Pop Stand

Don't expect to see Sting as a mentor on "American Idol" any time soon. Sting has a bone to pick with Simon Cowell and his shows "The X-Factor" and "American Idol."

The former Police frontman calls the shows "appalling," and says that they promote "bland, soulless music."

In an interview with The Evening Standard of London, Sting says that these variety of shows have set music back, and that contestants have little hope of making it.

"I am sorry but none of those kids are going to go anywhere, and I say that sadly," Sting said. "They are humiliated when they get sent off. How appalling for a young person to feel that rejection. It is a soap opera which has nothing to do with music. In fact, it has put music back decades. Television is very cynical."

Sting further said that the show promotes stereotypes and conformity, forcing kids to become clones of Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston or boy bands, while encouraging little uniqueness. From managing a contestant's sound to the way they dress, he calls it is all appalling.

"The real shop floor for musical talent is pubs and clubs, that is where the original work is. But they are being closed down on a daily basis. It is impossible to put an act on in a pub. It has become too expensive through excessive regulations. The music industry has been hugely important to England, bringing in millions. If anyone thinks the X Factor is going to do that, they are wrong."

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Chris Brown may have apologized for his assault on former girlfriend Rihanna, and even come to terms with being sentenced to community labor, but one thing he isn't ready for yet is dating. Brown tells MTV News that he's "just chillin' " right now when it comes to the ladies. "My whole dating thing, I've been kinda chillin'...  [G]irls are gonna be around. I love women. But I would say I've just been chillin'. I haven't really been trying to get into a relationship or trying to date anybody. I've just kinda been working on me. Like I said, just really getting me straight."

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In an unusual move, a bailiff working a Las Vegas court prevented reporters and photographers from leaving the courtroom where Dr. Conrad Murray was appearing, after proceedings were done. After the judge left the stand and Murray and his team left the court, an armed, uniformed marshal refused requests by the journalists covering the hearing to leave. The court marshal said he was following orders, and a spokesman for the Clarks County courts system speculated they were detained to keep a level of decorum and safety. A lawyer for the AP says that a government cannot prevent a journalist from pursuing a story. "Whoever ordered this improper and possibly unlawful detention has some explaining to do," AP associate general counsel Dave Tomlin said.

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Susan Boyle, who became a household name after her appearance on "Britain's Got Talent," gave an interview to The Mirror in the UK where she revealed that she was beaten daily by teachers and bullied by classmates. "You're looking at someone who would get the belt every day. 'Will you shut up, Susan!' - whack!" Boyle said. She said she was a little slow in picking things up in school, and that it was one of the worst times of her life. "There's nothing worse than another person having power over you by bullying you and you not knowing how to get rid of that thing."

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Brooke Shields spoke of her post partum depression at a ceremony in Manhattan where she received an award from the Hope for Depression Research Foundation. Shields recounted how, after a miscarriage and 7 failed in vitro fertilization attempts, she was unable to cope when she finally delivered a healthy child in 2003. "I finally had a healthy beautiful baby girl and I couldn't look at her. I couldn't hold her and I couldn't sing to her and I couldn't smile at her ... All I wanted to do was disappear and die," Shields said. Shields sought medical treatment for her post partum depression and credits it with saving her life. 

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The Los Angeles city council is trying to get $3.2 million in expenses back from AEG and the Jackson family for providing security for Michael Jackson's memorial service at the Staple Center, as well as providing security detail to the Jackson family in the days following the pop singer's death. A Los Angeles city council member told an L.A. television station that AEG "turned a profit" with the memorial service, and that "taxpayers are getting ripped off." The original estimate of costs were roughly $1.4 million, but the costs swelled.

-- Dave Valenzuela

Former Miss California USA Carrie Prejean made seven more sex tapes and 30 more nude photos that have surfaced, according to RadarOnline. Prejean has said she made just a single sex tape and sent it to one boyfriend. Vivid Entertainment, the world's largest porn film company, has a copy of the tape and would love to release it, says TMZ, but needs Prejean's approval to do so. "Good luck with that," TMZ says. In an interview with Christianity Today, Prejean answered the interviewer's question about the sex tape she made, rather than falling back on the scolding she gave a dumbfounded Larry King when he asked the same question. She said, "Everything that was discussed in mediation was confidential. There is a video out there of me. I was really young and immature. It was the worst mistake of my life. It was a really stupid, stupid decision that I made. But I take full responsibility for it. ... I think we all make mistakes and we all do things when we're young that sometimes backfire later in life. I give advice to younger girls in my book because I've learned a lot since I was 16 or 17 years old." The man she sent the video to says she was 20 when she made it, and he has been pressured to say she was several years younger.

