day 103

oh no they didn't

...yes, they did.  rihanna and chris brown have reconciled.  yeah, crazy, right?  why would a battered woman return to the arms of the man responsible for the damage?  i don't know.  but, what i can tell you are the details of their reconciliation.  sean "diddy" combs allegedly offered up his miami mansion to the duo to help them work through their issues.  the estate is hidden from view and boasts 13,000 square feet.  that's plenty of space for the barbados beauty and r&b crooner to work things out.  the reunion began when chris called to wish rihanna a happy 21st birthday on february 20th.  while reps for rihanna deny the couple has gotten back in contact, many reliable sources say that chris is sorry for what transpired, but is happy to be back with the woman he loves.  lapd is still investigating the charges filed against brown with a search for more evidence is being conducted currently.  does this send the right message to rihanna's female fans?  i don't think so.  it's okay to say you forgive him and that you're back on a friendly level, but how can you return to an abusive relationship and say things are okay? 

that's it for today.  hopefully we'll know more in the next few days about exactly what's going on. 

day 102

drew to eclipse third twilight?

drew barrymore is in talks to direct the third movie in the twilight film franchise, eclipse.  the first film was directed by catherine hardwicke and the second - which goes into production in just a few short weeks - is being helmed by chris weitz.  drew has long been interested in directing, with her production company, flower films, becoming a powerhouse in hollywood after the charlie's angels flicks.  drew recently wrapped production on her directorial debut, whip it!, a comedy set in the fast paced world of roller derbies and starring juno's ellen page.  so why 3 directors for 3 films?  hardwicke pulled out of the second installment when summit entertainment, the studio behind the movies, wanted a tighter production schedule that hardwicke believed would hurt the quality of the film.  and weitz won't be returning to the third because he'll still be working on post-production on the second film. yes, the third film will be coming out in spring 2010, meaning filming needs to take place this fall, even before the second film will be released in theaters.  summit knows that twilight is a bankable series but they don't know how long the interest in the vampire themed epic will last.  it will be interesting to see the production value of the newest movie as compared to the first and so on.  and as for drew? i would want to at least see whip it! before i made the decision.  the only good thing is that she is a hollywood veteran and knows how the make and publicize big blockbusters.  she'll probably be a fun addition to the creative forces behind the series, too.  no official word has been released from either camps but, if drew is selected, the announcement will probably be made this summer. 

more gossip about gossip

the news just keeps piling up for the cw's gossip girl.  it has now been confirmed by fellow cast member krysten ritter that brittany snow will be going back to blonde to take on the role of lily van der woodsen (nee rhodes) in the tentatively titled lily (though that's sure to change - it screams felicity or other drama-in-a-can).  producers made the official decision last night right before krysten walked the carpet to promote her current show, breaking bad.  the show will focus on britanny and krysten's characters (lily and carol), two sisters living in la la land during the punk-infused era of the 80s.  and as for the show that birthed lily? gwen stefani and the group that launched her career, no doubt, will be taking to the upper east side in one of this season's last episodes right before their spring/summer tour launches in may.  that's sure to draw ratings to the show, right?  this should all be very interesting.  the cw is really putting all their creative juices into keeping gossip girl as their flagship show, which is a rarity for a network when a show doesn't really pull in big numbers.  it also looks like 90210 will be back in the fall to help usher in the melrose place relaunch, alongside dramas smallville and supernatural.  

day 101

giselle bundchen's a married woman

that's right.  the only victoria secret model to be fired, giselle, and her football playing beau, tom brady, went and got hitched tonight, according to us weekly.  the duo were wed at sunset in a traditional catholic ceremony in los angeles with just a few close family and friends in attendance.  even tom's son with ex bridget moynahan, john edward thomas moynahan (yes, she gave the kid her last name), was there.  the couple, who recently denied engagement reports, have been dating for about 2 years.  tom left bridget for giselle while she was pregnant with their son (hence the name).  it will be interesting to see how this relationship plays out.  it seems almost stereotypical to have a model and football player together, doesn't it? is giselle pregnant? that would explain the "quickee"nuptials.  then tom would have 2 kids by 2 different women.  that sounds like the beginning of a maury show now that i think about it.

gossip girl to get some snow

there's big news for fans of gossip girl.  up first is the return of uber bitch georgina sparks, played my michelle trachtenberg.  the devious diva returns to the upper east side when the show returns form hiatus in a couple weeks in a not so typical way.  it looks like chuck will be the first to encounter to the troubled socialite when she approaches him in a park...as part of a cult.  it'll seem like georgina has been brainwashed and is trying to "save" people.  that's when her arch nemesis blair gets involved to, surprisingly, help her out. once she's been de-culted, georgina will stir up more trouble between serena and dan.  when will they make this character a regular? she should totally go off to school with at least one of our constance billiard seniors.  as for the snow gg is getting, that comes in the form of brittany snow.  hollywood's newest scream queen and former star of nbc's american dreams will be throwing her hat into another show set in a different time period when she takes on the role of a young lily van der woodsen in the spin off.  brittany will make her first appearance in the role sometime in may when the ceedub airs the backdoor pilot for the 80s themed show as part of a regular gossip episode.  this seems like brilliant casting to me; so much so that the new spin off might even overshadow its predecessor.  filming on the pilot should take place sometime next month.  it should be fun to see all the 80s clothing, music, and places the creators use to make the series as authentic as possible.

that's all i got for today, but check out the new e! news now widget.  it'll give you your fix for gossip even when i'm not around. 

day 100

we've hit the triple digits people!

the sun to set over the hills

next month's fifth season kick off of the mtv hit the hills, as we know it, will be the show's final bow.  lauren conrad, the show's star, is on the new cover of seventeen and basically said she's walking away from the cameras, wanting to leave the show when it's still a hot commodity and not when it's died a slow, painful death.  that's respectable and all, but what are you going to do for a living? i suspect lauren will be hosting a fashion show or something within the next year to make up for the dividend in missing revenue.  check out the trailer for the show's new season above.  it looks like all the loose ends we've been seeing unravel over the past few years are getting tied up.  it looks like lc and heidi may finally put the past in the past.  and is heidi finally ready to rid herself of spencer? probably not.  the twosome will most likely get their own spin off once the hills fades into the tv graveyard.  and what about audrina? she'll probably get a show on e! or something about her life as an "actress." the show has racked up about 70 episodes and will probably end with around 90, 10 short of typical syndication necessity.  however, i see the show living on a la sex and the city, airing on the cw or other network in daytime.  what will mtv do once it loses its cash cow?  the hills' spinoff the city hasn't taken off as the network hoped, meaning they're going to be stranded without a flagship series.  hopefully they'll be able to figure out something one lc's fake reality ends sometime this summer. 

that's all i got for the 100th day here on dirty laundry, but check back tomorrow to see what hollywood's up to. 

