Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart thrilled hundreds of fans in Los Angeles Friday night as they kicked off their mall tour to promote The Twilight Saga: New Moon.

The pair, along with co-star Taylor Lautner, took to the stage in the Hollywood and Highland Center and sent waiting fans into a frenzy.

Pattinson told the crowd, "First of all, thanks to you guys. Without you, Twilight wouldn't be anywhere, so thanks very much."

And Lautner stunned fans further by announcing: "We have a special treat. The whole entire cast is about ready to come on stage and they're going to answer your questions so thank you, it should be exciting."

The trio was then joined onstage by the rest of the cast, including Kellan Lutz, Nikki Reed and Ashley Greene.

The waiting audience had earlier been entertained by performances by Death Cab For Cutie, Sea Wolf, Anya Marina and Band of Skulls, who all have tracks on the upcoming vampire movie's soundtrack.

The Twilight Mall Tour is continuing across the U.S. over the next two weeks, before wrapping up in New York on November 19.

Soul singer Toni Braxton has reportedly split from her husband Keri Lewis after eight years of marriage.

The couple has two children, seven year old Denim and Diezel, six.

The split news, reported by Essence.com, comes as the Unbreak My Heart singer faces the prospect of losing her home after she allegedly defaulted on her mortgage payments.

The singer owes more than $12,500 on her mansion in Century City, California and officials at Bank of America are now looking to foreclose on the property, according to TMZ.com.

The news comes just a week after it was revealed that Braxton is facing a lawsuit from bosses at another financial institution, the City National Bank (CNB), who claim the star owes them $900,000 in loan payments.

Braxton has been facing financial difficulties ever since she scrapped a series of Las Vegas concerts in 2008 after she was hospitalized with a heart problem. She is currently embroiled in a legal battle with her insurance company, after the firm refused to pay out on the axed shows.

British actress Emma Thompson has agreed to withdraw her name from a petition to free Roman Polanski after a fan called on her to stop supporting the incarcerated filmmaker.

The Oscar-winning actress signed a petition to free Polanski, who has been imprisoned since September on the request of Los Angeles law officials.

But on a trip to Exeter University in the U.K. earlier this month, Thompson was accosted by a student who requested she retract her support.

And after a lengthy chat with Caitlin Hayward-Tapp, who has set up a petition for those opposed to Polanski's freedom, Thompson agreed.

The 19-year-old says, "I asked if I could speak to her (in person). She is such an inspirational woman, I reckoned she must have been willing to reconsider.

"It turned out she was very willing to hear what I had to say. She said she knows Roman Polanski and that she had had calls from friends asking her to sign the petition. She knows what a terrible early life he (Polanski) had.

"She said she had already been thinking a lot about the petition, as others had expressed their dismay at her signing it. We talked for 15 minutes and by the end she said she would get her name removed. She said regardless of the fact she knows him and the terrible things he has been through, a crime is a crime. If she doesn't do this, it'd be a great shame."

Polanski is facing extradition to the U.S. to face sentencing over a 1977 charge of unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl. He pleaded guilty to the charges but fled the country in 1978 before he could be handed his punishment.

Despite calls from his victim to drop the case, Polanski has been refused bail on two separate occasions over worries he is a "flight risk".

Kirk Douglas was stunned to be presented with a top movie award by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday night - because he coached the muscleman on his first ever film.

The veteran actor was handed the Britannia Award for Worldwide Contribution to Filmed Entertainment at the 2009 BAFTA/LA Britannia Awards in Los Angeles.

Douglas was touched to receive the honor from Schwarzenegger, as he has fond memories of working with the star on 1979 movie The Villain.

In a post on his personal MySpace page, Douglas writes, "Sometimes I think that if you live long enough you get all the awards. But last night was something special. I received the BAFTA/LA award for Worldwide Contribution to Filmed Entertainment. What was special about it was that Governor Schwarzenegger drove down from Sacramento to present it to me. That was very thoughtful.

"I worked with Arnold Schwarzenegger in his first movie, The Villain. At that time, neither of us could imagine that he would become such an important movie star and then governor of California. He was a great guy back then, and he has never changed."

Tennis ace Serena Williams is eyeing a move into acting when her sporting career ends.

The Wimbledon winner made a brief cameo in medical drama E.R. in 2005 but her character died in the show - and now she's looking for a more action-packed role.

