NEW YORK (AP) – Although “Unbreakable,” is proving to be another hit for Alicia Keys, the song spent about two years in her vault before she decided to record it.
“Unbreakable,” which is on her just-released “Unplugged” album, was intended for 2003’s “The Diary of Alicia Keys.” But Keys decided to leave it among the outtakes.
“It’s always been one of my favorite songs but it just didn’t fit properly with the second album, so, I kind of put it on the shelf waiting for the perfect time,” she told The Associated Press in a recent interview.
That time came when she decided to resurrect MTV’s “Unplugged” concert series; it was one of the new songs she premiered during the concert, which recently aired on the network; the companion album was released Tuesday.
The up-tempo groove, which references real-life couples such as Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, got an enthusiastic response from the audience. Radio response has been strong, too – it’s a top 20 hit on Billboard’s R&B/hip-hop chart.
“For me, as a musician, sometimes it’s really a lot of fun to just debut a new song without any expectations,” she said. “The response for it was so great, so it’s a lot of fun to do that.”
Next month, Keys starts filming her role as an assassin in “Smokin’ Aces,” also featuring Ben Affleck, Andy Garcia, Jeremy Piven and Ray Liotta.
Keys, 24, is thankful for her big-name co-stars.
“It doesn’t all rely on my shoulders, it’s a very much ensemble piece,” she said of the movie, which she described as “very dark and gritty.”
Though Keys is known for her soulful love ballads, she decided to pick this role for her film debut to showcase her range as an actress.
“For me personally, to go outside my character completely and become this whole new person is something that’s going to be actually therapeutic in many ways,” she said. “It’s totally unexpected for me.”
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NEW YORK (AP) – Sienna Miller and Jude Law have ended their engagement, months after he apologized for an affair with his children’s nanny, according to a published report.
A London-based representative for Miller, who became engaged to her “Alfie” co-star last Christmas, refused comment Wednesday on the story, which was posted on People magazine’s Web site. The magazine did not name any sources.
Public Eye, the London firm that represents Miller, said it would not comment on her personal life.
The Associated Press sent an e-mail to Tor Belfrage, Law’s Los Angeles-based representative, seeking comment early Wednesday.
British media reported this week that Miller, 23, had been seeing Law’s friend Daniel Craig while Law was fighting to win her back. Miller and Craig appeared together in the 2004 film “Layer Cake.”
Miller was quoted last month as saying, “There’s nothing going on between me and Daniel. We were in a movie together two years ago.”
Law, 32, earned Oscar nominations for his roles in “The Talented Mr. Ripley” and “Cold Mountain.” His screen credits also include “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow,” “Closer” and “The Aviator.”
Craig’s credits include the 2005 thriller “The Jacket,” starring Adrien Brody and Keira Knightley.
The blond, blue-eyed British-born actor has been mentioned as the new James Bond. Craig has praised the Bond character, calling him “an iconographic figure in moviemaking.”
“I think you’d have to be stupid not to consider something like that,” he said, but added that he hadn’t given the role “any serious thought.”
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NEW YORK (AP) – Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore, who had refused to confirm their Sept. 24 wedding, have opened up their photo album.
Photos published Wednesday by OK! magazine, which paid an undisclosed sum for the pictures, show the couple tying the knot in a Kabbalah ceremony at their Beverly Hills, Calif., home.
Kutcher, 27, is wearing a cream Brooks Brothers suit and a fedora. Moore, 42, is wearing a white Lanvin gown.
Moore’s ex-husband, Bruce Willis, and their three daughters, Rumer, 17, Scout, 14, and Tallulah, 11, attended the ceremony. Other guests included actor Wilmer Valderrama, Kutcher’s “That ‘70s Show” co-star.
It was the first marriage for the actor, whose film credits include “Cheaper by the Dozen” and “Guess Who?”
Moore’s marriage to Willis ended in 2000. She was married to rocker Freddie Moore from 1980 to 1984.
The actress has starred in some three dozen films during her 24-year career including “St. Elmo’s Fire,” “Ghost” and “G.I. Jane.”
In an interview in the September issue of Harper’s Bazaar, Moore said Kutcher is her “soul mate” and that they wanted to expand their family.
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NEW YORK (AP) – Woody Harrelson, who plays a father of 10 in the new movie “The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio,” says he’s going to be a real-life dad for a third time.
“The wife is preggers … and we’ve narrowed it down to me,” he told David Letterman in an interview for Tuesday’s “Late Show” on CBS, according to a transcript.
It will be the third child for Harrelson and his wife, Laura Louie. The couple have two daughters, Deni and Zoe.
Harrelson, 44, who became popular as the simple, straight-man bartender on the sitcom “Cheers,” has appeared in dozens of movies, including “The People vs. Larry Flint,” “Natural Born Killers” and “Wag the Dog.”
In “Prize Winner,” he plays Kelly Ryan, husband of Evelyn Ryan, who kept her family financially afloat by winning jingle contests in the 1950s.
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On the Net:
http://www.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/
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NEW YORK (AP) – Eminem’s “Curtain Call” is just months away.
The greatest-hits album, set for release Dec. 6, will include “My Name Is,” “The Way I Am,” “Lose Yourself” and “Stan,” Interscope Records announced Tuesday.
It also will include “at least two all-new, previously unavailable, so-fresh-from-the-studio-we-aren’t-even-giving-you-the-song-title songs.”
Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers III, is putting the final touches on “Curtain Call,” which he has been working on since early summer, according to the statement.
In July, the 32-year-old rapper, whose real name is Marshall Mathers III, denied reports that he was preparing to retire from recording.
The following month, it was announced that he had entered a hospital to undergo treatment for sleep medication dependency – days after canceling his European tour.
For “Curtain Call,” Eminem was quoted as saying: “I have some songs that a lot of people like. I have some songs that only I like. This album is obviously for the “lot’ of people.”
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On the Net:
http://www.eminem.com
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LOS ANGELES (AP) – Rod Stewart was as nervous as a schoolboy when he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in front of screaming fans and family.
“I have never had such a nervous day in my life,” the 60-year-old singer said Tuesday.
Accompanied by his pregnant fiancee, Penny Lancaster, Stewart danced a jig atop his sidewalk star on Hollywood Boulevard. Daughter and Hollywood “it” girl Kimberly and son Sean clapped and cheered along with poster-waving fans.
“I haven’t prepared a speech. I’m here to wing it like I have my entire life,” he said.
Friend Larry King addressed the gathering, praising Stewart.
“He’s one of my favorite guests. He’s one of my favorite people,” the CNN host said.
Over his 40-year musical career, Stewart has churned out multiple raspy-voiced rock hits, including “Forever Young,” “Tonight’s the Night,” “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?” and fan favorite “Maggie May.”
After his rock career waned, Stewart rebounded three years ago with a surprising collection of ‘30s and ‘40s pop standards – a platinum-selling success.
His 2004 album, “Stardust … The Great American Songbook Volume III,” won Stewart his only Grammy.
Stewart’s new album, “Thanks for the Memory … The Great American Songbook Volume IV,” is set for release later this month.
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