day 99

jobros jet from coast to coast

with their 3d concert experience movie opening in theaters this friday, it's no surprise that the brothers jonas would be doing some crazy publicity stunt.  in a press conference held today, the boys revealed that they'll be attending screenings of their film at a variety of theaters in a variety of u.s. cities all weekend.  but, of course, they want to keep the surprise alive and will not be revealing exactly where they'll be staying.  ergo, if you hear a sonic boom of tween screams in your town, you'll know they're there.  my guesses is they'll be stopping in new jersey (their home state), dallas (where they have a home), orlando (home to disney world), and california (mecca of entertainment) at the least.  and it can't be argued that the jonai's publicity team is genius.  now that they've announced this, you know thousands (maybe even millions) of girls begged their parents to pre order tics for a showing this weekend in hopes that they'll get a chance to see kevin, joe, and nick.  chances are they won't, but why crush dreams, right?

andy richter's back at home

andy richter, conan o'brien's former cohort on late night, is returning to help the floppy haired tv host in his new venture as host of the tonight show (a decision i still think was a major mistake on the part of nbc - they'll probably lose more money keeping conan around than it would have cost them to buy him out of his contract).  richter will take on the role of announcer when conan moves up to the 11:30/10:30c time slot. andy left conan's show in 2000 in order to pursue his own career aspirations, which amounted to a multitude of failed sitcoms and sporadic guest star gigs after taking on the role of sidekick in 1993.  but, will richter's reappearance help out ratings for conan? probably not.  i predict katie couric-esque ratings, meaning a bump in the beginning and a rapid decline to third place after a week.  and as for the man o'brien is replacing? leno will be debuting a new 10/9c show (similar to his current one) on the peacock net and i'm skeptical of how he'll do.  people commit to 10 o'clock dramas and don't necessarily want to see a talk show.  plus, leno will have to conform to stricter fcc rules in the pre-news slot.  we'll see how this all plays out in august when everyone is up and running.  

a fox is on the prowl

megan fox is a single woman.  but, that doesn't mean all you teen fanboys are her dating pool.  the angelina jolie-alike and rising star has ended her 5 year relationship (3 year engagement) to actor brian austin green because the twosome is "focusing on their careers" and had let the relationship run its course. meaning, megan is a hot commodity in the entertainment industry and brian, well, isn't. his only career highlight since 90210 is being a recurring star on fox's sinking terminator drama - there's a reason they put it in the tv graveyard, a friday night time slot.  fox's career, on the other hand, is booming with the transformers sequel and the diablo cody dramedy jennifer's body scheduled to be released later this year.  plus there was the whole age difference (13 years) and the fact that green had a kid from a previous relationship didn't help.  i wouldn't be surprised if megan had a new man on her arm by her next movie premiere.  and, as for brian? hopefully he'll be able to get over losing hollywood's it girl.

day 98

a hilton, assaulted

nicky hilton was assaulted friday night/saturday morning outside of an ihop.  yes, an ihop.  why a millionaire hotel heiress was at an ihop is beyond me.  the incident occurred at 4:15 in the morning when nicky was entering the establishment and was shoved from behind.  her "assaulter" was arrested when an officer, who was actually inside the restaurant, came out to investigate.  it seems that hilton was more "insulted than assaulted," but still its pretty traumatic for the pampered princess.  hilton even placed the attacker under citizen's arrest, an uncommon and unnecessary practice. but, hey, it helped keep her name in the press, right? her attacker, a 50 year old man, was booked for misdemeanor battery in west hollywood and released later in the afternoon, with a court date set for late april.  the story probably won't blow up anymore, but its still funny.

with the oscars yesterday, there's really no big stories today :( 

day 97

harlow winter kate to become big sis

nicole richie and joel madden have announced that they will be expecting their second child later this year.  late last night, the rocker posted on good charlotte's official site that he was excited to be entering a second child into the world.   the couple is not married but has been together for over 2 years.  nicole gave birth to the musically inclined duo's first child, harlow, in january 2008.  that means there will be about a year and a half (probably) between the two children.  there's no word on when the baby is due, what sex the baby is, or if the couple plans on tying the not to make their family legally official, but congrats to the twosome.  with the rate they're going, they're bound to have a whole football team of kids in a few years.  joel famously dated hilary duff prior to nicole; they're relationship lasted quite a few years and, according to hilary, was a celibate one.  that explains why he's so hellbent on having so many kids, eh?

it's not the oscars...

it's the razzies.  the "crappy" oscars were held saturday night in los angeles mike myers and paris hilton lead the pack for nominations, and swept they're categories. paris took home the razzie (not literally, as she wasn't in attendance like halle berry was a few years ago for catwoman) for worst actress, worst supporting actress, and worst on screen couple.  mike myer's the love guru got the statuette for worst picture, worst actor, and worst screenplay.  is america just finally over mike myers?  getting a golden razzie is a step in the wrong direction (halle berry's career still hasn't really recovered).  the only project he currently has in production that is bound to be a hit is shrek goes fourth, in which he won't even appear on screen.  maybe that's the key to his success?  we'll get to see in 2010 when the film hits screens in 3d.  and as for hilton?  she doesn't have any film projects in the works for the near future.  i'd say that's a good thing, wouldn't you? 

and the oscar goes to...

the 81st academy awards were held tonight with almost no surprises.  the memo that leaked yesterday was obviously a phony since some of the award winners were chosen in correctly on the sheet.  hugh jackman did a fine job hosting, though i don't know if he'll be invited back.  the song-and-dance numbers were impressive, but not all that entertaining in the long run.  the shows need a comedian to keep the flow going and to keep the crowd upbeat (though not john stewart...he didn't know what he was doing a few years ago).  jackman is definitely better suited for hosting the tony awards with his musical background.  beyonce's appearance in a movie-musical themed performance, alongside zac and vanessa from high school musican and amanda seyfried and dominic cooper of mamma mia, was by far the highlight of the show, even if beyonce was lip synching.  the clip will landed on youtube so those of you who missed it will be able to check it out above.  oh, and the winners?  well, penelope cruz has been named best supporting actress for vicky cristina barcelona (makes me sad for amy adams), heath ledger garnered a posthumous awards for his role in the dark knight, wall-e received the nod for best animated feature (big shocker, being a disney/pixar film), danny boyle won for his direction of slumdog millionaire, which also took home the best picture nod.  i thought the coolest part of the evening was the way the acting awards were handed out; 5 winners from the past were chosen to each speak about one of the current nominees.  it was just a cool way to remember who has won what and see that, wow, that old guy from that one movie isn't dead yet.  it also explained why the camera kept cutting to sophia loren.  speaking of best actress and actor, those awards went to kate winslet (another shocker, though i still wish anne hathaway had gotten more recognition this awards season) and, what was actually a surprise, sean penn took home the best actor statue. a lot of people worried that his film, milk, would be critically revered but award show snubbed, due to its similarly themed subject matter with brokeback mountain.  it's probably a good thing that mickey rourke didn't take home the statue, though his acceptance speech would have been great to watch, i'm sure.  

day 96

tomorrow

 

there really isn't anything to report today other than the oscars are on tomorrow night, on abc, with a barbara walters special preceding the telecast.  above is a video of this year's host, hugh jackman, running through performances and talking about the show. 

