Michael Jackson used to listen to motivational tapes when he slept

Michael Jackson listened to motivation tapes which told him he was ”a good person” when he stayed with Jane Fonda for two weeks in 1981.

Michael Jackson used to listen to motivational tapes when he slept.

The late singer – who died of acute Propofol intoxication in 2009 – stayed with veteran actress Jane Fonda in 1981, and she was surprised to discover a series of recordings urging him to be a good person that he kept under his pillow.

She told TV talk show host Rosie O’Donnell: “Michael Jackson lived with me for 10 days when I was making ‘On Golden Pond’. He slept on a mattress that he put on the floor, I was in the loft, and there was a tape recorder, and I looked down and I could see a cord under his pillow and it was a tape that he would listen to and it would say, ‘You’re a good person, it’s going to be OK.’ ”

Meanwhile, the ‘Thriller’ hitmaker’s house has been recreated for an auction in Beverly Hills on Saturday (17.12.11).

More than 500 pieces of fine art that filled his home on 100 North Carolwood Drive have joined items including a chalk board with ‘love you Daddy’ written on and a piano on display ahead of the sale.

However, the bed in which he passed away in will not be sold by Julien’s Auctions following a special request from Michael’s mother Katherine Jackson.

Meryl Streep “carried” the role of Margaret Thatcher with her for some time

Meryl Streep ”carried” the role of Margaret Thatcher with her for some time, as she found the part more personal” than the other characters she has played throughout her career.

The Oscar-winning actress – who portrays the British political leader in upcoming movie ‘The Iron Lady’ – admitted she found it difficult to leave the part behind, as it was “more personal” than the other characters she has played throughout her career.

She said: “With something like ‘It’s Complicated’, I really left it at the set. But this I carried with me more, because it was more personal.

“Just standing that way for a long time was wearing. And the banked energy of playing someone whose energy has ebbed, it had an effect. It did have an effect. It reminded me so much of my mother and my grandmother. It’s emotional to go into these places.”

However, the 62-year-old star explained she had initial doubts about taking on the role of Thatcher until she fully “immersed” herself in the part by listening to recordings of the politician’s most-famous speeches.

Meryl added in an interview with Culture magazine: “I was all over the place. I was calling my husband, saying, ‘Why did I ever say I could do this? I can’t do this!’ And he says, ‘You always say that. Always.’ I say, ‘I do not, this is the first time’.

“I just have to immerse myself in the messy way I do it. It’s a sort of focused chaos, is how I’d put my process. I was listening, listening, listening – rather than watching. I don’t hear anything that isn’t her.”

Katie Holmes makes Tom Cruise take dance classes with her

Tom Cruise has revealed his wife Katie Holmes makes him and their five-year-old daughter Suri go to family dance classes.

The 49-year-old actor – who has five-year-old daughter Suri with the actress – says his spouse is responsible for him agreeing to star in forthcoming movie musical ‘Rock of Ages’ because she is always trying to instil a love of the performing arts in her family.

He said: “You’re just as surprised as I am [that I'm in the movie]. Kate kept saying, ‘You’ve got to make a musical.’ The dancing of ['Tropic Thunder' character] Les Grossman is inspired because Kate is a dancer, she sings, and she would take us to dance classes.

“She would say, ‘I’ve got this dance class for the family, come on we’ve got to do it, we’ve got hip-hop class, we’ve got to do it.’ ”

Tom plays 80s rocker Stacee Jaxx in the movie – which also stars Alex Baldwin, Catherine Zeta Jones, Mary J. Blige and Julianne Hough – and though the actor studied the musicians of the period, he insists his character is not based on anyone in particular.

He told MTV News: “I just kind of studied the whole time period and read a lot of books.”

Johnny Depp has confessed he avoids paying tax in France

Johnny Depp makes sure he doesn’t spend any longer than 183 days at his home in the South of France to avoid paying tax to the government.

Johnny Depp has confessed he avoids paying tax in France.

The ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ actor makes sure he doesn’t spend longer than 183 days at his home in the South of France to ensure he doesn’t have to make a payment on his earnings to the government and he also doesn’t want to give up his US citizenship by becoming a full-time resident in the European country.

Speaking about the legal practice, he is quoted by The Sun newspaper as saying: “If I spend more than 183 days in France I have to start paying income tax there.

“So I live between wherever I am on location and the States. France wanted me to become a permanent resident for money.

“But permanent residency status changes everything. I’m not ready to give up my American citizenship.”

The 48-year-old star – who has two children, daughter Lily-Rose, 12, and son Jack, nine, with his long-term French partner Vanessa Paradis – has previously admitted he prefers spending time at his French home rather than in Hollywood because he can relax.

He said: “We have a great place in the south of France. It’s a little hamlet – only about 45 acres – and I don’t do anything.

“I’ve not left the property for three months at a time. I literally just wake up, go out, check the garden and see the vegetables growing. It’s a pristine existence in terms of simplicity.”

WASHINGTON: Lady Gaga is coming to the White House

The pop singer is meeting with Obama administration staffers Tuesday to discuss her work on bullying prevention. The White House held an anti-bullying conference earlier this year, and the administration estimates that bullying affects 13 million students, or about a third of those attending school

However, Gaga won’t have a chance to meet with President Barack Obama. He’s traveling to Kansas for a speech on the economy.

The president and Gaga have met before. The singer attended a fundraiser for Obama’s re-election campaign in California earlier this year.

Madonna to star in halftime show of Super Bowl XLVI

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Madonna will perform in the halftime show of Super Bowl XLVI on February 5, the NFL announced late Sunday.

She joins a who’s who of music on the list of Super Bowl performers — including The Who, Bruce Springsteen, Prince, the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and U2.

The pop queen’s performance will see her team with Cirque Du Soleil and will follow the opening of her film “W.E.” — about the love affair between Britain’s King Edward VIII and American divorcee Wallis Simpson — two days earlier.

Super Bowl XLVI will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Katy Perry and Russell Brand Laugh Off Rumors

Katy Perry’s life is becoming a soap opera.

At least, that’s how the pop star sees it, given all the rumors surrounding her in recent days.

First, there was speculation that she was expecting, which she colorfully denied. Now, there have been rumors that her marriage is on the rocks – something Perry also denied Wednesday night with a joke on Twitter.

“First I’m pregnant & then I’m divorced. What am I All My Children?!” she quipped.

Husband Russell Brand also issued a joking denial of a split during a taping for Friday’s The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

“I am really happily married,” he says, adding it’s difficult to avoid Internet rumors “because a lot of the nude women Web sites I quite enjoy.”

On Wednesday night, Perry helped announce the Grammy nominations at a live concert in Los Angeles, where she sported her wedding ring. (Perry also snagged two nominations herself.)

Perry, 27, and Brand, 36, were married in October 2010 in a lavish ceremony – that included two elephants as well as acrobats and jugglers – at a luxury resort in northern India.

Since then, they’ve had nothing but fawning words for one another in interviews, with Perry calling Brand her great man of God, and he gushing about his spiritual and emotional connection to his bride.

Kim Kardashian ‘Doesn’t Want a Battle’ with Kris Humphries

Kris Humphries’s filing for an annulment has shaken up Kim Kardashian, even though she had considered doing the same thing, a source tells PEOPLE.

“The filing is, of course, upsetting,” says the source, who is close to the reality starlet. “She respects Kris and just wants them both to find peace and move on. … Kim doesn’t want a battle.”

The NBA player went to court Wednesday with a request to annul their 72-day marriage on the grounds of fraud. If granted, it would be legally tantamount to the elaborate, filmed-for-TV wedding having never taken place.

Kardashian originally had looked into filing an annulment, says the source, but opted instead for a divorce petition because she was told it would be too difficult to prove the grounds for an annulment in court.

“Kim is sad how things ended up,” says the source. “The split was a devastating decision from the beginning.”