Saturday, February 28, 2009

Cyndi Lauper Applauds Madonna’s Boy Toy

Cyndi Lauper recently told a reporter that she applauds Madonna picking up a younger boy toy.

Cyndi doesn’t understand what the big deal is, afterall how many Donald Trumps do you see with women much younger and hotter than them?

Cyndi herself is, no doubt, another aging 80s pop star who probably has a 20-something stashed in her bed sheets.

She told a reporter from New York magazine:

The other night, nubile young New York intern Ross Urken asked Cyndi Lauper what she thought about Madonna’s post-divorce flings with youthful boy toys like A-Rod and Jesus Luz, and Cyndi, who takes equal rights extremely seriously, set him straight. “What’s your issue?” she demanded. “You know how many old geezers do you see with young women. What’s the double standard? Who cares? You know, they’re both adults. Who cares? What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.”

Guy Ritchie Refers To Madonna As “It”

Guy Ritchie’s latest pet name for Madonna is “It.”

Madonna and Guy’s divorce became official in January and since the two separated in October, they haven’t been too nice to one another. While Madonna has paraded around with new men and won the custody battle to move the kids to New York City, Guy has been stewing in London and having to reshoot scenes of his newest flick Sherlock Holmes.

According to a source at The Sun:

Guy will say, ‘Oh, It’s in a bad mood today.’ Even towards the end of their marriage, he would call her It. He told people, ‘We can’t make It angry’.


No comments from Madonna or her representative about her new slang from Mr. Ritchie.

Jim Carrey to Tackle Satan in Damn Yankees

Jim Carrey already knows what it's like to play God – so now he's getting ready to play the Devil himself.

The Bruce Almighty star is teaming up with Jake Gyllenhaal for a movie version of the Tony-winning musical, Damn Yankees, according to Playbill.

In the film, which will be a more modern take on the '50s classic, Gyllenhaal will portray Joe Boyd, a Yankees fan so desperate to see his baseball team win that he sells his soul to Satan to help the Bronx Bombers take the pennant.

The role of Lola – the hottie with a heart of gold who helps the Devil seduce Joe – hasn't been cast yet, reports Variety.

More details about this Broadway play turned into a motion picture as additional information becomes available.

Jennifer Hudson Says Performing Is Therapeutic

Jennifer Hudson wants everyone to know she's doing okay.

On Friday's live episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show, the singer said that she's happy to return to performing, and that singing at huge events such as the Super Bowl is "like therapy" for her.

"[I'm] in a very good place," the Oscar- and Grammy-winner, 27, told Winfrey. "I'm just glad to be back to work."

The highlight of Hudson's Grammy night on February 8 was being handed her statuette by Whitney Houston, she says. "[That] almost surpassed" winning the award for best R&B album itself, she said. "I used to create duets with Whitney and myself."

She said her awards are in the piano room of her house, which she shares with her three dogs, named Oscar, Grammy and Dreamgirl.

The former American Idol contestant also sang her latest single, "If This Isn't Love," for the audience, but avoided talking about the murders last fall of her mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew in Chicago.


Thanks to YouTube, we are able to share Jennifer's segment on Oprah with you. Here it is for your enjoyment.



Official Portrait of Michelle Obama Released

She's one of the most-photographed women of the year, so far – but the first "official" portrait of new First Lady Michelle Obama was released by the White House Friday.

The picture, taken in the Blue Room of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, was shot by White House photographer Joyce N. Boghosian.

In the photo, Obama wears a double strand of pearls – and a sleek sleeveless black dress, which shows off her famously toned arms.

The chic dress was designed by Project Runway judge Michael Kors, according to the New York Post.

Rihanna and Chris Brown Are Back Together

Rihanna and Chris Brown are back together. The pair have reunited almost three weeks after Brown, 19, allegedly battered the "Umbrella" singer on Feb. 8, a source tells People.

"They're together again. They care for each other," says the source. The on-again couple are currently spending time together at one of Sean "Diddy" Combs's homes, on Miami Beach's Star Island.

Adds the source: "While Chris is reflective and saddened about what happened, he is really happy to be with the woman he loves."

In its latest issue, People reports that Brown called Rihanna on her 21st birthday one week ago. "He called to wish her happy birthday," a source told the magazine. "They've reached out to each other. It's been mutual."

Brown was booked by LAPD for making criminal threats but the case has not yet been presented to the District Attorney, who will ultimately determine which charges, if any, will be prosecuted.

Friday, February 27, 2009

John Barrowman’s New “Music Music Music” CD

Almost exactly a year after the release of his first easy listening album, Another Side, openly gay Torchwood star John Barrowman, has returned with a new album titled Music Music Music.

Released today in the UK via Sony BMG, it has some similarities with his debut effort: again, it consists mostly of covers of classic pop and musical theater songs, with a little country added for good measure. But there’s one new development that may be pleasing to his fans: Barrowman has considerably upped the gay content.