update: it looks like a confidential memo revealing the winners of the academy awards, 2009, has been leaked.  the academy of arts and sciences has said that the memo is a fake, but the list reveals some very likely winners. here's the list for the big awards:

actor in a leading role - mickey rourke, the wrestler

actor in a supporting role - heath ledger, the dark knight

actress in a leading role - kate winslet, the reader

actress in a supporting role - amy adams, doubt

animated feature - wall-e

best picture - slumdog millionaire

directing - danny boyle, slumdog millionaire

i guess we'll all have to tune in tomorrow night to really find out 

day 95

clarkson leaks

kelly clarkson's latest album, all i ever wanted, has leaked onto the internet.  i wasn't able to track down complete versions of the songs (though they're sure to pop up on youtube in the next couple of days), but i did get my hands on 30 second preview clips of the choruses, courtesy of mjsbigblog.  the album is somewhere in between the mega hit breakaway and 2007's my december, which isn't a bad thing.  kelly is definitely back to the pop roots that gave her her start, but there's a little more of an edge to some of the tracks.  there's definitely some big hits on the album, with infectious dance beats and strong hooks peppering the disc.  that's a far cry from my december's bleak break up ballads that had no memorable pieces.  i definitely recommend giving kelly's new material even if you're not a fan.  kelly is not the bubble gum pop star, nor is she a rocker.  she's somewhere in between, giving her a unique identity in the music biz.  i definitely see kelly's songs being chosen for movie soundtracks this summer or fall; they're just really consumer friendly.  one of the album's stand out tracks is actually a song originally intended for katy perry, "i do not hook up."  you can check out katy's full version above.  it's interesting to compare the two since they have a very similar sound and are really targeting the same demo. other stand outs include "whyyawannabringmedown," and "long shot."  kelly's album drops march 10th and she'll probably have a second single out by then, which is rumored to be "i do not hook up."  maybe kelly will even return to the idol stage this year to coincide with her album's release.  clarkson has not appeared on the show since the first idol gives back special where she resembled mama cass.  

lindsay, lily pull a rihanna

two of hollywood's most confusing successes, lindsay lohan and lily allen, got matching tattoos together earlier this week. each star got the word "shhh..." plastered on their index fingers, identical to one rihanna has.  is this some form of solidarity with the recently abused singer or just a coincidence? i don't know, but it would be interesting to find out.  who knew that lindsay and lily were even friends? i guess people who party alike party together?  all 3 stars are known for their multiple tattoos, but only rihanna is really known for showing hers off.  that makes me think the new "shh..." duo are backing up rihanna in the chris brown debacle currently going on.  speaking of that, police have launched an investigation to find out who leaked the confidential photo of rihanna's injuries that i posted yesterday.  today is also the barbados beauty's 21st birthday. 

kelly rowland to walk in heidi klum's shoes

with bravo and lifetime still embroiled in a fight between mega reality show hit project runway, the show's original home, broadway, has decided to move ahead with its "replacement."  the fashion show (creative title, eh?) will follow designers in their quest to get their lines sold in a major department store.  so, basically, all they've done is change the prize on the show (which sounds a little better than the usual start-up cash that pr's winners received).  kelly rowland, of destiny's child, will host the show, while designer isaac mizrahi (yeah, the guy from target) and fern mallis, the senior vice prez of img fashion will judge the contestants' works, along with the studio audience.  it seems like bravo is really just revamping project runway and almost making it better (minus the fact that heidi klum isn't involved and the judges are a little less prestigious). like project runway, the fashion show is based off a british show.  project runway's 6th season (which has been completed) was supposed to start airing last month but the legal battle is still going on and no date has been set.  because of runway's move to the left coast, guest judges like lindsay lohan and eva longoria parker were brought in to fill the seats of michael kors and nina garcia periodically.  hopefully the show will get a chance to hit the airwaves soon, before the guest stars because obsolete.  the fashion show will premiere later this year alongside the sarah jessica parker-created american artist, which will do for the art world what project runway did for the fashion world. 

day 94

chris brown update

the picture to the left was obtained by tmz from the police report filed by rihanna almost 2 weeks ago, which recognizes chris brown as her attacker.  the picture is pretty hard to take in, but rihanna's welts on the sides of her head, busted nose, and torn lip are all visible in the photo.  now we all know rihannna wasn't over exaggerating what happened.  rihanna's friends have recently come out into the public and said that the singer is disappointed in her former love and feels like his apology was...well, half assed.  can you blame her?  to add insult to injury, the la district attorney's office is seeking more evidence for more charges against chris, including attempted murder.  with the injuries visible in the picture, it definitely looks like chris could have killed the barbados beauty.  rihanna is said be on her way back to the states from her native barbados sometime in the next few days in hopes of getting her life back on track.  what will happen to chris is still unknown, but more and more celebrities who spoke out on the issue are now retracting their statements, including t.i.  

ellen degeneres to become a mom?

"friends" are starting to come out and say that talk show host and comedian ellen degeneres and her longtime partner/wife portia de rossi want to start a family.  the duo are apparently looking into invitro fertilization and would love a boy or any child.  they see it as the next step in their relationship.  it's good that ellen has finally found someone who she can really root a life with, after a string of public relationships and break ups.  but, who will carry the baby? that's unknown, though i would bet on portia.  can you see menopausal ellen carrying around a child?  they'll probably use portia's eggs, too (for the same menopausal reasons...).  portia is supposedly trying to gain weight in order to sustain carrying the baby, which is surprising because ellen and portia recently became vegans (explaining ellen's recent rapid weight loss).  hopefully some more word on this story will come out in the coming weeks and we'll all get to know just exactly what's going on.  

that's it for today kiddos. 

day 93

star wars love in the oc 

secretive couple hayden christensen and rachel bilson are reportedly engaged.  and the engagement isn't all that recent.  the pair moved from boyfriend and girlfriend to fiances sometime over the holidays, in december.  the duo have been together since filming began on the 2006 thriller jumper, in which the twosome starred together.  however, the news hasn't exactly been made official.  both rachel and hayden are uber private people and neither ones' reps would comment on the situation.  only "friends" and "sources" have come forward, saying that rachel is thrilled, but no wedding date has been set.  i would think the couple will be a perennially engaged one, never quite getting to the alter.  they just don't seem like the kind of couple to get hitched.  but, if they do, you probably won't be seeing any wedding photos in any tabloids.  the couple would most definitely want to keep everything a private affair, similar to salma hayek's valentines nuptials.  maybe one paparazzi would be able to get a super strong lens to take a pic from a helicopter?

oscars to get musical number

with tony award winner hugh jackman helming the 81st annual academy awards, its no shocker that some flashy song and dance routines will be coming our way when the show goes live sunday night.  but, jackman won't be doing these big production numbers alone.  the award show has recruited some of the biggest names in modern movie musicals to help hugh out, with zac efron and vanessa hudgens from high school musical (and hairspray for zac), amanda seyfried and dominic cooper from mamma mia, and beyonce from dreamgirls and cadillac records all jumping on board.  this is sure to be on crazy number - can you imagine? i can't wait to see what's going to happen.  and what are they going to sing?  maybe these will be the performers for the best original song category? the songs were being compiled into a medley to be performed altogether, with each song receiving about 60 seconds of on air time.  though i can't see this random cast of characters performing songs from wall-e and slumdog millionaire.  either way, we won't have to wait long to find out when the oscars air this sunday on abc.  