In the same interview, Prejean says she is sure that her breast implants are OK with God. She says, "I don't think there's anything wrong with getting breast implants as a Christian. I think it's a personal decision. I don't see anywhere in the Bible where it says you shouldn't get breast implants."

Add Rosie O'Donnell and Kelli Carpenter to the list of celebrity couples who secretly split up two years ago. Rosie, who has recently confessed that the two have had problems, told a pet psychic on her Sirius Satellite radio show Friday that she got her long-haired chihuahua, Misty, "when Kelli moved out two years ago." She told pet psychic Sonya Fitzpatrick that she got Misty "because I wanted another child or something to love. And I got the dog." O'Donnell, who has four children with Carpenter, says the kids argue over who gets to take care of the dog.

Lindsay Lohan will probably take her business elsewhere besides the Crown Bar in Los Angeles, which insisted that the hard-partying starlet pay for the expensive champagne she and a friend grabbed off the shelves. An onlooker told People.comthat rehab veteran Lohan, 23, cause a scene she when asked to pay for her drinks. "Lindsay stormed into the kitchen and grabbed two bottles of really expensive champagne. She finished both bottles with a friend. When the bartender gave her a bill, she had a meltdown," says the source. "She was yelling at him and screaming profanities at everyone. The bar insisted she pay, so she had to call a friend with her credit-card information." The onlooker said that when she left the club at 2:30 a.m., "She was crying and wanted to go home. She kept saying 'I don't pay for drinks! This is ridiculous! I'm freaking out!' " Still unsolved is the mysterious disappearanceof some $400,000 worth of jewelry last seen on LiLo during an Elle photoshoot, or how Lindsay ended up with a stranger's one-of-a-kind mink coat that she was forced to return after the owner saw a photo of her wearing it back in 2007.

Two couples that have been in the spotlight lately appeared in public over the weekend, and the body language spoke volumes. Fergie and Josh Duhamel have been rocked by a stripper's allegation that she had a one-night-stad with the actor while he was filming in Atlanta, but the newlyweds were conspicuously cuddly during a weekend date. On the other hand, Brad and Angelina, who have been the subject of unending split rumors, looked positively stand-offishas they attended the 30th anniversary of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.

Shayne Lamas, star of the reality show "Leave it to Lamas," was arrested on suspicion of DUI just after 1 a.m. Saturday in Venice, Calif., E! News is reporting. Lamas said in a statement that she went through th checkpoint "after consuming one drink," because she had "complete confidence of passing." But, oops! "However, the breathalyzer indicated that I was over the legal limit of blood alcohol content and was arrested," she said. "I take full responsibility for my lack of judgment. I have always strived to be a role model for my friends, family and fans and have never nor will ever condone drinking and driving. I apologize for all those I have disappointed, including myself." Lamas 24, is due in court Dec. 9 to face the misdemeanor charge. The daughter of  Lorenzo Lamas and Michele Cathy Smith was briefly engaged to Matt Grant after being chosen during the 12th season of ABC's "The Bachelor."

Police in Stuttgart searched a house possibly connected to Edis Kayalar, the German male modelwho attempted to extort money from Cindy Crawford after getting his hands on some suggestive photos of Crawford's 7-year-old daughter. Police refused to confirm whether the items they removed from the house were owned by Kayalar. The photo, reportedly taken by a nanny without the knowledge of Crawford or her husband, Rande Gerber, shows the girl wearing abbreviated clothing and bound to a chair and gagged during a game of cops and robbers.

Is an Oscar still an Oscar if you don't get it on camera? Yes, say Lauren Bacall, B-movie maven Roger Corman and Godfather cinematographer Gordon Willis, who all collected statuettes Saturday night at a black-tie banquet. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Governors Awardsare generally given in March. Producer John Calley, who made, among other films, "The DaVinci Code" and "Catch-22," received the Irving J. Thalberg Memorial Award.

-- Anne Neville 

While Louis Armstrong sings "What a Wonderful World," Raymond Crowe, who bills himself as "Australia's only Unusualist," makes an incredible array of creatures and images using just his hands and a light.

