September 30, 2009 - 12:02 AM | Comment
The Khloe Kardashian-Lamar Odom wedding ceremony on Sunday was beautiful, but was it legal?
TMZ says nope, that lawyers for the reality TV star and the Lakers player are still hashing out the pre-nuptial agreement, and they won't marry legally until the documents are signed. Of course, the fake wedding story now makes every expenditure for the lavish event seem ridiculous -- $4,500 (not including tip) to open her favorite swanky salon on Sunday for
a simple hairdo -- which, by the way,
Khloe's people deny happened. At a press conference during his team's media day Tuesday,
Odom insisted the wedding was binding, adding, "anybody that was there will tell you that it was a beautiful event and it was real." Odom
released a statement to OK magazine, which has rights to the ceremony: I am officially a married man. We shared the moment with all of our loved ones that were present on Sunday for our wedding. Thanks for all of the love and support from family, friends, teammates and fans.” Later in the day, Odom
bought a necklace, presumably for his bride (if she is his bride ...)
• • •
OK! magazine's coverage of the was-it-a-wedding ceremony includes photos of the pair dancing their first dance together as (possibly) husband and wife, above. The tune they chose was Anita Baker's "Angel." EOnline reports that the song was selected to honor Odom's mother, Cathy Mercer, who died of colon cancer and that he sang lyrics—including "Dreams are dreams/ Some Dreams come true/ I found a real dream, baby/ When I found you" to Khloe as they danced.
• • •
Reality star Kristin Cavallari not only isn't dating singer John Mayer, she says she shot him down when he asked her out. Cavallari, who has appeared on "The Hills," and "Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County," says she met the singer once for five minutes, but rejected his request for a date. "I didn't want to be another notch on his belt," Cavallari, 22, told Ryan Seacrest on his radio show Tuesday. Mayer has dated Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jessica Simson, actress Minka Kelly and most recently has had an on-again, off-again relationship with Jennifer Aniston. Earlier this month, Mayer used his Twitter account to deny that he had a relationship with Cavallari. "I'm sure she's a wonderful gal but we have never tasted the Skittles Rainbow together," he wrote. Later he tweeted to Mindy Kaling, who plays Kelly Kapoor on "The Office," "You'd be surprised. Turning me down is the new sleeping with me."
• • •
Rachael Kneeland, who filed for divorce from "Terminator" star Edward Furlong in July, says in her application for a temporary restraining order that Furlong "grabbed me, bruised me, pushed me, made threats of more violence, [and] left messages saying he would hire people to come and beat me with chains and bats." She also says Furlong "is smoking cocaine and doing various other drugs. He is very unpredictable." She was granted the restraining order, which requires Furlong to stay 100 yards away from Kneeland.
• • •
Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein died accidentally from a lethal cocktail of prescription drugs and
cocaine, the medical examiner's office ruled Tuesday. The drugs found in his system after he was found dead Aug. 28 were cocaine, OxyContin, Hydrocodone or Vicodin, antianxiety drugs Xanax and Ativan, Klonopin, which controls anger, Benadryl and Levamisole, a drug apparently used to cut cocaine. The cause of death was acute intoxication due to the combined effects of the drugs. Six pills were found undigested in his stomach and an OxyContin pill was found in his throat. "We've done the testing and investigation ... and in our opinion this was an accidental overdose rather than suicide," a medical examiner's spokesman said. Goldstein was critically hurt in a plane crash last September in Columbia, S.C., that killed four people. He and Travis Barker, drummer for Blink-182, were the only survivors.
• • •
Jamie Kennedy has denied widespread rumors that he cheated on his girlfriend, Jennifer Love Hewitt, with his ex, Shannon Funk, who once worked as Britney Spears' assistant. "This is a completely fabricated story made up by a disgruntled former employee, terminated for cause. Jamie and Jennifer are happy and still together," Jamie's rep says in a statement. The two met seven months ago on the set of their show, "Ghost Whisperer."