lindsay lohan, entrepreneur? 

with her acting and singing career on hold, la lohan has been looking at all the available opportunities to make money.  last year she launched a line of leggings, 6126 (after marilyn monroe's bday), and now she's working on a line of self tanners, stay gold. a real creative name if you ask me.  lindsay didn't divulge exactly what will make the products special, but we're sure they'll make you just as orange as she and her mother seem to be year round.  lindsay is also branching out into other cosmetics with stay gold (also not discussed) and will expand her clothing line to include more than just leggings by 2011.  will lindsay become a force in the fashion world?  that would be interesting to see.  if anything, she'll probably have a jessica simpson style clothing empire  - it doesn't show at fashion week but it super profitable.  like jessica, lindsay jumped on the bandwagon when her look was/is one of the most copied.  why? i don't know.  simpson recently expanded her shoe and hadbag line to include dresses, swimwear, and lingerie.  hopefully lindsay will be able to get both these ventures as well as her original career in order.  

day 92

carrie underwood ducks for cover

american idol country crooner carrie underwood attended a senators hockey game monday night to cheer on latest love interest mike fisher and wasn't too happy when her famous mug got plastered on the rink's jumbotron.  click here to see the freak out.  you see, the only problem in doing that, carrie, is that it only drew more attention to you.  had you just stood there and pretended like you didn't know what was going on, then people probably wouldn't have paid attention.  ducking means you didn't want to be seen.  i can understand why she might not want her most recent relationship plastered all over the tabloids - after 2 pretty big blow outs and lots of drama with tony romo and chace crawford - but, still, you're only calling attention to yourself.  and the announcer wasn't really helpful, more of an asshole.  what if his girlfriend was there - would she want the camera to pan to her and her name to be shouted across the arena?  probably not.  oh well, carrie is famous and has to deal with all the craziness that comes along with it.  at lease she provided us with a pretty good youtube clip?

carrie underwood provides the only news for today.  hopefully the celeb radar will pick up soon with a big scandal, wouldn't that be nice?  then chris brown could get some weight off of his chest. 

day 91

relation-ships: some going strong, some sailing on

salma hayek has gone and tied the knot.  the actress/producer/hollywood mogul and her baby-daddy french billionaire boyfriend, after an on and off affair, finally made it official on valentine's day in a paris church.  the couple have one child - daughter valentina - and split up in july 2008, only to get back together only recently.  this is hayek's first marriage but her beau, francois-henri pinault, is on his third and has two children from his previous marriages.  the couple are a major power in the world of entertainment, with hayek being all over tv and movies and pinault owning two of the biggest fashion houses out there, yves saint laurent and gucci.  in other couples' news, milo ventimiglia and his heroes castmate hayden panetierre (talk about crazy last names) have called it quits.  the couple, who had been together for over a year, decided that the age difference was just too much and that the duo were in two different points in their life.  i wonder if the break up had anything to do with the rumors that hayden is also planning to leave the show.  the actress apparently wants to branch out and get away from the show that is slowing dying in the ratings.  

iron man 2 - double the drama

with terrence howard already out of the sequel, there may be even more casting shifts on the second installment of the robert downey jr franchise.  emily blunt was brought on board to play the role of the black widow and may already be out.  blunt has been trying to work out scheduling conflicts between iron man and the jack black helmed gulliver's travels and is reportedly having quite the difficulty.  and producers aren't looking at this like its a bad thing.  now that emily may be out, the team behind the film is gunning for scarlett johnasson to take the role.    scarlett has already met with producers and is eager to take the action role, something she really hasn't tapped into yet.  this is a big blow to emily blunt.  the british actress really hasn't had a megahit in the states since the devil wears prada and the iron man sequel would have been a second launching pad for the actress.  it will be interesting to see what happens in the next couple of weeks with filming supposed to start in the next couple of months.  hopefully emily will be able to work out her schedule and maybe scarlett can be used in a different capacity on the film?

day 90

chris brown breaks silence

chris brown has finally decided to speak out on the rihanna assault situation that transpired exactly a week ago.  chris says he deeply sorry for what happened and that ha has turned to his family, friends, and god in this tough time.  chris, however, did not say exactly what happened because it is a "pending legal case," but did caution fans to take everything they read with a grain of salt; he believes that most of what's out in the media is false.  so what are we supposed to believe? that's questionable.  chris' hearing is set for march, so hopefully we'll know exactly what's going on in a little under a month and this whole thing will be resolved.  chris is still in the states (somewhere between los angeles and las vegas) and rihanna is reportedly in barbados, where she and her family are from and will probably stay there while this whole thing blows over.  

that's all the news that we have for today, but you can head over to nbc.com to check out clips from the jonas brothers' gig.  

day 89

busy, busy
in couldn't blog today, but there will be plenty of stories to tell tomorrow. stayed tuned.

day 88

lindsay lohan to get comeback? 

while the rehabed actress has landed herself a pretty big role, i don't know if we should go around calling it a comeback quite yet. la lohan will be taking the female lead in the nightmare on elm street franchise reboot.  the film series, whose main villain is freddy kreuger, will completely overhaul the franchise, which previously included 7 films. basically, this film will be a remake of the first film with a new story line.  lindsay's manager apparently contacted the films producer, andrew ford, about lindsay being involved with the flick.  lohan was allegedly very persistent in wanting to be a part of the franchise.  lindsay got a first look at the script and was handed the role, without an audition.  usually, that is only the luxury of high brow stars.  so, maybe, lindsay is on the up and up? other actresses who actually had to audition for the role (and were turned away) included one tree hill's sophia bush and actress danielle panabaker. the guys behind the latest hollywood horror remake, friday the 13th (released today), are also behind the new nightmare on elm street alongside transformers mega director michael bay.   it's also been announced that music video director sameul bayer will make his feature film directing debut with nightmare.  bayer is known for his work on nirvana's video for "smells like teen spirit."  the film should go into production alter this year with a release date sometime in 2010.  hopefully lindsay will be getting more press for her work in the film than for her personal life with girlfriend samantha ronson.

update: it looks like lindsay is not set to join the movie after all.  someone was going around spreading the quotes and rumors, but they were mistaken.  the role is still up for grabs, though.  maybe la lohan will take it after all? 

nick jonas no longer under a wizard's spell 

the youngest jonas (at least in the band), nick, has reportedly split from disney's wizards of waverly place star selena gomez.  when asked by the insider and david letterman on their plans for valentines day, joe and kevin had no comment (joe is currently dating actress camilla belle and kevin is with a girl from the boys' home state of new jersey), nick spilt the beans that he is actually single.  nick didn't expand much more on the breakup, but did offer some insight into his relationship with scandal-prone disney star miley cyrus.  nick said that when the two were together (during the fall of 2007's hannah montana and miley cyrus: best of both worlds tour), they were immature and it was just a "young little relationship."   hmm, i wonder if miley sees it the same way? so that means nick is without a lady love this valentines day.  that void is sure to be filled within the next week or so.  nick and his brothers also blabbed that the purity rings the boys wear aren't necessarily intended to make them wait for marriage, just a reminder to live the best life they can.  interesting.  i wonder if some of the boys are getting a little promiscuous.  not exactly the best time to go changing your image boys - your disney concert movie launches this month and your disney channel original series kicks off later this year.  

