NEWSMAKERS

NEWSMAKERS

Bieber to star in film

LOS ANGELES

Justin Bieber is adding movie star to his r sum .

Paramount Pictures, MTV Films and Bieber’s record label, Island Def Jam, say the 16-year-old pop star has signed on to appear in a feature film about his life and career.

The yet-to-be-titled movie is set for release on “Valentine’s weekend” of 2011, the companies said Tuesday.

Bieber will also be producing the film, along with mentor Usher, manager Scooter Braun and Island Def Jam Music Group chairman LA Reid.

The movie will offer a “VIP backstage pass” into Bieber’s life and will feature 3-D footage from his “My World 2.0” concert tour.

The ubiquitous teen sensation is also bringing his life to readers: HarperCollins announced Monday that it will publish his memoir in October.

Michaels, Morales to be pageant hosts

NEW YORK

Rocker Bret Michaels and TV correspondent Natalie Morales are hosting this year’s Miss Universe Pageant.

The Miss Universe Organization announced Tuesday that Michaels, the musician and reality TV star, and Morales, who reports for NBC’s “Today,” will be presiding when the pageant airs live from Las Vegas on Aug. 23 on NBC.

The two-hour special will gather contestants representing more than 80 countries. They will compete in three categories: swimsuit, evening gown and interview.

Michaels was seen this spring as a contestant himself, emerging as the winner of NBC’s reality competition “The Celebrity Apprentice.”

‘Sunny’ singer dies

NASHVILLE, Tenn.

Bobby Hebb, whose 1966 hit “Sunny” about a smiling girl became a pop-music classic, has died. He was 72.

Family members and a funeral home spokesman said Hebb died Tuesday morning at Centennial Medical Center. The cause of death was not announced.

At the height of “Sunny” popularity, Hebb toured with The Beatles.

“Sunny” also was recorded by many other singers, including Marvin Gaye, Wilson Pickett and Jose Feliciano.

Hebb said in several interviews that he wrote “Sunny” in response to the slaying of his brother outside a Nashville nightclub and to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy a few days before.

As recently as 2007, he was still writing songs and had his own publishing company and record label, Hebb Cats.

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