Singer NEIL DIAMOND ditched the chance to pursue a career as a professional fencer to take up music.
The star was so successful at the sport he won a full college scholarship granting him a free education, but he turned his back as soon as he landed the opportunity to pursue fame and fortune as a singer.
Diamond reveals, "I fell in love with the sport. We were city champions. I was scouted by colleges. New York University offered me a scholarship and I got free education."
CHICAGO — The jury in the R. Kelly child pornography case has reached a verdict after less than a day of deliberations.
Judge Vincent Gaughan is scheduled to read the verdict Friday afternoon.
Kelly is charged with 14 counts of videotaping himself having sex with an underage girl, who prosecutors say was as young as 13. If convicted, he faces a minimum of four years in prison and a maximum of 15 years. He would also have to register as a sex offender in Illinois.
The jury — nine men and three women — was given the case Thursday.
The key question for the jurors was whether they believe it was Kelly in the video, as prosecutors contend. Kelly's attorneys say it wasn't him.
New Kids On The Block may be reuniting but dont expect Mark Wahlberg to reprise his Marky Mark persona.
"Are you kidding? No, I won't be jumping on stage with my brother!" he said, while promoting his horror movie 'The Happening'. "Better them than me. I talked to my brother about it and said, What are you doing? Are you crazy? But he's weighed out all the pros and cons. He's a super talented guy, especially when it comes to music and producing so he thinks that he can make it work. I wish him the best."
For those who don't remember, Marky Mark's claim to fame, apart from his association with New Kids On The Block, was his career as a Calvin Klein underwear model, where he was notorious for dropping his dacks(!), and in his own band Marky Mark and The Funky Bunch.
And what does he remember about his funky bunch days? "When I toured with NKOTB, those guys were scared of me because I had just gotten out of jail," he recalls, laughing. "But we had a lot of fun in those days. I just don't want to repeat them."
Wahlberg's film 'The Happening' hits cinemas this week. Check out these Marky Mark flashbacks... just for funsies...
Marky Mark special
Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch - Good Vibrations
Jessica Simpson is "nervous" about releasing her country album.
The as-yet-untitled record marks a change in musical direction for Jessica, 27, and she is worried about how her fans will react to the new sound.
She told US TV show 'Extra': "I am so nervous. I know this is a part of me that people are going to see that they've been waiting to see and I've been waiting to let out so it's very exciting."
The LP is set to hit shelves in September. The first single from the record, Come On Over, was broadcast on Country Music radio in the US last week.
The 'Dukes of Hazzard' star also revealed that she once had a big win in a Las Vegas casino.
She added: "I won $7,000 playing Blackjack! I was handing out hundreds, left and right."
Jessica has recently splashed out on a new holiday home in Las Vegas.
Describing it as a "home away from home", she said: "I honestly feel like it was a great place to put my money."
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Veteran crooner JULIO IGLESIAS has hit out at TV talent contests, accusing them of churning out instant stars who don't have the skills to last.
The 64-year-old, who boasts a career spanning 40 years and a staggering 77 albums, insists real singing stars will always shine through.
Iglesias explains, "Music is changing. But I always believe what is good will remain. Some people will come along and stay. Others will leave.
"There are now more opportunities for young people than ever before, but it seems all you have to do is win a contest on Thursday and go on tour on Friday. To be that good in a hurry is not good."
Tom (Patrick Dempsey) had one good idea in college. He invented the coffee collar,
that cardboard ring that fits around a cup and keeps a customer's hand from burning.
Today, Tom's a self-made (and self-absorbed) millionaire who spends his evenings
with random bimbos and his days with best friend Hannah (Michelle Monaghan).Though
they form the perfect pair, Tom doesn't view Hannah as girlfriend material until
she leaves Manhattan on a six-week business trip to Scotland. Like a lovesick pup, Tom
fidgets and whines until his loved one returns. Too bad for him Hannah's baggage
includes a strapping Scottish fianc�e (Kevin McKidd).
Much like Tom, the romantic comedy Made of Honor has one good idea, and here it is. Hannah
asks Tom to be her maid of honor in a bit of a gender switch, giving the conniving
lothario two weeks -- for some reason, weddings in tepid screenplays such as this
always happen in two weeks -- to disrupt the nuptials and win his dream girl back.
Let's acknowledge a few things right off the bat. First, Dempsey's incredibly popular
with the ladies. His female fan base has swelled thanks to his work as Dr. McDreamy
on the smash hit Grey's Anatomy. Based on the (unsolicited) feedback I received from female
readers and co-workers, Dempsey is to women what Miley Cyrus is to teenage girls.
If the two ever met in a movie, the film would potentially outgross Titanic.
But we also must acknowledge that Made has the artistic value of a paint-by-numbers
portrait. It's the cinematic equivalent of your favorite Starbucks drink. You know
exactly what you are getting when you order it, and you won't mind downing the all-too-familiar
brew if this unchallenging brand of storytelling is your cup of tea.
The screenplay recycles tired clich�s and director Paul Weiland (Leonard Part 6) con
tentedly settles on the easiest jokes (a gag involving a sassy grandmother and a
glow-in-the-dark sex toy gets used three separate times). At least Dempsey and Monaghan
beam like 100-watt bulbs as they make the most of the formulaic material. They're both able
to walk away from this with their honor intact.
Her honor's intact.
