January Jones for Versace Accessories

Now that we’ve said goodbye to 2010, the countdown for ad campaigns for the Spring/Summer 2011 collections begins. One of the first off of the mark is Versace, who have the lovely Mad Men actress, January Jones, modelling their Spring/Summer 2011 Accessories; so glad to see January getting some recognition from the fashion industry. The campaign was shot by legendary Mario Testino and girlfriend looks fierce.

Inside Jessica Biel, Justin Timberlake's Star-Studded Engagement Party

Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake are one step closer to living happily ever after!

On Saturday, the pair, who got engaged in December, ware feted with an engagement party that took place at the California home of Timberlake's longtime friend and HomeMint collaborator Estee Stanley.

At the soiree, guests were dressed in cocktail attire with the men wearing suits and the women donning black dresses. Timberlake, 31, wore a black suit and a fedora; Biel, 30, worked a leopard-print halter dress cinched at the waist with a hot pink belt and matching shoes. Gourmet appetizers were served by Wolfgang Puck Catering along with wine and champagne.

Celebrities on the guest list for the 100-attendee soiree, which included the couple's friends and family: Lance Bass, JC Chasez, Trace Ayala, Ellen DeGeneres, Portia DeRossi and Amy Adams.

"Jessica and Justin were mingling both separately and together throughout the party," an insider tells Us Weekly. "Jessica seems to be very close with Justin's friends and vice versa. You can see that they have been dating for a long time and really know each others friends and family well. The party was a fun celebration and a preview of what's to come with the wedding."

Earlier this month, Biel and Timberlake tried on wedding bands at jewelry boutique Eli Halili in New York City's Soho neighborhood ahead of making their red carpet debut as an engaged couple at the 2012 Met Ball.

Set to wed this year, the couple of five years spent over a half an hour in the shop with jewelry designer Halili, trying on wedding bands and perusing other pieces in the shop, including one-of-a-kind ancient rings and precious stone necklaces.

Although they didn't select their wedding bands during the jaunt, the twosome did drop $6,500 -- buying a $2,200 ring (a 24 carat gold ring with a labradorite semi-precious stone) and two necklaces ($2,500 and $1,800, respectively).

Jennifer Lopez & Marc Anthony together again ?

Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony,together on Vegas stage, make pace for business sake ?

The  separated couple, nearly 11 months ago after seven years of marriage, appared hand-in-hand at the  concert show in Las Vegas.

Denise Richards: ‘I’m a Very Forgiving Person’

Denise Richards must sleep well knowing the karma gods will forever be on her side. Despite her ex-husband Charlie Sheen's antics in recent years (which included insulting her as part of his bizarre live show tour last year), the actress with the impressively sunny disposition has continually taken the high road time and time again, keeping up a friendly relationship with her ex, never uttering a disparaging comment about him, and even, mostly recently, agreeing to appear on his new TV series, which will surely help him out with his ratings.

But why be so … nice?

"I've always been a very forgiving person and I think that you should move on from situations. I don't like to have that toxic energy and hold on to things. I like to move on and move past it," she tells omg! from Yahoo in an exclusive interview.

But there are bigger reasons too. A couple of them, actually.

"As the world has seen … it's been up and down and I'm honest about that. There's times where it's good and times where it's not," she admits. "So I do it for myself to not hold on to that and also for the kids. I've always come from a place of putting things aside for our children. And, you know, everyone benefits from that, especially the kids."

Though Richards and Sheen divorced in 2006 after the couple had two daughters together — Sam, now 8, and Lola, who turns 7 next week — today, Richards is a mom of three after adopting daughter Eloise as an infant about a year ago.

Robin Williams Dead? How The Internet Rumor Mill Kills Off the Same Celebrities Time and Again

The rumor that actor and comedian Robin Williams is dead is just the latest in a long line of Twitter death hoaxes or users conflating information to reach an erroneous conclusion, and usually, a mix of the two.

Every few months, it seems there is a spike in “Robin Williams dead” searches after a spate of Twitter activity claiming the actor has died. And Robin Williams is far from the only celebrity frequently killed off accidentally by Twitter users, or on purpose by web trolls seeking out lulz or traffic.

So is Robin Williams dead? No. Neither is Mel Gibson, who has been pitched off an imaginary cliff at intervals by the internet death hoaxing webizens. Nor George Clooney, who was purported to have fallen off the selfsame cliff in New Zealand. Or even Rick Astley, Miley Cyrus, Reba McEntire or Tom Cruise, all celebrities who have been prone to the death hoax urban legend.

