Rihanna has been keen to show a wilder side of late. And you don’t get much wilder than a cougar, as the brave popstar posed alongside the fang-toothed beast to promote album Rated R.

The Barbados-born singer, 21, was pictured holding onto the neck of the roaring cougar in one daring shot. And in another, she used just her arm to protect her modesty.

The Umbrella singer has been courting controversy with her raunchy photoshoots and revealing interviews of late.

The singer is seen topless, in a pair of unzipped hotpants on the cover of the January 2010 issue of the popular men’s monthly GQ magazine. And she admits things got so steamy on set, Island Def Jam boss Reid threatened to step in.

Rihanna revealed: “It’s very sexy. At one point LA Reid came into the shoot and he was like, ‘Rihanna, put some f******* clothes on.’”

The singer has worked hard to relaunch her career following the abuse incident she suffered at the hands of ex-boyfriend Chris Brown. But her recently released album Rated R failed to make the Top 10 in the UK charts despite an appearance on The X Factor. But it debuted in the US charts at number four.

In an appearance on the Jonathan Ross show last week, Rihanna says she broke her silence about the attack for her fans’ sake. She told the BBC programme: “It needed to be said because young girls look up to me… people are scared to talk about it. It can happen to anyone, that’s the reason I talked about it. Now I just sing about it, I relive it.”

She says the worst thing was the media scrutiny: “That was the thing that made it hardest for me.”

— Daily Mail

Now that is scary! Nicole Kidman incurs wrath of neighbours

He’s known for his controversial performances and dramatic Goth make-up.

But hellraiser Marilyn Manson looked almost unrecognisable as he went on a night out with his girlfriend, minus his face paint.

The American rocker, 40, dressed completely in black as he and partner Evan Rachel Wood, 22, paid a visit to Le Zenith concert halls in Paris Tuesday. They looked relaxed as they left the venue and the only make-up Manson had on was a smudge of black eyeliner. But there was not a hint of his dramatic white-painted face and dark red lips.

— Daily Mail

She’s one of Australia’s most popular stars, but Nicole Kidman is facing a backlash over her latest effort to secure her privacy. The actress, 42, has upset neighbours near her Australian country home after planting 150 of the notorious leylandii trees to shield it from onlookers. The Hollywood star has boosted security at the property ahead of her sister Antonia’s wedding to financier Craig Marran, which is expected to take place at the retreat before the end of the year. As well as the trees, she has also had what’s been described as an ‘ugly’ 50-metre green nylon fence erected by the main gate and a 100-metre earth mound has also been created, both to shield the property from the main road.

— Daily Mail

The girls return in the Sex And The City 2 trailer

It promises to be a box-office smash when it’s released next year, and after months of seeing teaser photos we finally have a chance to check out what’s in store for the S e x And The City movie sequel in the first official trailer.

Sarah Jessica Parker, 44, returns to the big screen as Carrie, and her friends Samantha (Kim Cattrall), Charlotte (Kristin Davis) and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) take on another adventure set two years after the events of the first film.

The trailer gives a small hint at what’s in store for the group, including a trip to foreign climes, but reveals very little about the plot.

— Daily Mail