speaking of selena and miley

it looks like selena gomez, miley cyrus, and demi lovato have put the rumors to rest that they're a part of th

e biggest feud disney's seen since the war over aaron carter between lindsay lohan and hilary duff.  the threesome were seen out at west hollywood's koi restaurant thursday night, accompanied by miley's a-little-too-old boyfriend, justin.  the threesome laughed the night away according to onlookers (i'm sure they all have some great jobros secrets - with miley and selena both dating nick and demi having worked with the trio on the disney channel original movie camp rock).  justin even picked up the bill (with miley's credit card i'm sure).  this is the second time the three starlets have been seen cozying up to one another.  on sunday, all three girls hung out after miley's performance at the grammy's (with another jonas ex, taylor swift).  maybe the jonas brothers should be more careful with who they decide to get close with?  it looks like an entire gang of jonas-ex's are starting to band together.  

day 87

i got nothing

there weren't really any blog worthy stories today, just little blurbs.  the jo bros unveiled new wax statues at madame taussads' new york today, an anna nicole opera is in the works, and tara reid is out of rehab and ready to get back in the acting game.  now that could definitely turn into a big story, she'll just have to land a job first.  

day 86

a housewife moves of wisteria lane

remember last season when nicollette sheridan's character edie left desperate housewive's wisteria lane, not to return for "five years" (which was the time jump).  well it looks like edie will be moving off the street for good.  she'll actually be moving off the earth for good. nicollette's reps and abc have both confirmed that the villainous character is leaving the show.  but how is it going to happen?  it looks like edie will unwrap a scheme her husband dave has to kill her (why? we don't know...it probably has something to do with his first wife) and be caught in dave's deadly grasp.  but she won't be dying at the hands of the blonde bastard.  edie will run away and have some sort of accident including her car and some wires.  the script is just being released for table reads amongst the class so details are still shady.  how do fans feel about the exit? e!'s ted casablanca recently ran a poll about who the audience would like to see offed and their pick was teri hatcher's susan.  hmm.  well with edie leaving, the street is going to need a new head bitch to stir up some drama.  too bad she's leaving just as she and eva longoria parker's gabby are becoming friendly.  in other abc departures news, brothers and sisters' bathalzar getty has officially been written out of the show.  amidst reports that he was difficult on set and has been a tabloi staple thanks to his affair with sienna miller, producers decided to eliminate the actor from their list.  it seems there are a lot of cast changes coming to the alphabet net, with these two departures adding onto the possible absences of katherine heigl and tr knight next season on grey's anatomy.  

weirdest couple engaged 

hollywood is about to have a very odd family to add to the mix.  former pop star - turned actress - turned folky rocker mandy more and altrocker ryan adams are engaged.  the duo have been dating on and off since 2007, with mandy having very publicized relationships with actor zack braff and dj am mixed in there, too.  and this isn't just rumor - mandy's camp has confirmed to multiple news outlets that the musical pair will be tying the know sometime in the near future.  the couple has had one breakup, caused (allegedly) by moore's rising stardom.  i guess because her career has begun to fizzle ryan doesn't feel as overshadowed?  i don't know.  i would really like to see mandy reunite with dj am, which they did post-am's plane crash last fall, but that flame burnt out again in december.  news that ryan and mandy were back together just broke last week, so the engagement seems quite sudden.  mandy is currently in the studio working on a "southern california" style record entitled amanda leigh, moore's given name, which should hit the internet and store shelves in may.  

that's all for today.  no new news about chris brown has broken, other than he's supposedly hiding out in las vegas.  

day 85

melrose gets some residents 

the see-dub's reboot of beverly hills, 90210 spin off, melrose place, finally has some residents, according to entertainment weekly.  while no cast members have been announced yet, we will have some "familiar faces" on our hands.  david paterson is the son of original melrose place character jake. he's supposedly a good looking guy with an "omnisexual lover," ella flynn, who works in pr.  other characters include a struggling filmmaker and a school teacher, a "hunky hippie" with a heart of gold, a female med student, and a small town teen who is making her splash in the city in a sexy way.  these characters all sound intriguing, but where's the twist? these are all pretty straight forward.  the cw is apparently going after original melrose cast member heather locklear to reprise her "special guest star" status, while lisa rinna has been desperately seeking a comeback as her original melrose character.  the guys behind smallville are currently calling the shots behind the scenes of the new show (after one tree hill's creator backed out to focus on his original show), so it should be interesting.  the cw's melrose place (which originally aired, alongside the original 90210) will start this fall. 

chris brown update, day 2

the chris brown debacle just keeps getting more and more twisted.  it appears that chris threatened to kill girlfriend rihanna, instigating the assault that took place saturday night.  things got heated after the duo left clive davis' grammy bash, with chris having to pull over to the side of the road.  rihanna then pulled chris' keys out of the ignition and threw them out of the car, infuriating the r&b singer.  he then searched outside to find the keys to no avail, getting back in the car and choked the barbados beauty.  rihanna then lost consciousness and sustained the injuries i reported on earlier.  brown was released after posting the $50,000 bail and is set for a trial in march.  chris has also lost more work, with his recent (and popular) got milk? ad campaign being taken out of print, effective immediately, and with some radio stations refusing to play his music altogether, while rihanna is gaining more and more support, with covergirl upping the amount of times her ads run in magazines and on tv this week.

gray day for grey's?

next season on grey's anatomy may look a lot a bit different.  two of the shows leads - katherine heigl (izzie) and george (tr) - are reportedly being let out of their 7 year contract deals, allowing them to leave the show that launched their careers for other opportunities.  this news comes from the mouth of james pickens, known for his role as chief webber.  however, he might not be the most credible source.  according to other sources, katherine and tr have not been officially let out of their contracts.  abc has yet to sign off on the termination and is still negotiating with the stars.  both actors have repeatedly asked to leave the show because of "unfair work environments" - katherine for lesser pay (even though she is not the star) and tr for the homophobic tirade that made headlines last year.  while tr's character has already been lessened this season, katherine's izzie has become a focal point of the current season and is a fan favorite character.  therefore, losing tr? not so bad.  losing katherine? tragic.  ratings are sure to drop if katherine leaves the show.  and, what exactly would these stars be doing outside of grey's? as for tr, i have no clue.  grey's is really his only major work.  katherine has a semi-successful film career, but i see her going the jennifer aniston route - mediocre films that pay the bills but don't advance her career.  not exactly the fame the two of them currently have.  

day 84

chris brown update

saturday night's/sunday morning's chris brown assault situation is getting more out of control by the minute.  it turns out that the victim of the attack was, in fact, chris's girlfriend rihanna.  rihanna sustained two huge contusions on the side of her forehead, a bloody lip, and a bloody nose.  chris turned himself into the la police late last night and is currently being held, with bail set at $50,000.  rihanna's family finds chris to be a threat and is helping the singer return home to barbados.  as well, her big birthday bash set for february 20th in nyc has been canceled by her record label for obvious reasons.  she's also been forced to cancel any upcoming appearances.  as for chris? he's feeling the backlash.  his wrigley's gum campaign has been suspended immediately (even though it ran during last night's award show) and he has, understandably, decided to pull out of his appearance at the nba all star game.  brown's defense team is apparently hoping for a plea bargain, where chris would be out on 2 years probation.  this will be an interesting story to follow.  what will happen with chris' career is still to be seen.  chris' songs are already receiving less radio play while rihanna is sure to get more.  i would also venture to say that r&b's first couple is definitely over. and done. 

