Jane Austen to be the latest teenage sensation
By Chris Hastings, Beth Jones and Stephanie Plentl, Sunday Telegraph
Last Updated: 12:35am GMT 04/02/2007



Step aside Britney Spears. Movie moguls, television producers and publishers believe this year's teen hit will be the 19th-century "lit girl" Jane Austen.


Becoming Jane stars Anne Hathaway, the star of The Princess Diaries


The life and works of the author, who died a spinster at the age of 41 in 1817, form the basis of no fewer than six forthcoming films and television series, along with plans for new editions of her works, tailored to the teenage market.

A host of young stars, including Billie Piper, best known for her role as Rose Tyler in Doctor Who, James McAvoy, who starred in Channel 4's Shameless, and Anne Hathaway, the star of The Princess Diaries will spearhead the new Austen revival which, unlike previous adaptations, will be aimed at younger viewers.

Bookshops and libraries, anticipating a surge of interest in the author as a result of her exposure on both the big and small screens, are planning major displays of her works. A spokesman for Waterstone's, Britain's biggest bookseller, predicted it would sell more copies of Austen's works than at any time since Colin Firth emerged from a lake during the BBC's adaptation of Pride and Prejudice in 1995, while Penguin said it planned new editions of the author's six best-known works with covers designed to appeal to teenagers.

The Austen revival will begin next month with the release of the film Becoming Jane, which examines the author's romance with Thomas Langlois Lefroy, the Irish politician. The lead roles are taken by Hathaway, the actress who rose to prominence playing alongside Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada, and McAvoy, who previously played Mr Tumnus in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.

advertisementDouglas Rae, the film's producer, said: "We are on course for the most prolific year of Jane Austen's career in terms of television and film coverage. We went with Anne because we know she will bring a young teen audience with her film. Many of the 11-year-olds who fell in love with her in The Princess Diaries are now just turning 15. They are the right age for Austen."

Julian Jarrold, the film's director, said: "There is a stereotype of Jane as a spinster obsessed with manners. But we are looking at her when she is 21, full of life and hope and kicking against the restrictions around her."

Andrew Davies, who has written adaptations of Sense and Sensibility for the BBC and Northanger Abbey for ITV, predicted a new generation of teenagers would fall in love with Austen and her work.

Davies, who wrote the screenplay for the 1995 Pride and Prejudice said: "The effect of all of these projects will make for a Jane Austen frenzy. The stories are absolutely contemporary. They are about sex and they are about money. One of the good things about Jane Austen is the men. They are real men - classy and rather scary. That makes them terrific for a female audience."

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02/02/07
12:55:00, Categories: Celebrity News, Music News
Britney Spears Makes Desert Dash And Takes Paparazzi With Her
Britney Spears became an easy target for paparazzi during a drive from her home in Malibu, California to Las Vegas on Wednesday night when she stopped at almost every garage en route.

The pop star was actually glad to have cameramen on the road with her - they helped fill her car up with fuel and even fetched Spears restroom keys so she could take a toilet break - at three separate service station stops.

Bracing herself against chilly desert winds, Spears, wearing a sheer blouse and jeans seemed grateful for the help.

One snapper let the frozen singer borrow his jacket for one toilet trip and another banged on a restroom door to make sure the pop star wouldn't be interrupting anyone.

Spears drove to Vegas to work on her next album in a recording studio at the Palms Casino Resort.

Visit Britney's Starpulse Page for a gallery of photos, biography, recent and archived news, and much more!

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Britney Spears Drunk Dials Kevin Federline?
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By Brenda Jones
Feb 3, 2007

Who knew that Kevin Federline would emerge as the person that appears the most grounded in the whole Britney Spears vs. K-Fed battle? The would be rapper and now wannabe actor has made all the right moves since the divorce and now he may have been so impressive that he might just win Britney back.


Britney Spears Drunk Dials Kevin Federline?

According to reports, Britney Spears has been making late-night phone calls to K-Fed in hope of a reconciliation, so sayeth several of Kevin's close peeps. The chatty members of the K-Fed posse say that Britney's relationship with Isaac Cohen is a ruse to make Kevin jealous, according to a report from TMZ.

