day 33

clarkson crawls back

click here to watch kelly clarkson's new vlog where she talks about her new single, "my life would suck without you," releasing january 19th and new album, which drops march 17th.  the star is quite blonde again (not my fave), but seems to be headed back to the pop life.  kelly's official site has also changed  - kellyclarkson.com is out and kellyofficial.com is in.  it seems that rather than redesign the old my december site, clarkson and her team would rather completely relaunch her image.  a leak of the new song is sure to hit the internets in the next couple of weeks (or days) and should be on the radio before the 19th.

demi does disney

in other music news, demi lovato's latest single, "la laland," has dropped and so has the video.  click here to check it out.  the song, which has a pink-meets-britney vibe, is set to be the theme to lovato's new disney channel show sonny with a chance, formerly known as welcome to mollywood (and welcome to holliwood).  the show is about a teen girl who wins a contest to become a regular on a teen sketch comedy series, somewhat like a 30 rock for the tween set.  former nickelodeon teen sketchcom all that actually conducted a "funniest kid in america" contest during its 2000's relaunch, making me think that's where the disney machine got the idea.  the show premieres february 27th on the disney channel and will probably be a big hit.  disney's new marketing scheme seems to be "make a star, then give them a starring vehicle."  lovato was cast in the disney channel original movie camp rock and then released a self-titled debut album on disney-owned hollywood records.  the network is similarly grooming the jonas bros, making them megastars on the same record label and giving them a show slated for may, jonas.  i don't know, but the jobro's show seems to be unnecessary and a back step for the group - they've already conquered the world, why make a kidcentric show and alienate some of the older fans/dumb them down.

today's a relatively boring day in the hollyhood...but chances are something will be stirred up tonight, so check back for sunday's news.  

day 32

black eyed las vegas wedding

josh duhamel and fergie (nee stacy ferguson) are set to tie the knot the weekend of january 9-11th, according to access hollywood. the hollywood power couple have been dating since 2004. along with the impending nuptials, the couple have a variety of projects in the works.  duhamel has two films, transformers: revenge of the fallen and when in rome, slated for release in 2009.  fergie is working on both music and films, with the musical film adaptation of broadway's nine slated for 2009 and working on a new album with the black eyed peas and another solo record.  

hilton robbed

paris hilton's la home was robbed early friday morning.  the star was night home at the time, but close to $2 million worth of jewelry was stolen from the property.  no word yet on what exactly was taken, or if any of the valuables were hilton family heirlooms.  doubtful paris is allowed to touch any of those...the story is still developing, but it is likely that the robbery is related to the string of burglaries in the westside area over the past couple of months. 

twilight-ers want lautner

thousands of devoted twilight readers and viewers are actively campaigning all over the net to keep taylor lautner in the role of jacob in the planned sequel, new moon. talk has been that lautner would be replaced in the role by 20-something actor michael copon, as the character is the major love interest in the second film and must appear "more mature." lautner has apparently promised the producers that he would gain at least 15 more pounds of muscle (he is a martial artist) before the second film starts production - in 12 weeks - in order to appear more mature.  fans want to keep the franchise's integrity, including catherine hardwicke's original cast vision.  there's no reason taylor has to be removed from the role and he seems willing to do anything to hold on to the part.  the creative minds behind the films better make their decision fast...fans have been attacking copon's facebook page with messages telling him to stay away from the part and are willing to protest the next film if the original jacob is not included in the second movie.

day 31

high school musical, the tv show

fox, the network formerly known for its rip offs, has ordered 13 episodes of the new hour-long musical comedy glee.  starring matthew morrison, how originated the role of link larkin in broadway's hairspray, is set to play a high school spanish teacher in suburba

n ohio who overtakes the school's glee club, which has become a haven for the outcasts of the school.  the show comes from nip/tuck creator ryan murphy, so it's sure to be a bit wacky and crazy.  the show will feature at least 3 full musical numbers per episode and seems to have stolen from the high school musical character department - in the script, there is a "diva in training" (sharpay), a jock who likes to sing (troy), and a nerdy soprano (gabriella).  it will be very interesting to see how this show does on tv - will kids turn in to watch? adults? both? we'll get to see when the show hits the tube at midseason, most likely behind american idol.  

office devil romance confirmed. wedding imminent. 

 emily blunt and john krasinski stepped out in la last night, confirming their relationship.  the couple have been together for about a month, after blunt's breakup with michael buble and kasinski's with office costar rashida jones.  with this real life romance comes some relationship news in the fake world, too.  john's character jim and his on screen love pam look like they'll be heading down the aisle soon.  casting is underway for a character named "pam's relative," speculated to be her father for the description on the casting page. it would make sense for the jam wedding to take place sometime before the season's end, most likely as the finale.  

rihanna to the rescue

barbados beauty rihanna, who has recently been spotted galavanting all over the hawaiian islands with boytoy chris brown, has been called in to save the sinking ship that is kanye west.  west's latest effort, 808s and heartbreaks, has not exactly been flying off the shelves.  the album is quite experimental for the rapper as it is a complete cd of him singing.  in order to reinvigorate sales and interest in the artist, kanye's label has called in the radio princess to add some vocals to the next single, "paranoid.  click here to listen to the original version.  the single is set to drop sometime in january and is sure to get radio play with rihanna on board.  

day 30

dirty laundry is one month old!

j lo-veless?