• • •
Scarlett Johansson says while she enjoys married life with new husband Ryan Reynolds, her Canadian wilderness wedding one year ago wasn't something she'd dreamed about. "I never really thought about getting married – it just kind of happened," Johansson tells Glamour for its November issue, hitting newsstands next week. "It seemed natural, the right thing to do. It was kind of a celebration of the time." The star of "Lost in Translation," "The Other Boleyn Girl," "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" and other films says she would "love to work on Broadway, but I don’t know that it would manifest itself in musical theater ... I have terrible stage fright that I'd have to get over. It came on when I was a teenager, and I think it somehow sticks with you."
• • •
Nick Palatas, who played Shaggy in "ScoobyDoo! The Mystery Begins" accidentally cut off part of his thumb while using a table saw at his home. The actor, 21, called 911 and then phoned his mom from the ambulance and asked her to bring the piece of his thumb to the hospital, but it could not be reattached, says TMZ.
-- Anne Neville
September 29, 2009 - 12:56 PM | Comment
Goodbye, Jon!
TLC announced Tuesday morning that estranged husband Jon Gosselin has been dumped from the reality show that made his family famous. As of Nov. 2, the show will change its name from "Jon & Kate Plus 8" to "Kate Plus 8" and will focus on Kate Gosselin's life as a single mother.
Since the Gosselins' estrangement became public over the summer, Jon has been linked with Hailey Glassman, 22, the daughter of the surgeon who did Kate's tummy tuck; with Kate Major, 26, a tabloid reporter who quit her job because of a fling with Gosselin; and babysitter Stephanie Santoro, 23, who says the two had sex at the Gosselin house while the children slept.
"Given Jon's recent antics, there was no way the show could continue to portray him as a doting dad, not while all this other crap was going on," a source close to Jon Gosselin told People
Gosselin, seen above at the Frightworld haunted house attraction in Amherst Sept. 19, has been making public appearances across the country. Before he arrived at Frightworld, the marketing manager at the attraction said Gosselin would charge $7 for each autographed photo, but when Gosselin arrived, his spokesman said he would "never, ever, ever" charge for an autograph. "Under no circumstances," said Matt Kirschner of Talent Resources in New York City. "He's a family man."
The crowd that greeted Gosselin included families, children and teenagers. Some complimented Gosselin on the show, but he said little.
"Given the recent changes in the family dynamics, it only makes sense for us to refresh and recalibrate the program to keep pace with the family," TLC president Eileen O'Neill said in a statement. "The family has evolved and we are attempting to evolve with it; we feel that Kate's journey really resonates with our viewers."
Tuesday, perhaps seeing his public image and his paycheck diminishing, Gosselin reportedly tried to put the brakes on the couple's divorce. “He woke up one morning, looked in the mirror and didn’t like the reflection,” Jon’s attorney, Mark Jay Heller, told In Touch magazine. “He realized he’d made some bad choices.” Jon and Kate were due to be officially divorced by the end of November — but now he claims he’s had a serious change of heart. “I regret my conduct since Kate and I separated [on June 22],” Jon told In Touch. “I used poor judgment in publicly socializing with other women so soon."
"Jon & Kate Plus 8" debuted on April 16, 2007, and experienced a ratings spike once the Gosselin marriage became troubled earlier this year. The fifth season premiere, in which the pair said they would separate, attracted a record 9.8 million viewers, making it the most-watched show of that evening, according to People. But after a six-week hiatus from new episodes, only 4.2 million viewers tuned in to see "Jon & Kate" on Aug. 3, and only 1.7 million watched last Monday.
Meanwhile, Kate Gosselin is expanding her appearances. She recently worked as a guest host on "The View," sitting in for Elisabeth Hasselbeck during her maternity leave, and has also reportedly taped a pilot of a talk show with Food Network star Paula Deen.
-- Anne Neville
September 29, 2009 - 8:02 AM | Comment
Director Roman Polanski is fighting extradition and has filed a motion in a Swiss court to be released from jail, after being picked up over the weekend on his way to a film festival where he was being honored.
Polanski was arrested on long-standing charges that he raped a 13-year-old girl at his California home in 1978. Since fleeing the U.S., Polanski has been living in Europe where he enjoys dual French/Polish citizenship.
