Madonna returns to Malawi on charity trip

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Pop star Madonna has returned to Malawi where she adopted two children to see construction of a school for orphaned girls she funded and launch a new education campaign using mobile technology, her spokeswoman said on Monday. The singer is on a trip with her Raising Malawi charity she began in 2006, and will watch the first bricks laid down at her school, The Raising Malawi Academy for Girls, located in Chinkhota village about 15 kilometers outside the capital, Lilongwe, according to the charity's website.

Hollywood mogul recalls Elvis, Sinatra in new memoir

NEW YORK (Reuters) - For decades he has worked with everyone from Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra to Brad Pitt and George Clooney, but now it's Hollywood producer Jerry Weintraub's turn to take center stage and shine like a star. And as he promotes his page-turning memoir "When I Stop Talking, You'll Know I'm Dead -- Useful Stories from a Persuasive Man," the Bronx kid turned movie mogul is not lacking in confidence.

Photographer Annie Leibovitz sued in NY for unpaid fees

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New York investment firm sued Annie Leibovitz on Monday, saying the celebrity photographer owes it more than $800,000 in fees as part of its role in securing a new financing deal to sort out her debts. Brunswick Capital Partners LP said in a lawsuit filed in New York State Supreme Court that Leibovitz hired the firm last year to find investors to help her resolve her debts after Leibovitz ran into financial problems.

Judge named in Jackson doctor's Los Angeles trial

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A California court on Monday assigned a judge to preside over the trial of Michael Jackson's doctor on an involuntary manslaughter charge relating to the pop singer's death last year. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor, named as the judge in the trial, set a June 14 date to determine when to hold a preliminary hearing in the case against Dr. Conrad Murray, who has pleaded not guilty.

Whitney Houston postpones Paris show due to illness

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - U.S. pop diva Whitney Houston has postponed a concert in Paris on Tuesday night due to illness, delaying the European leg of a world tour that received a rocky reception in Asia and Australia. Concert organizers said the 46-year-old singer had been excited about opening her European tour in Paris at the Omnisport Bercy and regretted having to postpone the show.

Judge tosses lawsuit against Marvel, Stan Lee

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Manhattan federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit against Marvel Entertainment Inc and comic book creator Stan Lee over the ownership of famous characters including Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, The Fantastic Four and X-Men. The $750 million lawsuit filed on behalf of Stan Lee Media Inc alleged that shareholders were harmed when Lee in 1998 transferred rights to the characters to Marvel, which is now owned by Walt Disney Co. Stan Lee Media filed for bankruptcy protection in 2001.

ABC orders game show set on skyscraper

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - ABC is taking the network game show to new heights with a summer series that will be set on top of a skyscraper. In "Downfall," players answer trivia questions for $1 million in cash and prizes. If they lose, the contestants risk seeing their winnings go off the side of the building. The players might also take a controlled plunge, though that part is still being worked out.

Networks looking to reclaim Fridays

By Marc Berman NEW YORK (Mediaweek) - Friday, like Saturday, was once a haven for some of the best programing on television, featuring some of the most beloved shows of all time.

Nicollette Sheridan sues "Desperate Housewives" creator

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Former "Desperate Housewives" co-star Nicollette Sheridan has sued ABC and series creator Marc Cherry for $20 million, claiming she was assaulted on the set and wrongly fired. In the suit filed Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Sheridan's attorneys claim Cherry struck the actress in the head after she questioned him about a point in a script in September 2008. washingtonpost