big in '09

while chris and rihanna's quarrel is overshadowing all other news currently, last night was the 51st grammy awards and there were a lot of big winners and some great performances.  some of the big winners included lil wayne for best rap album, john mayer for best male pop vocal performance, adele for best new artist, coldplay for song of the year ("viva la vida"), jennifer hudson for best r&b album, duffy for best pop vocal album, and adele for best pop vocal perfomance, female. robert plant and allison krauss won everything else. (not really, but it sure seemed like it).  the performances had to be shifter around to cover up for the missing 2 (rihanna and chris brown), but the show still ran about half an hour over time.  but, we can all let that slide because we got to see some really cool collaboration.  old school met new school with the jobros teaming up with music legend stevie wonder. check out there performance here. i can only imagine stevie was a little freaked out when he could feel joe girating around him.  miley cyrus and taylor swift also teamed up to duet on taylor's song "fifteen." it wasn't horrible, but taylor definitely carried the performance while miley awkwardly closed her eyes and sang.  click here to see.  justin timberlake also got to do some cool mashups, while m.i.a. danced around, almost giving birth on stage. okay, not really. but it could have happened.

more music news

some of grammy night's big stars also have some big stories.  performer and winner jennifer hudson is set to embark on her first headlining tour (co-headlining with r&b crooner robin thicke) with a few big events starting in april and ending in may.  grab tickets while you can in the dallas, houston, philadelphia, washington, dc, nyc, detroit, memphis, atlanta, baltimore, and las vegas areas.  and duet-er taylor swift's new music video for her song "white horse" dropped over the weekend.  the video features former laguna beach star steven colleti as taylor's love interest. it looks like the video plays off of taylor's break up with jobro joe jonas.  could the other girl alluded to in the video be joe's current flame camilla belle? click here to see for yourself.  the song should be yet another hit for the country star. 

updates and small scoop

it looks like america's got talent now has a host for its fourth season. mr. mariah carey, nick canon, will be taking the mic starting this summer to introduce the contestants to judges sharon osbourne, david hasselhoff, and piers morgan. it's a bit of the odd choice, but it seems like this is the network's attempt at gaining some new, younger viewers ... britney spears has an old friend back on board. spears' old family friend and assistant, felicia cullata, has left her position with the jonas brothers to return to the camp that jump started her career. felicia is back as brit's assistant and has her best interest in mind ... bar rafaeli, leonardo dicaprio's girlfriend, is this year's sports illustrated swimsuit edition cover model, a first for the israeli born model ... it looks like kate hudson and owen wilson have rekindled the flame of love for the fourth time. kate and owen spent the whole weekend together ... zac efron has dropped out of promoting his new film 17 again for a few spots to host saturday night live for the first time ... dancing with the stars released its list of next season's dancing competitors, including reality star denise richards, olympic gymnast shawn johnson, singer jewel, and actor david allen grier. 

day 83

chris brown headed to jail?

if you noticed chris brown wasn't in attendance at tonight's grammy awards and there's a good reason for that.  last night, chris was involved in a domestic violence incident and is accused to assaulting an anonymous woman. the woman, however, is not chris' rumored love rihanna (who was also present at the time of the assault); her publicist released a statement today saying the bahamian songstress well, thanking the press for their concern.  chris was allegedly arguing with the unnamed woman in a car after his and rihanna's appearance at a pre-grammy bash honoring recording industry legend clive davis and things got heated.  rihanna's face was apparently slightly bruised in the incident, leading her to cancel her performance at tonight's big awards show.  the woman chris attacked suffered "visible injuries" and identified the r&b crooner to police as her attacker.  the police have stated that they are seeking to talk to chris and may arrest him if they come in contact.  this is no way to start off a new year for the twosome, with rihanna just releasing the remix album of her 2007 hit good girl gone bad and with chris reportedly having a new album in the works.  it also doesn't look good to cancel your performance on music's biggest night, even if you're bruised.

hopefully i'll know more about the whole chris brown fiasco tomorrow and we all will get to know what happened. and there will be plenty of grammy news.  here's my favorite quote of tonight's red carpet:

"You really want to ask me what's in my purse? I have a lock of miley cyrus' hair" - Katy Perry.

day 82

"blink" and you'll miss it
if you were a fan of blink 182 in the 90's, get out your vans and skateboards because the band is set to return to airways very soon. first up is a mini reunion at the grammy awards, where travis, mark, and tom are set to be presenters. next up? it looks like the band will be reuniting for an album. tom's bandmate (in his new band angels and airwaves) revealed on the band's message boards that blink is reuniting for a full fledged album. will it be like a greatest hits or all new material? that is still to be seen. it's also still to be seen if they'll be going on tour. after the official breakup of the group in 2005, each of the members went on to do their own projects; tom formed angels and airwaves, while mark and travis started the group +44. travis also went on to have a very public on-and-off reltationship with shanna moakler and was recently involved with a fatal plane crash in september of last year, alongside former nicole richie fiance dj am. look out for an announcement from the group tomorrow night when they step foot on the 51st annual grammy red carpet.

that's it for today. don't forget to check out the google links on the right, they're changing every day to keep you updated on the latest stuff in hollywood even when i'm not blogging.

day 81

show me the money

like each year, forbes has done some pretty critical r

esearch as to who in hollywood is raking in the best money for each hollywood studio (a list of the biggest losers is also compiled, but i don't think that's been released yet).  so, who were 2008's biggest forces at the box office? the answers may surprise you.  for "best performance by a male," the award goes to robert downey, jr.  the rehabed star made paramount's year with his turn in the superhero flick, iron man.  the film brought in $580 million for the studio (hence the much hyped sequel slated for next year), with paramount making $52.60 for every dollar rdj was payed.  because downey is on a bit of a comeback tour (after his trips to rehab and being shunned in hollywood), he took just $5 million for the part (that figure is sure to go up for the sequel, especially now that "oscar nominated

" can precede his name due to his role in tropic thunder), whereas some of the bigger action names (like will smith and brad pitt) would have commissioned upwards of $10 mil for the picture.  looks like the studio got a bargain.   and as for female power at the box office? meryl streep's leading role in the summer's record breaking musical mamma mia brought in the biggest bucks.  streep earned close to $50 million for the movie, with nbc/universal raking in $12 for ever $1 paid to the acting legend.  because streep earned more for her role, the studio made less per dollar paid, but still took in $575 million. streep is always in high demand and now downey probably will be, too.  how i can't wait to see who was a big loser - i'm betting on nicole kidman and hugh jackman, both for australia.  