it looks like soon to be once again movie star jennifer lopez may be looking for romance in more than just her films.  reports are surfacing that lopez and husband (and baby daddy) marc anthony are headed down the road to divorce.  lopez was recently spotted at the curious case of benjamin button premiere sans her big ol' ring and anthony was spotted all over vegas partying it up without his.  the problems in the marriage seem to be from control issues - lopez is an "independent" who doesn't like to be told what to do and does everything with purpose; anthony is apparently very controlling, monitoring what jennifer says and wears...if you haven't noticed, we have not seen the infamou

s lopez booty in quite some time.  

stephanie tanner's officially empty house

full house star jodie sweetin's life has taken a page from the britney spears handbook on life.  the former child actress has lost custody of her 8 month old daughter and can only see her with supervised visits.  sweetin's soon to be ex cody herpin currently holds custody and was the one to bring allegations of neglectful and unfit parenting into court.  one example herpin gave was of jodie driving under the influence with the child in the car. this is a major problem as sweetin is a recovering meth addict and alcoholic (but she is in touch with her aa sponsor).  as the divorce proceedings press on, sweetin and herpin have been asked t

o take drug tests...

britney's back. now how about kelly?

kelly clarkson is well on her way to regaining her pop princess crown.  the first american idol will be releasing a song, entitled "my life would suck without you," sometime in the next weeks, with the music video already in production.  the track is produced by the minds behind britney, katy perry, and pink's latest efforts - all of which have been radio and fan friendly.   kelly is in desperate need of a hit, after the turmoil and failure of her last album, my december, which couldn't produce even one hit.  the new album is said to be much more true to the singer's pop roots, with a sound closer to her biggest seller, breakaway.  clarkson has most recently been touring on the "two voices" tour with reba mcentire, with whom she shares a manager (reba's husband). 

batman's new stars

warner bros and franchise director christopher nolan have apparently hand picked a variety of famous actors to fill the shoes of some major characters in the batman saga for the third film starring christian bale.  according to british reports (so we'll see how accurate this all is), eddie murphy will take on the villainous role of the riddler.  batman will also get his boyish sidekick in the threequel, with shia labeouf taking the role of robin.  the studio is also trying to get rachel weisz to take the role of catwoman.  this all seems well-and-good (with the exception of eddie murphy), but i'm doubtful any of it will happen.  this seems to be quite the random assortment of actors and a "whos-who" wishlist...

update: ruffalo death

mark ruffalo's brother's death has been ruled a homicide by the coroner, throwing out the idea that he died of a russian roulette related injury...seems pretty shady to me. 

just a thought...

marking a month here, i've decided to add this new bulletin.  my first thought is "is it just me, or is jen aniston everyw

ere??" the star seems to be on every single magazine cover lately.  i know she's in a new movie (marley and me) and all, but seriously? i'm also surprised the mags haven't made a bigger deal out of aniston's film heading to the box office the same day as brad pitt's benjamin button.  the two films are set to hit theaters on christmas day and both are expected to be big...who will win will just have to be seen. 

day 29

gayken, two time baby daddy?

clay aiken and mother of his baby jaymes foster are apparently gearing up for a second baby.  jaymes has started taking prenatal vitamins and is preparing to get turkey basted with clay's sperm. why, you ask? i don't know. these kids are going to have one effed up childhood - mommy and daddy were never married, raise you in separate homes, and never had sex.  could you imagine having the "where do babies come from" convo with these kids? jaymes is set to get sperminated sometime in january...

j lo gets back to her romcom roots

jennifer lopez is set to head back to work on romantic comedy (thank baby jesus that she's done with the dramas!) called plan b.  the film is about a single woman who gets artificially inseminated (jaymes foster?) the same day she meets her perfect man.  no director has been named, but should be attached sometime in january, with shooting beginning in april or may.  that means the movie should hit theaters sometime in early 2010.  hopefully this will get j lo back to her heydey, when both the wedding planner and her cd were number 1. 

ashlee simpson is probs real mad

pete wentz went on howard stern and spilt a lot of secrets about his and wife ashlee simpson's sex life.  apparently ashlee and pete get quite freaky in the sheets, with ashlee letting pete go in the back door.  wentz also spilled the deets on the couple's first time, which involved a mirror.  wentz also talked about former flames michelle trachtenberg and lindsay lohan, but wouldn't rate them because he was afraid ashlee might get mad.  

the office, post super bowl

nbc is set to air a special episode of the office after the 2009 super bowl.  the episode will feature the cast trying to watch a bootleg copy of a new movie release at work...and the producers have nabbed some pretty big guest stars for the episode. both jack black and jessica alba have been tapped to star in the bootleg movie. the episode is called "stress relief" and will air directly after the american tradition, february 1st at 10:30/9:30 central on the peacock net.

day 28

new moon, new stars

it looks like new twilight series director chris weitz may have found his perfect cast. while keeping the majority of the major players around, the character of jacob has been up for grabs.  taylor lautner, who plays the role in the first movie, is apparently not wanted back for the second - he's too "baby faced" for the leading man/werewolf role in the second installment.  the actor apparently very close to stealing the role is michael copon, known for his work on one tree hill, power rangers, and but can they sing?  the actor has nearly 10 years on lautner, coming in at 26.  but, is he too old to play the role? lautner is almost 17, the age the character is supposed to be in real life.  kristin stewart (bella) is only 19 and robert pattinson is 22.  to me, this seems like hollywood's unrealistic portrayal of teenagers.  a teenager can't play a teenager, but someone old enough to have a wife and kids can.  so what if lautner is so young.  it seems like copon and stewart would be too creepy together. the other role up for grabs is that of mind reading vampire aro.  narnia: prince caspian star ben barnes is apparently going after the role.  he seems to fit into the mix, but i'm not sold on copon.  with only 12 weeks until filming on the next movie begins, these decisions better be made fast.  