One of the things that makes the “Robin Williams dead” rumor and those of its ilk so “sticky” is the fact that it comes from an undated, unverified web tale that may will mistake for an actual news story. So while some elements of a story like one that would run were Robin Williams dead remain (location, details, comment), a date is suspiciously left off, allowing the rumor that the actor has died to pop up every six months or so and confuse many people who are new to the story.

But it appears another unrelated circumstance has reignited the rumor that Robin Williams died- yesterday the music world lost Robin Gibb, a Bee Gee and a fellow 70′s star. Those too young to remember rollerskating to “Stayin’ Alive” or watching Mork and Mindy on the TV might have searched for a dead Robin from the 70′s, turning up one false story about how Robin Williams died in place of a truer one and giving the rumor credence once again.

Latest Fashion Trends

Latest fashion trends are showcasing checkered coats and pants in shades of grey, navy blue and maroon. Leather fitted pants in black worn under double breasted coats in shades of grey looks super hot and sexy as per latest fashion trends. Wear black and white minuscule checkered coats over black pants with checkered trimmings. Women this year are wearing men’s boots with laces or really long and fitted wellington boots under skinny leather pants.

Bright coloured pants in shades of yellow and orange are very IN this year. You can wear silk shirts in blues and blacks over them. Checkered coats in red and bright blue are also very in fashion this year.  You can wear high heel strappy sandals if you want to look like a hip woman wearing the latest fashion trends

Over sized fur coats are also very much in fashion this year. You can get them in powder pink. Grey or shades f fawn and black. Sky blue coats with buckles across in chest in black leather worn over a pair of sheer sexy leggings make you look smoking hot like a woman who knows how to follow the latest fashion trends. Electric blue shirts and pants are all the rage this year. Wear them with gold jewellery and other accessories of metallic shades of gold, high heel shoes in gold with electric blue is a sizzling and sexy combination.

Layer up this fall if you want to follow the latest fashion trends get a bright coloured leather coat and wear it over a woolen polo neck or a suede dress in black. Wear a hot and sexy silk scarf with it or you can go for a woolen scarf if you want to stay cozy. Read chiffon ankle length dress are also quiet in fashion this year. These chiffon frocks have net blouses o that have a closed collar and fitted full sleeves. You can also opt for a topless and sleeveless fitted bodice made of net or lace if you want to look like a siren who follows the latest fashion trends.

Sheer lace and simple leggings are quiet in fashion this year. Make sure you get yourself a pair in fawn, white and black at least.

Calvin Klein Descends on Korea for a 700-Person-Strong BashCalvin Klein Descends on Korea for a 700-Person-Strong Bash

Lara Stone, Kevin Carrigan, and Hanneli Mustaparta  

Calvin Klein's event in Seoul, South Korea, last night was all about making connections—digital and analog. For realization of the concept, the destination had to be special. And, yes, the rooftop party zone above Seoul Station did surprise, kitted out as it was with a long gray carpet, bars, lounges, and media galleries, as well as a terrace overlooking a 23-story building across the street. Projected onto the structure's facade was an installation by New York-based digital artist Rafaël Rozendaal,MuchBetterThanThis.Com, featuring multicolored silhouettes of people kissing.

Adding to the evening's glamour quotient were Kate Bosworth and Chloë Moretz, making rare appearances in Korea. Moretz, star of the new Dark Shadows, said it was her mother who got her into wearing Calvin Klein. And there was no shortage of Korean celebrities, either—from Lee Hyori, Yoon Eun-hye, and Go Ara to supermodel Lee Hyun Yi and the K-pop band EXO-K—all dressed in minimalist Calvin Klein.

Creative director Francisco Costa worked the crowd with Lara Stone on his arm. Having visited South Korea a few times already, the globe-trotting designer was optimistic about the future: "We chose Seoul Station, an important landmark in the world's most digitally advanced country," he said, because "we wanted to show our global connectivity through media, art, and fashion."

Speaking of connectivity, in addition to Rozendaal's installation, the media artist Scott Snibbe and the collective Flightphase, in collaboration with New York's New Museum of Contemporary Art, showed their works against a presentation of the Fall 2012 offerings from all of the Calvin Klein lines. The night's most popular spot was where top model Matthew Terry posed in nothing but the brand's signature briefs. Let's just say it was the smartphones doing the talking.