Polanski's lawyer told French radio that, "there is no reason, either in law or in fact, nor on the terrain of the most elementary justice, to keep Roman Polanski in prison for even one day." In addition, the New York Times reports that "nearly 100 entertainment industry professionals ... urged in a petition that Mr. Polanski be released, saying: 'Filmmakers in France, in Europe, in the United States and around the world are dismayed by this decision.' "
The Swiss court says that it will decide in the next few weeks whether to honor Polanski's request for release.
• • •
After taking a spill during a taping on Friday, Conan O'Brien returned to the Tonight Show yesterday joking "As many of you may know, on this past Friday's show I was doing a stunt and I hit my head and suffered a slight concussion. And I promise, if you're a good audience, I'll do it again tonight." The accident caused the show to be pre-empted while O'Brien sought medical attention. O'Brien and guest Teri Hatcher were competing in a mock triathlon and as he approached the finish line, O'Brien slipped, hitting his head on the floor causing a concussion. You can find the clip here on YouTube.
• • •
Now that sister Khloe has married NBA star Lamar Odom, Kim Kardashian has reunited with NFL star Reggie Bush, after splitting in July. A source tells People: "They're totally back together for real. Kim and Reggie spent a few months apart getting their
priorities together and figuring out who they were as individuals so
they can make it work together."
• • •
Actress Claire Daines was quietly married earlier this month in France to boyfriend Hugh Dancy The couple, who met while filming a movie together in 2006, announced their engagement in February. Neither's rep has confirmed the nuptials, however.
• • •
Adam Lambert says that the American Idol folks are not interfering with his creativity as he works on his debut album, set to be released Nov. 24th. The reputation that the show and 19 Entertainment has been tagged with over the years is that they stifle creativity, force cookie cutter sounds and are controlling of all aspects of production and promotion of the albums of their winners and signed finalists. But Lambert says he hasn't experienced that. "I think there's a little bit of a misconception out in the public that people that come out of American Idol
are puppetted and kind of controlled. That hasn't been my experience one bit. They've been completely
supportive and collaborative with me and all the powers that be are
really trying to facilitate my artistic vision," he tells E! News.
• • •
Lucy Vodden has died of complications related to lupus. If that name doesn't meant anything to you, a hardcore Beatles fans would be able to tell you the urban legend that she -- and not the drug LSD -- is the inspiration for the song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds." According to Beatles lore, "Lucy" was a nursery school classmate of John Lennon's son Julian, who showed Lennon a picture he drew of the girl flying in the air with diamonds in her eyes. The rest, as they say, is history. Vodden had battled the disease for about year, and was 46 at the time of her death.
• • •
Are you ready for some nuptials?! Country singer Holly Williams -- the daughter of country legend Hank Williams Jr. -- was married over the weekend in Nashville to musician boyfriend Chris Coleman.
• • •
Actress Ione Skye and musician hubby Ben Lee welcomed a baby girl to the family. Goldie Priya Lee was born on Thursday to the couple, who were married last December in a Hindu ceremony in India. Skye is said to be "over the moon" over the arrival of daughter Goldie.
• • •
John Cryer -- a recent Emmy winner -- is a winner in fatherhood too, People reports. The rep for the actor confirms that he and wife, Lisa Joyner, adopted a baby girl in August. During his Emmy speech Cryer acknowledged a "baby girl," meaning new daughter Daisy.
-- Dave Valenzuela
September 28, 2009 - 2:30 AM | Comment
Director Roman Polanski was on his way to receive a lifetime achievement award from the Zurich Film Festival, but he got arrested instead when his plane landed in Switzerland. Polanski, 76, who fled the United States in 1978 after he pleaded guilty to having sex with a 13-year-old girl, is being held on a U.S. warrant in the case, Swiss police say a decision to extradite him to the U.S. is subject to judicial procedure. A friend of Polanski told People that he has visited Switzerland before without any problem, and asked, "Why now?" The Los Angeles Times is reporting that U.S. officials came close to nabbing Polanski "half a dozen times or so" in the past two decades, and he canceled travel plans twice after arrest and extradition papers were prepared.