***

Can this be true? It is being reported in several sources but TMZ.Com says not likely. Would Britney even ever take Kevin back? The web site has a report that cites other sources that are willing to anonymously say Britney is so over him. They tell us that Brit and the Fed have very little contact, and when they do communicate, it's about their two kids.

The web site reports that according to these sources, Britney will ante up $25 mil to K-Fed to end their marriage are ridiculous. One connected source says the $25 million figure is grossly inflated, "by 25 times." In other words, the bad news is that K-Fed will be a millionaire. The good news -- just barely.

Paris Hilton thrashed by MySpace

'MySpace' continues to dominate online searches, but Hilton coming from behind
Clement James, vnunet.com, 01 Feb 2007
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Paris Hilton
'Paris Hilton' was the third most popular search term on Lycos
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Web portal Lycos has reported that US celebrity reality TV shows, including I Love New York, Hogan Knows Best, and Shooting Sizemore have caused a huge spike in search activity for VH1.com for the week ending 27 January.

But it was 'MySpace' that maintained its crown for another week as the most searched for term on Lycos.

'Pamela Anderson', 'Paris Hilton' and 'poker' trailed behind 'MySpace' as the top search terms.

'Disney', 'Britney Spears', 'RuneScape', 'WWE' and 'Naruto' brought up the rear, although terms such as 'Academy Awards' and 'adware' saw a huge increase in traffic.

Search interest in the Oscars jumped 440 per cent, particularly for 'Will Smith', 'Leonardo DiCaprio', 'Penelope Cruz' and 'Kate Winslet'.

'Super Bowl', 'Al Qaeda', 'NCAA', 'Maria Sharapova', 'Easter' and 'Valentine's Day' all gained significantly in terms of searches, although not enough to make it into the top 10.

Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, Lohan Snub "Friend" Scott Storch
By Tashi Singh
Jan 29, 2007

Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears have snubbed their record producer pal Scott Storch. Storch threw himself a birthday bash last month and his 'friends' Paris, Lindsay and Britney failed to make an appearance.

The NY Post quotes a source as saying, "He's upset that none of his famous female friends - Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan or Britney Spears - bothered to show up. And he even gave Lindsay $1 million in diamonds over New Year's!"

Fametastic
Celebrity Gossip: snippets
Saturday January 27th, 2007 at 3:22 pm by LucyLastic


A source close to Isaac Cohen has explained that Britney Spears “was joking” last week when she said that she and Isaac “weren’t together anymore“. The source told Us Weekly that the two have been dating for a month and are still going strong. Isaac echoed the sentiment by telling photographs earlier this week: “[Britney]’s the ultimate sweetheart.”
And speaking of Britney, Donald Trump has said he thinks it’s time she stopped partying and started working more seriously on her comeback. The tycoon has previously spoken out about Britney’s lack of career in relation to her estranged husband Kevin Federline but now he’s more adamant. He reportedly said recently: “She wanted some free time but now, Britney, it’s time to settle down and get back to work. It’s time to get back to being a mother and being a star.”
Renee Zellweger is reportedly very happy with Luke Perry because he’s self-confident. The two are rumoured to be dating after being spotted dining together recently. An inside source told the National Enquirer that Renee thinks she’s picked a good one this time: “Renee has been burned too many times by guys who are full of themselves… It’s a relief for Renee to be dating a guy who is comfortable enough in his own skin that he’s not turned off by her success.”
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Super Bowl Ads Run As High As $2.6M


In this handout photo released by Nationwide, Kevin Federline is seen in a clip from the Nationwide Super Bowl Ad "Life Comes at You Fast".



By SETH SUTEL
AP Business Writer
January 26, 2007

NEW YORK — There's one place where you can find both FedEx, the overnight package delivery service, and "Fed-Ex," or Kevin Federline, the future ex-husband of pop diva Britney Spears. Both will be making appearances in Super Bowl ads, the highest-profile advertising event of the year.

FedEx Corp. is keeping mum about what its ad will look like, keeping up a tradition of ultra-secrecy that many marketers follow in hopes of building up the maximum amount of surprise during the game, which airs Feb. 4 on CBS Corp.'s CBS network. Advertisers want to get the most out of the huge cost of an ad in the big game, which is running as high as $2.6 million this year, up slightly from $2.5 million last year.

