Jackson's `This Is It' out on DVD in January

NEW YORK – "Michael Jackson's This Is It," a film about the King of Pop's final rehearsals before his death, will be released on DVD on Jan. 26, 2010.

The DVD release was announced Monday by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

"This Is It" captures Jackson's final performances as he rehearsed for his concerts in London. He died June 25, just weeks before his marathon of 50 concerts was to begin.

The DVD includes two documentaries, "Staging the Return: Beyond the Show" and "Staging the Return: The Adventure Begins," which highlight Jackson as he prepared for the concerts.

The film has grossed more than $70 million in the United States.

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Sony Pictures is a unit of Sony Corp.

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Susan Boyle's debut album tops Britain's charts

LONDON – In the contest, she finished second. But on the charts, she's number one.

Susan Boyle's debut record, "I Dreamed A Dream," entered the British album chart in the top spot Sunday. The 48-year-old Scottish songstress famously finished second on "Britain's Got Talent," but the variety show launched a career that has seen her win success on both sides of the Atlantic.

According to the Official Charts Company, which tracks music sales in Britain, the more than 410,000 copies of "I Dreamed a Dream" sold since its release Nov. 23 make it the fastest selling album so far this year, and are the largest first-week sales for a debut album in U.K. chart history.

Millions of people have seen an online clip of Boyle auditioning for the judges. Wearing a somewhat dowdy frock and with a halo of untidy hair, Boyle told judge and producer Simon Cowell that her dream was to be a professional singer. "I've never been given the chance before, but here's hoping it'll change," she said then.

She sang "I Dreamed a Dream," from Les Miserables, and her soaring vocals earned a smile and raised eyebrows from Cowell — and a standing ovation from the audience.

"In 'Britain's Got Talent' she opened her mouth and the world fell in love with her, which is why her album has been the fastest selling of any woman making her debut," Cowell said. "She's amazing."

Since the show — in which she eventually finished second to a dynamic dance troupe called "Diversity" — Boyle has become one of the more recognizable faces of British music, both at home and abroad.

Though she was taken aback at first by her fame, Boyle has since had a glamorous makeover, been photographed by an upscale fashion magazine, and been profiled for "NBC's People of the Year" special in the United States. In Britain, she's appeared as a special guest on a wildly popular talent show, "The X Factor."

"I accept now that my life will never be the same. And I don't want it to end," Boyle told Matt Lauer on the special, according to an NBC transcript.

Of her number one album, Boyle said only, "it's fantastic" in a statement released by her record company.

"Everyone expected this to be a big record, but not as big as this," said Martin Talbot, managing director of the Official Charts Company. Of the more than 410,000 copies — both physical and digital — sold in Britain, he said the majority of buyers purchased the CD. In the United States, Amazon Music it was the largest pre-order in the company's history.

Boyle's cover of the Rolling Stones classic "Wild Horses" debuted in the ninth spot on Britain's singles chart.

Gennaro Castaldo, spokesman for the HMV music store company, said Boyle's record could challenge for the top spot at Christmas — a highly coveted position in Britain's showbiz world.

He said Boyle's frequent appearances in Britain's newspapers likely helped boost her sales, along with her reality television background. Shows like "Britain's Got Talent" and "The X Factor" — which produced last week's chart-topper, Leona Lewis — help viewers bond with artists, he said. Fans follow the artist's career from the start, "so when the album comes out, quite a few of them will go out and buy the album, too," Castaldo said.

Swiss ready Polanski's chalet for house arrest

GSTAAD, Switzerland – Security experts on Saturday started preparing Roman Polanski's Alpine chalet for the movie director's house arrest while Swiss authorities consider whether to extradite him to the United States.

A Hummer bearing the sign in French "DR Securite Services" was parked outside the empty three-story building Saturday morning, while three men and a woman took photographs of the property and spent about an hour inside.

They declined to say what they were doing, but the company handles a range of services from video surveillance to alarm installations and armored doors.