kids get racy

today's kids choice awards aren't what they used to be.  with the onslaught of material that is always "should kids watch/listen to/admire this or shouldn't they?" the nominations for this year's nickelodeon run show push the envelope.  in the category for "best movie" are two superhero flicks much more geared to the 13 and over set, with the dark knight and iron man each getting a chance to take home an orange blimp.  when i was a kid, sure i was allowed to watch stuff like that, but it wasn't exactly the "main stream."  apparently parents aren't such sticklers about the mpaa ratings system as they used to be?  will smith even nabbed a nod for his role in hancock, whose original cut received an "r" rating.  the "favorite song" category is probably the most shocking to parents, with katy perry's lesbian themed tune "i kissed a girl," beyonce's anthem "single ladies," and chris brown's "kiss kiss" all getting recognized.  maybe kids are just hearing this stuff on the radio and not really listening to the lyrics?  with the debate going on over whether or not britney's "if u seek amy" should get radio play, it seems like there shouldn't be any discussion - if kids are already listening to this stuff, what's the difference?  other more adult nominations are: the simpsons for favorite cartoon show, jason lee for "favorite tv actor" in my name is earl, and america's next top model in the reality show category.  i think my favorite nomination, however, is michael phelps for "favorite male athlete," because of his recent herbal endeavors.  maybe he'll show up the show a little stoned? he has to drown his sorrows somehow - kellog's just dropped him and subway is about to end his sponsorship campaign.

america's got no host, but actors got work

nbc summer juggernaut america's got talent is currently host-less.  after losing regis philbin after only one season, talk show host jerry springer took over post his dancing with the stars stint that reinvigorated interest in the whitetrash brawl mediator.  springer isn't leaving the show because of creative differences, but rather because of scheduling conflicts (supposedly).  springer's syndicated "talk show" and a role in a stage production apparently would take too much time away from his duties at the peacock net (or so he says - i didn't even realize his show was still being made...).  the show will be returning to tv this summer for its fourth season, with judges sharon osbourne (who replaced brandy after season 1), david hasselhoff, and piers morgan all returning.  but who will be taking springer's spot? that is yet to be announced.  but it seems the show likes talk show personalities who've gone grey.  in other casting news, the gossip girl spin off about young lily van der woodsen has its first cast mate.  lily's older stister, carol (the black sheep of the family), will be played by confessions of a shopaholic costar krysten ritter, who's known for her stints on shows like gilmore girls, veronica mars, and til death.  krysten will make her first appearance as carol on the "backdoor pilot" episode of the spin off, airing as part of gossip girl, in march.  jennifer anison and jason bateman have also landed roles in the new film the baster, about a single woman who decides to be artificially inseminated to fulfill her dream of being a mother.  problem is jason's character, jennifer's character's best friends) switches the donor sperm with his own and hijinks ensue. and disney darling selena gomez will be making her big screen debut in beezus and ramona, a live action adaptation of the beverly cleary classic.  she'll be taking the role of big sister beezus to child actor joey king's ramona.  

speaking of aniston

jennifer made an appearance on today's ellen degeneres show to promote her new movie he's just not that into you and ellen surprised the newly 40 star with a birthday celebration.  now that ellen is running her show from the warner brother's lot, she has access to a lot of old tv sets, including that of jennifer's star-launching show friends.  check here to see a video of the duo's visit to aniston's old stomping grounds.  ellen even surprised the star with a birthday cake complete with 40 candles.  in the interview, jen said she was open to a friends reunion, but don't expect a movie.  she'd like 

to a tv special along the lines of the holiday episodes the sitcom was known for.  aniston also talked about her relationship with singer john mayer for one of the first times when ellen displayed a pic of john in a green borat thong (see above), to which jen responded "the man's got balls. what can i say? i think he's funny."  mayer makes an appearance on ellen's monday show, divulging that "yeah, there are sleepovers" at aniston's la pad.  i still think they're quite the odd couple.  

day 80

more sex coming in 2010

the four stars of the hbo series and last summer's big hit at the box office, sex and the city, along with writer/director michael patrick king have all signed on for a sequel to the film, which was announced to be in development when the dvd of the movie was released last fall.  the movie was always "going to" happen, but contracts were signed today at new line, the studio backing the film.  king has yet to pen a script, but he's sure to jump right on that now that he's signed contracts, especially because new line is hoping for a summer 2010 release.  but, what will the sequel be about? king has said that he won't be going the same "comeback from a tragedy" route as the first film and, like the episodes of the series, each of the movies should have its own distinctive point of view.  i'm guessing there will be a lot of focus on samatha - kim catrall's character - now that she's single and back to her old, cougar-ing ways.  and charlotte (kristin davis) will be juggling family life.  but what about carrie (sarah jessica parker) and big? and for miranda (cynthia nixon)?  hopefully something good.  sex and the city: the movie was one of 2008's biggest films and broke the record for the biggest opening of an r rated film ever. 

grammy wammy

this sunday is music's big night, with the grammy awards taking place and being broadcast on cbs.  and, as always, there will be some really interesting performances.  we might even get to see someone give birth.  m.i.a., who is nominated for her hit "paper planes," is set to perform. on the same night of her due date.  while first children are often late, this could be disastrous.  but interesting.  another performance scheduled is a duet between country chart topper taylor swift and disney star miley cyrus.  the two will be singing a swift-penned song.  maybe it will be about dating and being dumped by a jonas brother? taylor dated joe and miley dated nick, each of them having quite the public breakup.  another odd mash-up will be keith urban and john mayer.  the guitar toting twosome will be doing a bo diddley tribute.  like always, the grammys are sure to be a wild night (remember amy winehouse's "to my blake incarceratedddddd" comment last year?).  

rumor patrol

here's a few small stories to confirm or deny.  first up is that audrina patridge and benji madder are dating; according to the upper lipless beauty of the hills, this is false ...is etta james mad at beyonce? that would be yes.  click here to check out a tirade the famous singer gave about how she doesn't appreciate knowles's portrayal of her in the movie cadillac records or how she performs "her" song, at last.  to be clear, etta was the third person to record the track ... does twilight have another famous cast member? it looks that way.  90210's analynne mccord is set to take the "cameo like" role of heidi, a girl who lures victims to a vampire tribe in the series. this will unite her (possibly) on screen with her rumored boyfriend, kellan lutz, who plays emmett in the series.

day 79

hardwicke in hardcover

though she won't be returning to direct the twilight sequel, new moon, catherine hardwicke has gone and got herself quite the lucrative deal.  the director will cashing in on the twilight craze now that she has scored a book deal with little brown.  he director will be releasing (in quite the rush) twilight: director's notebook, a memoir made in replica of her actual notebook.  the book will hit shelves about a week before the first twilight movie arrives on dvd, and will include insight on casting, location scouting, wardrobe, and more.  does this mean we'll get to see who else was in mind for the roles of edward, bella, and the rest of the twilight-ers?  i guess we'll all have to pick up our own copies.  hardwicke has also promises to include photos and storyboard sketches to put a little more personal spin on the book.  but, will anyone actually buy this?  probably only the really hardcore fans, but it's still one last way to cash in on the franchise.  the second installment of the series kicks off filming in march, as well, with a release set for november.  

beckham back to britain?

