Prince may have been the last one to sign on for the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival but he sure is not the least of the performers. If anything he was the centerpiece of the whole event. The festival organizers was hell bent on making sure that they got Prince so much so that they kept on courting him ending up paying more than $5 million for his appearance.

The fans are apparently glad that the festival organizers persevered with everybody agreeing that the Prince sure made the event a royal festivity. Even Prince himself agrees that he brought the oomph to the festival when he screamed out “Coachella, I am here. You are the coolest place on Earth right now!” Talk about confidence. But then again…he’s The Prince.

Other big names that came for the event include Jack Johnson, trip-hop group Portishead, and The Verve. Lots of new talents were also there making the music festival goers really happy.

Randy Miller, the owner of Rocky, is being investigated by PETA to determine whether his actions somehow contributed to the fatal “attack” of the bear on it’s trainer, Stephen Miller.

Stephen Miller died after being bit by the 700 lb, 7 1/2-foot-tall bear on the neck while shooting a promotional video. Witnesses claim that the bear bite was an accident and that it was just a playful behavior on the part on the bear that turned into a tragedy since the trainer was bit in a very vulnerable spot. One bite was all it took. Prior to the biting incident everything seemed to have been going well with the bear was licking Stephen Miller’s face. Everyone who’s been in contact with the bear knows that the bear is actually surprised because Rocky is known for his good disposition and is fact touted as being one of the “best trained” animals in Hollywood.

Despite the bear’s good record PETA seems skeptical about the bear’s state especially since last year, during an inspection, they have deemed Miller’s training facility and sanctuary as not suitable for many of the wild animals that lived there.

Whatever happens this is indeed a tragedy not only for Stephen Miller and his family but also for the bear who surely was not at fault, accident or no.

Rocky is best known for his appearance in Semi-Pro with Will Ferrell.

I love watching American Idol and I especially love Idol Gives Back but this year I did cringe when they sent home Michael Johns. It wasn’t that I am a big fan of Michaels Johns (although I did love his last performance) but Ryan Seacrest’s callous remark after announcing who was going home really is cringe-worthy. Hearing Ryan say, “Last year on Idol Gives Back week, we didn’t eliminate anyone. Not so this week.”, somehow soured the goody goody feeling Idol Gives Back inspires. That was a cruel thing to do. No one should be left with negative memories of an Idol Gives Back night and Michael Johns sure would. A pat on the back him though since he took it all in stride and even said about his song “Dream On” that, “If there’s a song to go out on, that’s not a bad one.”

On the bright side though the show had some really good moments with the highlight being the amount of money raised, which is more than what they raised last year. They are still accepting donations via the Idol Gives Back website as well as their Idol Gives Back MySpace page.

If you want to see all the stars and the performances head on to itunes to download all the Idol performances (regular shows and Idol Gives Back).

The writers strike turned most of the film industry’s awards nights into pathetic news conferences, so the world’s hungry for a real party. They just might get it from the Grammys. Meet the nominees and get ready for the gowns, the glamour, and the tearful acceptance speeches.

The Hollywood writers strike gets even more complicated as The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists breaks connections with its more powerful sister union, the Screen Actors Guild.

AFTRA’s board of directors voted Saturday to separately negotiate its upcoming prime-time television contract with the major studios — without SAG at the bargaining table.

While each group has its own list of grievances against each other — and agendas to pursue the big question is:

when will this strike be over, already???

The Vanguard is one of the hottest places to party in HOllywood. It’s famous for its cool DJs, go-go girls on a catwalk and enough dance floor space to fit in the relaxed but energetic crowd, which ranges mainly from 25s-early 30s. There’s an outdoor tropical-style patio in the back for VIP service, but this place is really just a pure dance club with few distractions.
(6021 Hollywood Bvld., 213-480-3232.)

While you can see Hollywood via tour bus, some people may prefer renting a vehicle. Here’s a list of numbers you can call, though by no means are they your only options. Ask your travel agency for more recommendations, and remember — when you compare prices, check the fine print for any hidden charges.

Avis
2627 Hollywood Way
Located at Bob Hope Airport
Hollywood, CA 91500
Phone: 818-566-3001

Bob Hope Airport
2627 Hollywood Way Located in Burbank
Hollywood, CA 91505
Phone: 818-840-8840

Diva Limousine
1670 North Sycamore
Hollywood, CA 90028
Phone: 323-962-4712

Enterprise Rent-A-Car
1520 Wilcox Avenue
Hollywood, CA 90028
Phone: 323-957-0963

Greyhound Lines
1715 North Cahuenga Boulevard
Hollywood, CA 90028
Phone: 323-466-6381,800-454

Hollywood Limousine
3525 Beverly Glen Road
Located in Sherman Oaks
Hollywood, CA 91423
Phone: 323-465-4725,800-305

National Car Rental
2627 Hollywood Way
Located at Bob Hope Airport
Hollywood, CA 91505
Phone: 818-953-2234

Thrifty Car Rental
7000 Hollywood Boulevard
Located at Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel
Hollywood, CA 90028
Phone: 323-466-7368,800-847

U-Haul
1626 North Wilcox Avenue, Hollywood Boulevard
Located at Hollywood Mail & Message Service
Hollywood, CA 90027
Phone: 323-464-8057,800-468

Want to get into the Hollywood industry? or just interested in knowing what it’s like behind the scenes — the drama, the intrigue, the million-dollar deals?

Then look at this
list of books about the real Hollywood and how to survive in it.

The list includes advice for those who want entertainment careers to social and historical commentaries.

There’s no business like show business — especially when you earn billions.

George Lucas heads the list of Hollywood’s richest producers, listed in Forbes’ count of “World’s BIllionairs” with an estimated net worth of 3 billion dollars! His Skywalker Ranch is worth US$50 million alone.

Steven Spielberg isn’t doing too badly, with a net worth of $2.7 billion. He has his own jet worth$30 million, and splurges on his favorite hobby: collecting movie memorabilia. He spent more than half a million each for the OScar trophies of Bette Davis and Clark Gable. He’s not selfish, either, donating $1.5million to the Tsunami Relief Fund.

Opah Winfrey, who owns Harpo Productions, is the first African-American woman to make it to Forbes’ billionaires list. She’s worth about $ 1.3 billion.

Hollywood producers are willing to invest millions on films if it can bring in the audience — you got to spend money to make some money, right?

That’s probably how the accountant of SpiderMan 3 justified a budget of $258 million, giving it one of the highest price tags of any movie before or after its release. But it’s not really the most expensive movie if you factor in inflation.

Cleopatra cost about $ 44 million, a princely sum considering it was filmed in 1963 (that would be worth about $295 million today). It is the most epensive movie made in HOllywood.

However, the Soviet movie “War and Peace” based on the Tolstoy classic cost $ 100 million in 1968, and took over 7 years to finish. It’s won the Guiness record for the largest battle scene (about 120,000 soldiers). If you compute for inflation, that would be worth abot $ 500 million today.