Pop star Prince's guest appearance on hit show American Idol appears unlikely after the star refused to meet with the show's contestants. Executives from the singer's record company had urged him to appear on the popular series to help maintain high album sales for his new release, 3121. The "Purple Rain" singer had been meeting with producers from the show, but the two sides failed to hammer out an agreement. Executive producer Nigel Lythgoe says, "I don't think so. He did not want to talk with the kids and did not have the time."

Jessica Simpson is set to take over Pamela Anderson's role in the long-awaited big screen version of beach TV show Baywatch. The sexy singer is set to don the infamous red swimsuit adored by many fans of the popular lifeguard series when she plays CJ Parker, the role which launched Anderson to stardom. A source tells British newspaper The Sun, "Jessica really caught the eye in The Dukes of Hazzard film last summer. She was the unanimous choice for the Baywatch role. Jessica has all the assets to make Pam's part her own." Producers hope David Hasselhoff will agree to star in the film in his original role as Mitch Buchannon.

Teri Hatcher is expected to become the highest-paid television actress After demanding a cut from numerous lucrative products linked to hit show Desperate Housewives. Hatcher's earnings are set to rocket to at least $6 million after she won a deal to promote the spin-offs, including a computer game and an online fashion store. A source tells British newspaper The Mail on Sunday, "She has been saying that, unlike the stars of Friends, who ended up making a million an episode, she is not getting enough money. "(Series producer) Disney is desperate to keep her happy so has come up with a deal that gives her a cut of profits from the video game, board game and a planned online clothing store. "There are also plans for a cookbook, music DVD and a fragrance. This is going to be a huge, lucrative franchise and Teri has made sure she's getting a cut of every deal. "She will earn at least $6 million from spin-offs alone this year.

Sir Sean Connery is expected to officially announce he is quitting Hollywood when he collects his Lifetime Achievement Award at the American Film Institute later this year. Connery, who is recuperating after undergoing surgery to remove a Kidney tumor in January, plans to spend his time writing books instead. He says, "I have retired for good. It's been a bit rough since Christmas but I'm perfectly OK and I feel well. In fact, I'm working on a history book." Harrison Ford, meanwhile, is campaigning for the actor to return to The screen for the upcoming fourth Indiana Jones movie.

Cinderella Man star Paul Giamatti will team up with Vince Vaughn and play Santa Claus in an upcoming holiday comedy. The Christmas tale revolves around Santa's bitter, black-sheep brother, played by Vaughn, who returns home to the North Pole after a long absence. The movie was previously titled Fred Claus, but due to a copyright issue, the film will be re-titled. Dave Dobkin will direct the film after previously working with Vaughn on Wedding Crashers.

English film-maker Gurinder Chadha is in talks to direct the movie adaptation of 1980s soap opera Dallas - a week after Robert Luketic walked out on the project. Luketic abruptly quit the 20th Century Fox-produced movie last week amid reports he was unhappy with the casting choices. Jennifer Lopez, Shirley MacLaine, John Travolta and Luke Wilson are currently in negotiations to play Sue Ellen, Miss Ellie, JR and Bobby Ewing respectively. Kenyan-born Chadha is known for her work on Bend It Like Beckham, What's Cooking? and Bride and Prejudice.

British actress Sienna Miller horrified Hollywood after she was photographed behaving in a "loud, childish" fashion at Vanity Fair's post-Oscar bash last month. The images, which will be published in the magazine's May issue, show Miller cavorting drunkenly with bit-part actress Tara Summers, having her foot nibbled by her pal and hitching up her dress while waving her bare legs in the air. Far from being impressed by her antics, the guests, mainly studio executives and producers, collectively cringed at Miller's embarrassing faux-pas - planting a question mark over her fledgling Hollywood career. A leading Hollywood producer tells British newspaper the Mail on Sunday, "It's one thing to be gossiped about, but it's quite another to have pictures of yourself in that kind of clinch plastered all over a magazine. Hollywood is notoriously straight-laced when it comes to the behavior of a young star. This is an industry town. Actresses who expect to be taken seriously simply don't get drunk and behave like this in public." An eyewitness branded her "loud and childish", adding, "Everyone was talking about how Sienna was totally over-the-top. These pictures have seriously damaged her reputation." However, Miller's spokeswoman denies any raucous behavior, insisting, "They have just wrapped a film together and they were just sitting next to each other at a party. Nothing more than that. "We've had no complaints."

U.S. consumers snapped up 6.5 million copies of King Kong in its first six days in stores, making it the best-selling Universal Studios release ever. The sales tally amounts to more than $100 million in revenue, which is in addition to the $550 million worldwide box-office earnings. The blockbuster is currently the second-biggest seller so far this year, outdone only by Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, which sold nearly 9 million DVDs in its first week of release.

R&B star Ciara and her rapper boyfriend Bow Wow have ended their one year relationship. The couple, who collaborated on the hit single "Like You," were found out to have separated after Bow Wow was seen romancing another woman in Los Angeles earlier this month . A spokesperson for the 20-year-old Ciara says, "I cannot comment on the reason, but can confirm that Ciara and Bow Wow have split." Bow Wow, 19, adds, "Ciara and I have parted ways. I wish her all the best." The couple were rumored to have been engaged after Ciara was regularly seen wearing a large diamond on the ring finger on her left hand to public engagements.

Hollywood legend Robert De Niro is taking tentative steps into the world of reality TV, although he will not act in the forthcoming show. The Oscar-winning star will executive produce the as-yet-untitled program, which will air on US television network NBC. Details are of the show's contents are being kept a secret. De Niro's partner in the venture is RJ Cutler, who tells Variety magazine, "It's a very simple idea... a simple concept. Amazingly, nobody's ever done it before."