The first indication of this came back in September, when the video for the album’s one original song, "What About Us" hit the web. Although artists from Christina Aguilera to t.A.T.u. have made use of same-sex kissing in their videos, “What About Us” breaks new ground with its matter-of-fact portrayal of a gay male couple living out their lives in parallel with a straight couple – particularly given that the song is sung by an openly gay artist.



It certainly makes a change from the video for Barrowman’s “All Out Of Love” last year, which showed him singing directly to camera in a succession of different shirts, with no actual partner in sight.

The album also sees former London West End performer Barrowman tackling two explicitly gay musical theater songs with gusto. One of them is “I Am What I Am” from La Cage aux Folles – a song originally performed by drag queen character Albin at the end of the first act. With defiant, yet tongue-in-cheek lines like “so what if I love each feather and each spangle" and “it’s time to open up your closet, ” the song is a perfect match with Barrowman’s open, enthusiastic, and unapologetic persona.

The highlight of the album, both in gay and in musical terms, is Barrowman’s duet of the Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson-penned song “I Know Him So Well” from the musical Chess. Released in 1985 as a single featuring the voices of Elaine Page and Barbara Dickson, the track was originally intended as a heterosexual love song performed by a chess champion’s estranged wife and his mistress.

Barrowman enlisted the duetting talents of openly gay British musical theater performer Daniel Boys (who first came to the general public’s attention when he appeared in the reality talent competition Any Dream Will Do in 2007 – where, incidentally, he provided one of the series’ few gay moments, holding hands with fellow contestant Lewis Bradley as they went in front of judge Andrew Lloyd Webber to hear which of them had been eliminated).

The result is unlike anything you may have heard on a mainstream album before, as two successful openly gay men sing in gender-specific terms about the end of an affair with their mutual flame: “Wasn’t he fine?” sighs Boys, while Barrowman, with typical sexual energy, growls back “Wasn’t he fine?” It’s like hearing two old friends put their feet up and compare notes over a drink at their favorite gay bar.

Boys joins Barrowman and two other previous Any Dream Will Do contestants, Keith Jack and Ben James-Ellis, for a playful, jazzed-up version of Billy Joel’s “Uptown Girl” which is another one of the album’s better tracks. Given how alive Barrowman can sound on upbeat numbers, it’s just a shame that here, as on Another Side, at least half of the album is weighed down by so-so renditions of sentimental ballads. Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel”, Julie Gold’s “From A Distance”, Keith Urban’s “You’ll Think Of Me, ” and Richard Marx’s “Right Here Waiting For You.

He fares great with two other slow-paced songs, Barry Manilow’s “I Made It Through The Rain” and Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now”, both of which attractively showcase his clear, soaring voice. Perhaps it’s his potential to go over-the-top with upbeat tracks that has led Sony to steer him away from them, since in “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” (a song that has previously been covered by artists as diverse as Andy Williams and Lauryn Hill), he goes blaringly full-throttle, summoning up more the image of someone shouting through a megaphone than any romantic intimacy.

The one of the final tracks on the album, a high-camp version of “You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me”, complete with dramatic horns and backing vocalists wailing “ooh” and “aah, ” does nothing to replace the classic rendition by Dusty Springfield – although it does, again, do something to up the album’s gay factor. Overall, Music Music Music is a mixed bag, probably lending itself better to use as a CD you have on in the background than to intense and focused listening – but “I Know Him So Well” does make it stand out.

Source: AfterElton.com

The Robert Mapplethorpe Bio-Pic is Coming

Last month, AfterElton.com reported that Dollhouse star Eliza Dushku was developing a biopic of artist Robert Mapplethorpe, and would star her brother Nate.

If you dismissed the briefs blurb as just another insane scribbling by the Blog's Editor, you're in for a shock because it's true!

According to Variety, Dushku has secured the rights and received the full cooperation of the Mapplethorpe estate, and the film, called The Perfect Moment, "will chronicle Mapplethorpe's career from his rise to fame in the 1970s for his portraits of socialites and rock stars until his death in 1989 at age 42 from complications arising from AIDS."

Tapped to direct is documentarian Ondi Timoner, and most intriguing is the casting of Nate Dushku, for whom Eliza developed the film: "Nate physically has an uncanny resemblance to Robert," she said. "Some pictures are really eerie."

We will continue following this story and will update you as additional details become available.

"The Simpsons" to Clinch Television Record

Fox said on Thursday it has ordered two more seasons of animated comedy "The Simpsons," ensuring the show that started in 1989 will surpass "Gunsmoke" as the longest-running prime-time U.S. television series.

"The Simpsons" will start its 21st season in the fall, after last year tying the longevity record of "Gunsmoke," which ended in 1975 after 20 seasons. Its second season in the two-year deal will come in 2010.