And here's the opposite of a one-man show -- a song called "I Love Lunch!" performed in a food court in New York amid bemused diners, with a cameo by Ann Curry. It's done by Improv Everywhere:

Have a great weekend!

-- Anne Neville

De-sashed beauty queen Carrie Prejean pulled out of a talk she was supposed to give Thursday afternoon at the Republican Capitol Hill Club in Washington D.C. An insider at the Capitol Hill Club told TMZ Carrie canceled five minutes before she was supposed to speak, possibly because of her erratic behavior on Larry King's show the night before. On King's show, she threatened to walk out after of the interview after King asked what she repeatedly called an "inappropriate" question about why she settled her lawsuit against Miss California USA pageant officials. But Prejean couldn't bring herself to leave CNN studio where she was being interviewed, although she did remove the microphone she was wearing and talk with someone off-camera. On the show to promote her book, Prejean eventually put the mic back on.

Meanwhile, the ex-boyfriend who made Prejean's raunchy solo sex video public says she sent him many such videotapes and she pressured him to say she was just 17 when she made the video. The man, who spoke with TMZ on condition of anonymity, said the pair were involved with each other in 2007, when she was 20,  Also weighing in on the Prejean issue is Keith Lewis, president of the Miss California USA pageant, who issued a statement to TMZ saying, "The public is finally getting a glimpse of the real Carrie Prejean who lives in her own delusional world. The childish behavior, her negative attitude, the sarcasm and condescending tone, the disrespect and continual lying she is demonstrating now is only a fraction of what we endured. ... I sincerely hope she is able to get the psychological help I believe she has shown to clearly need."

Balloon Boy parents Rchard and Mayumi Heene are expected to plead guilty this morning to charges they knowingly lied to authorities Oct. 15 when they said their 6-year-old son had crawled into an experimental balloon and been carried away when it took off. David Lane, Richard Heene's attorney, said Richard turned himself in to the Larimer County Detention Center where he was booked, had his mug shot taken, left and released on $5,000 bond. Today, Mayumi Heene will plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of false reporting to authorities and Richard will plead guilty to a felony charge of attempting to influence a public servant. Lane said in his statement that Richard will "fall on his sword," and take a felony plea to prevent his wife, a Japanese citizen, from possible deportation. Richard Heene could face a sentence of up to 90 days in jail, and Mayumi up to 60 days. Sentencing will be some time next month.

Cindy Crawford and husband Rande Gerber were targeted by an acquaintance of a former nanny who threatened to release an inappropriate photo of their 7-year-old daughter unless they paid him off, according to papers filed in federal court. Police say Edis Kayalar called Crawford and Gerber to claim he stole the photo, taken by the nanny without the parents' knowledge, which showed the couple's daughter bound to a chair while wearing "revealing" clothing during a game of cops and robbers. After Kayalar was deported to his native Germany, he called again demanding money.

Sarah Palin tells Oprah that Levi Johnston, the estranged father of her grandson, would be welcome at the Palin family Thanksgiving table."It's lovely to think that he would ever even consider such a thing," Palin said of Johnston, who has openly criticized her as an uncaring mother and who Palin had attacked for "mean-spirited, malicious and untrue attacks on our family." But she told Oprah, "He is a part of the family and you want to bring him in the fold and kind of under your wing. ... I think he needs to know that he is loved and he has the most beautiful child and this can all work out for good." Palin also told Oprah that she's tired of the conflict with Johnston. "We don't have to keep going down this road of controversy and drama all the time," she says. "We're not really into the drama. We don't really like that. We're more productive. We have other things to concentrate on."

Mike Tyson's publicist says he was just defending his wife and 10-month-old child when he struck a photographer who was trying to take their photo at LAX on Wednesday. "Mike acted in self-defense as a father protecting his child," said Tammy Brook. But photographer Tony Echevarria, 50, told TMZ that he "wasn't aggressive, I was shooting from a distance, and I was respectful." LAX police Sgt. Jim Holcomb says Tyson allegedly hit the photographer once in the face with one hand, causing a laceration on the forehead, but Echevarria said Tyson struck him at least four times and he received five stitches. The two made citizen's arrests on each other, were booked on misdemeanor battery and released without bail.