• • •
Black tie was required, but BlackBerries were banned from the elegant, if hastily thrown-together nuptials of reality star Khloe Kardashian and Los Angeles Laker Lamar Odom Sunday evening at the estate of a family friend in Beverly Hills, reports People.com. Kardashian, 25, wore a Vera Wang gown as her stepfather, Bruce Jenner, walked her down the outdoor aisle. Also walking her to the altar were sisters Kim and Kourtney. Cameras recorded the marriage for a future episode of E!'s Keeping Up With the Kardashians." The 250 guests included the show's producer Ryan Seacrest, Kelly Osbourne and Kobe Bryant with his wife Vanessa.
• • •
TMZ caught up with Odom as he strolled into the rehearsal dinner and asked if it seemed wise to marry a woman he met just a month ago. "People get divorced after being married for 18 years .. you never know."
• • •
Also marrying over the weekend was
Justin Guarini, who wed Reina Capodici, left, Saturday at a private estate in his hometown of Doylestown, Pa., People reported. Guarini, 30, who was the runner-up to Kelly Clarkson in the first season of "American Idol," attended high school with Capodici, but they started dating only in the past few years. She has a 4-year-old daughter, Lola.
• • •
Also tying the knot was actress Jamie Pressly, who wed entertainment lawyer Simran Singh on a bluff overlooking the ocean in Malibu. Her 2-year-old son, Dezi James, attended. He is the son of her longtime ex-fiance, Eric Cubiche.
• • •
One of the two new cast members on "Saturday Night Live," playing a tough-talking biker chick, accidentally dropped the f-bomb live. Jenny Slate, in a sketch with Kristen Wiig and host Megan Fox, puffed out her cheeks and bit her lip after the slip. It was edited to replace the word with "freakin'" during the West Coast rebroadcast. The FCC is expected to have a reaction today.
• • •
The owner of Specialty Car Craft, who owned the Maserati that Lindsay Lohan let her assistant drive -- and dent -- back in March, continued to rent her cars -- including a Bentley, a Rolls and a Ferrari. And now, he says, LiLo owes him $12,310.
• • •
Former actress
Tawny Kitaen has been arrested in Newport Beach, Ca., for DUI, police there said. The 48-year-old, who made an impression in 1980s music videos for future husband David Civerdale's band, Whitesnake, recently appeared on the VH1 show, "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew." The mugshot at left was taken in 2002, when she was arrested for spousal abuse and battery after attacking her then-husband, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Chuck Finley, while they were in a car in Newport Beach.
• • •
Former "Melrose Place" heartthrob Andrew Shue and Amy Robach of "The Today Show" plan to wed. The two are both recently divorced.
-- Anne Neville
September 25, 2009 - 12:43 AM | Comment
Didn't see this one coming:
Randy Quaid and his wife Evi fought with policewho arrested them in Marfa, Texas, on felony warrants charging them with skipping out on a hotel bill of more than $10,000. Evi had to be wrestled to the ground and Randy "assaulted them both physically and verbally and resisted arrest," according to TMZ, but will not be charged in Texas. The Quaids are accused of not paying the
San Ysidro Ranch near Santa Barbara -- where John and Jacqueline Kennedy honeymooned -- after staying there.
RadarOnline reportsthe Quaids' credit card was declined, but when the couple said they were waiting for a new card to arrive they were allowed to stay. The
exact charges are burglary, because police say they never intended to pay, conspiracy and "defrauding an innkeeper." Police say the
Quaids have done this before, running out on a bill at the Bel Air Hotel in Los Angeles. Randy Quaid, brother of Dennis, has appeared in dozens of movies and television shows, including "The Last Picture Show" and "Brokeback Mountain." He played the lead in "The Adventures of Pluto Nash."
• • •
Mackenzie Phillips calls her shocking new memoir "High on Arrival," and EOnline has posted some info about the little-known song titled "She's Just 14," one of several written by her dad (and, she says, lover) John Phillips, about her. With such lyrics as, "There isn't much she hasn't seen" and "She did it in a limousine," the song appears on a newly released album of solo tracks by members of the Mamas and the Papas.
