STAR listeners' one-stop-shop for Hollywood gossip and music news.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
August 6, 2008
Last week I told you about the new John McCain campaign ad that compared Barack Obama to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. Then we found out the Hilton parents are big McCain contributors. Rude, right? Well now Paris herself has issued a video response and it’s one of the funniest things I’ve seen in a LONG time. This thing has been viewed almost 4 million times in 1 day. Even if you don’t like Paris, you’ll like this video.
This week’s movie releases didn’t wait ‘til Friday to challenge The Dark Knight. Pineapple Express and Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 2 hit theaters today. Check out trailers for both movies:
Even though ABC tells me they never comment on casting rumors…I do! Rumor has it singer Toni Braxton, former *N Sync member Lance Bass, rodeo star Ty Murray, socialite Kim Kardashian, Brady Brunch-er Florence Henderson and former star quarterback Dan Marino have all been cast in the next season of Dancing with the Stars. The official cast gets announced later this month.
It’s been a little too long, like a week, since I gave you a John Mayer-Jennifer Aniston romance update, so here we go. A source tells me a few weeks ago they had a serious heart-to-heart where Jen told John she wanted him to move in with her after the tour ends. Apparently John said he wasn’t against the idea but they should give it more thought. I bet he agrees to move in but only if she lets the other three girls he’s dating move in with him.
Meanwhile… OK agazine’s new cover claims that Jennifer and John are getting married in an intimate backyard ceremony. Other details include a strapless Vera Wang dress, Friends co-star Courtney Cox as Maid of Honor, and a honeymoon in Greece. Don’t you have to be engaged first?
If you remember, the reason American Idol winner David Cook went to the Idol auditions was to support his little brother Andrew. Andrew didn’t even make it to Hollywood so to payback his little bro, David and him will sing the National Anthem at the September 14th Kansas City Chiefs game, Kansas City being their hometown.
For the first time, the MTV Video Music Awards will look across the pond to honor the best British act. The nominees reportedly include STAR Artists Leona Lewis, Duffy and Coldplay.
Morpheus in Las Vegas? Yep. CBS is looking into bringing Matrix star Laurence Fishburne on as a replacement for William Petersen on CSI. Petersen is leaving the show as a regular cast member after the 10th episode of the new season.
Briefly: STAR Artist Justin Timberlake saves a few bucks every month because he doesn’t need hair and nail appointments. He cuts his own hair. Hence why it’s the same length everywhere. Okay, not EVERYWHERE. Get your mind out of the gutter!
Comedian Artie Lange has checked himself into rehab. His rep wouldn’t confirm to me what for.
Bored economists figure that Oprah controls exactly 1,015,519 of America's votes. Yes. CONTROLS.
Put another celebrity in the “I’m having twins” category. Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis, and her fourth husband are pregnant with twins, due this fall.
Here's WomensHealth.com's list of the Top 10 things women should understand about men: 1. I don't want to talk about it. I want to figure it out. 2. When you ask me what's on my mind and I say "nothing," I really mean nothing. 3. Brazilian wax. Me like. 4. I know when you're faking it. 5. Would it kill you to wear something with pockets? I don't want to carry around your lipstick and license all night. 6. I thoroughly enjoy watching large men stand in a ring and beat the tattoos off each other. Fighting with you? Not so down with that. 7. I worry about our finances about 30 times a day - so no need to keep reminding me. 8. Don't expect me to sing along with you in the car. It's not, um, manly. (You won't find me abiding by this rule!) 9. It's totally refreshing when you can laugh at yourself. It also means that you're not laughing at me. 10. I like it when other guys check you out, but not the other way around. And, yes, this is a double standard.
The fastest film to $100 million, $200 million and $300 million is now the fastest film to $400 million. By a lot. 18 days - that’s all it took for The Dark Knight to break $400 million at the box-office. The former record holder – Shrek 2 – hit $400 million in 43 days.
Speaking of The Dark Knight... One of its stars, Morgan Freeman spent over four hours in surgery last night to reconnect nerves and basically put him back together after a rollover car accident on Sunday. His rep tells me “He is in good spirits and is visiting with family members.”
