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ENTERTAINMENT
Soul singer is new American Idol
Soul singer Taylor Hicks has won the coveted title of American Idol 2006 in the hit US TV talent show. Hicks, 29, saw off competition from finalist Katharine McPhee, 22, in a contest which attracted more than 63 million votes. He wins a recording contract and chance for national stardom. "I'm living the American dream," he said. The fifth series of American Idol has proved hugely popular despite claims it is not as exciting as previous runs. It has attracted an average weekly audience of more than 28 million viewers in the US. Over several weeks, the field of aspiring singers was whittled down to two contrasting contestants, the soul-singing Hicks against the trained McPhee, who each performed three songs in a sing-off. The two then waited to hear their verdict during a star-studded finale which saw previous contestants and celebrities such as Prince and Meatloaf perform. 'No chance': Hicks, 29, is an exuberant dancer from Birmingham, Alabama. He was told by judge Simon Cowell at his first audition that he had no chance of success. He is the oldest contestant to win the American Idol crown. Runner-up McPhee is the first contestant from Los Angeles to shine on the program. She is a trained singer backed by her vocal-coach mother and attended the prestigious Boston Conservatory for a semester. Last year, country singer Carrie Underwood won the fourth series of the TV show. She went on to collect two awards at the Country Music Television Awards in April. Auditions for the 2007 show start in cities across the US in July.
Folk singer Baez in tree protest
Baez sang We Shall Overcome from the branches of the Walnut tree Folk singer Joan Baez, 65, has joined a tree-top protest over the planned demolition of a community garden in south Los Angeles. The singer, who led anti-war protests in the 1960s, sang We Shall Overcome to reporters gathered around the tree. The threatened garden is tended by some 350 farmers, who have been growing crops there since 1992. The landowner wants to reclaim the land for development after the community failed to raise money to buy the site. Supporters of the garden had until Monday to raise $16m to purchase the 14-acre (5.6 hectare) plot. "We've come up with $6 million which is unbelievable," said actress Daryl Hannah, another celebrity campaigner for the project. "If everyone in the city just gave one dollar, this place could be saved." Actress Laura Dern and musician Ben Harper have also joined the campaign. Baez is sharing the tree with Julia "Butterfly" Hill, a campaigner who spent 1997 to 1999 in a giant Redwood in northern California to save it from loggers.
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Jolie photographer arrested again
Jolie has employed heavy security to maintain her privacy. A South African photographer has been arrested for the second time in a week while trying to take pictures of actress Angelina Jolie in Namibia. John Liebenberg, 48, has been charged with trespassing and ordered to appear in court in Namibia on Friday. His arrest last week, for alleged trespassing, was dismissed in court on Monday. He was released with a warning. Jolie, whose baby is due this month, arrived in Namibia six weeks ago with her partner Brad Pitt. Veteran photo-journalist Liebenberg was arrested for trying to take pictures of the couple at a local restaurant, according to reports. "He has been charged with trespassing. We have organized him bail of 1,000 Namibian dollars (£80)," said his lawyer Hilla Kogh. The South African National Editors Forum condemned the arrest as "heavy-handed". "The forum believes citizens have a right to privacy, however journalists also have a right to be able to do their jobs without unfair hindrance or intimidation," the forum said in a statement. On his release last week, Mr. Liebenberg told Reuters press agency that police may have wanted to use his case as a warning to other photographers and media. "They probably wanted to make an example of me to the other, so-called nasty paparazzi, press. But we have been very respectful to [the couple]," he said. Jolie and Pitt have sparked a media frenzy since the couple arrived at the coastal resort of Walvis Bay in April. Bodyguards and undercover Namibian police officers have shielded them from journalists, erecting green cloth screens around the beach resort where they are staying. The Namibian government has said foreign journalists wanting to cover the birth must have written permission from Pitt and Jolie to enter the country and obtain a work permit. Brando's final film back on track
Brando last appeared on screen in The Score in 2001. Marlon Brando's final film has resumed shooting after it was halted following his death in July 2004. Ridha Behi's Brando and Brando told the tale of a Tunisian boy who traveled to the US to pursue the American dream and meet his hero Brando. The legendary actor spent his final six months working on the project. The film is now called Citizen Brando and will be part fiction and part documentary, based on Behi's experience of becoming friends with the star. As well as starring in the film, Brando had been involved with the development of the project, including working on script revisions with Behi, the director. "What I was highlighting in the film, the Arab-USA tensions, have even greater resonance, two years later," said Behi. The fictional side of the film will star Christopher Walken. Shooting has already begun at the Cannes Film Festival and will continue in the UK, Tunisia and the US over the next few weeks. Behi, whose other films include Les Anges and Soleil des Heynes, is planning to submit Citizen Brando for next year's Cannes festival.
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