• • •
They didn't exactly meet cute, but it was memorable. Lamar Odom, who plans to marry Khloe Kardashian Sunday, apparently made a big impression when he picked up the tabfor a "Welcome to L.A." party Khloe threw for Ron Artest at Halo nightclub a month ago. Odom shelled out the $3,000 Khloe owed the bar, according to TMZ. A source told TMZ, "At first, she wasn't going to do the event ... but she literally met her husband there. And yes, he paid for everything." And speaking of parties, there was big one planned last night in Hollywood -- Odom's bachelor party. Hosted by his soon-to-be brother-in-law Rob Kardashan and "Girls Gone Wild" founder Joe Francis, the invite to the private bash promises "drinks, dj, stripper poles, midgets and tons of candy!" Classy! And why the rush to the altar? A source tells People that the ceremony, like that of Kendra Wilkinson and Hank Baskett, will be taped for airing on Khloe's show. And getting everything done quickly increases the buzz (and the ratings), the source says.
• • •
But it isn't all just fun and games for Joe Francis. Jayde Nicole is suing him for pulling her hair during a melee in a Hollywood club last month that left Francis scratched and bruised. Nicole says Francis grabbed her by the hair and then pushed her to the floor "like a rag-doll"; Francis told EOnline that Nicole threw a drink on him and then her boyfriend, Brody Jenner, started punching him.
• • •
Kelly Rutherford, the mom on "Gossip Girl," has been granted a temporary restraining orderthat requires her ex-husband, German businessman Daniel Giersch, to stop harassing her. In the suit, Kelly claims Giersch's harassment of her. her mother and a nanny forced the nanny to quit. "He shows up unexpectedly to threaten and scare us," says her application for the restraining order. Giersche's attorney says the charges are fabricated to damage Giersch's reputation. Rutherford was married to Giersch from 2006 to 2008; they split when she was pregnant with their second child, Helena Grace Rutherfod Giersch, in June. They also have a 2-year-old son, Hermes Gustaf Giersch.
• • •
Jessica Biel, rapper Lupe Fiasco and actress Isabel Lucas have signed on to climbthe continent's highest peak, Mt. Kilimanjaro, to raise awareness about the need for clean water worldwide. And Biel's companion may be boyfriend Justin Timberlake, who has recently talked about a similar summit-scaling plan The Summit on the Summit expedition, set for January, is the brainchild of singer and producer Kenna, whose father suffered from waterborne diseases as a child in Ethiopia. Kenna said more celebrity climbers will be announced in the coming months, and urged fans to follow the climb online at www.summitonthesummit.
-- Anne Neville
September 24, 2009 - 7:13 AM | Comment
Mackenzie Phillips
appeared on Oprah yesterday and revealed that she had a 10-year incestuous relationship with her late father John Phillips. Phillips read excerpts from her new book, and told the audience "On the eve of my wedding, my father showed up, determined to stop
it. I had tons of pills, and Dad had tons of
everything too. Eventually I passed out on Dad's bed. My father was not a man with boundaries. He was full of love, and
he was sick with drugs. I woke up that night from a blackout to find
myself having sex with my own father."
Phillips also says that she finally ended the consensual sex when she became pregnant and believed that the child could have been her father's. She admitted to having an abortion, "It was one of those moments where you're either going to live or die. I don't mean death. I mean, wake up dead. Dead to feeling. Dead to reality," she told the audience.
Phillips' family have reacted to the revelations. Chynna Phillips told Us Weekly, "Somebody could have dropped a piano on my head and I probably wouldn't
have felt it. But I knew it was true. I mean, who in
their right mind would make such a claim if it wasn't true? ...Was he actually raping her? I don't know. Do I believe
that they had an incestuous relationship and that it went on for 10
years? Yes."
Genevieve Waite, John Phillip's wife at the time of the alleged events, denies he was capable of such a despicable act. "John was a good man who had the disease of alcoholism and drug
addiction. He was incapable, no matter how drunk or drugged he was, of
having such a relationship with his own child."
