Darren Aronofsky sees his newest film “Black Swan” as the companion piece to “The Wrestler.”

“Black Swan” made its world premiere as the opening film at the Venice Film Festival’s 67th edition on Wednesday, bringing the American director back to the Lido, where “The Wrestler” won the top Golden Lion prize two years ago.

“The more I looked into the world of ballet, I actually started to see all these similarities to the world of wrestling,” the 41-year-old Aronofsky said at a news conference. “They both have these performers that use their bodies in sort of extremely, intense physical ways. Their entire performance is based on intense physicality.”

The psychological melodrama is set in the world of New York City ballet and stars Natalie Portman as a perfection-seeking ballerina keen to win the role of prima-ballerina now that the long-reigning star is retiring. She is smothered by her overprotective mother, played by Barbara Hershey, a former dancer who, in one of many dichotomies in the film, may be acting out of concern for her daughter’s well-being or jealousy over her success.

Old jealousies and new rivalries are central to the drama, and it’s no surprise that much of the tension and duality is expressed in the figures of the White Swan, the perfectionist, and the Black Swan, the unrepressed inner-self.

Portman, who danced as a child, started to train a year before filming for the part.

“Six months ahead of the film, I went into sort of hyper-training, where five hours a day I was doing both ballet and cross-training, with swimming,” Portman said. “A few months before was when we started getting into the choreography. It was very extreme.”

Benjamin Millepied, a dancer who appeared in the film and who provided entree into the ballet world, said the training included a Russian dancer’s focus on upper-body and head coordination — and many of Portman’s dancing scenes focus tightly, sometimes dizzily, on her upper half.

As in “The Wrestler,” Aronofsky does not spare viewers from the physical realities of the protagonist’s world. Portman’s “Nina” unwraps her feet after pushing herself through a series of pirouettes to find her big toe nail painfully split and bloodied. That is only part of her physical suffering, and the cause of which is mysterious.

The film is shot with a muted palate and in a grainy style that Aronofsky said was meant to merge the highly stylistic mood of his earlier work and the documentary style used in “The Wrestler.”

Unlike other worlds that Aronofsky has been welcomed into when he proposed a film, the insular ballet universe had no interest in opening its doors, the director said.

“They just all shrugged and didn’t return calls,” Aronofsky said. “Slowly, through meeting Benjamin and a couple of other people, we got the stamp of approval that we were trying to do something cool. … We tried to capture as much of that reality in a real documentary sense.”

And if he failed? “We are terrified of the ballet backlash,” Aronofsky jested. “These dancers are very dangerous.”

While in the program notes Aronofsky said he hoped that theaters would double-bill “Black Swan” and “The Wrestler,” the director told reporters that the reality in the era of new media and ever-changing delivery platforms is evolving to be otherwise.

“Who knows if any of us will be showing films in movie theaters when you’ve got your iPod and iPad all the time,” Aronofsky said. “We made jokes the whole time about doing an iPad mix when we were mixing the film because probably most people on this planet will see it on some sort of device. They won’t see it in a big theater.”

At Venice, “Black Swan” premiered on the big screen at the Lido’s glitzy Casino, the first billing in a rare opening night triple-header along with Andrew Lau’s “Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen,” and Robert Rodriguez’s “Machete” — both playing out of competition.

“Machete,” the story of a border vigilante starring Danny Trejo, along with Jessica Alba as an FBI agent tackling illegal immigration, started out as a faux trailer, and then was expanded into a feature-length film after audiences responded with enthusiasm.

Rodriguez said the appeal was in seeing a Hispanic character portrayed as a super hero, played by Trejo, a character actor who has appeared in 179 films.

“Danny should have been the lead all along. He just was never given the opportunity,” Rodriguez said.

“Black Swan” is one of 23 films, one still unannounced, vying for the Golden Lion, which will be awarded Sept. 11.

Paris Hilton was banned Wednesday from two Wynn resorts on the Las Vegas Strip, and her boyfriend was dismissed as a nightclub partner following their arrests in a vehicle that police said reeked of marijuana.