The cops and courts show "Law & Order" on network NBC has run for 19 prime-time seasons, starting in 1990.

"The Simpsons" has won 24 Emmy Awards and was already the longest running animated series on prime-time television in the United States. It was created by cartoon artist Matt Groening.
The Simpsons are a family of five made up of dull-witted father Homer, good-intentioned mom Marge and kids Bart and Lisa and Maggie, who all live in a town called Springfield that serves as a microcosm of the United States.

It has featured the voice work of major celebrities in guest starring roles, from Paul McCartney to Elizabeth Taylor, and it casts a comedic glance at weighty issues, including racial discrimination, world affairs and religion.

In 2007, "The Simpsons Movie" hit theaters and went on to make more than $527 million worldwide.

"Gunsmoke," a western about straight-shooting lawman Matt Dillon, began in 1955 during TV's black and white era, and later switched to color. Sam Peckinpah, who went on to make the 1969 western classic "The Wild Bunch," was among the many directors on "Gunsmoke," which starred James Arness as Dillon.

Model Gisele Bundchen Weds NFL Star Tom Brady

Brazilian model Gisele Bundchen married National Football League star Tom Brady in the Los Angeles suburb of Santa Monica on Thursday, Us Weekly reported.

The celebrity magazine said the ceremony took place at St. Monica Catholic Church in the oceanfront community, and the guests were mostly immediate family members. The bride wore Dolce & Gabbana as did her three dogs.

Bundchen, 28, has been dating the 31-year-old New England Patriots quarterback since 2006. She was previously linked with actor Leonardo DiCaprio. Forbes.com reported last May that she was the world's highest-paid supermodel, with estimated annual earnings of $35 million. Brady has an 18-month-old son with actress Bridget Moynahan, with whom he broke up about the time she got pregnant.

Pic of the Day: Lucky Survivor

A passenger, wearing a thermo blanket walks away from a Turkish Airlines passenger plane which crashed while attempting to land at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport on February 25, 2009.

American Idol: Week #2 Results Show

Well the results are in from American Idol's second set of 12 competing for three spots in the Top 12. Two of three choices made it through. Unfortunately Mishavonna Henson did not...yet! But she still has the chance in the "Wild Card" competition taking place in two weeks.

The third winner this week, Kris Allen, is truly a great singer, however I just did not like his choice of music. Who in their right mind would sing a "Michael Jackson" song. I guess he was confident enough that he would make it through...and he did!

Here are this week's three winners:

My favorite (and possibly this year's Idol), Adam Lambert

The top female is Allison Iraheta

...and last, but certainly not least, Kris Allen.

Next week is the final set of 12 of the Top 36 will compete for the next three spots in the Top 12. Then in two weeks it's the "Wild Card" round for the final three Top 12 positions.

Watch FOX next Tuesday and Wednesday at 8:00 pm (ET) for your next serving of American Idol.

Star Sighting: Lady GaGa "Naked" in France

Lady GaGa steps out in a flesh-colored bodysuit (with an issue of Playboy!) in France.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Jonathan Rhys Meyers Checks Into Rehab Again

Irish actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers has reportedly checked into rehab in a bid to kick his drink demons once and for all.

According to website Independent.ie, the Tudors star is attending a recovery centre in England to deal with his alcohol problem.

It would be Meyers' third attempt at rehab - in 2005, he spent time at Malibu, California's Promises Clinic in a bid to get sober, and he underwent further treatment in April 2007.

However, he suffered a setback in November 2007 when he was arrested at Dublin Airport by Irish police and charged with being drunk and in breach of the peace. It later emerged that Meyers' mother had died just days before his arrest.

The actor has previously spoken out about his battle with drinking, saying, "When I do (drink) I'm like Bambi. I'm all over the place, hopeless, like a 16-year-old kid. People notice."

And an insider on the Tudors show claims producers warned Meyers about his alcohol intake during filming on the programme's upcoming third season.

The source says, "He is one of the nicest guys in the world, he's a pleasure to work with. He has his demons, and he's trying to cope with them as best he can."

Paula: Fourth American Idol Judge "Doesn't Work"

Don't get her wrong: Paula Abdul loves, just loves, new American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi. But she also thinks that DioGuardi is pretty much ruining the show.

At least that's what she seems to be saying in an interview with OK! magazine hitting newsstands March 9th. As reported by the New York Post, Paula dishes on just why she thinks the extra judge may be one judge too many.

Paula said: "Kara and I have known each other for years and we get along great. But we tried four judges before and it doesn't work."

American Idol did indeed have four judges at one point. In the show's second season, HOT 97 DJ Angie Martinez signed on to serve as a judge. However, before the season began taping, Martinez suffered a crisis of conscience and said she couldn't handle crushing young people's dreams and backed out. (The other three judges were apparently okay with dream-crushing duty.)

