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Jeff Fusco/Getty Images

Adam Lambert has confirmed through Twitter that he will be performing with Queen this summer. The American Idol star will join guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor on July 7^th, as Queen headlines the second day of the Sonisphere Festival at Knebworth Park in England.

Lambert has long expressed his admiration for Queen and their late frontman, Freddie Mercury. For the American Idol finals in 2009, Lambert was backed onstage by the band’s surviving members for “We Are the Champions.” In November 2011, Lambert performed several songs with them at the MTV European Music Awards in Belfast.

Although reports came out earlier this month that Lambert would be performing again with Queen, the singer and his label, Hollywood Records, would not confirm any guest appearances until today.

“As many suspected, I can finally confirm: I have been invited by Queen to sing one very special concert! Sonisphere at Knebworth July 7th!” Lambert tweeted this afternoon. “Sorry to be coy about the details the past few weeks, but I made a promise to keep it under wraps as best I could. Gonna be a surreal night!”

Freddie Mercury’s final performance with Queen took place at Knebworth Park in 1986. ( rollingstone.com )

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Whitney Houston’s prized possessions set to go up for auction… as family strips hotel room of ‘death memorabilia’

Some Whitney Houston’s most prized possessions are set to go under the hammer at an auction next month.

Items up for sale include a pair of earrings, a brown satin waistcoat and a black velvet dress she wore in the 1992 movie The Bodyguard.

Julien’s Auctions boss Darren Julien has defended the decision to hold the sale – which will take place at the Hollywood Legends auction on March 31 – so shortly after the singer’s death.

He told the Associated Press: ‘It proves a point that these items, they’re an investment. You buy items just like a stock. Buy at the right time and sell at the right time, and they just increase in value.’

Mr Julien went on to say the auction would be a celebration of Houston, who was found dead in the bathtub of her Beverly Hilton hotel suite a week ago.

He said: ‘It’s a celebration of her life. If you hide these things in fear that you’re going to offend someone – her life is to be celebrated.

‘These items are historic now that she passed. They become a part of history. They should be in museums. She’s lived a life and had a career that nobody else has ever had.

Up for grabs:

A brown satin waistcoat and a pair of pearl drop earrings worn by Houston in the movie

‘For people who are fans of Whitney Houston and never would have had a chance to meet her and never got to talk to her, these are items that literally touched a part of her life.

‘They are a way to relate to her or be a part of her life without having known her.’

Meanwhile, Whitney’s family have ensured the hotel room she died in has been meticulously stripped of any memorabilia to prevent anyone selling the items to profit out of her death.

TMZ reports that everything has been removed from room 434, including bed sheets, towels and rubbish.

Houston, 48, was laid to rest yesterday next to the body of her father John Russell Houston Jr. – who died in 2003 – at the Fairview Cemetery in New Jersey.

Only close family – including cousin Dionne Warwick – attended the private burial – which took place a day after her funeral – with fans lining the route to the cemetery.

To keep onlookers out a huge tent was erected over the site where Whitney’s silver coffin was lowered into the ground.

Stars including Oprah Winfrey, Mariah Carey, Clive Davis and Kevin Costner – Whitney’s co-star in movie ‘The Bodyguard’ – were among the mourners at her ‘going home service’ on Saturday.

Kevin paid tribute to the singer in a moving eulogy at the funeral, telling her fans to remember ‘the sweet miracle’ of the singer.

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Bachchan recovering from surgery

Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan is recovering well in India after undergoing abdominal surgery, his family said.

The BBC reported Bachchan, 69, is expected to be released from a Mumbai hospital either Tuesday or Wednesday.

He had the operation Feb. 11.

His family told the BBC the surgery had gone well and “everything was normal.” However, his stay was extended after he complained he was still experiencing pain.

He said on Twitter Sunday he is feeling better.