Wynn Resorts Ltd. spokeswoman Jennifer Dunne told The Associated Press that Hilton is barred from Wynn Las Vegas and Encore.

Meanwhile, boyfriend Cy Waits was “separated” from his job after less than a week as top managing partner of the Tryst Nightclub at Wynn and XS The Nightclub at Encore, Dunne said in a statement.

Waits and a lawyer and publicist for the 29-year-old Hilton did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The moves come after Hilton was arrested Friday for investigation of felony cocaine possession. Waits was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Charges have not yet been filed.

Hilton was arrested inside the Wynn resort, where a police lieutenant reported a small plastic bag containing 0.8 grams of cocaine fell into his hand when Hilton reached for a tube of lip balm in a purse.

The celebrity socialite is scheduled for arraignment Oct. 27 and would face probation if convicted.

A police report made public Wednesday said the suspected butt of a marijuana cigarette was found in the Cadillac Escalade in which the couple was stopped in front of the Wynn Las Vegas hotel-casino.

Waits, 34, was driving. He had bloodshot eyes, smelled of alcohol and wobbled as he failed balance and walk-and-turn field sobriety tests, the arresting officer said.

Attorney Richard Schonfeld, who represents Waits, said his client passed an eye test checking the dilation of his pupils. Schonfeld said he was troubled that Waits wasn’t stopped because of a traffic infraction “or any other indication that he was impaired while driving.”

Waits allowed blood to be drawn when he was booked into the Clark County jail in downtown Las Vegas, Officer Bill Cassell said. Results won’t be released until the case reaches court.

Waits spent a night in jail on suspicion of misdemeanor driving under the influence before being freed on $2,000 bail with a Nov. 29 court date.

Dunne said Waits’ twin brother, Jesse Waits, is continuing as general partner of the Wynn resorts’ Tryst and XS clubs.

The brothers were hired by Steve Wynn five years ago and became the casino owner’s top club managers last week when Wynn bought out Victor Drai.

The 67th Venice International Film Festival officially kicked off on Wednesday with a glamorous opening ceremony featuring Italy’s top authorities and several movie stars.

The festival’s inauguration took place at the prestigious Palazzo del Cinema, where the traditional Red Carpet was placed.

The global event, which will run on Venice’s Lido up to Sept. 11 and is directed by Marco Mueller, is set to attract global attention as one of the world’s most lite and socialite gatherings.

For the first time in history, Italy’s head of state Giorgio Napolitano was present accompanied by his wife. He was welcomed with a standing ovation by the guests.

Crowds of fans lined up to have a view of the night’s queen, actress Natalie Portman, the controversial protagonist of Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan, the first film screening in competition which was launched at the ceremony.

The most favored films for the Golden Lion are Darren Aronofsky ’s “Black Swan” and Sofia Coppola’s “Somewhere.” Italy is betting on Ascanio Celestino’s “The Black Sheep” and on Saverio Costanzo’s “The Solitude of Prime Numbers.”

The ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ actor lost around $500,000 worth of his possessions – including his prized watch collections – in a burglary last year, and admits the intricate nature of how his items were taken made him immediately suspect a close friend or employee was responsible.

Testifying before a Los Angeles County grand jury in late June, Orlando – whose home was described by detectives as a “bat cave” because it can’t be seen from the street or air – said: “It’s just awful because you are suddenly second-guessing everything.

“You are like, ‘Who has been in my house?’ You know, the value of things kind of fades away. It’s really about who is it, who am I starting to question?”

Rachel Bilson was another victim of the six-member group – dubbed the ‘Bling Ring’ gang – and says she was left so traumatised by the burglaries, she considered selling her house.

In her testimony – which has only just been made public – she told the court: “It took me a while to feel comfortable staying there. I wouldn’t sleep in my bedroom for about a month.

“And I was convinced that I needed to sell my house and get out of there, because I was very scared. But I’m still there.”