So why does four judges not work?

Says Abdul "It takes up so much time for each of us to give our opinion that it slows down the pace of the show."

Abdul may be willing to fix the problem herself. When asked if she planned to continue judging the pop star competition, she ducked the question, replying "It is the last season of my contract, and I have so many other things I want to do."

Chris Isaak Tried to Save Co-Star Brad Renfro

Chris Isaak tried to coax troubled actor Brad Renfro into rehab shortly before the tortured star died from a drug overdose at the beginning of 2008.

The singer/actor teamed up with Renfro and Mickey Rourke on the set of forthcoming movie The Informers and could tell his young co-star was in trouble in the weeks and months leading up to his death.

Isaak told WENN.com, "The sad part is Brad's gone. It was really horrible for me. Brad was a guitar player too and we were in Uruguay hanging out during filming and playing music.

"I'm a guy who's never done a drug in his life; I don't smoke or drink or anything, but Brad was partying really hard. I never put my two cents in but I pulled him aside and I said, 'Brad, you want to know what people say about you when you leave the room? They say you're a great guy, you're a great actor and the third thing they say is and when is he gonna be dead?'"

I said, 'You're in pain, man and I can see it in your face. If you don't get something to kill the pain besides booze or dope you're gonna be dead!' I said, 'Get some help, you're too nice a guy.'"

And Isaak still remembers the last time he saw Renfro, just two weeks before his death.

He recalls, "We were standing in the hotel lobby in Uruguay having this conversation and he put his arms around me and just hugged me. I never talk to people like.

"A couple of weeks later he was found dead. When it happened I felt so sad. There was a recent montage of all the people who died in the past year on TCM (Turner Classic Movies TV channel) and they had a shot of Brad Renfro. When I saw that, man, I just lost it. He was just this fresh-faced kid."

Renfro, 25, died from an accidental heroin overdose on January 15, 2008, a week before Heath Ledger passed away.

Tabloid Reports: Rihanna Pregnancy Shocker


"Oh my God, I could lose the baby!"

Rihanna has told pals that horrifying thought raced through her mind as her boyfriend Chris Brown brutally beat her - because she thinks she is pregnant, as reported by The ENQUIRER

The talented pop beauty had already told Brown that she might be expecting his baby, and friends fear that may be what triggered his violent rage.

Brown, 19, now faces assault charges for the February 8 attack, but prosecutors are considering adding felony domestic abuse counts and even an attempted murder charge, which could put the R&B singer behind bars for years.

"If Rihanna is pregnant, Chris could have killed the baby," claimed a distressed insider.

Recalling her terror when Brown started pummeling her, Rihanna told friends: "All I could think was, 'Oh, my God, I could lose the baby!'"

For the full story with all the details pick up the latest Enquirer - on sale now!

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Rosie: My Teenage Son Told Me to Join the 'Drunk Club'

She may be a teetotaler now – but that hasn't stopped Rosie O'Donnell from making some juicy confessions.

In a new interview on the Tyra Banks Show scheduled to air Thursday, the former talk show host says she's sworn off alcohol – and she has her son Parker to thank.

"I stopped drinking on Dec. 1," O'Donnell, 46, says. "On Nov. 29, I was with my son, who is now 13, and I said to him, 'Park, can you get me a beer?'"

And he said, 'No I don't want to,' " she says. "And I said, 'Really why not?' And he says, 'Because you know what, I think you drink too much beer ... Lately I think it's too much.'"

O'Donnell says she told her son that she gave up drinking for eight years when she was 22 – a prospect that intrigued her son."

He goes, 'Well maybe you should do that again,'" O'Donnell says. "I go, 'Well honey what happens if I can't do that?'"

Says O'Donnell: "He says, 'There's a drunk club, I forget what it's called, but you have to like be really drunk to get in, I don't know if they'd let you in, but you could ask them for tips.'

"Equally revealing, she tells Tyra Banks that she's going through menopause right now – and has relied on a famous friend to get her through it. She and pal Madonna have been e-mailing about "the change."

"She's great," O'Donnell says. "She's a lot like a big sister. When I started having my hormone things, I'm like, 'What the hell is going on?'

"I am about to be 47 next month and Aunt Flow has not shown up for nine months," O'Donnell says. "The worst thing is I am like ending that whole cycle and my daughter who is 11, is beginning the cycle. So the two hormones in the house, it's a lot going on."

People Cover Story: First Daughters' White House Rules

Their father may have run on a platform of change, but for First Daughters Malia and Sasha Obama, the rules are the same in the White House as they were in their home in Chicago, People reports in its new cover story, on sale Friday.

Start with the girls' chores. They're still making their own beds, cleaning their rooms and clearing their dishes. And even with their grandmother, Marian Robinson, 71, staying in a third-floor guest room to help out, Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, must show responsibility.

