win the miss universe 2010 crown. long with the other 10 contestant. It was said that there's a topless photo session for miss universe 2010 event where rima fakih as USA contestant do a topless photo session together with la toya woods from Trinidad & tobago and maiko itai from japan.

nlike the other contestant Qory Sandioriva will only wear a one piece swimsuit for the swimsuit photosession and she will wear papua traditional costume on miss universe 2010 event.

Before leaving for America, Qory also do some special preparation. Aceh's bloody woman has had a chance to follow the international classes for public speaking, table manner, global issues, body treatments, facial, makeup classes and hair do.

On the night of the Miss Universe 2010 peak, Stefania Fernandez Miss Universe 2009 from Venezuela will be crowned the winner who managed to set aside this year's finalists were followed by 83 participants.

So who will be the winner of Miss Universe 2010 Event? Let's Vote for Qory Sandioriva from Indonesia to be the next miss universe.

MISS UNIVERSE 2010 CONTROVERSY

NEW YORK, NY – The Miss Universe pageant might be showing a little too much skin for some people’s liking!

The Miss Universe pageant is slated to take place on August 23. The most beautiful women in the world will represent their respective countries and will have the attention of millions – specially men. In an effort to promote the event, organizers are using sultry photos of contestant, including Miss USA 2010 Rima Fakih, in nothing but body paint. Not a good move according to some people.


Angie Meyer, described as a “former pageant-organization worker,” expressed her dismay with the photos to Fox News. “It’s alarming that this has been turned into a Playboy-esque masquerade,” she said. “By implementing topless photos as part of the pageant process, they’re putting applicants in an extremely compromising position.”

According to the Miss Universe organization, which is co-run by the Trump Organization and NBC, the Las Vegas photo shoot was done in an effort to celebrate the diversity of this year’s contestants. In a statement to Yahoo!, Lark-Marie Anton, vice-president of marketing and public relations for the pageant, defended the promotion: “The contestants who compete at Miss Universe are diverse, as they represent more than 82 countries around the globe. Many of their cultures embrace nudity,” she said.

She also pointed out that each contestant chose how much skin to show and she called the photos “a form of artistic expression.” The final word from the organization was: “We feel the images captured are fashionable and cutting edge!”

There is a reason why Anton is vice-president of marketing and probably moving on up. Because she knows that – wait for it – sex or sexiness sells. It’s an unfortunate or fortunate – depending on which way you look at it – aspect of our society. What is so tragic or “Playboy” about these pictures? What moral boundaries are being crossed? Last time we checked there is a swimsuit part of the competition. The pictures are great and the women look great. And in the long run, some controversy is good because it will definitely draw more attention to the competition. Bravo Miss Universe!

Miss Universe Ireland 2010 Rozanna Purcell Has Her Eyes On The 2010 Miss Universe Crown

Rozanna Purcell, the beautiful Miss Universe Ireland 2010, is one of the top favorites at the Miss Universe 2010 pageant this year and has set her lovely eyes on the coveted crown. “Poison” rocker and “Celebrity Apprentice” winner Bret Michaels and NBC anchor Natalie Morales will be the hosts for the grand finale, which takes place on August 23rd in Las Vegas, USA.

The first thing that you notice about this 19 year old Irish beauty is her gorgeous eyes, and her determined attitude which has an aura of poise and elegance. It’s no wonder that she is also one of the top contenders for this year’s Miss Universe title.

Although Ireland has not gone very far at the Miss Universe pageant over the past few years, Rozanna hopes to change this unfavorable trend and win the Miss Universe 2010 crown for her country. Being young, adventurous and determined, this stunning Miss Universe Ireland 2010 will surely go a long way at the pageant this year.
source:uktodaynews.com

Michael Douglas has tumor, expects full recovery

NEW YORK – Michael Douglas has a tumor in his throat and will undergo radiation and chemotherapy.
The Academy Award-winning actor's treatment is scheduled to last eight weeks.

The 65-year-old Douglas says he expects to make a full recovery. He told People magazine in a statement Monday he's "very optimistic." His publicist's assistant, Eli Barach, confirmed his condition to The Associated Press.

The actor is outside the United States, publicist Allen Burry said Monday, declining to give his location or where he would be treated.

Douglas and his wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones, purchased a house on the island of Bermuda nearly a decade ago, and Zeta-Jones said they planned to raise their two children there.

Douglas won an Oscar for "Wall Street" and appears this fall in the sequel, "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps."

Tila Tequila wants to end juggalos gathering

Los Angeles, California (CNN) -- Reality TV star Tila Tequila said she wants to bankrupt organizers of the "Gathering of the Juggalos" festival where an angry crowd attacked her with rocks and bottles last weekend.

"I'm hoping this will be the last juggalos gathering that they will ever have," Tequila said Monday in an interview with E-Online.

Her lawyer is preparing to sue the festival, which is organized for fans of the hip-hop group Insane Clown Posse. Festival organizers did not respond to CNN requests for a response. This was the event's 11th year, the fourth in rural Hardin County, Illinois.

Cuts on the Playboy model and singer's face required stitches. And her body is covered with bruises, she said.

An angry crowd pelted Tequila with rocks, bottles and human excrement as she performed early Saturday, she said.

"If you just look at these people, or monsters, whatever they are, they looked very angry and violent," Tequila said.

Video obtained by CNN showed Tequila standing her ground on stage for several minutes, continuing to perform her songs while several bodyguards tried to protect her.

"I'm not going anywhere," she shouted back.

The assault subsided briefly when comedian Tom Green, who had performed earlier, diverted the crowd's attention with a dance.

After Green left the stage, a large rock soared from the crowd, striking Tequila's face. Blood streamed down her cheek.

Green described a mob of hundreds chasing Tequila from the stage and surrounding a trailer where she sought refuge. They rocked the trailer and smashed its windows, he said.

Tequila eventually escaped, but only after windows in her sports utility vehicle were smashed, according to the local sheriff.

The fans are mostly young people who sometimes wear clown make up and are referred to as juggalos and juggalettes.
By Alan Duke, CNN

Axl Rose's Twitter page hacked

LONDON (Billboard) – If you believed Axl Rose's Twitter account on Sunday night, the Guns N' Roses frontman had unilaterally canceled the band's upcoming European tour.

The message stated: "All upcoming Guns N' Roses dates are officially canceled. Please contact your place of purchase for any refunds."

Someone had hacked into his account, though it always seemed likely to be a hoax: Rose is not active on Twitter and this is the first post in three months. Rose's other messages were posted via iPhone and this latest tweet was via mobile web. It was also curious that it had the British spelling of "canceled."

Nevertheless, it proved disruptive as GNR's tour partners in the U.K. and Europe had to investigate the announcement. Ticket holders who saw early media reports of the supposed cancellation will doubtless be seeking refunds.

The 26-date trek kicks in England off with a pair of headlining stands at the Reading and Leeds festivals on August 27 and August 29 respectively. It wraps at Barcelona's olympic stadium on October 23.
By Andre Paine

Hilary Duff and Mike Comrie Get Married

Hilary Duff is officially a married woman!

The 22-year-old actress wed her hockey player beau, Mike Comrie, in an intimate sunset ceremony at a $29 million estate near the San Ysidro Ranch in Montecito, Calif. on Saturday, UsMagazine.com has confirmed.

Approximately 100 of the couple's closest family members and friends enjoyed poolside cocktails before the ceremony began at sundown.

Clad in a strapless Vera Wang gown with her hair in a bun, Duff made her way down the aisle -- lined with candles and rose petals -- with her mother, Susan, by her side. Duff's older sister, Haylie, served as maid of honor.

"It was one of the most beautiful weddings I've ever seen," a witness told Us of the pair's 20-minute ceremony. "Absolutely stunning. They thought of every last detail and it was an incredible sight."

Together for more than two years, Duff and Comrie, 29, got engaged during a Hawaiian vacation in February.

After Comrie got down on one knee and presented his girlfriend with a 14-carat, radiant-cut sparkler in Maui, Duff told Us she went full tilt into wedding planning mode.

"[I] came home to a big stack of magazines from my family," said Duff, who had "tear sheets all over my house" in her quest to find the perfect gown. "It's very exciting!"

Though the pair often endure a long-distance relationship, Duff says she and her new husband have a surprisingly "natural" relationship.

"We both have busy jobs, and we're both very focused people, so that helps," the actress tells Us. "Since we are apart so much, it's not like one person is at home waiting for the other."

What makes Comrie her perfect match?

"He's a great guy," Duff gushes. "I've never met anyone who could say a bad word about him. He's generous, caring, funny. We just laugh our heads off, which I need in my life ... He's unique. I wouldn't want to be with someone who wasn't unique."

Mark Zuckerberg Biography

Mark Zuckerberg, born May 14, 1984, was a Harvard undergraduate when he started the Facebook social networking website. An early fan of computers who had developed a "smart" mp3 player in high school, Zuckerberg had previously been reprimanded by the Harvard administration for his Facemash site, a Harvard-specific photo rating site that operated like HotOrNot.com but used photographs taken from Harvard's online facebook, without the subjects' permission.

(A facebook, lower-case, is a collection of student photographs designed to introduce students to each other.)
In February of 2004, he started "The Facebook," which took the goals of those lower-case traditional facebooks and combined them with the social networking of Myspace-like sites. Unlike Facemash, The Facebook was opt-in -- any Harvard student could create an account, and by the end of the month, more than half of the undergraduates had done so. Zuckerberg expanded the service quickly, offering it to all Ivy League schools by the end of the spring and more schools the following semester. The Wirehog site was created as a companion filesharing site for Facebook users, and by the end of 2004, The Facebook had over one million registered users.

The advertising revenue made it easier to raise venture capital, and Zuckerberg and his associates purchased the facebook.com domain from its previous holder and dropped the "The" from the site's name. Over time, Facebook became more and more inclusive, opening its doors to all college students, faculty members, and alumni (anyone with a confirmed educational-domain email address), and in 2006 added networks for high school students. Since fall of 2006, the site has been open to anyone who wishes to join -- a shift away from the student-centric origins which many users have decried.