Lindsay Lohan also admitted she would never go back to her Los Angeles home after black fingerprints left on the wall by burglars left her feeling violated.

She said: “That night I went back to the house, I just felt, to be honest, so violated and uncomfortable that I literally packed as much stuff as I could because it wasn’t about the things that were taken, it was just the fact that someone came into the only private space that I have in my life at this point.

“I don’t ever plan on going back to that house. It was like, such an invasion of privacy, and it’s just eerie.”

Other stars to testify in the case included Brian Austin Green, Paris Hilton and Audrina Patridge.

Aspiring model Alexis Neires has served 30 days in jail for the burglaries, which took place between October 2008 and August 2009, after agreeing a plea deal.

Nicholas Frank Prugo, Rachel Lee, Roy Lopez Jr., Courtney Leigh Ames and Diana Tamayo will face trial after pleading not guilty to residential burglary.

Taylor’s new music video, ‘Mine’ is set to make it’s debut on tonight’s live CMT special, which she will also appear on – with Toby! Toby also appears alongside her in the video, so I guess that kind of makes sense, but rumors have been swirling that the two have been getting a little closer too. The video sees Toby romance Taylor, and Taylor’s rep did not deny or confirm that the two are a couple, stating simply: “We don’t comment on Taylor’s personal life.”

Although Toby might not be a huge star yet, he’s set to star in the upcoming film Black Swan, and he’s got a very chiseled face, so is likely to succeed in the biz.

The director of Taylor’s video has been bigging it up saying things like it’s “insanely great” and: “you never really know what a piece is going to look like in the end, but when we were shooting this video everything was just perfect and you just had a feeling that it was all going to fall in to place perfectly . . . as it did.”

As for the romance? tune into the CMT special tonight to see if sparks fly.

Michael Douglas says he faces an “eight-week struggle” against throat cancer but is optimistic about his chances for recovery.

During an appearance Tuesday on David Letterman’s “Late Show,” the actor said he had just finished his first week of radiation and chemotherapy. That drew a surprised reaction from Letterman.

“You’ve never looked better to me, and this proves that you’re a tough guy, for God’s sakes,” the talk-show host said, drawing cheers from the studio audience, according to a CBS news release.

“Let’s just say … I’m pretty lit up right now,” Douglas replied.

The disease was diagnosed three weeks ago, he said, although he had complained of a very sore throat earlier this year and had undergone testing that failed to find a cause.

Douglas, 65, who has two children with Catherine Zeta-Jones, said he enjoyed the summer traveling with his family before returning to the doctor. A biopsy found he had late, stage-four cancer, “which is intense, and so they’ve had to go at it,” he said.

However, Douglas said, the cancer remains above the neck and that means expectations are good, with an 80 percent or better chance of recovery.

Asked by Letterman about his personal habits, he said he had smoked and consumed alcohol.

According to a National Institutes of Health website, use of tobacco or alcohol are among the factors that put people at risk of developing throat cancer. Combining tobacco and drinking increases the risk.

Most throat cancer develops in people older than 50, with men more likely than women to get the disease, the NIH site says.

Letterman wished Douglas good luck, then said, “Wow, boy, I feel like I want to do something for you. Can I do something for you?”

“Ahh, give me a hug,” Douglas responded, according to a CBS transcript.

Douglas stars in the upcoming film “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps,” a sequel to “Wall Street” (1987), for which he won a best-actor Oscar.

George Clooney on Sunday added another trophy to his Oscar, two Golden Globes and slew of movie critics awards — but this one had nothing to do with acting.

Clooney was presented with the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award at the Primetime Emmy Awards for his work to raise awareness of the crisis in Darfur, and fund-raising efforts for causes ranging from Hurricane Katrina to the Haiti earthquake and the victims of the September 11 2001 attacks on New York and Washington DC.

“It’s important to remember how much good can get done because we live in such strange times where bad behavior sucks up all of the attention and the press,” Clooney said as he accepted the award.