Williams says, "I really enjoy acting. I like being in front of the camera. I think I should be an action star. I always wanted to die in acting and then I died (in E.R.) and I was miserable! I was like, 'I don't wanna die anymore', so my dying in acting career is over!

"Now I'm moving on to more action roles. I can do a real mean chop and a kick and I can jump high and run fast and cartwheel."

Usher's divorce from Tameka Foster was finalized in a Georgia court on November 4th.

The R&B star is officially a single man, five months after he asked Foster for a divorce, claiming their marriage was "irretrievably broken" with "no reasonable hope of reconciliation".

The final decree was issued at Fulton County Superior Court.

The couple was married for two years. They have two sons together; Usher Raymond V, 23 months and eleven-month-old Naviyd Ely Raymond.

Speaking in October, Foster revealed she learned her ex wanted a divorce after reading online gossip.

Chris Brown has fired back at his ex-girlfriend Rihanna's decision to go public with the details of their February fight, insisting what happened should remain between them.

Brown pleaded guilty to beating Rihanna on the eve of the Grammy Awards and recently started a lengthy community service sentence. He was also ordered to stay at least 100 yards away from his ex for the next five years.

Both stars appeared on rival TV interviews and Brown began his with a statement about the candid interview Rihanna gave to news show 20/20, which was previewed after he taped his MTV chat.

In Rihanna's in-depth conversation with Diane Sawyer, the Umbrella hitmaker confirmed reports her fight with Brown began after he received a text message from a mystery woman, and she claimed Brown lost his cool and his temper as she quizzed him about the correspondence.

At one point she told Sawyer there was "no soul in his eyes," as he rained blows down on her in his rented sportscar.

Rihanna says, "All I could think about at the time was, 'When is it going to stop? When is it going to stop?' He had no soul in his eyes, just blank. He was clearly blacked out. There was no person when I looked at him."

"I was bleeding, I was swollen in my face. There was no way of me getting home. My next option was for me to get out (of) the car and walk, so I started walking in a gown and a bloody face. I really didn't know what was my plan(sic). That whole night was not part of my plan."

But Brown feels Rihanna went too far in discussing the details of the fight.

In a statement addition to his MTV interview, Brown said, "While I respect Rihanna's right to discuss the specific events of February 8th, I maintain my position that all of the details should remain a private matter between us."

He then tempered his remarks, adding, "I do appreciate her (Rihanna) support and wish her the best. I am extremely sorry for what I did and I accept accountability for my actions."

"At this point I am taking the proper steps to learn about me and grow from my mistakes. I only hope that others in similar situations can learn from our experience as well. Abuse of any kind is always wrong."

Justin Timberlake has been ordered to court on November 9th so he can permanently keep a woman accused of stalking him at a distance legally.

A judge in Los Angeles wants the pop star to personally testify against Karen McNeil, the woman he has accused of harassing him, if he is to make a temporary restraining order permanent.

Timberlake's aides have claimed McNeil has showed up at his property uninvited several times - but the singer has yet to submit a sworn declaration about his alleged obsessed fan, who insists she's a long time friend of the star.

Unhappy with the judge's decision to call Timberlake to court, the singer's attorney has filed legal papers to disqualify the judge, according to TMZ.com.

Singer Toni Braxton has reportedly split from her husband Keri Lewis after eight years of marriage.

The couple has two children, seven year old Denim and Diezel, six.

The split news, reported by Essence.com, comes as the Unbreak My Heart singer faces the prospect of losing her home after she allegedly defaulted on her mortgage payments.

The singer owes more than $12,500 on her mansion in Century City, California and officials at Bank of America are now looking to foreclose on the property, according to TMZ.com.

It was also recently revealed that Braxton is facing a lawsuit from bosses at another financial institution that claims the star owes them $900,000 in loan payments.

Braxton has been facing financial difficulties ever since she scrapped a series of Las Vegas concerts in 2008 after she was hospitalized with a heart problem. She is currently embroiled in a legal battle with her insurance company, after the firm refused to pay out on the axed shows.

Lady Gaga says she refused to appear in an episode of Gossip Girl until TV bosses agreed to allow her to stage an elaborate music video.

The Poker Face singer has taped an episode of the hit teen series, but she insists her performance is not a typical cameo because she was determined to use her time on TV to make an artistic statement.

She explains, "I hate TV series performances, because they kind of come in out of nowhere, and everyone's, like, really into the story, and then all of a sudden somebody breaks into song. And it has nothing to do with the storyline, and then it screws everything up."