Meanwhile, a Craigslist-like Facebook Marketplace has been added to the site, along with a platform for offering applications. Microsoft purchased a 1.6% stake in the company for $240 million in October of 2007, and the following month the Facebook Beacon service premiered -- a controversial initiative that blends marketing and social networking, which has come under considerable criticism for the way that it can broadcast information about a user's activity outside of the Facebook site, without adequately warning them.

Zuckerberg moved to Palo Alto to operate Facebook full time, taking a leave of absence from Harvard; the Facebook offices now occupy four downtown buildings.

Eva Mendes and Thandie Newton Wore The Same Dress

Celebrity dresses have always been the most anticipated topic, not only for media, but also for their fans. However, this time, the discussion is, who look gorgeous wearing the same dress, Eva MendesEva Mendes or Thandie NewtonThandie Newton.

Two gorgeous women, "The Other Guys" actress Eva Mendes and the "2012" star Thandie Newton were spotted on different occasions in two different continents donned in the absolutely same metallic Vivienne WestwoodVivienne Westwood dress.

On July 23rd, Eva Mendes was seen wearing the same dress while she attended the press conference of her upcoming action-comedy movie, "The Other Guys". Eva Mendes chose to wear Casadei heels that complemented the dress perfectly.

And Thandie Newton wore the same frock one month back at the jewelry launch party of designer, SolangeAzagury-Patridge's new Bond Street store. Newton was wearing Georgian Goodman strapped sandals with the dress.

Same dress has given birth to a dilemma as to how to decide which one of the two, Eva Mendes and Thandie, look hot in the dress.

32 Ways to Use Facebook for Business

Facebook’s not just for keeping tabs on friends and filling out quizzes — it can also be used as a highly effective business tool. It’s great for marketing your products, landing gigs and connecting with your customers.

Here are 32 ways to use Facebook in your business.

Manage Your Profile

1. Fill out your profile completely to earn trust.
2. Establish a business account if you don’t already have one.
3. Stay out of trouble by reading the Facebook rules regarding business accounts.
4. Install appropriate applications to integrate feeds from your blog and other social media accounts into your Facebook profile. (Although you should be careful before integrating your Twitter feed into your Faceboook profile, as a stream of tweets can seem overwhelming to your contacts.)

5. Keep any personal parts of your profile private through Settings.
6. Create friends lists such as “Work,” “Family” and “Limited Profile” for finer-grained control over your profile privacy.
7. Post a professional or business casual photos of yourself to reinforce your brand.
8. Limit business contacts’ access to personal photos.
9. Post your newsletter subscription information and archives somewhere in your profile.
10. Connect and share with others Obtain a Facebook vanity URL so that people can find you easily.
11. Add your Facebok URL to your email signature and any marketing collateral (business cards, etc.) so prospects can learn more about you.
12. Post business updates on your wall. Focus on business activities, such as “Working with ABC Company on web site redesign.”
13. Share useful articles and links to presentation and valuable resources that interest customers and prospects on your wall, to establish credibility.
14. Combine Facebook with other social media tools like Twitter. For example, when someone asks question on Twitter, you can respond in detail in a blog post and link to it from Facebook.
15. Before traveling, check contacts locations so you can meet with those in the city where you’re heading.
16. Research prospects before meeting or contacting them.
17. Upload your contacts from your email client to find more connections.
18. Use Find Friends for suggestions of other people you may know to expand your network even further.
19. Look for mutual contacts on your contacts’ friends lists.
20. Find experts in your field and invite them as a guest blogger on your blog or speaker at your event.
21. Market your products by posting discounts and package deals.
22. Share survey or research data to gain credibility.
23. Use Facebook Connect to add social networking features to your web site.
24. Suggest Friends to clients and colleagues — by helping them, you establish trust.
25. Buy Facebook ads to target your exact audience.
26. Read up on Facebook Beacon to see if it might be useful for you.
27. Use Network, Group and Fan Pages Start a group or fan page for product, brand or business. Unless you or your business is already a household name, a group is usually the better choice.
28. Add basic information to the group or fan page such as links to company site, newsletter subscription information and newsletter archives.
29. Post upcoming events including webinars, conferences and other programs where you or someone from your company will be present.
30. Update your group or fan page on a regular basis with helpful information and answers to questions.
31. Join network, industry and alumni groups related to your business.
32. Use search to find groups and fan pages related to your business by industry, location and career.

Tila Tequila ‘Attacked’ By Juggalos. According to Tila Tequila.

Full Disclosure: Even though a ridiculous amount of you wrote in, I really didn’t want to cover this story because it forces me to talk about two things that should’ve never been in the same place at the same time unless someone’s testing hydrogen bombs: Tila Tequila and Juggalos, America’s saddest punchline since the south. So on that note, let’s get this thing over with:

Seen above arriving at LAX Saturday, Tila Tequila claims to have been “attacked” while performing at the Gathering of the Juggalos in Illinois Friday night and felt compelled to send TMZ pictures of her alleged “injuries.” “Injuries” so horrific, she waited almost an entire day to fly to LA, where the paparazzi were conveniently ready for her, before allegedly going to the hospital. But we’ll get to that after Tila’s sack of bullshit:

"Tila gave TMZ a very detailed account of what happened, saying: “I went onstage and immediately, before I even got on stage, DUDES were throwing HUGE STONE ROCKS in my face, beer bottles that slit my eye open, almost burnt my hair on fire cuz they threw fire crackers on stage, and they even took the sh*t out of the port-0-potty and threw sh*t and piss at me when I was onstage.”
She went on to say: “These people were trying to kill me. So then after the last blow to my head with the firecracker they threw at me exploded, my bodygaurd and the other security grabbed me and ran as fast as they could to the shitty trailor. Since their security SUCKS, the 2 thousand people ran after us, trying to kill me. They almost got me so they finally reach the trailor, blood all over myself, cant stop bleeding, then all of a sudden, all 2 thousand people surround the trailor and busts the windows!!! Even the guys INSIDE with me were shaking! Their hands were shaking cuz they were so scared! So 3 guys inside the trailor had to grab a table and push it over the broken windows and grabbed all the chairs they could find so hold the people from outside back. It was scary as hell!”

TMZ also posted a video of the alleged “attack” which raises even more questions because, surprise, it proves pretty much jackshit:

1. Why did absolutely nothing happen in this video?
2. No, really, why did I just watch a three minute and thirty second video of Tila repeatedly saying “I don’t give a fuck” while her bodyguards basically batted away everything that was thrown at her?
3. Where the fuck did Tom Green come from?
4. If Tila Tequila’s injuries were “spurting blood,” how was she able to board a plane with nothing but a Band-Aid covering her severe “injuries?” Did she use elf magic to increase its absorbency or has Johnson & Johnson finally harnessed the power of wormholes to cover up boo-boos?
5. Does TMZ realize the source of this story is Tila Tequila? Because a.) I feel like someone forgot to ask that during the editorial process and b.) I’m still convinced she’s a figment of my imagination.

Look, based on everything we’ve seen from Tila Tequila in the past year – fake pregnancies, fake lesbian engagement, fake multiple personalities, fake Shawne Merriman abuse, etc. – there’s no way in midget hell I’m giving her the benefit of the doubt here. In fact, I don’t even believe it was her in that video and that little boy’s parents are going to be pissed when they see that shit. No, my theory is none of this even happened and she spent another Friday night masturbating in a shoebox before concocting a new scam to get her face on TMZ again. I dare you to prove me wrong.

Barack Obama declares Gulf Coast 'open for business'

Reuters – U.S. President Barack Obama and his daughter Sasha swim at Alligator Point in Panama City Beach, Florida
By JULIE PACE
PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. – President Barack Obama declared Gulf Coast beaches clean, safe and open for business Saturday as he brought his family to the Florida Panhandle and promised residents that the government wouldn't forget them once efforts to stop the leak are finished.

On a warm and muggy day, Obama pledged to "keep up our efforts until the environment is cleaned, polluters are held accountable, businesses and communities are made whole, and the people of the Gulf Coast are back on their feet."

Obama is in the region for a brief weekend trip with first lady Michelle Obama, daughter Sasha (her sister Malia is at summer camp) and the family dog, Bo. Their 27-hour stop in the Sunshine State is as much a family vacation as it is an attempt by the president to convince Americans that this region, so dependent on tourism revenue, is safe for travel — and that its surf is clean.

To reinforce that message, Obama and Sasha swam in the Gulf's waters on Saturday, according to White House spokesman Bill Burton. The highly anticipated dip was away from the media's view.

Obama said his family planned to "enjoy the beach and the water — to let our fellow Americans know that they should come on down here."

The first family ventured to Lime's Bayside Bar & Grill, where they relaxed on an outdoor deck overlooking the water and ate a lunch of fish tacos, chicken tenders and burgers. After a quiet afternoon at their beachfront hotel, the Obamas headed into town for a family miniature golf outing.

Nine-year old Sasha stole the show, hitting a hole-in-one off the first tee, much to the delight of her father, an avid golfer.

"That's how you do it!" the president exclaimed, before shooting par with his two strokes on the first hole.

The White House scheduled the trip after facing criticism that the president wasn't heeding his own advice that Americans vacation in the Gulf. Obama has vacationed in North Carolina and Maine this year and is heading to Martha's Vineyard, off the Massachusetts coast, later in August. Mrs. Obama also traveled to Spain this month with Sasha.

Gulf Coast residents and local officials are hoping the president's stop here will jump-start the tourism industry, which has been reeling since the spill. Although only 16 of the 180 beaches in the western part of the Panhandle were affected by the spill, tourism officials say many potential visitors have stayed away, deterred by images of oil-slicked waters and tarball-strewn beaches in other parts of the region.

