Licitra had been in a coma since the Aug. 27 accident in which he crashed his scooter into a wall in southern Sicily.

The tenor made his international fame in 2002, when he stepped in for Pavarotti in Giacomo Puccini’s “Tosca” at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. His performance won huge ovations and the putative title of “Pavarotti’s heir.”

“If this was not to be the farewell of a faded superstar, then at least it would be the starry anointing of a potential successor,” the New York Times commented after Licitra’s performance.

Licitra was born in Switzerland in 1968 and grew up in Milan. He came to opera late in life.

Doctors at the hospital where Licitra died said his family had agreed to make his organs available for transplant.

They said a news conference would be held later Tuesday.

On Xinhua Web site: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/entertainment/2011-09/06/c_131105735.htm

Cast member Eddie Murphy attends the premiere of the film “Imagine That” in Los Angeles June 6, 2009. ©Reuters

BEIJING, Sept. 6 — Renowned U.S. Actor Eddie Murphy is now the front-runner to host the 84th Academy Awards in 2012, according to media reports Tuesday.

Eddie Murphy is said to be favored by Brett Ratner, a producer of the awards broadcast who just finished directing Murphy in the soon-to-be-released thriller “Tower Heist,” according to Hollywood Reporter.

Brett Ratner is expected to meet with Academy president Tom Sherak after the Labor Day holiday to discuss potential hosts, the magazine said.

Murphy has never acted as Oscars host before. Watchers say his onstage reputation for unpredictability, as well as high-profile public scandal has most likely made Oscars organizers reluctant in the past.

Murphy might have some competition from Billy Crystal, a successful Oscar host who recently said he would like to host the show again.

A final decision is reportedly expected by mid-September.

On Xinhua Web site: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/entertainment/2011-09/06/c_131103083.htm

Cast member Matthew Fox poses for the cameras on the red carpet before the premiere of the sixth and final season of the television series “Lost” on Waikiki beach in Honolulu, Hawaii January 30, 2010. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

BEIJING, Aug. 30 — “Lost” star Matthew Fox was detained early Monday after allegedly assaulting a female bus driver, according to media reports.

It is reported that Fox attempted to hitch a ride to his hotel via a private party bus early Sunday morning, but the female driver of the bus refused to let him enter.

Fox then allegedly punched the driver in the chest and stomach before receiving a blow to the mouth in return.

Fox was detained by police but was eventually released to “a friend” and took a taxi to his hotel, according to the police report.

The alleged victim in the case, Heather Boormann, is considering pressing charges in the case.

“I don’t care that he is a celebrity,” Bormann said. “Assault is against the law.”

On Xinhua Web site: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/entertainment/2011-08/30/c_131083171.htm

Stephanie Sautner, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge, has warned Lindsay Lohan of not having gatherings while living under house arrest. She also said that she did not think Lohan violated her probation by testing positive for alcohol early last week.

Sautner said that the court record is a little bit unclear about whether Lohan was ordered to refrain from drinking. The court order demanding alcohol tests expired Feb. 25.

“What you are guilty of is extremely poor judgment, having parties on the roof,” Sauter said, “however, poor judgment is not a violation of your probation.”

Sautner continued Lohan can have just one friend at her house at a time. She set another hearing for July 21.
Lohan gained her fame with leading roles in the films “Freaky Friday”, “Mean Girls” and “Herbie: Fully Loaded”, later appearing in independent films including “A Prairie Home Companion” and “Bobby.”

In 2007, two driving-under-the-influence (DUI) incidents and three visits to rehabilitation facilities damaged Lohan’s reputation and resulted in loss of several movie deals. 

On Xinhua Web site: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/entertainment/2011-06/24/c_13948078.htm

Actors Colin Firth (L) and Helena Bonham Carter are shown in a scene from the film “The King’s Speech” in this undated publicity photo released to Reuters on January 25, 2011. The film was nominated for best picture for the 83rd Academy Awards announced in Beverly Hills January 25, 2011. The Oscars will be presented February 27, 2011 in Hollywood. ©Reuters

BEIJING, Jan. 26 — British historical film “The King’s Speech” was named the Oscar front runner with 12 nominations, including for best picture, media reports said Wednesday.

The film beat rivals including Western “True Grit” and the Facebook drama “The Social Network,” for the 83rd Academy Awards to be held on Feb. 27.

The film, staring 50-year-old British actor Colin Firth, tells the story about Queen Elizabeth II’s dad, King George VI’s struggle to overcome stammer in the 1930s.

Firth was nominated for best actor, while Helena Bonham Carter, who plays his royal wife, was nominated for best supporting actress.

Geoffrey Rush playing the speech therapist who helps the king was nominated for best supporting actor.

“The King’s Speech” also won Oscar nods for directing, editing, musical score, art direction, cinematography, costume design, sound mixing and original screenplay.

Other films nominated for best picture also include the psychosexual thriller “Black Swan”, the boxing drama “The Fighter”, the science-fiction blockbuster “Inception”, the lesbian-family tale “The Kids Are All Right”, the survival story “127 Hours”, the animated smash “Toy Story 3”, and the Ozarks crime thriller “Winter’s Bone.” 

On Xinhua Web site: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/entertainment/2011-01/26/c_13707641.htm

Singer Toni Braxton performs as a guest during the opening show of the young singers contest New Wave in Jurmala July 27, 2010.©Reuters

BEIJING, Oct. 8 — U.S. singer Toni Braxton has filed for bankruptcy a second time, citing millions of dollars in debt, according to media reports Friday.