Michelle Phillips, who also was married to John Phillips, said that Mackenzie had called to tell her the news, then called back to say it was a joke. She told Showbiz411, "John was a bad parent, and a drug addict. But [expletive] his daughter?
If she thinks it's true, why isn't she with a good psychiatrist on a
couch? I think it's unconscionable that Oprah would let her do her
show. I have every reason to believe it's untrue. Oprah should be more
judicious about who she has on her show."
• • •
Actor Eric Dane and his wife Rebecca Gayheart are suing Gawker Media for the unauthorized release of a sex tape to the internet. The couple is seeking more than $1 million in damages. Gawker Media released the tape on their site Defamer last month. Gawker publisher says of the suit, "To quote the great Marty Singer -- Eric Dane's lawyer -- if you don't want a sex tape on the internet, 'don't make one!'"
• • •
Fans of Michael Jackson can expect a new single called "This Is It" to be released on October 12, and a new double-album to be released October 27th. The following day, Oct 28, the documentary film of the same title will be released nationwide. "This song only defines, once again, what the world already knows --
that Michael is one of God's greatest gifts," said John McClain,
co-producer of the album.
• • •
John Travolta took the stand yesterday in a Bahamian court for the extortion trial of a paramedic who came to the scene to treat Jett Travolta when found unresponsive. Travolta gave emotional testimony as he described the events of that morning, describing a hectic scene and life-saving efforts giving his son CPR and chest compressions. On the stand, Travolta did acknowledge that his son was autistic, and suffered from a seizure disorder that brought seizures upon Jett every 5 to 10 days.
• • •
Howard K. Stern, the hanger-on lawyer of Anna Nicole Smith, was charged
with five additional felonies
related to the 2007 death ofthe former Playboy playmate. The new
charges against Stern include four counts of obtaining fraudulent
prescriptions and one count of
prescribing, administering or dispensing controlled substances to an
addict.
• • •
The Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame released the nominees for the class of 2010 which includes LL Cool J, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, ABBA, Genesis (right), KISS, Donna Summer, the Stooges, the Hollies, the Chantels, Jimmy Cliff, Darlene Love and Laura Nyro. The list of 12 will be pared down to five by January, with the induction ceremony to be held in March.• • •
Samantha Burke, who briefly dated Jude Law, has given birth to a daughter who Law acknowledges is his. The girl, Sophia, was born Tuesday night and weighed 5-lb., 12-oz. Burke's rep says, "Samantha Burke is overwhelmed with joy at the arrival of her beautiful and healthy baby girl, Sophia. The baby and mom are doing wonderful."
• • •
Ellen Pompeo, of Grey's Anatomy on ABC, also has welcomed a baby girl to the world. Pompeo gave birth Sep. 15 to daughter Stella Luna Pompeo Ivery.
-- Dave Valenzuela
September 23, 2009 - 2:40 AM | Comment
Anna Nicole Smith has been dead since February of 2007, but issues related to her treatment by her psychiatrist, doctors and manager and attorney, Howard K. Stern, continue to surface in court documents. First, the psychiatrist, Dr. Khristine Eroshevich, was
photographed naked in various sexually suggestive positions with the former Playmate and actress. Court papers describe several photos, all of which indicate that the two women's relationship "crossed the boundaries of professionalism." Also, two nannies who worked for Anna Nicole told an investigator that they saw both Stern and Eroshevich
inject drugs into her. After the injections, the nannies said, Anna Nicole would act intoxicated, fall in the house and sleep for days at a time.
• • •
It's been a whirlwind courtship for Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom, but they still plan to make Sunday's wedding a "very detailed and classy affair." With less than a week to plan, the pair announced Tuesday that they will wed at the Los Angeles home of legendary music manager Irving Azaoof, a Kardashian family friend. All of Odom's co-workers -- those would be the L.A. Lakers-- will be invited, along with such stars as Ryan Seacrest, who is an executive producer on both of Khloe's E! television reality series, "Keeping up with the Kardashians" and "Kourtney& Khloe Take Miami." Kardashian and Odom met last month at a Los Angeles party.
