Jan 9, 2007, 1:09 GMT
Los Angeles - Bindi Irwin, the vivacious 8-year-old daughter of late Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin, is launching her own media career, arriving in the US Monday to promote her own series Bindi, The Jungle Girl.
The 26-part show was originally conceived as a way for Steve and Bindi to co-star together, and several episodes were shot prior to Irwin's death last September.
Bindi, whose eulogy at her dad's memorial brought her international attention, has since resumed filming and will appear the National Press Club as well as prime time TV shows to promote the series. According to People Magazine, Bindi, along with her mother Terri and her Crocmen backup dancers, will also join children's group The Wiggles for concerts in Los Angeles and New York.
The media blitz has even prompted the coining of a new word by concerned bloggers, who are worried about that Bindi is a victim of 'croxploitation.'
R.E.M. and Van Halen elected to Hall of Fame
New York - Indie-rock pioneers R.E.M. have been elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with Van Halen, Patti Smith, girl group the Ronettes and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, who are the first rappers to be honoured.
Musical acts become eligible for induction 25 years after releasing their first single and R.E.M. was voted in at their first ballot opportunity. The band, headed by frontman Michael Stipe, is currently starting work on their new studio album, the follow-up to 2004's Around the Sun.
Grandmaster Flash are considered the pioneers of rap, introducing basic DJ techniques and bringing social commentary to the popular form of street music.
Smith was among the leaders of the original wave of New York punk rockers and is considered the literary Godmother of Punk, while The Ronettes were considered the ultimate girl group in the mid 1960's with hits like Be My Baby. Van Halen was the biggest hard-rock band in the US in the 1980's.
The induction ceremony for the five artists will be held on March 12 in New York.
Nicole Kidman head for the Rabbit Hole
Los Angeles - Nicole Kidman is to produce and star in a big screen version of David Lindsay-Abaire's award-winning play Rabbit Hole, Variety reported Monday.
The play focuses on the ways in which a happily married couple deals with the tragic death of their young son.
Lindsay-Abaire is expected to write the screenplay. His previous writing credits include Robots and The Golden Compass, which also stars Kidman.
Critics name Pan's Labyrinth best movie of 2006
Los Angeles - The National Society of Film critics has named Guillermo Del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth as the best picture of 2006.
The movie is a dark fantasy set during 1940s fascist Spain and its success gave it a boost in the run-up to Oscar voting next month.
Helen Mirren and Forest Whitaker snagged the best actor honours for their roles in The Queen and The Last King of Scotland, respectively, while Paul Greengrass was named best director for his 9/11 drama United 93.
The best documentary nod went to the Al Gore's global warming treatise An Inconvenient Truth, while The Queen writer Peter Morgan won for best screenplay.
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