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ENTERTAINMENT:  LATEST NEWS AND GOSSIPS

 

Julie Andrews, Antonio Banderas and John Cleese were just some of the stars who turned up. The event in London's Leicester Square did not feature the usual red carpet - instead it paid homage to the colors of the Shrek ogre. The cast had only met up as a team during the Cannes premiere last month, as most of their parts were recorded in tiny booths across different parts of the world. They were greeted by fans of the movie which has taken more than £200 million, more than five times the amount it cost to make, since it was released in May in the US. Among the celebrity fans were Liam Gallagher with partner Nicole Appleton and son Gene. Some of the stars of the animated movie, like Mike Myers (Shrek), Eddie Murphy (Donkey) and Cameron Diaz (Princess Fiona), who reportedly picked up £5.5 million for their parts, failed to make it. Banderas said he took his inspiration for Puss in Boots from animals belonging to his mother-in-law: "We had a lot of creative input into the script. They demanded information from us about the characters, and now I know why the first movie felt so fresh." The Zorro star added: "I have two cats at home but more dogs. My mother-in-law has 72 big cats and that's how I did my research." Mary Poppins and the Sound of Music star Dame Julie said: "You never set out to make a flop, but it's been such a huge success, I'm delighted." Marlon Brando: Does it really matter anymore what young, modern film critics say about the Oscar-winning actor? Sure, he let his weight get out of control and made news by lip-smacking a few tube hosts, but the man earned respect long ago. Brando died last night at a hospital in Los Angeles that he entered on Wednesday for reasons unknown at this time. Dean, Clift and many other actors from his prime time were great because they studied Brando, the one competitor who stood between them and the title of American acting king. When he took the screen as Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire or Terry Malloy in On the Waterfront or Don Vito Corleone in The Godfather, the whole world was his stage ... and we all watched. You don't replace a Marlon Brando. You just remember his greatness. Bryan Cranston: The star of Fox's comedy hit Malcolm in the Middle will be a busy man during the weekend of July 17 and 18. He will be one of the celebrity readers at the Los Angeles Times KidCity educational festival, a free two-day event at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena that is designed to show children that learning can be fun.

Other people scheduled to take part in the important event include Jane Seymour, James Keach, Randy Jackson, American Dreams star Arlen Escarpeta and Holly Robinson Peete. Five stages will be in use to handle the children's fashion shows, celebrity readings and musical and dance performances. Bill Cosby: One celeb who could gain some wisdom at KidCity -- or at least find a kinder way to encourage African Americans to help their kids -- probably won't be there. The legendary comedian was not being funny yesterday when he went in attack mode again while speaking to a room full of activists at the 33rd annual Rainbow/PUSH Coalition and Citizenship Education Fund Conference at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers. Ladies in attendance could appreciate it when Cosby chastised men by saying, "stop beating up your women because you can't find a job." The star had help getting his message out. Rev. Jesse Jackson defended Cosby's recent harsh words by saying, "Bill is saying let's fight the right fight. Let's level the playing field. Drunk people can't do that. Illiterate people can't do that." Only time will tell if the two men were heard. Ryan Seacrest: If you missed the debut season of Seacrest's talk show, don't worry. He'll be back even if some of the staffers who left early won't be around.