"I really sat down with the writers. I was like, 'Look, I want to do this, and the reason I want to do this is because I am trying to say something that is not mainstream in a mainstream capacity. So, if I can say it on your show, that would be, like, a real coup d'etat for me as a performance artist.'"

And she's convinced fans will be delighted with the end result, which she describes as a "crazy performance-art piece".

She adds, "I am the narrator behind what is going on with the characters and make the song part of the moment. We used these ladders, and I'm falling off ladders. Ladders are kind of a monster symbol about bad luck. And I have this 35-foot-long dress on and these X's, very gothic-inspired. It was great. They let me do whatever...I wanted. It was amazing."

Lady Gaga will appear on The CW drama on November 16th.

Michael Lohan has blasted his daughter Lindsay for alleging he threatened to kill ex-wife Dina at the height of their marital problems, blaming her reported drug addiction for making her delusional.

The born-again Christian has been fighting a public battle to get the Mean Girls actress into counseling to beat her rumored problems with prescription medication.

Lindsay and her mom Dina have repeatedly denied the claims, even after Michael released desperate phone messages from his daughter to the media to prove he wasn't making up the drama.

The actress unleashed a bitter tirade against her estranged father on her Twitter page on Thursday, in which she detailed her troubled early years, before her parents divorced.

She wrote, "He's a deadbeat dad. He's disgusting to do this. He doesn't deserve attention. He needs help...

"She (Dina) blames herself for staying (with) him for so long, I'd beg her not to leave (because) he always threatened to kill her if she did...after disappearing, then coming home after being gone for several days while cheating on my mother&abusing substances... I haven't had a real relationship (with) Michael Sr. in years. That is the truth."

But Michael is refusing to take Lindsay's accusations lightly and claims her floundering career is God's way of punishing her for her alleged drug abuse.

He tells the New York Post, "That's a lie. I guess Lindsay is on more drugs than I thought to say something like that… No wonder why God is taking her entire career away from her. Because she's forsaken everything He's given her and she's done nothing but misuse all the gifts she's given."

Veteran entertainer Bette Midler will bring the curtain down on her Las Vegas residency in January.

The Hollywood singer/actress has been a regular at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace Hotel and Casino since debuting The Showgirl Must Go On in February 2008.

But she will perform the show for the last time on January 31, it was announced on Thursday.

In a statement, Midler says, "What a fabulous two years this has been...

"These legs have had such a great run in the desert - it may be time to haul them to places with more humidity and fewer slot machines."

Midler is bringing the Sin City show to an end so she can head back into the recording studio to compile an album of love songs.

Taylor Lautner struggled to bulk up for the forthcoming Twilight sequel - because he hated having to eat every couple of hours.

The teenage actor altered his diet and upped his exercise regime to transform his slim physique into a buff build.

Lautner was allowed to eat anything and everything in preparation for the role, but he insists it wasn't as fun as it sounds.

He tells Star magazine, "Most people were like, that sounds amazing, to be able to eat all the time, and it is at first. But after a year and a half of it, I mean, I have to put something in my mouth every two hours, so it becomes kind of annoying!"

Rihanna's romance with Chris Brown grew so intense so quickly, the pair became "dangerously obsessed" with one another.

The Umbrella beauty has opened up for the first time about her brutal beating at the hands of her famous ex-boyfriend for Good Morning America.

She reveals their close friendship quickly blossomed into a full-blown romance that soon became "scary."

Rihanna says, "We were best friends so we fell in love with each other. To fall in love with your best friend, it was really scary. We just fell really fast. The more in love we became, the more dangerous we became for each other, equally as dangerous, because it was a bit of an obsession, almost."

The singer describes how Brown held her in a headlock twice and bit her on the ear and fingers during the brutal attack.

Rihanna also hints she reconciled with the Kiss Kiss star "eight or nine times" after the headline-grabbing incident and confesses she still has a deep affection for Brown.

She hopes Brown will overcome the incident and repair his tattered reputation so he can succeed in all his future endeavors.

Rihanna adds, "I don't hate him at all. I actually love and care about him and I'm concerned about him doing well and want him to do well, have a great career, great life and grow up and take this as something you had to go through and grow up and learn."

Clips from the pre-recorded interview aired on Thursday and Friday. The chat will be shown in full on Friday night.

