Summit Entertainment, the studio responsible for the Twilight movie franchise, has hit back at Rachelle Lefevre’s claims that she was unfairly treated when she was dumped from the series, saying that it was “disappointed” she had decided to discuss her recasting publicly.

Lefevre released a statement on Wednesday, and said she was “stunned” and “saddened” that the studio had replaced her with actress Bryce Dallas Howard in the third Twilight film, Eclipse, due to a conflicting work schedule.

The actress, who was set to reprise her role as the evil vampire Victoria in the saga’s third installment later this year, had signed on to shoot the Dustin Hoffman independent film, Barney’s Version, but had no idea she would be sacked by Summit “over a 10-day overlap.”

However, Summit Entertainment has a different take on exactly how the recasting went down, and said in a statement yesterday:

“We at Summit Entertainment are disappointed by Rachelle Lefevre’s recent comments, which attempt to make her career choices the fault of the studio. Her decision to discuss her version of the scheduling challenges publicly has forced the studio to set the record straight and correct the facts.

“Ms. Lefevre’s representatives were advised as early as April that The Twilight Saga: Eclipse was expected to start shooting in early August.

“If Ms. Lefevre was, as she describes, ‘passionate’ about being part of the Twilight saga, we feel that she and her representatives would have included us in her decision to work on another film that would conflict with the shooting schedule of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.

“It was not until July 20th that Summit was first informed of Ms. Lefevre’s commitment to Barney’s Version, a commitment we have since been advised she accepted in early June. Summit had acted in good faith that she would be available to fulfill her obligations both in terms of rehearsals and shooting availability for The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. We feel that her choice to withhold her scheduling conflict information from us can be viewed as a lack of cooperative spirit which affected the entire production.

“Furthermore, Ms. Lefevre took a role in the other film that places her in Europe during the required rehearsal time, and at least 10 days of [Eclipse]’s principal photography. This period is essential for both rehearsal time with the cast and for filming at key locations that are only available during the initial part of production.

The statement concluded: “Contrary to Ms. Lefevre’s statement, it is simply untrue that the studio dismissed her over a 10-day overlap. It is not about a 10-day overlap, but instead about the fact that The Twilight Saga: Eclipse is an ensemble production that has to accommodate the schedules of numerous actors while respecting the established creative vision of the filmmaker and most importantly the story.”

The second installment in the series, New Moon, is slated for release in November.

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I was one of those devastated Harry Potter fans who vowed revenge on Warner Bros. back in November of 2007 for delaying the release of Half-Blood Prince some nine months.

Did I follow through on any of my threats to: a) boycott the movie; b) send some rather disturbing hate mail to the movie execs; or c) upload a crazed and teary YouTube video, ala Chris Crocker? No, I did not.

What I did do was haunt the various Harry Potter fansites for the smallest glimpse of anything that could be deemed as Half-Blood Prince news. I downloaded all of the trailers (and there was a bunch of them), I stared at all the press shots and movie stills for longer than was probably healthy – I basically stalked the movie, ok.

So what was my mood like on July 15 when I finally walked into that movie theatre, box of popcorn and jumbo Pepsi in hand, knowing that Half-Blood Prince, the film I’d dreamed about since its postponement was announced, was going to be rolling in just a few minutes?

Well, if I squealed like a fangirl every time I saw the Half-Blood Prince trailer, you can imagine my delight – scratch that, euphoria overload.

I was practically floating on cinematic-induced cloud 9.

Having read the book (more than once) I was more than a little familiar with the plot, so I was gasping and giggling and – yes – squealing well before the moments that garnered such responses had even appeared on screen.

Some of the funniest moments came, not from the film’s leading man, Daniel Radcliffe, but from lesser-known characters and actors, some of which were making their debut appearance in the sixth installment. Freddie Stroma’s Cormac McLaggen provided some stellar comedic moments, not in the least of which was his slightly stalkerish finger-suck-and-wink over a bowl of ice cream at Slughorn’s party.