The six-time Grammy Award winner filed for bankruptcy in Los Angeles, meaning she does not have the ability to pay existing debts.

In court papers, Braxton lists assets from 1 million to 10 million U.S. dollars, and debts ranging from 10 million to 50 million dollars.

Braxton previously filed for bankruptcy in 1998 after she broke with her music company.

Braxton, 42, began singing in the 1980s, climbing record charts with her self-titled “Toni Braxton” in 1993, which sold over 8 million copies. She earned two Grammys in 1994, and followed up with another Grammy win in 1995.

Her second album in 1996, “Secrets,” was equally successful as the first, and she won two more Grammys that year.

Braxton had high-profile health issues in recent years. In 2008 she was forced to cancel a series of Las Vegas shows after experiencing chest pains that were later diagnosed as microvascular angina. 

On Xinhua Web site: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/entertainment/2010-10/08/c_13546981.htm

File photo shows Singer Steven Tyler of the U.S. rock band Aerosmith performs at the Sweden Rock Festival in Solvesborg, June 10, 2010. © Reuters

BEIJING, Aug. 19 — American rock band Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler has finalized a contract to become the newest judge on “American Idol,” according to media reports Thursday.

Sources at FOX TV were quoted by E! Online as saying that Tyler is officially in to be a judge on the 10th season of “American Idol.”

Recent reports have said Fox had tapped Tyler and Jennifer Lopez to join Randy Jackson at the judge table after the departures of Simon Cowell and Ellen DeGeneres.

But Fox didn’t announced Tyler and Lopez’s arrival at the recent Television Critics’ Association conference in Beverly Hills because neither judge had finalized a contract.

Both performers were rumored to be holding out for huge salaries.

On Xinhua Web site: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/entertainment/2010-08/19/c_13452204.htm

Actress Megan Fox and her fiancee actor Brian Austin Green attend the 13th annual GQ magazine “Men of the Year” party in Los Angeles November 18, 2008. ©Reuters

BEIJING, June 30 — U.S. actress Megan Fox officially married her longtime boyfriend, Brian Austin Green, in Hawaii last weekend, media reports confirmed Wednesday.

The couple was married at the Four Seasons Hotel resort on June 24 when vacationing on Hawaii’s Big Island.

Green’s 8-year-old son, Kassius, attended the small, private ceremony.

Fox and Green’s marriage comes after a long, rocky, relationship. They initially got engaged in November 2006, only to call it off in February 2009. Despite their split, the two were regularly spotted together.

Earlier this month, Fox told reporters that she and Green have been engaged the whole time.

On Xinhua Web site: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/entertainment/2010-06/30/c_13376561.htm

Actress Barbara Eden poses at the premiere of “Valentine’s Day” at Grauman’s Chinese theatre in Hollywood, California February 8, 2010. ©Reuters

BEIJING, June 30 — U.S. actress Barbara Eden, 75, a former star of the 1960s TV series “I Dream of Jeannie,” is writing a memoir about her career in Hollywood, media reports said Wednesday.

The memoir, titled “Jeannie out of the Bottle,” will be published next year, according to its publisher Crown Archetype.

Eden said in a statement on Tuesday that “it’s time for me to pop the cork and talk about the amazing people I’ve been fortunate enough to meet along the way.”

Eden co-starred with Larry Hagman in the TV series “I Dream of Jeannie” about a beautiful genie named Jeannie. Hagman played the astronaut who found her on a beach and is constantly trying to keep her existence a secret.

The series, aired between 1965 and 1970 with 139 episodes, has been widely rerun on cable TV throughout the world. 

On Xinhua Web site: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/entertainment/2010-06/30/c_13376603.htm

Poster of “Shrek Forever After”.

BEIJING, May 25 (Xinhuanet) — “Shrek Forever After,” the fourth and perhaps the final installment in the series about a jolly green ogre, took the lead in the weekend box office in North America, but fell short of expectations.

DreamWorks Animation SKG, producer of the movie, earned 71.25 million U.S. dollars during the movie’s first three days of release, far short of industry predictions of more than 100 million U.S. dollars.

The new movie opened “on the low end” of forecasts, said Anne Globe, DreamWorks Animation SKG’s head of worldwide marketing and consumer products.

But the latest “Shrek” installment still ranks as the fourth-biggest opening of all time among animated films, behind the previous two Shreks and “The Simpsons”, Globe added.

Of the previous “Shrek” films, “Shrek the Third” opened to 121.6 million U.S. dollars in 2007, “Shrek 2” earned 108 million dollars during its first weekend in 2004, and “Shrek” kicked off the franchise with 42 million dollars in 2001.

The installment was available for the first time in 3-D and IMAX 3-D, but it made less than 5 million dollars on IMAX screens, or 7 percent of the film’s weekend gross.

The movie also earned about 26 million U.S. dollars after opening in seven other countries. Russia accounted for 20 million U.S. dollars, narrowly beating “Avatar” to claim the country’s all-time record.

According to Globe, “Shrek Forever After” cost about 135 million dollars to make, and another 165 million dollars will be spent on the worldwide marketing. 

On Xinhua Web site: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/entertainment/2010-05/24/c_13311926.htm