JAMIE FOXX AND QUEEN LATIFAH JOIN "VALENTINES DAY"

Jamie Foxx and Queen Latifah have joined the all-star cast of New Line's romantic comedy "Valentine's Day," being directed by Garry Marshall according to THR.

The ensemble already includes Julia Roberts, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Jennifer Garner, Shirley MacLaine, Bradley Cooper, Ashton Kutcher, Topher Grace, Emma Roberts, Hector Elizondo, Patrick Dempsey and Eric Dane.

The film, is already shooting and follows five slightly interconnecting stories playing out in Los Angeles during Valentine's Day.

Foxx plays a TV sports reporter who has been sent out on a "Valentine's Day in L.A." story instead of covering his usual sports. Latifah plays the agent for Dane's character, a football player.

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MICHAEL JACKSON ANDY WARHOL AUCTION

For all of you art buffs out there, here's an interesting auction that's coming up soon. It's for a portrait that famed artist Andy Warhol did of the late great Michael Jackson. The auction is taking place in East Hampton next month. Below is the info for those who are interested in participating.

Interested parties should contact the gallery
for a copy the Bidders Registration form and Conditions of Sale.
Bidding will begin at $800,000.00.

Please contact the gallery directly at 631 324 3303, fax 631 324 3344 ,
Janet Lehr cel 516 353- 6450, janetlehr@veredgallery.com
or a Vered Gallery representative.

VERED ART 68 PARK PLACE PASSAGE
EAST HAMPTON NEW YORK 11937

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WOODARD SIGNS ON TO 'THREE RIVERS'

Four-time Emmy winner Alfre Woodard has just joined an upcoming CBS' medical drama "Three Rivers" as the lead.

"Rivers" is about organ transplants seen through the points of view of the doctors, donors and recipients, says CBS.

Woodard will play Sophia Jordan, head of surgery at Three Rivers Hospital. Apparently the role was recast after being played by Julia Ormond in the pilot.

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DAVID ALAN GRIER GETS INTO 'RACE'

David Alan Grier has signed on to "Race," the new play by David Mamet that bows on Broadway in the fall, according to Variety.

Grier joins an ensemble that includes James Spader, Richard Thomas and Kerry Washington. Grier's stage credits include the La Jolla Playhouse's 2006 production of "The Wiz" and a stint in the 1996 Broadway revival of "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum."

Folks are mum on what exactly "Race" is about however Grier and Spader are said to play two lawyers who are the centerpiece of the play.

"Race," will have its world preem on Broadway. "Previews begin on Nov. 16 before a Dec. 6 opening at the Ethel Barrymore Theater.

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"PRECIOUS" WRITER NAMED IN VARIETY'S ANNUAL SCREENWRITER'S TO WATCH

(article taken from Variety...click photo for more screenwriters)

This year's Sundance winner, "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire," is Geoffrey Fletcher's first produced feature script (under pseudonym Damien Paul). "But the irony," he says, "is that I feel like I'm a veteran at the same time."

As a psych major at Harvard, he made noirs and docs. And as a graduate film student at NYU, he made short "Magic Markers" that caught the attention of both John Singleton and "Precious" director Lee Daniels, who asked him to adapt the Sapphire book.

"I thought that writing was not only a good way into the industry, but probably a good way to stay there," says Fletcher, who was working as an adjunct professor at Columbia U. and NYU when Daniels came to him.

"'Push' is a very gritty book," Daniels says. "And Geoffrey brought his elegance to it. It's a woman's story, but he wrote it in the way that a very elegant man would write it. He's a very classy act."

"Precious" is the story of an obese, teenage outsider -- pregnant by her father, abused by her mother -- that Fletcher had heard was grim, bleak and difficult. "I'd also heard that other writers had had a crack at it. But from the very first line of the book, it was crystal clear to me. Sometimes, a thing is just up your alley, and you don't even know entirely why."

Among Fletcher's inventions is the male nurse played by Lenny Kravitz. "There's maybe one sentence in the book that mentions this character," he says. "But I thought it would be a great opportunity to bring in a male character that was positive."

The scribe has been deluged ever since "Precious" took both the jury and audience awards in Park City. In addition to an adaptation job he can't talk about, Fletcher is poised to have two scripts -- "Violet and Daisy" and "Dreamers and Killer" -- produced within the year.

AGE: 38

HOMETOWN: Waterford, Conn.