Rumors have been circling that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt used in vitro fertilization to have their new twins, but as the rest of the family posed for pictures at their recent photo shoot, Angelina shot down those rumors, “We would have been happy to discuss it, but we have been fortunate never to have had fertility problems." By the way, Angelina says she and Brad had no problems getting the other kids ready for the new babies. They made them watch a Dora the Explorer episode about twins.
TV has been very, VERY good to Charlie Sheen and William Petersen – TV’s highest paid actors. Sheen brings home the bacon in the form of $20 million per year and $825,000 an episode for Two & a Half Men. Yes, that’s on TOP of the $20 mil a year. CSI star William Petersen makes $600,000 an episode. Oprah, obviously, makes the most of any TV celebrity with combined earnings of $385 million in the last year.
Speaking of Charlie Sheen (and how often does THAT happen?)... Charlie Sheen won’t nickel and dime you – he’ll just nickel you. Recently a doctor in LA immunized Charlie’s kids even though Charlie didn’t want him to. The doctor said he’d treat the kids with whatever they need, whenever they need it. Charlie replied by not paying the $380 bill, until yesterday when he messengered $380 worth of nickels to the doctor’s office. I did the math for ya. That’s 7,600 nickels weighing just under 84 pounds.
Either American Idol isn't very popular in Puerto Rico, or the island just doesn't have much singing talent. Only about 300 hopefuls showed up to an Idol audition in San Juan over the weekend - a much smaller crowd than the thousands who usually attend the casting calls in the U.S. mainland.
Briefly: STAR Artist Sheryl Crow will introduce an eco-friendly clothing line later this year. The threads, which will be sold under the name Bootheel Trading Company by Sheryl Crow, will range in price from $35 to $60.
The Jonas Brothers have officially confirmed they're headed to the Disney Channel for their very own show. Production starts in September.
The long wait is over – the first pictures of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s twins are out. People magazine ended up winning the bidding war, paying $14 million for dibs on the first pics. If you pick up the issue on newsstands now, you'll be treated to 19 pages of photos. Angelina tells me raising that many little ones is “chaos, but we are managing and having a wonderful time.” Brad added, “It’s a cuckoo’s nest.” Without further adieu, here's the cover: The sun ain’t setting on The Dark Knight which is on pace to become the second highest grossing movie of all-time. Here's the complete Top 10 from this past weekend at the box-office: 1. The Dark Knight, $43.8 million 2. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, $42.5 million 3. Step Brothers, $16.3 million 4. Mamma Mia!, $13.1 million 5. Journey to the Center of the Earth, $6.9 million 6. Swing Vote, $6.3 million 7. Hancock, $5.2 million 8. WALL-E, $4.7 million 9. The X-Files: I Want to Believe, $3.4 million 10. Space Chimps, $2.8 million
Speaking of The Dark Knight, one of its stars had a very bad weekend. Actor Morgan Freeman and a female passenger were involved in a serious one-car accident on Sunday in Mississippi. Police told me it’s a “typical accident” but anything that requires the jaws of life and a two-person airlift to the hospital is not typical, at least in my book. Morgan’s rep told me he broke his arm, elbow and has some minor shoulder damage but is in good spirits.
And some more bad news... Actress Christina Applegate is being treated for breast cancer. Thankfully doctors caught it early and expect a full recovery after treatment. This news comes just months after her on-again, off-again boyfriend was found dead of an apparent heroin overdose. Christina actually became a spokesperson for breast cancer awareness after her mother was diagnosed a few years ago – she’ll also appear on the Stand Up To Cancer special airing in prime time September 5th on all major TV networks (except Fox). We wish Christina all the best.
Over the weekend, STAR Artist Matchbox Twenty wrapped up their first tour together in five years and guitarist Paul Doucette says, “It was, without a doubt, the best tour we’ve ever done.” Since they’re on a roll Paul also says the next Matchbox Twenty album isn’t too far behind. They’re not going to wait another 5 years, that’s for sure. Rob Thomas is also staying busy – his next solo album is almost done and should be out early next year, which he’ll follow with a solo tour.
Fox has just ordered another season of So You Think You Can Dance for next year. Win tickets into the So You Think You Can Dance Tour all this week with the Drive at 5 p.m. and 80s at 8 p.m. on STAR 98. It’s at the Resch Center October 18th.