One of the key court-imposed conditions of Polanski's house arrest is that he be fitted with an electronic monitoring bracelet that would detect if he tries to leave the chalet, which would cost him the $4.5 million bail he is required to post.

Authorities require that the bracelet be working before Polanski is moved to the chalet, probably Monday. Until then, Polanski would remain in a jail outside Zurich, Justice Ministry spokesman Folco Galli said. Officials declined to say how they would transfer Polanski.

An AP photographer was ordered to leave the area near the chalet Saturday. "You are on private property," a man from the security group said.

Two local government workers were checking that the fire hydrant was working in the garden of the home, which is called "Milky Way" and has a stunning view of the surrounding Alps.

The 76-year-old director has been in Swiss custody for two months after being arrested Sept. 26 on a U.S. warrant as he arrived in Zurich to receive a lifetime achievement award at a film festival.

The Swiss Justice Ministry is still deciding whether to extradite him to the United States for having sex in 1977 with a 13-year-old girl. Authorities in Los Angeles want him sentenced after 31 years as a fugitive.

Polanski was accused of raping the girl after plying her with champagne and a Quaalude pill during a modeling shoot in 1977. He was initially indicted on six felony counts, including rape by use of drugs, child molesting and sodomy, but he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of unlawful sexual intercourse.

In exchange, the judge agreed to drop the remaining charges and sent him to prison for a 90-day psychiatric evaluation. The evaluator released Polanski after 42 days, but the judge said he was going to send him back to serve out the 90 days.

Polanski then fled the U.S. on Feb. 1, 1978, the day he was to be formally sentenced. He has lived since then in France, which does not extradite its citizens.

Polanski claims the U.S. judge and prosecutors acted improperly in his case, and his attorneys will argue before a California appeals court in December that the charges should be dismissed.

White House: State dinner crashers met Obama

WASHINGTON – A reality TV hopeful and her husband who crashed a presidential dinner met President Barack Obama in the receiving line, the White House said Friday, as a "deeply concerned and embarrassed" Secret Service acknowledged its officers failed to check whether the couple was on the guest list.

The White House released a photo showing Michaele and Tareq Salahi in the receiving line in the Blue Room with Obama and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in whose honor the dinner was held. Obama and Michaele Salahi, a candidate for Bravo's "The Real Housewives of D.C.," are smiling as she grasps his right hand with both of hers and her husband looks on. Singh is standing to the Obama's left.

The Secret Service earlier this week had said the president was not in danger because the Virginia couple — like others at the dinner — had gone through magnetometers. But in light of their close proximity to the president, no such claim was made Friday.

The Salahis were not on the guest list and should have been prohibited from entering last Tuesday's dinner on the White House South Lawn for the prime minister of India, said Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan.

On Friday, Sullivan was apologetic in a written statement, saying the agency that protects the president is "deeply concerned and embarrassed" that procedures were not followed.

"As our investigation continues, appropriate measures have been taken to ensure this is not repeated," Sullivan said.

Secret Service spokesman Jim Mackin said officers at the checkpoint had a clipboard with names of the invited guests. Even though the Salahis names weren't on it, they were allowed to proceed. The officers should have called either someone on the White House staff or Secret Service personnel before allowing them past the checkpoint, Mackin said.

Earlier, Mackin said the Secret Service may pursue a criminal investigation of the Salahis.

Sullivan said, "The preliminary findings of our internal investigation have determined established protocols were not followed at an initial checkpoint, verifying that two individuals were on the guest list.

"Although these individuals went through magnetometers and other levels of screening, they should have been prohibited from entering the event entirely. That failing is ours," he said.

Sullivan said it wasn't good enough that his agency screened more than 1.2 million visitors last year to the White House complex and protected more than 10,000 sites for the president, vice president and others.

"Even with these successes, we need to be right 100 percent of the time," he said. "While we have protocols in place to address these situations, we must ensure that they are followed each and every time."

It is unclear what the couple told officers at the checkpoint that allowed them to go through the security screening. Federal law makes it a crime to knowingly and willfully falsify statements on matters within the federal government's jurisdiction.

