Pitt's Tree triumphs at Cannes

Brad Pitt's new movie The Tree Of Life has grown on Cannes Film Festival judges - it has won the coveted Palme d'Or prize for Best Film.

The movie, directed by Terrence Malick, follows the fortunes of two young boys brought up by a strict, brutal and demanding father - played by Pitt.

The film divided critics at Cannes when it debuted last week, garnering boos and lacklustre applause from the audience, but triumphed on Sunday.

Kirsten Dunst took home the Best Actress award for her role in Melancholia - the film in competition from director Lars von Trier, who was banned from the festival after joking that he was a Nazi and"understood"Hitler.

Dunst sat next to von Trier as he made his controversial comments at a press conference and clearly looked uncomfortable.

The 29-year-old, whose career has ranged from Woody Allen to the blockbuster"Spider Man"franchise, was feted at the Palais des Festivals for her role as Justine in controversial Danish director Lars von Trier's"Melancholia."

In 2006 she had to endure boos from French critics at a Cannes screening in Sofia Coppola's"Marie Antoinette,"in which her performance in the title role clearly did not live up to Gallic expectations.

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Lars Von Trier 'accepts' Cannes ban

Danish director Lars Von Trier has accepted his ban from the Cannes Film Festival, following his claims that he sympathised with Adolf Hitler.

Speaking on Thursday, one of the producers of his film Melancholia said he"accepts whatever the festival directors want to do to punish him".

"It's up to the festival to decide what is good for the festival,"Meta Foldager told the AFP agency.

In a statement, organisers said the film-maker was now"persona non grata".

The director stunned onlookers on Wednesday by stating, during a press conference, that while he was"not against Jews... Israel is a pain in the ass".

His off-colour remarks, purportedly made in jest, prompted a swift rebuke from organisers and Von Trier apologised the same day.

"I am not anti-Semitic or racially prejudiced in any way, nor am I a Nazi,"he said in a statement.

The festival's decision to ban the director came after Wednesday's premiere of Von Trier's Melancholia, which remains in competition at this year's event.

The decision was supported by French culture minister Frederic Mitterrand who told reporters in Brussels that"there is a major difference between a film that was chosen in a calm atmosphere and a director who clearly blew a fuse".

He added Von Trier's remarks"did not have a place in the festival, or anywhere else for that matter".

Organisers said Cannes' board of directors had held"an extraordinary meeting"at which Von Trier was declared"a persona non grata... with effect immediately".

The director's comments, they said, were"unacceptable, intolerable and contrary to the ideals of humanity and generosity that preside over the very existence of the festival".

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Stephen Fry joins cast of 'The Hobbit'

Stephen Fry has become the latest British actor to join the cast of Peter Jackson’s currently-shooting Hobbit.

The legendary author/actor/presenter has signed on to play the Master of Laketown, which is one of the hamlets that Biblo and the Dwarves come across on their journey.

Producer and directorPeter Jacksonconfirmed that the actor and comedian will play The Master of Laketown in his two-part adaptation of the J.R.R. Tolkien novel.

Writing on his official Facebook page, he said:"We are thrilled to confirm that Stephen Fry will be playing The Master of Laketown."

"I've known Stephen for several years, and we're developing a Dambusters movie together. In addition to his writing skills, he's a terrific actor and will create a very memorable Master for us."

Fry's character is the elected leader of Esgaroth and is described as capable, but greedy.

Jackson also gave an update on how filming on The Hobbit is faring, confirming that they’re coming to the end of their first shooting block in three weeks. At that point, the team will take a short break to do a little editing and visual effects work.

The Hobbit: Part One opens December 2012. Fry can next be seen in Sherlock Holmes 2 this December.

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Maria Shriver Breaks Silence

The former governor's wronged wife hasn't wasted any time in breaking her silence, releasing a statement just hours after news broke that her now estranged husband of 25 years fathered a child with a member of their household staff roughly a decade ago.

"This is a painful and heartbreaking time,"the 55-year-old said in a statement to E! News.

"As a mother, my concern is for the children. I ask for compassion, respect and privacy as my children and I try to rebuild our lives and heal. I will have no further comment."