"It's the biggest single commercial you could imagine," Florida Gov. Charlie Crist said of the president's visit.

Crist was among the local officials and small business owners who joined Obama earlier in the day at a meeting to discuss the pace of recovery efforts.

Obama, who is on his fifth trip to the region since the spill began, said he knows Gulf Coast residents have been frustrated by the slow payment of claims from a $20 billion BP fund for those who have suffered damages as a result of the spill, and he pledged to rectify that.

"Any delay by BP or those managing the new funds are unacceptable, and I will keep pushing to get these claims expedited," the president said.

Alabama's attorney general on Thursday sued BP and others companies associated with the spill, seeking unspecified economic and punitive damages. At least 300 federal lawsuits have been filed in 12 states against BP and the other three main companies involved in the explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon drill rig.

The president's trip came as the government's point man on the Gulf spill said he wants additional testing before he orders BP to finish drilling a relief well that will allow the oil giant to plug the well for good.

Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen told reporters on Saturday that it could be late Monday or early Tuesday before officials know the results of those tests.

That means it would be Tuesday at the earliest before he gives his final order to proceed with the relief well, and next weekend at the earliest before the relief well intercepts the runaway well.

Why Was Jean-Claude Van Damme Deemed Expendable for 'The Expendables'?

by: Mike Ryan
In "The Expendables," Sylvester Stallone's latest guns-blazing return to the multiplex, the actor/director assembled a dream team of action stars to assist him with the very important work of blowing up everything in sight. Most notably, he recruited onetime big-screen rivals like Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Dolph Lundgren for his latest cinematic mission. An impressive collective of talent, to be sure, but the all-star roster of shoot-'em-up heroes has at least one glaring omission: Jean-Claude Van Damme. Whither the "Muscles from Brussels," star of "Hard Target," "Timecop," and "Universal Solider"?

Van Damme, it turns out, did get a call from Stallone to join his team of Expendables, but he wasn't thrilled with the pitch. He told TotalFilm, "Stallone gave me a part in his next movie. [He] said, 'You're gonna make lots of money.' I don't want to hear that, I want to hear what was my character. He was unable to tell what it's going to be." So Van Damme, showing admirable dedication to the purity of his craft, passed.

In a 2009 press conference, Van Damme recounted pretty much the same story, adding that he'd advised Stallone that, instead of doing "The Expendables," Stallone should make a movie where Sly plays a "tough priest." According to Van Damme, Stallone found this "insulting." If nothing else, Van Damme does do a pretty nifty Stallone impression.

At this year's Comic-Con, Stallone addressed the casting offers, including two other high-profile no-shows that were not meant to be. His take differs slightly: "I talked to Van Damme. I talked to [Steven] Segal. I even talked to Chuck Norris." He then added, "But there are certain considerations, like insanity."

In fairness to Van Damme, the actor does seem to have a somewhat more introspective take on his career of late. In 2008, he starred in the independent film "JCVD," playing a fictionalized version of himself: an out-of-work action star who finds himself at a bank while it's being robbed. Of course, Van Damme's newfound introspection doesn't explain why he starred in 2009's "Universal Soldier: Regeneration."

"The Expendables," opening this weekend, tells the story of a group of mercenaries who attempt to overthrow the government of a small South American island. In addition to the aforementioned line-up of Stallone, Willis, Schwarzenegger, and Lundgren, Jet Li, Steve Austin, Mickey Rourke, and Jason Statham join in on the mayhem.

Sly Stallone has 'The Expendables' EXPLODING on the big screen

Think about every action hero in cinematic history who has operated a firearmJet Li, Dolph Lundgren, and Slylvester Stallone in "The Expendables.

Well maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit there, but honestly not by much. Sylvester Stallone (who in addition to starring in the film also directed and co-wrote the script with David Callaham) has kept a relatively low profile during the last decade or so.

However, with his revival of the Rocky (2006's Rocky Balboa) and Rambo (2008's Rambo) franchises, he has proven that he still can draw at the box office. And chances are he will have another hit on his hands with "The Expendables," which pays homage to the action films of the '80's and '90's with its over the top "shoot 'em up"/"knock down drag out" action scenes.

In the film, Stallone plays Barney Ross, the leader of a group of mercenaries who is recruited by Mr. Church (played by Bruce Willis) to invade South America to takedown their dictator, General Garza. Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger also has a cameo as Trench, who passes on the job offered by Church. When Church then offers a price of $5 million dollars for the operation to Ross, he checks out the territory along with Lee Christmas (played magnificently by Jason Statham) prior to beginning the mission. When the two barely survive the trip with their lives intact, they realize there is more to this operation than meets the eye, and that the group would be heading into enemy territory to also dispose of James Munroe (Eric Roberts), who has an axe to grind with the American government. Munroe's right-hand man is Dan Paine, who is played by WWE Hall Of Famer "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.

Make no mistake, this isn't Shakespeare we're watching here, but Stallone will probably be the first to tell you that. He has indeed made some clunkers along the way (remember the Saturday Night Live skit with Norm MacDonald complaining that he was saved in a car accident by Judge Dredd? Classic), but what makes "The Expendables" work is the main cast of characters who get just enough screen time to where they compliment each other nicely. Moreover, the wonderfully "choreographed" action scenes are nothing to sneeze at either (particularly the scene which Ross and Statham escape the island on their seaplane). There is literally so much action going on at times that the viewer can lose sight of what is actually transpiring. With the majority of the cast no stranger to violent hand to hand combat (whether in real life or in movies), Stallone probably offered some direction, but from the looks of it some of them (mainly five-time Ultimate Fighting Champion Randy Couture) really didn't need it.

The humorous interplay amongst the cast (utilized most effectively with Stallone and Statham) is strong without coming off as corny. There is probably an action sequence every five minutes or so. And while not AS gory as the latest Rambo movie, the death toll and explosions at the conclusion of "The Expendables" most likely exceeds the previously mentioned film. In fact, the action scenes are so intense that Stallone suffered numerous injuries during the making of this movie. He is still in extraordinary shape at 64 and turns in a solid performance as Ross as does Roberts.

However, the scene stealer in the movie is clearly Statham- who along with (but to a lesser extent) Jet Li are given the majority of the acting and action scenes. Overall, this is Statham's biggest project to date, and he passes the test with flying colors. Other members of the team include former Philadelphia Eagle Terry Crews and Couture (you know, the guy who says "Let's go princess" at the end of his commercials for his Tower 200 home gym). Stallone is also reunited with his Rocky IV co-star Dolph Lundgren, who plays a sniper on the team whose role is a mystery of sorts. Mickey Rourke rounds out the gang as Tool, a former member-turned tattoo artist who gives Christmas a run for his money in the knife throwing department.

While it's pretty neat to see Stallone, Willis, and Schwarzenegger finally share the screen together (although it's only about four minutes), "The Expendables" has some weak points. The action scenes at times seem like a substitute for plot development- which has the potential to be greater than it was. Rourke is vastly underused and only appears in about four scenes throughout the film, and Crews and Couture remain on the sidelines for the most part (until it comes time to open a can of whoop ass, of course.)

Overall, I'd give "The Expendables" three and a half stars out of five. It doesn't take itself too seriously, passes quickly, is pretty funny despite the carnage, and sets itself up for a sequel.
article by:Joe Valle

Scottie Pippen, Karl Malone inducted into NBA Hall

NBA Hall of Fame inductees Karl Malone, left, and Scottie Pippen share a light moment during the enshrinement news conference at the Hall of Fame Museum in Springfield, Mass. (Elise Amendola / AP)

A version of this story appears on page 7B of the Saturday, Aug. 14, 2010, print edition of the Detroit Free Press.

Scottie Pippen and Karl Malone were inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Ill., on Friday, recognized as individuals and as part of the Dream Team.

Pippen opened his acceptance speech by praising Michael Jordan for being "the best teammate."

Malone struggled with his emotions throughout his speech, especially at the end when he recalled his mother, saying she had died seven years ago Friday.

"I'm here because of her," he said.

The 2010 class also includes the Dream Team that won the 1992 Olympics.

CYCLING: Three-time Tour de France champion Alberto Contador was beaten by future teammate Michael Morkov in a 40-mile street race in Herning, Denmark. Contador finished 80 seconds behind Morkov and three others.

TENNIS: Kim Clijsters reached the semifinals at the Cincinnati Open, beating Italy's Flavia Pennetta, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4, in Mason, Ohio. No. 10 Maria Sharapova also reached the semifinals, beating France's Marion Bartoli, 6-1, 6-4.

... Venus Williams withdrew from next week's WTA tournament in Montreal, citing an injured left knee. ... Defending champion Andy Murray cruised past David Nalbandian, 6-2, 6-2, to advance to the semifinals at the Rogers Cup in Toronto. Top-seeded Rafael Nadal defeated Philipp Kohlschreiber, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Roger Federer earned a 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (7-5) victory over Tomas Berdych.

TRACK AND FIELD: Tyson Gay ran the fastest time in the world this year, winning the 100-meter final at the Diamond League meet in London in 9.78 seconds.

Eat Pray Love

-Directed by Ryan Murphy
-Screenplay by Ryan Murphy and Jennifer Salt
-Starring Julia Roberts, James Franco, Richard Jenkins, Viola Davis, Billy Crudup and Javier Bardem

Eat Pray Love is a sumptuous new travel, food and self-help show hosted by the always likable Julia Roberts.

Well, what did you think a Hollywood-made adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert's best-selling memoir would look like?

Director Ryan Murphy – whose previous feature was his adaptation of Augusten Burroughs's memoir Running with Scissors – and co-screenwriter Jennifer Salt strive to capture the tone of Gilbert's chatty-girlfriend literary style but fall back too often on voice-over narration provided by Roberts as the globe-trotting Liz.

They also try to visualize some of the savoury private moments and revelations during the author's inner journey of soul healing. But it's a near-impossible task in a film that must, by its very nature, show us an exterior world and thus hit all the stops – Italy! India! Bali! – on Gilbert's adventure and visit most of the people she met.