Even though both Josh Duhamel and his new bride, Fergie, have dismissed her story of a one-night-stand with the star, the stripper who has made the allegation has kept the story alive by telling Fergie, "I'm sorry." In an interview, exotic dancer Nicole Forrester says, "I thought, 'Nobody's gonna find out. It's not gonna hurt anybody.' I'm sorry that I didn't think of it like I think of it now." Forrester claims that she has passed a lie-detector test about whether she had a sexual encounter with the actor, whom she met when he came into the Atanta strip club where she works. Wait, make that worked. Forrester also says she has given up stripping. "I don't want to because of my children," she says. "They asked that I never do it again."

Stephanie Pratt, the younger sister of Spencer Pratt, told People that being pulled over for drunk driving last month was "the worst thing to happen to me and, at the same time, it was the biggest blessing." The 23-year-old says, “I learned to not fall apart, which is something that I usually do when something goes bad in my life. I learned that it is all about temptation and that I am being tested.”

-- Anne Neville

Taylor Swift swept the Country Music Association Awards last night, winning Entertainer of the Year, Top Female Vocalist, Album of the Year and Video of the Year. She ended Kenny Chesney's streak as Entertainer of the Year (4 out of 5 years), and snapped American Idol winner Carrier Underwood's three year reign as Top Female Vocalist. After being awarded the trophy for Entertainer of the Year, Swift said through tears, "I'll never forget this moment because in this moment everything that I have ever wanted has just happened to me."

Kanye West was nowhere to be found, thankfully, but he was there in humor. At one point, hosts Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley were bantering back and forth when Underwood told Paisley that she thought his video for "Welcome to the Future" was one of her favorite videos "in a long time." Before Paisley could speak, novelty songman Little Jimmy Dickens came on stage and said, "Excuse me, sir. I'll let you finish later. I know you had a nice video and all, but Taylor Swift made the best video of all time. Of all time! You go, girl!"

Also, former Hootie & The Blowfish frontman Darius Rucker won Best New Male Artist, becoming only the second African-American performer to win a major individual award.

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Mike Tyson was arrested at LAX airport on Wednesday after punching a photographer. According to police, the photographer approached Tyson, his wife and 10-month-old baby, and began taking picture. A scuffle broke out, with the photographer sustaining a cut on his forehead; and he was taken to a L.A. hospital for treatment. Tyson, on the other hand, was taken to a nearby LAPD station and was held on $20,000 bail.

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Actor Ron Livingston, best known for his role as Peter in cult-favorite "Office Space," was married last week, according to People. Livingston and girlfriend Rosemarie DeWitt married in San Francisco on Nov 2, after more than three years of dating. 

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Lil Kim has bailed on six concerts in London, over a nosebleed, according to the company that booked her for the gigs. Abstrakt Visions Entertainment paid $20,000 up front for the series of concert, and says that the singer canceled the shows after suffering a nosebleed the night before her first show. Lil Kim got on a plane and went back to the U.S. without telling the company, which tells TMZ that they intend to sue.

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Jon Gosselin is trying to void his contract with the TLC network, saying that when the first contract was signed, he had no lawyer or manager representing his interests; and that he was merely an "unsophisticated father of eight" who was taken advantage of by the network. He says that the deal was so bad that the family only made $2000 an episode, and that the network violates child labor laws. 

Meanwhile, TMZ says that their sources say that TLC is keeping tabs on all of Jon's appearances. The network is said to be tallying Jon's income from each appearance, especially since they say that Jon is violating his contract, which prohibits him from doing "any media including any online or print...without the Company's or Producer's prior written consent."

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Joe Jackson continues to fight for a share of his late son's estate. Joe Jackson is now claiming that because Michael promised to "always support" him, that means even in Michael's death he should be supported financially. Always means always. Joe Jackson's lawyer Brian Oxman is calling it a verbal contract and is considering filing a creditor's claim against the estate.

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Speidi is returning to the "Today" show, where they will once again be interviewed by Al Roker. Spencer Pratt, and his wife Heidi, appeared on "Today" in June fresh off their controversial appearance on "I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here!" During that appearance, Roker questioned their celebrity and morals. Later, the couple mocked Roker's credentials in other interviews. The pair are returning to promote a book they've co-authored called, "How to Be Famous: Our Guide to Looking the Part, Playing the Press, and Becoming a Tabloid Fixture."

