W/C September 05, 2005

Jennifer Lopez has become the latest star to embrace America's rising reggaeton phenomenon, after traveling to her parents' native Puerto Rico to record a track with Pharrell Williams. The track will be produced by top reggaeton duo Luny-Tunes. Reggaeton, a mix of Jamaican dancehall, hip-hop and Latin beats, has risen to unprecedented popularity in the US over the past two years

Hollywood hunk George Clooney was forced to put up his house as collateral to fund his latest movie project. Financiers refused to back the 44-year-old's second directorial outing Good Night, and Good Luck - but Clooney was so committed to his personal project he was prepared to put one his properties on the line. Speaking at the Venice Film Festival, Clooney recalls, "I said we'll put my house up because I wasn't going to be told I couldn't do it."

Nicole Richie is set to shock fans in her movie debut by making out with another girl. Richie will be seen kissing and fondling actress Caitlin Wachs in new movie Kids in America. Richie plays a cheerleader protesting the suspension of her gay classmates in the low-budget movie.

Britney Spears has lashed out at claims she uses Kabbalah as a fashion accessory. The singer insists her faith in the mystical offshoot of Judaism championed by Madonna is genuine and has helped her soul. She says, "For some reason I'm thirsting for it. "The thing that drew me to Kabbalah is it all comes from light. This sounds so weird, I know, but I'm just trying to explain it in a way that - like, it all stems from light." However, the pregnant star admits she struggles to understand the deeper meanings hidden within the Kabbalah scriptures: "They are all in Hebrew. I don't understand everything."

Kanye West is advising his white counterparts that they can only use certain slang terms when they're out of style for black people. West believes that certain slang words should only be able to cross-racial barriers when they're no longer in style for black people. He says, "I think white people are allowed to say 'bling'. They are allowed to say old-school black slang, like 'hottie' and 'homie'. "Actually, I do not think that (white people) are allowed to use slang until it is at least a year old. If you say a slang word too early, it's like you're trying to be black. So as long as the slang is a little played out, you're all good."

Fashion mogul Tommy Hilfiger showed off his generous side on Friday night when he donated cash, clothes and the Black Eyed Peas to a US telethon held to raise cash for the Hurricane Katrina relief effort. Hilfiger received a last-minute call from pal Russell Simmons, asking him to help him spread the word at his Bet Save Ourselves TV benefit and the style king went out of his way to help. He dashed from the end of his New York Fashion Week show with Black Eyed Peas, who he hired for the event, and $250,000 in Hilfiger clothes. Big-hearted Hilfiger has already donated $1.1 million in clothes and cash to the victims of the hurricane in South East America.

Michael Jackson's appearance is undergoing a major revamp as he hides away from the American press in Bahrain and prepares to relaunch his career, according to an American author. Michael C Luckman claims the 47-year-old is working on a more macho appearance, which has seen him working out, wearing shorter wigs and using less make-up. Luckman tells website PageSix.com that Jackson's parents Joseph and Katherine are coordinating the make-over as the singer holds talks with a Las Vegas, Nevada, hotel over a long-term performing deal.

Oprah Winfrey cut her summer holiday short at the weekend to jet off to areas ravaged by Hurricane Katrina and film a special episode for her show. Winfrey wasn't scheduled to resume shooting her daytime TV show for two more weeks, but she and her camera crew flew to America's devastated southeast over the weekend to shoot scenes from the worst-hit areas. Winfrey visited Louisiana's hard-hit Ninth Ward and Houston's Astrodome, where thousands of refugees are being housed, in addition to donating $1 million to America's Second Harvest: The Nation's Food Bank Network, to help feed those stranded.

Pamela Anderson is taking her time before kicking off her highly anticipated range of footwear, because she knows starting a business in hazardous Hollywood warrants careful planning. Anderson can't wait to start designing but she admits her lack of cynicism in business may trip her up, as she lives in a country which frequently puts money above integrity. She explains, "It's been put on hold. I do have some business sense, but I also make a lot of mistakes. "Hollywood is pretty slimy. I'm not really a combative person, so I feel like people will try to take advantage of me, and in America people can sue you for absolutely anything. "Everyone thinks a huge sum of money will make their lives better."

Chuck D has recorded a new song called "Hell No We Ain't Alright" addressing the natural disaster in New Orleans, Alabama and Mississippi. Chuck D sends a message to the government, the media, the military and the Hip-Hop nation.

Supermodel Helena Christensen is planning to launch her own fashion line. The Danish beauty, 36, has already found success as a photographer, and now she's eyeing the possibility of starting to design her own clothes. She says, "Working with all those designers, you just get so inspired. I think every girl has ideas of what she would really love to wear. So if you can do it yourself, why not?"

R+B star Ray-J has written a song about the neglect he felt as his mother focused on the career of his older sister Brandy. For much of his career, the singer has lived in Brandy’s shadow, and he admits the attention on his more famous sibling drove him towards a thug lifestyle But a near-death experience prompted him to change his ways. And now he's sharing his experiences in the track Centerview, which has been included on his upcoming album Raydiation. He says, "It was time for it all to come out. As a child, you make mistakes when you're finding yourself. I did, and I was able to overcome my mistakes and learn from them, and it made me a better human being. "Sometimes I went in late at night by myself and wrote songs, sang and engineered the whole thing, and the songs came out hot, they came out real. The album is filled with emotions." Raydiation, which features collaborations with Brandy, Mya and Fat Joe, is set to be released on 20 September 05.

Ragga star Sean Paul angered fans at a recent gig by spending more time talking about music than performing it. The star was promoting his latest album The Trinity at London's Rex Cinema and bar, but he began to bore fans with tedious monologues describing his songwriting methods rather than treating them to his hit tunes. A source tells British newspaper The Daily Mirror, "It was a far cry from the Sean who once duetted with Beyonce. "He went on for two and a half hours. You could tell he was passionate but people just wanted to listen to the music and dance without interruptions."

The original stars of the Police Academy films are being invited to return to the franchise for an eighth movie. Producers want Steve Guttenberg, Bubba Smith and Leslie Easterbrook to make cameos in Police Academy 8, which has been co-scripted by another former Academy original, Tim Kazurinsky. Producer Paul Maslansky feels the time is right for the original castmates to return and pass the truncheon to a group of new recruits.

Jay-Z has dropped his hip-hop handle in favor of his birth name and insists he is now to be called Shawn Carter at all times. The singer issued invitations to an after-show party for London's GQ Awards on Tuesday 06 Sept - but refused to sign them with his recording pseudonym. Journalists were told, "Please make sure that when referring to him in your article, you call him Shawn Carter. "It's how he wants to be known now because he's exploring business opportunities in the UK."

Samuel L Jackson feels sure the Hurricane Katrina death toll would have been much higher if American whites had been caught up in it. The movie star is mourning the loss of thousands African-American lives in the August storm, which has devastated southeast America, but he insists it could have been much worse. He says, "African-Americans are kind of used to adversity and that gave them an edge on the survival factor, in that they're not used to things being easy for them anyway."