Running more than two hours – a very long time for an adaptation of a book without a plot – Eat Pray Love is like an overstuffed lightweight suitcase, with little room for us to feel the emotional connections Liz makes with new friends along the way. Although there are a lot of hugs.

Of course, with Julia Roberts as our constant onscreen companion, the trip has its pleasures. She does some lovely work here, particularly in a few one-on-one scenes with well-cast supporting players who slow down the pace. And she revels in her postcard moments, like eating a tasty breakfast on the floor of a ramshackle Rome apartment or cycling down a country road in Bali.

The film opens with a too-long prologue in which Liz’s marriage (Billy Crudup as the restless husband) unravels, followed by a rebound romance with a young actor (James Franco) destined for the same fate. Her publisher pal (Viola Davis) isn’t convinced Liz’s plan to leave New York for a year – dividing her time equally between the cafés of Rome, an ashram in India and the village of a Balinese medicine man – will solve her problems. We glean that Liz’s main issues are that she’s a serial monogamist who loses herself in relationships and feels empty inside.

At Liz’s final port of call, she literally crashes into Felipe (she on a bike, him in a jeep). Javier Bardem fits the bill as the sexy, still-smarting divorced father of two grown-up kids and generates some genuine warmth with Roberts, although by the time we get to Bali we’re starting to get anxious about getting our exit visa.

Roberts’s best moments are her scenes with Richard Jenkins (HBO’s Six Feet Under), who plays a cantankerous Texan who christens her “Groceries” (she eats a lot) and, despite her initial protests, takes her under his wing at the ashram. He has Liz’s number, barking out Dr. Phil-esque life slogans at every turn, but Jenkins lets us know there is real pain just under the surface. When he finally sits down and spills out his story, the movie, for the first and only time, stands still. It’s a riveting scene, yet its emotional impact is nearly spoiled by a bit of whimsy the filmmakers follow it up with, showing Liz letting go of her pain.

In the end, Eat Pray Love has to inform us, via Liz’s narration, that the lessons of friendship can be just as transformative as meditation and the words of gurus, because all we’ve just seen is a whole lot of faces and places.

Devouring life 'Eat Pray Love' star found herself nourished by co- stars, exotic locales

The burning question for Oscar winner Julia Roberts is exactly how many bowls of pasta did she eat in Rome for a dining scene in "Eat Pray Love"?

According to Roberts, it was six.

"It was all delicious," assures the actress, who doesn't appear to have retained a single ounce of what she might have picked up from her round-the-world, carb-filled moviemaking adventure.

"(Director) Ryan Murphy and (producer) Dede Gardner hired people who would just be in charge of making it look great and taste great," she adds, referring to food stylist Susan Spungen, who previously provided her expertise on the hit film "Julie & Julia."

"Eat Pray Love" is a romantic drama based on Elizabeth Gilbert's best-selling memoir about a peripatetic divorcee on a quest to replenish her heart and soul after her marriage ends.

During production, a fully committed Roberts also devoured eight slices of pizza during a 45-minute span one morning for another scene involving her character indulging in the gastronomical pleasures of Naples.

"In that scene, in particular, I sort of relished just wolfing down (the pizza) because I felt like my character was excited to be there, to be eating this pizza," she recalls.

In all, the 42-year-old Roberts figures she gained about 10 pounds during the five-month shoot that took her from New York to Italy to India to Bali. Willingly subjecting herself to the delectable delicacies of Italy, the heat and mystery of India and the tropical beauty of Bali, were well worth it, she says. Of course, the wife and mother of three had to give careful consideration to taking on the project not only because of the time commitment but also traveling far from home.

"A lot more math goes into a decision like this than just, 'Do I want to drive to Sony (Pictures in Hollywood) for three days a week for a couple of months,'" she says.

As for "Eat Pray Love," the convincing factors to take on such a demanding and time-consuming role were twofold: Roberts loved the book, even before it became a best seller, and she wanted to work with Ryan Murphy, the creatordirector of the award-winning drama "Nip/Tuck" and the hot new musical TV series, "Glee."

"I saw 'Nip/Tuck,' and I knew he was going to be a bright guy," says Roberts. "I was really impressed with him. That's what kept me in it when I was still wondering about it. He gave me all the room and all the time to consider it because he didn't want me if I wasn't fully invested in the amount of this commitment."

So Roberts packed up the family and did what many actors aspire to do -- to see the world, work with a terrific cast and crew and make an entertaining movie.

Murphy deliberately chose to shoot the film chronologically -- which doesn't always happen in moviemaking -- and that suited Roberts just fine.

"It was a great luxury," the actress says. "But it also was a necessity of emotional evolution. You can't start any movie in Bali and then leave. So there's that. ... It was important for us to create the steps that she took and understand very clearly how she got from one point to the next and one place to the next, and how the relationships evolved and what she gleaned from each one to the next."

That meant spending a few weeks at a time working with various cast members. In New York, she co-starred with Billy Crudup and James Franco, who play her husband and lover, respectively. Then it was off to Rome, where she co-starred with European actors including Luca Argentero and Tuva Novotny, who play a couple who fall in love while showing her around. Having satiated her desire

for physical nourishment, Liz moves on to India where she joins an Ashram, in hopes of getting in touch with her spiritual side. Among her fellow seekers are Richard from Texas (played by Oscar nominee Richard Jenkins) and an anxious young bride-to-be. After fi nding inner peace, Liz travels to Bali, where she meets a divorced dad (Javier Bardem) who is trying to come to terms with his adult son's leaving the nest. Despite their instant chemistry, Liz wavers on whether she wants to enter a serious relationship having just recently rediscovered herself.

For Roberts it was like making four movies consecutively. As one segment finished, it was off to the next location, and a whole new set of co-stars. She counts herself lucky to have had the opportunity to work with so many different people.

"I have to say Billy Crudup is one of my favorite actors," she says during a press conference, making her co-star blush. "I've seen him onstage. I've seen him in movies. He's just always been one of my very favorites."

She admits she was a little intimidated by Jenkins when she fi rst met him.

"We'd had such a great time in rehearsal," she recalls. "But I was probably the most nervous (with him) because that relationship (between the characters) sort of informs a certain anxiety and nervousness in my character."

Working with the Oscar winner Bardem in Bali three or four months into the shoot was a whole other experience.

"Javier showed up and it was like deciding to get a puppy," she says with her trademark Julia Roberts laugh. "He came in with all this gusto and enthusiasm and excitement and he was like, 'Do you want to read some of the scenes and go over stuff?' and I was like 'Uh, not really,' but his excitement was so contagious, it really did infuse us with energies we thought were long gone."

Like her character, Roberts has evolved over the two decades that she's been in the public eye.

"Not in the urgent pursuit way that (Liz) experiences it," she says of becoming a wife and mother. "I defi nitely knew my life would continue to evolve until I found that place where I could fully occupy and live in, which is the home I have now. But I relate to her search and her pursuit. It was definitely great to have a fulfilled sense of my own life and be playing some of these scenes, and then come home at the end of the day and be like, 'OK, everybody's here. We're good.'"

Originally published by B Entertainment News Wire.

Jennifer Lopez out as 'American Idol' judge

Jennifer Lopez won't be a judge on "American Idol" after all, according to a source close to the situation.

The singer-actress had been closing a deal to be a permanent judge on the show for its upcoming 10th season but the deal fell apart.

"Her demands got out of hand," says the source. "Fox had just had enough."

With Simon Cowell and Ellen DeGeneres both departing the talent search, the network had been pursuing a number of celebrities as potential judges, including Aerosmith's Steven Tyler.

But now that Lopez is out of the running, the network may be looking at their earlier top picks again.

Other reports have said that the panel could go back to the original three-judge format.

Fox had no comment. A rep for Lopez did not immediately return calls for comment.

by:people.com

Halle Berry: 'I love being naked'

Talented and sexy Halle Berry has said that she feels "empowered" when naked.

The Bond girl, in an interview with Vogue, admitted that she has not always accepted her body but feels more at peace with her flaws as she gets older.

"I love the naked female form... I just feel like that's the most empowered position you can be in," she explained.

"[Acceptance] comes with age. I've been slowly getting there. If the world wouldn't persecute me, I'd take nude pictures every day of the week."

the actress also discussed her relationship with ex-husband Gabriel Aubry, insisting that the pair remain friends.

Drew Barrymore Enjoyed Working With Justin Long

The actress — who refuses to confirm whether she and Long are still in a relationship — teamed up with Justin for upcoming romantic comedy Going the Distance, which tells the story about a young couple trying to make a long-distance relationship work.

And Barrymore says she enjoyed sharing the screen with Long.

“He, by the way, is the most wonderful person to work with,” she said.

“I’m so excited about this movie. As a girl, I relate to this movie and the boy in me loves the comedy in this movie. It is a very good date movie!

“I loved getting to do a film with someone that I do have a history with and we could bring a tremendous amount of honesty to it. We sort of saw that as a surreal opportunity and maybe it will feel a little more relatable-to because it is kind of real.”

Drew — who first took cocaine at the age of 12 — recently admitted she experienced “tremendous pain” growing up in the public eye.

“My hedonistic moment wasn’t that tumultuous,” she said. “It just happened at such a young age so it seemed way crazier than it was. Everyone goes to a point where they do stuff excessively.

“And the majority of people bounce back. Some of them fall into the rabbit hole – I just got mine out of the way early.

“There were moments when I experienced tremendous pain with everything being so known. You’re like, ‘Can I f***ing f**k up or have an embarrassing moment or do anything in f***ing private?’ ”

article by:showbizspy.com

Taylor Swift enshrined in bowling hall of fame

ARLINGTON, Texas — Bowling fans have picked country star Taylor Swift as their 2010 choice for celebrity induction into the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame.

Swift barely beat pop star Justin Bieber to secure her lane in bowling history. They were among nine celebrities the Bowling Proprietors' Association of America nominated for their public support of the sport.

