Johnny Depp will return to his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in “Pirates of the Caribbean:On stranger Tides,” which will begin shooting this summer on Oahu and Kauai and be released in 2011. The film is produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Rob Marshall. “We’ve always sought out the most extraordinary and exotic locations. Hawaii provides an amazing range of both land and seascapes, and we’re delighted to return for Pirates of the Caribbean ’On Stranger Tides,” ” Jerry Bruckheimer said in a statement. Small portions of “Pirates of the Caribbean:On stranger Tides,” were shot on Maui and Molokai. Lingle estimated the production will generate $85 million in spending in Hawaii, which is reeling from the steep drop off in tourism stemming from the global economic crisis

The 30 million dollar deal for Conan O’ Brien to exit  which still has to be formally signed, could be announced as early as Friday. Individuals in Conan O’Brien’s camp declined to comment. NBC President and CEO Jeff Zucker, NBCU Television Entertainment Chairman Jeff Gaspin and Co Chairman NBC Entertainment and NBC Television Studio Marc Graboff were involved in the final all night negotiations. The deal was brokered by Universal COO Ron Meyer, who was brought in on Tuesday, after talks had reached an impasse.

Neither comedian actor Russell Brand nor his lovely fiancée pop singer Katy Perry is known for biting their tongues, so this union sounds like a good one. Their attraction was instant. They just met at last year’s VH1 Video Music Awards. While they have not announced a date, they have confirmed the engagement. Considering Perry’s songs “Ur So Gay,” “I Kissed a Girl” and “Hot N Cold” have such funny overtones, I am anxious to see what influence Russell Brand might have on her music.

“Taylor Lautner will get  $7.5 Mil for the Film “Northern Lights” due to start filming in April, is about a young aerobatics pilot who faces off with his controlling billionaire father played by no other then Tom Cruise and falls in love with a female pilot. “Northern Lights” is produced by David Ellison’s Skydance Productions, which has a first look deal with Paramount Pictures. Taylor Lautner previously was announced as the star of Paramount’s “Max Steel,” based on the Mattel toy line and comic book. Taylor Lautner also has the Garry Marshall directed romantic comedy “Valentine’s Day” coming out Feb. 12 from New Line.

Soundgarden split in 1997, but former frontman Chris Cornell recently gave hope to fans by admitting he would “never count out”  the idea of a reunion. Now Chris Cornell lead singer has confirmed the rockers, including guitarist Kim Thayil, bassist Ben Shepherd and drummer Matt Cameron, are back together and planning a series of concerts. All four members attended a Pearl Jam show in Los Angeles in October when Chris Cornell briefly reunited the grunge supergroup Temple of the Dog, and plans for a Soundgarden reunion are said to have taken shape shortly afterwards.

Elton John says Eminem is succeeding in his well publicized battle against substance abuse. Elton John told BBC Radio Saturday that as a recovered drug abuser he is happy to help people if they want the assistance but drugs make people so cocky and arrogant that they often reject help. Eminem has written about his substance abuse problems in the past

Lady Gaga was performing her hit Poker Face at the gig in Atlanta, Georgia on Tuesday night when an audience member hurled a large bunch of flowers onstage. But the fan’s enthusiastic throw nearly caused a dangerous accident after the flowers smacked Lady Gaga on the head as she performed. The Just Dance hitmaker refused to let the incident halt the gig, straightening up her hat and carrying on her routine until the end of the concert.

Top 7 Concert Acts 2009 below is a listing of each band.

1. U2- $123 Million

2 Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band -$94.5 million.

3. Elton John and Billy Joel -$88 Million.

4. Britney Spears- $82.5 million.

5. AC/DC - $77.9 million.

6. Kenny Chesney -$71.1 Million.

7.  Jonas Brothers -$69.8 million.

What you think of these bands still making a buck? That the Top 7 Concerts Acts for 2009

The Malibu area has been buzzing since a video was added to The Edge’s website in the last several weeks, perhaps in anticipation of an upcoming California Coastal Commission hearing on the proposal. Against a  track of New Age music, with birds tweeting in the background, fawning proponents of The Edge’s plans praise the Malibu project. His supporters include Bonny Reiss, Gov. Schwarzenegger’s former senior advisor, and, more surprisingly, Mark Massara, head of the Sierra Club’s Great Coastal Places Campaign.
“It’s going to take those visionary leaders being associated with projects like these, that are going to show how to make the California coastline a model of sustainability,” Massara says on the video, in which he all but encourages the Coastal Commission to embrace the proposal. Clearly The Edge is lining up all the political muscle and environmentalist star power he possibly can. The Edge even got a well connected PR and lobbying firm California Strategies backing him up.

“I cannot, after one night, even begin to imagine what it must be like to sleep rough on London’s streets night after night,” Prince William said Tuesday. “Poverty, mental illness, drug and alcohol dependency and family breakdown cause people to become and then stay homeless in London’s streets.” ” I hope that by deepening my understanding of the issue, I can help do my bit to help the most vulnerable on our streets.” Said Prince William, second in line to the throne, was exposed to some of the hardships found on London’s streets when his mother, Princess Diana, took him to a shelter in 1996. Just 13 at the time, Prince William spent an hour at the facility with his younger brother, Harry.