shenae grimes, headed for mental breakdown?

what is wrong with shenae grimes, former star of degrassi and current star of 90210.  click here to watch the chain-smoking starlet's recent appearance at canadian television awards show, the geminis.  it seems like shenae is either drunk or cracked out - she uses a variety of voices in the interview, appears to have lipstick on her teeth and smudged makeup, and slurs her words.  we do not need an amy winehouse meets lindsay lohan meets shannen doherty circa '94 breakdown with shenae.  i don't get it with these young stars - you're living "the dream," why ruin it? go to work, go home.  no need to go out partying and doing drugs.  i won't be surprised if shenae makes a "post-glitter mariah carey with an ice cream cart on trl" sometime in the near future...hopefully the canadimess won't ruin the newly restarted franchise and will get her act together.  

will smith, forever coming to a theater near you

even with the recent us economic woes, big hollywood studios aren't cutting back on big hollywood blockbusters.  2 will smith sequel vehicles have been green lighted.  first up is the i am legend prequel, which will follow the destruction of america due to the spread of the fatal disease that smith's character dies of in the fist film.  second is the hancock sequel, which is just waiting on charlize theron's signature on the contracts.  smith is known to be bankable on holiday weekends, so these films will probably be out in time for 4th of july of '09 or '10.  

small bits

none of these stories were really big enough to write whole pieces on so here's a few small bites - tom cruise apologized for his matt lauer-scientology rant from a few years ago today, on the exact location of the original confrontation, the today show...it looks like a lot of the tv and music rumors we've heard recently are completely fabricated - nicole richie is not recording an album or working with rihanna...mischa barton will not be guesting on ugly betty...the cw is not working on a gossip girl spinoff focusing on lily and rufus, but will be working on one (yay! georgina still has a chance!)...michelle williams is not planning on accepting any awards on behalf of her late baby daddy heath ledger this season...it looks like tr knight (george) will be let out of his grey's anatomy contract, though he is the third actor in the history of the show asked to be let out (any guesses to the other two? catherine heigl and sandra oh are my guesses - sandra close to the show's commencement - she was a burgeoning indie movie star [sideways] - and katherine last season - she is a "movie star"...in her head)...mark schwann, the big boss over at one tree hill, is in talks to helm the relaunch of melrose place for the ceedub (cw)

day 27

poehler says goodbye

amy poehler has officially said goodbye to saturday night live, after almost 8 years on the show.  poehler gave a tearful, yet comical, goodbye during her final "weekend update" segment.  click here to see the clip.  now that poehler is officially gone, off to work on her nbc sitcom (set to debut in april), who will take her place at the news desk? there are a variety of option.  seth myers could continue the special solo, like colin quinn did for years; or, another cast member could step in to take poehler's place.  my money (and my wish) would be on cast member kristin wiig, who is probably a combination of poehler and other departed cast member tina fey.   we shall see what happens when the show returns in january. 

ledger globes up for acceptance

if heath ledger were to posthumously win the golden globe for best supporting actor for the dark knight, who will accept the award on his behalf? ledger's father, kim, is apparently pushing to accept the award.  however, the hollywood foreign press, who is responsible for the awards, is hoping to go for the tear jerking factor - they want michelle williams, mother of heath's son matilda, to accept the award on behalf of the little one.  i don't know, but it seems like this is all a little overkill.  ledger may not even win the award and, even if he does, the only reason his role garnered so much attention was because of his death.  

another watts/schrieber boy 

australian actress naomi watts welcomed a second child, a son, into the world on saturday.  naomi and boyfried liev schrieber are now the proud parents to two boys, including older son alexander pete. no details on the baby's name or what magazine will get the exclusive pics first has been released. now if only these two crazy kids would get married...

day 26

hudson halts headstart

jennifer hudson has decided to not film the music video for her next single after all.  the singer is said to still be too distraught from the october deaths of her mother, brother, and nephew. while the killer, hudson's brother-in-law, is behind bars, the singer-actress does not want to step into the public eye quite yet.  this means the next time we see the former idol contestant would be the hugh jackman helmed oscars in february.  hudson won the best supporting actress award for her role in dreamgirls two years ago and, as an oscar nominee/winner, she is invited to the awards show each year.  how do you think gary busey gets to go every year?

jessica simpson, labeless

jessica simpson may be without a place to record music in the near future.  the singer-actress is said to be this close to being dropped from columbia/epic/columbia-nashville records.  the tabloid staple most recently released a country effort, do you know, debuted at number one on the country and pop charts, but slowly faded away after that.  neither of her singles, "come on over" and "remember that," have really taken off. it seems like neither the pop or country markets are really taking the singer seriously, most likely because of her public image.  if the singer is not dropped from her label, she is set to open for Rascall Flats on the 2009 "bob that head" tour.  even if the singer is dropped, another label is sure to pick her up.  and she always has her ever growing fashion and accessory lines to keep her going...

richie to record

after years of speculation, nicole richie is finally said to have an album in the works.  the reality show star, tabloid target, heiress, and new mom is supposedly working with current pop princess rihanna and kelly osbourne. she is probably working with her famous father, lionel, as well.  no other news is known - no release date, no known label, and no known songs. the album will probably come on in the next year or so though.  click here to listen to a leaked demo track, "dandelion," from a few years back from the star.  the song is a cover of a single from 90s boy band LFO, the singers of such classics as "summer girls (abercrombie and fitch)."  

