Britney Spears, Ellen DeGeneres and P Diddy were prematurely pronounced dead on their Twitter pages.

t's been a busy week for celebrity deaths, with Britney Spears, Ellen DeGeneres, Miley Cyrus and P Diddy all shuffling off the mortal coil - if you believe their Twitter pages.

All four stars had their Twitter accounts hacked, with the attackers posting messages that they had died, alarming their followers who were still reeling from the deaths of Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett last week.

It comes after Jeff Goldblum was prematurely pronounced dead by some news outlets, including Richard Wilkins on Nine's Today show, following a false report spread on Twitter that he had fallen off a cliff in New Zealand. Goldblum appeared this week on The Colbert Report comedy show in the US, which made fun of Wilkins' gaffe.

This week pranksters have also used Twitter to spread phoney - but authentic-looking - reports claiming Harrison Ford was killed on a yacht, George Clooney died in a plane crash over the Rockies and Rick Astley was found dead in a hotel room in Berlin.

Some have blamed the spate of death reports on the 4chan web community, which has been responsible for countless internet memes, including lolcats and Rickrolling.

In October last year, Apple's stock price tanked after 4chan users spread a false report claiming CEO Steve Jobs had suffered a major heart attack.

The 4chan community was also responsible for hacking into Sarah Palin's email account and publishing the private messages on the web.

A message on Spears' Twitter account read: "Britney has passed today. It is a sad day for everyone. More news to come."

Other deaths claims on Twitter sites covered Hannah Montana star Miley Cyrus, whose online accounts have been regular targets for hackers, talk show host Ellen DeGeneres and rapper P Diddy, according to social media news site Mashable.com.

Degeneres' account has been suspended "due to strange activity".

The message on Spears' account was quickly taken down, replaced with a new message revealing her account was hacked and that "she is fine and dandy spending a quiet day at home relaxing".

Spears' cannot seem to shake the online pranksters, as in January she fell victim to another, more vulgar Twitter hack. A message posted on her page read: "Hi Yall! Brit Brit here, just wanted to update you all on the size of my vagina. Its about 4 feet wide with razor sharp teeth."

Also in January, web miscreants hacked into Kanye West's Gmail, MySpace and Twitter accounts and spread false reports that he would be open to launching a new career as a bisexual porn star.

In an attempt to rectify the growing problem of fake Twitter pages, the social networking site has introduced a "verified account" system, which places a badge on celebrity profiles once they have been verified as legitimate.

However, this does nothing to ensure the authenticity of tweets made on a Twitter account that has been hacked.

It is understood the hackers were able to broadcast bogus messages on the celebrities' Twitter pages by exploiting a vulnerability in their Twitpic accounts.

Twitpic is a service that allows people to post mobile phone pictures directly on to Twitter. The company said a fix for the flaw had been implemented.

Other celebrities who have had their online accounts compromised recently include Barack Obama, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Justin Timberlake, Hilary Duff, Alicia Keys and Soulja Boy.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are not breaking up

What is it with all the tabloids claiming that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are breaking up? This column can assure you that it’s absolutely not true. They have several kids together, have a saint status for their humanitarian deeds, and have been Hollywood’s hottest couple for the past three years.

Does Jennifer Aniston have something to do with this? After all, Ms. Aniston can’t seem to keep a husband, boyfriend, or even a film career. Perez Hilton and others constantly call her “Maniston” and she is ridiculed throughout the Internet.

It’s most probable that the rumors being spread are by people who are so miserable with their own lives that they love to see celebrities fail. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have what true stars are made of. Unfortunately, that’s just too much for some.

‘Bored with Hollywood’ Jolie ‘eyes White House’ for fulfilmen

Angelina Jolie is reportedly bored with the Hollywood industry and is considering turning to politics to make a difference in the world.

The actress, who has been highlighting the plight of refugees and victims of war and poverty while serving as a UN goodwill ambassador for the last eight years, is allegedly keen on entering the White House.

“Ange has admitted she’s getting bored with Hollywood. She said she’s now got her sights set on Washington,” The Daily Express quoted a friend as saying.

“She is passionate about people’s rights, war and justice and thinks she can get more hands-on and make even more of a difference by getting into politics. She admires Obama and thinks she could make a big difference too if she were in his position,” the pal added.

The 34-year-old may follow in the footsteps of fellow stars like Arnold Schwarz¬enegger with her increased interest in extending humanitarian work.

Angelina Jolie going into politics?

A “friend” of Angelina Jolie tells British tabloid the Daily Express that Angie is bored with Hollywood.

Jolie, who was recently named the world’s most powerful celebrity by Forbes magazine (she dethroned Oprah), has been a goodwill ambassador for the UN for almost 8 years.