I have to admit, I was a tad concerned at David Heyman’s decision to pair high doses of humour and teenage romance with the level of darkness and angst the sixth novel held. I was even more fearful of what the movie would entail when producer Heyman described the film as “fun” and all about “romance and relationships.”

Where’s the darkness, I wanted to scream; where’s the dramatic depth of the Sectumsempra scene?

Thankfully, and surprisingly, I guess I should say, the balance between darkness and the lightness of humour and romance really worked, and I wasn’t left under-whelmed in any way. In particular, the aforementioned Sectumsempra scene was another highlight, albeit an ominous one.

The movie’s only real downfall was the portrayal of Harry’s budding relationship with Ginny Weasley. Throughout their scenes together, Radcliffe seemed stiff and awkward, while on-screen partner Bonnie Wright appeared monotonic and downright bland.

The big kissing scene was actually uncomfortable to watch, and despite the fact that I wasn’t thrilled about Harry and Ginny as a pairing to start with, I was left feeling pretty disappointed by the end of the two-second smooch. All I can say is, thank God it was only two seconds long, and not a full on pash, or I might have gagged into my box of popcorn.

The stand-out of the entire film was definitely Draco Malfoy.

The actor behind Harry Potter’s arch nemesis, Tom Felton, did a brilliant job in capturing the right level of emotion required to really makes fans of the series feel sorry for a character they have previously never sympathized with.

His journey from schoolboy to a soldier of Lord Voldemort’s was a key theme in the movie, and Felton’s acting was spot-on where it should be, over-the-top where it should be, and other times utterly heartbreaking in its authenticity.

Truly, Felton really stepped it up a notch or two in this film, leaving me feeling that he – and not Radcliffe or Grint or Watson – is the shining light at the end of this very long Potter tunnel. I think I can safely predict that the 21-year-old has a bright and lucrative career ahead of him.

That being said, I can’t leave off without admitting how adorable I found Rupert Grint (who plays Ron Weasley) in his Quidditch uniform. If it was up to me, Grint would appear in every single scene, and he would be decked out in tight, yet totally adorkable, Quidditch garb the entire time.

Hot.

And with that emission of fangirlish hormones, I think I’ve come full circle.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is in cinemas worldwide from July 15.

Katie Holmes has narrowly escaped injury during a mishap on the set of her upcoming film, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, currently in production on Australia’s south coast.

The actress, who recently made her dancing debut on American reality show So You Think You Can Dance?, was shooting a scene inside a car at Victoria’s Docklands when the vehicle’s battery exploded over the weekend.

The battery allegedly sparked a couple times before emitting dangerous fumes and smoke, which eventually turned into a fire that engulfed the entire car.

Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark is a Miramax remake of the 1973 ABC made-for-television film of the same name, in which Holmes’ character is stalked by evil gnomes. Sounds thrilling.

Unfortunately, the exploding battery isn’t part of the film.

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After two days of deliberations, jurors have recommended life in prison for notorious criminal Jesse James Hollywood in the 2000 kidnap-and-murder of a 15-year-old West Hills boy.

The 29-year-old former marijuana dealer was spared the death penalty when jurors handed down their decision in a Los Angeles court on Wednesday, making Hollywood the fifth to be charged and convicted in connection to the slaying of Nicholas Markowitz over a $1,200 drug debt incurred by the boy’s elder half-brother, Ben.

Of the four others who were convicted, only one was sentenced to death – gunman and Hollywood “lacky,” Ryan Hoyt.

The crime inspired the 2006 film Alpha Dog, starring Bruce Willis, Justin Timberlake and Anton Yelchin.

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It’s a good time for struggling actress Lindsay Lohan to start a new money-making venture.

Her latest movies have flopped.

She’s turned down a role in a film that ended up a blockbuster.

And now, the troubled starlet is being sued for stealing the formula behind her supposed fake tanning spray creation, Sevin Nyne.

So, a good time it would seem, for Lohan and her fashion-line partner Kristi Kaylor to start up a production company they’ve labeled ‘Unforgettable Prods.’