Their mother, Michelle Obama, has asked the White House staff not to do too much. "People want to make your life easy, and when you have small kids – I've explained this to the staff – they don't need their lives to be easy. They're kids," she says.

The girls do have roaming privileges all around the historic mansion and can pop into the Oval Office whenever they want. "I've tried to encourage them to feel like this whole place is their home," Mrs. Obama tells People. "We actually had this conversation – just let us know where you're going."

For more on White House life, including family games, dinner-table conversations and new bedtime-reading habits, pick up this week's People, on newsstands Friday.

American Idol: The Top 36 - Week #2 Live Performance

We were disappointed that this week's American Idol live performance show was delayed by a day due to President Obama's address, however after watching tonight's show, it would have been better if they would have pre-empted it.

I cannot believe that at this point of the competition, there could be so many contestants picking the wrong songs and singing off key. This week's show sounded more like a bunch of potential singers auditioning, than actually competing for three spots in the Top 12.

Personally, I predict the following three contestants to be this week's three top performers for the Top 12.

My top choice, and possibly this year's "American Idol" is:

Adam Lambert

My top female choices is:

Allison Iraheta

...and my choice for the third position goes to:

Mishavonna Henson

Now, my choices for the bottom positions are actually the remaining nine competitors, including my initial perdiction for front runner, Jasmine Murray. All of their performances were atrocious.

Watch American Idol this Thursday at 8:00 pm (ET) for the live results on FOX.

Is that a Pipe in your Mouth Sherlock?

The new Guy Richie movie Sherlock Holmes has an entirely new approach to this familiar character.

In a break from the traditional adaptations seen on the small and large screen, Holmes, played by Robert Downey Jr, and Dr Watson, played by Jude Law, are seen sharing a bed. These two chums also enjoy man-to-man wrestling.

Robert Downey Jr was quoted in the News of the World as saying “We’re two men who happen to be room-mates, wrestle a lot and share a bed. It’s badass.” Jude Law added “Guy wanted to make this about the relationship between Watson and Holmes. They’re both mean and complicated.”

The film has already had it set backs as Guy was ordered to re-shoot five weeks of filming after he was told what had been done was not good enough by the studios. Apparently he had something else on his mind at the time. However the film is still planned to be released on schedule in November this year.

This is...American Idol's Week 2 of the Top 36

Well America, you must have been thinking last night (like I was) "Where is my American Idol fix for the week" when you tuned into FOX at 8:00 pm (ET) and were "subjected" to a Bones rerun instead. Well, don't worry. You did not miss a bit.

FOX rescheduled the 2-hour performance show until tonight in order to televise President Barack Obama's address.

So, tonight at 8:00 pm (ET), the second set of 12 from the Top 36 will be performing. Then tomorrow (Thursday) at 8:00 pm (ET), we will see the results show.

My favorites for tonight to be selected for the next three Top 12 slots are: Adam Lambert (top right) and Jasmine Murray (third from the left on the top). My third choice is still undecided as I am not sold on any of the other 10 performers. I will make my choice for the third spot after their performance tonight.

So come on America. Watch American Idol tonight and ONLY vote for your favorites based on their musical talent...not just looks!

Pic of the Day: We Are Not Quitters

In his not-really-but-actually State of the Union address, President Barack Obama did his best to inspire a nation scared out of its wits.

Click the following link, compliments of Gawker.com, to read the entire script of last nights televised address:

http://gawker.com/5159894/we-are-not-quitters

U2-Powered Spider-Man Musical Gets Premiere Date

Broadway's Spidey senses are tingling.

Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, the hyped stage musical directed by Julie Taymor (The Lion King) with music and lyrics courtesy of U2's Bono and The Edge, will kick off what its producers hope will be an amazing run along the Great White Way beginning with previews on January 16, 2010, and a February 18, 2010, opening night.

The $40 million effort, reportedly the most expensive Broadway production ever, will make its debut in the Hilton Theatre, the only venue big enough to allow the superhero room to spin his way around the sprawling skyscraper sets while duking it out with various bad guys.

Spider-Man's book is written by Glen Berger, and Taymor and will follow the classic origin story (nerdy Peter Parker gets bitten by radioactive spider and becomes a crimefighter). No word yet on casting or which villains Spider-Man will face off against.

Initially rehearsals for Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, whose name derives from one of its songs, were slated for the spring. But the creative team has now opted instead to workshop the musical in the summer and push back rehearsals until the fall.

Jackman's Adoption Decision was a "No Brainer"

Hugh Jackman's decision to adopt children of mixed race with his actress wife Deborra-lee Furness was a "no brainer" - after he discovered fewer families were willing to take care of multi-racial babies.

