Cinema & Movie & celebrity News And Rumors

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Kate Beckinsale's young daughter Lily has already mapped out a career for herself as a novelist.

The nine-year-old, whose father is British actor Michael Sheen, recently made her big screen debut alongside her famous mother in new movie Everybody's Fine, playing Beckinsale's character as a child.

But the Underworld star insists Lily won't be following in her footsteps as an actress.

She says, "She told me she enjoyed the experience, but would rather become a writer instead. She's currently writing seven novels. Quite a girl, my Lily." l

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Will Smith is America's favourite star, according to a far-reaching new TV and magazine survey.

The movie star beat Tom Hanks on the Entertainment Tonight/Parade magazine poll.

In naming him the top pick, Parade writes, "Will Smith seems to glide from success to success without much effort. He.s a big presence. When he walks into a room, you know he.s there."

Reese Witherspoon was the top female in third place, with George Clooney and Meryl Streep rounding out the top five.

The Mexican co-stars Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts claim the sixth and seventh spots on the list, while Johnny Depp, Jennifer Aniston and Patrick Dempsey complete the top 10. l

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Daniel Craig is thrilled Barack Obama has triumphed in the U.S. presidential election - because he believes the African-American politician's victory means the world may be ready for a black James Bond.

The Quantum of Solace star, who received his fair share of criticism when he was named the first 'blonde Bond', believes the role of the secret agent could be played by actors of any race.

And Craig insists Obama's win indicates that audiences are ready for different ethnicities to be represented in the public eye.

He says, "After Barack Obama's victory I think we might have reached the moment for a coloured 007.

"I think the role could easily be played by a black actor, because the character created by Ian Fleming in the '50s has undergone a great deal of evolution and continues to be updated.

"I've always been a fan of Obama. The political ideas that have emerged from his speeches seem to me to be genuine." l

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Jack Black has signed up for a giant new role, playing Jonathan Swift's fictional adventurer in a new movie version of Gulliver's Travels.

The film, to be directed by Shark Tale's Rob Letterman, will give a modern spin to Swift's 18th Century masterpiece.

Black will play a travel writer who gets lost in the Bermuda Triangle and washes up on an island of tiny people.

Shooting is scheduled to star in March 2009.

Ted Danson was the last screen Gulliver, starring in a 1996 TV miniseries.l

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Actress Lucy Lawless is desperate to get back into costume as Xena: Warrior Princess - before she's replaced by a younger star.

The New Zealander , 40, is back on TV as a madam in an upcoming episode of CSI: Miami, but it's another global hit she craves for - and a return to the fantasy series which made her a nerd pin-up.

She says, "It'll have to happen fairly soon. If it takes much longer, they'll cast some 20 year old in the role and ask me to play the mother. I'd tell them to go to hell, or worse - I'd do it." l

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Former James Bond star Sir Roger Moore feels like a father figure to current 007 Daniel Craig - after nominating the blue-eyed hunk for the spy role when he was an unpopular choice.

Moore was among Craig's cheerleaders when critics claimed he wasn't suitable to play to the world's most famous secret agent.

And when the pair finally met at a recent party in London, Moore felt vindicated - and even wanted to look after the star, who had suffered an injured arm on the Bond set.

Moore says, "I supported him all the way through, from the time they were saying he's too short, he's too blond, he's not right for Bond. I said 'Wait and see - he's a hell of a good actor'.

"I was quite surprised when I met him three weeks ago in London... He's a gentle soul, he's really nice. I felt so bad his arm was in a sling I wanted to take him home and dress it for him."l

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Action men Sylvester Stallone, Jet Li and Jason Statham are to team up in an explosive new movie.

The tough guy trio will star in The Expendables, based on a script penned by Stallone, according to Daily Variety.

Stallone is also slated to direct the film, which follows mercenaries on a mission to overthrow a South American dictator, according to Variety. Shooting is set to begin in February in both Louisiana and Costa Rica.l

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Rebecca Romijn and Jerry O'Connell tried fertility drugs when they first started trying to get pregnant but gave up because it didn't feel natural.

Now expecting twins, Romijn reveals she and her actor husband tried the drug Clomid to boost their chances of starting a family shortly after they wed in July 2007.

She tells Page Six Magazine, "We tried Clomid for a couple of months unsuccessfully. But, by the second month, I was like, 'Ahhh! I hate this!' I think when you start messing with your own hormones, it's crazy-making."

Romijn admits she can't wait to be a mum to baby twin girls - because it fulfills a childhood dream.

She adds, "I desperately wanted kids. I was never a girl who dreamed about what her wedding day would be like, but I've always dreamed about decorating my baby's nursery."

And the former model-turned-actress is convinced she's found the perfect father in husband O'Connell: "I knew early on he would be a fantastic dad. He's a pragmatic, smart, savvy, enthusiastic person. He really lives his life with tremendous integrity, and he's a healthy person in every single way." l

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Latest: Sarah Jessica Parker has dismissed S*ex & The City movie sequel reports a day after co-star Kim Cattrall confirmed them on British TV.

In an interview on The Paul O'Grady Show on Tuesday, Cattrall told former Spice Girl Melanie Brown she and her castmates will shoot the sequel to S*ex & The City: The Movie next summer.

But Parker has warned fans not to get their hopes up just yet - as the production has not yet been given the green light.

She says, "I'm thrilled to know Kim is excited but all the deals are not yet done."

But Parker insists she's confident there will be a sequel to the first film, which grossed over $400 million (GBP250 million) at the global box office this summer.

She tells TV show Access Hollywood, "We wanted to (do it) the first time, and now we.re hopefully doing it again for the second time.. l

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Ellen DeGeneres is devastated with the passing of a ban on same-s*ex marriage in California, calling the amendment a "giant step" backward for the United States.

Just over 52 per cent of those who voted on Proposition 8 opposed May's Supreme Court ruling, which legalised same-s*ex unions in the state.

And the openly g*ay talk show host, who took advantage of the May ruling and married her longtime partner Portia de Rossi in August, insists she is "saddened beyond belief" only unions between heteros*exual couples will be recognised in California.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the star says she, "like millions of Americans, felt like we had taken a giant step toward equality" by electing African-American candidate Barack Obama as president on Tuesday.

But by passing California's Proposition 8, the star believes citizens "took a giant step away". l