Fans come first for Renee

Time-keeping has never been Renee Zellweger's strong point but she insists it's not her fault - she just can't say no to fans who stop her for a chat.

"I have missed flights, missed ferries, missed taxi cabs, and made my friends wait because of it," says Renee. "I'm learning to be better at it but I'll still feel bad if I can't stop to talk to someone. I hate to disappoint them, and I'm not very good at saying no."

Gloomy twilight dawns bright for Kristen

Rising star Kristen Stewart can't wait to start filming the sequel to Twilight, even though the story is going to be sad. Kristen, who played Bella in the hit vampire movie, is counting down the days until she reunites with her old castmates. "We start shooting very soon, in a couple of weeks.

March 23rd is the first official day of shooting and I can't wait. It's a completely different story to Twilight. It entirely undermines the first.

It's a much more painful story than the first one. It's actually quite devastating. It's a smaller scale as well. She's very solitary for quite a while so that will be interesting. I'm excited about that."

Keira heels her shoe craving

After a lifelong shoe addiction Keira Knightley has decided it's time to finally wean herself off footwear. The Brit beauty has been cutting down on the number of shoes she buys - and borrows more instead.

"I think when I was very young and I suddenly started earning a bit of money and I could actually afford to buy shoes, I got very excited and bought a lot. I mean a lot! I haven't bought any in quite a while. Now I just rent them for the day. They give them to me for the day and I give them back in the evening, which is good."

Zac target for hungry mummies

Screaming teenage fans are no problem for heartthrob Zac Efron - it's their mums he is scared of. High School Musical star Zac finds mums of his fans intimidating because they get 'too friendly' and even ask him out on dates.

"It's funny because the kids can be shy but the moms feel like they know you to a degree. They come across as very comfortable in some ways - almost motherly. They want to give me advice and talk to me and ask how I'm doing, if I'm OK, and sometimes they want to go and get a bite to eat. It can be intimidating."

Aniston dumps John Mayer

Furious Jennifer Aniston has told friends she dumped singer John Mayer. Jen, 40, split from the 32-year-old after coming back from the UK to promote film Marley & Me. A source said her decision came after Mayer “went cold'' following the Oscars.

The actress's claim contradicts reports that Mayer was the one who ended their affair. Pals said Jen felt angry and used. A source added: “They had a great time at the Oscars, but he seemed to go cold right after. “It's humiliating. To say her feelings are hurt is an understatement.''

TV toughguy MacGyver to grace big screen

Studio bosses are planning to bring U.S. TV toughguy MacGyver to the big screen. New Line studios hopes to transform the cult TV show into a hit movie franchise. Raffaella De Laurentiis is slated to produce the movie, with the series' creator Lee Zlotoff.

MacGyver, played by Richard Dean Anderson for seven years from 1985, is a resourceful secret agent. No one is currently lined up to take on the iconic role.

A representative for New Line says, "We think we're a stick of chewing gum, a paper clip and an A-list writer away from a global franchise." MacGyver was recently voted atop a poll to find America's favourite TV action heroes - beating Buffy the Vampire Slayer and 24's Jack Bauer.

Pete Postlethwaite threatens to return OBE

Veteran British actor Pete Postlethwaite has threatened to hand back the OBE he was awarded by Queen Elizabeth II if the U.K. government give the green light to build a new coal power station.

The Oscar-nominated star is opposed to the British government's plans to allow energy giant E.On to create a new coal-powered plant in Kingsnorth, southern England. And the star used the London premiere of his latest movie, climate change documentary The Age of Stupid, to announce his plans to turn his back on the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) honour he received from the British monarch in 2004 - if the power plant gets the go ahead.

He told reporters, "We tried to stop Tony Blair going to war in Iraq. But this time we're not having it. "I can't be an officer of the realm if Kingsnorth goes ahead."

