LONDON. Tuesday 19 August 2008- Young British star Thomas Turgoose has picked up the lead role in Tom Harper’s directorial debut The Scouting Book for Boys, it was announced today. Turgoose, who recently starred in Shane Meadows’ Somers Town and came to the spotlight through Meadows’ BAFTA award-winning This is England, plays a troubled teenager who finds himself in deep water when he helps a young girl run away from home. This tale of obsessive first love, scripted by Jack Thorne (Channel 4’s ‘Skins’) and produced by Celador’s Christian Colson and Ivana Mackinnon, begins principal photography on 14 September on the East coast. The Scouting Book for Boys is financed by Celador, Film4 and Screen East, with Pathe handling UK distribution and international sales.

When Jennifer Lopez says she will do something, she stands by her word.Lopez is so determined to complete her triathlon competition later this year, she has vowed to 'crawl across the finish line' according to WENN.The actress/singer set herself the goal in a an attempt to get back into shape after giving birth to babies Emme and Max in February, 2008.Although she admits she is concerned about finishing the race, she insists her fear of disappointing others will keep her going through the running, swimming and cycling endurance event. WENN reports Lopez saying, 'It's really tiring and like spending time with the babies...it's really challenging. But if I have to crawl across that finish line, I'm going to crawl across that finish line. It's for the kids. I keep telling myself that when I'm training, I'm like, 'This is for charity, your kids are going to know about this. Don't embarrass the family. Really get it done, Lopez'.'

Brad Pitt and Quentin Tarantino are facing a possible backlash for their forthcoming World War II film Inglorious Bastards, which depicts violent attacks on German soldiers. The movie, Tarantino's remake of a 1978 Italian film, reportedly stars Pitt as a U.S. Army lieutenant who leads a group of Jewish-Americans dropped into Nazi-occupied Europe to seek revenge. A leaked quote from the script, obtained by the New York Post, reveals Pitt's character barking at soldiers: 'Every man under my command owes me 100 Nazi scalps, and y'all will git (get) me 100 Nazi scalps, taken from the heads of 100 dead Nazis, or die trying.' And critics believe the film's portrayal of German characters, in addition to the violent events, will spark outrage amongst German citizens. According to a report by The Times of London: 'It is not just the scalping, or the carving of swastikas in foreheads, or the shooting of a German officer's testicles, or the slow strangling scene--shown with Tarantino's customary love of detail--that is likely to upset the German nation and its critics. It is the whole idea of turning the Second World War into a comic-book adventure in which not a single German character has redeeming value.' In a recent interview, Tarantino said: 'I don't want it to feel like a period film. This is a modern, in-your-face movie.' He has not commented on reports of the leaked script.

Gwyneth Paltrow has earned praise for her green credentials in the past but she's recently angered animal rights campaigners by endorsing a new collection of luxury goods using fur. According to WENN, the actress appears in Italian designer Tod's advertising campaign draped in fox fur and wearing fur-lined boots. Paltrow has angered animal rights campaigners with her latest project. Mark Glover, director of Respect for Animals, says, 'Gwyneth Paltrow should be ashamed. I can only assume that Paltrow either is ignorant of the facts or lacks human decency and compassion.' And a spokesman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) claim calls to the star had been rebuffed. The spokesman says, 'We've written to her many times, and sent her videos showing how animals suffer for fur, but have never received a response.' He adds, 'Apparently her beauty really is only skin deep. Gwyneth Paltrow won't be the apple of her daughter's eye if she continues to flaunt fur. It's a terrible example to set for a young child.' A spokesman for Paltrow was unavailable for comment reports WENN.

Talk-show queen Ellen DeGeneres has wed her longtime girlfriend Portia De Rossi in an intimate ceremony. DeGeneres, 50, and actress De Rossi, 35, exchanged rings at the private service in the backyard of their Beverly Hills home on Saturday. Just 19 guests watched as the couple read aloud their handwritten vows, including DeGeneres' mother Betty and De Rossi's mother Margaret Rogers, who flew in from her native Australia for the occasion. The couple's spokesperson tells People.com, 'Ellen DeGeneres and Portia De Rossi were married tonight in an intimate ceremony at their home in Los Angeles.' Shortly after the wedding, DeGeneres taped an interview for her daytime talk show, which is where she first announced in May that she would wed the Arrested Development star. California lifted its ban on gay weddings in May after the state's Supreme Court ruled the ban on same-sex unions was unconstitutional.