"As this moves closer to a criminal investigation there's less that we can say," Mackin said. "I don't want to jeopardize what could be a criminal investigation. We're not leaving any option off the table at this point."

White House spokesman Nick Shapiro said the Secret Service will take appropriate action once the review is completed.

"The men and women of the Secret Service put their lives on the line everyday to protect us. They are heroes and they have the full confidence of the president of the United States," Shapiro said.

The Salahis lawyer, Paul Gardner, posted a comment on their Facebook page saying, "My clients were cleared by the White House, to be there." He said more information would be forthcoming.

Several messages left at Gardner's law firm on Friday were not immediately returned.

Bravo Media has confirmed that Michaele Salahi is being considered as a participant in the upcoming "The Real Housewives of D.C." program and on the day of the dinner was being filmed around Washington by Half Yard Productions, the producer of the program.

"Half Yard Productions was told by Michaele and Tareq Salahi that they had been invited to the State Dinner. We took them at their word and filmed their preparations for the event. Half Yard Productions had no part in planning their presence at the event," said Abby Greensfelder of Half Yard Productions.

Photos on the couple's Facebook page they previously had gotten close to Obama. One photo, apparently taken in the days before Obama took the oath of office, shows the Salahis in a group shot with Obama and some of the musicians who performed at an inaugural concert.

Other photos show the Salahis in the empty, glass-enclosed box from which the Obamas watched the concert and, according to the caption, "backstage with the Secret Service at the Lincoln Memorial during the Presidential Inauguration." Undergoing MyBlogLog Verification

Swiss OK Polanski move to house arrest in Alps

GENEVA – Roman Polanski will be moved from jail to house arrest at his Alpine chalet as soon as he posts $4.5 million bail and meets other conditions set by a Swiss court, the Justice Ministry said Thursday.

The ministry said it would not appeal a decision by the Swiss Criminal Court to release the 76-year-old director, adding that he can leave jail after his pays bail, surrenders his identity documents and has an electronic monitoring system installed and tested.

The announcement means Polanski will be able to continue his fight against extradition to the United States in a 1977 sex case from the comfort of his $1.6 million chalet in the exclusive winter resort of Gstaad. Authorities in Los Angeles want him sentenced for having sex with a 13-year-old girl.

"He must not leave this house," the ministry said in a statement. Should he violate the terms of release, the bail will be forfeited to the Swiss government.

Ministry spokesman Folco Galli said the release would be handled quietly.

"We don't want to show him off like an exotic animal," he told The Associated Press.

The bail decision was a major win for the director of "Rosemary's Baby," "Chinatown" and "The Pianist" after a series of legal setbacks following his Sept. 26 arrest on a U.S. warrant as he arrived in Zurich to receive a lifetime achievement award at a film festival.

Polanski was accused of raping the girl after plying her with champagne and a Quaalude pill during a modeling shoot in 1977. He was initially indicted on six felony counts, including rape by use of drugs, child molesting and sodomy, but he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of unlawful sexual intercourse.

In exchange, the judge agreed to drop the remaining charges and sentence him to prison for a 90-day psychiatric evaluation. The evaluator released Polanski after 42 days, but the judge said he was going to send him back to serve out the 90 days.

Polanski then fled the United States on Feb. 1, 1978, the day he was to be sentenced, and has lived in France since. He claims the U.S. judge and prosecutors acted improperly in his case, and his attorneys will argue before a California appeals court next month that the charges should be dismissed.

The Swiss will decide on extraditing Polanski in the next "couple of weeks," Galli said. Extradition would also be subject to appeals.

The Swiss court last month rejected Polanski's first bail request offering his Gstaad chalet as collateral. Before Wednesday's decision, Polanski offered a bank guarantee that would cause him to sacrifice his family's home in Paris if he flees justice again.

"I am very happy and relieved," Mathilde Seigner, Polanski's sister-in-law told Le Parisien daily, adding that the director's imprisonment had "enormous consequences on a psychological level" for his children. When Polanski is released, "we're going to drink a nice glass of champagne and toast together," she said.