united kingdom: home of fake news

over the past couple of days, publications overseas have been releasing completely fabricated stories.  the first of which is an alleged interview scarlet johannson supposedly have with cosmo, uk.  the cover story was completely made up - scarjo never even met with anyone at the magazine.  so, if you hear any quotes from the actress talking about her recent marriage to fellow canadian ryan reynolds...don' believe them.  scarlet has never been one to talk about her personal life and continues to be that way.  the second story is about kanye west taking a break from the recording industry to work as a fashion intern.  the daily mirror reported that the rapper was to work the low-man-on-the-totem-pole position at fashion house louis vuitton, which is completely untrue.  if kanye were to step into the fashion world, it would probably be his own line (think sean jean) or a collaboration with an american design firm. 

day 25

reid rocks it to rehab

former actress and club and bar staple tara reid has gone and checked herself into rehab.  reid's spokesperson said that the wacktress checked herself into promises malibu on tuesday.  promises has such famous alum as lindsay lohan and robert downey junior.  hopefully the american pie and taradise star will be able to pull herself out of the hole she dug and get back to work.  reid most recently said she was staying out of the game until the writer's strike was over; however, the strike ended nearly half a year before she released the statement.  reid's latest movie, land of canann, is set to be released sometime next year - most likely straight to dvd.  

idol giveth, idol taketh away

american idol's eighth season kicks off in january with a new judge (kara dioguardi) and a new look.  the show will give equal screen time to the stage and behind the scenes - viewers will get an inside look at the house the contestants are living in and what all happens there.  the new direction is said to be very big brother-ish, minus the crazy competitions.  in addition to the reality show within a reality show element, the singing show is getting rid of the two year old "idol gives back" special, which raises money for different charities through viewer donations.  in the past, idol winners like carrie underwood and kelly clarkson have come back to perform, in addition to acts like heart, fergie, miley cyrus, and more.  the show is usually relatively boring and, with economic conditions the way they are, it makes sense to lose the show.  

a gilmore girl heads back to the tube

lauren graham, aka lorelai gilmore, is headed back to tv on the alphabet net.  abc has ordered a pilot starring the under-appreciated actress as a self-help guru who can't seem to help herself in the department of love.  sounds a lot like men in trees, a show abc recently dropped from their schedule.  graham, who has filled her time since gilmore's may 2007 end with guest star roles on shows like scrubs and in movies like evan almighty, as well as a few stage productions. i don't know about you all, but lorelai's return makes up (just a little) for pushing daisies being pulled off the air.  no other casting has been done, but i would say hire lee pace and kristin chenowith to star in the show too.  

a big change for a little man named oscar

the 2009 academy awards won't be hosted by a stand-up comic, as the tradition has been since the 80s.  instead, actor hugh jackman will helm the awards show.  this is the first time, as far as i can think, that an actor who could possibly be nominated (for australia) is hosting the show, too.  while jackman probably won't do any jokes, he's bound to do a song and dance number.  the people of the academy are apparently trying to move away from the era of billy crystal, the host of hosts of the show.  this could either go very well or end quite tragically.

day 24

kate's hubby ends private practice 

kate walsh, former star of grey's anatomy and current star of the show's spin off private practice, and her husband have decided to part ways, just 17 months after tying the know.  walsh's husband, alex young, filed for divorce right before thanksgiving, citing the ever so informative "irreconcilable differences."  this is a strange and sudden occurrence as the actress and her man were spotted in early november all over las vegas showing plenty of public affection.  the split is said to be amicable and the pair is supposedly still on speaking terms.  hey, 17 months is like 17 years in hollywood....

lily and rufus, coming to a tv screen near you

while rumors that serena and dan's parents were going to get their own web series spin off of gossip girl chronicling the young lives of the two in nyc were squelched, with blair's maid deroda getting her own, the idea hasn't been phased out.  in fact, it's gotten even bigger.  the former web series idea will become gossip girl's spin off, with the "young" lily and rufus being introduced later in the season through a spin off.  the show will follow the character's meeting and whirlwind romance set in the backdrop of 80s rock and roll nyc.  looks like gg's producers are quite tricky...they made us all believe that someone would be leaving the original ship.  but, instead, new actors will be cast in the roles.  the only question i have is, if the show takes off, what happens when the characters catch up to their sister show's couterparts' ages? hmm...the network and bosses of the show are apparently knocking down these rumors, but they could also just be trying to keep the project hush-hush.  

disney licensed to drive

miley cyrus will be hitting the roads of hollyhood as of today...but just with a learner's permit.  miley got her permit almost a year later than she should of as she just turned 16.  with her permit, cyrus can drive wherever she wants, as long as she is with a licensed driver 25 years or older.  that means she cannot drive around with 20 year old boy toy/statutory rapist justin gaston.  

carey-cannon baby?

mariah carey has recently tossed plans to go on a world tour, adding speculation to the idea that she and new hubby nick cannon are sperminated.  carey recently had to fire designers and back up dancers who were planning on being gainfully employed by the high note songstress over the next couple of months.  mimi was in desperate need of getting pregnant as she is pushing the 4-0 mark...maybe she and janet can raise their old age babies together.  

day 23

a dark new moon?

