The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

Sofia Vergara - highest paid actress on US TV

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The Colombian star tops the bill for the second consecutive year.

Sofia Vergara of ABC's successful TV comedy Modern Family is the highest-paid actress on US television for the second consecutive year with estimated earnings of US$30mil, Forbes magazine said.

The voluptuous Colombian-born actress easily surpassed Emmy and Golden Globe-winner Mariska Hargitay of NBC's Law And Order: Special Victims Unit and Kaley Cuoco, a star of CBS's The Big Bang Theory, who both tied for second with US$11mil.

"As the reigning queen of celebrity endorsement deals (thanks largely to her bilingual portfolio), Vergara's earnings over the past year reached US$30mil – making her far and away the highest-paid actress on prime time," Forbes.com said.

Vergara, 41, has clothing and home goods lines sold at Sears Holding Corp's retailer Kmart and lucrative endorsement deals with PepsiCo Inc's Diet Pepsi, Proctor & Gamble Co's CoverGirl and others.

Sisters Kourtney, Kim and Khloe Kardashian of the E! cable reality series Keeping Up With The Kardashians, shared the No. 4 spot with earnings of US$10mil each along with three other women, including Melissa McCarthy of CBS's Mike & Molly. McCarthy scored a hit on the big screen in Bridesmaids, a film that grossed about US$288mil at the global box office, and in The Heat with Sandra Bullock.

Like Vergara, the Kardashian sisters have a clothing line and other licensing deals.

Forbes compiled the list by estimating earnings for the year to June 2013 from the actresses' TV work, endorsements, residuals and advertising work, and by talking to agents, managers and lawyers.

Amy Poehler, a first timer on the list, was No. 13. The Parks & Recreation star earned US$7mil and also signed a book deal. Forbes estimated that the top 20 actresses and reality stars earned a combined total of US$183mil. The complete list can be found at Forbes.com. — Reuters

Glee's Beatles tribute shows

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Yesterday and Help are among the Beatles chestnuts to be tackled on the popular show.

Glee returns for its fifth season with a musical tribute to British pop icon The Beatles, and now details are being revealed about the two-part homage to the Fab Four.

Columbia Records said that it will release a soundtrack for the Glee Beatles episodes – dubbed Glee Sings The Beatles – on Sept 24, two days before the Sept 26 Glee season premiere in the United States.

Along with the announcement came a treasure trove of details about the episodes. The first episode, Love, Love, Love, finds the New Directions crew assigned with tackling the Beatles songbook, as Blaine and Kurt attempt to answer questions about their future together.

Meanwhile, Rachel's New York ambitions take an unexpected turn. On Oct 3, the second episode – dubbed Tina In The Sky With Diamonds – will chronicle Tina's bid for prom queen, as she alienates her biggest supporters with her fierce attitude.

Meanwhile in New York, Rachel and Santana take jobs at a Broadway diner in order to make ends meet.

Incidentally, Glee, which has sold more than 55 million tracks and 13 million albums worldwide, has surpassed The Beatles to set a record for most songs charted on the Billboard Hot 100 by a single act.

Here's the track listing for Glee Sings The Beatles:

1. Yesterday

2. Drive My Car

3. Got To Get You Into My Life

4. You've Got To Hide Your Love Away

5. Help

6. A Hard Day's Night

7. I Saw Her Standing There

8. All You Need Is Love

9. Get Back

10. Here Comes The Sun

11. Something

12. Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

13. Hey Jude

14. Let It Be

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Khamis, 5 September 2013