Polanski has been held in a Zurich-area prison, believed to be in Winterthur, but Warden Walter Vogt told the AP on Thursday that Polanski "could be here or he could be in Bern," Switzerland's capital.

Authorities have declined to say how they will transfer Polanski to his chalet called "Milky Way," which has a stunning view of the surrounding Alps, including the strikingly snowcapped Ruebli peak. The three-story building with a white stucco wall and wooden upper floors appeared deserted Thursday.

Some people weren't pleased with the attention in the village famous for its discretion, where Elizabeth Taylor and Roger Moore have lived and which remains popular with celebrities and royalty.

"I don't want to talk about what he did," retired dairy farmer Martin von Gruenigen said as he walked his dog in front of Polanski's home. "I have little contact with the rich. Life is quiet here, but there are things I don't like at all here. Like the rich buying all the houses, so we locals can't afford to buy a house."

Lambert says he got carried away, but not sorry

NEW YORK – Adam Lambert admits he got carried away with his sexually charged American Music Awards performance, but he's offering no apology.

The glam rocker from "American Idol" said on "The Early Show" that his performance would not have caused as much controversy if he weren't openly gay. He also said there were other "adult" moments on the show that caused no outrage.

"I admit I did get carried away, but I don't see anything wrong with it," he said Wednesday. "I do see how people got offended and that was not my intention. My intention was to interpret the lyrics of my song and have a good time with it."

Lambert kissed a male keyboard player, dragged a female dancer around by the ankles and had a dancer simulate oral sex on him while performing "For Your Entertainment," a song with a sexual edge. ABC received many complaints about the performance and that network's morning show, "Good Morning America," canceled Lambert's scheduled appearance on Wednesday because it said it couldn't trust what he would do.

"The Early Show" on CBS, perennially third in a three-network morning show race, happily gave him a platform and milked it — interviewing him, having him interact with fans and asking him to sing. One of the show's hosts, Harry Smith, tied the flap to rock history, noting that camera operators were only allowed to shoot Elvis Presley from the waist up during a network TV appearance generations ago.

Lambert admitted he didn't rehearse some of the more risque elements of his award show performance — a point that particularly upset ABC, which said it was taken by surprise by what he did. In the future, he said he'd try to get these issues cleared before the show.

But he noted that Lady Gaga smashed whiskey bottles during her performance, Eminem rapped about rape and Janet Jackson briefly groped a male dancer.

"Janet Jackson, crotch grab," he said. "I haven't heard one peep about that."

He said that "if it had been a female pop performer doing (his) moves that were on the stage, I don't think there would be nearly as much of an outrage."

"I think it's because I'm a gay male," he added.

Offered a chance to apologize, he declined. He said he didn't consider that there may have been children watching because his American Music Awards performance came at nearly 11 p.m., and that it's a parent's job to monitor what their children are watching on TV.

"I'm not a baby sitter," he said. "I'm a performer."

Asked what he'd do differently if he had the chance, Lambert said, "I would sing it a little bit better."

"I guess I have a tendency to divide people," he added. "Apples and oranges — you either like it or you don't."

"For Your Entertainment" is the title cut and first single from Lambert's new album, which went on sale Monday. He didn't perform that on "The Early Show," opting instead for the songs "Whataya Want From Me" and "Music Again."

He said before performing, "Parents, this is appropriate, I promise."

Lambert took questions from fans surrounding CBS' midtown Manhattan studio, including one who said she had traveled from Japan to see him. None of the questions were about Sunday's performance.

His mother, Leila Lambert, came on stage between his two songs, and was asked what she thought of her son at the American Music Awards.

"I was a little taken aback," she said. "But, you know, I just went with the flow. It's all good."

Donny Osmond wins `Dancing with the Stars'

NEW YORK – Donny Osmond was declared the new champion of "Dancing with Stars" on Tuesday night, taking home the show's mirror ball trophy in the season finale of the ABC contest reality program.

