Justin Timberlake releases new album, announces follow-up

By Piya Sinha-Roy

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Justin Timberlake celebrated the release of his first album since 2006 with a lively show in Los Angeles, whetting fans' appetites by confirming media reports that he would release more new music soon.

At an intimate album release party for "The 20/20 Experience" on Monday, Timberlake took the opportunity to clear up media reports that he would be releasing a second volume of music later this year.

"I've got to clear up the rumors. This whole thing about this only being the first part ... is true. There is another half. I'm not giving you a release date," the singer said.

Earlier in the day, media outlets reported that Roots drummer Questlove said in an interview that Timberlake would release a second volume of music in November this year.

"The 20/20 Experience" marks the singer's return to the musical spotlight after taking time out to focus on his acting career, starring in films such as "The Social Network" and "Friends with Benefits."

Timberlake, 32, sang a few of his latest hits and earlier songs for the audience, and answered questions from fans about his new record, including why it took him six years to release a new album after his hugely successful 2006 "FutureSexLoveSounds," which featured the hit single "Sexyback."

"I definitely enjoy all the entertaining but music is definitely the most special thing to me, and that's probably why I wait so long in between records, because for me, no pun intended, it's an experience," the singer said in an interview with Ryan Seacrest between songs.

Timberlake has successfully transitioned from child star and member of boyband N'Sync to bona fide actor and solo singer.

The album marks a new chapter in the singer's life, following his marriage to actress Jessica Biel in October 2012.

Timberlake sang three songs from the new album - romantic ballad "Mirrors," smooth R&B track "Suit & Tie" and the Latin-infused "Let the Groove Get In" - showcasing the range of influences he explored on "The 20/20 Experience."

But it was the album's closing track, "Blue Ocean Floor," that Timberlake called the most "unique" on the album and inspired by British rock band Radiohead.

"I'm a huge Thom Yorke (Radiohead frontman) fan, and I was listening to some 'OK Computer' and 'Kid A' and this song just happened. This is probably the most unique so far and probably took me out of my comfort zone," the singer said.

Timberlake also played some of his most popular hits, including a medley of "Like I Love You," "My Love" and his breakup song "Cry Me A River."

The new album has been at the top of the iTunes album charts since it became available to stream and pre-order last week and is set to debut at the top of the Billboard 200 album chart next week.

Audience members on Monday took note of the singer's penchant for formal wear, turning up in suits and dresses for the speakeasy-themed album release party at the historic El Rey Theater in Los Angeles.

Fan Amanda Wall, 18, and her mother Camille won tickets to the intimate gig on Seacrest's radio show and traveled from Atlanta to attend the singer's album launch.

"I've been a big Justin Timberlake fan, he's been my crush since I was 7, so this is huge," Amanda Wall told Reuters.

The singer will embark on a "Legends of the Summer" North American tour with rapper Jay-Z, kicking off in July.

(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Elaine Lies and Eric Walsh)

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Benjamin Alire Sáenz wins 2013 Faulkner Award for fiction

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Author Benjamin Alire Sáenz won the 2013 PEN/Faulkner Award for fiction for his collection of stories, "Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club," the PEN/Faulkner Foundation said on Tuesday.

Sáenz, a poet, essayist and American Book Award winner, was cited for his collection of seven short works set on the south Texas border. The stories examine the effects of geography, politics, violence and personal history on the characters' lives.

"Sáenz devotes impressive attention to rendering communities on the borders of the United States and Mexico, on the boundaries of sensual and sexual expression, on the edge of despair, and on the cusp of redemption," judge A.J. Verdelle said in a statement.

Sáenz will receive a $15,000 prize. Four other finalists, Amelia Gray for "Threats," Laird Hunt for "Kind One," T. Geronimo Johnson for "Hold It 'Til It Hurts" and Thomas Mallon for "Watergate," will each receive $5,000.

The judges considered more than 350 novels and short story collections by American authors published in the United States during 2012.

The finalists will read selections from their books at a ceremony on May 4 in Washington, D.C.