-- Dave Valenzuela

After days of coy non-denials that Carrie Prejean dropped her lawsuit against the Miss California USA pageant after pageant officials got their hands on a solo sex tape she made at age 17 for a boyfriend, the controversial pageant contestant has hit the talk shows to plug her book, "Still Standing: The Untold Story of My Fight Against Gossip, Hate, and Political Attacks" --  and to explain the tape. On "Today," the dethroned beauty queen said the tape surfaced because people are working to "embarrass" and "humiliate" her because she said she does not believe in same-sex marriage in response to a question from celebrity blogger Perez Hilton during the Miss USA pageant. On "Hannity," Prejean called making the tape for a boyfriend she "loved and cared about," "the biggest mistake of my life." In a tense interview on "The View," Prejean again said she was attacked -- and the sex tape was produced -- because she did not support gay marriage. Joy Behar replied, "Miss Prejean, you made the tape.. and yet you say that you're a victim. I don't totally buy it."

Michael Lohan continues his campaign to embarrass his daughter Lindsay and her mother Dina by releasing taped phone conversations, including one in which Dina says LiLo was involved with Heath Ledger when he died. Dina told Michael about the relationship because she was afraid for Lindsay, saying, "Because when she's drunk or takes an Adderral with it she will do something like Heath Ledger did in a second without thinking." Dina says Lindsay's volatile relationship with Samantha Ronson would have ended long ago if Lindsay were rational. Now Dina tells E! News, "The tapes were from a long time ago, and for a father to stoop this low is unforgivable. My ex-husband has been in and out of jail for 10 years. My children and I gave him a chance to get to know them again, and he clearly blew that chance!"

Britney Spears has finally made a statement about the lip-synching controversy that accompanied her first-ever concerts in Australia. "I hear there is a lot of controversy in the media about my show," the singer said in a statement. "Some reporters have said they love it and some don't. I came to Australia for my fans!" An Australian government official said last week that fans, some of whom paid up to $1,200 for tickets to the "Circus" tour show, should be aware that large parts of the performances were taped in advance. The Musicians Union of Australia agreed. "It's not right that people are going to the concert when they are being misled," said Terry Noone, the union's federal secretary. "That's the issue. It's not about music, it's about false advertising.” Reports that some fans walked out of her first concert were called "the biggest lie I've ever heard" by the tour promoter. Paul Dainty also said he lip-synching is no secret: "It's been all over the internet for nine months," Dainty said. 'The inference is that we tried to hide this. It's been the opposite. This show is about an incredible spectacle, which it is," he said.

The split between Michael Jackson's parents was exposed in court Tuesday, when Katherine Jackson's attorney, Adam Streisand, said in court that she had no objection to the two executors that her ex, Joe Jackson, wants booted. Streisand argued that because Michael left Joe nothing in the will, he has no standing to object. Joe's attorney, Brian Oxman, says that if Joe doesn't get an allowance from the estate, he'll file a creditor's claim. Katherine's attorney says she has no problem with Joe getting an allowance, but he has no standing in court. At the end of the day, the judge agreed with Katherine that Joe has no right to object.

The man accused of trying to extort $2 million from David Letterman says Letterman continued his affair with his former personal assistant months after he married his longtime girlfriend in March. Gerald Shargel, Robert Halderman's attorney, says Stephanie Birkitt promised to end the affair when Halderman confronted her in December 2008. But Halderman's lawyer claims the relationship continued "unabated" into the summer. Letterman's lawyer refused to say when the talk show host broke off his affair with Birkitt. In court, Shargel asked that the charges be dismissed and said the demand for $2 million was "a pure commercial transaction" over a screenplay.

Shaquille O'Neal's seven-year marriage is on the rocks again. Wife Va'shaundya has filed for a legal separation from the basketball star, citing irreconcilable differences. Shaunie is seeking child support and full custody of their four children, ages 3 to 9. Last time the two split, in 2007, Shaq filed for divorce, sparking a bitter court battle over whether he was concealing family money from her. The two later reconciled. Shaq's people say this move by Shaunie is all about money, and note that she pulled the kids out of school and let their Florida home to file in Los Angeles, where spousal support is reportedly more generous.

-- Anne Neville

The lawyer for alleged David Letterman extortionist Robert "Joe" Halderman will be in a Manhattan court to request that the charges be dropped. Lawyer Gerald Sargel will argue that the evidence shown to the grand jury was insufficient to justify the first degree attempted grand larceny charge. This will be the first court appearance for Halderman since being released on $200,000 bail.

Meanwhile, colleagues of Halderman are trying to raise money to help pay his mounting legal bills. Sources at CBS tell TMZ that friends of Halderman have raised about $50,000 so far in donations from friends and co-workers of the accused extortionist.