Osmond, the former teen pop star of the singing Osmond family, said the show has been a highlight in a career of ups and downs.

"I did it!" Osmond exclaimed. He promptly rushed to the audience and plucked out his wife, Debbie, whom he carried across the stage.

Helping push Osmond over the top was his performance Tuesday: an Argentine tango, performed with his professional dancing partner, Kym Johnson. Judge Carrie Ann Inaba hailed it as "artistry in motion." It earned the top score of the final performances Tuesday.

Three celebrities made it to finale of the show's ninth season: Osmond, the singer Mya and Kelly Osbourne, the daughter of Ozzy Osbourne. The show picks a winner with a combination of judges' scores and viewer votes.

Mya entered as the favorite, having won the highest scores on Monday's show. Dancing with Dmitry Chaplin, she performed a jive.

"I'm just so happy to have made it to the finals," Mya said after the loss.

The 30-year-old singer is most famous for collaborating on the Grammy-winning hit "Lady Marmalade" from the soundtrack of 2001's "Moulin Rouge!"

Osbourne was the first of the three eliminated.

With her famous family — Ozzy, Sharon and Jack — looking on, Osbourne and professional partner Louis Van Amstel danced to a cover of Ray LaMontagne's "Trouble." The 25-year-old was clearly moved and began crying after her last dance.

She thanked the audience and said she had "grown so much" during the show. Co-host Samantha Harris said Osbourne had become "a swan."

The finale culminated a season of good ratings for "Dancing with the Stars," which consistently ranked as one of the most-watched shows of the fall.

The contestant who grabbed the most headlines, former Congressman Tom DeLay, had to withdraw in the third week of competition because of stress fractures in both feet. A healed DeLay returned Tuesday night to dance the Texas two-step routine he had hoped to perform.

All the former contestants returned, including former Dallas Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin. Waltzing to the theme of "Monday Night Football," he performed a dance-off with another NFL receiving great: Jerry Rice, a contestant on the second season of "Dancing With the Stars." The judges declared Rice the winner.

Pop singer Aaron Carter, voted off this season, performed a dance to the theme of "The Muppet Show." Animal took the drums, while Miss Piggy lurked backstage.

Mistakes on the dance floor weren't the only missteps of ABC's live broadcast. At the top of the show, as highlights from Monday's show ran, the video froze on shot of Miss Piggy, prompting host Tom Bergeron to remind viewers that the broadcast was live — and send the show to an early commercial break.

Whitney Houston also made a guest appearance to perform her "Million Dollar Bill" and the fitting "I Wanna Dance with Somebody."

The gymnast Shawn Johnson won last season's "Dancing with the Stars."

ABC can expect high ratings for Tuesday's finale. Last week's results show attracted an audience of 16.2 million.

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Mya is 3 points from perfect at 'Dancing' finale

LOS ANGELES – Mya is poised to take the "Dancing With the Stars" title after finishing three points away from perfect during the final night of competition Monday.

She made it clear that she intends to claim the show's mirrorball trophy.

"I haven't worked this hard for this long not to win this thing," she said Monday. "That trophy is mine."

The singer scored 87 out of 90 points for her three dances with professional partner Dmitry Chaplin. The pair was perfect on their paso doble and bested their fellow finalists with a perfect score during the megamix challenge, which saw them dancing side-by-side with Donny Osmond and Kelly Osbourne. Mya's "Hairspray"-themed freestyle dance didn't dazzle the judges, who gave it 27 out of 30 points.

"I was expecting something a little bit more spectacular," judge Bruno Tonioli said.

Osmond finished in second place with 85 out of 90 points. He and professional partner Kym Johnson earned a perfect score of 30 for their Broadway-inspired freestyle routine, which head judge Len Goodman called "an absolute show-stopper." The couple collected 27 points for their cha-cha and 28 during the megamix challenge.

Despite the second-place finish, Osmond said he still wants to become the "Dancing" champ.