it seems like everyday more and more twilight bad news is coming out.  today's tidbit involves casting in the second movie.  taylor lautner, currently holding the role of jacob in the franchise, is apparently looking to be replaced by the creative forces behind the blockbuster sequel.  lautner's character plays a pivotal role in the second film as bella's new love interest.  producers feel that lautner is too "baby faced" to hold the emotionally driven role of bella's werewolf boyfriend.  to keep lautner in the part, the actor's camp is apparently working very hard at convincing the producers that he works, even going as so far as to begin talks with the make up crew from the curious case of benjamin button, a movie in which brad pitt ages backwards, to age and butch lautner up.  the other problem facing this new casting direction is the lack of native american actors in the hollywood community.  lautner is only partially native america and, at the time, was the best the casting department could find.  while i have not read the books, it seems like lautner was one of the few actors who carried his character well in the film adaptation.  plus, it always looks so bad when a part is recast in a franchise - its hard to watch the films back-to-back when a different person is playing the same character.  hopefully summit, the studio behind the film, is able to clear all this up before their projected release date of november 20th of next year.

spiderman hits the great white way

"spiderman, the musical" is set to head to new york's famed broadway sometime in 2010 and the leading lady has just been cast.  evan rachel wood has nabbed the part of spidey's lady friend mary jane.  this would explain the recent marilyn manson ex's experimentation with red hair.  wood has allegedly begun work with bono and the edge, from u2, who are penning all the songs for the musical.  producers are supposedly seeking wood's across the universe co-star jim sturgess for the lead of peter parker, though neither actor has professional musical theater experience.  they worked well together in the trippy beatles themed movie, but i don't know how they'll fare on broadway...neither really seems able to fill the shoes of tobey maguire or kirsten dunst. 

desperate housewives to keep kicking through 2013?

while originally planned to run for just seven seasons, ending in 2010, abc's desperate housewives looks like it might be sticking around for 2 additional seasons.  marc cherry, the creator and driving force behind the female ensemble dramedy, is working closely with abc head honchos to increase the seasons of the shows.  cherry, who had always planned for just seven seasons and said multiple times he would never extend the show, has apparently changed his tune due to the recent creative surge caused by the show's 5 year time jump.  as well as the creative surge, the show has had a ratings surge, averaging 16 million viewers each sunday since the beginning of the current season, exceeded only by dancing with the stars.  yep, the housewives are even beating out this season of grey's anatomy.  the show is currently under contract for 7 seasons and has been picked up through its fifth, but if ratings continue to pull through, abc prez steve mcpherson is sure to allow for the additional seasons.  this news is also good for the actresses, who will be able to hold a steady job through the tough economic times.

gossip coupling numero tres?

it looks like everyone on the gossip girl set has a special someone in the form of one of their costars...well, maybe.  in addition to pen badgley and blake lively (who are not breaking up, contrary to many reports) and jessica szohr and ed westwick, it seems that chace crawford and taylor momsen have been heating things up off set.  the two were reportedly seen smooching at a variety of events over the past few weeks.  the major problem here is that chace is 23 and taylor is only 15...quite the age difference.  however, this pairing is hard to believe.  when the two actors' characters had an on screen kiss this season, reports came out that crawford was terribly uncomfortable with the age difference.  as well, multiple close sources to the rumored couple have come out to defend that the story is simply untrue.  and until some photog snaps the two in a romantic sitch, i'm going to have to take this one with a grain of salt.  

day 22

ruffalo bro dies at 39

mark ruffalo, the well known romcom actor, and his family, are mourning the death of mark's brother scott today. scott died today from a gunshot wound to the head he suffered last week.  and, with the news of his death, news of how scott was shot has come out today.  scott was allegedly a chronic cocaine abuser and played russian roulette on a regular basis. on the night of his shooting, scott apparently lost his last game of the deadly game, shooting himself.  at least this is what the woman who was arrested, shaha mishaal adham, and charged with the murder is hoping the general public will believe.  this so called "friend," through her lawyer, has said she was simply picking up some keys at the time of the shooting.  however, if adham really was a friend, wouldn't she have wanted to help ruffalo in some way? why would you want someone to continue down that kind of path? i don't know, but this sounds all sorts of shady to me.  

hudson heads back to the hollyhood

jennifer hudson, after being in hiding since her family's deaths in october, is heading back to work.  the american idol alum is set to shoot the video for her next single, "if it isn't love," over the next couple of days in los angeles.  originally, hudson was to begin shooting around the time of her mother, brother, and nephew's tragic deaths; however, under such circumstances, her label postponed the shoot.  click here to listen to the song.  hudson was recently nominated for four grammys, including one for grammy for best r&b record for jennifer hudson.  

new moon gets some direction

summit entertainment is in talks for chris weitz to helm the twilight sequel, new moon.  weitz is known for his work on american pie, as well as directing about a boy and the golden compass.  his work on the latter is apparently what grabbed the studio's attention, as it is a fantasy adventure in a series. but, since the compass series never took off, and the twilight series is already established as a hit, weitz looks to be the studio's new golden boy.  another possible option would be to bring catherine hardwicke back to direct the third and have weitz do the fourth.  as hardwicke wants more time to develop her next project, the time it would take to make the second film plus the time in between the releases, would giver her plenty of time to develop eclipse.  

big changes coming to grey's?

tr knight, who plays new resident george on the hit abc show grey's anatomy, is apparently trying to get out of his contract.  sounds like some very katherine heigl-esque behavior.  too bad tr doesn't have a movie career to fall back on if he gets out of his contract.  the actor has apparently been unhappy on set since the isiah washington scandal last season, in which washington called knight a slur of homophobic slurs.  while knight's spokesperson has denied the rumors, fans of the show have noticed his absence in recent storylines; allegedly, the writers of the show have been minimizing his screen time because of his diva antics on set.  