Some might argue that Barack Obama is the world’s most powerful celebrity, but that’s beside the point.

The friend says of Jolie: “She is passionate about people’s rights, war and justice and thinks she can get more hands-on, and make even more of a difference by getting into politics. She admires Obama and thinks she could make a big difference too if she were in his position.”

Actors in politics certainly aren’t a new phenomenon – see Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Jolie will be turning 37 in 2012, so she would meet the age requirement.

Our suggestion: Replace the often poorly-spoken Joe Biden as VP with Jolie in 2012, with Jolie having an eye towards a presidential run in 2016.

Deadline Hollywood blog sold for up to $15m

Nikki Finke has sold her US media and entertainment industry news blog, Deadline Hollywood Daily, to Mail Media Corporation in a deal reported to be worth as much as $15m (£9m).

Typically, Finke, the former Newsweek, Los Angeles Times and New York Magazine writer broke news of the sale to MMC yesterday on her own blog, saying the deal would see her become general manager and editor-in-chief. However, she did not reveal the terms.

The Wall Street Journal reported "industry insiders" saying the deal was worth $10m while the Financial Times said the deal was "worth about $15m".

LA-based MMC's purchase of the Deadline Hollywood Daily website adds to its growing roster of entertainment websites. MMC also owns Movieline.com and Hollywoodlife.com.

Finke started the blog as a 24/7 version of her "Deadline Hollywood" column for the LA Weekly. The blog came to prominence during the Hollywood writers' strike in 2007.

Since launching three years ago Deadline Hollywood Daily has become required reading after breaking a succession of industry stories, often scooping established Hollywood titles Variety and Hollywood reporter, making Finke one of the US's foremost entertainment business journalists.

Jay Penske, the chairman and chief executive of MMC, praised Finke as a "world-class journalist" and a leading authority on Hollywood, saying the purchase would allow the site to expand its audience reach and influence.

Angelina Jolie is not worried even though it appears Jennifer is getting very close to Brad. Jennifer Aniston has been spotted on a cozy dinner with a Brad that is not a Pitt (Jolie is probably happy) and was spotted with "The Hangover" star Bradley Cooper.

The couple first met up weeks ago when they reportedly flirted at a party for her movie Management. Now they have met up again in New York for dinner at the Italian restaurant Il Cantinori.

"It was a date," says a source. "She is taking it slowly. She is obviously looking for love but is not about to rush into anything." When the two met up earlier this spring, pals of both dismissed romance rumours. The 34-year-old actor insisted recently: "I am single," before adding that he found the rumors linking himself to Aniston "flattering".

He added: "I'm looking for humor, great personality, intelligence, inner and outer beauty in a woman. And she has to like my dogs [Samson and Charlotte]. My dogs and I come in a package." That shouldn't be a problem for Aniston, 40, a canine lover with two dogs of her own, Norman and Dolly. The actress spent most of the spring shooting the romantic comedy The Baster in New York, while also getting past her March split with John Mayer. "Jen is moving on with her life like she always does," the source added. "She seems happy."

‘Wanted 2’ Director Says Angelina Jolie’s Character Will Return

How do you make a sequel to a movie in which almost every main character winds up dead? According to one report from a Russian news outlet, “Wanted” director Timur Bekmabetov plans to answer that very question by bringing backAngelina Jolie and possibly others in the next installment.

Bekmabetov told RIA Novosti, a Russian news site, that he’s already begun preparations for “Wanted 2,” a sequel to the 2008 actioneer based on Mark Millar and J.G. Jones’ comic book. According to the site, the director promised the return of Jolie, despite her character’s send-off in the first movie.

Other characters could potentially return as well, said the director, including Kostya Khabenskiy’s role as the Exterminator.

“We’ll think about it,” Bekmabetov said, courtesy of Russia-IC’s translation. “We might possibly resurrect him as well.”

There are still others who’d love a shot at returning to the Evan Spiliotopoulos-penned sequel — specifically the Gunsmith himself, as played by “Terminator Salvation” and one-time “Green Lantern” contender Common.

Other characters are probably less likely to return. Morgan Freeman was the first film’s secret villain, having initially served a mentor role to protagonist Wesley Gibson. In the sequel, it’s expected that Terence Stamp would have a larger part to play, potentially fulfilling a similar advisory capacity — or even boasting Freeman’s own duplicitous nature.

Whatever the case may be, our answers on the “Wanted 2″ front should be coming soon, as Bekmabetov said that the film will begin preparations in July.

“In July, we will start preparation for the film. I think in late autumn or winter, shooting will be performed,” said the director. “The shooting will take place in America, India and Russia.”