Kingpin star Randy Quaid and his wife Evi have finally posted bond after missing four court dates stemming from an unpaid hotel bill.

The Quaids failed to appear in court four times to face felony charges relating to an unsettled $10,000 bill from the luxury San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara, California.

The couple posted bail of $20,000 each after they were arrested in September in Marfa, Texas - and now they've finally paid the same amount in California.

Santa Barbara Senior Deputy District Attorney Lee Carter confirms to People.com, "They have posted bond."

As a result, an arrest warrant for the couple has been dropped and the District Attorney will halt attempts to extradite the pair from their native Texas to California.

The couple is due to be arraigned on charges of burglary, defrauding an innkeeper and conspiracy on December 15.

The Sopranos star James Gandolfini has allegedly been caught on camera threatening a paparazzo.

The actor is said to have taken exception to a videographer taping him as he shopped with his son Michael in New York City on Halloween.

In footage posted on the Huffington Post website, Gandolfini can be seen lunging for the photographer, who tells the star to "Relax, man!"

Gandolfini then pushes away the camera before shouting, "I'm gonna break your f***ing face!"

As WENN went to press it was unknown if the snapper had filed charges against Gandolfini.

Former Friends stars Courteney Cox and Jennifer Aniston are stepping up a campaign to fight for women's rights in the Congo.

The actresses have lent their support to humanitarian fashion brand OmniPeace, which aims to stamp out violence against women in the African region, and is run by their friend Mary Fanaro.

Earlier this year Cox and Aniston joined singer Sheryl Crow at a dinner party to raise awareness for the charity, and now they're taking a new campaign to Senator Hilary Clinton.

The stars are urging gadget fans in America and Europe not to buy electronics, such as cell phones and laptops, which contain materials sourced from 'conflict mines' - where the industry is at the center of violent fighting.

Cox has praised her pal Fanaro for all her charity efforts and hopes they will be able to spread their message even further.

She tells Fox News, "OmniPeace was created to give back. I can’t think of a better way to support my best friend and all the work that she and OmniPeace do to donate to causes supporting peace, education, human rights and the end of extreme poverty by 2025. Mary's passion is so contagious and wonderful. It has taught me that anything is possible with enough perseverance and tenacity.”

Elton John has been released from the hospital and is preparing to resume his tour.

The Rocket Man fell ill last month with a nasty bout of influenza - but the star sparked serious fears for his health when he was admitted to the King Edward VII Hospital in Windsor, England after medics diagnosed him with an E.coli bacterial infection.

John was forced to scrap his entire U.K. tour, as well as a gig in Ireland and a string of U.S. concerts with collaborator Billy Joel, when doctors deemed him too sick to perform.

A spokesman for the star has confirmed he was discharged from hospital on Thursday and is feeling "fine".

John is expected to continue his Face 2 Face tour with Joel in Oakland, California on November 14. The rest of the canceled dates are expected to be rescheduled for December.

Sandra Bullock's husband Jesse James has issued a plea to his ex, urging her to leave his famous wife out of their ongoing custody battle.

Janine Lindemulder is currently fighting her former husband James over custody of their five-year-old daughter Sunny.

The youngster was handed over to James and his current wife Bullock when tax evasion charges landed porn star Lindemulder behind bars for six months.

Lindemulder wants her daughter back and recently demanded a meeting with Bullock - insisting she would like to get to know the woman who has been raising her child.

But James' legal team has fired back, urging Lindemulder not to drag the actress into the dispute.

James' attorney Marilyn Slifman tells People.com, "Sandra Bullock is not a party to this litigation. Mr. James' sole concern is for the safety, welfare and best interests of his daughter. The proper forum to resolve this case is in the courtroom."

The two suspects in the John Travolta extortion trial would have been convicted had a mistrial not been declared, according to a newspaper in the Bahamas.

The case against Pleasant Bridgewater and Tarino Lightbourne collapsed after Bahamian politician Picewell Forbes prematurely announced the verdict to the media at an event miles away from where the jury was deliberating.

He revealed that a defendant in the Travolta trial had been found not guilty - before the judge had been informed of the jury's decision.

But a new report in The Punch newspaper suggests the pair would have been found guilty, because six of the nine jurors voted to convict - enough under Bahamian Law.

It has yet to be announced if Bridgewater and Lightbourne will face a retrial. They stand accused of demanding $25 million from Travolta in exchange for not leaking information surrounding the events of the death of the actor's son, Jett, in January.