it looks like the beckhams may already be leaving their new american home.  both posh and becks have reportedly been offered new positions over seas.  it looks like posh will be headed to england to a judging seat at the x factor.  main judge and producer simon cowell has reportedly offered the former spice girl the seat currently held by dani minogue (kylie's sister), with an initial offering of about $1.5 million.  that's pretty good change for a reality show judge.  it's still interesting to me that former x factor judge sharon osbourne left the british version of the show to head to the american version.  could posh's new seat lead to a gig in america? it will be interesting to see if this is a vicious circle.  and, as for victoria' husband, it looks like he's trying to get out of his la galaxy contract to permanently stay at ac milan, where he has been playing in the interim.  it would make sense for both posh and becks to be overseas, but an italian movie made permanent? it seems like no one takes into consideration the toll all this moving takes on the kids - 3 countries in such a short lifetime?  seems cruel to me.  but, like any child of a celebrity, a normal life is probably out of the question.

two stories is all i got for now, but check back later for now.  and check out the new google links on the right - they'll take you to even more pictures and stories.  

day 78

lutfi lashes back

osama "sam" lutfi, britney's former "manager" and cohort, has decided to file suit against britney's parental units for defamation.  the creepy mycreeperson claims that the spears clan went on a campaign of slander, physically and emotionally intimidating lutfi to drive him out of their daughter's life.  brit's parents aren't alone in suit either; lutfi is suing britney, herself, for unpaid management fees.  he also claims that lynne spears, not lutfi and his pill-pushing management, drove britney to her most recent meltdown and that they are unfit parents.  he blames the twosome for causing britney to feel threatened by him and that he was the reason for her comeback, not them.  now, if sam were to really look at the situation, he would see that he was around when britney's life was in shambles and her parents were around when her life was (and is) running smoothly.  it might just be coincidence, but i would say that he is the common thread between all the bad times in brit's life.  and, as for his allegations that lynne spears's book, through the storm, is libel, i would just say that anytime someone writes a memoir, someone is probably not going to be happy - but there's no reason to sue them.  lutfi is seeking 15% of brit's money for each of her earnings during his "management," and inordinate sum that he probably won't receive.  

hilary duff and faye dunaway: catfight

it looks like new hollywood and old hollywood are about to start a battle royale.  with news breaking that hilary duff will be taking the role that made faye famous, bonnie of bonnie and clyde, in an all new biopic, faye did not seem all that happy.  the oscar winning (yet hollywood shunned) actress posed the question "couldn't they have cast a real actress?"  last week after news broke, which didn't sit well with the former disney darling.  now hilary is lashing back, telling e! news that "i think that my fans that are going to see the movie don't even know who she [faye] is, so you know...i think it was a little unnecessary but i might be mad if i looked like that now too."  well, the truth hurts - on both accounts.  the film is not a remake of faye's iconic film and, therefore, the whole fight is really stupid.  plenty of actresses play the same roles and no one gets angry.  but a good fight is always fun to hear about.  and faye really shouldn't be too angry - hilary paid homage to work in bonnie and clyde last summer in allure.   

cw show news

paparazzi are never the friend on tv sets, where plots should be kept under wraps.  two cw shows recently fell victim to the lens of the constant snappers, revealing some upcoming twists to the show.  first up is gossip girl.  the monday night teen drama was filming on location in nyc when the paps snapped two costars stealing a kiss on camera.  it looks like blair (leighton meester) and nate (chace crawford) will be getting back together, ending the relationships between blair and chuck and nate and vanessa.  but, it could also just be a flashback.  either way, we'll get to see in the next couple of weeks.  and tori spelling made her first appearance on the 90210 set, sharing a scene with former cast mate jennie garth and her character's half sister (and tori's character's sister-in-law), played by jessica stroup.  it looks like tori was channeling the 70s (maybe paying tribute to her father's charlie's angels?) with her hair while the threesome filmed a car scene on the streets of la.  after a lot of issues (tori had quite a few demands), donna martin finally will be appearing on the relaunch of the show that made her famous somewhere around episode 16 and will probably be a recurring star, trying to launch a hip boutique for the kids of west bev.  

day 77

winehouse pulls a britney

amy winehouse is now under a conservatorship, much like fellow singer britney spears.  under her new arrangement, winehouse's parents are in charge of the grammy winner's $21 million fortune.  the money is still amy's, but her parents have to approve every transaction she makes.  this is apparently part of amy's recovery - she's given up drugs and is now on the straight and narrow path back to superstardom.  2009 is shaping up to be the year of the comeback for the british songstress, with a headlining role at the coachella music festival later this year.  hopefully amy makes it back into the studio soon to work on more new material (she's apparently been working with mega producer and dj mark ronson, samantha's brother) and will put out an album with another "rehab" style hit by the end of the year. 

slumdog star snags leading role

slumdog millionaire star dev patel has replaced jesse mccartney in the big screen adaptation of nickelodeon's avatar: the last airbender.  the film is about a young avatar, the spirit of the earth in human form, who has been woken up from a 100 year sleep to battle the world's demons.  m night shamalayan is set to direct the film and came under much controversy for casting white actors for almost every part in the series, which is rooted in asia.  dev will take the role of zuko, the avatar's main enemy.  jesse mccartney had to pull out of the project because his current tour dates conflict with pre production activities, including martial arts training necessary for the stunts in the film.  dev's casting should make critics of the film a little less angry, as he is an diverse addition to the movie.  this will be dev's first "big picture" aside from slumdog and his work on the british tv series skins.  and, if the film is a success, a trilogy is planned, guaranteeing dev work for the next few years.  

day 76

michael phelps, bong boy

a photo of michael phelps indulging in some illegal activity was leaked to news of the world (yeah, i'm surprised too - you'd think someone at us, at least, would have bitten at the pic) and now the olympic golden boy has released a public apology.  the swimming star basically said he was being a stupid and blamed it on his youth.  but, michael, it wasn't stupid that you smoked. it was stupid that you let someone photograph you.  celebrities need to learn that your "friend with the camera" is probably your worst enemy.  do one thing to scorn them, and they're to the tabloids as soon as possible. michael also said it would never happen again.  does he mean smoking or letting someone snap his pic?  no word yet on how any of his endorsement deals - which include speedo, visa, omega, and powerbar - will be dropped and what his future as a swimmer holds.  though, i doubt anything will actually happen.  for the most part, any of the head honchos at these places would probably be hypocrites if they dropped phelps.  

box office breakdown

this weekend at the movies proved to be quite the surprise.  first of all, the weekend's big movie was the surprise hit thriller taken, starring liam neeson, which was released in the states almost a year after being released over seas.  the neeson-lead flick was able to bump 2 week champ paul blart: mall cop from the top spot, taking in about $25 million to mall cop's $14. and, renee zellweger might finally be getting the memo that she's not exactly box office gold anymore.  her new movie, new in town, premiered at number 8, with only $6.8 million.   that's the worst debut for a comedy starring zellweger, minus the 1999 bomb the bachelor.  the weekend's big winners were oscar hopefuls, with slumdog millionaire, the reader, and frost/nixon all seeing a spike in ticket sales.  slumdog even beat out zellweger's romcom.  

happy super bowl sunday.