• • •
Need a quick gift for the happy couple? They're registered at Williams-Sonoma, but only under her name. The wedding of "Khloe Kardashian and XX" is set for Jan. 1, 2010, according to the registry. They are asking for everything from a Wüsthof Classic 23-Piece Knife Block Set for a cool $1,199.95 (reduced from $1,510) to a black Williams-Sonoma potholder for just $9.
• • •
Not hearing wedding bells are once ultra-Catholic Mel Gibson and Oksana Grigorieva, the Russian pianist who will bear his eighth child in December. During a British TV interview, Grigorieva, 39, said, "We have no plans to marry whatsoever. I haven't thought about it – we haven't spoken about it." The child is her second -- she already has a 12-year-old son, Alexander, with actor Timothy Dalton-- so she says she's much calmer about her pregnancy. "I've been a mother for 12 years – and of course, there is no first time mother's trepidation as such," Grigorieva said. "So naturally it's more relaxed, and I'm very dynamic so the pregnancy falls into my work schedule."
• • •
She already has a high-flying life, but supermodel Gisele Bundchen is soaring to new heights by learning to fly a helicopter, reports People.com. The Brazilian supermodel, who is expecting her first baby in December with husband, Patriots quarterback Ton Brady, got interested in flying helicopters as part of her research into alternative fuels as part of her work as the new goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Environmental Program. the president of the company where Bundchen is taking her lessons calls her "gung ho about learning to fly" and "one of the best students we've ever had."
• • •
If there is one cloud in the Brady-Bundchen horizon, it might be the lawsuit filed by two photographers who say the star couple's security team assaulted and harassed them, and finally shot out the rear window of their SUV as they tried to escape after taking photos around the couple's wedding celebration in Costa Rica. The pair say they had proper authorizations but were grabbed anyway, and they want $1 million in compensation for the harrowing encounter.
• • •
Kevin Federline, who has packed on the pounds since he went from being ex-wife Britney Spears' backup dancer to being a stay-at-home dad, has signed up to participate in the next season of "Celebrity Fit Club." Also set to slim down on camera are Bobby Brown, Casey Stroh, and interestingly, Federline's other baby mama, Shar Jackson. And there's news from another "Celebrity Fit Club" graduate -- Chaz Bono, born the daughter of Cher and Sonny Bono, is writing a bookabout his transition from female to male, TMZ.com says. The book, tentatively titled "Coming Clean," is set to be published by Dutton in 2011 and netted Chaz "a handsome, six-figure deal," a publishing source said.
• • •
David Hasselhoff was alert and walking around a few days after he was taken by ambulance from his home Sunday after his 17-year-old daughter called for help. His people blamed his condition Sunday on a combination of medication and an ear infection.
-- Anne Neville
September 22, 2009 - 7:10 AM | Comment
John Travolta is
back in the Bahamas, where his son Jett
died, to testify in the trial of a paramedic accused of trying to extort $25 million from the actor. Paramedic Tarino Lightbourn responded to the scene and treated Jett Travolta when he was found unresponsive. Lightbourn allegedly threatened to come forward with details of the treatment the teen received if Travolta didn't pay. Travolta will be the first witness in the trial, which is scheduled to begin today.
• • •
Court records obtained by the L.A. Times show that a Los Angeles pharmacist refused to fill prescriptions for Anna Nicole Smith before her drug-related death, saying that her psychiatrist's list of drugs was 'pharmaceutical suicide.' Days after her son's death, Smith's psychiatrist faxed a prescription to the pharmacy which included "two sedatives, 300 tablets of methadone, a muscle relaxer, an
anti-inflammatory drug and four bottles of a painkiller nicknamed
'hospital heroin.' ”
• • •
Kate Gosselin, shy? At least at the taping of a pilot talk show for which she is being considered. Sources tell E! News that at the recording of the show this weekend, Gosselin was not as out-spoken as people expected, despite having some chemistry with her co-hosts. The show's panel, tentatively, consists of Gosselin; cooking maven Paula Deen; comedian Judy Gold; Rene Syler formerly of the CBS Early Show; and Lee Woodruff, wife of ABC newsman Bob Woodruff.