Justin Bieber & Selena Gomez’s Romantic Lunch Date

The couple shared a meal at their favorite restaurant: Benihana! We love how they have a routine — they’re too adorable together!

Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez are wild about each other, and they continued celebrating her return from Bulgaria with a May 26 trip to their favorite date spot: the local Benihana!

Justin, 18, and Selena, 19, were spotted getting some gas en route and then heading to the Sherman Oaks, Calif. restaurant. It’s crazy that two superstars could be regulars at such a normal place!

Do YOU think Justin and Selena will be in love forever, HollywoodLifers?

Nicole Kidman's red carpet marriage

Cannes, France (AP) — Nicole Kidman's red carpet date travelled for 35 hours to join her in Cannes.

The actress's husband — musician Keith Urban — made the trip from Sydney, where's he's been filming "The Voice," to escort her up the famous Palais stairs.

And Kidman says his effort meant "everything" to her.

"As long as he's there, he's my rock, everything's fine. I feel a little out to sea if he's not there."

Not that she didn't know what she was doing.

It's the star's fifth time in Cannes, so she's used to the huge photocalls, press conferences and international interviews that take place in the French palm tree scattered coastal resort.

This time Kidman has two movies showing — "The Paperboy," which is competing for the Palme d'Or, and, outside of competition, HBO movie "Hemmingway & Gellhorn."

Her red carpet moment was for the former, directed by Lee Daniels, where she stars alongside Zac Efron and Matthew McConaughey.

A steamy Southern noir, it's about a journalist who returns to his Florida roots to investigate a murder.

"The Paperboy" received mixed reactions at press screenings before the premiere — so the cast were delighted when the audience took to their feet to clap for 15 minutes after seeing it.

But while a teary Efron described the ovation as one of the most profound moments of his life, Kidman remained dry-eyed

"We got an amazing standing ovation, which was great. This is my fifth time so I've had many, many, many different reactions," she said. "That's the longest standing 'O' I've ever gotten at Cannes."

Daniels and the rest of the cast, however, were overwhelmed.

"Lee was crying, but I wasn't crying. I cry at my kids, I cry with my family, I don't really cry outside of that — that's the stuff that brings me to tears!" Kidman said. "All of this other stuff, the glitter, and those sort of things, I'm more sort of immune to at this stage. It's probably because I've been doing it for so long."

She also credits this sense of perspective — one that puts showbiz further down her list of priorities — with keeping her relationship on an even keel, even if it does involve a lot of international travel.

"Keith and I have been at this for a long time. We know where it all stands, so there's kind of a practicality in a sense," she explained.

While that doesn't sound very romantic, Kidman says travelling around is essential in keeping their relationship alive and enjoyable.

"We can have a really cool life together because that's what matters. In terms of romance, for us, that's so much more important than any of this," she says, gesturing to the lights and the cameras pointing at her.

The 65th Cannes Film Festival runs to Sunday 27th when the jury sits down to choose its prizewinners.

Antonio Banderas, Other Famous Leading Men Open Up About Growing Old

      

Not a month goes by that we don't see a female celebrity asked in an interview about aging and how it's affecting her looks. Since we all know metabolism slows with age, what exactly does she do to keep her fit physique? How does she keep her skin looking so fresh (when it's so old, the question seems to imply)? This month, however, it's the men who are opening up about aging. The new issue of AARPmagazine features a list of 21 sexy male celebrities older than 50, including NBC News anchor and frequent "30 Rock" guest star Brian Williams, movie star Antonio Banderas, and actor/Mr. Barbra Streisand of 14 years, James Brolin.

Williams, 53, reveals that, not surprisingly and despite what we read, men do think about growing older. "All guys wake up and expect to see an 18-year-old in the mirror," he said. "Lately, the guy I see looks a heck of a lot more like my late father, but there's nothing you can do about it! Just live your life and realize it may be true that the only guy who really looks good with three days' growth is George Clooney." But unlike many women and men, Williams says he's not too concerned with his diet. "I cannot pass an Arby's or Taco Bell without swerving into the parking lot. I see folks who read the content label on a piece of chocolate. I don't want to live that way. Eating mashed yeast and potting soil is not my idea of a fulfilling meal."