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One of the great TV villains, Omarosa from "The Apprentice," is reuniting with Donald Trump for a new reality TV dating show. "Omarosa's Ultimate Merger" will be produced by Juma Entertainment and Donald Trump's production company for TV One, a Comcast Cable company geared at African-American viewership. Omarosa will have to choose from 12 possible suitors who will compete in relationship and business tasks. "We do not want to bill her or portray her as a villain," said Juma exec Robert Horowitz. "That's not what this is. You will like Omarosa; you may not want her for your son or brother, but you will easily see where she has a lot of positives in her life. She's a smart woman, and she knows what she needs to do."

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Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry says that the band will pursue a new singer, after a growing rift among bandmates led frontman Steven Tyler to leave the band. Perry said on his Twitter page, "Aerosmith is definetly NOT breaking up. One of the members is doing his own thing and said so in the press. That's all I know. ... Inthe meantime aerosmith is positivly looking for a new singer to work with. You just can't take 40 years of expiriance and throw it in the bin!" Tyler has hired his own manager, and says he plans to work on solo material, a threat he has reportedly made over the years, but is finally making good on.

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Actor James Woods is taking to a trial a case against a Rhode Island hospital that he says was negligent in treating his brother, and caused his brother's death in 2006 from heart failure. Woods says his brother, Michael, died after going into cardiac arrest in a hallway when no room could be found for him after having x-rays. Woods says the hospital should have noticed his brother's EKG was abnormal and anticipated the possibility that his brother's condition would get worse.

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Joe Jackson is lobbing charges of fraud against the administrators of Michael Jackson's will. Joe Jackson's lawyer filed a 60-page motion in court yesterday claims that Michael believed that John Branca and John McLain were defrauding him when he was alive, and therefore are in a conflict of interest as the executor of the singer's estate in death. An attorney for Branca says, "These claims filed by Joe Jackson are so outrageous that they don't deserve any response."

• • •

NBA legend and sometimes actor (Airplane!) Kareem Abdul Jabbar has been diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia. "Having lost one of my closest friends to a different, highly aggressive form of leukemia, I knew how serious my diagnosis was. My own life expectancy became a question mark," Abdul Jabbar has said of his diagnosis. Abdul Jabbar said he has come forward because doctor's told him that many patients fail to take their medication or keep appointments with their doctors.He wants to be a role model patient for those given the same diagnosis.

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Comedian Katt Williams was arrested on Sunday night for stealing more than $3,500 in cash and rare coins. Williams was staying at a Newman, Ga. estate when he allegedly broke into the guesthouse of an employee of the estate and stole the collectible coins and cash. The comic told reporters after being released on bail that it all is a "a misunderstanding between me and two stupid detectives."

• • •

Justin Timberlake was granted a permanent (3-year) restraining order again a female stalker who was arrested at the singer's home on October 22nd. Karen McNeil was picked up after she arrived at Timberlake's home with a cab full of her personal belongings. Timberlake filed a signed declaration in court where he called McNeil an "obsessed and mentally unstable stalker" that he "does not personally know or have any relationship with." With that, the judge granted the restraining order. 

-- Dave Valenzuela

Britney Spears was said to be "holed up" in her Perth hotel after her first-ever concert in Australia turned into a debacle over lip-synching. It all started last week when a government minister said that concertgoers should have been officially told that Spears lip-synchs portions of her concerts. Virginia Judge, the Minister for Fair Trading, said, "It is Britney's 'prerogative' to lip-sync, and it is my job to make sure consumers know what they are paying for up front." Tickets to the five shows in her first visit to Australia were reportedly going for as much as $1,300 each. But even fans who paid only $200 for the tickets said they walked out after just three songs during her first concert Friday, upset by what they considered a lackluster performance. But tour promoter Paul Dainty says nobody stormed out. "It's the biggest lie I've ever heard," Dainty told The Australian. "I'm so angry. We can take heat if there's something wrong and people can review shows badly -- that's something you have to live with -- but to say people stormed out of the show was an absolute fabrication." Britney, who was photographed looking grim, above, is scheduled to do four more shows in the country.

