Billy Crystal

Pharrell Williams has recently signed with publishers Putnam Books to pen four picture books based on his single 'Happy'. The announcement was made by the publishing house on Tuesday (17th February) and the first book in the series will be published in September 2015. Yet Williams is not the only celebrity to have branched out into the world of fiction, here are four other famous faces who penned children's books...

Pharrell Williams will pen four children's books based on 'Happy'.

Read More: Pharrell Williams Set To Pen Children's Book Based On 'Happy'.

Continue reading: Pharrell Williams & Four Other Celebrities Who Turned To Writing Children's Books

Neil Patrick Harris is hosting the Oscars and the Academy has awarded us with a sneak peek of what's in store. As we expected the ceremony and Harris' hosting to be, the preview is quick, witty and light-hearted. The short 16 second clip is just what we need to lighten the mood after a week of over eating and making small talk.

Neil Patrick Harris is hosting the 87th Academy Awards in 2015.

Read More: Neil Patrick Harris Reveals Strategy To Prepare For Hosting 2015 Oscars.

Continue reading: Neil Patrick Harris Is Hosting The Oscars - Watch His Seasonal Themed Promo!

OK, so Keith Richards has released a children’s book called ‘Gus & Me: The Story of My Granddad and My First Guitar’, which was inspired by his own childhood and first experiences with music. There are lots of things that we think of Keith Richards as being, a children’s author is certainly not one. That said, we’re sure that the book will be magical and the sneak peek at illustrations indicate they will be beautiful, but it’s got us thinking about which other celebrities have written children’s books. And wow. You would not believe some of the celebs that have!

Keith Richards Has Penned A Children's Book

Bill Cosby wrote a book for children. Yep, the Bill Cosby, from The Cosby Show fame. The one who is always been accused of being inappropriate in a manner of ways. Cosby’s book is called ‘The Day I Was Rich’ and purports to teach children the value of friendship over money. When Little Bill (nothing Freudian to see here) discovers what he thinks is a huge diamond, which turns out to be a glass paperweight, he and friends are momentarily deflated before returning to the fun they had before they discovered the ‘treasure’. Heartwarming stuff.

Continue reading: Keith Richards, Billy Crystal, The Fonz: The Celebrity Children's Book Author Club

Monsters University spent its second week at No.1 in the US Weekend Box Office grossing $46.2 million. The sequel of Monsters Inc. follows the early, not so jovial, relationship of Sulley and Mike as they attend college. Monsters University includes some big names from the acting community including Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi and Dame Helen Mirren.

Billy Crystal with ‘Mike Wazowski’, the character he voices in Monsters Inc. and Monsters University. 

Disney Pixar’s animation has fended off competition from Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy’s cop comedy The Heat. The comedy has received favourable reviews and the weekend box office reflects this, grossing since its release on Friday $40 million.

Continue reading: 'Monsters University' Fends Off 'The Heat': Still No.1 In US Box Office

Monsters University, the prequel to Monsters Inc., has done extremely well during its first weekend of release. The Disney Pixar animation has made $82.4 million, placing it ahead of World War Z and Superman: Man of Steel in the box office charts. 

The animation has outdone its predecessor, Monsters Inc. which, released in 2001, made $65.5 million during its opening weekend. In Monsters Inc. we saw the monster's world powered by the terror of children scared by Mike and Sulley during their night-time adventures into the human world. The two best friends overcome adversity to ensure a predictable happy ending in true Disney style. 

Monsters University follows the relationship between Mike (the green Cyclops) and Sulley (the fluffy blue one) as they attend university. As it turns out the pair were not always as close as they were in Monsters Inc. 

Continue reading: Monsters University Earns $82.4 Million On Its Opening Weekend

The weekend box office is looking colorful as Monsters University, Pixar’s return to the 2001 comedy, is set to dominate. Gearing up for takings to the tune of $80 million (according to the Los Angeles Times) by the end of the weekend, Monsters University is set to topple other new releases, such as Brad Pitt’s nod to the zombie genre, World War Z and even Warner Bros.’ monster hit (no pun intended) Man of Steel. This would make Monsters University’s opening weekend the fourth biggest this year. It would also make it Pixar’s biggest opening weekend since Toy Story 3 in 2010. And if Monsters U doesn’t quite catch up to Toy Story in emotional depth or originality of plot, it still shows (hopefully) that the California-based animated dream factory is finally onto something – after flops like Cars 2 and lackluster releases, such as Brave.

Monsters University is a sort of prequel to the 2001 movie. While in Monsters Inc. Mike and Sully are a pair of bachelors, sharing an apartment and working together at the scare factory, here we see them back in their college days – at the beginning of their friendship, when Mike is a hardworking loser and Sully – an overly confident jock with a legacy at the university. After both join the same fraternity – the unimpressive Oozma Kappa and have to compete with rival frat Roar Omega Roar, their friendship begins to slowly unfold.

Watch the Monsters University trailer here.

Continue reading: Weekend Box Office: Monsters University Makes Monster-Sized Debut

Mike and Sulley enter the Oozma Kappa house

The new worldwide trailer for Disney/Pixar's Monsters University introduces Helen Mirren's character Dean Hardscrabble whilst also featuring Steve Buscemi, John Krasinski, Alfred Molini and, of course, Billy Crystal and John Goodman as Mike and Sulley. The latest clip focuses on the duo as they study to become "scarers. The movie opens in the U.S. on June 21, 2013 and a few weeks later on July 12 in the UK.

The trailer opens with students extolling the virtues of Monsters University, "Imagine a university where I can unique...and learn what I love," says one wide-eyed student. It's quickly established that the institution's main job is to teach young monsters how to become scary. "I'm gonna scare circles around you this year," Mike tells his roommate Sulley, "You're not even in the same league as me," comes the confident reply, "You don't have to study scaring, you just do it!"

Continue reading: New Monsters University Trailer Introduces Helen Mirren's Dean Hardscrabble [Trailer & Pictures]

Take your Amours, your La Haines, Amelies, City of Gods and Pan Labyrinths. You can even take your Taxi Drivers, Graduates and Citizen Kanes and just get the hell out of here. Animated films are everyone’s favourite, and it’s time we started admitting it.

Monsters University is the film we’ve all been waiting for, isn’t it? The prequel to Monsters Inc? Course it is! Although we know Sully and Mike landed well-paid jobs after college so that’s kind of a spoiler, but nonetheless we can’t wait to see it. In fact, the only other animated treat we can think of to outdo this would be Toy Story 4, and that ain’t happening any time soon. Forgetaboutit. This lovely new long trailer should whet your appetite for what is shaping up to be the year’s biggest animated event. Saying that, with Despicable Me 2 set for a summer release, it’s facing real competition.

Continue reading: Get Ready For Degrees Of Laughter With Monsters University [Trailer]

Who wouldn't pay to see a comedy movie starring Matt Lucas, Juno Temple, Billy Crystal, Peter Stormare, Amanda Plummer, Rebel Wilson, James Caan, Johnny Knoxville and...wait for it...Dolph Lundgren? Well, that's exactly what you're getting for your money in Small Apartments, which premiered in the UK on March 22, 2013. Nick Nunziata of Chud.com summed the whole thing up in his review of the quirky flick, "They don't make them like this anymore. Actually they've never made them like this before," he wrote.

Watch the Small Apartments trailer here!

Continue reading: Small Apartments: Meet 2013's Most Random Cast! (Trailer And Pictures)