"Zorro" star Banderas, on the other hand, is more strict when it comes to what he puts in his body. The buff 51-year-old, who married "Working Girl" actress Melanie Griffith in 1996, has a more rigid physical routine. "I work out every morning, and when I'm finished, the first thing I put in my body is white tea," Banderas says. "Everything is about balance." When it comes to another aspect of his looks — his once flowing, full head of dark hair — Banderas admits that things have changed. "I'm a little bald, but I don't think the pressure is just a Hollywood thing," the "Puss in Boots" star says. "It's a social thing."

Former "Hotel" star Brolin, who's still handsome at 71, explains that his secret to aging gracefully is to take everything in stride. "Stress can take years off your life. I don't get rattled about many things," Brolin says. " thinks everything has to get done right now. My theme is, 'What's your hurry?'

Chris Brown Fans Send Death Threats to Model Chrissy Teigen

Chris Brown fans have a temper as fiery as their idol. After model Chrissy Teigen, fiancée of musician John Legend, tweeted her dismay that the "Turn Up the Music" singer was lip-synching during his Billboard Music Awards performance, droves of members of "Team Breezy" inundated the model with hate messages, even death threats. "You need to be raped and murdered," one fan tweeted to Teigen, while another added, "i hope you are the next 'celebrity' to die." Some even suggested she should kill herself because "your [sic] nothing."

What did Teigen, 26, say to bring on such hate? "Why sing when you can dance?" — which didn't even mention Brown specifically. Still, his fans must have been sensitive since Brown, who is very auto-tuned on his albums, was the only person on the stage that night who clearly lip-synched his performance. And the Sports Illustrated swimsuit model wasn't the only one who tweeted about Brown's lack of vocal ability. Pink and her husband, Carey Hart, also weighed in while he was onstage. "One day if i lipsync, i hope i do it as well as him," wrote the "Raise Your Glass" singer.

Teigen, known for her smart humor on Twitter, took the high road in the matter. "Reallllly makes me sad that 99% of the most disturbing comments come from young girls," she tweeted. "I'll end it there but it makes me sad." She also added that she had taken screengrabs of the hate messages, including the offender's Twitter handles, "And I will do everything I can to make sure people know, internet or not, you CAN'T say this s--t."

So what was Brown's response to all this? Pretty much what you'd expect from the guy who beat up Rihanna and threw a chair through a window at "Good Morning America." Although he told his fans to stop sending death threats, even though "I know y'all bout that life," the 23-year-old warned that their actions are only "turning haters into victims" — implying that Teigen brought on their wrath — "And that only furthers their pointless existence!"

Matthew McConaughey pulls off Cannes double header

CANNES, France (AP) — To have one film competing at the Cannes Film Festival is a privilege. To have two, Matthew McConaughey says, is wonderful good fortune — and the reward for a spell of hard labor in the trenches of independent cinema.

In Lee Daniels' steamy Southern noir "The Paperboy," McConaughey plays a journalist who returns to his Florida hometown to investigate a murder.

In Jeff Nichols' "Mud," which screened Saturday as the festival's final competition entry, he is a story-spinning fugitive holed up on an island in the Mississippi who is befriended by two local boys.

McConaughey laughs when asked if having two movies competing for the Palme d'Or gives him divided loyalties.

"That would be a high-class problem," he said. "I'm really, really endeared to both of them for different reasons — and they're very, very different from each other.

"I'm very honored. I've got two films that I'm proud of, two experiences that I really loved, and I've got two characters that I really care about."

The two films take the Texas-born actor on a tour of the U.S. South — and of men on society's margins.

In "The Paperboy," McConaughey's Ward James is a crusading reporter with dark depths to his psyche that imperil his quest for the truth.

His title character in "Mud" is being hunted as a dangerous fugitive, but may be a wild innocent driven by love.

Critics have hailed McConaughey's turn in "Mud," and director Daniels said he was wowed by McConaughey's nuanced performance in "The Paperboy."

"I'm so happy that he's so understated in the film," Daniels said. "There were moments when I didn't recognize Matthew."

McConaughey said the roles were the result of a decision to "shake things up" in a career that has seen him take leads in a mixed bag of romcoms ("Failure to Launch," ''Fool's Gold") — and, as he noted at Cannes, play lots of lawyers, in films from "A Time to Kill" to "The Lincoln Lawyer."

"I was looking for some characters that didn't necessarily pander to convention, or even didn't pander to plot," he said, long legs stretched out on a sofa in a Cannes hotel. "They're all kind of characters that live on the fringe, on the outskirts of society. But they're really human characters.

