June 28, 2007
How Paris tricked the paparazzi
Hilton said that in walking the red carpet hours before her date with the sheriff, "I was playing a trick on everyone".
"Outside my house, outside the Lynwood facility, there was paparazzi - I heard - from all around the world. So I thought if I went to the MTV Awards and snuck out during the show, I could get there unnoticed. And that's what we did. No one even saw me going in."
King asked her about her return to prison, after earlier being released on home detention. "So when you go back in, you're back in that cell again. How do you deal with the first night?"
"I was obviously very upset," responded the heiress. "And I was talking to myself, saying: 'Paris be strong, you can do this'."
King then asked her whether she thought the sentencing judge was "unkind".
"You know, my lawyers said that for this kind of infraction - it wasn't for DUI [driving under the influence], it was for a suspended licence ... I was just going to get community service. So when he sentenced me to that much time it was shocking. That doesn't happen, ever."
Hilton said that she had agreed to the interview because: "I just want to let people know what I went through.
"I've been through a lot and it was a pretty traumatic experience, something I have grown from."
The socialite said that the time since her release has been "pretty overwhelming".
"I've been confined for three and a half weeks in a little cell so it's overwhelming just to be out and be free again."
The day of her release was "one of the happiest days of my life", she said.
"It's hard to even describe. It was exciting even just being outside and looking up at the sky and the stars. And then it was just pandemonium.
"And as soon as I saw my mum I just ran to her and gave her a hug. So that was pretty exciting to me."
June 27, 2007
Marilyn Manson can't go solo
The burlesque dancer left Manson last December, just a year into their marriage, after he refused to change his wild partying ways.
Dita insists Manson - who is now dating 19-year-old actress Evan Rachel Wood - has to be in a relationship.
She told Britain's OK! magazine: "It's quite typical of him to get into another relationship so quickly. He is the kind of person who needs to be with someone all the time so it doesn't surprise me. I've moved on."
When Dita filed for divorce earlier this year she cited Manson's "inappropriate relationship" with another woman as one reason for the split.
It is widely believed that Dita was referring to Wood, but Manson vehemently denies embarking on a romance with the 'Running With Scissors' star until he and Dita were no longer together.
Unlike the goth rocker, Dita intends to remain single for the foreseeable future.
June 25, 2007
Britney Spears' True Colors
The troubled 'Toxic' singer is planning a special performance on Lauper's 'True Colors' tour next weekend.
Britney's choreographer Misha Gabriel has revealed she will join Lauper, Debbie Harry, Erasure, The Dresden Dolls and The MisShapes on stage at Los Angeles' Greek Theatre on June 30.
The 'True Colors' tour was created by Lauper to raise funds for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender organisations.
Britney was due at Hollywood's Millennium Dance Complex last Friday (22.06.07) to select two male backing dancers but failed to show up.
Click here to find out more!
The star sent two trusted female backing dancers to video the 21 hopefuls, allowing Britney to select them later this week.
The dancers were asked to perform to a track from Britney's new album.
Hopeful Sam Pete told People magazine: "It was dope. It reminded me of that one song you hear at 1.50 am, when they call last call at a club, and it's the hottest, nastiest song you've ever heard in your life and you've just got to put your drink down and dance to it. You've got no choice. Your body is insisting on it."
Britney, who had hoped to have her album out by the end of this year, has been left frustrated to discover the release date has now been pushed back to 2008.
Her representative Leslie Sloane Zelnick revealed: "I put her on hiatus. Brit's album won't be out until 2008."
June 23, 2007
Pamela Anderson Stirs Up Fur Fuss In Finland.
The former Baywatch star is in Scandinavia to host an upcoming music festival near Helsinki, Finland, and is making the most of her time there - calling for authorities to ban fur farms.
In her letter, Anderson, whose ancestors hailed from Finland, writes, "It's time for Finland to move into the 21st century."
Local fur companies have blasted her efforts to end the trade in the country, calling them "unrealistic".
A spokeswoman for the Finnish Fur Sales auction house claims such a ban would put more than 10,000 Finnish people out of work.
President Halonen's office has acknowledged receipt of the letter.