Apparently, the dynamic duo are currently developing “several” projects, including a television show they’ve dubbed as Entourage for the fashion world, called Faux Real, a dating game show tentatively titled That’s What Friends Are For, and a documentary-cause show that will be produced in conjunction with one of Lohan’s connected charitable organisations.

Kaylor also revealed that the pair were “in the midst” of optioning a couple of books, too: one for film, and the other for television.

As well as all that, Kaylor said that she and Lohan “intend of weaving digital media” into everything they create at Unforgettable Prods.

“We’re taking a 360-degree approach,” Kaylor added. “Lindsay is 23-years-old, and she’s so plugged in to mobile media.”

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There’s been rumours that he’s faked his own death: that Jackson is living underground somewhere with Kurt Cobain, or that he paid millions to make a corpse look like himself and then fled to the Canadian border to hide out for awhile.

Now there are even rumours that Michael Jackson’s ghost is haunting his beloved Neverland Ranch.

During a trip inside the King of Pop’s former residence, Larry King’s television crew allegedly caught – on film – a “dark, human-like shadow” floating in one of the rooms.

Conspiracy theorists say that it’s Michael Jackson – in child-form – skipping around the residence ala Peter Pan, while other more lateral thinkers say its simply the shadow of one of the members of the Jackson family, come to sniff out hidden valuables.

I’ll let you be the judge.

To see the footage of Jackson’s alleged “ghost” click here.

Warner Bros. has released yet another trailer for the upcoming Harry Potter film, Half-Blood Prince, the sixth installment of the blockbuster series.

The film’s premiere is still months away, but those wonderful people at WB are keeping the fans salivating by releasing a new trailer every few weeks, and today’s latest sneak peek doesn’t disappoint!

Available in HD format, the new trailer proves that the nine month delay has been well worth it, with special effects a stand-out, and awesome action sequences to boot. If the sixth film does its literary counterpart justice, it should be the best of the series so far.

To check out the latest trailer in high definition, click here.

Alternatively, you can view screen caps of the trailer here.

If you thought this sultry female supermodel had a little more ‘butch’ than was necessary, then you’re forgiven… because it’s not actually a female at all, but a hot, Hollywood male A-Lister dressed in drag!!

But who exactly is beneath the wig an inch-thick make-up??

Why, it’s none other than Sienna Miller’s infamous ex, Jude Law!

Law, who’s better known for his female conquests than he is for his feminine features, will appear in drag in the new murder mystery Rage, where he plays a supermodel by the name of Minx.

Dame Judi Dench (from Quantum of Solace) also stars in the film, and called the project, “without question, the most unusual piece of work [she's] ever done.”

Jude Law in drag is unusual indeed.

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Move over Harry Potter, there’s a new blockbuster franchise in town!

Stephenie Meyer’s literary smash, Twilight - making its first jump from paper onto the big screen – is breaking all kinds of records, taking in a whopping US$70.5 million in its opening weekend in the States.

The film went straight to No. 1, knocking new Bond Quantum Of Solace off the top spot fairly spectacularly and beating such cinematic heavy-weights as Star Wars: Episode 1, Transformers and the Bourne Ultimatum in its first weekend of takings: a pretty mean feat, considering it only cost $37 million to produce, a rather meager amount compared to most fantasy productions these days.

Although mediocre reviews have been coming in thick and fast for Meyer’s now infamous vampire romance romp, that hasn’t stopped the fans from rolling into cinemas across the globe in hordes.

Never underestimate the power of screaming tween girls!

Twilight opens in cinemas across Australia on December 11.

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He might be one of the world’s most photographed and sort-after men, but don’t expect to see David Beckham’s face on a blockbuster billboard any time soon.

The British football star has revealed that he has no plans to jump into the movie industry, and if he’s to be believed, that’s the way it’s going to stay.

When asked if he’d be interested in developing a film career, Beckham told Britain’s GQ magazine: “What film career? I haven’t got one.

“Never say never,” Beckham added, “except about that! And that’s the way it’s going to stay.”

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