The Australian couple struggled for years to conceive following their 1996 nuptials, before adopting Oscar Maximilian, eight, and Ava Eliot, three.

And Jackman admits bosses at an adoption agency made the challenging decision easier when they told the pair which tots might struggle to find a good home.

He says, "Deb and I tried biologically to have children. When we went to talk to some (agency representatives) about adoption, he (sic) said to me, 'We turn away children each month because they are mixed race and they can't find homes for them.' It was a no brainer."

Amy Winehouse Accused of Breaking Up Lesbian Couple

Amy Winehouse has been blamed for splitting up a lesbian couple as she continues to cause havoc on her Caribbean break.

A woman on her first romantic trip with her new partner exploded in rage when she found her in bed with Amy in a hotel room on St Lucia. Unashamed Amy just shrugged and asked the other woman to join them.

The shocked woman and her partner, who had been together for four months, left the room and had a furious row which led to them splitting up.

The 30-year-old woman, who burst in on Amy, then booked herself on to an early flight off the island.

Now back at home, she has updated her MySpace profile to say: “Amy Winehouse asked me for a threesome and I said no, no, no”.

The jilted lesbian told friends how she and her partner had been partying with Amy, 25, for a couple of days. Then one night her lover and Amy disappeared together. The woman told how she grew suspicious before bursting into their hotel room to find her 26-year-old partner and Amy, canoodling in bikinis.

The stunned girlfriend said that, instead of apologizing, Amy invited her to join in. But when she refused, the singer started hurling abuse at her. The woman said: “It all got messy. Amy shouted at me for not joining in. It was a strange night.”

A friend added: “She was devastated and cried for hours. It was a horrible thing to have to see – her girlfriend and Amy all over each other like that.”

Since she jetted to St Lucia in November Amy, 25, has caused havoc during wild nights around the poolside bar and been accused of stealing other guests’ drinks.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

The Pussycat Dolls Remix Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire took home eight statues during this Sunday's Oscars including Best Picture, Best Score and Best Music (Song) for “Jai Ho.”

On the Ryan Seacrest radio show, he debuted a remix of the “Jai Ho” featuring the Pussycat Dolls. The remix was composed by A.R. Rahman and produced by Polow Da Don.

Beads Anyone?

Celebrate Mardi Gras...and may you get plenty of Beads!

Madonna goes Solo to Vanity Fair Oscar Party

Madonna brought out the big guns and shows off her muscles while arriving at the 2009 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Graydon Carter held at the Sunset Tower in West Hollywood on Sunday.

Madonna went "solo" to the party after many published reports that she would be bringing her latest boy toy, Jesus Luz, as her date.

It is evident on the picture that the 50-year-old actress has continued to work out hard to maintain her physique!

Madonna recently sent clothes previously belonging to her 3-year-old, David Banda, to his former orphanage in Malawai according to People.

In receiving the clothes, the orphanage said, “These are clothes David can no longer use; they say he is quite a big boy now so he cannot use most of the clothes Madonna bought him immediately after he was adopted. The children were excited to receive the clothes!”

Gere's High Hopes For New York Inn

Actor Richard Gere has high hopes for his New York restaurant and lodge - he wants his famous guests to help save the planet.

The 59-year-old star's Bedford Post Inn, which includes an 18th century house, barn and bistro, will accommodate guests in up to eight rooms when it opens in Westchester, New York this spring.

And although Gere admits he never anticipated opening a formal restaurant on the 14-acre property, he hopes his unexpected venture will provide a place to network for some of his high-profile pals.

He tells New York magazine, "There are a lot of people in this area who have been enormously successful and have done tremendous good work. It's my hope that they will come and discuss and network at a very high level about how to have a positive impact on the planet."

Elton John Raises Millions for AIDS Foundation at Oscars Party

Singer Sir Elton John and has partner David Furnish hosted their annual fundraiser for the Elton John AIDS Foundation in Los Angeles last night.

The Academy Awards viewing party was one of the night's best attended parties and raised nearly $4 million.

The annual gala is the leading fundraising event in Hollywood on Oscar night.

This year there was a live performance by Sir Elton John and special guest Raphael Saadiq, as well as a emotional first-hand account by Kerrel McKay who spoke about her experiences as an HIV/AIDS activist in her home country of Jamaica.

This year's guests included the event's co-chairs Victoria Beckham and John Walters in addition to Hollywood luminaries such as Sir Ben Kingsley, Quincy Jones, Keifer Sutherland, Whoopi Goldberg, Sharon Stone, Chace Crawford, Gordon Ramsey, Eric McCormack, Tim Allen, Taye Diggs and Ricki Lake.

Items auctioned included the opportunity to dance with Ellen DeGeneres on her Emmy Award winning talk show, which sold for $20,000; two jewel encrusted 10th Anniversary Elton John AIDS Foundation collection watches designed by Chopard went for $250,000 each; a one-hour tennis lesson by tennis champion Andy Roddick sold at auction for $31, 000.