June 21, 2007
Victoria Beckham's 'cheap' jeans
Rock and Republic's UK distributor, Robert de Keyser of Dekeyser Fashions, has slammed her latest designs, claiming they're over-priced.
Keyser, who sold Victoria's Rock and Republic designs in Britain, said of her DVB jeans line: "The new Victoria Beckham range appears to be seriously over-priced for a line made, unlike other premium denims, in China out of a cheap fabric.
"Whatever Victoria learned from Rock and Republic appears to have been lost."
However, a source close to the mother-of-three refutes his claims, saying: "Early samples were made in China but the main range is made in Canada. They are a must-have designer item and the materials and methods used to make them reflect that."
Victoria, whose new jeans cost £125 a pair, ended her association with Rock and Republic last year under a cloud of controversy.
The company were said to be furious after she quit and wouldn't let her use the embroidered crown logo sewn on the pockets of the denim range.
Victoria, 33, refuses to be drawn into the row and said she respects Rock and Republic.
Her spokesman said: "Victoria had a happy working relationship with Rock and Republic and she's not going to start being negative about them now."
Kelly Clarkson Was Bulimic
For six months, Clarkson was bulimic, until a friend discovered her problem. "One of my guy friends caught on to it, and I just felt so ashamed and embarassed," she tells the mag. "I literally went cold turkey and snapped out of it."
Since her bout with bulimia in high school, Clarkson has worked hard to foster a positive body image, for herself and others. "I've got a butt, I'm Greek- I can't help that. And I think it's good for people to see normal."
Jessica Simpson Gets Skinny Again
"I'm going to be all ripped, lean and mean!"
And now, with a special diet of five meals a day, carb-cutting and working out six times a week, I've again used a movie as my motivation for losing weight, "Major Movie Star." But, I've been very careful not to exercise my breasts, cause, well, you know. Let's just say, John had a special nickname for them. He used to call them, "The reason I'm dating you."
June 20, 2007
Naomi Campbell's joke ad
The supermodel - who carried out five days community service cleaning New York streets as punishment for throwing her mobile phone at her maid - filmed the advert for Dunkin' Donuts.
A source told the New York Post newspaper: "In the script Naomi is gardening in an evening dress. Something goes wrong, she gets frustrated, and she flips out.
"She then takes her shoe off and throws it through a window. Next to her is a Martha Stewart type who is calm, cool and collected, thanks to her frozen Dunkin' Donuts drink."
It was recently alleged the 36-year-old has been joking that hitting her maid and mopping floors boosted her career.
Naomi allegedly believes her bad behaviour secured her the W magazine front cover for the first time in her career.
She was reportedly overheard telling a group of friends: "All I had to do was scrub some floors and hit my maid!"
June 19, 2007
Paris' Neighbors Anxious of Media Swarm
Anticipating a horde of media when the socialite is expected to be released next week, some Hollywood Hills residents are circulating a letter advising neighbors to call police and local representatives to complain of the noise and traffic that may overtake the sleepy neighborhood, a city councilman's spokeswoman said.
City Councilman Jack Weiss was coordinating with police and other city departments to "ensure safety and access" on the narrow, winding road leading to Hilton's home just north of the Sunset Strip, his spokeswoman Lisa Hanson said.
"We're working to address the disruption issue," she said.
Hilton began her 45-day jail sentence earlier this month after failing a sobriety test and violating her probation twice by driving on a suspended license.
When Sheriff Lee Baca abruptly released Hilton to home confinement after just three days behind bars, a throng of photographers and reporters huddled outside her home. Helicopters hovered overhead.
Weiss's office received more than 50 calls from residents, most of them complaining about the helicopter noise, traffic and overcrowding because the street doesn't have sidewalks and parking space, Hanson said.
Hilton, who was sent back to jail by a judge, is expected to be released Monday, when she will have served about 23 days of a 45-day sentence.
Britney Spears Not Happy With Bald Billboard
Lawyers for the 'Toxic' singer told WFLZ radio to take down adverts featuring three pictures of the 26-year-old singer bald and snarling.
The singer's legal team claim images of Britney can only be used for promotional purposes with her consent.
A letter was sent to station owners Clear Channel Communications from law firm Lavely and Singer dated June 14.
It read: "Clear Channel was already exposed to substantial liability for its offensive, unauthorised commercial exploitation of my client's photograph on the billboards.
