NBC thought they'd be getting a major hit with this coming fall's new stylized 60s drama, "The Playboy Club." So far, the early returns have mostly involved some major controversy.

Of course, when it comes to TV, the latter often leads to the former.

Starring Eddie Cibrian as a shady yet charming lawyer and Amber Heard as a new employee at the original Chicago Playboy Club, the show is an hourlong drama meant to mimic the style and feel of "Mad Men."

Having already weathered the storm of KSL, a Church of Latter-day Saints-owned Salt Lake City affiliate refusing to air the show (it was eventually picked up by a MyNetworkTV affiliate in the city), NBC has been hit with concurrent protests by two religious, anti-porn groups, who are calling for viewers to sign petitions against the show's broadcast, and promising to boycott advertising sponsors.

Pink Cross, "a faith-based IRS approved 501(c)(3) public charity dedicated to reaching out to adult industry workers offering emotional, financial and transitional support," which was founded by former adult star-turned-religiously rehabbed anti-porn crusader Shelley Lubben, is participating in an online petition against the show.

"What's shown in 'The Playboy Club' is not real--Playboy definitely damages people. It's pornography, it's sex trafficking and it exploits women," Lubben told Fox411.com. "The series looks like it's all cute, taking place back in the old days -- it seems harmless, but then they show a quick clip of three people going at it in the bathroom. NBC is breaking the law with this show -- they're not meeting FCC standards."

Australian beauty Nicole Kidman may seem at home among the bright lights but, at heart, she's a family girl. Donning bright bags and sunglasses, the Kidman sisters hit the town for a little shopping therapy.

Bauer-Griffin snapped a relaxed Nicole with her sister Antonia in their hometown of Sydney, Australia. Maybe Nicole is stocking up on family time before her schedule gets too hectic.

For more of the leggy duo click over to Bauer-Griffin.
PHOTO:

The Urban Daily:
Who are our picks for the hottest celebs in bikinis? Take a look at the gallery and find out who looks smokin' (or not so hot) in a swimsuit.
Read the whole story: The Urban Daily

Anna Faris has gone through a few transformations since winning the role in Sasha Baron Cohen's upcoming comedy, 'The Dictator.'

Bauer-Griffin snapped photos of the comedic duo on set looking slightly different than we're used to. Anna traded in her flowing blond locks for a dark, Amelie-esque pixie cut. Of course, the sunny actress had to expect some sort of change, what with Baron Cohen's new do and all.

Well, one this is for sure: the producers of "The Paperboy" aren't typecasting.

The thriller, a big screen adaptation of the 1995 Pete Dexter novel of the same name, is in a bit of turmoil. Originally slated to star Sofia Vergara alongside Matthew McConaughey, Zac Efron and Tobey Maguire, the film already saw Maguire jump ship, and now, Vergara is dropping out thanks to a scheduling conflict with "Modern Family."

In her stead, The Hollywood Reporter relays that the producers of the Lee Daniels-directed project are in talks with Nicole Kidman to join the cast, a bit of a swing for what is billed as a sexual drama. Kidman, of course, is no slouch, with an Oscar win and two more nominations (including this year, for "Rabbit Hole) under her belt, but is markedly different from the Emmy-nominated Vergara.

Kidman, who just had a child via surrogate, has a busy schedule already; she's due to release the Joel Schumacker-directed, Nicholas Cage-starring "Trespass," later this year, and will soon start filming "The Danish Girl," and "Stoker," a creepy drama alongside Oscar-winner Colin Firth.

Here's the synopsis for the book, courtesy Publisher's Weekly:

Tom Cruise returns for a fourth chapter in the "Mission: Impossible" franchise, the Brad Bird-directed "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol." Alongside Cruise is the eventual heir to the series, Jeremy Renner, who plays the mysterious Brandt, an agent whose allegiances Hunt is unsure of as the film takes shape.

Filmed in Dubai, it sets up Hunt and his crew on a seemingly impossible escape mission, with any slipup meaning they'll be labeled terrorists. Bird makes his live action directorial debut after helming a number of hit Pixar films, including the animated actioner, "The Incredibles."

Cruise is seen executing a number of insane stunts throughout, including some major building scaling. It wasn't tough to get him to do them, Bird said.