Sáenz is the chairman of the creative writing department at the University of Texas at El Paso.

Past winners of the PEN/Faulkner fiction award have included E.L. Doctorow, Ann Patchett, Philip Roth, John Updike and Annie Proulx.

(Reporting by Chris Michaud; Editing by Patricia Reaney and Stacey Joyce)

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Danny Boyle on "Trance" and keeping sane during London Olympics

By Zorianna Kit

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - After Danny Boyle's prominent role at last year's London Summer Olympics, the British filmmaker is back in the spotlight with his first film since 2010's "127 Hours."

"Trance," which had its world premiere in London on Tuesday, stars James McAvoy as Simon, a man who teams with a criminal (Vincent Cassel) to steal a painting. Simon suffers a blow to the head, which causes him to forget where he hid the painting.

Part caper, part psychological thriller, "Trance" is another radical departure from Boyle's previous work, which has ranged from the story of a Mumbai teen's rise from the slums in Oscar-winning "Slumdog Millionaire," to a man trapped under a boulder in "127 Hours," to the 1996 drug drama "Trainspotting."

On Tuesday, Boyle confirmed he was planning a sequel to "Trainspotting," which he hoped would see the original cast reunite for a 2016 release.

"We'd love to be able to produce something that used the idea of it, not just as a sequel, but something that spoke to people about time passing," the director told Reuters Television at the London premiere of "Trance."

Despite his range as a filmmaker, Boyle feels his films are not all that different from one another.

"The truth is, they're all the same," he told Reuters in Los Angeles over the weekend. "Basically it's always about a guy who faces insurmountable odds and overcomes them. And that's where you get a lift at the end of the movies."

"Trance" will be released in the United Kingdom on March 27, and in the United States on April 5.

Boyle, 56, planned to shoot the film in New York before he was asked to be the artistic director for the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics.

Instead, he shot "Trance" in the British capital at night while working on the Olympics ceremony during the day.

LEVERAGING OSCAR AT OLYMPICS

Boyle said he had turned down the offer of a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth for his role in the Summer Games because the event was the work of thousands of people.

"I thought anything that picked me out like that wouldn't be appropriate to the spirit in which we'd gone into it. ... It felt like it wouldn't be appropriate compared to that kind of communal effort really," he told Reuters Television on Tuesday.

In an upcoming book about his Olympics experience, Boyle talks of chaos behind the scenes and arguments with organizers over penny-pinching on costumes and musical instruments, and a dispute over a sponsorship deal with Dow Chemical Co.

The memoir "Danny Boyle: Creating Wonder" will be published in April. According to excerpts that ran in Britain's Sunday Times newspaper last weekend, Boyle came close to walking away from the Olympics over a decision by Britain's Defense Ministry to deploy ground-to-air missiles on buildings close to the Olympic stadium in a crowded area of East London.

"There's so many people who are so paranoid and so corporate," Boyle told Reuters. "They want to head for safety first and you have to make sure they don't distort the show."

Boyle said he had to trot out his Oscar credentials in order to protect his vision.

"I did bash people over the head with the Academy Award (win for directing 'Slumdog')," he continued. "I was shameless. You wouldn't have recognized me in some of those meetings because I was not a very nice guy."

Ultimately, Boyle's vision - which included a much-talked about skit involving Queen Elizabeth and Daniel Craig as James Bond - prevailed and was the most-viewed Olympic opening ceremony in both the United States and Britain.

"'Trance' kept us sane," Boyle said of his schedule at that time. "It seems curious saying that about a film that's sort of about insanity in a way. But it was crucial to our sanity during the Olympics that we were able to do this film."

(Reporting by Zorianna Kit; editing by Jill Serjeant and Matthew Lewis)

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A Minute With: Selena Gomez about growing up with "Spring Breakers"

By Zorianna Kit

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actress and singer Selena Gomez breaks out of her squeaky clean Disney Channel image to star in the independent film "Spring Breakers" for filmmaker Harmony Korine.

In the film, which opens in wide release Friday, Gomez stars as a young girl who is part of a quartet of college students whose spring break in Florida takes them from parties to jail and a criminal underworld.

