Gwyneth Paltrow loves fighting zombies

The 38-year-old actress – who has daughter Apple, six, and four-year-old son Moses with husband Chris Martin – says one of her most used iPad applications is a game called ‘Plants Vs Zombies’, which she admits she doesn’t only have for the enjoyment of her children.

She said: “I play it almost as much as my kids.

“You choose from an arsenal of plants and battle against zombies with anything from pumpkins to mushrooms.”

The ‘Iron Man’ star also admitted she loves to use her communications device as a way of creating art, thanks to a programme called Brushes.

She explained: “Create art anywhere with Brushes for the iPad. This app has been used to create four different New Yorker covers and an entire series by David Hockney.”

Source: BANG Showbiz

Robert Downey Jr. employs a “crystal man” to repel negative forces around him

The 45-year-old actor – who battled drug addiction for several years and was even jailed because of his habit – thinks having someone on the set of ‘Sherlock Holmes 2‘ to carry special crystals help “repent his soul” for the damage he did to his body when he was hooked on heroin ,cocaine and crystal meth.

A source told BANG Showbiz: “This guy dressed all in white has been following Robert around with a briefcase ever since filming began. After a couple of weeks, one of the crew members thought it was a bit weird and asked him what he was doing.

“He explained the briefcase contained a set of crystals which apparently channel good energy from a pyramid in Los Angeles. Robert demands they go everywhere with him to help repent his soul for all the damage he did to his body when he was on drugs.”

Downey was jailed for three years in 1999 for heroin, cocaine and possession of a handgun. The actor – who stars opposite Jude Law and Rachel McAdams in ‘Sherlock Holmes’ – told the judge who sentenced him that he had been addicted to drugs since the age of eight.

The ‘Iron Man‘ star – who has been sober since 2001 – has previously insisted he wasn’t changed by prison. He said: “I do think there’s something divine about large-scale humiliation, but no, it never worked for me. It never produced enough of a blow back for me to catch the drift. It doesn’t so much produce results as just get your attention – you become a fish in a barrel and there’s really something quite beautiful about that.

“Jail didn’t help me any more or less than anything else. But I know I created that experience for a reason, and I’m only just starting to understand those reasons. Remember this is California, ‘Come on vacation, leave on probation.’ I mean, I can’t believe I stayed out of
the pen for as long as I did.”

Source: BANG Showbiz

carlett Johansson fought hard for her role in ‘Iron Man 2′.

The 25-year-old actress – who plays sexy Russian spy Black Widow in the superhero movie – admitted she actively campaigned for the role after actress Emily Blunt dropped out because of scheduling conflicts.

She said: “I was a huge fan of the first movie and was quite ‘geek-ed’ out at being part of the second one. I just wanted to be a part of ‘Iron Man’ so I really researched the comic books and came in with some ideas of my own about how to develop the character. I see her as being determined and ambitious.”

Scarlett was anxious to get the part because she was keen to “kick *ss” alongside her co-stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Samuel L. Jackson and Robert Downey Jr.

She said: “I love everything about this character. She’s a total bada*s. I love every detail from her fabulous outfit to the wonderful hair. I mean, there’s nothing not to like about the character. She’s very bad and I think it’s rare that we get to see these sort of super heroines bought to the screen, where they’re really kicking some major a*s, which she does.”

Source: BANG Showbiz

The ‘Iron Man’ star – who was arrested and attended rehab several times between 1996 and 2001 – insists he had always promised himself he would never try class A narcotics and only realised he had a problem when he used drugs to get rid of his “flu”-like symptoms.

He said: “That first time it was opium. The second time it looked like opium. Looked the same, smelled the same, a little dirtier, not quite as pristine a buzz and by the time three weeks later, when I woke up, thought I had the flu and took a hit on it, I looked up and said, ‘Great. So now we’re junkies. This is f**king great.’