• • •
American Idol winner Kris Allen
debuted his first single yesterday on New York
radio station Z100. The single, called "Live Like We're Dying," is off Allen's forthcoming album and is his first single since his Idol winning single "No Boundaries." Allen's single is available on iTunes next Tuesday, and his album is set to be released on November 17.
• • •
Khloe Kardashian is headed down the aisle with boyfriend and NBA star Lamar Odom, according to her show's parent network E!. The two met over the summer and are planning to marry this Sunday. Friends have been notified by phone, with formal invitations to follow this week.
• • •
Singer Lucinda Williams was married onstage to boyfriend/manager Tom Overby at a Minneapolis club on Friday. The ceremony was a surprise to fans in attendance, but Williams said she wanted to share the happy occasion with fans, the way Hank Williams once did when her married his second wife onstage in New Orleans.
• • •
The Hoff is 'normal' according to his lawyer. After David Hasselhoff's emergency trip to a hospital for what people were calling acute intoxication, his lawyer says it was a negative reaction to prescription medication. Mel Goldsman tells E! that Hasselhoff 'was experiencing a side-effect from taking the antinausea drug Antivert
and Antabuse, which is used by recovering alcoholics to create acute
sensitivity to booze.' Goldsman says that Hasselhoff was released shortly after reaching the hospital.
-- Dave Valenzuela
September 21, 2009 - 11:44 AM | Comment
Actor and "America's Got Talent" judge David Hasselhoff, who has struggled with alcohol abuse in the past, was taken to a hospital by ambulance Sunday afternoon, TMZ is reporting, after his 17-year-old daughter Hayley found him extremely intoxicated. Hayley called her mother, Pamela Bach, and one of her mom's friends called 911. The actor was reportedly supposed to be released Sunday night. He was also hospitalized in May for severe intoxication, which was also reported by his daughter Hayley.
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John Travolta, who has seldom been seen in public since the death of his 16-year-old son, Jett, in the Bahamas in January, may have to testify in the extortion trial related to his son's death that begins today in Nassau. Paramedic Tarino Lightbourn and a former Bahamian senator, Pleasant Bridgewater, face charges of conspiring to extort $25 million from the star by allegedly demanding money to prevent them from making public a document that Travolta signed refusing transport for Jett to the hospital. TMZ.com reports that Travolta and his wife Kelly Preston were outraged by the extortion request.
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Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland was said to be "doing great" after he had a seizure on a plane flight from Los Angeles to Miami Friday. The American Airlines plane made an emergency landing at Dallas Fort Worth. Weiland, 41, who has a history of seizures, was hospitalized for a few hours as a precaution and then cleared attend the launch of his clothing line, "Weiland for English Laundry" in South Beach.
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Kristen Chenoweth, left,
cried from happiness and made a pitch for a new job as she accepted her Emmy Award Sunday night for best supporting actress in a comedy series for "Pushing Daisies." She said, "I'm unemployed now, and I'd like to be on 'Mad Men. also like 'The Office' and '24.'"
Other comedy winners included Alec Baldwin, Jon Cryer and Toni Collette, who upset comedy front-runner Tina Fey. Other shows that
won multiple awards include the TV movie "Grey Gardens" and miniseries "Little Dorrit." Outstanding drama series was "Mad Men," while "30 Rock" was named best comedy series and
Glenn Close was named best actress in a drama for her work in "Damages."
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Proudly showing off their pregnant figures on the Emmys red carpet were Kourtney Kardashian, who is almost seven months pregnant, and Heidi Klum, who is nine months along and said, "The great thing about being pregnant and going to these things is that I don't have to suck my stomach in!"
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A dress that stood out was the red crepe de chine Versace gown with an open front and a mile-high slit worn by "Gossip Girls" and "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" star Blake Lively, 22. InStyle weekly said Lively looked "all grown up" and the open front of the gown "made even Ryan Seacrest blush!"
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Sources tell People magazine Avril Lavigne moved to end her marriage to Deryck Whibley after realizing she had married too young at age 21. "Avril realized she needs her own life and needs to explore things without him," the source said.
-- Anne Neville