After rocking out in front of 50,000 fans at Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, lead singer Steven Tyler seemed to call it quits, saying he was going to pursue solo projects, said guitarist Joe Perry. And Brad Whitford seemed to take the departure seriously -- he discussed the possibility of Aerosmith finding a new frontman. Bassist Tom Hamilton told the Boston Herald’s Inside Track that there is dissension in the band, but he hopes it can be worked out. About Whitford's comment, Hamilton said, "They must have gotten Brad before his coffee or something."  But Perry told the Las Vegas Sun today that he believes Tyler is done. “Steven quit as far as I can tell,” Perry said. “I don’t know anymore than you do about it. ... I saw online that Steven said that he was going to leave the band. I don’t know for how long, indefinitely or whatever. Other than that, I don’t know.”

Susan Boyle is "excited and happy" as she arrived in Los Angeles over the weekend to prepare to sing on "Dancing with the Stars" this week, says her brother, John Boyle. The Scottish singer, 48, "loves America and loves the people. She appreciates their honesty," he tells People. Boyle, who has appeared on "America's Got Talent," will no doubt sing some selections from her CD, "I Dreamed a Dream," which comes out Nov. 24

That sound you hear is the hearts of millions of teens and tween girls shattering. Robert Pattinson, who plays the hottest and most caring vampire ever in the "Twilight" films, says he's not really a romantic guy. "I can't think of a single romantic thing that I've ever done," Pattinson said while promoting the latest installment of the vampire series, "New Moon." Serenading someone is out, he says. But wait! "I put a flower in someone's locker when I was 15 years old, this girl called Maria," he says. "She thought that it was someone else and the other guy claimed it as well, which is great."

The mostly teen burglary gang that looted the Hollywood homes of stars didn't have much trouble getting into many of them, according to a search warrant released in the case. People.com reports that the document says that the teen burglars found doors unlocked at many homes where they took more than $3 million jewelry, watches, clothing, purses, perfumes and cosmetics from the homes of Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Megan Fox, Audrina Patridge, Orlando Bloom and others. They used Internet searches to find out where the celebs lived and when they would be away, the papers say. The search warrant shows that suspect Nicholas Prugo, 18, confessed to the crimes and implicated others. Prugo reportedly called Rachel Lee, 19, the "driving force" behind the crime spree because she wanted to "own the designer wardrobes of the Hollywood celebrities she admired."

Eddie Cibrian, who left his wife Brandi Glanville for singer LeAnn Rimes, was reported by Life&Style to be hooking up with old girlfriend, aspiring actress Scheana Marie Jancan. The magazine reports that Cibrian had been carrying on a three-year romance with Jancan, and has recently started seeing her again. An insider told the magazine that Cibrian "told her he's only with LeAnn for the publicity and that he plans to end things with her soon." But after Rimes' concert Friday night in Las Vegas, Cibrian and Rimes hit a high-profile nightclub for 20 minutes of public canoodling. "They were making out at the table [in the VIP section of XS nightclub} and didn't really care who saw them," a source told People. Rimes took a turn at one of the club's stripper poles before leaving, the source said.

-- Anne Neville

TLC plans to collect statements from Jon Gosselin's girlfriend Hailey Glassman and his friend Michael Lohan in the network's breach-of-contract lawsuit filed against Gosselin. A Maryland court has granted motions filed by the network's lawyers to depose Glassman, Lindsay Lohan's dad Michael, who once publicly discussed doing a divorced dads TV show with Gosselin. Statements are also being sought from Gosselin's lawyer Mark Heller, manager Michael Heller, bodyguard Thomas Meinelt and talent rep Matthew Kirschner. Last month, TLC sued Gosseli  for breach of contract, accusing the "Jon & Kate Plus 8" star of making television appearances without TLC's permission, in violation of their exclusive contract.

But will Hailey and Jon still be speaking come deposition time? Let's talk turkey (day) first. Kate will be cooking a family meal for the kids on Thanksgiving and Jon Gosselin's announcement during an "Entertainment Tonight" interview with Hailey that he has her family "on my schedule" drew the ire of both Hailey and Mary Hart. Their simultaneous pounce on him had Jon backtracking seriously. "On your schedule? What do you mean, 'On my schedule?' " Glassman says in a spot-on impersonation of an exasperated Kate. "Uh, let's see, should I go to Hailey's or should I sit in my apartment all alone?" "Sorry, I used the wrong term," Jon responds in the hangdog tone we've seen so often. "I plan on going – I made a promise to her family I would go to her house." "Made a promise? You're not doing my family any favors!" Hailey snapped. "My family and I would never let him eat Thanksgiving dinner alone in an apartment." Let's see if they are still hosting him on Christmas.

