Batman to die a grisly death?

DC comics' superhero Batman is set to be killed off after 70 years of fighting crime. Rumours are rife that in the next issue of the comic, Bruce Wayne, the face behind Batman's mask will meet a grisly end, reports contactmusic.com. However, the latest Batman movie The Dark Knight, starring Christian Bale as Wayne and the superhero, was a box-office smash and another film is said to be in the offing.

Hilary Duff has a crush on movie vampire Robert Pattinson

Pop star/actress Hilary Duff has admitted that she’s smitten with movie vampire Robert Pattinson. The singer has revealed that she has developed a crush on the sexy Brit, who plays vampire Edward Cullen in new movie Twilight. And now Duff is searching her own bloodsucking beau. "I told my boyfriend, I was like, 'Edward Cullen... I mean, find me a vampire, you might be done...!' He's handsome," Contactmusic quoted her, as saying.

Tracy Chapman admires Madge’s ‘longevity’ in age-biased music industry

Tracy Chapman has raised her voice in praise of Madonna, saying that she admires the singer’s ability to dominate the age-biased music scene consistently with decades of her career. The four-time Grammy Award winner insisted that the industry suffered from the age bracket prejudice and preferred young artists – a belief shaken by Madonna, who has managed to top the charts and woo fans all over the world for the last 25 years. "Is it harder for women in the industry in general? Definitely,” Contactmusic quoted her as telling The Guardian. "I was trying to make a case for Madonna the other day, saying that she's to be admired for her longevity in a genre that has mostly been for younger acts,” she added. Tracy further admitted to being provoked when she heard whispers that the Queen of Pop should pass on her legendary title to a younger heir. She added: "Men are able to sustain a career into their 50s and 60s and still present themselves as sex symbols. With women on the other hand, people say, 'Why doesn't she retire?' It's just so unfair. So I have to give props to Madonna."

Megan Fox reveals her crush on Zac Efron

With the ongoing financial crisis even celeb parties have had to be curtailed, so it was quite surprising that American actress Megan Fox managed to get her hands on enough booze to make her confess her crush on actor Zac Efron. Fox was at the Condé Nast bash for the GQ Men of the Year Awards when she made the confession. “I’m obsessed with him. What you don't know is that Zac and I are the same person . . . it's like Janet and Michael (Jackson), we are the same person,” the New York Post quoted her as saying. A source revealed that like many other media companies Condé Nast was also retrenching, and that it had cancelled this year’s Christmas luncheon and holiday parties and that the GQ party had also been cut down. “It was at the Chateau Marmont this time and there was a good turnout, with people like Leonardo DiCaprio. But there were obvious budget constraints,” the source, who attended the party every year, said. “Whereas they used to serve dinner, this year there were only appetizers - few and far between - and there was only one bar, making it impossible to get a drink,” the source added.

Madonna turning to ex for support after split?

Madonna may be turning to ex-hubby Sean Penn for support following her split with estranged hubby Guy Ritchie, according to a source. The Queen of Pop, who is currently trotting the globe for her Sticky and Sweet tour, was seen having drinks with Sean at the Greenwich Hotel in Manhattan. “They have a nice rapport. There's nothing romantic there. They're just good friends." People magazine quoted a source as saying. Madonna formally ended her eight-year marriage with Guy on the grounds of his “unreasonable behavior” with a “quickie” divorce at the principal registry of the family division in London on November 21. The source, who met up with mega star hours before her divorce, said: “It's a sad situation, but she's not heartbroken. She's handling it well.”

Guns N' Roses CD gets early release

The new Guns N' Roses CD got an early release in London recently when 100 cycle couriers delivered CDs to a few stores. According to thesun.co.uk, the new album is called Chinese Democracy and it cost $15 million to make. Thirty-seven-year old fan Scott Mitchell was the first person in Britain to own the album. He is from West London and said: "What I've heard so far is brilliant. It will set the standard for rock releases of the future."

Bush liked 'ridiculous' W?

US President George W Bush might have watched the movie W. based on him and might have even liked it. According to tmz.com, the actor Josh Brolin who portrays Bush in the movie also believes that might be true. He said: "I understand he's seen the picture, and liked it." The movie focuses on Bush's rise to power from a reckless young man to the point of deciding to invade Iraq after the September 11 attacks. The official statement from the White House regarding the movie is that he has "much more important things to do than comment on this ridiculous movie". The movie was directed by the controversial film maker Oliver Stone, who has also directed Nixon and JFK

Janet Jackson refuses to be like Sade

Pop singer Janet Jackson and the record company Def Jam parted ways as she did not want to be the new Sade. According to contactmusic.com, Jackson broke all ties to the label. She says: "There were some people who didn't like the direction I took with this album (Discipline). They wanted me to sound more like Sade, but I'm not ready for that just yet. I love doing dance songs and I think my fans expect that of me."

She now wants to focus on her film career. Speaking to a magazine, Jackson said: "I have been getting more behind the scenes with film and television. I will probably continue to do music - and acting is still a strong passion of mine - but I really have been loving behind-the-scenes work: producing, directing and all the technical stuff."

Kate Winslet battles acne

Oscar-nominated British actress Kate Winslet revealed she battles body issues the way other normal women do.

According to contactmusic.com, Winslet features regularly on most magazines' 'most sexy' list. But she hates being put on such a pedestal and reveals how she has the same problems as pretty much everyone else her age. Speaking to a magazine, she said: "Since I turned 30, I've had an acne problem on my chin. I'm just like everybody else - I just know how to cover it. There's no big secret - I have make-up on."

Jay Z's Obama song leaked online

A song which supposedly celebrates the newly elected US president Barack Obama's win has been leaked online. The song 'We Made History' was produced by Kanye West, reports ananova.com. The song is featured on the producer's official blog. It features such lyrics as 'Where are you victory, I need you desperately' and 'All I got is dreams'. This seems to be alluding to Obama's recent historic win. There are reports that the song will feature on Jay-Z's about-to-be released album The Blueprint 3.

Akon wants to be the first black Bond

Rapper Akon wants to be the first black James Bond and said he would pick Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger as his love interest. Thesun.co.uk reports him as saying: "My ideal Bond girl would be Nicole. I think she'd be perfect. Lewis wouldn't mind if I borrowed her for a minute. He seems like a pretty secure guy. He's handsome and a world champion. I don't think he'd be worried." Akon is even making plans to fund his own Bond venture if the present producers refuse to sign him. He said: "A lot of people don't know that I'm heavily trained in martial arts. And when it comes to cars - that's my thing. I was raised on cars. I could do acting. It would probably take me six months to a year of training to make sure I'd get the role. I could handle that role, no problem. If I don't ever get the opportunity then I'm gonna shoot my own."

Nicole Kidman to play transsexual in film

Australian actress Nicole Kidman will play a transsexual in her new film, The Danish Girl. Kidman will co-star Charlize Theron in portraying the true story of Danish artists Einar and Greta Wegener respectively, reports Hollywood.com. The movie will be based on David Ebershoff's 2000 debut novel of the same name where the Wegener's marriage takes a weird turn in the 1920s when Einar Wegener becomes a transsexual.