“I was always the guy who was like, ‘No heroin. No crack’. But it doesn’t matter if you go 10 years without doing it. Because of that 3,551st day, it’s your turn.”

The ‘Sherlock Holmes’ actor also admitted he had struggled to eventually let go of his addiction and found himself going back to the habit time and time again.

He added to Britain’s Esquire magazine: “I’m Retread Fred, serial relapser.”

Source: BANG Showbiz

The 1970 track beat Guns N’ Roses classic ‘Sweet Child O’Mine’ – which topped the poll five years ago – to the top spot in the poll by website MusicRadar.com, with ‘Whole Lotta Love’ by Led Zeppelin coming third.

Just two songs from the past decade made the list; Muse’s 2001 hit ‘Plug In Baby’ at 11 and The White Stripes’ ‘Seven Nation Army’, which was released in 2003, at 15.

MusicRadar.com’s editor-in-chief Mike Goldsmith said: “Nearly 40 years after his untimely death, Jimi Hendrix is still the undisputed heavyweight champion of rock guitar.

“Of the current generation of six-string stars, only Jack White of The White Stripes and Muse frontman Matt Bellamy feature in the higher echelons of our list. No surprise given both Bellamy and White share – or have inherited – Hendrix’s unique blend of experimental instincts and white-knuckle showmanship.

“Above all though, our poll seems to indicate one thing – in 2009, classic rock still rules.”

Deep Purple’s ‘Smoke on the Water’ and Derek and the Dominos’ ‘Layla’ – which features Eric Clapton on guitar – made up the rest of the top five, with AC/DC, Metallica, The Beatles, Nirvana and The Rolling Stones also featuring in the top ten.

More than 5,000 MusicRadar.com users took part in the poll.

Greatest Guitar Riffs of All Time according to MusicRadar.com top 20:

1. The Jimi Hendrix Experience – ‘Voodoo Child (Slight Return)’

2. Guns N’ Roses – ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’

3. Led Zeppelin – ‘Whole Lotta Love’

4. Deep Purple – ‘Smoke On The Water’

5. Derek and the Dominos – ‘Layla’

6. AC/DC – ‘Back In Black’                                                                                                    

7. Metallica – ‘Enter Sandman’

8. The Beatles – ‘Day Tripper’

9. Nirvana – ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’

10. The Rolling Stones – ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’

11. Black Sabbath – ‘Paranoid’

12. Muse – ‘Plug In Baby’

13. Eddie Van Halen – ‘Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love’

14. The Kinks – ‘You Really Got Me’

15. The White Stripes – ‘Seven Nation Army’

16. AC/DC – ‘Highway to Hell’

17. Led Zeppelin – ‘Heartbreaker’

18. Black Sabbath – ‘Iron Man’

19. Led Zeppelin – ‘Black Dog’

20. Michael Jackson – ‘Beat It’

Source: BANG Showbiz

The ‘Iron Man’ actress has signed on to replace Charlize Theron in ‘The Danish Girl’, an adaptation of a novel about the first post-operative transsexual.

The film follows Danish artists Einar and Greta Wegener who found success after Einar stood in for a female model that Greta was set to paint. As their work gained popularity, Greta encouraged her husband to continue to adopt a female guise.

This eventually led to Einar undergoing a sex change operation in 1931, shocking the world and threatening their marriage.

Anand Turker is set to direct the film, which screenwriter Lucinda Coxon is adapting from David Ebershoff’s novel of the same name.

Nicole previously won an Oscar for playing a lesbian in ‘The Hours’, while Gwyneth saw her character in ‘Shakespeare In Love’ disguise herself as a man in order to fulfil her acting dreams.

Last week, Nicole said she actively sought out “extreme” film choices and explored all aspects of love, sex and marriage.

She said: “In the end I hope my life will be a mix of extreme love and bold artistic choices. I’ve never wanted to be safe. I’ve never chosen safe relationships. And I’ve never chosen safe films.”

Source: BANG Showbiz