The Elton John AIDS Foundation was established in the United States in 1992 and in the United Kingdom in 1993 and has raised more than $150 million to support HIV/AIDS prevention and service programmes in 55 countries around the globe.

The CW Gives Go-Ahead to Melrose Place Pilot

The CW's update of "Melrose Place" has received an official pilot order, and Oscar winner Davis Guggenheim will direct it.

A remake of the '90s series about a group of twentysomethings living in the trendy Melrose neighborhood of Los Angeles, the pilot was written by Darren Swimmer and Todd Slavkin ("Smallville").

Guggenheim, who won an Oscar for the documentary "An Inconvenient Truth," is known for directing edgy TV dramas such as "Deadwood," "24" and the pilot for "The Unit." But early in his career, he helmed lighter fare, including Fox's "Party of Five."

The picture shows cast members of the original television series celebrating the program's 200th episode during a party in Beverly Hills. (L-R) front row, Josie Bissett, Thomas Calabro, Jamie Luner. Back row, Rob Estes, Steve Wilder, Heather Locklear, Kelly Rutherford, Rena Sofer, John Haymes Newton and Jack Wagner.

Ledger's Last Film Awaits Deal for U.S. Release

'Heat', an oil on canvas by artist Vincent Fantauzzo, is seen in this image provided by the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

Backstage at the Oscars on Sunday night, where her brother was awarded a posthumous supporting actor's award, Kate Ledger told reporters that her family is very much in the loop on his final movie.

"We've seen a little bit of the footage," she said of Terry Gilliam's "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus," Heath Ledger's last film. "I think it's going to be amazing."

But the comments only highlighted a larger question: When will U.S. audiences get to see it?

The head-trippy "Parnassus," about a traveling magician who gives customers more than they bargained for, is a joint production of financial entity Grosvenor Park and sales mogul Samuel Hadida of Davis Films. It was gliding along as just another independently financed production -- and product of Gilliam's funhouse imagination -- when Ledger died early last year, in the middle of production.

The project's fate was thrown into question until Jude Law, Colin Farrell and Johnny Depp stepped in, with all three part of an elaborate work-around that has the actors playing different parts of Ledger's role.

That saved the production. But the sales process since then has been nearly as complicated.

A number of U.S. buyers during the summer and early fall were said to be interested in acquiring stateside rights -- Lionsgate and Overture reportedly were among the potential suitors -- but word of a potential deal quickly quieted down.

That has fueled speculation concerning such matters as dissent among producers over finances. Rumors aside, the film, whose budget is thought to be upward of $20 million, does present challenges.

Even with the Ledger hook, a distributor would face marketing difficulties. Gilliam has grown more experimental in recent years, with such fare as "Tideland" and "The Brothers Grimm," and marketing experts say that retailing "Parnassus" as a Ledger film risks a backlash among general audiences unaccustomed to artier material.

A U.S. deal is expected shortly, with a mini-major or larger indie expected to make the play. (The movie already has a deal for Mandate International to release it in the United Kingdom, where former Monty Python member Gilliam tends to fare better. It is expected to open there in the summer.)

Still, the absence of a U.S. distribution deal nearly six months after talks began speaks to the difficulty of selling art-house films to the domestic market.

"This movie stars Heath Ledger in his final performance -- it will get a deal and come out in the U.S.," said one indie film veteran. "But it's no accident that it's taking this long."

Star Sighting: Jolie & Pitt - Best Dressed Couple

Angelina Jolie in stunning Elie Saab and a very dapper Brad Pitt in a matching classic black tux light up the 2009 Oscars red carpet!

Monday, February 23, 2009

New Release Tuesday!

There are plenty of great new CD, DVD and Blu-Ray releases coming to your local or online entertainment stores this Tuesday. Here's a list of what's new:

CDs - Music

Chris Isaak - Mr. Lucky (shown above)
Jonas Brothers - 3D Concert Experience
Project Pat - Real Recognize Real
Van Morrison - Astral Weeks Live at the Hollywood Bowl


DVDs & Blu-Rays - Motion Pictures
Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (D)
Extreme Movie (D)
The French Connection (B)
The French Connection II (B)
The Haunting of Holly Hartley (D)
Lullaby (D)
The Matador (2008 Version) (B) (shown above)


DVDs & Blu-Rays - TV Series
Canterbury's Law - Complete Series (D)
Futurama - Into the Wild Green Yonder (B/D)
Girlfriends - 6th Season (D)
Just Shoot Me - 3rd Season (D)
The Liar - 2nd Season (D) (shown above)
Make Room for Daddy - 6th Season, Volume 1 (D)
My Wife and Kids - 1st Season (D)
Oliver Twist - Mini-Series (D)
Painted Lady - Mini-Series (D)
Summer Heights High - 1st Season (D)

(B) - Available in Blu-Ray format only
(D) - Available in DVD format only
(B/D) - Available in Blu-Ray and DVD formats

Heath Ledger Wins an Oscar

In an emotional moment at Sunday's Academy Awards, Heath Ledger's family accepted the actor's posthumous Oscar for Best Supporting Actor as the Joker in The Dark Knight.