"He actually lives for that stuff. He loves it," Bird told MTV News recently. "Loves it. The day we finished shooting on the Burj, everyone suddenly relaxed because nothing had happened, no one had gotten injured or died, and the only one who was bummed out was Tom because he had to come down from the building. He loves that stuff."

Well, one this is for sure: the producers of "The Paperboy" aren't typecasting.

The thriller, a big screen adaptation of the 1995 Pete Dexter novel of the same name, is in a bit of turmoil. Originally slated to star Sofia Vergara alongside Matthew McConaughey, Zac Efron and Tobey Maguire, the film already saw Maguire jump ship, and now, Vergara is dropping out thanks to a scheduling conflict with "Modern Family."

In her stead, The Hollywood Reporter relays that the producers of the Lee Daniels-directed project are in talks with Nicole Kidman to join the cast, a bit of a swing for what is billed as a sexual drama. Kidman, of course, is no slouch, with an Oscar win and two more nominations (including this year, for "Rabbit Hole) under her belt, but is markedly different from the Emmy-nominated Vergara.

Kidman, who just had a child via surrogate, has a busy schedule already; she's due to release the Joel Schumacker-directed, Nicholas Cage-starring "Trespass," later this year, and will soon start filming "The Danish Girl," and "Stoker," a creepy drama alongside Oscar-winner Colin Firth.

Here's the synopsis for the book, courtesy Publisher's Weekly:

Almost two decades in to being one of America's Sweethearts, Jennifer Aniston is reaching a new high -- by going for a new low.
Aniston, as has been consistently highlighted, stars in the upcoming hard-R film, "Horrible Bosses," the tale of three men (Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day) who want to murder their, well, horrible bosses. Aniston plays one of those awful employers, a sexual harassment-happy dentist with a very non-traditional definition of rape.
And order in which she eats her courses at dinner.
Kevin Spacey and a barely recognizable Collin Farrell take on the roles of the other two bosses, while Jamie Foxx, as Motherf*cker Jones, plays a hitman inspiring the three beleaguered employees to pull off the killings.
This new trailer gives the most graphic details of the film yet; come July 8th, all the horribleness will be in full view.

Rihanna's 'Loud' tour certainly started off with a bang.

While performing the catchy single, "What's My Name?" the sexy songstress took a pretty nasty spill. Dressed in short shorts, a bikini top and stiletto ankle boots, the singer tripped and face planted on stage. However, Rihanna, a professional minx, seamlessly transitioned from clumsy to sultry. We'd expect nothing less.Read More

Alyson Hannigan grew up in Hollywood. And Hollywood has grown up with her.

The gentle, always smiling actress made her commercial debut as a child, starred in "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" and then shot to true stardom as the awkward, flute-loving prom date to Jason Biggs' pie-loving character in the first "American Pie" film.

Each subsequent sequel of the dessert defiling series brought the awkward crew to a new stage in their lives, from high school to college to, in 2003, marriage. It's become a generation-defining trilogy, and to hear Hannigan tell it, a total surprise, too.

"With the first one, they had put some sort of sequel clause in my contract and I was like, 'ahh, I wouldn't be in a sequel,'" she laughed in a conversation with The Huffington Post. "'There's no way. My character leaves at the end of the movie, so even if there was a sequel, I wouldn't be in it.' And here we are."

Where Hannigan is, exactly, is Atlanta, filming "American Reunion." Thirteen years after Jim and co. pledged to lose their virginity, their high school reunion brings them all back together. And as unlikely as it seems that the kid who crotch dived into a pie is the father of perky band girl's child, that progeny is a major player in the new film. Continuing the pattern, Hannigan has a child now, too.

"I haven't met my child yet for the film but I'll meet him today, I hope he likes me and I hope my daughter doesn't get jealous that I'm holding some other kid. I'll have some explaining to do," she laughed. "Like, 'why is that kid calling you mommy?' I don't know how old the actor kid is, but he's playing two, and my daughter's two, so they're probably in the same ballpark. I'm hoping they're in the same weight category, because I'm only just holding my daughter who is 25 pounds, if he's much heavier, I could struggle."

Which, of course, would actually be pretty funny.

Beyond the child, though, there are many old cast members to catch up with. If you've imagined what crazy paths Stiffler, Finch, Jim and the gang may have taken, you may just see them on the big screen. And that real life awkwardness at high school reunions? Not in this one.