A day after Michael Lohan released to RadarOnline an audio tape of his daughter Lindsay Lohan sobbing and speaking nearly incoherently about her lack of support, she again took to her Twitter account to reply. "Its so sad that I even have to share this w/everyone, but I haven't had a real relationship w/Michael Sr. in years. That is the truth. Xox," she tweeted. "I just hope I can show others how to be strong through times & to be able to stand up for yourself and loved ones no matter what!"

Rihanna admitted to Diane Sawyer on "Good Morning America" that she did reconcile briefly with Chris Brown after he beat her in February, but decided to stop seeing him when she realized the message it would send to her young fans. The singer said she would feel responsible for "some young girl getting killed" if a fan followed in her footsteps for "my selfish decision for love." "Even if Chris never hit me again, who's to say that their boyfriend won't?" she asked. To anyone suffering domestic violence, she said, "Don't react off of love."

Oprah, who famously devoted a show to domestic violence after Brown was arrested for beating Rihanna and said she would never have Brown on the show, now says she won't have BeBe Winans back until his domestic violence charges are resolved. The gospel singer faces domestic assault charges for pushing his ex-wife Debra to the ground during a custody argument in February, a few days after Brown battered Rihanna. After BeBe appeared on Oprah's show Friday, Debra told TMZ she was "hurt" by the double standard. A rep from the show tells TMZ, "BeBe will not be appearing on the 'Oprah' show until his legal matters are resolved in court."

Free-verse master thespian William Shatner was such a hit when he read Sarah Palin's farewell speech as beat poetry with a cool jazz background on the Tonight Show that he seemed the natural choice to read the Twitter postings of her embattled grandson's father, Levi Johnston. Before Shatner read the tweets Conan declared, “All real, we did not make these up.”  They included such gems as, "Anybody know where I can get some good weed?" and "I feel like I'm in a rap video every time I come here." But Levi Johnston's representative says the page is a fake, and demands that Twitter take it down. The spokesman says Johnston does not have a Twitter page. Johnston's attorney says if the show didn't issue a disclaimer, he would sue. So last night Conan apologized, tongue in cheek, to Johnston, whom he called "one of Alaska's great young poets." Then Shatner came out again and read some more lines from Johnston, including, "The first thing Sarah [Palin] said to me at the hotel was, 'You've got to get a haircut.' I told her I didn't want to. I had a mullet at the time." Shatner ended with a line from Johnston, who will pose nude in a coming issue of Playgirl, "I just get naked -- that's what I do."

Morgan Freeman has settled the lawsuit filed by a woman who was injured when the car he was driving flipped and crashed in August 2008 as they were leaving a party. Demaris Meyer had said that Freeman was drinking before he got behind the wheel, then lost control of the vehicle and crashed it on a Mississippi highway. Both were injured. The terms of the settlement were not released, and Freeman's rep said, "We're all glad it's over with."

Demi Lovato has used her official Twitter page to deny that she is dating Joe Jonas, left, whom she calls "one of my best friends." "I can promise my entire career that I am not," posted the 17-year-old actress and singer-songwriter. "It's unfortunate that some people out there are so desperate for attention that they have to make up gossip to keep their site alive."

-- Anne Neville

Matthew McConaughey turned 40 on Tuesday and calls himself "a late bloomer" because it took so long for him to find happiness. "The 30's were good to me and I'm really looking forward to my 40's, 'cause I'm a late bloomer," he wrote on his MySpace page. "Got everything I need for a perfect 40th ... a happy and healthy lady, son, and another baby on the way." McConaughey celebrated 40 with a big party that featured country music star Jamey Johnson.

"My family, closest friends and I celebrated last night with a surprise performance by one of my favorite artists Jamey Johnson. There were some epic stories told, lot of laughs and definitely some roasting.  Somehow! No blood or glass broken, and that's cus the gig was so organized by lady and we went 'til 4:30am"

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The man accused of stalking Ryan Seacrest told police that "it was meant to be." Chidi Uzomah, a former Army infantryman, was arrested October 30th at the building where Seacrest does his radio show. With bail set at $150,000 has pleaded not guilty. But a police source tells TMZ that Uzomah told them, "I felt like I was meant to see someone." Police also believe that Uzomah is beginning to show signs of early schizophrenia, which may explain his behavior.