Gomez is best known as pop star Justin Bieber's ex-girlfriend and the star of Disney's "The Wizards of Waverly Place," which ended its four season run last year. She recently returned to the channel for a reunion film, "The Wizards Return: Alex vs. Alex."

Gomez, 20, spoke to Reuters about her career, growing up and transitioning into more adult roles.

Q: Harmony Korine has a reputation for shocking his audience with movies like "Kids," "Gummo" and "Trash Humpers." Weren't you nervous about doing this film?

A: I was more excited and enticed. When I auditioned for Harmony, we talked about how he wanted to leave my lifestyle behind and have me go on this adventure with him. I knew it was going to be crazy, but I was comfortable with it.

Q: What do you mean by lifestyle? The squeaky clean Disney lifestyle which was totally flipped upside down in this movie?

A: It was more that Harmony wanted an innocence because he thought it would be creepier. I agree with him.

Q: You spend most of the film in a skimpy bikini. Did you feel self conscious?

A: When we did the spring break scenes, we were surrounded by hundreds of spring breakers in bikinis who wore even less, so that was okay. I was more uncomfortable in the scenes where I was (in a bikini) getting arrested, in jail and in the pool hall with strangers. It added vulnerability and helped me feel grossed out, which was what my character is supposed to feel.

Q: For someone who started her career on the pre-school show "Barney & Friends" and spent her teen years on the Disney Channel, this must have been unlike any other acting job.

A: It was completely liberating. (Up until this film), everything I've been a part of definitely has been a bit more processed, like how many pieces of jewelry I have on, what my hair looks like. With Harmony, I never wore makeup and he never cared about my hair.

Q: After an experience like that, you must come out the other side feeling like you've grown and changed somewhat.

A: I think that's a really good way of putting it because I feel like I did grow up shooting this. This was the first movie I shot by myself without my mom coming. It was the first time I got to improvise as much as I have.

And to work with someone like James Franco, it was the first time I was around someone of that acting caliber. Harmony believed in me and pushed me to be a better actor, so there's a special place in my heart for Harmony for sure.

Q: You've got a couple of other films in the can - the action film "The Getaway," a cameo in the horror film, "Aftershock." Now that your film career is taking off, why did you go back to Disney for a reunion with your "Wizards" cast?

A: I missed them. I missed the channel, I missed everybody on the show. It was a big part of my life that I'm thankful for. That's where I started so I wanted to go back.

Q: Your younger fans can't see "Spring Breakers." Was this TV movie your way of giving them something new as well?

A: It always made me happy that we got to bring families together every night. I love having that connection with the younger audience and I missed that feeling.

Q: How do you chart a film career from this point on?

A: I'm actually taking a complete turn now and going in to music. My album comes out this summer and I'll be touring. I always structure my music and tours in a way that is geared for my fans and supporters that have been there from the beginning. My music is definitely the kind I would want them to hear.

Q: How do you balance between moving forward into more adult roles while bearing in mind that you are role model to many young girls?

A: It's a very awkward transition to make. I want to challenge myself and (my choices) may not be appropriate for a young audience. I'm choosing movies that I feel are artistically fun and creative. I hope people are appreciative of the work I do. I feel like I'm doing the best I can and hopefully it works out.

(Reporting by Zorianna Kit; Editing by Patricia Reaney and Vicki Allen)

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David Bowie exhibition breaks box office records

By Mike Collett-White

LONDON (Reuters) - Ziggy played guitar. But as a new exhibition devoted to singer David Bowie's long and innovative career makes clear, he also wrote lyrics, checked every detail of his outlandish costumes, appeared in movies and helped design his own stage sets.

"David Bowie is", which runs from March 23 to August 11, has broken box office records at London's Victoria & Albert Museum, with 50,000 advance tickets sold.

Organizers at a press preview on Wednesday were at pains to point out that more tickets were available and the demand underlines 66-year-old Bowie's lasting impact on music, fashion, video and beyond.