"I want to win this mirrorball so badly," he said Monday. "Because if you had a sister named Marie and she was going to rub it in your face your whole life, you'd want to win, too."

A slim and smiling Kelly Osbourne finished third with 76 points out of 90. She and professional partner Louis Van Amstel collected 26 points each for their Argentine tango and megamix performance. The couple's glittery freestyle dance to the '70s classic "I Will Survive" earned 24 points — along with glowing praise from the judges.

"One thing is for sure," Tonioli said. "You never looked more beautiful than tonight."

Osbourne said she exceeded her own expectations on the ABC show.

"I didn't think that I really could do it, but this was my opportunity to show people that I have grown up," the reality star said Monday. "Every single dance we've done so far in this competition has been such a learning process and an adventure for me. I never thought we were going to get this far, but I'm so glad we did."

Each will perform again on Tuesday's episode, when a new "Dancing" champ will be crowned.

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On the Net:

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Taylor Swift wins five American Music Awards

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Country crossover star Taylor Swift overshadowed the late Michael Jackson at the American Music Awards on Sunday, winning five prizes including artist of the year.

Jackson, who had been expected to enjoy a clean sweep, ended up with four awards. He and Swift went head-to-head in the artist of the year race, the ceremony's final prize.

Other multiple winners included hip-hop acts Jay-Z and the Black Eyed Peas, with two each.

Swift, 19, was also named favorite female artist in the pop/rock and country categories, and favorite adult-contemporary artist. Her 2008 album "Fearless," the best-selling release in the United States this year, was named favorite country album.

She accepted her awards live via satellite from backstage at London's Wembley Arena, where she will perform a concert on Monday.

"Music has never been ultimately about competition," Swift said, after winning the artist of the year prize. She said it was an "unimaginable honor" to be cited in the same category as Jackson, and thanked the Jackson family.

Jackson was named favorite male artist in the pop/rock and soul/R&B categories, while his 2003 hits collection "Number Ones" was named favorite album in both those categories. The album is the No. 2 seller this year in the United States.

His brother Jermaine, accompanied by sons Jeremy, Jaafar and Jermajesty, accepted on his behalf. At one point, he thanked Allah "for blessing my entire family."

Rapper Eminem, making a rare awards-show appearance in the wake of his four nominations, went home empty-handed. Glam-pop singer Lady Gaga, rock band Kings of Leon and jailed rapper T.I., who earned three nominations each, were also snubbed.

The Black Eyed Peas were named favorite group in both the pop/rock and soul/R&B categories. Jay-Z won favorite male artist and favorite album in the rap/hip-hop categories. His wife Beyonce, who was performing a show in Dublin, was named favorite female artist in the soul/R&B category.

Punk rock trio Green Day won the favorite alternative artist. Rascal Flatts won favorite country group for the fourth year in a row.

The performance-heavy show included some notable scenes. Openly gay "American Idol" runner-up Adam Lambert kissed a keyboardist of indeterminate gender and rubbed a male dancer's face in his crotch. Jennifer Lopez, meanwhile, landed on her bottom after jumping off the arched back of one of her dancers.

Nominees are determined by radio airplay and retail sales, while members of the public determine the winners through online voting. That's why Jackson got so many nominations, even though he didn't release any new material.

Tween Justin Bieber fans lose control at NY mall

GARDEN CITY, N.Y. – New York police shut down a mall appearance by teen pop singer Justin Bieber (BEE'-ber) after thousands of young girls showed up and got a little too wild.

Nassau County police say girls and adults in the crowd of nearly 3,000 started pushing and shoving as they waited for the 15-year-old sensation to arrive Friday at the Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City.

Five people were taken to hospitals with minor injuries.

Police arrested a vice president from Bieber's record label, Island Def Jam Records. They say he wasn't cooperating with attempts to disperse the crowd.

Some fans had camped out overnight for the event.

Bieber never made it into the building. He told WBLI radio that police turned him away.

Bieber's debut album, "My World," was released Tuesday.

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Information from: Newsday, http://www.newsday.com