"What I was really looking for is some things where I could hang my hat and be the architect of my man, and it's based on humanity and reality. It's not based on morality or on good or bad or right and wrong."

That's where the similarities end between his two Cannes films. "The Paperboy" takes a Pete Dexter crime novel and mixes in director Daniels' fascination with shifting sexual and racial allegiances.

In "Mud," Arkansas-born director Nichols creates an affecting coming-of-age story with echoes of Mark Twain, rooted in the landscape of his home state.

"Lee is very different from Jeff Nichols," McConaughey said. "Lee's not a linear thinker at all. Jeff Nichols was very linear — he wrote the script, wrote each word on purpose, and would be editing in his head after he thought he'd got his take.

"Lee grabbed this book but created his own world."

McConaughey's Cannes double-header is the product of remarkable year of work that saw him shoot five independent films with strikingly different directors.

As well as "The Paperboy" and "Mud," he was a sheriff in Richard Linklater's dark comedy "Bernie," a club owner in Steven Soderbergh's male-stripper movie "Magic Mike" and a hitman in William Friedkin's thriller "Killer Joe."

The 42-year-old actor has never been busier — or, it seems, happier.

"I fired out of bed every morning so excited, and a little scared about going to work, but excited to go and get into it," he said. "I love the energy of an independent film. Time is so precious. There's no go-back-to-the-trailer time. It's a very vital experience, and I like that."

It was also an education in modern American cinema from five filmmakers with strong personal styles.

"Friedkin, you'd do one take, maybe two," McConaughey said. "Usually one. Soderbergh: minimalist. He's more of a shaper.

"With Linklater — this was our third time working together. We do all this character work together. ... We have a shorthand together."

McConaughey will find out Sunday, when the film festival wraps up, whether either of his Cannes films has taken a prize.

Next up, he hopes, is "The Dallas Buyers' Club," a drama based on a true story about illegal AIDS drugs in the 1980s that he's long sought to make with director Jean-Marc Vallee.

"I never had a rule on what to do, just keep trying to do different things," he said. "But it's got to be more than that. I was instinctually drawn to this kind of material where I was not necessarily drawn to some other comedies or things that I've done in the past.

"I'm more fulfilled with the work probably than I've ever been, and more turned on by it, and I hope that continues."

Slim Beyonce Wears Sexy Cowgirl Outfit for First Post-Baby Concert

Beyonce

Sasha Fierce is back on top!

In Atlantic City on Friday, Beyonce took the stage in a skin-baring ensemble at Revel Beach's Ovation Hall for her first concert since 2011. Her debut performance is the first of four shows this Memorial Day Weekend.

By the looks of her bod, it's hard to believe that just five months has passed since the songstress, 30, gave birth to daughter Blue Ivy-- her first child with husband Jay-Z.

The slim and radiant star dazzled in a silver, fringe-adorned, cowgirl-inspired one-piece bodysuit and nude fishnet stockings. She swapped her signature cobalt blue Nails Inc. Baker Street nail color (an homage to her first-born) for a neon fuchsia polish that matched her eye-popping pink heels.

Last month, Beyonce showed off her svelte post-baby body in a sexy black swimsuit when she hit up St. Bart's. Her trainer Marco Borges tells Us Weekly, "We do cardio and plyometric moves like lunges and jumps on and off a bench."

To boost her slim down, the 5-foot-9 diva is also breast feeding and avoids processed fare, sticking to whole foods like vegetables and grilled meats. "You don't have to eat only celery sticks," Borges advises. "Be sensible and exercise constantly.

Beckham Millions

Unsurprisingly, David and Victoria Beckham have made it onto The Sunday Times 2012 Rich List. This morning, the newspaper published the music category of its annual chart - the Beckhams ranked at joint 10th with earnings of £20 million in the past 12 months, the same amount as Mick Jagger and Daniel Ek - the founder of Spotify. Record label mogul Clive Calder, who is responsible for the careers of Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys, topped the category with £1,350 million. The full list is out this weekend.

Knightley Engaged

KEIRA KNIGHTLEY is engaged to her musician boyfriend James Righton, it has been confirmed today.

"I can confirm that Keira Knightley is engaged to be married to James Righton," said Knightley's agent, Sara Keene, this afternoon. "We are not discussing any further details."