Pixar Animation remains undefeated at the box-office races. The Disney unit's animated sequel "Cars 2" cruised to a No. 1 finish with a $68 million opening weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. That makes 12 wins in a row for Pixar since the company's first feature film, 1995's "Toy Story."
"It couldn't be any better than that. What an unbelievable track record these guys have," said Chuck Viane, head of distribution for Disney.
"Cars 2" added $42.9 million in 18 overseas markets, giving it a worldwide total of $110.9 million.
Domestically, "Cars 2" nearly matched the $68.1 million debut of Disney-Pixar's "Up" two years ago, though it was well below the company's record of $110.3 million for last year's "Toy Story 3."
The original "Cars" had a $60.1 million debut in 2006, but factoring in today's higher admission prices, it sold more tickets than "Cars 2."
Premiering in second-place was Cameron Diaz's classroom comedy "Bad Teacher" with $31 million. The Sony Pictures release added $12.9 million overseas in about 10 countries.
The previous weekend's No. 1 flick, Ryan Reynolds' "Green Lantern," fell to third-place with $18.4 million. That was off a steep 65 percent from its revenues over opening weekend, raising the domestic total for the Warner Bros. superhero tale to $89.3 million.
Both new wide releases came in ahead of industry projections, which had pegged "Cars 2" at an opening of around $60 million and "Bad Teacher" at about $25 million. Read more

A close friend of the British prime minister was found dead in a portable toilet at one of the country's leading music festivals Sunday, authorities said.

Christopher Shale died in unexplained circumstances in the VIP area of the Glastonbury Festival, an entertainment extravaganza that's one of the fixtures of Britain's music calendar.

Shale, who was in his 50s, chaired the Conservative Association in David Cameron's West Oxfordshire constituency, and in a statement Cameron said he and his wife Samantha were devastated by the news.

"He was a great friend and has been a huge support over the last decade," Cameron said. "A big rock in my life has suddenly been rolled away ... like so many others Sam and I have lost a close and valued friend."

Shale was staying in a restricted, celebrity-packed area of the festival, which is held on a farm in southwestern England and has drawn some 170,000 people. He was discovered by police shortly after 9 a.m. Festival organizer Michael Eavis said he was told the incident was "a suicide situation" but police have yet to confirm that.

"It is only a couple of hours ago," Inspector Chris Morgan said. "We are still working on establishing a cause of death."

News of the death comes the same day as Shale was quoted in a national newspaper as describing the weakness of his association in unusually frank terms.

Rachel Weisz and Daniel Craig have married in a secret ceremony, the News of the World first reported (via Daily Mail) and Celebuzz has confirmed.

The pair began dating while filming the movie, "Dream House"; Weisz had just the month before announced her split from director Darren Aronofsky after nine years and a child together. The ceremony was a small, private affair, with only four guests: Weisz's four year old son, Henry; Craig's 18-year old daughter, Ella; and two friends as witnesses.

"Daniel and Rachel insisted on having a small, quiet wedding. They are madly in love and couldn't wait to be husband and wife - but they wanted minimum fuss," a source told The News of the World.

Rumors began rumbling about their relationship in November; it was a country getaway vacation together a month later in which they first came out as a couple.

"Daniel and Rachel looked like a romantic couple in a film. They were laughing and hanging on to each other's words and stopping to take photos of each other," one witness said of their very public pub canoodling during the getaway. Added another: "They were clinging to each other like honeymooners. The chemistry was obvious."

people.com:
Like the title of The Hills theme song, Lauren Conrad's love life is still "Unwritten."
After three solid years with actor Kyle Howard, 33, the former reality starlet, 25, and her beau have called it quits, PEOPLE has confirmed.
Read the whole story: people.com

Disney announced on Monday a new Pixar film would be released November 27, 2013, Deadline reports, though the House of Mouse withheld any information on title or plot. All they would reveal is that it will be an original story, not a sequel.
The 3D animation studio has a full roster of upcoming releases, the next being "Cars 2," which hits theaters on Friday. They'll premiere a "Toy Story" short, "Hawaiian Vacation," about Barbie and Ken before the showing of "Cars 2," and an untitled short before Disney's November release of "The Muppets." They'll also release Spanish-language short, "La Luna" in 2011.
In 2012, they will help out with the release of the Jerry Bruckheimer/Disney adventure film, "John Carter," and then release the studio's first film about a female hero in "Brave." Then, in 2013, a sequel to "Monsters, Inc.," titled "Monsters University" will hit theaters.
So, where does that leave this new mystery film? Right now, "Up" director and Pixar legend Pete Docter, who has had a major drawing and story hand in nearly all of the studio's big releases, is working on an untitled mystery project, to be released in 2013.