Arnold released his own shockwave-sending statement earlier today, admitting that he cheated on his wife with a longtime member of their household staff. He said that he waited until he left the office of the governor in January of this year before telling his wife.

"I understand and deserve the feelings of anger and disappointment among my friends and family,"he said."There are no excuses and I take full responsibility for the hurt I have caused to Maria, my children and my family."

"I ask that the media respect my wife and children through this extremely difficult time. While I deserve your attention and criticism, my family does not."

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Schwarzenegger fathered love child

Arnold Schwarzeneggersplit from his wife after she discovered he had fathered a child over 10 years ago with a member of their household staff.

Maria Shriver - who was married to the 'Terminator' actor for 25 years and has four children, Katherine, 21, Christina, 19, Patrick, 17, and Christopher, 13, with him - moved out of the family's Los Angeles mansion earlier this year after Arnold admitted paternity of the child, whose mother worked with the family for 20 years before retiring in January.

Arnold - the former Governor of California - said in a statement released to the Los Angeles Times newspaper:"After leaving the governor's office I told my wife about this event, which occurred over a decade ago. I understand and deserve the feelings of anger and disappointment among my friends and family. There are no excuses and I take full responsibility for the hurt I have caused. I have apologised to Maria, my children and my family. I am truly sorry."

"I ask that the media respect my wife and children through this extremely difficult time. While I deserve your attention and criticism, my family does not."

Following the news of the couple's shock split earlier this month, Arnold, 63, revealed he was taking the break-up"one day at a time".

He said:"We both love each other very much. And we're taking it one day at a time. The bottom line is we want to thank all the people for their great, great support."

"I just spoke to Maria an hour ago before I came here. We both were saying the same thing - we're extremely blessed to be surrounded by so many wonderful people, by so many wonderful friends."

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Kutcher replaces Sheen in Two and a Half Men

Ashton Kutcher will replace Charlie Sheen in the hit CBS comedy Two and a Half Men, Warner Bros Television says.

Kutcher, who is married to actress Demi Moore, has hosted the prank show Punk'd and is probably best known as Michael Kelso on Fox's That 70s Show.

"I can't replace Charlie Sheen but I'm going to work my ass off to entertain the hell out of people,"Kutcher said.

Warner cut the show short and fired Sheen two months ago amid outbursts and reported problems with drink and drugs.

"We are so lucky to have someone as talented, joyful and just plain remarkable as Ashton joining our family,"said Chuck Lorre, the show's creator and executive producer.

"Added to that is the deep sigh of relief knowing that our family stays together. If I was any happier, it'd be illegal."

Sheen, who played hedonistic jingle writer Charlie Harper, was involved in a series of incidents that suggested he had personal problems.

Despite that, Two and a Half Men had continued its ratings success on the CBS network until Sheen's abrupt departure cut short the eighth series.

CBS said production on the ninth series of the comedy would start in the summer for broadcast in the autumn.

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Lohan is sentenced to jail over necklace theft

Lindsay Lohanhas been sentenced to four months in jail over the theft of a gold necklace from a shop in Los Angeles last year.

The actress changed her plea to no contest, which under California law effectively means she admitted taking the jewellery worth $2,500 (£1,529).

Officials say the actress is likely to serve 17 days of the sentence and that will probably be under house arrest.

Lindsay Lohan has until 17 June to report to jail.

The 24-year-old released a statement saying she had already started 300 hours of community work at a women's shelter.

Lohan said:"I hope to be able to fulfil my obligation without any press attention. I think the media spotlight should be on issues such as homelessness and domestic violence instead of on me."

Along with working at the women's shelter, she will do 120 hours of community service at the coroner's office in Los Angeles, have to complete an anti-shoplifting class and will remain on probation for the next three years.

The star was on probation for a 2007 drink-drive case last January when a jewellery store in the Venice area of Los Angeles told police that she'd taken a necklace without permission.

The theft happened three weeks after Lohan was released from rehab.

She had been sent there for three months of treatment after failing a separate drug screening for cocaine and amphetamines.