INSPIRED BY: His parents and two older brothers; "The Godfather" (parts I and II), "The Bicycle Thief," "Raging Bull," "Jules & Jim," "Dolemite"

UP NEXT: "Violet and Daisy," a coming-of-age story about teenage hitgirls, for Wendy Finerman

REPS: Agent: Billy Hawkins (CAA); manager: Leslie Conliffe (IPG); attorney: George Sheanshang

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NINJA ASSASSIN TRAILER

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"TRON LEGACY" TRAILER

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MICHAEL JACKSON: THE DEMOS

These are really fun to hear. I know Janet and Randy had fun working on some of these classics with Mike. Awwww Michael R.I.P (tears).

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OUT THIS WEEK...and some of last

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TBS ADDS MORE "PAYNE"

TBS can't get enough of Tyler Perry's "House of Payne."

Cabler has ordered 20 episodes, in addition to the 26 recently picked up, to bring the full total to 172. Both "House of "Payne" and Perry's "Meet the Browns" have become hits and are averaging 3 million and 3.2 million viewers, respectively.

Skeins are distributed by Debmar-Mercury, which began profiting handsomely when "Payne" hit the syndie market last September after only a little more than a year since launching on the Turner cabler.

"Meet the Browns" began on TBS in June. Two episodes of each skein run back-to-back in a two-hour comedy block at 9 p.m. Wednesday.

Debmar-Mercury recently made a deal with Gary Sanchez Prods. and Comedy Central for a Jon Heder sitcom and a deal at TBS based on the Ice Cube film "Are We There Yet?"

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"ALICE IN WONDERLAND" TEASER TRAILER

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"THE BOOK OF ELI" TRAILER

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OBAMA'S BIRTH CERTIFICATE DRAMA CONTINUES

These people really need to suck it! SIGH...I really couldn't work in Washington with these idiots or else I'd sponsor a bill to send them into outer space for good.

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AUTHOR E. LYNN HARRIS DEAD AT 54

E. Lynn Harris, the author who introduced millions of readers to the "invisible life" of black gay men, was a literary pioneer whose generosity was as huge as his courage, friends said Friday.

E. Lynn Harris touched fans with his courage and his kindness, friends say.

Harris, 54, died Thursday night while on a business trip to Los Angeles, California, said Laura Gilmore, his publicist.

Harris wrote a series of novels that exposed readers to characters rarely depicted in literature: black, affluent gay men who were masculine, complex and, sometimes, tormented.

Keith Boykin, an author and friend, said Harris encouraged the black community to talk openly about homosexuality.

"We have a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy in the black community," Boykin said. "E. Lynn Harris encouraged people to ask and to tell."

In books like "Invisible Life," "A Love of My Own," and his New York Times best-selling memoir, "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted," Harris virtually invented a new genre: books that depicted black gay men living double lives.

Though Harris wrote primarily about black gay men, some of his biggest fans were black women. His books became staples in black beauty salons, bookstores and book clubs.

"It was hard to go on a subway in places in New York or D.C. and not see some black woman reading an E. Lynn Harris novel," Boykin said.

Harris was an unlikely literary pioneer. He was a former IBM executive who decided to write about his life. He started off in 1991 selling books from the trunk of his car to African-American beauty salons and bookstores.

He eventually became one of the nation's most popular writers with an estimated 4 million of his books in print.

No cause of death has been reported as of yet.

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THIS WEEKEND AT THE BOX OFFICE...

With plenty of superforce this weekend, the rodent movie "G-Force" managed to skirt past Harry Potter by taking in $32.2 Million dollars.

In second place is "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" which took in a solid $30 Million dollars to bring it's total to $222 Million.

In at number three is the romantic slapstick comedy "The Ugly Truth" which brought in $27 Million dollars.

In at number four is the creepy kid film "Orphan" which managed to scare up $12.8 Million dollars.

Coming in at number five this week is "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" which brought in $8.2 Million dollars to bring it's total to $171 Million dollars.

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"HALLOWEEN 2" TRAILER

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"I CAN DO BAD ALL BY MYSELF" TRAILER

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OUR FIRST GRANNY MARIAN ROBINSON SPEAKS OUT

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

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RUSH PHILANTHROPIC ARTS FOUNDATION'S 10TH ANNIVERSARY ART FOR LIFE BENEFIT

Flicks below from Russell Simmon's 10th Annual Art For Life Benefit. I love to see folks doing good. And it's wonderful to see so many folks of color there to celebrate.

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MEET THE PARENTS: REV RUN MEETS MIKE WAYANS

Check out these few fun flicks of an upcoming episode of MTV's "Daddy's Little Girls" where Reverend Run meets Vanessa's boyfriend Mike Wayans (Damon Wayan's son). I'm sure they're probably gonna play this as him just meeting Mike but from what I hear, Mike and Vanessa have been together for four years. Regardless, it shall be an interesting episode.

SIDEBAR: Yesterday went to an identical version of the place they were at above...just a different location. Fun times!

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