"Once again, we demand the immediate removal of the billboards, confirmed by documentary evidence and verified under penalty of perjury."
The pictures were taken as she attacked a photographer's car with an umbrella, the night before she entered Malibu's Promises rehab facility.
The billboards featured three identical pictures of the singer next to the radio station's logo and a picture of talk show host Todd Schnitt.
Above each picture were the slogans "Total nut jobs", "Shock Therapy", and "Certifiable".
Schnitt revealed Clear Channel have now removed the billboards, adding, "I'm not happy with that".
Jennifer Hudson, New 007 Lead Academy Invitees
They were among 115 actors, filmmakers, studio executives and others invited into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the group that hands out the Oscars.
Others on the invitation list released by the academy Monday include actors Daniel Craig, Aaron Eckhart, Christopher Plummer, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Danny Huston.
Along with Hudson, the former “American Idol” finalist who won the supporting-actress Oscar for last year’s “Dreamgirls,” Oscar winners from 2006 invited to join the academy include screenwriters Michael Arndt (“Little Miss Sunshine”) and William Monahan (“The Departed”); makeup artists David Marti and Montse Ribe (“Pan’s Labyrinth”); and composer Gustavo Santaolalla (“Babel”).
Besides Murphy, nominated as supporting actor for “Dreamgirls,” nominees from last year asked to become academy members include actors Adriana Barraza (“Babel”), Ryan Gosling (“Half Nelson”) and Jackie Earle Haley (“Little Children”); directors Paul Greengrass (“United 93”) and James Longley (the documentary “Iraq in Fragments”); screenwriters Guillermo Arriaga (“Babel”); Patrick Marber (“Notes on a Scandal”) and Peter Morgan (“The Queen”); and costume designer Consolata Boyle (“The Queen”).
Academy rules would have allowed nearly 150 new members this year, but the group’s selecting committees endorsed fewer candidates than the maximum. The academy adopted policies four years ago to slow its growth, with the number of members eligible to vote on the Oscars holding steady at a bit below 6,000 since then.
“The numbers are stabilizing nicely,” said Bruce Davis, the academy’s executive director.
Among other notables invited into the academy were J.J. Abrams, creator of “Lost” and director of “Mission: Impossible III”; composer Carter Burwell, a frequent collaborator of the Coen brothers; directors Antoine Fuqua, Monte Hellman and D.J. Caruso; and producer Jonathan Glickman, son of Dan Glickman, who heads the Motion Picture Association of America.
June 18, 2007
Courtney Love Needs to Quit Altogether
The former Hole singer, who was advised to give up her 40-a-day habit after
doctors found pre-op nodules on her throat, admits she is struggling to
quit.
Courtney, 42, wrote on moonwashedrose.com: "I'm going thru (sic) hell trying
to cut back on smoking.
"I'm down to a pack a day from two, but it's a pain and each fight of the
urge is a little mini war.
"The doctor guessed exactly how much I smoke too and told me I'll have to
get surgery.
"I'm trying to get to half a pack a day and then quit when I get to 10. I
think of all I've been through and I can do this."
The former heroin addict has already showed impressive willpower this year
after Courtney Love lost over 50lbs, which she accredits to yoga and a macrobiotic
diet.
Courtney has slammed reports she has lost too much weight.
She said: "I noted - 'cos my kid bought it - I was on the cover of a
magazine and they said I was 115lbs!
"I couldn't walk if I was 115lbs. I'm a big girl with big shoulders and ribs
and health is really important to me. Hugely."
Courtney has a 14-year-old daughter Frances Bean with the late Nirvana
frontman Kurt Cobain.
Kelly Clarkson's New CD Hits Internet Early
I downloaded it quickly last Friday, and have been listening to it ever since — not necessarily because it's so good, but to evaluate its inherent oddness.
"My December," you see, as has been discussed now in this column and other places, is not what you'd expect from the winner of "American Idol."
That can be a good thing and a bad thing. We all applaud ambitious moves, and Clarkson certainly wants to spread her wings. Her famous quote now is that the songs are by her and about her. She says something to the effect of, "Pardon me if my life bores you."