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Schwarzenegger and wife separate

Former California GovernorArnold Schwarzeneggerhas announced that he and his wife of 25 years Maria Shriver are separating.

"After a great deal of thought, reflection, discussion and prayer, we came to this decision,"the two said in a statement.

They said they were working on the future of their relationship while living apart and would also continue to parent their four children together.

They did not provide further details.

"This has been as time of great personal and professional transition for each of us,"Mr Schwarzenegger and Mrs Shriver said in the statement issued by Mr Schwarzenegger's spokesman.

Schwarzenegger finished his second term as governor in January and has been on the speech circuit and pursuing various entertainment projects.

Shriver was a correspondent for NBC News when she left to fulfil her role as First Lady to the California governor.

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Potter star Radcliffe on rich list

Daniel Radcliffe,Robert PattinsonandKeira Knightleyare among the wealthiest Britons under the age of 30, the Sunday Times Rich List reveals.

The three actors all made the top 10 Young People list, which excludes those who made their fortunes in sports.

Daniel, the 21-year-old star of the Harry Potter movies, was the highest ranked celebrity in the list, equalling his 2010 fifth place position but with an increased wealth of£48 million.

R-Patz, star of the Twilight series, is joint eighth in the list at£32 million, up from 14th place last year.

He overtakes Keira Knightley, whose wealth has increased by£2 million to £30 million this year but who now ranks at number 10, down from joint 7th last year.

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Charges dropped against Nicolas Cage in New Orleans

Nicolas Cagehas avoided prosecution in New Orleans three weeks after he was arrested following a drunken argument with his wife, People magazine reported on Thursday.

It quoted his attorney as saying that charges of domestic abuse battery, disturbing the peace and public drunkenness had been dropped.

"The New Orleans District Attorney has confirmed that no charges of any kind will be pursued against him,"Harry Rosenberg told the magazine."After their investigation, the Das refused all charges against Nick and the matter has been closed."

After-hours calls to officials in New Orleans were not answered, and Cage's publicist did not immediately reply to an email seeking further information.

The 47-year-old actor was taken into custody late on April 16 after police said he and his third wife, Alice Kim, got into an argument about the correct address of the home they were renting.

According to a statement that described him as"heavily intoxicated,"Cage began striking cars and tried to get into a taxi cab. He then yelled at police officers who promptly arrested him. There were no visible injuries to his wife.

Two days later the couple attended the wedding of Cage's 20-year-old son, Weston, in New Orleans.

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Harry Potter, Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Inception dominate MTV Movie Awards nominees

The nominees are in for the 20th annual 2011 MTV Movies Awards, and there's no surprise that mega-hits like 'Twilight Saga: Eclipse,' 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' and 'Inception' are up for multiple trophies. Those three films join 'Black Swan' and 'The Social Network' in the Best Movie category.

Among this year's typically non-traditional categories are awards for Best Scared as Sh*t Performance, and Best Jaw-dropping Moment.

Biggest Badass Star includes two kids (Jaden Smith, 'The Karate Kid' and Chloe Grace Moretz for 'Kick-Ass'), but no Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, or any cast member of 'The Expendables.'

Here's a complete list of the nominees:

Best Movie

"Black Swan"

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1"

"Inception"

"The Social Network"

"The Twilight Saga: Eclipse"

Best Female Performance

Emma Stone,"Easy A"

Emma Watson,"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1"

Jennifer Aniston,"Just Go With It"

Kristen Stewart,"The Twilight Saga: Eclipse"

Natalie Portman,"Black Swan"

Best Male Performance

Daniel Radcliffe,"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1"

Jesse Eisenberg,"The Social Network"

Robert Pattinson,"The Twilight Saga: Eclipse"

Taylor Lautner,"The Twilight Saga: Eclipse"

Zac Efron,"Charlie St. Cloud"

Best Breakout Star

Andrew Garfield ,"The Social Network"

Chloë Grace Moretz,"Kick-Ass"

Hailee Steinfeld,"True Grit"

Jay Chou,"The Green Hornet"

Olivia Wilde,"TRON: Legacy"

Xavier Samuel,"The Twilight Saga: Eclipse"

Best Comedic Performance

Adam Sandler,"Just Go With It"

Ashton Kutcher,"No Strings Attached"

Emma Stone,"Easy A"

Russell Brand,"Get Him to the Greek"

Zach Galifianakis,"Due Date"

Best Line From A Movie (New Category)

Alexys Nycole Sanchez,"Grown Ups":"I want to get chocolate wasted."