"Tonight we are choosing to celebrate and be happy for what he has achieved," said his mother Sally Bell, who stood alongside Heath's father, Kim Ledger, and sister, Kate, on the stage of Hollywood's Kodak Theatre.

Added Kate, in reference to Heath's 3-year-old daughter, who will inherit his Oscar when she turns 18, "We proudly accept this award on behalf of your beautiful Matilda."

Asked backstage whether Heath's daughter knows about all the Oscar hoopla, Kim told reporters that Matilda's mom, actress Michelle Williams, "keeps Matilda closeted, in a nice way, and [Matilda] won't know very much about the fuss that's going on."

Ledger's mother said that Matilda's resemblance to her late father is striking. "You just have to look at her to know that she is totally like her daddy," said Bell. "She has the same mannerisms. I really feel he's in her."


Ledger was the favorite for the Oscar after having won multiple awards earlier in the season, including the Critics Choice, the Golden Globe and the Screen Actors Guild award.

Ledger, 28, was found dead in a New York apartment on Jan. 22, 2008, of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs.

The actor's family arrived in Los Angeles last week in hopes that Ledger's work would be honored on Hollywood's biggest night. Williams did not attend the ceremony but was in Los Angeles on Saturday for the Film Independent's 2009 Spirit Awards. Williams was a best actress nominee for the film Wendy and Lucy at the Spirits.

On Feb. 19, the Ledgers attended the Australians in Film Academy Award Celebration where Oliver Ackland of Sydney became the inaugural recipient of a scholarship created in Ledger's name.

"The family caught up with lots of Heath's friends [at the event]," said a guest. "It was a bittersweet night but celebratory, as well.

Hugh Jackman: The Musical is Back!

Hugh Jackman did an amazing job with hosting this year's Academy Awards. Below are two great scenes from the 81st Oscars.

The first is a musical number with Beyonce Knowles; Zac Efron & Vanessa Hudgens (from the High School Musical series); and Amanda Seyfried & Dominic Cooper (from Mamma Mia: The Movie).



The second YouTube clip is the opening number which features Anne Hathaway in a "low budget due to the economy" montage of the Best Movie nominees.



Thank you Academy for selecting the "Sexiest Man Alive" to keep us entertained. May he return next year for an encore presentation.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

And the Oscar Goes To...

The 81st Annual Academy Awards have come to a close, but there are many celebrating the Academy's choices for this year.

First, I must say that Hugh Jackman deserves an "Emmy" Award for his outstanding hosting performance.  He really meant it when he said to "concentrated on the show and not the biz".  In my opinion, this was one of the most entertaining Oscars in recent years.

Below is a list of the major prize winners of tonight's awards presentation:

Best Movie:  Slumdog Millionaire
Best Director:  Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire"
Best Actor:  Sean Penn, "Milk"
Best Actress:  Kate Winslet, "The Reader"
Best Supporting Actor:  Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight"
Best Supporting Actress:  Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Best Animated Film:  Wall-E
Best Foreign Language Film:  Departures (Japan)

For a list of all the winners go to www.Oscars.com.

The Oscars: My Predictions

The Oscars are finally here. Tonight we will find out who are the winners at the 81st Academy Awards.

Below are the nominations for all of the top categories and my winning picks.

Best Picture
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"Frost/Nixon"
"Milk"
"The Reader"
"Slumdog Millionaire"

Best Actor
Richard Jenkins, "The Visitor"
Frank Langella, "Frost/Nixon"
Sean Penn, "Milk"
Brad Pitt, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"

Best Actress
Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married"
Angelina Jolie, "Changeling"
Melissa Leo, "Frozen River"
Meryl Streep, "Doubt"
Kate Winslet, "The Reader"

Best Supporting Actor
Josh Brolin, "Milk"
Robert Downey Jr., "Tropic Thunder"
Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Doubt"
Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight"
Michael Shannon, "Revolutionary Road"

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, "Doubt"
Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Viola Davis, "Doubt"
Taraji P. Henson, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Marisa Tomei, "The Wrestler"

Best Director
David Fincher, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Ron Howard, "Frost/Nixon"
Gus Van Sant, "Milk"
Stephen Daldry, "The Reader"
Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire"

For a complete listing of all categories, visit http://www.oscars.com/.

Watch the Oscars, hosted by Hugh Jackman, tonight at 8:30 pm ET on ABC.