Rumors have it that STAR Artist Justin Timberlake is being considered to host the next Academy Awards. Insiders tell me he impressed some decision-makers when he hosted the ESPYs a few weeks back, but according to another source the show hasn’t nailed down a producer yet and it’s the producer’s job to find a host.
Briefly: Despite rumors to the contrary, Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhaal are not engaged. They’ve been dating for over a year and all the gossip shows are willing the engagement to happen but reps for both of the actors tell me it hasn’t happened yet.
STAR Artist Taylor Swift just wrapped a photo shoot for her upcoming album, which is due out this fall.
STAR Artist Sarah McLachlan will release a greatest-hits compilation on October 7th.
Is a crackdown on the paparazzi necessary in Hollywood? STAR Artist John Mayer believes so. He was one of three celebrities who participated in a City Hall meeting in Los Angeles yesterday. Mayer told officials that he's often followed late at night by cars without license plates that sometimes don't stop at red lights. He said, "Without knowing who is following you, you do not know why you are being followed, which brings about a very real possibility of suffering harm." John went so far as to propose that paparazzi be credentialed and display a, "big white P" on their license plates.
Transformers director Michael Bay went to bat for Shia LaBeouf. LaBeouf was arrested for DUI last Sunday after a truck he was driving collided with another car in Los Angeles but Michael Bay says Shia wasn’t drunk and was drinking hours and hours before. Bay also says he’s considering writing Shia’s hand injury into the new Transformers movie. A win-win for everyone...
I told you People magazine won the bidding war for the first pics of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s twins. Now we know when we’ll see them. The actual magazine itself with the pictures will hit newsstands on Monday morning, but chances are you’ll see the pics online Sunday night.
Plans are already in the works for the next Batman movie. Word has it Johnny Depp has been tapped to play the Riddler with Philip Seymour Hoffman as the Penguin. And if that’s not enough, Angelina Jolie is rumored to be playing Catwoman.
Briefly: The guitar that STAR Artist Colbie Caillat used to write “Bubbly” is finding its way into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
According to Star magazine, American Pie actress Shannon Elizabeth has turned down the proposal of her boyfriend of just five months and Dancing with the Stars partner, Derek Hough.
Sony is developing a Spider-Man spin-off focused on Venom, the bad guy from Spider-Man 3 and Mike Myers is reportedly getting ready for a fourth Austin Powers flick.
The Top 10 Finalist from American Idol closed the NASDAQ today.
Remember this past weekend when Transformers star Shia LaBeouf got into that car accident and had to have emergency hand surgery? Like I told you, he’ll miss a full month of production on the Transformers sequel which can cost up to $200,000 a day. Speaking of Shia, car accidents and money – some loonatics are trying to sell debris from that same sidelining car accident. So far the auction is at 99 cents and ends on Saturday.
As if we don’t get enough of the Tinseltown train wrecks that are Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, now they’ve been thrust into political attack ads. Republican Presidential hopeful John McCain rolled out a new TV commercial comparing Democratic Presidential hopeful Barack Obama to the fallen pop princess and hotel heiress. A rep for Paris told me she was never asked nor gave permission to have her likeness used in the ad and has no further comment. Thank God the ad left out the doctored photo of Obama getting out of a limo with a skirt and no underwear.
40 Year Old Virgin co-stars Steve Carell and Seth Rogen will team up for a new Ghostbusters movie. The original four Ghostbusters, Dan Akroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson, will hand over their "proton packs" to the new guys, for a whole series of new movies.
Never again! That’s what comedian and star of My Life on the D-List Kathy Griffin says about the possibility of more cosmetic surgery. Kathy’s never been shy about going under the knife – she’s had a face lift, eye job and “all that stuff” but she tells me, “What I found was that it didn’t help one bit. It didn’t make me happier or didn’t make me look particularly younger.” ...Should have renamed the show My Life on the Operating Table.
I’m not sure how this was documented but evidently on her way out of a doctor’s office Jennifer Garner was carrying a piece of paper with "March 2nd" circled on it. Does this mean hubby Ben Affleck should prepare for a second wave of diaper duty in 8 months? Or is it just the date she needs to get her cholesterol checked? This story does conflict with past reports that Jennifer is due in 5 months.