day 21

leno surprise

jay leno and nbc have thrown a huge curveball into the world of primetime.  after months of speculation, leno has decided to stay at the peacock net, in somewhat of a promotion.  when leno's tenure in late night is over, and conan o'brian takes over in 2009, leno will be on nightly at 10, 9 central.  therefore, nbc's primetime schedule will work more like fox's.  this will help nbc garner ratings to boost them from fourth place and gain advertisers.  nbc's late night ratings will probably take a dip when conan moves up and jimmy fallon takes his former spot.  this is sure to get the other networks upset, as both abc and fox seemed to be courting the late night staple.

cyrus recycles lindsay

miley cyrus's new music video for "fly on the wall" has hit the internets.  the video is very similar in concept to lindsay lohan's "rumors" video, which was executed better. click here to watch the video.  this is the video that justin gaston, miley's 20 year old boyfriend, allegedly hand picked the love interest for.  it seems like cyrus is trying to be a little too grown up and the song is not radio friendly at all...it probably won't play as well as "see you again."  

the nanny to take over the senate

fran drescher, most well known for her role as the nanny on cbs in the 90s, is hoping to take hilary clinton's recently evacuated senate seat.  recently named a us diplomat, fran is hoping someone will put her in the seat.  too bad it looks like caroline kennedy will get the appointment.  is new york ready from a flashing girl from flushing to be working on their legislation?

day 20

twilight dims?

catherine harwicke, the director of thirteen and the new breakout twilight, will not be returning to direct the sequel, new moon.  hardwicke and summit entertainment released a statement today saying that hardwicke would require more time to bring her vision to the screen than the studio wants to spend; the studio is looking for a "rush release" for late 2009 or early 2010.  this sounds like hardwicke was a little too demanding for the studio, so they kicked her to the curb to me.  and, maybe this will make the second movie a little better? first place to start would be to get kristin stewart some acting lessons and robert pattinson to loosen up? he seemed more focused on covering up his british accent than delivering a good performance. click here to read the whole press release.  

poehler back on snl

amy poehler returned to saturday night live on the 6th to open the show as newly appointed secretary of state hilary clinton.  click here to watch the clip.  it seems like poehler may pull the tina fey card, returning to the show to play hilary in a couple of skits over the next few seasons while she's under contract for her new nbc show, set to debut next april.  to replace poehler and fey, the execs at nbc recently brought in two new female regulars, who have slowly been becoming a larger part of the show.  hopefully amy will be able to keep the ratings momentum going on snl and bring some ratings to the fourth place peacock net.   

heath ledger wins aussie oscar

heath ledger was posthumously awarded australia's equivalent of the oscar, the australian film institute's best actor award; his sister was present to accept the statue.  does this mean heath is  set to be nominated and then awarded for the little gold man? not necessarily.  superhero flicks aren't known to be awarded for that prestigious of those awards.  as well, it seems like heath got more attention and praise for the role due to his death.  if he were still alive, the performance probably would not have garnered as much attention.   the academy awards will air live february 22nd of next year.  

day 19

would you want michael jackson to be your uncle?

no, i would not. but, that may be the case for the newest little kid to hit the jackson block.  janet jackson is reportedly pregnant, explaining the multiple shows, and eventual tour, the singer canceled.  the father would, of course, be jermaine "munchkin" dupri, janet's longtime lover.  as janet is now 42, it's kind of now or never for the baby department.  will the two tie the knot before a little jackson-dupri hits the scene? or will this be just another celeb couple with a kid out of wedlock? we'll just have to wait and see.  in the meantime, click here to watch an extra interview from one of janet's tyra show appearances.  

big o and big b to meet?

oprah says she wants to have a one-on-one interview with recovering comeback kid britney spears.  lady o rarely does pretaped one-on-ones outside her chicago studio, reserving that "honor" to celebs who have made less than great impressions of themselves in previous "live segments," like tom cruise.  hopefully this all works out and the recently named "most powerful woman in entertainment" is able to get the popstar to reveal some things she didn't in her for the record documentary, like why she was on that 5150 psychiatric hold.  are you ready to see these two to meet? or would you rather just see a performance/interview live?

stephanie tanner's empty house

jodie sweetin, best known for her role as middle child stephanie tanner on the 90s sitcom full house, is facing all sorts of troubles.  the recovering meth addict may lose custody of her recently birthed baby as her recently estranged husband is looking for sole custody.  jodie "how rude" sweetin filed for divorce from her husband, who she credited with getting her off the hard drugs, and moved in back with her father.  the couple were facing a foreclosure on their house, as both were out of work.  sweetin's soon to be ex claims her was a stay at home dad and, therefore, should have custody of the child who spent most of his time with.  the hearing on this matter is scheduled for february 9th.  it seems like sweetin is just constantly racking up more and more stories for her in progress tell all book, confessions of a how rude meth addict divorced mom.  okay that's a fake title. 

dita's gonnna be pissed 

looks like marilyn manson like to constantly "upgrade" his girlfriend model.  manson's latest pick is "isani." the "model" - who posed for manson's recent art show - is relatively unknown and just appears to be a rose mcgowan-dita von teese-evan rachel wood hybrid.  so, manson went from a 2 name, to a 3 name, to a 2 name, to a 1 name girlfriend...maybe its the weird name combos? after their recent breakup, evan rachel wood died her hair back to a more natural redish color and reconnected with her estranged family.  deeta von teese became more famous post her break up with manson, and evan rachel wood went on to land a role in charmed.  maybe dating manson is the key to success in the hollyhood? 