Ron Silver dies at 62

Actor and political activist Ron Silver has lost his battle with esophageal cancer. He was 62. The award-winning stage actor passed away on Sunday following a lengthy battle with the disease, and was surrounded by his family, according to friend and colleague Robin Bronk.

He says, "Ron Silver died peacefully in his sleep with his family around him this morning. "He had been fighting esophageal cancer for two years and his family is making arrangements for a private service."

Silver first appeared on the big screen in 1976's Tunnel Vision and enjoyed a longrunning career in film, TV, theatre and later as a political pundit on the radio.

As well as acclaimed turns in Garbo Talks and Enemies: A Love Story, Silver played the recurring role of presidential campaign advisor Bruno Gianelli on The West Wing from 2001 to 2006. The actor also received high praise for his turn as a Hollywood producer in David Mamet's Speed-the-Plow, which won him a Tony Award. Silver famously turned from a lifelong Democrat to an outspoken supporter of President George W. Bush's Republican administration after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York. He is survived by his son, Adam, and daughter, Alexandra.

Twin joy for Charlie Sheen

Charlie Sheen is the proud father of twin boys. The Two and a Half Men actor and his wife Brooke Mueller welcomed the tots into the world on Saturday night.

The twins - named Bob and Max - were a few weeks premature but are doing fine, according to Sheen's publicist Stan Rosenfield. He tells People.com, "They're doing great. And Brooke's doing great." Sheen - who already has three daughters, Sam, 4, Lola, 3 and 24-year-old Cassandra - is said to be "very happy" with the new additions to his brood. Rosenfield adds, "He's a family man – now he has three daughters and two sons. He's a wonderful father." Sheen and Mueller married in May last year.

Father Michael blasts Lohan's ‘toxic' relation

Lindsay Lohan's father Michael has blamed his daughter's latest run-in with the law on her "toxic" relationship with girlfriend Samantha Ronson. Los Angeles cops issued a warrant for the Mean Girls star's arrest on Friday in relation to her 2007 driving under the influence (DUI) conviction, which saw her sentenced to 24 hours in jail. Authorities claimed they weren't "actively looking" for the star, but would arrest Lohan if they came into contact with her.

The actress' lawyer Shawn Chapman Holley insisted the warrant was "born out of a misunderstanding", and insisted the affair would be cleared up in due course. Now, Michael Lohan has told reporters he believes the root of his daughter's problems come from her being with Ronson - insisting he hopes the warrant for her arrest is the "wake-up call" she needs to break up with her lesbian lover. He says, "I love Lindsay. I've been telling everyone this relationship with Sam (Ronson) is toxic."

Hopefully this is a wake-up call for her because we all really want her to get her life better. "I'm here for her 100 per cent. But nothing is going to get better with Sam Ronson in her life." Michael Lohan's comments come just days after police were called to Ronson's L.A. residence following reports of a furious bust-up between the pair which resulted in a smashed window at the DJ's home.

Race To Witch Mountain tops box office race

Disney movie Race To Witch Mountain has shot to the top of the U.S. box office, taking $25 million (£17.85 million) during its opening weekend (13-15Mar09). The film, starring former wrestler Dwayne Johnson, exceeded all expectations to topple Watchmen from the number one spot; the superhero movie garnered $18.1 million (£12.85 million) to secure the chart's second position. Horror remake The Last House on the Left opened in third place, with $14.7 million (£10.5 million), followed by Taken in fourth, with $6.7 million (£4.78 million) Elsewhere, Oscar winner Slumdog Millionaire celebrated another strong week, more than four months after it was first released, raking in $5 million (£3.57 million) to sit in sixth place.

Tupac's mother fights Morgan Creek over biopic rights

Tupac Shakur's mother is firing back at independent production company Morgan Creek over the right to make a biopic about the late rapper. In a $10 million cross-complaint set to be filed Monday morning, Afeni Shakur's Amaru Entertainment claims that Morgan Creek, CEO James Robinson and others tried to strong-arm a deal for Tupac movie rights, then sabotaged the project when Amaru attempted to set it up elsewhere.