theberry.com:
Read the whole story: theberry.com

Up until about a year ago, the most direct line Kenny Wormald could draw from himself to Kevin Bacon in that famous game of six degrees involved a lifetime of staring at the television screen. Now, the 26-year old Boston native IS Kevin Bacon, for all intents and purposes.
As the star of the new big screen remake of the iconic dance film "Footloose," Wormald is charged with breathing new life into Ren McCormack, a big city bad boy dance savior of Beaumont, Texas, the portrayal of whom launched Bacon to superstardom in 1984. But as daunting as that task may seem, the real pressure came for Wormald, a seasoned dancer with just a few small film credits to his name, in getting the part in the first place.
"I had more pressure on myself for booking the role. Once I booked it, I felt amazing because I put a ton of work into the audition process, and then all of the sudden the weight of, oh yeah, you have to make 'Footloose' now hit me, and I was like 'okay, here we go,'" he remembered in a conversation with The Huffington Post on Thursday.
The trepidation makes sense; throughout the film's protracted pre-production, there were a number of big names attached to star in the film, including this generation's top singing and dancing teenager, Zac Efron. And he'll co-star with "Dancing With The Stars" dancer Julianne Hough, a star in her own right, and girlfriend to megawatt personality, Ryan Seacrest. So, pressures on. But again, the confident Wormald was mainly concerned with his own moves.
"You know, its funny, you can always compare yourselves as dancers and actors and you're like 'oh man I could've done that and then it was all of the sudden boom, it was my opportunity to prove that I could do that. So I was glad that the Ren character had such a buzz, because of those guys, and I think it's really cool it ended up being me," he said. In fact, he thinks his casting has its unique advantages for the film, too.
"As a dancer, I think y'know, I did a lot of the stuff in the film and you didn't have to use choreography, a stunt double, excuse me a dance double, and you know I was totally psyched for the opportunity and I didn't care who was onboard before," Wormald insisted. "It was my movie, and it was my mountain to climb, along with the help of an amazing director in Craig brewer, I think we did a great job at it."

TMZ is reporting that Bieber was actually knocked down by an undercover cop who had lept to his defense when a crowd got rowdy; not realizing he was a police officer, Bieber got defensive, and his security team tried to pull the police officer away.

Things were cleared up, however, and disorderly conduct charges against one of his bodyguards were dropped. Scroll down for a photo, and click over to COED Magazine for more.

Justin Bieber was jumped and knocked down by a man outside a New York City Macy's where he was signing autographs, ABC 7 Eyewitness News in New York reports.

Bieber, who appeared on "The Late Show" in the city Wednesday night and appeared on "The View" earlier Thursday, was assaulted after coming outside to tell fans that they would not be able to access his cologne debut and autograph signing; only fans who had waited in line to receive a ticket were allowed in.

When he stepped out, ABC reports, a man took him to the ground after jumping over a barrier; the teen star was uninjured, but "very shaken up," a source told the news station.

The man was taken away by police.

When director David Wain let loose the news that he was in the planning stages of a prequel to his star-studded, cult classic comedy "Wet Hot American Summer," fans were ecstatic, but perhaps a bit doubtful that it would really happen. After all, would stars like Paul Rudd and Elizabeth Banks really want to go back and do that?

Rudd and Banks, along with a number of other co-stars from the 2001, 1980s-set camp film, told Entertainment Weekly with great enthusiasm that they'd be up to return to their roles -- and that there's already been talk about it.

"It's been discussed over the last decade in various forms and incarnations," Rudd told EW. "I think we would all be up for doing it."

Rudd also that he'd work for basically free, something he'd have to do given the last film's budget of $1.8 million.

Banks was even more excited about the possibility of a summer camp reunion.

"Look, any chance to get that group of people all together in a room I will take," the actress said. "It's been such a blessing on my life that I got to be included in that circle of people."