day 18

gossip girl spins off
the cw is pushing ahead with a spin off of its signature series, gossip girl. but, unlike the book series, the spinoff will not focus on the character of jenny humphrey or be entitled the it girl. no story ideas have been decided on but, like grey's anatomy, an episode later this season will work as a backdoor pilot. with news recently breaking that michelle trachtenberg should be returning to the show, speculation is focusing on her character as the central character. what do you think of georgina sparks terrorizing a sorority house? hmm...lots of possibilities. the cw is also reconsidering going ahead with their recently dropped project, the graysons, which would do for robin what smallville has done for clark kent.

ugly betty snags another mess
mischa barton has been tapped to fill the guest star shoes left empty by lindsay lohan on ugly betty. her storyline would take 5 episodes, but no details have been released about who should be playing. i could see her in basically the same role as lindsay, so let's hope betty doesn't turn into a show that feels like a rerun everytime. look out for the fallen oc starlet at the end of the current season. in other abc tv news, it looks like desperate housewives will get back to its glory, at least in the form of gabrielle. eva longoria was spotted in hollywood today getting extensions getting put back in her hair.

britney breaks out big
britney spears is definitely on the comeback trail. for the third time, her album, circus, has been upped in count for projected sales. as of now, the album should sell 470 - 490,000 copies, an opening not seen in recent years due to the digital sales market. this bodes well for the star's spring concert tour in the us, for which she is offering a variety of expensive vip packages sharing titles with some of her biggest selling albums.

day 17

tv blast

gossip girl - the bitch is back. no, not blair. michelle trachtenberg's georgina sparks should be back on your screens at the end of the current season of the cw hit.  no deal has been made yet, but the producers and creative forces behind the show are actively working on getting both the star and character back on screen. of course, georgina will be back to stir up some dramz...but what will it be? let's hope it has something to do with little j, since she's gotten the bulk of this season's crazy story lines.  

the rachel zoe project - you haven't seen the last of the fashion stylist with the melting face. the "37" year old will be back on bravo for a second season sometime in the new year.  will we see nicole riche, zoe's former star client, since the two have reconciled? whatever happens, it's sure to be "bananas." click here to watch bonnie hunt's hilarious impression of rachel - just scroll down on the side bar, it's near the bottom. 

bromance - are we really ready to see brody jenner in his own starring project? the son of one-time-too-many face operation wonder bruce jenner and that blonde chick whose laid everyone from elvis to david foster is getting his own paris hilton's my new bff.  the show will feature 9 contestants in 6 episodes, with jenner eliminating them in a hot tub.  i don't know, but this sounds like the biggest sausage fest ever known to man. 

lily allen, not a crack whore

the struggling british singer lily allen looks to be on the comeback trail.  allen released her new video for the single "the fear." click here to check out the video, which has a very tongue-in-cheek vibe.  her last album was so good and, by the looks and sounds of this track, her sophmore effort will be just as good.  it's very chill, talking about a superficial life.  it's sure to be the theme for something or be featured on a tv promo, minus the not safe for work language. looks like lily isn't going down the amy winehouse path, which is where she appeared to be headed.  it wasn't that long ago that the singer was seen with pink hair exposing her lady business...

heidi and spencer...i just threw up a little

the most unnatural, disturbing couple probably in the history of the world (minus liza minelli and david gest), speidi of the hills, are on their honeymoon in "exotic" mexico.  so, they got married in mexico, came back to america to show off the tackiest wedding jewelry ever, and then back to mexico? and, of course, the couple was shot by paparazzi in some very "natural" poses. spencer also released a statement in response to heidi's mom's comments from the other day, saying he and heidi will be together for the rest of their lives and that he believes her mom is just jealous that she wasn't in attendance at the wedding. 

you can go home again...you just might not like it 

90210 and former degrassi star shenae grimes gave her hometown toronto a glimpse of her diva treatment when she came back for the holidays and gemini awards, america's hat's equivalent of the emmys.  grimes wouldn't be interviewed by any media outlets, as she saw none up to her "starlet standards," and even avoided the media room backstage, saying "i try to avoid all that shit." such a pretty little mouth she has. did she learn nothing from shannen doherty? shenae plays generally the same character as doherty did on the original zip code hit, and was removed from the show after four seasons because of her inability to get along with cast members.  since this is one of many news breaks about degrassi's darcy's behavior, i'm taking it as fact. 

the princess diaries, oscar contender? 

well, not exactly.  but, the disney franchise's star, anne hathaway, is well on her way to grabbing that little gold man. just nominated for an independent spirit award for rachel getting married, anne was named the recipient of the national board of review's best actress award for the same role.  these two award nods are usually pretty on the dot of predicting who wins what at the big show.  after being snubbed for her work in brokeback mountain, hathaway deserves this award, especially after her tumultuous year dealing with her con of an ex...hathaway's next major project is bride wars opposite kate hudson, slated for early 2009. click on the film titles to look at their trailers.  

day 16

setting the circus bar high

britney spears's new music video, "circus," has leaked online today.  click here to watch it.  if this is anything like what her tour will be, i think concert-goers will be pleased.  the only thing i don't understand is why the choreography looks so good on film and somewhat sloppy in person.  i guess it could be editing, or that brit's more comfortable in the confines of a studio.  who knows? the music video could also possibly be turned into a spears fragrance ad, as her perfume curious is featured in the opening moments.  overall, the production value is good, but i still prefer the concept and styling of "womanizer" better. 