Amanda Bynes and Emma Stone,"Easy A": Amanda Bynes:"There is a higher power that will judge you for your indecency."Emma Stone:"Tom Cruise?"

Jesse Eisenberg,"The Social Network":"If you guys were the inventors of Facebook, you'd have invented Facebook."

Justin Timberlake and Andrew Garfield,"The Social Network": Justin Timberlake:"... A million dollars isn't cool. You know what's cool?"Andrew Garfield:"A billion dollars. And that shut everybody up."

Tom Hardy,"Inception":"You mustn't be afraid to dream a little bigger darling."

Best Villain

Christoph Waltz,"The Green Hornet"

Leighton Meester,"The Roommate"

Mickey Rourke,"Iron Man 2"

Ned Beatty,"Toy Story 3"

Tom Felton,"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1"

Best Fight

Amy Adams vs. The Sisters,"The Fighter"

Chloë Grace Moretz vs. Mark Strong,"Kick-Ass"

Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint vs. Death Eaters,"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1"

Joseph Gordon-Levitt vs. Hallway Attacker,"Inception"

Robert Pattinson vs. Bryce Dallas Howard and Xavier Samuel,"The Twilight Saga: Eclipse"

Best Kiss

Ellen Page and Joseph Gordon-Levitt,"Inception"

Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe,"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1"

Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson,"The Twilight Saga: Eclipse"

Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner,"The Twilight Saga: Eclipse"

Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis,"Black Swan"

Best Jaw-Dropping Moment

James Franco,"127 Hours,"Cuts Off His Arm

Justin Bieber,"Justin Bieber: Never Say Never,"Performance Spectacular

Leonardo DiCaprio and Ellen Page,"Inception,"Paris Café Scene

Natalie Portman,"Black Swan,"Mutilation: Pulls the Skin off Her Finger

Steve-O,"Jackass 3D,"Port-A-Potty Bungee Stunt

Best Scared-As-Sh*t Performance

Ashley Bell,"The Last Exorcism"

Ellen Page,"Inception"

Jessica Szohr,"Piranha 3D"

Minka Kelly,"The Roommate"

Ryan Reynolds,"Buried"

Biggest Badass Star

Alex Pettyfer,"I Am Number Four"

Chloë Grace Moretz,"Kick-Ass"

Jaden Smith,"The Karate Kid"

Joseph Gordon-Levitt,"Inception"

Robert Downey Jr.,"Iron Man 2"

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Charlie Sheen finalises divorce

Charlie Sheen's divorce from Brooke Mueller has been finalised.

The couple - who married in 2008 and have two-year-old twin sons, Bob and Max, together - have officially ended their union, with former real estate agent Brooke being granted $55,000-a-month in child support on top of a lump sum of $757,698.70 and another $1 million for her share of their marital home.

According to gossip website TMZ, the former 'Two and a Half Men' actor - who also has two daughters, Sam, seven, and five-year-old Lola, with ex-wife Denise Richards, as well as a grown-up daughter, Cassandra, from a previous relationship - will keep the family home in Los Angeles.

The documents also state:"Under no circumstances shall the child support paid by Charlie for Bob and Max be less than the child support paid by Charlie to Denise Richards for Sam and Lola."

The news comes after Charlie, 45, lost his custody battle against Brooke.

The troubled star had hoped to win primary legal and physical custody of Bob and Max after Brooke refused to take a drug test last month and entered rehab but had his plea rejected by judge Hank Goldberg at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Los Angeles.

The decision maintained the situation decided in court on March 10, which sees Brooke have majority custody of Bob and Max while Sheen will be allowed to spend time with them every other weekend from Saturday morning until Sunday evening for the first two months.

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