Angelina Jolie has slammed claims she criticized pop star Madonna for adopting a child from Malawi and insists she was misquoted. The Mr. & Mrs. Smith star made comments in a French magazine which appeared to be critical of the singer's efforts to adopt from the African nation where there are no clear legal procedures. Jolie explains, "The article included many falsehoods. I said many positive things that were omitted. I feel we must focus on the present and I encourage everyone to be supportive so that every child can adjust nicely to their new home." Jolie was quoted in Gala magazine saying of Madonna's efforts to adopt one-year-old David Banda, "Madonna knew the situation in Malawi, where David was born. It's a country where there is no real legal framework for adoption. Personally I prefer to stay on the right side of the law. I would never take a child away from a place where adoption is illegal." The actress and partner Brad Pitt have two adopted children, Maddox, five, and Zahara, two, and she claims she has sympathy for the singer, saying, "I have been horrified by the attacks she's been subjected to."

James Cameron is to make new movie Avatar, his first film since 1997's Oscar-winning blockbuster Titanic. Fox Filmed Entertainment has confirmed Cameron is to start virtual photography on the sci-fi epic in April, followed by live-action work in August, ahead of a summer 2009 release. Cameron has also written the screenplay for the movie, which tells the story of a wounded marine who is sent to the faraway planet of Pandora against his wishes, and finds himself caught up in a battle of survival with the planet's inhabitants. The 52-year-old has spent years researching and developing the new filming techniques needed to create the movie's $190 million hybrid of action and animation, and he claims he's been "the busiest unemployed director in Hollywood." He vows, "We're going to blow you to the back wall of the theatre in a way you haven't seen for a long time. My goal is to rekindle those amazing mystical moments my generation felt when we first saw 2001: A Space Odyssey or the next generation's Star Wars. It took me 10 years to find something hard enough to be interesting."

Martin Scorsese and Bill Condon are among the five moviemakers who will fight for this year's Directors Guild of America top prize. The filmmakers, who shot The Departed and Dreamgirls respectively, join Babel director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Stephen Frears (The Queen) and Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris - the husband and wife team behind Little Miss Sunshine - on the newly-announced shortlist. The winner of the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for 2006 will be announced at the organization's 59th Annual Awards Dinner on February 3. Of the 58 times the DGA Award has been handed out, only six winners did not go on to pick up the Best Director Oscar.

The home of beloved TV star-turned-fitness and lifestyle guru Suzanne Somers has been destroyed by a wildfire in Malibu, California. The Three's Company star's house was one of several multimillion dollar properties destroyed by the fire on Monday. Somers' home has an estimated value of $2 to $3 million, according to website Tmz.com. The blaze put many celebrities who live near the exclusive Malibu Colony on high alert. Somers, who was not at home when the fire ravaged her home, is being philosophical about the blaze, stating yesterday, "My nature is to look at the glass half-full. I don't have a son or daughter in Iraq. I haven't lost a loved one. We will rebuild, and I truly believe we will learn something great from this experience."

Double Oscar winner Hilary Swank has confirmed she's found love again after splitting from husband Chad Lowe last year - but she refuses to name her new partner. The actress, who has been romantically linked to her agent John Campisi, admits her new man is a "great guy" but she's keen to protect his privacy and so won't be going public with the romance. Swank tells the new issue of US magazine InStyle, "He's not a public person, and I want to respect that. But yes, I am in a relationship." In the interview, Swank credits her friends for helping her get through the heartache of the past year: "I absolutely couldn't have made it through the last year without my friends. It was hard for me to say, 'Yeah, I need help.' But I did let go, and it was a relief."

Mel Gibson's Apocalypto, Adam Sandler comedy Click, Disney sequel Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and magical fairytale Pan's Labyrinth head up the shortlist for this year's Best Make-Up Oscar. Seven films make the grade for the upcoming 79th Academy Awards. The other three are Hugh Jackman-Christian Bale drama The Prestige, Tim Allen comedy The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause and sequel hit X-Men: The Last Stand. The Academy's Make-Up Award Nominating Committee will view 10 minutes of excerpts from each of the seven short-listed films on January 20, before naming three nominations when the Oscar hopefuls are announced on January 23.

A US federal court has declined an accused killer's request to block Friday's release of new movie Alpha Dog. The US 9th Circuit Court Of Appeals rejected an argument from Jesse James Hollywood, 26, who is accused in the 2000 slaying of a California teenager. The film, which stars Justin Timberlake, Sharon Stone and Bruce Willis and had its premiere last Wednesday in Los Angeles, is based on the villainous acts Hollywood and his friends are accused of carrying out. Hollywood's lawyers claimed the film would bias jurors in Santa Barbara County, where his case will be heard. Four men have been convicted in the slaying of 15-year-old Nicholas Markowitz, allegedly over a drug debt owed by his brother. Prosecutors in the case allege that Hollywood was the ringleader in the slaying.

Gilmore Girls actress Melissa McCarthy is expecting her first child with her actor husband Ben Falcone. The couple wed in 2005 and the new addition to the family is due in May. She tells American publication People, "We are so excited about the baby. I'm hoping the baby has a lot of Ben's calm traits and less of my spazzy ones." McCarthy, who plays chef Sookie St. James on the show, is also starring in the film The Nines with Ryan Reynolds. Falcone appeared on the sitcom Joey and recently produced and starred in the independent film Polk Valley.

British movie hunk Clive Owen has signed on as the face of a new Lancome anti-aging cream for men. The Closer and Children of Men star, 42, will also be named the new spokesman of the cosmetics firm's new Hypnose Homme fragrance. Odile Roujol, the general manager of Lancome International, insists Owen is the perfect choice to front the new campaign. He says, "Clive Owen is an incredibly talented, intelligent and appealing man." The Hypnose Homme and Lancome Men anti-aging skin care range advertising campaigns, featuring the actor, will be released this spring.

Pop star Britney Spears and her new pal Paris Hilton are sharing the number one spot on Mr. Blackwell's 47th annual Worst Dressed Women List. The designer unveiled his selection yesterday, branding the pair "two peas in an over-exposed pod" and "style-free and fashion deprived." Scoring the third spot was 20-year-old Lindsay Lohan, who Blackwell said went "from adorable to deplorable." Also targeted was 57-year-old Meryl Streep, who played a fashion editor in The Devil Wears Prada. Blackwell's selections for best-dressed include Kate Winslet, Angelina Jolie and Dame Helen Mirren.