Swift has been spotted and photographed bowling with friends.

The association, in making the announcement Wednesday, says this is the first year that the celebrity induction process has been opened to fans. Nearly 1.3 million votes were cast online.

The museum is based in the Dallas-Fort Worth suburb of Arlington. Swift's photo and plaque will be displayed at the site later this summer

Celebs probed over sex clips

Television presenter Luna Maya (left) and model Cut Tari (centre) were allegedly having sex with singer Ariel Peterpan (right) in separate videos that were posted online on Friday and Tuesday respectively.
JAKARTA - THREE Indonesian celebrities who allegedly appeared in sex videos posted on the Internet will be questioned over possible breaches of a new anti-pornography law, police said yesterday.

Two explicit clips widely circulated online this week appear to show popular singer Ariel Peterpan having sex with television presenter Luna Maya, his current girlfriend, and model Cut Tari, his former girlfriend.

Six-minute and two-minute clips were posted on the Internet last Friday apparently showing him in bed with Luna in a hotel. They quickly made the rounds on websites such as Facebook and Twitter.

Another clip hit the Internet on Tuesday allegedly showing Ariel having sex with Cut, who is married.

The term 'Ariel Peterporn' subsequently became one of the most popular searches on Twitter this week, beating hot topics such as the launch of the latest iPhone.

Chief police detective Ito Sumardi said the celebrities would be asked how the clips had appeared on the Internet, Agence France-Presse reported.

PHOTOS: THE JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

Hot Video of Ariel Peterpan and Cut Tari

Ariel Peterpan created a new sensation after his video with celebrity luna maya which spread viral in the internet.Now Ariel Peterpan is back with another hot video with cut tari. Now the Hot Video of Cut Tari and Ariel peterpan is circulating in the internet. The video was seems taken at a luxury hotel room.

Its been disclosed by Abhimanyu Wachjoewidajat multimedia practitioners, while talking with detikhot by phone on Tuesday (06/08/2010).The Video been taken viral through forums

Cut Tari in the video wearing a blue dress with a black tank top innards. .

Is it true star in the video that’s the question?But the videos of Ariel Peterpan and Cut Tari really Hot.

Luna Maya, Ariel Get Indecent Proposal; Cut Tari Denies Nude Woman is Her

High-profile porn star Vicky Vette, no doubt seeking a little extra publicity given the online popularity of the Peterporn celebrity sex tape scandal, has expressed her willingness to shoot a new pornographic video with Ariel and Luna Maya.

"If ARIEL PETERPORN & Luna Maya come to the USA I'll shoot another sex tape with both of them," the buxom actress tweeted. " wonder if that would be a hit in Indonesia."

Model and television gossip show host Cut Tari, meanwhile, has broken her silence over allegations that she features in a third sex tape featuring Peterpan frontman Ariel, telling reporters gathered outside her Pondok Indah home on Wednesday night that the person featured in the graphic clip was not her.

"In my opinion, everyone has a right to express an opinion and I can't ban that as that's their right," Cut Tari was quoted by Kompass.com as saying. "The point is my husband and family do not believe that the lady is me."

She said that she was shocked and disappointed about the circulation of the video but that was one of the risks - including for her husband - of being a celebrity.

Cut Tari is a former girlfriend of Ariel.

Luna and Ariel have also reportedly denied that two film clips feature themselves, though a number of Internet bloggers and at least one Internet expert have claimed otherwise.

Regardless, the trio will get their chance to argue their case before the National Police, who have taken over the investigation from Jakarta Police.

Iwan Fals Biography

Virgiawan Listianto (Iwan Fals)
Vocals
Place/ Date of Birth
Jakarta/ September 3, 1961
Interests
Soccer, karate, painting

Here's why Iwan Fals matters: because boy bands don't take on dictatorships. They don't stand up when everyone else is hunkering down. They don't put to song what others are afraid to put in print. Pop stars should give a damn--when they do, remarkable transformations are possible.

When Iwan Fals held a benefit concert for flood victims in a Surabaya stadium in 2002, it was the group's biggest performance in more than a decade. Though not as prolific as he once was, his face is still visible on the mud flaps of three-wheeled pedicabs and on street-side food stalls in the smallest of villages across the Indonesian archipelago. The fame of Iwan Fals lives on -- especially in the hearts of the country's underclass -- because his message will always matter. In the crowd, 22-year-old Ali, a waiter in mud-caked sandals and pants rolled up to his knees, says he's waited since he was a child to see his idol: "He's the voice of the people. "And he has been a thorn in the side of those who would abuse their power.

In 1984, Fals was hauled in for a song that touched a nerve with the then Suharto regime. Mbak Tini (Miss Tini) told the story of a hooker who opened up a roadside coffee stall and married a truck driver hauling dirt. Problem is, the husband's name was Suharto and the wife was short and fat, not unlike the First Lady, Ibu Tien (Mrs. Tien). Fals insists that the song was not about the former First Couple. But he is as unconvincing now as he was then. Fals was confined to his hotel for two weeks while officials drew up charges ofinsulting the head of state -- which could have led to jail. In the end, he was never prosecuted, but from that point on, Fals was rebel, hero and star all rolled into one. Today, there is no Suharto around to needle. But Fals' reminders to legislators not to sleep through hearings, and calls to fight oppression have never been more relevant.

Meryl Streep Biography

Name: Meryl Streep
Born: 22 June 1949 (Age: 60)
Where: Summit, New Jersey, USA
Height: 5' 6"
Awards: Won 2 Oscars, 4 Golden Globes, 1 Emmy, 1 BAFTA

When, in February, 2003, Meryl Streep was Oscar-nominated for her performance in Adaptation, she overtook Katherine Hepburn to become the most successful actress in Hollywood history. 13 nominations in 26 years (Hepburn took 48 over her 12) - incredible. Given the traditional paucity of fine roles for more mature women, this is proof positive that Streep's talent can often turn manure into gold-dust. And everyone knows it, too. Though there have been many jokes about her penchant for trying different accents ("I hahd a fahm in Ahfricaaah"), she is generally accepted to be the pre-eminent screen actress of her generation - and maybe of all generations.

She was born Mary Louise Streep on the 22nd of June, 1949, in Summit, New Jersey. Her father, Harry Streep Jr, was an executive at a pharmaceutical company, while mother Mary was a commercial artist. Mary was 35 when she had Mary Louise, her first child. Soon would come Harry III, now a choreographer married to actress Maeve Kincaid (longstanding star of the soap opera The Guiding Light), and Dana, now a bond salesman.

Young Mary Louise grew up in Summit, then the affluent New Jersey township of Bernardsville, a short distance west of Newark. Pointers to her later career (and level of professionalism) were evident from very early on. As a child, pretending to be her grandmother, she drew age-lines on her face and wore a sweater to "feel" more like her character. She made her stage debut in a school Christmas production, singing O Holy Night, and it was also telling that she delivered the song in perfect French, despite having studied the language for only a very short time. Indeed, singing was the girl's first love and she dreamt of becoming an opera star. From age 12, she trained with the renowned vocal coach Estelle Liebling.

At Bernardsville High School, she was a fine student but, to begin with, an awkward teenager - gawky and lacking confidence. Acting in school plays began to change this and, when at 15 she received a standing ovation for her part as the librarian in a production of The Music Man, she claimed she stopped feeling "dorky" - a hugely liberating moment. Many other school roles would follow, including that of Daisy-Mae in Lil' Abner. Everyone would notice this new Mary Louise when she dyed her hair blonde and switched from specs to contacts. Her popularity sky-rocketed, and she became not just a cheerleader, but Homecoming Queen.

As said, she was a bright student and an obvious talent, and won a place at the prestigious all-girl Vassar college in Poughkeepsie, New Hampshire, studying drama and English. Here she stood out once more, being awarded a much-sought-after place on the Honours Exchange Program with Dartford College in Hanover, New Hampshire. Here she'd widen her range, studying both playwrighting and set and costume design. During a trip to London where she tried to make a brief living as an actress, she'd once find herself sleeping rough in Green Park. From her uncomfortable resting-place she would have a clear view of the Ritz and vow to stay there one day. And she did.

Graduating from Vassar in 1971, she spent the summer with a travelling theatre company in Vermont, worked as a waitress at the Hotel Somerset in Somerville, then made her New York stage debut. But the ambitious Streep knew she had more to learn, and so enrolled at Yale's School of Drama where she immediately became the bright new star, eclipsing such peers as Sigourney Weaver and Wendy Wasserstein. Treating her learning as serious work, she'd usually be seen clad in overalls. Over her 3 years at Yale, she'd appear in over 30 productions with the Yale Repertory Theatre, including The Royal Pardon, Lower Depths, Edward II, The Brothers Karamazov, The Possessed and A Midsummer Night's Dream - a real all-round education. In her final year she'd audition for Murray Schisgal's All Over Town, to be directed by one of the world's biggest movie stars, Dustin Hoffman who'd just seen Lenny released. The notoriously picky Hoffman would audition 1500 people for the play, not all of them actors, and would introduce himself to Streep with a loud belch, prompting her to describe him as "an obnoxious pig".

She left Yale in 1975 with a Masters in Drama, and spent that summer with the O'Neill Playwrights Conference. Now she was ready for the big-time. Returning to New York to join Joseph Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival, she made an immediate breakthrough. Papp, who described her as one of the few "true actors" he'd ever met, gave her the lead in his Lincoln Centre production of Trelawney Of The Wells. Then came his 1976 double-bill of Tennessee Williams' 27 Wagons Full Of Cotton and Arthur Miller's A Memory Of Two Mondays. Many in the audience did not realise that the blowsy, simple-minded wife in the former and sophisticated secretary in the latter were played by the same actress. But the critics noticed and were blown away by her versatility and intensity. For 27 Wagons, she received an Outer Critics Circle Award, a Theatre World award and a Tony nomination.