“A welcome day. Many aspects improving, many reports positive, smiling satisfied faces all around… your prayers work so well… Hunger pangs swell for the first time… doctors say it’s a good sign… hope so,” he tweeted.

Bachchan has more than 180 Indian films to his credit during a career that has spanned 40 years. The host of the Indian version of TV’s “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” also will make his Hollywood debut in the film “The Great Gatsby” later this year.

Bachchan is the father of actor Abhishek Bachchan and father-in-law of actress Aishwarya Rai.

upi.com

Kermit and Piggy to be Oscar presenters

Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy are to be presenters at the 84th Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles, telecast producers announced.

This will be the Muppets’ fifth appearance at the Oscars show.

“They are fresh off their triumphant critical and box-office success in Disney’s ‘The Muppets,’ which received an Oscar nomination for Original Song for ‘Man or Muppet,’” the producers said in a news release Friday.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 are to be presented Sunday at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center. /upi.com

Ruby slippers to be restored

The ruby slippers Judy Garland wore as Dorothy in 1939’s “The Wizard of Oz” will be removed from their display at Washington’s Smithsonian to be restored.

The shoes, which were donated anonymously in 1979 to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, need touch-ups in advance of the forthcoming “American Stories” exhibition, the museum said in a news release Friday.

“These slippers are beloved by our visitors, and we are honoring that affection by placing them in a central location among the great stories of American history,” said Marc Pachter, interim director.

The slippers will join more than 100 objects from the museum’s collection, including Benjamin Franklin’s walking stick, a sunstone capital from the Mormon temple at Nauvoo, Ill., Abraham Lincoln’s gold pocket watch and a Kermit the Frog puppet, the release said. The “American Stories” exhibit opens April 5.

The museum said the fragile ruby slippers, like many movie costumes and props, were made cheaply and quickly — they were meant to last only for the duration of the film shoot. The shoes had been displayed under a red-tinted light to enhance the color. / upi.com

‘Hugo’ tops at audio awards

Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo” took top honors for sound mixing at the 48th annual Cinema Audio Society Awards in Los Angeles.

“Hugo’s” production mixer John Midgley, re-recording mixer Tom Fleischman and scoring mixer Simon Rhodes were given the award for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Motion Picture Saturday in a ceremony at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel, The Hollywood Reporter reported.

Midgley and Fleischman have also been nominated for an Academy Award for sound mixing.

“The future is built on the actions of today, and the achievements of yesterday. Throughout the last year, sound mixers everywhere have elevated our craft,” CAS President David E. Fluhr said at the event.

Scott Millan, who is currently working on the latest James Bond film “Skyfall” was presented the CAS Career Achievement Award, the Reporter said. Director Rob Marshall took home the CAS Filmmaker Award, the highest award given to a non-CAS member.

“Too Big to Fail,” “Boardwalk Empire” and “Deadliest Catch” were awarded for best television sound mixing. / upi.com

‘Safe House’ squeaks into No. 1 spot

“Safe House,” with Denzel Washington, was No. 1 at the U.S. box office during the weekend with $24 million in receipts.

“The Vow,” with Rachel McAdams, was a close No. 2 with $23.6 million.

All studio estimates of gross box office receipts are via Box Office Mojo. The top four were closely bunched.

“Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance” was a close third with $22 million; “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island” fourth with more than $20.08 million; “This Means War” fifth with $17.55 million; “Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace (in 3D)” sixth with more than $7.86 million; “Chronicle (2012)” seventh with $7.5 million; “The Woman in Black” eighth with more than $6.64 million; and “The Secret World of Arrietty” ninth with $6.4 million.

“The Grey” with 10th with more than $3.03 million. /upi.com

“Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance” was supposed to cruise to the top of the box office this weekend, but the Nicolas Cage action film flamed out at the multiplex.

Instead, it was Denzel Washington’s “Safe House” that took No. 1, rising to the prime spot after debuting in the runner-up position the previous weekend. The action thriller grossed an impressive $28.4 million over the four-day Presidents Day holiday, bringing its 11-day total to $82.6 million, according to an estimate from distributor Universal Pictures.