The actor said he hoped there were others who could step in and “help find a way to keep the spotlight burning on these heart-breaking situations that continue to be heartbreaking long after the cameras go away.”

Television Academy chairman John Shaffner said Clooney, 49, was “an obvious choice” for the humanitarian award because he had “understood and harnessed the power of television…to reach into the hearts of people around the world.”

Clooney, one of the most popular figures in Hollywood, was one of the main organizers of charity telethons for victims of the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti, and Hurricane Katrina which devastated New Orleans in August 2005.

He was appointed a United Nations Messenger of Peace in 2008 and in 2006 addressed the United Nations Security Council over the refugee crisis in Sudan’s conflict-torn western Darfur region, which has taken the lives of more than 300,000 people.

Backstage, Clooney talked about how the award differed from his previous accolades for acting and writing.

“It’s embarrassing because you don’t want to be awarded for doing what you’re supposed to do,” he said. “It’s a very kind thing, so you accept it. But it’s very hard to take.”

Clooney, who first found fame on television as the handsome Dr. Doug Ross in hospital drama “ER”, has never won a traditional Emmy Award, although he was nominated twice for his work in “ER” in 1995 and 1996.

He won a best supporting actor Oscar for his role in the 2005 movie “Syriana”.

The Bob Hope Humanitarian Award was created in 2002 in memory of the late entertainer. Previous recipients include Oprah Winfrey and Bill Cosby.

“Mad Men” and “Modern Family” won the Emmy awards for the best TV drama and comedy series respectively at the Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, while Jim Parsons and Edie Falco took home major acting trophies.

“We are so thrilled that families together are sitting down and watching a TV show,” said executive producer Steve Levitan after “Modern Family” beat “Glee” for the top comedy honors.

The win for period advertising drama “Mad Men” was the third in a row.

“We can’t believe we are here. We want to thank the (Television) Academy for recognizing us again,” said “Mad Men” creator Matthew Weiner.

Parsons was named best actor in a comedy for his role as geeky physicist in “The Big Bang Theory” and Bryan Cranston won his third straight Emmy for playing a teacher-turned-drug dealer in drama “Breaking Bad”.

Kyra Sedgwick won best drama actress for “The Closer,” while Edie Falco won a comedy Emmy for “Nurse Jackie.”

The Primetime Emmy Awards, the highest honors in the U.S. television industry, were handed out at a glittering ceremony in Los Angeles broadcast live on TV.

California’s Senate Friday approved a bill aimed at punishing paparazzi for harassing celebrities.

The measure, AB 1479, calls for penalties against paparazzi who drive recklessly or invade the privacy of celebrities in pursuit of a photograph.

Under the bill, any engagement in reckless driving in pursuit of a photograph is deemed a misdemeanor. Penalties would be enhanced when a child is put in harm’s way.

The legislation will increase penalty for reckless driving from an infraction to a misdemeanor if there’s an intent to capture video or photographs for sale. Violations will result in up to six months in jail and up to 2,500 U.S. dollars in fine.

It also makes it a crime for individuals to engage in surveillance to get a photo, image or recording of a celebrity.

“This bill provides the tools for law enforcement to eliminate the reckless pursuits that unfairly endangers the public as well as celebrities and their families,” said Assembly woman and bill author Karen Bass, a Democrat from Los Angeles.

She said the bill came at a time when celebrities described paparazzi getting more aggressive.

The bill will return to the Assembly for approval of amendments made by the Senate.

Yoko Ono is planning a series of events in Iceland to mark what would have been John Lennon’s 70th birthday.

The artist and peace campaigner will light the Imagine Peace Tower illuminated memorial, located on the island of Vioey near Icelandic capital Reykjavik (RAY’-kyuh-vik), on Oct. 9.

A special performance by the Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band will follow the ceremony.

Lennon’s widow is also expected to present awards from the Lennon Ono Grant for Peace, created to honor the former Beatle’s peace activism.

Lennon was fatally shot outside the couple’s Manhattan apartment building on Dec. 8, 1980.