andPOP - Pop Culture With Substance

Mary-Kate Olsen is refusing to talk with federal investigators about the death of Heath Ledger—unless she’s given immunity—reports People magazine.

The 22-year-old starlet was the first person called when her masseuse discovered “The Dark Knight” star’s body.

According to a report in the New York Post, Olsen’s lawyer has rejected several attempts for the actress to be questioned— which may lead the former “Full House” star to be subjected to a grand-jury subpoena to discuss what she knew about Ledger’s life and death.

“Everyone has been very eager to help, saying what a great guy Heath Ledger was, everyone except Mary-Kate, who has refused to speak,” a source said.

Ledger died in January due to an accidental overdose of prescription medication. His latest and final acting role as The Joker in “The Dark Knight” has earned him Oscar buzz.

OLSEN TWIN MARY-KATE is stepping out on her own for her first major acting role without sister ASHLEY in the television show Weeds.

The Two Of A Kind beauty is set to star alongside Mary-Louise Parker, who plays the lead role of Nancy Botwin, in at least 10 episodes of the hit U.S. programme.

The 20-year-old will appear as Tara, a devoted Christian teenager living in the religious community of Majestic, who becomes a love interest for Silas (Botwin’s son), played by Hunter Parrish.

Olsen tells the Hollywood Reporter, “I’m thrilled to be a part of the show. It’s really an honour to be a part of such a talented group of actors and writers.”

Executive producer Jenji Kohan adds, “‘Weeds’ isn’t your eight o’clock family fare. It’s an adult show with adult subject matter, and we’re confident Mary-Kate is right for the role.

“She came in and read with Hunter and was absolutely charming and real and seemed like a great fit. Audiences have seen only one side of Mary-Kate, but here we’ll see her in a whole new light.”

(c) 2007 WORLD ENTERTAINMENT NEWS NETWORK LTD. All global rights reserved. No unauthorized copying or re-distributing permitted.

Sisters ASHLEY and MARY-KATE OLSEN have topped Forbes magazine’s first-ever Hollywood’s Top Earning Stars Under 21 list.

The 20-year-old twins earned an estimated $40 million last year from their retail empire to beat HARRY POTTER star DANIEL RADCLIFFE to the top of the new rich list.

Radcliffe, who is currently wowing theatre fans in London by baring all onstage in EQUUS, earned an estimated $13 million in 2006 to come in second.

Actresses LINDSAY LOHAN, DAKOTA FANNING and AMANDA BYNES rounded out the top five on the new list.

(c) 2007 WORLD ENTERTAINMENT NEWS NETWORK LTD. All global rights reserved. No unauthorized copying or re-distributing permitted.

ASHLEY OLSEN has split from her 27-year-old boyfriend GREG CHAIT after a year-and-a-half together.

The 20-year-old actress is rumoured to have ended her relationship with Chait, CEO of the Tsubi jeans brand, following “commitment issues.”

A source tells PageSix.com, “When they were together over the holidays, she told him she was looking for something more permanent. He wasn’t ready for that.

“So they decided on an amicable parting.”

(c) 2007 WORLD ENTERTAINMENT NEWS NETWORK LTD. All global rights reserved. No unauthorized copying or re-distributing permitted.

Don’t even pretend you didn’t watch Full House just to hear Mary-Kate or Ashley say, “you got it dude.” Time has flown by so fast, that now, the girls are pursuing separate acting careers (Mary-Kate has a movie coming out soon). But that aside, the Olsen sisters are still a team when it comes to their mary-kateandashley line of fashion, accessories and so much more. andPOP caught up with Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen – the “Most Powerful Young Women in Hollywood” as the Hollywood Reporter referred to them – to find out what is new with the line, what’s up with their acting careers and whether or not there will be another Olsen musical album.

andPOP: When designing clothes for girls younger than you, how do you make sure it will appeal to that age demographic?

Mary-Kate: Our design teams research global trends and travel to Asia and Europe for inspiration. Ashley and I meet with our Dualstar Central Design team and select three to four trends we want in each collection. We base our decisions on our personal tastes and work closely with our partners to ensure we fulfill the needs of our customer. Each year we gain more knowledge and experience, which helps us design our collection.

Ashley: We love receiving emails and feedback from our fans about the mary-kateandashley fashions on mary-kateandashley.com. We keep their comments and advice in mind when we create new products and fashion collections. It’s important we create products our customers and fans connect with and are proud to wear.

andPOP: What is unique about the latest lines that you have coming out?

A: The Winter Ball collection offers festive options for the holiday season. Along with winter white, the range offers rich hues including chocolate brown, burgundy, navy and black. We incorporated faux fur trim, satin bows, floral embroidery and mesh overlay to create a feminine, flirty feel perfect for any special occasion. Winter Ball is available at Wal-Mart and on our new online shopping site, shopmary-kateandashley.com.

andPOP: Do you intend on making any more music?

A: It’s fun to listen to the CDs Mary-Kate and I made earlier in our career but it is not something we plan to pursue at this time.

andPOP: Mary-Kate will be in “Factory Girl” without Ashley – was it tough to be part of an acting gig without your sister?

MK: My first individual acting experience was exciting. I filmed a small role in “Factory Girl,” starring Sienna Miller and Guy Pierce, which will be out in the next few months. I enjoyed working with George Hickenlooper, the director, Sienna and Guy.

andPOP: What are the upcoming acting plans?

A: Mary-Kate and I are concentrating on our individual acting careers. It is important the projects are right for us so we are taking our time reading lots of scripts, taking acting lessons and meeting with directors and producers we want to work with. We are lucky that we can take our time in selecting what we want our next projects to be.

andPOP: Anything else you would like to add?

MK: Ashley and I are excited about our new ecommerce site shopmary-kateandashley.com. Our fans from all over the world now have access to our fashions, accessories, rugs and cosmetics from our U.S. collections. We can’t wait to hear responses from our fans! Check out shopmary-kateandashley.com and give us your feedback on our blog at mary-kateandashley.com. We love hearing from you!

Check out mary-kateandashley.com for everything you need to know.

Pictured: an iPod case and a collection of their Claire’s cosmetics

According to the Associated Press, 19-year-old Mary-Kate Olsen has dropped out of college in her second year.

On Friday, her publicist Michael Pagnotta was quoted on People magazine’s web site as saying, “Mary-Kate Olsen has taken an approved leave of absence from New York University to focus on her increasing responsibilities as co-president of Dualstar Entertainment Group and to pursue personal interests.”

Her twin sister, Ashley, is also co-president of Dualstar, but will remain at NYU.

The last time Mary-Kate was absent for a long time was in the summer of 2004 when she spent six weeks at a treatment center for an eating disorder.

The two twins, became co-presidents of Dualstar when they turned 18. The have been estimated to be worth more than $150 million.