It also coincides with the release just over a week ago of Bowie's new album "The Next Day", his first new material for a decade. The record hit number one in the British album charts at the weekend, marking his return to the top after 20 years.

"His radical innovations across music, theatre, fashion and style still resound today in design and visual culture and he continues to inspire artists and designers throughout the world," said Martin Roth, director of the V&A.

Drawing heavily on the David Bowie Archive, the show features more than 300 objects, with pride of place going to Bowie's stage costumes which allowed him to adopt alternative personas and create an aura of mystery and invention.

Among the recognizable outfits are a striped bodysuit by Japanese designer Kansai Yamamoto for the Aladdin Sane tour in 1973 and the Pierrot costume by Natasha Korniloff which featured in the groundbreaking music video for "Ashes to Ashes".

"SEISMIC SHIFT"

Among the costumes on display from Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust" phase is the blue, gold and red padded jumpsuit by Freddie Burretti that marked a turning point in Bowie's career.

He wore the suit for a performance of "Starman" on Britain's TV chart show "Top of the Pops" on July 6, 1972 complete with flame-orange hair, make-up and red patent boots, representing what organizers called a "seismic shift" in pop culture.

People were intrigued and appalled in equal measure at the sight of the otherwordly androgynous being, a bold new creation which has inspired performers ever since.

True to Bowie's multi-media experimentation, the show includes footage from famous concerts shown on giant screens as well as a mime show enacted by Bowie in 1969 which anticipates the downside of becoming famous.

His attention to detail can be seen throughout.

On a design sketch for an outfit to be worn on the U.S. "Saturday Night Live" show Bowie wrote: "may be I'm wrong about color? What do you think."

He also appeared not to take himself too seriously, describing a short bodysuit, designed by Yamamoto, as his "impossibly silly 'bunny' costume".

He soaked up culture and history wherever he went, including his stay in Berlin in the late 1970s where he absorbed Brecht, cabaret and Expressionist art and produced three acclaimed albums - "Low", "Heroes" and "Lodger".

He recorded a Mandarin version of his 1997 song "Seven Years in Tibet", reflecting his interest in the region and its Buddhist religion.

The track prompted one Chinese fan to write, in a note on display at the exhibition: "I think I am flying in the sky when I listen to your mandarin song, you know!"

The displays are accompanied by an impressive soundtrack that includes hits like "Space Oddity", "Changes" and "Under Pressure", which he released with Queen in 1981.

In fact, all that is missing from "David Bowie is" is the man himself. If he were to visit, it would most likely be incognito, as Bowie has shunned the limelight altogether for much of the last decade.

"We're really hoping David does appear at some point," said co-curator Geoffrey Marsh.

(Reporting by Mike Collett-White, Editing by Belinda Goldsmith)

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U.S. rapper Too Short arrested on alcohol, drug charges

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Veteran U.S. rapper Too Short was arrested on Wednesday in Los Angeles on suspicion of drunken driving and narcotics possession, local police said.

The "Blow the Whistle" rapper, who was born Todd Anthony Shaw, was booked shortly after 3 a.m. after a traffic stop in Hollywood, Los Angeles Police officer Cleon Joseph said.

Joseph said the 46-year-old rapper, who is best known as a pioneer of West Coast hip hop in the late 1980s and 1990s, was still in custody but offered no other details.

Too Short was being held on $10,000 bail and charged with at least one felony, according to Los Angeles County jail records. A bail hearing had yet to be scheduled, the records indicated.

Local media reported that the Oakland, California, native tried to run away but was immediately apprehended.

(Reporting by Eric Kelsey, editing by Piya Sinha-Roy and Doina Chiacu)

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"Deep Throat" star Harry Reems dead at 65

By Lucas Shaw

NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - Harry Reems, star of legendary pornographic film "Deep Throat," has died, according to an official at the VA hospital in Salt Lake City. Reems died Tuesday at the George E. Wahlen VA Medical Center. He was 65.

A self-described close friend, Don Shenck, had posted a personal obituary notice on a message board Tuesday. Shenck wrote that Reems was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Reems entered the hospital March 5 due to jaundice and fell into a coma last week.