1976 was a landmark year for Mary Louise (now calling herself Meryl). She proceeded to knock the critics out once more in the Shakespeare In The Park season, playing in Henry V and as Isabella in Measure For Measure. Her co-star in both was John Cazale. Though now known predominantly as foolish, fun-loving brother Fredo in The Godfather, Cazale was then set for even greater things. He was a stage star and all five of the movies he made (two Godfathers, The Conversation, Dog Day Afternoon and The Deer Hunter) were nominated for Best Picture Oscars, 3 of them winning. He was a brilliant talent and it seemed correct that he should begin a passionate relationship with Meryl, the brightest new star in the New York stage firmament.

Meryl kept on the up. She starred on Broadway in the musical The Happy End, with John Lithgow in William Gillette's Secret Service, and won an Obie for Alice In The Palace. She also made her screen debut in the TV movie The Deadliest Season, as the wife of Michael Moriarty, playing a pro hockey star who, pressured into becoming more aggressive during games, is charged with manslaughter when an opposing player dies on the ice.

Now fame came her way. Making her big screen entrance in Julia, she impressed with a brief part as the bitchy friend of Jane Fonda's Lillian Hellman, a writer and anti-fascist activist trying to deliver funds to her battling buddy Vanessa Redgrave (in the title role) in a Hitler-ravaged Europe. The film was a big hit, winning Oscars for Redgrave and Jason Robards, but Meryl's real breakthrough came with her next release. This was Holocaust, a much harsher anti-fascist statement and a groundbreaking TV miniseries, following the conflicting fortunes of the Jewish Weiss family and German Dorfs as the Nazis rise to power.

Here James Woods gave an unforgettable performance as the Weiss first-born, an artist sent to the camps, where he's starved, brutalised and, in one profoundly moving scene, has his hands shattered - he will never create art in the same way again. Placed up against his torture are the efforts of his German-born wife (Meryl) to have him released. Wracked by her own feelings of nationalism, she does everything she can to have him freed, including sleeping with the vile camp commandant. It was a performance of massive depth and emotion, and won her a deserved Emmy.

Now she moved on to more glory with Michael Cimino's The Deer Hunter. Vying with Apocalypse Now as the greatest of the Vietnam movies, this saw 3 friends from a Pennsylvania steel town (Robert De Niro, John Savage and Christopher Walken) as they enjoy their last few days of liberty, then undergo terrible traumas during the conflict. Savage is physically ravaged, Walken mentally destroyed and De Niro emotionally paralysed. When De Niro returns to the town, he can't face the people, but makes contact with Walken's bereft girlfriend, Streep, and it's these scenes - Streep's quiet grief juxtaposed with De Niro's buried torment - that give the movie much of its very human heart. They would win Meryl her first Oscar nomination.

Professionally, it couldn't really have been any better. Personally, though, Meryl was suffering torment of her own. Within a couple of months of moving in with John Cazale, by then her fiance, he'd been diagnosed with bone cancer. So besotted was she that she hadn't noticed the beginnings of his deterioration but, throughout 1977, she nursed him as he fell away. He would eventually succumb in March, 1978, leaving behind that classic but all-too-short body of work, and a distraught Streep.

Meryl now threw herself into her work, starring alongside Raul Julia in the Shakespeare In the Park production of The Taming Of The Shrew. The performance would win her an important new fan in the director Karel Reisz. Onscreen, she continued her run of hot performances. In Woody Allen's Manhattan, while the ageing Allen enjoyed an affair with 17-year-old Mariel Hemingway, she played his now flamboyant and thoroughly hostile former wife, who's not only left him for another woman but written a best-selling book ridiculing their marriage and, worse, their love-life. This was followed by The Seduction Of Joe Tynan, where Alan Alda played a principled liberal senator who's gradually forced to compromise in every area of his life - Meryl appearing as the smart, pretty Southern secretary who draws him away from his family.

Schooled in the Sixties and Seventies, Streep was principled herself, demanding that both her roles and her performances be interesting and accurate. In 1978 she'd said "I'm looking forward to bigger parts in the future, but I'm not doing soft-core scripts where the character emerges in half-light, half-dressed". She would very much bring these attitudes to bear on her next role, as Dustin Hoffman's wife in Kramer vs Kramer. Interestingly, the role was originally intended for Kate Jackson, then a huge TV star after the success of The Rookies and then Charlie's Angels. But Charlie's Angels' hectic schedule meant she had to turn it down. Streep was actually called in to audition for the far smaller role of a lawyer (she'd obviously forgiven Hoffman for belching in her face during the auditions for All Over Town), but thought she was up for the Jackson role and consequently won it, playing the mother who leaves workaholic Hoffman holding the baby, then returns to seek custody just as he's managed to build a responsible relationship with his son.

In playing the part, Meryl demanded that her role be re-written (a brave move as Manhattan, The Deer Hunter and The Seduction Of Joe Tynan had not yet been released and she was not yet a star). It was important, she thought, to explain why Joanna Kramer had left her family. It was so obviously a massive step for a woman to take, her reasons needed to be clarified. It would also create sympathy for the woman, and thus add drama to the custody battle. And she fought hard for the changes, Hoffman saying later "I hated her guts, though I respect her as an actress". She was right, too. The film was a huge hit, and gained her her first Oscar, as Best Supporting Actress. Naturally, she was delighted, so delighted that during the celebration after the award ceremony, she left her precious statuette on top of a toilet.

Now everything was hunky-dory in her personal life, too. Soon after the death of Cazale, she'd engaged in a whirlwind romance with sculptor Don Gummer. Moving out of the flat she'd shared with Cazale, she'd moved into the apartment of a friend of her brother's who was travelling in Europe. That friend was Gummer. When he returned, he got on so well with Streep he asked her to stay. They'd marry in late 1978, and she'd give birth to son Henry (Harry) the next year. Mary Willa, known as Mamie, would follow in 1983, then Grace (named after an Irish ancestor) in 1986, and Louise in 1991. It was on her way back from visiting Gummer's parents for the first time that Streep would write that famous show-stopping speech in Kramer vs Kramer. Everyone was having a go at it, but her version would be chosen ahead of Dustin Hoffman's and director Robert Benton's.

As she entered the Eighties, having briefly returned to the theatre in Taken In Marriage, that performance in The Taming Of The Shrew had its effect as Karel Reisz cast her as The French Lieutenant's Woman. Written by John Fowles and scripted by Harold Pinter, this saw her in 19th Century England as a young woman waiting in vain for the return of her lover. Naturally, the town is scandalised as she pines away on the cliffs and Cobb of Lyme Regis, and all the more so when rich newcomer Jeremy Irons is captivated by this mysterious "widow". It was a richly romantic tale, made all the more intriguing by the addition of a parallel plot-line where a present day film crew are filming the story and the leads (also played by Irons and Streep) engage in an affair of their own. It was another bravura performance, and it brought yet another Oscar nomination, this time as Best Actress. The winner that year would be Katherine Hepburn for On Golden Pond, her 12th and last nominated part. 22 years later Streep would break that record.

Streep and Reisz had worked well together, but there would be ructions a few years later when Reisz ignored her request and cast Jessica Lange in his Sweet Dreams, a biopic of doomed country star Patsy Cline. Lange would be Oscar-nominated for her efforts, in the same category as Streep for Out Of Africa. Both would be beaten by Geraldine Page.

Meryl's next feature, Still Of The Night, saw her widening her scope once more. This was a psychological thriller from the Hitchcock school, and saw Meryl as another mysterious woman, but this time one who might be a killer - much to the confusion of infatuated psychiatrist Roy Scheider.

The movie wasn't particularly well-received. No matter - what followed would cement her reputation for good. Directed by Alan J. Pakula, Sophie's Choice was an involving and profoundly moving drama that saw Meryl at the very top of her form. Here she played Sophie Zawistowska living on America's East coast in 1947 with her possibly crazy lover Nathan, played by Kevin Kline. Their tempestuous relationship is viewed with fascination and some horror by their downstairs neighbour Stingo, a young Southern writer, played by Peter "Ally McBeal" MacNichol.

Streep had literally begged Pakula on her knees for the role of the concentration camp survivor whose dreadful secrets are gradually revealed, and in order to perfect her accent had learned Polish. And it paid off. Sophie's Choice entered dramatic legend and Meryl was now regarded as perhaps the finest actress of her generation, walking off with the Best Actress Oscar.

On she went to Silkwood, where she worked for the first time with director Mike Nichols. This was the true-life story of Karen Silkwood, a Texan employee at a nuclear facility, who discovers that not only are working conditions dangerous but plutonium has gone missing. Battling to reveal the truth, this feisty, courageous woman found herself first belittled by the authorities then (possibly) murdered when she tried to deliver the goods to the New York Times.

Once again, in her first real working-class part, Streep revealed her range, particularly in her exchanges with co-worker Cher. The pair would become very close, and Cher would later tell a tale of Streep's own courage. One day in New York, they were out walking together, turned a corner and saw a woman being mugged by a huge guy. Before Cher could blink, Meryl was running at the mugger, screaming at him. When Cher started running too, the fellow was panicked and took off.

Silkwood would bring another Oscar nomination, but no cigar, beginning a run of 8 consecutive defeats at the Academy Awards. Meryl moved on to Falling In Love, her first modern romance. This re-teamed her with her Deer Hunter co-star De Niro, as they played a couple of New Yorkers who meet in a bookshop, take a shine to one another and, despite their best efforts to stay true to their respective spouses, can't help but begin a relationship. It was sweet stuff, with both leads excelling as they quietly struggled to express their overwhelming emotions, but somehow it lacked spark.

Meryl immediately returned to more fraught territory. In Plenty, she was Susan Traherne, an Englishwoman who fights for the French Resistance then, post WW2, returns home to married Charles Dance. Trouble is, Traherne is a passionate woman, neurotic too, and prone to outbursts that embarrass the hell out her staid husband. Having lived fast and fully during the great conflict, she's constantly looking for an excitement, a life that no longer exists. And how she suffers for it.