"Instead of negotiating in good faith with (Amaru), they sought to obtain the rights by concocting a nonexistent 'agreement' and engaging in heavy-handed threats, coercion and intimidation to interfere with and ultimately destroy the film project,"

Amaru claims. Morgan Creek first filed a lawsuit last month in Los Angeles Superior Court claiming that Amaru, which controls the Tupac estate, backed out of a completed deal to sell life rights for a biopic about the slain rapper-actor. The company, headed by Robinson and former Creative Artists Agency agent Rick Nicita, said it received a final term sheet in December detailing everything that would be required to reach an agreement.

The proposal was accepted by Morgan Creek executives in late January, but Amaru has refused to honor it, the complaint alleged. Now Amaru is seeking a court declaration that there never was a deal. Morgan Creek allegedly was one of several suitors for the project, among them Paramount, Fox Searchlight, Kennedy/Marshall and Brett Ratner's Rat Entertainment. The cross-complaint says key details of a deal, including an executive producer credit for Afeni Shakur, were not worked out with Morgan Creek and that she hadn't even seen the proposed contract.

Instead, Amaru's counteroffer was to be the basis for further negotiation, according to the filing. But days after "Notorious," a biopic about Tupac rival Biggie Smalls, grossed more than $20 million in its opening weekend January 16-18, Morgan Creek executives allegedly arranged a conference call with an Amaru attorney to "accept" the counteroffer and began telling other studios and producers that Morgan Creek owned rights to the project.

"This was a sleazy and illegal ploy to coerce (Amaru) into a deal," says the cross-complaint, which demands millions in damages for derailing talks with potential studios and producers. Morgan Creek and its attorney Patricia Glaser declined to comment. Also named in the cross-complaint are Morgan Creek legal executive Don Hardison and consultant LT Hutton. Nicita is not named personally. The legal move is not unexpected.

At the time of the Morgan Creek filing, Amaru and its lawyer Skip Miller told The Hollywood Reporter that they promised to countersue for "millions" in damages.

Steve Martin funds kid's production

Steve Martin is personally funding a kids' production of a play he wrote in 1993, after it was banned by a U.S. high school. Students have been prohibited from staging Picasso at the Lapin Agile at La Grande High School in Oregon, after parents complained about its adult themes.

Martin is baffled by the controversy, and is offering to pay for the play to be performed outside the school grounds. In a letter to a local newspaper, he insists parents' claims the play is about "people drinking in bars and treating women as sex objects" are incorrect. Martin's letter adds, "The play has been performed, without incident, all over the world by professional and amateur companies, including many high schools."

Drama teacher and play director Kevin Cahill is now making arrangements to stage the production at the nearby Eastern Oregon University. He reveals any money left over from Martin's donation will be put towards acting scholarships for students.

John Malkovich in Madoff list

Actor John Malkovich lost a huge chunk of his personal fortune to Wall Street scam artist Bernie Madoff. Financier Madoff was arrested in December, accused of siphoning billions of dollars from his wealthy clients.

A number of stars have been affected by the scandal, including Kevin Bacon, Steven Spielberg and Zsa Zsa Gabor. Malkovich reveals he too lost money to Madoff - but he is refusing to let the financial hit get him down. The star tells the New York Daily News, “I wouldn't say I feel flush. "But I wouldn't pretend to have less than the most spectacular life. I'm more worried about people who don't have jobs.'' Malkovich also reveals he has resolved a tax dispute with the French government that forced him to quit his home in the country.

The 55-year-old claims a mix-up left him with a 29,000 Euros ($36,500/£23,500) tax bill resulting from a Paris play he lost money producing. Malkovich vowed to challenge the bill and now insists French authorities are "making an arrangement with the IRS (America's Internal Revenue Service).''