SEE KEIRA KNIGHTLEY'S STYLE HISTORY

The 27-year-old Vogue cover girl and actress started dating the 28-year old Klaxons keyboard player just over a year ago, after they were reportedly introduced by mutual friend Alexa Chung.

As one of Karl Lagerfeld's Chanel muses, we can't wait to see her dress.

Morocco hosts world's artists, imprisons its own

RABAT, Morocco (AP) — Morocco's glittering Mawazine international music festival wraps up this weekend with performances by Mariah Carey and Lenny Kravitz, after nine days of showcasing the North African kingdom's cool factor — even as dissident Moroccan musicians are imprisoned for their anti-establishment lyrics.

The 11-year-old "Rhythms of the World" festival in the capital Rabat has always highlightedMorocco's contradictions as the country spends millions to lure top world artists to perform at generally free concerts, while much the country remains mired in poverty.

In past years the festival has been attacked by Islamists for inviting gay performer Elton John in 2010 and by activists for the cost of attracting Shakira and other high profile acts in 2011, but this year the theme of protest is freedom of expression.

Just a week before the festival began, Human Rights Watch slammed Morocco for sentencing a rapper to a year in prison for lyrics deemed insulting to police — a common theme in rap music elsewhere in the world.

"Morocco hosts one famous international music festival after another each spring, but meanwhile it imprisons one of its own singers solely because of lyrics and images that displease the authorities," Sarah Leah Whitson, Mideast director of the group said in a statement. "Morocco should be known as a haven for world music, not for locking up singers with a political message."

Moroccan rapper Mouad Belghouat, known as El-Haqed, or "The Enraged" was convicted on May 11 of "showing contempt" to public servants with his song "Dogs of the State" about police corruption. He is known for his political activism and vitriolic songs attacking social injustice, the monarchy and corruption.

A week later, dissident poet Youssef Belkhdim was convicted of attacking police — a charge he denies — at a sit-in he organized in support of Belghouat and sentenced to two years in prison.

The two men belonged to Morocco's pro-democracy February 20 movement that last year brought tens of thousands into the streets protesting corruption and calling for political reform.

The extravagant sums spent on the Mawazine have been a mainstay of the movement's slogans. Festival organizers maintain that the Mawazine's estimated $7 million price tag is worth it because it improves Morocco's image abroad and gives people at home access to music from around the world. The festival is funded largely by corporate sponsors with strong ties to the state.

"It's a celebration. It's a celebration of the city, a celebration of Morocco and it reflects a bit Morocco's good life to the world," said program director Mahmoud Lemseffer. "It is a vehicle to present the image of our country, of its hospitality and tolerance."

Tens of thousands attend each of the festival's eight venues which present Arabic music, Moroccan music, music from sub-Saharan Africa as well as international acts, which this year included Evanescence, the Scorpions, Gloria Gaynor, Nigel Kennedy and Jimmy Cliff.

Most of the acts have free sections open to the public and on Tuesday, families strolling along Rabat's Bouregreg river stopped to listen to Beninian songstress Angelique Kidjo belt out classics from South African diva Mariam Makebe and talk about the struggle against apartheid.

But for critics, there is irony in punishing artists at home while hosting international ones known for their support of freedom of expression. Lenny Kravitz, for instance, has striven in song after song to confront America's tortured attitude about race.

"I think that people should really say what they feel — everybody has the right to speak their mind, you see how things change in places where people were once condemned," said Kravitz at a press conference Thursday when asked about politics in music. "When I was in Brazil a couple of years ago, I was talking with (musician and activist) Caetano Veloso who dealt with that same thing, who did jail time — and now he has made a difference."

Salif Traore of the Ivorian band Magic System said that for African artists, speaking truth to power and freedom of expression is what their music is all about.

"We in Africa, we say that artists, musicians and singers are the eyes, ears, and mouths of the people," he told The Associated Press, when asked about his views on the El-Haqed case.

Rachid el-Belghiti, who heads a national anti-Mawazine campaign, also contests the government's assertion that it's supporting culture in Morocco with this festival, countering that it's really just about making the country look good abroad.

He said the Mawazine, which is run by a close confidant of King Mohammed VI, eats up the lion's share of corporate sponsorship so that little is left for other festivals around the country.

As millions are being spent to lure in big name acts, local theaters and dance schools around the country are closing down because of a lack of funding.

"A country which puts its artists in prison simply for expressing themselves with their voice or their instruments cannot pretend to support culture," he said. "That's impossible."