Reems, born Herbert Streicher, is best known for his role in the cult porn hit "Deep Throat," which starred Linda Lovelace and took the nation by storm in 1972. It remains the most famous film of its kind.

The controversy surrounding the film led the FBI to indict Reems for conspiracy to distribute obscene material across state lines, a charge he was initially convicted of before a higher court overruled the decision.

Reems aspired to be an actor in non-pornographic films, and in the late 1970s was cast in his first studio movie, "Grease," but was kicked off the project because of his scandalous past.

"Acting was my true love, and I buried that possibility by going into adult films," Reems told Dave Itzkoff for a 2005 New York magazine piece. "The writing was on the wall. There was no place for me in conventional entertainment."

Born in Manhattan, he grew up in the suburbs and then enlisted in the Marines. After a brief term of service, he was honorably discharged and then pursued acting.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, he appeared in more than 100 pornographic films, including "Forced Entry" and "The Devil in Miss Jones."

During the second half of his career, upset by his inability to break through to more traditional acting and low on funds, he turned to alcohol and panhandling.

Yet by the late 1980s, Reems moved to Park City and not only got sober but had a second act as a successful real estate broker. It was in Park City that he met Jeannie, his wife of the last two decades.

He is survived by Jeannie and his brother.

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"Deep Throat" porn actor Harry Reems dies after turbulent life

(Reuters) - Porn actor Harry Reems, who made his name starring opposite Linda Lovelace in the 1972 movie "Deep Throat", has died at the age of 65, according to his wife Jeanne.

She told the New York Times that her husband died on Tuesday in hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was reported to have been battling multiple health issues, including pancreatic cancer.

His death comes just months before the release of "Lovelace", a biographical film starring Amanda Seyfried in the title role and Adam Brody as Reems which will put the spotlight back on one of the 1970s' most active porn actors.

Reems's rollercoaster life off set reads like a script for a Hollywood movie as he transitioned from the marines to porn movies to alcoholism and then to religion and suburban life.

He was born Herbert Streicher into a Jewish family from Brooklyn, New York, and joined the Marine Corps after school.

After leaving the marines, he struggled to make a career as a stage actor in New York so, needing money, worked in a number of pornographic films.

But his breakthrough came when director Gerard Damiano hired him as lighting director on "Deep Throat". The original male lead failed to show up so Reems stepped in, playing a doctor helping Lovelace with a sexually sensitive area in her throat.

"Deep Throat" was the first porn film widely shown in theatres and made an estimated $600 million at the box office -- although Reems claimed he only received $800 for his role.

It also became the nickname for a source who helped Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein investigate the Watergate scandal that led to President Richard Nixon's resignation.

But the film also caused much outrage and Reems was convicted of obscenity in 1976. He admitted that the prospect of a five year jail sentence and trial put him under enormous pressure and set him on a path to alcoholism.

He launched a high-profile appeal backed by celebrities including Jack Nicholson and Warren Beatty and the conviction was eventually overturned.

Reems, with a bushy black moustache and hairy chest exposed by his open shirts, went on to star in several other porn movies after "Deep Throat" but demand for his services started to wane by the 1980s as his battles with alcohol increased.

By the mid-1980s he was bankrupt, drinking heavily and homeless. It was not until 1989 that he sobered up, converted to Christianity, obtained a real estate license and married Jeanne in 1990.

In a 2005 interview with the Guardian, Reems described his battle with alcohol, his regret at going into the porn industry and the way his life had changed since he became sober.

"I'm happier today than ever. I saved my own life. I'm content with the way I conduct myself with my marriage, my home, my business," said Reems.

"I live in a small town where everybody knows everybody and nobody thinks of me as a porn actor."

(Reporting by Belinda Goldsmith)

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Yoko Ono tweets against guns showing Lennon's bloody glasses

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Yoko Ono has taken up arms against gun violence with a raft of Twitter postings, including a photograph of blood-stained glasses apparently worn by John Lennon when he was shot and killed more than 30 years ago.