I’ve told you Jennifer Aniston is definitely the focus of paparazzi while on tour with boyfriend STAR Artist John Mayer but how is Jennifer fitting into John’s circle of friends? One of his pals tells me Jen fits perfectly with the group of friends, crew and musicians that John has on tour. The same pal also tells me the couple is only “getting closer.”
STAR Artist Timbaland and OneRepublilc have been added to the lineup for this September’s Fashion Rocks event. They join STAR Artists Justin Timberlake Mariah Carey and others. Look for that September 5th on CBS.
So STAR Artist Leona Lewis is just huge right now. She’s got a number one single in “Bleeding Love” and I’m sure her new record has more hits in store for us – she’s obviously a shoo-in for a bunch of Grammy nominations – so when can we expect to see her live? Leona says not anytime soon. "At the moment, people are just getting the feeling for me and what I do musically, so we'll see." Most women love a man in uniform (yes?) and evidently Katie Holmes is no exception – she just can’t get enough of New York City firefighters. Last November she was sporting a NYFD hat and just yesterday she randomly stopped by a firehouse to pose for pictures. No word on if she worked the pole or not.
STAR Artist Maroon 5 will take a day off their tour with the Counting Crows to raise money for victims of Hurricane Katrina. They’ve got a show in New Orleans in a month and a half and all proceeds will benefit Brad Pitt’s Make It Right Foundation for New Orleans’ Ninth Ward.
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor marks the third time we’ve seen Brendan Fraser do a bad impression of Indiana Jones and hopes to top The Dark Knight at the box-office this weekend. These Mummy movies have made serious cash in the past so it could be a true competitor for the number one spot. It opens tomorrow. Swing Vote starring Kevin Costner as an apathetic guy who’s vote determines the next president.
Wanna see pictures of Brad and Angelina’s new twins? You’ll have to check out a future issue of People magazine. Yep, People won the bidding war – rumor has it it cost the mag between $10 million and $15 million. That money’s already been earmarked by Brad and Angelina for charity and I’ll let you know when that particular People issue hits store shelves.
It’s been a while since we talked about the Lohan family. It seems Lindsay’s mom and sister are taking over the gossip page, at least for today. At an after-party for the New York premiere of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, mom and sis Lohan were asked to leave. Lindsay’s mom on the other hand says a staffer at the party raised his voice to them so they left voluntarily. Ok…no way did they leave on their own – not when there’s free booze to be had.
Vanity Fair has a new list for you to memorize: The Best-Dressed of 2008. Aneglina Jolie, Ivanka Trump, Tilda Swinton, and Sarah Jessica Parker took top honors. The Today Show host Matt Lauer and 007 Daniel Craig were a couple men that made the grade. Check out all 42 honorees in the September issue of Vanity Fair.
As The Dark Knight worldwide publicity tour rolls on, star Christian Bale is still not talking about his recent assault arrest calling it a “private matter.” He does however love to talk about his costar Heath Ledger, "You could see how much glee and delight he got from playing this character." The Dark Knight’s earned over $300 million domestically and some critics say Heath deserves a posthumous Oscar nomination.
As Macy’s gets set to celebrate 150 years in retail, STAR Artist Christina Aguilera is helping to mark the occasion by lending her beautiful self to some commemorative pictures. Check out one of those pictures:Seriously, if a large cake is part of the celebration, I vote she’s the one to jump out of it.
I blame myself. 2 days ago I had a Lance Armstrong “Livestrong” bracelet in my pocket and today we find out Lance and his girl, Kate Hudson, have broken up after 3 months.
A rep for STAR Artist Madonna says the rumors Madonna ghost-wrote some of her brother’s tell-all book are “ludicrous,” and “if she had anything to do with that book, it would have been better written and more eloquent.”
Briefly: STAR Artist Fergie has landed herself a nice fat movie role…as a prostitute. This is in the movie Nine which also stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz, Kate Hudson and Judi Dench. Fergie told me she plans to “be a sponge on set.”
STAR Artist Alicia Keys will team up with Jack White of the band the White Stripes for the new Bond movie theme called "Another Way to Die." Quantum of Solace opens November 7th.
