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FAME PICTURES

Drew Barrymore apparently whipped him good.

A source tells E! News that Justin Long, who remains "distraught" over being dumped by the Charlie's Angels star, has dropped out of the roller derby comedy "Whip It!" which marks Barrymore's feature directorial debut.

"He couldn't stand working with her and not being with her," the Long insider says. "He's too upset."

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Virgin

A couple of former Pumpkins are ripe for courting.

James Iha and D'Arcy Wretzky-Brown, original strummers for alt-rock hitmakers the Smashing Pumpkins, have sued Virgin Records America, claiming the band's former longtime label screwed them out of royalties for ringtones, file downloads and other "electronic transmissions."

According to the lawsuit filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Virgin inked an exclusive deal with frontman Billy Corgan in 2005 to license their tunes without Iha's and D'arcy's OKs.

"Such unauthorized commercial exploitation by Virgin constitutes a material breach under a recording agreement" the plaintiffs and Corgan entered into with the label in 1998, which included clauses covering distribution channels and "technology...hereafter developed," the suit states.

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20th Century Fox

In the first twist of this year's San Diego Comic-Con, an unscheduled Hugh Jackman bonded with fans and showcased footage from next summer's prequel, X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

"Without you guys, I wouldn't have a career," Jackman told an energized crowd, who had gathered to see Keanu Reeves promote The Day the Earth Stood Still and Mark Wahlberg talk about Max Payne.

The party-crashing Jackman, muttonchops-free and just off a plane from Australia, offered a shout-out to Wolverine creator Len Wein and waded into the audience to shake hands with the comics vet.

Sneak-peek footage from the flick, due May 2009, had a few surprises as well:

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Warner Bros. Entertainment.com

Can anything stop the Batman?

With The Dark Knight having blown past $200 million on Tuesday, just five days into its release, the answer apparently is no.

Steve Mason, lead box-office analyst for FantasyMoguls.com, said he thinks the movie will pick up another $70 million-$80 million this coming weekend, helping it blow past $300 million in less than 10 days.

"There's never been anything like it," Mason says via email.

The seemingly endless record grosses are coming despite a pair of offscreen incidents that, individually, have helped kill lesser movies: (1) the shocking death of one star and (2) the criminal allegations against another.

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Press Association via AP Images

The third time was apparently the charm for Pete Doherty. At least in terms of punctuality.

After missing his two previous hearings on the matter, the Babyshambles frontman finally appeared in British court today to cop to roughing up a paparazzo.

Officially, Doherty pleaded guilty to a charge of causing criminal damage stemming from an encounter last summer.

The Yeovil Magistrates Court accepted Doherty's plea, with the magistrate ruling that there was a "degree of provocation" in the incident before fining the rocker roughly $2,000.

"Yeah, it was OK today. It should have been sorted out ages ago, to be honest," Doherty said outside the court. "It's been hanging over me a long time."

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AP Photo/American Eagle Foundation

The eaglet has landed flown the coop.

Two 14-week-old apparently well-connected bald eaglets, who earlier this year were christened "Hope" and "Tennessee" by Miley Cyrus and papa Billy Ray following the birds' births at Dolly Parton's Dollywood park, have been released into the wild by the nonprofit American Eagle Foundation.

Neither Cyrus was on hand to witness the event, which took place today at Tennessee's Douglas Lake near the Great Smoky Mountains.

A group of Hannah Montana fans, however, was happily on hand for the birds' release.

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Mike Marsland/WireImage.com

The Dark Knight has decided to keep everybody in the dark when it comes to allegations of assault lodged by his Batmom and Batsis.

During a press conference promoting The Dark Knight in Barcelona last night, Christian Bale decided to keep his private life private when faced by relentless queries from the press about what went down in a London hotel room that resulted in him being questioned for more than four hours by police.

"It's a deeply personal matter," Bale said. "I would ask you to respect my privacy in the matter."

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AP Photo/Jennifer Graylock

Score one for normalcy.

Oscar-nominated actress Amy Adams has confirmed, without fanfare or baby bump, that she is engaged to her boyfriend of six years, actor Darren Legallo.

Adams' rep Megan Moss confirmed to E! News that the thespian couple will tie the knot sometime next year.

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AP Photo/Manu Fernandez

Christian Bale's family ties are a little loose right now, but his marital relations appear to be holding fast.

Sources close to the Dark Knight star tell E! News that, contrary to new headlines suggesting that his eight-year marriage to Sandra Blazic is on the rocks, "his and Sibi's marriage is solid."

Marital troubles are just one of the reasons being bandied about to explain the seemingly random alleged showdown between Bale and his mother, Jenny, and sister Sharon at a London hotel that resulted in the actor's arrest Tuesday when he turned himself in for questioning.

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