Amanda Peet makes the jump to playwright

Plus Django and Ted in MTV Movie Awards race; Jon Stewart to take a break from The Daily Show; new Jimi Hendrix recordings released and Kelly Rowland enters the fashion world.

The actress Amanda Peet has written The Commons of Pensacola, which will debut next season. Todd Williamson / AP Photo
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Amanda Peet, who has starred in films such as Syriana and The Whole Nine Yards, has made the jump from actress to playwright. She is set to make her professional debut next season with The Commons of Pensacola, which may attract Blythe Danner and Sarah Jessica Parker for lead roles. Peet, who is married to the Game of Thrones screenwriter David Benioff, wrote the play about a family weathering a financial crisis. Her producer said in a statement that the play was "timely" and that they were in conversation with Danner and Parker. - AP

Django and Ted in MTV Movie Award race

With seven nominations each, Django Unchained and Ted are leading the way in the annual MTV Movie Awards, scheduled to be broadcast on Sunday, April 14. Quentin Tarantino's bloody Western and Seth MacFarlane's comedy tale of a trash-talking teddy bear are both up for Movie of the Year, Best Fight and Best Kiss. It is assumed the two films will clean up at the awards that will be hosted by Rebel Wilson and Will Ferrell. - AP

Stewart to take a break

Jon Stewart will be taking a break from The Daily Show to produce a feature film. From June until September this year, Stewart will take a hiatus to direct his first film, which he wrote. It is based on a book by Maziar Bahari, an Iranian journalist. Rosewater follows the story of Bahari, who was falsely accused of being a spy and jailed by the Iranian government in 2009 while covering Iran's presidential election. Before being jailed he was interviewed on The Daily Show by Jason Jones. Comedy Central announced on Tuesday that John Oliver would replace Stewart for the eight weeks of his absence. - AP

Hendrix makes a comeback

Although the legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix died in 1970, a dozen of his never-before-heard recordings have been released. The album People, Hell and Angels features takes that we have heard before and covers much of the same territory as albums released after his death. However, a statement released by Experience Hendrix, a Sony music unit that oversees his estate and Legacy Recordings, said: "These 12 recordings encompass a variety of unique sounds and styles incorporating many of the elements - horns, keyboards, percussion and second guitar - Jimi wanted to incorporate within his new music." - AFP

Rowland enters the fashion world

"I'm a grown woman now and it's time to do grown-woman things." That's what the former Destiny's Child singer Kelly Rowland told Rolling Stone magazine when she announced her first fashion line. Saying she wanted to launch an affordable but stylish shoe and accessories collection for women, Rowland stated that she is keen that every woman who wears her designs feels amazing, without worrying about the cost. "I want it to be affordable but luxurious, that every woman can have and feel sexy and fly in," added the singer, who recently admitted she was obsessed with shoes. - IANS

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