Federline will be poking fun at himself in a humorous spot for the Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. under its "Life Comes At You Fast" campaign. Those spots, which have previously featured the supermodel Fabio and MC Hammer, will show Federline winding up working in a fast-food restaurant.

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Humor and attempts to drive viewers to the Web, two themes from past years, are back again with some variations, and this year's Super Bowl commercials add a new twist _ viewer participation.

One of the biggest new themes of this year's game is getting amateurs into the act. General Motors Corp.'s Chevrolet division ran a contest for college students to propose an ad that would be made by a team of professionals, and PepsiCo Inc.'s Frito-Lay unit will run an ad made entirely by an amateur contestant.

Meanwhile, Bayer Corp.'s Alka-Seltzer has a spot in the pre-game broadcast featuring the winner of a contest to come up with an updated version of its "plop-plop, fizz-fizz" jingle. The winner was Josh Anderson, a DJ at a radio station in Greensboro, N.C. The NFL also made an ad from an idea generated by a fan contest.

Many of the other spots made available for preview ahead of the big game show a decided shift to lighthearted, sometimes campy humor. That's in contrast with a number of ads last year that highlighted oddball violence, such as a female player in a touch football game getting clobbered with an illegal tackle.

Several marketers are trying even harder to use their ads to drive traffic to Web sites associated with their brands, such as Chevrolet's college-student contest and Nationwide, which posted outtakes from its Federline ad on its Web site.

Jo Ann Ross, the head of ad sales at CBS, says the spots have been selling well, and that several advertisers have inquired about making a tie-in with Black History Month in February given that the coaches of both teams, for the first time, are black. "That is a very, very positive story," Ross said.

Ross said demand had been brisk for the ads, and the network was seeing strong interest following a highly rated AFC championship game and the recent announcement of nominations for the Academy Awards. "We're wrapping it up," she said.

It's been a busy few weeks for Ross and her staff, including a personal trip to Omaha, Neb. to seal a deal with infoUSA Inc., a marketing database company that is one of the first-time advertisers in this year's game.

Vin Gupta, the founder and CEO of infoUSA, said the Super Bowl represented a key chance to reach the 20 million sales people and 10 million small business owners that his company markets its services to. An excerpt of the ad provided by the company shows a successful salesman emerging from a snazzy new red sports car.

"If you're trying to reach 30 million potential clients, the Super Bowl is the best way to reach them," Gupta said. "Plus, it gives you instant credibility."

Cohen & Spears still an item
Jan 23, 2007
Author: Sarah


Model Isaac Cohen has spoken oiut to confirm he is still dating pop star, Britney Spears despite comments she made to the paparazzi last week suggesting the pair were not together.
Spears was spotted at a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf cafe in California where she was followed by a pack of paparazzi. Heading back to her car, Spears told the photographers gathered, "Me and Isaac are not together, by the way." When photographers asked her if the relationship was really over, she replied, "Yes."

However, the couple have been dating for several weeks and recently spent a lavish weekend in Las Vegas together. Cohen insists they are still going strong, telling American publication Star after the incident that "everything is fine" between them adding, "I talked with her earlier today."

Kevin Federline begs Britney to go to rehab

Publisher: Pam Caulfield
Published: 24/01/2007 - 12:49:51 PM Printable version
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Kevin and Britney in happier
times Relevant News
Britney splits from Isaac Cohen
Britney and Isaac 'spend romantic night' in Las Vegas hotel
Kevin Federline 'demands £26 million divorce pay-off' from Britney
Britney Spears handed tramp $300 'New Year gift'

Kevin Federline has begged estranged wife Britney Spears to go into rehab, it has been reported.

The wannabe rapper, who split from Britney last November after two years of marriage, has been trying to persuade the singer to clean up her life and threatened to take their two sons away from her.

A source told America's Star magazine, "Kevin has tried to convince Britney to check herself into rehab from every possible angle. First he tried threatening to take away the kids, and then he tried pleading with her to take care of herself."

Kevin, 28, has even joined forces with Britney's mother Lynne in a last-ditch attempt to convince Britney to be a better mother to 16-month-old Sean Preston and four-month-old Jayden James.