Actress/singer Hilary Duff has sparked rumors she's taking her relationship with hockey star Mike Comrie to the next level, after she was snapped wearing a ring on her wedding finger. The 20-year-old star was spotted leaving Hollywood's Il Sole restaurant with National Hockey League (NHL) star Comrie on Friday night, August 15, when she flashed her left hand to reveal a ring. The shot has sent gossips into a spin, leading many to speculate over whether Duff and Comrie are engaged. The couple has been dating for more than a year following Duff's split from Good Charlotte rocker Joel Madden.

Disney bosses have forced Spike Lee to call a truce with Clint Eastwood after their war of words, fearing the bad publicity would cost his new movie Oscar nominations. Lee hit out at Eastwood for failing to include black characters in his 2006 World War II movies Flags of our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima. The veteran star struck back, telling Lee to 'shut his face,' prompting Lee to take a second swipe, calling Eastwood 'an angry old man.' But Lee has backed down after executives at Disney--the studio backing his new war movie Miracle at St. Anna--stepped in. He tells Entertainment Weekly magazine, 'I get the thing, 'Well, Mr. Eastwood is so well beloved,' and this may have ramifications at Academy time. 'But it's over. I said what I had to say. He believes what he believes. And that's that.'

Rumer Willis is unhappy with her name—possibly she should seek the advice of New Zealand family court judge Rob Murfitt who was also fed up with parents giving their children bizarre names and did something about it. Just ask Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii. Judge Rob Murfitt made the 9-year-old girl a ward of the court so that her name could be changed, he said in a ruling made public this past July reports USA Today. Murfitt says, 'The court is profoundly concerned about the very poor judgment which this child's parents have shown in choosing this name,' he wrote. 'It makes a fool of the child and sets her up with a social disability and handicap, unnecessarily.' Rumer, the daughter of former Hollywood couple Demi Moore and Bruce Willis hated her name, insisting she 'got screwed' by her famous parents' choice according to WENN. The actress confesses she was envious of her younger sisters, Scout and Talullah. She tells New York gossip column Page Six, 'My sisters, Scout and Talullah, had cute nicknames. 'When I was 12 and had crushes on guys, I'd put my first name with their last name, but it never sounded right. Rumer Depp? Nope. In school, kids would sing, 'Rumer, Rumer with a big hairy tumor'.' Possibly she can use her middle name?

Bosses at MGM studios have given their backing to Tom Cruise, insisting the actor is perfectly capable of running United Artists (UA) on his own. Cruise and his production partner Paula Wagner stepped in to take over the film company in 2006, running it on behalf of MGM studios, after the movie star fell out with Paramount Pictures, his home studio for many years. Wagner announced earlier this week that she is to quit her post at the helm of UA to pursue projects independently. And although she will retain her co-ownership of the firm, she will no longer be involved in running the business. MGM chairman and CEO Harry E. Sloan has now issued a statement giving his full support to the Cruise. It reads, 'I would like to clarify that we are honored that he (Cruise) will continue as our full partner in control of UA. He is in the middle of one of the greatest careers our industry has ever seen and one that will continue at the top of United Artists Entertainment.'

Police have dropped assault charges against Christian Bale, following his arrest last month for allegedly attacking his mother and sister. The assault was alleged to have taken place at London's Dorchester Hotel, while the 34-year-old actor prepared for the British premiere of The Dark Knight on July 22. Bale was questioned by police and released on bail. Since denying the allegations surrounding his arrest, Bale has refused to talk to reporters about it, urging the media to 'respect his privacy.' A spokesman for the U.K.'s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has now explained the decision to drop the investigation, declaring there was 'insufficient evidence to afford a realistic prospect of conviction.' He continues, 'The police have been advised that no further action should be taken against Mr. Bale.' A representative for the Metropolitan Police adds: 'On the advice of the CPS we shall be taking no further action. We will not be commenting further.'