Clarkson, however, is not a very experienced lyricist. So the pain she is trying to convey on "My December" is often not very effectively rendered. Unlike confessional songwriters like Carly Simon or even Alanis Morissette, Clarkson doesn't have a grasp of metaphor. She is more of an in-your-face songwriter. She also doesn't know when to stop beating a dead horse.
June 17, 2007
Sugababe Threatened With Sack Over Boyfriend
The singer has apparently “gone underground” over pressure from all sides to dump her boyfriend Freddie Fuller, who is currently awaiting trial for the alleged rape of her 20-year-old sister Samiya.
A source tells the Sunday Mirror, “The other two girls, the management and the label have threatened to axe her unless she dumps him.
"She's gone underground and has refused to answer their calls - but it will all climax this week.
"Amelle has got a serious decision to make."
However, a spokesperson for the Sugababes says, "As far as we're concerned, it's business as usual."
June 13, 2007
Actress Mala Powers has died at 76
Powers died Monday of complications from leukemia at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, according to actress Kim Barrett, who was Powers’ protegee.
She was born Mary Ellen Powers on Dec. 20, 1931, in San Francisco to journalist parents who moved to Hollywood after losing their jobs. She began training as an actress at an early age and at 11 played in a Bowery Boys movie, “Tough as They Come.”
At 19, Powers appeared opposite Ferrer in “Cyrano de Bergerac,” which won him an Oscar.
In 1950, she starred as a rape victim in “Outrage,” directed by Ida Lupino. The film created a minor sensation because rape had never been treated frankly on the screen due to the industry’s self-censorship.
Howard Hughes was impressed by Powers’ performances and placed her under contract at RKO. Among her films: “Edge of Doom,” “Rose of Cimarron,” “City Beneath the Sea,” “City That Never Sleeps,” “Bengazi” and “Storm Rider.”
Powers’ movie career dwindled in the late 1950s, but she remained active in radio, stage and television.
In her later years, Powers became a teacher of acting, and appeared at major universities across the country, Barrett said. In 2002, she made her final stage appearance in “Mr. Shaw Goes to Hollywood” at the Laguna Playhouse.
Powers is survived by Toren Vanton, a son from her first marriage. Her second husband was publisher M. Hughes Miller, who died in 1989.
June 10, 2007
Paris Hilton Ordered back to Jail
LOS ANGELES, June 8 -- A sobbing, shouting Paris Hilton was led from the courtroom Friday and ordered by a judge to return to jail to serve out the remainder of her 45-day sentence.
"It's not right," yelled Hilton, rising from her seat at the defendant's table.
"Mom! Mom! Mom!" she cried out to her mother, Kathy, who collapsed in tears in the front row of the courtroom.
Hilton, who was brought from her home to the court in handcuffs in a sheriff's car, entered the courtroom red-eyed and trembling, and she cried throughout the hour-long hearing, dabbing her face with tissues, biting her knuckles, and shaking her head. She sat slumped at the table throughout the proceeding, wearing a gray sweater, her blond hair pinned up.
Hilton was released from the county jail Thursday by Sheriff Lee Baca because of an undisclosed medical condition, and the sheriff said she would serve the duration of her term confined to her home in the hills above Sunset Strip, wearing an electronic ankle bracelet to monitor her movements. Late in the day, however, she was ordered back to court Friday so Superior Court Judge Michael T. Sauer could review the situation.
But the hearing was delayed after Hilton's efforts to participate over a telephone link were turned down by the judge and sheriff's deputies were dispatched to her home to bring her to court.
Sauer rejected the argument of Hilton's lawyer, Richard Hutton, who said the court did not have the power to overrule a county sheriff.
Assistant City Attorney Dan Jeffries said "no good cause" was shown by the sheriff for overruling the judge's earlier decision that Hilton serve her time in jail. Jeffries said Hilton's early release "erodes confidence in the judicial system."
Hutton offered to have a private hearing in the judge's chambers to discuss Hilton's condition, but Sauer declined. The judge said he had been promised a medical explanation for her release, but never received it.
Hilton was led off sobbing by sheriff's deputies, while her mother cried and nearly fell to her knees.