The source added, "Kevin is afraid that Britney is going to hurt herself. Britney isn't spending enough time with the kids. They are being raised by strangers. He has told Britney to get help before it's too late."

Meanwhile, Britney, 25, has ended her relationship with Isaac Cohen.

The 'Toxic' singer, who began dating the Los Angeles model just two weeks ago, announced they are no longer a couple.

When questioned about her romance, Britney said, "We're not together anymore, by the way."

Copyright Bang showbiz 2007

Britney Spears Burps Her Way to Top of Viral Video Chart

Download this press release as an Adobe PDF document.




Britney Spears burbling and talking incoherently about time travel was the top celebrity video of 2006, watched over 3 million times, according to Viral Video Chart. Paris Hilton appears no less than 3 times in the top 10, with Lindsay Lohan, Pamela Anderson, Kevin Federline and British actress Keira Knightley also making the cut.

London, England (PRWeb) January 23, 2007 -- The public's appetite for those Oops! ... I Did It Again! moments involving pop princess Britney Spears shows no sign of waning as she scooped the number one celebrity viral video for 2006.

A clip of Britney Spears burping and talking incoherently about her belief in time travel was viewed more than three million times to take top spot comfortably, said Viral Video Chart.

Live TV footage of Spears' former husband Kevin Federline apparently getting a text message informing him the pop singer had filed for divorce was second with nearly two million hits.

Viral Video Chart says it scans several million blogs a day to see which clips are being talked about most and compiles a daily list of the 20 most-viewed videos.

Seinfeld co-star Michael Richards' racist outburst was third in the 2006 chart with over a million hits just four weeks after it was first posted online.

Richards sparked a public outcry for spewing a torrent of racial slurs at hecklers during his stand-up act at the Laugh Factor comedy club in Hollywood on November 17.

The incident was captured in digital camera video footage that was widely circulated on the internet and was broadcast on TV newscasts three days later.

Actress Lindsay Lohan talking less than generously about socialite Paris Hilton was fourth, while a video of Hilton crashing a Bentley claimed fifth place.

Fametastic
Celebrity Gossip: more snippets
Tuesday January 23rd, 2007 at 7:13 pm by LucyLastic


Just a day after Britney Spears denied her relationship with model Isaac Cohen, Isaac contradicted her. He is quoted in Star magazine as saying on Friday that “everything is fine” between the two of them, adding that “I talked with her earlier today.” The two were spotted together at Hollywood’s Cabana Club that night with an onlooker reporting: “They were definitely together all night. At 3 am Isaac walked Britney out to her car and said goodbye and she drove off.”
Heather Mills‘ legal team ....

Britney Spears & Model Are Still Dating
Model Isaac Cohen is still dating pop star Britney Spears, despite comments she made to the paparazzi on Thursday suggesting the pair were "not together." The couple has been dating for several weeks and recently spent a lavish weekend in Las Vegas together.

Cohen insists the couple is still going strong, telling Star on Friday that "everything is fine" between them adding, "I talked with her earlier today."

Last Thursday, Spears was spotted at a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf cafe in Santa Monica, California where she was followed by a pack of paparazzi. As she headed back to her car, Spears told the photographers gathered, "Me and Isaac are not together, by the way." When photographers asked her if the relationship was really over, she replied, "Yes."

The couple, both 25, was spotted together later Friday night when they visited a recording studio and hours later arrived - separately - at Hollywood hot spot Cabana Club. A source adds, "They were definitely together all night. At 3 a.m. Isaac walked Britney out to her car and said goodbye and she drove off."

Britney Spears Goes Lingerie Shopping With Son
Britney Spears has sparked outrage once again after shopping for sexy lingerie in West Hollywood with her young son at her side. The star, who has regularly been seen out partying since filing for divorce from husband Kevin Federline in November, was spotted with her 16-month-old son Sean Preston at Trashy Lingerie on Sunday.

Spears, who was famously snapped without her panties at one late-night party, was followed to the store by a pack of paparazzi. The singer told the snappers she was still dating model Isaac Cohen, despite telling them last week, "Me and Isaac, we're not together, by they way."

The couple recently shared a lavish weekend getaway in Las Vegas and Spears said she was picking up a special Valentine's Day outfit to wear for her new beau.