It was another great performance, but not one that garnered much sympathy from viewers or the Academy, probably because Traherne was complex, fascinating but not really likeable. Yet Meryl ran the same risk with her next character, Karen Blixen in Out Of Africa. This was the true story of a brave and free-spirited Scandinavian woman who travelled to Kenya, took a husband of convenience and ran a coffee plantation on the slopes of Kilimanjaro, before financial troubles forced her to pack it in (writing as Isak Dinesen, she then became a famous author). Though the part was originally intended for Audrey Hepburn, Streep did wonders with the role, managing to be both strong and vulnerable in her dealings with the natives, the authorities, her errant husband, and her lover, game-hunter Robert Redford. And it was beautifully put together by director Sydney Pollack, who'd earlier directed Redford in another big sky epic, Jeremiah Johnson. Once more, Meryl found herself nominated by the Academy.

After two historical dramas, Streep now returned (almost) to the present day with Heartburn. Once more directed by Mike Nichols, this was a comedy-romance of sorts, written by Nora Ephron about her marriage to famous political journalist Carl Bernstein. Jack Nicholson played the Bernstein character, whose infidelity and general beastliness lead him to abandon a pregnant and vengeful Meryl. Unfortunately, being based on two such bitter and messed-up people, the movie was smart, but low on both comedy and romance.

Streep fared better with her next outing, paired again with Nicholson in Ironweed. Here they played a couple of drunks who pair up in Albany in the last years of the Depression. Nicholson is a former baseball player plagued by flashbacks, Streep matches him as a tubercular woman who won't accept she has a drink problem (and, in a return to her early stage days, she sings in a bar-room fantasy). Helmed by Hector "Pixote" Babenco, it was relentlessly grim stuff - but Streep shines when the going gets grim, and she picked up her 7th Oscar nomination.

Within a year, she had her 8th. This was for A Cry In The Dark, where she took on an Aussie accent in the real-life story of Lindy Chamberlain, a woman who, despite claiming that her young daughter was taken by a wild dog, was jailed for murder. Once again she was superb, and bravely unsympathetic. Chamberlain, a Seventh day Adventist, believed that one should reconcile oneself to the will of God, no matter what was willed, and was repressed, angry and bitter rather than openly emotional in the way the press and public expected a mother to be. This was a major reason why she became the main suspect, and why evidence that would later be easily proved as false was so happily brought against her. Streep saw and revealed all of this.

Now she was clearly established as a great thespian, to the point where people would mock her for endlessly challenging herself to master new accents ("The dingo ate my baby!" became a worldwide catchphrase). She also took flak for appearing "cold" onscreen, facing accusations that she could intellectually master a character, but never reveal her human heart. So, as if to confound her critics, she had a stab at comedy - four in a row.

First came She-Devil, based on the uncompromising feminist novel by Fay Weldon. Here Meryl played a snobbish, smarmy writer of romances, who lives a nauseatingly chintzy lifestyle, as if she were the heroine in one of her own books. But she also has a hard side, which she reveals when she cold-bloodedly steals away Ed Begley Jr, husband of Roseanne Barr, thereby unleashing Barr's burning desire for revenge.

Many were surprised by Streep's comic talents, and all the more so by her next film, Postcards From The Edge, another true-life tale based on the experiences of Carrie "Princess Leia" Fisher with her mother Debbie Reynolds. This allowed Meryl to live it up a little as the self-hating, promiscuous, alcoholic cocaine-freak battling with her attention-seeking ex-movie star mum, played by Shirley Maclaine. It was another excellent performance, which saw her singing once more, but you couldn't help feeling Streep would have been yet more impressive as the needy, overbearing mother. Nevertheless, she was Oscar-nominated again, and won an American Comedy Award.

Defending Your Life saw Meryl as a serene angel-type, capturing Albert Brooks' heart as he tried to show an after-life court how he'd shown courage during his worldly span. But she was far from serene in the final instalment of her comedy jaunt, Death Becomes Her. Here she played Madeline Ashton, an ageing screen siren who steals old college friend Goldie Hawn's plastic surgeon boyfriend, Bruce Willis. When the elixir of eternal youth comes into play, the two women engage in an almighty SFX-packed duel of spinning heads and ultraviolence (while filming, Streep actually scarred Hawn's face with a shovel - how close to disaster was THAT?).

Come 1993, it was time to get serious again, and who better to get serious with than Jeremy Irons, her French Lieutenant's Woman co-star. The pair re-united in Isabel Allende's magical-realist drama The House Of The Spirits, spanning several turbulent decades in a country not unlike Chile. Irons played a poor boy who must labour to win the hand of a rich girl, but sadly, once he's succeeded, she's poisoned. Years later, he meets his dead fiancee's younger sister (Meryl), who's taken a vow of silence, but breaks it for Irons. It should be a marriage made in heaven, yet Irons has trouble dealing with Streep's powers of clairvoyance and telekinesis , powers that affect the family for years to come.

It was a fascinating role, though the film was a tad slow. Infinitely faster was her next movie, The River Wild where, at the age of 45, she decided to try out as an action-heroine. Here she played a white-water raftswoman who's held up, along with her young son, by a gang of desperadoes led by a psychotic Kevin Bacon, and forced to take them down a particularly venomous stretch of river. It was a demanding role, but Streep took it, partly to test herself once again, and partly to show her daughters that a woman can be physically brave without strapping on a sub-machine-gun. And it nearly ended in catastrophe. At the end of the shoot, director Curtis Hanson asked Meryl to try one more take of one of the more chaotic river sequences. She said she wasn't up to it, but gave in to his persuasion, only to be swept from the raft and damn near drowned. Once on dry land again, she berated Hanson with a withering "In the future, when I say I can't do something, I think we should believe me".

Having (just) survived the action genre unscathed, Streep took on her first real romance since Out Of Africa, a decade before. This was Clint Eastwood's The Bridges Of Madison County, where a couple of grown-up siblings read their dead farmer's-wife mother's diary and discover that, back in the Sixties, she had a brief, passionate but unrequited affair with a travelling National Geographic photographer. Cut to flashback and we see the relationship unfold between Streep's misplaced Italian wife and Eastwood's gnarly-but-nice smudger, with Meryl superb as she wavers on the boundary between loyalty and desire.

It was a wonderful movie, a genuine heart-breaker, and it gave Streep her first Oscar nomination in 5 years (a long break in her case). She moved on to more high drama with Before And After, playing a New England doctor whose young son, Edward Furlong, is accused of murder. She tries to stay calm, seeking the best defence for her boy, but her efforts are undermined by her husband, Liam Neeson. Hurt and angry, his attempts at a cover-up bring yet more trouble to the family.

Before And After began a string of lower-profile dramas that offered Meryl, now approaching 50, more interesting parts. Marvin's Room saw her as the mother of an unruly Leonardo DiCaprio, struggling to keep him in check. Matters become far more complex when it's discovered he might be an appropriate bone marrow donor for her estranged sister, Diane Keaton, now suffering leukaemia. This was followed by ...First Do No Harm. This time it was her son who was sick, with epilepsy. As the hospital's treatment isn't working, Meryl does her own successful research into alternative cures, then faces a fracas with doctor Allison Janney, who will not let her take her boy home. Being a TV movie, it proved that Meryl was searching far and wide for testing parts - and it worked, earning her nominations for both an Emmy and a Golden Globe.

1998 brought Dancing At Lughnasa, about 5 unmarried sisters living in rural Ireland in the 30s. Streep played the oldest, a strict schoolteacher who holds the women together under a harsh regime of silence and discipline. But then stability is threatened when Rhys Ifans, the runaway father of one of the sister's baby, shows up, along with Michael Gambon's Father Jack, a whiskey-swilling priest from the missions and the sisters' elder brother. The movie allowed Meryl to once more reveal her feel for accents - but this had not been an easy process. A dialogue coach had been brought on board to oversee the actors' efforts, but it hadn't worked for Meryl. Having each take criticised had thoroughly unnerved her, indeed she'd begun to deconstruct her ability to act at all. Eventually, she had to have the coach removed, and returned to her own "instinctive" method of nailing the accent.

Next came another great performance in One True Thing, a profound emotional drama co-starring William Hurt and Renee Zellweger. Here Zellweger is a freelance writer who returns to the home of her famous writer father (Hurt) and housewife mother (Meryl). She's always admired her father, but not received the love from him she's always craved. Consequently she resents the affection poured on her by Streep, a problem made infinitely more complex when it's revealed that Meryl has cancer and dad wants Renee to give up her life to tend to her. All the leads were excellent here, but Meryl in particular as she discretely suffered slights from her selfish, bullying husband and deluded daughter. For the 11th time, she was Oscar nominated.

She would be again for her next picture, as Roberta Guaspari, teaching violin to Harlem street-kids in Music Of The Heart. It was a role she almost didn't play. Originally offered to Madonna, it became open only after the singer departed after "creative differences" with director Wes Craven. Left with a big hole to fill, Craven wrote a personal letter to Streep, explaining how he'd been pursuing the project for 20 years and please, please, please. Streep wisely looked past the fact the fact that Craven was best known for the likes of Scream and A Nightmare On Elm Street, and took the job on, studying violin 6 hours a day for 8 weeks in preparation.

That Streep was nominated for a part intended for Madonna must have given her some extra satisfaction. Back in the mid-Eighties, Meryl had signed up for a film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita. Much like Karel Reisz's Sweet Dreams, it would have be a perfect role for her, allowing her to show off her dramatic skills and her singing ability - thereby shattering the notion that she was always fraught in a funny accent. Sadly, the production ran out of money. When it was resurrected, Meryl was past 40 and, being as Evita Peron died at 30, she was considered too old. Meryl still fought hard to keep the part, but then Madonna came into the picture. "I can sing better than she can", complained Meryl, adding a peculiarly feisty "If Madonna gets it, I'll rip her throat out". But Madonna did get it - and her oesophagus remained intact.