aniston entertains

jennifer aniston hits the latest cover of entertainment weekly to discuss her new movie, marley and me, which hits theaters on christmas day.  aniston addresses a lot of issues in the issue, including babies and brangelina.  she finds all the baby rumors surrounding her funny, but annoying ; "it's almost going to take away the fun from actually being able to say one day, 'i'm pregnant!" says the star.  and, as for the woman that broke up her marriage to mr. pitt, aniston says vogue blew her comment ("what angelina did was very uncool") out of proportion and that the move was very tabloid, but she's not holding a grudge.  now only if aniston would drop john mayer and get pregnant with someone she can actually start a family with...maybe someone her own age? hollywood doesn't need another cougar.  

more montag mag dramz

the new issue of us weekly features heidi montag's mother talking about how disappointed she is in the life track her daughter has chosen to take.  darlene montag thinks spencer is taking over heidi's life and said she wouldn't even be surprised if he had drugged her in mexico in order to marry her.  darlene's last straw with her daughter was heidi's skipping out on family thanksgiving in colorado this year in order to spend time with spencer in mexico.  darlene is confident the marriage won't work out.  i'm a little skeptical though; why would us play both sides of this story? wouldn't that make speidi annoyed at the tab? i would venture to guess darlene's cover story was part of the deal to put heidi and spencer on last week's cover.

sad news

mark ruffalo, a staple of romcoms like 13 going on 30 and just like heaven, and his family are standing by the bedside of mark's brother, scott, who was shot in the head earlier this week in hollywood.  not much is known about the shooting and an investigation is underway. 

day 15

new music tuesday

tuesdays are big days in the entertainment industry - it's when singles drop, albums release, and movies hit the shelves as dvds.  here are some of today's big releases:

1. akon, freedom

featuring the radio hit "right now (na na na)," akon's newest release is sure to be as successful as his past efforts.  the album features the rhythmic club jams akon is known for, and a list of singing partners that looks like a hip-hop grammy ballot - lil wayne, young jeezy,and t pain al

l make the list.  

2. taylor swift, the holiday collection

sold exclusively at target stores last holiday season, swift's six song christmas cd is sure to please.  it's filled with classics - "white christmas" and "silent night," to name a few - a new favorites - like "last christmas" and "christmases when you were mine." and, at only $6, it's hard to pass up.  

3. britney spears, circus

spears long awaited new album also hit stores today.  if you haven't already taken a listen, i suggest you do.  all the tracks are radio friendly and dancy, with the exception of a couple ballads.  and make sure to look out for "if u seek amy." this track has a secret message in the chorus and, inadvertently, in the title.  see if you can catch it.  the title track, which is the next single, is one of the standouts.  click here to see bspears performance of "circus" on good mo

rning america today. of course, she lip synched, but spears looks like she's perfected the arm flailing movements she tried out overseas with the "womanizer" tour. look out for britney in a town near you, too, starting in march as she heads out on a us arena tour.  

put your blue steel on

ben stiller has confirmed that a sequel to the 2001 cult hit zoolander is in the works.  this would mark stiller's one millionth (okay, i'm exaggerating) sequel to one of his box office hits. scripts are apparently in the works, with multiple versions being created.  stiller wants to make the movie just as comedic and "worthy" of its predecessor.  the film would most likely hit theaters sometime in 2010.  are you ready for more zoolander? has it been too long? almost a decade will have past between the two films...is stiller too old to play the male  model? maybe his age will play a part in the project.  a meet the parents threequel is also possible.  the last i heard, the film would be meet the little fockers, focusing on ben stiller and teri polo's characters' burgeoning family.  

life's the pits

what singer showed up to the her latest movie's premiere and forgot to shave? it was beyonce knowles.  beyonce came to the cadillac record's premiere with a little more hair than just her weave.  maybe this is why no pictures were shown in lady b's signature armpits up pose? hmm...wouldn't you think you would shave before a big event like this? this is just like julia roberts at the notting hill premiere.  hello, people! if you don't want to shave, don't weat sleeveless things or raise/expose your armpits!

day 14

gossip's gossip

looks like the other day's gossip girl sighting has a little more meat on its bones.  the southern holidaying cast left the dallas-fort worth airport sunday, with chace taking an earlier flight than costars ed westwick and jessica szohr.  the twosome who was left behind seem to have gotten a little closer than their characters ever will.  ed and jessica were seen sneaking kisses and glances all over the airport...looks like we can finally put the chace/ed rumors to rest.  picture courtesy of justjared - head over to justjared.buzznet.com to get more deets on the story.

brandy's back...as beyonce?

long lost popstar brandy is back in a big way.  click here to check out her latest single, "long distance."  the song is the power ballad missing from beyonce's latest release...a very modern twist on a song that could have been big in the 90s.  however, will the song be big? brandy's been under big media scrutiny the past few years.  first there was the teenage pregnancy and now it's come out that ms. norwood faked her entire marriage - she released the false marriage statement as a way to protect her public image.  however, the image was more recently tarnished with the deadly la car accident from a couple years ago - the reason she was replaced with sharon osbourne as a judge on america's got talent. the former sitcom star drops her latest album, human, will be released a week from tuesday.  let's see if she can pull out some numbers or if human will be the last straw of her faltering career.

sad news is good news

jennifer hudson's brother in law, william balfour, was arrested monday for the shooting deaths of hudson's mother, brother, and nephew.  this takes balfour from being just a "person of interest" to prime suspect.  authorities decided to arrest william after his girlfriend testified in court that he was constantly around illegal substances and was in possession of a weapon matching the description of that used in the triple homicide.  the suspect's mother, however, sees the arrest as unnecessary, as there is no substantial evidence available. at least the police are on the right track and, hopefully, the hudson family will be able to recover from this.  hudson's debut album is currently on the shelves, but no new movies are to be released anytime soon starring the american idol contestant.