Hanks, Leno attend Duncan's funeral
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 11 (UPI) -- Tom Hanks, Stephen King and Jay Leno were among the mourners at the Los Angeles funeral for late actor Michael Clarke Duncan.
Also attending the invitation-only service for "The Green Mile" star Monday at Forest Lawn Memorial-Park and Mortuaries in the Hollywood Hills were Duncan's mother Jean and fiancee Omarosa Manigault, as well as writer-director Frank Darabont, actresses Holly Robinson Peete and Emily Deschanel, actors David Boreanaz and Geoff Stults, and singers Angie Stone, Shanice and Kenny Lattimore, People.com said. A public viewing of his casket took place Sunday.
"In this cynical world of Hollywood, here was a guy who was happy for every job he got," People.com quoted Leno as saying at the memorial Monday. "Just to see such a pure heart and pure kindness ... and to see him taken so early, there really are no sadder words than what might have been."
Duncan died Sept. 3 two months after he suffered a heart attack. He was 54.
Hudson says she forgives Balfour
CHICAGO, Sept. 11 (UPI) -- Singer-actress Jennifer Hudson says she forgives her former brother-in-law for killing three members of her family in Chicago in 2008.
William Balfour, the estranged husband of Hudson's sister Julia, was recently sentenced to life in prison for murdering the entertainer's mother and brother, as well as Julia's 7-year-old son.
Jennifer Hudson talked about the tragedy in an interview to air Sunday night on "Oprah's Next Chapter," E! News said.
"For the most part, it's not his fault," the Oscar-winning "Dreamgirls" actress said of Balfour.
"It's what he was taught, how he was brought up," she said. "Had you had the love my mother gave us, or the background that, you know, some have, then you would've stood a chance."
E! News quoted Hudson as telling Oprah Winfrey she hasn't visited her family's graves since their funerals, but thinks she is now ready to go.
"Now I want to go because I feel like: 'OK, we've accomplished this. We've done this, we got justice for you,'" she said. "I can't come back here empty-handed. So I came back with justice being served. So now I feel like I deserve to be able to see them."
$81M pledged during SU2C telethon
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 11 (UPI) -- More than $81 million has been pledged as a result of last week's Hollywood telecast, the organization Stand Up to Cancer said.
Last Friday's fundraising telecast was intended to accelerate ground-breaking research and bring new treatments to patients as quickly as possible, organizers said in a news release.
The broadcast was executive produced by actress Gwyneth Paltrow and Joel Gallen of Tenth Planet Productions in collaboration with SU2C's production team.
ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC donated one hour of simultaneous, commercial-free prime-time for the nationally televised fundraising special, which was broadcast live from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Cable channels Armed Forces Network, BIO, E!, ENCORE, HBO, HBO Latino, ION Television, LMN (Lifetime Movie Network), Logo, MLB Network, mun2, Palladia, SHOWTIME, Smithsonian Channel, STARZ, STYLE, TBS and VH1 also donated their air time.
Among the stars who participated were Paltrow, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, Tom Hanks, Michael Douglas, Halle Berry, Jessica Biel, Samuel L. Jackson, Tobey Maguire, Jeremy Renner, Seth Rogen, Emma Stone, Justin Timberlake, Sofia Vergara, Robert Pattinson and SU2C co-founder Katie Couric.
Taylor Swift, Coldplay, Alicia Keys and Tim McGraw offered musical performances.
Also spotted at the event were Simon Baker, Jordana Brewster, Diem Brown, Kobe Bryant, Ty Burrell, Dana Delany, Rocco DiSpirito, Gabrielle Douglas, Donald Faison, Missy Franklin, Jennie Garth, Max Greenfield, Chelsea Handler, Marg Helgenberger, Felicity Huffman, Stacy Keibler, Minka Kelly, Joe Manganiello, Jillian Michaels, Masi Oka, Dr. Drew Pinsky, Ana Maria Polo, Ray Romano, Eric Stonestreet, Alison Sweeney, and Ethan Zohn.
"We are profoundly grateful to the entire entertainment community, particularly the stars who volunteered their time and talent, as well as the networks and cable channels that donated the air time, to make our show a tremendous success," Lisa Paulsen, an SU2C co-founder, said in a statement. "Their support means so much to the millions of cancer patients and survivors who know they are not alone in this fight."
The program included a tribute to beloved film producer Laura Ziskin, who was an SU2C co-founder and executive producer of the telecasts in 2008 and 2010. Ziskin lived with breast cancer for seven years before she died in June 2011.
Cameras roll on 'Hangover 3'
BURBANK, Calif., Sept. 11 (UPI) -- Principal photography has begun on the third and final film in director Todd Phillips' "Hangover" franchise, Hollywood's Warner Bros. Pictures said.
"This time, there's no wedding. No bachelor party. What could go wrong, right? But when the Wolfpack hits the road, all bets are off," said a synopsis released by the studio Monday.
"The Hangover Part III" reunites Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis and Justin Bartha as Phil, Stu, Alan and Doug.
Returning to the ensemble are Ken Jeong, Heather Graham, Jeffrey Tambor, Gillian Vigman, Sasha Barrese and Jamie Chung. John Goodman joins the cast as well.
Phillips is directing the sequel from a screenplay he wrote with Craig Mazin, with whom he collaborated on the screenplay for "The Hangover Part II." The final installment is scheduled for release May 24.