Aside from providing the voice of the Blue Fairy in Steven Spielberg's AI: Artificial Intelligence, and starring alongside Philip Seymour Hoffman, her Deer Hunter boyfriend Christopher Walken and Sophie's Choice lover Kevin Kline in a Mike Nichols' Shakespeare In The Park adaptation of The Seagull, Streep would now disappear from the Silver Screen for 3 years. But this was due to delays in release rather than any self-imposed exile. When she returned in 2003, it would be in full force.

First, she returned to the cutting-edge with Spike Jonze's Adaptation. This involved the intertwining lives of an orchid thief in the South (Chris Cooper), a journalist for the New Yorker who's turning her article on the man into a book, and a screenwriter (Nicolas Cage) who's enduring writer's block in attempting to bring the book to the screen. As the real-life writer, Susan Orlean, Streep was on top form, particularly in a scene where, stoned on an orchid-based opiate, she comically tries to brush her teeth. As said, her performance would see her break Katherine Hepburn's record of 12 Oscar nominations. Co-incidentally, the real-life Orlean had years before once appeared as an extra in a movie. It was The Deer Hunter.

Many believed that Streep would also be nominated for her next picture, too. This was The Hours, filmed before Adaptation, but then delayed. With three combining stories, this saw Nicole Kidman as Virginia Woolf writing Mrs Dalloway, then Julianne Moore as a Fifties housewife in a loveless marriage, contemplating suicide as she read the book. Then came Meryl, in the present day as a lesbian book editor, planning a party for her dying ex-husband Ed Harris. She fights with him, but secretly agonises over whether she might somehow have found happiness with him. With the cast also including Toni Collette, Miranda Richardson and Claire Danes, it was the finest female ensemble in years. It seemed absolutely appropriate that Streep should be at their head.

After this would come 4 separate roles in Mike Nichol's 6-hour miniseries, Angels In America, concerning the onset of the AIDS virus. For the several roles she played, Streep would be rewarded with an Emmy and a Golden Globe (her fifth from 19 nominations), and there'd be more silverware when she was awarded the prestigious Stanislavsky Prize at the Moscow International Film Festival in 2004.

That same year would see her appear on our screens in two new productions. First would come The Manchurian Candidate, Jonathan Demme's reworking of the Frank Sinatra Cold War classic. Here Liev Schreiber is being pushed for office, one of his major plus-points being that he's a war hero. Denzel Washington would play a former comrade who believes Schreiber saved his life during the Gulf War but can't quite remember how it happened. There's clearly some weird mind-stuff going on and one person who understands it all is Meryl, as Senator Eleanor Shaw, Schreiber's scene-stealing mother, in cahoots with the insidious Manchurian Global Corporation. Angela Lansbury was Oscar-nominated for her efforts in the original, but Streep would take the part several steps further, never appearing villainous, but rather finding some twisted humanity in a woman who loves her son so badly she's willing to do anything, even place implants in his brain, to have him succeed. The Golden Globe nomination she'd receive would be her 20th.

Following this, she'd return to comedy with Lemony Snicket's A Series Of Unfortunate Events, adapted from the first three books in Daniel Handler's series. Here three rich kids, their parents killed in a fire, would be sent to live with Jim Carrey's Count Olaf, a reluctant benefactor who'd like to take their lives and their fortune. Meryl would appear as their dotty aunt Josephine, hamming it up hilariously in an insanely vertiginous hut.

2005 would bring Prime where Uma Thurman (stepping in at short notice when Sandra Bullock pulled out) played an "older woman" who falls for a 23-year-old painter. At first, her therapist Streep says that age makes no difference, but her expressions become priceless as she realises Thurman is describing raunchy sex with Streep's own son, and that the dragonish mother being berated is in fact herself.

The following year would be another big one. Having taken the lead in Brecht's Mother Courage in Central Park, alongside her Sophie's Choice co-star Kevin Kline (her Deer Hunter co-star Christopher Walken having dropped out), she'd rejoin Kline in A Prairie Home Companion. This was a Robert Altman piece based on Garrison Keillor's long-running radio show. As you'd expect from Altman, there was a welter of colliding stories as the show's theatre is closed by corporate raiders and puts on its final performance, Streep and Lily Tomlin hilariously duetting as the sole surviving members of a four-sister act (the upcoming Lindsay Lohan would appear as Streep's singing daughter). Far more successful would be The Devil Wears Prada, where out-of-towner Anne Hathaway becomes an assistant on a New York fashion magazine and suffers at the hands of monstrous editor Meryl. It was another screamer of a performance by Streep who naturally added subtlety to her high-handed, elitist and hugely controlling uber-bitch. It came as no surprise to anyone when she was Oscar-nominated for the 14th time.

Having pulled out of Sean Penn's All The King's Men, Streep would lend her voice to the animated Ant Bully (of course playing the Queen of the Ants) and appear in a wonderful short by artist Laurie Simmons, known for her photographs of miniature rooms filled with strange dolls and oversized furniture. Called The Music Of Regret, this was a 3-act musical, featuring members of the Alvin Ailey dance company, and would see Streep enjoy a romantic duet with a ventriloquist's dummy.

Next she'd move on to Dark Matter, based on the true story of Gang Lu, a brilliant Chinese exchange student in Iowa who, in 1991, passed over for an award, took a handgun and killed five of his tutors. Streep would play his mentor and patron of the university, watching helplessly as her protege unravels. Then there'd be Evening, in which Streep would head one of the great female casts of modern times, featuring Glenn Close, Vanessa Redgrave, Toni Collette, Claire Danes, Natasha Richardson and Streep's own daughter Mary Willa, now credited as Mamie Gummer. Based on Susan Minot's novel, this would see a dying Redgrave looking back to a single weekend when she found her one great love and had her life wrecked by terrible tragedy. Streep would play her best friend, present throughout the long years, with Gummer playing her mother in flashback.

After Evening, 2007 would bring Lions For Lambs, directed by Robert Redford, the first production from a United Artists studio relaunched by Tom Cruise and his production partner Paula Wagner. With Streep, Cruise and Redford all deferring their fees to get the film made, this would combine three stories involving US involvement in Afghanistan. In one, new congressman Cruise would discuss the conflict with Streep, playing a journalist who helped raise Cruise to his exalted position. This would be followed with more political fare in Rendition, the title referring to the CIA's practice of transferring suspected terrorists to foreign countries to be interrogated. Here Reese Witherspoon's Egyptian-American husband would be thus disappeared, with reluctant CIA agent Jake Gyllenhaal being placed in charge of his torture. A pregnant Witherspoon would attempt to find and free her husband, eventually reaching as high as Streep the shady government official behind the dodgy transportation, who browbeats Gyllenhaal and places National Security above all else.

2008 would be yet another landmark year for Streep. Her first release would be Mama Mia!, the film adaptation of the hit stage-show, where she'd play the owner of a tourist villa on a Greek island. She's never told her daughter the identity of her father, but the girl finds a diary, discovers three possible daddies and invites them all to her wedding. Streep would have in-depth discussions with all three - Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgard and Pierce Brosnan - and, in one of her sunniest roles yet, join the rest of the cast in singing and dancing along to the hits of Abba. The film would be a screaming hit worldwide, taking $143 million in the US and even seeing off Titanic to set a new British box office record. As with The Rocky Horror Picture Show, people would dress up to attend showings, and sing along.

Streep would win a Golden Globe nomination for her efforts in Mama Mia! She'd go several steps further with her next picture, Doubt, based on the Tony and Pulitzer prize-winning play. Set in the Bronx in 1964, this would see her as the ideologically driven mother superior of a convent school, terrifying the kids and ruling over them with traditional severity. Coming to suspect priest Philip Seymour Hoffman of abusing a young black boy, she goes after him, their conflict mirroring the battles within the church during the Sixties. It was an extraordinarily powerful drama and would win Oscar nominations for all four of its leads - Streep, Hoffman, Amy Adams and Viola Davis. Streep would also be nominated for both a Golden Globe and a BAFTA.

Streep was busier now than she had ever been, making some six movies in 18 months. Her next would be Julie & Julia, where she would play Julia Child, the author and TV personality who introduced French cooking techniques and dishes to the States in the Sixties. The film would chart her rise, including the time she spent in Paris with her diplomat husband, a man accused by McCarthy during the Communist witch-hunts, also telling the story of a young woman in the present day (played by her Doubt co-star Amy Adams) who decided to work her way through all 524 of Child's recipes, becoming an Internet superstar in the process.

In 2004, Streep explained why she was still in such demand, even though a male-dominated industry usually puts actresses out to pasture when they reach "a certain age". Male studio bosses, she said, "don't want to see their first wife in the movies, and that's what I make them think of". Fortunately, she added, Hollywood is no longer an absolutely male-dominated industry. It was Amy Pascal at Sony Pictures, who insisted that Streep get her part in Adaptation, and Sherry Lansing at Paramount who saw her cast in The Hours and Lemony Snicket.

She may be prolific now, but for years Streep kept work to a minimum, concentrating instead on family life and charity work. As for the former, she once said that "You can get spoiled if you don't do your own ironing". Beyond this, recognising the problems of her son Henry, who attended pre-school in New York, nursery school in Texas, kindergarten in London and First Grade in Australia, she'd only film in the summers. As for charity work, she has been tireless. Coming from that Sixties/Seventies generation that believed you could and should change things, she became an activist for literacy and the environment, working on behalf of schools, mothers, forests, and the paralysed, fighting for female equality (observe the number of strong and independent women she has played), and acting at Paul Newman's camp for kids.

She may not have reached the high-earning bracket inhabited by the likes of Julia Roberts and Cameron Diaz, but everyone recognises that a Meryl Streep movie will have something to say. It was quite right that she should, in 2000, have received France's Order of Arts and Letters. She is, quite simply, the most brilliant actress of her time.