"Over 1,057,000 people have been killed by guns in the USA since John Lennon was shot and killed on 8 Dec 1980," Ono, the former Beatle's widow, tweeted.

Below the message she included a photo of what appears to be Lennon's blood-stained eyeglasses, perched on a ledge with the Manhattan skyline as a backdrop.

Lennon was shot and killed outside the Dakota apartment building in Manhattan as he and Ono returned to their home. Ono still lives there.

The bold text above the graphic photo is black, except for the words "Over 1,057,000" and "John Lennon," which appear in bright red.

Ono posted several more messages, including: "The death of a loved one is a hollowing experience. After 33 years our son Sean and I still miss him. Yoko Ono Lennon," and "31,537 people are killed by guns in the USA every year. We are turning this beautiful country into a war zone."

Earlier this week, Ono tweeted filmmaker Michael Moore asking for his support.

"Michael Moore @mmflint Join me to kick off a mass movement against gun violence from your living room on Sat March 23 - Yes! love, yoko".

In other Twitter messages Ono, 80, linked an Oxfam video about global arms and the ammunition trade, a newspaper article on actors joining the anti-gun movement and a YouTube video of the parents of girl killed in a shooting.

(Reporting by Chris Michaud; Editing by Patricia Reaney and Maureen Bavdek)

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China's glamorous new first lady an instant internet hit

By Ben Blanchard

BEIJING (Reuters) - With a smile on her face, dressed in a simple black peacoat and carrying an elegant unbranded bag, China's new first lady, Peng Liyuan, stepped into the international limelight on Friday and became an instant internet sensation back home.

Stepping off the aircraft in Moscow - the first stop of President Xi Jinping's maiden foreign trip since assuming office - Peng's glamorous appearance and obvious affection for her portly husband caused Chinese microbloggers to swoon.

"So beautiful, Peng Liyuan, so beautiful! How composed, how magnanimous," wrote one user on China's popular Twitter-like service Sina Weibo.

"Who could not love such a lady as this and be insanely happy with her?" wrote another.

Taobao, an online shopping site similar to eBay and Amazon, quickly began offering for sale coats in the same style of Peng's, advertising it as "the same style as the first lady's".

Others wondered what brand her bag and shoes were.

"Her shoes are really classic, and who designed her bag?" wrote a third Weibo user.

Peng is best known in China as a singer, and for many years was arguably better known and certainly more popular than her husband.

People who have met her and know her say that Peng is vivacious and fun to be around, though she was ordered to take a back seat after Xi became vice president in 2008 as he was being groomed for state power.

But she is expected to be given high-profile events of her own to attend on Xi's sweep through Russia, Tanzania, South Africa and the Republic of Congo on a week-long trip, as the government tries to soften the image of China abroad.

Peng has won praise for her advocacy for pet causes, most notably for children living with HIV/AIDS, and may visit charities related to this while abroad.

Unlike the baby-kissing politicians of the West, China's Communist Party works hard to keep its top leaders from appearing too human - to the point that for many, even their official birthdates and the names of their children are regarded as a state secret.

Xi and Peng are different. Their romance has been the subject of dozens of glowing reports and pictorials in state media.

"When he comes home, I've never thought of it as though there's some leader in the house. In my eyes, he's just my husband," Peng gushed in an interview with a state-run magazine in 2007, describing Xi as frugal, hardworking and down-to-earth.

Peng is Xi's second wife, and the two have a daughter studying at Harvard under an assumed name. Xi divorced his first wife, the daughter of a diplomat.

Chinese first wives have traditionally kept a low profile over the past few decades, because of the experience of Jiang Qing, the widow of the founder of Communist China, Mao Zedong.

Jiang was the leader of the "Gang of Four" that wielded supreme power during the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution. She was given a suspended death sentence in 1981 for the deaths of tens of thousands during that period of chaos.

(This story corrects the year Xi became vice president to 2008)

(Additional reporting by Megha Rajagopalan and Beijing newsroom, and Anita Li in SHANGHAI; Editing by Nick Macfie)

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