Moviegoers also didn’t forget about “The Vow,” the romantic tear-jerker that won the box-office battle the previous weekend. The film about a woman who suffers amnesia and cannot remember her husband collected an additional $26.6 million. After just over two weeks in theaters, the modestly budgeted picture starring Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams has already collected a strong $88.5 million.

The 3-D “Ghost Rider” sequel, as well as two other new films, did not have as much luck at the box office over the holiday weekend. Cage’s latest film was expected to debut with at least $30 million, but instead started off with a modest $25.7 million. The romantic comedy action film “This Means War” opened to a moderate $20.4 million, while the Japanese anime production “The Secret World of Arrietty” brought in a so-so $8.1 million.

The original “Ghost Rider” had a far more robust opening back on Presidents Day weekend in 2007, when the film started off with $52 million. Ultimately, the movie made $115.8 domestically and about that much overseas as well. The sequel, however, was made for about $30 million less than the original. “Spirit of Vengeance” was funded by Sony and production and financing company Hyde Park Entertainment for about $80 million, said one person close to the project who was not authorized to speak about it publicly. A Sony spokesperson insisted the actual cost was $57 million.

It now seems unlikely that critically panned sequel will reach the same box-office heights, especially because those who saw the film this weekend didn’t like it, assigning it an average grade of C+, according to market research firm CinemaScore. The film attracted a largely male crowd, as 61% of the audience were men; roughly 48% was under the age of 25.

Cage has had a mixed track record at the box office in recent years. The original “Ghost Rider” was one of his few hits, along with the 2007 sequel “National Treasure: Book of Secrets,” which grossed about $350 million worldwide. But the 48-year-old’s last three films, “Drive Angry,” “Season of the Witch” and “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” were all huge flops.

“This Means War,” starring Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine and Tom Hardy, was received more positively by audiences. Those who saw the film about two CIA agents fighting for the affection of the same woman gave it an average grade of A-. The film attracted a 65% female audience, indicating its gross was likely negatively affected by competition from “The Vow,” which appealed to the same demographic.

Only days before its release, 20th Century Fox pushed the official release date for “This Means War” from Valentine’s Day on Feb. 14 to Feb. 17. Though the studio said the move was made in an effort to spread positive buzz about the film, it also seemed like a tactic to give the movie more of a fighting chance against “The Vow.”

Directed by “Terminator: Salvation” filmmaker McG, the movie was financed by Fox and partner Dune Entertainment for about $65 million.

Although “The Secret World of Arrietty” failed to crack the $10-million mark at the box office this weekend, the film still had the biggest opening of any of the anime films Walt Disney Studios has released in the U.S. “Ponyo,” directed by Hayao Miyazaki — who co-wrote “Arrietty” — debuted with $3.6 million in 2009 and collected $15.1 million by the end of its run.

The movie, about little people who live under the floorboards of a house, was a huge hit overseas when it was released internationally in 2010. That year, it became the top-grossing movie in Japan and made a total of $126 million abroad. The new version, which features the voices of English-speaking actors such as Amy Poehler and Will Arnett, was well-liked by Americans, who gave it an A- CinemaScore this weekend.

The film came to America largely due to John Lasseter, the chief of Pixar Animation Studio who also oversees Disney Animation and has had a longtime relationship with Miyazaki.

[Updated, 11:45 a.m. Feb. 20: "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island" maintained a solid hold at the box office this weekend, as its ticket sales fell only 27% to $26.4 million. While the film debuted domestically last weekend, it has been playing for about a month overseas, and has already collected $130 million internationally. "Journey to the Center of the Earth," released in 2008, collected about $140 million abroad.

Here are the top 10 movies in the U.S. and Canada, based on their four-day grosses. Percentage changes are based on three-day grosses. International grosses are through Sunday only.