On Monday, she began serving her sentence for violating the terms of her probation by driving with a suspended license following a drunk-driving plea. Hilton had been kept in 23-hour-a-day isolation in a small cell at the women's jail, and the gossip columns have alternatively reported that she was crying and not eating, or was holding up and doing fine.
June 6, 2007
Angelina Gets Naked and Talks
Speaking to Marie Claire magazine Jolie revealed that partner gets her talking by getting her in the bathtub.
"I don't know how he does it, but… I talk a lot in the bath… Get naked with me and I'll talk," she tells.
The mother of four, who turned 32 this Monday June 4th, says it's a beautiful thing to see Brad interacting with their children.
Speaking of her oldest son Maddox, 6, Jolie told, "I didn't know if he was ever going to have a dad. So when I watch them having real strong father-son time, or even when Mad tells me, 'This is a boy thing, Mom' — it's just really beautiful to see. It's hot. There’s nothing sexier than a man who is a great father," she said.
Talking about her other son, 3 year-old Pax Thien, Jolie joked, "I'm still having trouble convincing Pax that underwear and pants go together - underwear is not pants!."
Their equally stubborn 2 year-old daughter Zahara also keeps them on their toes, "You do her hair; She take's it out. It's like everybody just starts to undress once you've gotten them dressed," Angelina said.
Speaking of their youngest 1 year-old Shiloh Jolie joked, " she's falling and trying to eat everything in the place."
Jolie explained to Parade Magazine how she and her partner juggle the 4 children, "Brad and I are very lucky that we’re in a situation where we can choose to take turns, and one of us can be home with the kids, and so we kind of have that plan of who is doing what. So I have been home, and now I am going to go to work for a little bit, then he is going to work, then I am going to work, then basically we’re going to try to take a year off and just be with the kids. So certainly, we’re trying to find a few projects that we love or that we think would be good to do for one reason or another. But mainly our focus is, 'OK, let’s look at our schedule, and try to figure out when we’re going to have our family time.'"
June 4, 2007
Paris Hilton checks into prison for US driving rap
She was ordered to serve time behind bars after being pulled over in February for driving with a suspended license while on probation for a previous drunk driving violation.
Celebrity website TMZ said Hilton began her evening with a red-carpet appearance at the glittering MTV Music Awards, after which she went to her parent's home.
From there, accompanied by her mother and sister and lawyer Richard Hutton, she rode in a black Cadillac SUV to the Men's Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles, where she officially turned herself in.
She was then taken to the Lynwood woman's jail to serve her sentence.
The roundabout route to Lynwood was meant to throw off paparazzi who had been camping out in front of the women's facility, creating a potential safety hazard, according to TMZ.
In a statement, Hilton said: "During the past few weeks, I have had a lot of time to think and have come to realize I made some mistakes."
"This is an important point in my life and I need to take responsibility for my actions. In the future, I plan on taking more of an active role in the decisions I make."
TMZ said that, in a departure from earlier plans, Hilton would be in solitary confinement 23 hours a day, without a cellmate for company.
She will also be allowed to use a shower and telephone, and to watch some television.
A high-school drop-out, Hilton was first noticed as a model represented by property tycoon Donald Trump's agency, then rapidly acquired a reputation as a party girl alongside sister Nicky Hilton.
But it was the 2003 release of an Internet home sex video featuring her and then boyfriend Rick Salomon which made her permanent tabloid material.
Hilton insisted she was mortified by the leak, but skeptics noted it appeared just before the premiere of her reality television show "The Simple Life."
Reports said Hilton eventually received a 400,000-dollar cut of the video's DVD and Internet profits.
But the heiress denied in an interview last year she received any payment from the lurid enterprise.
Hilton has also appeared in supporting roles in some Hollywood films such as "Nine Lives," "Raising Helen," "The Hillz," and "House of Wax."
Last year, she released a music album called "Paris," which peaked at number six on the Billboard 200 chart for a week and then dropped out of sight.
In her private life, she has been engaged to male model Jason Shaw and Greek shipping heir Paris Latsis, but both relationships ended in break-ups.
She also dated Stavros Niarchos, the scion of another Greek shipping family.
Nicole Richie Pregnant?
Whilst many tabloids, including the National Enquirer, have gone along with the pregnancy theory, others have claimed that her bulging midriff was simply the result of malnutrition.
Now, a source close to Nicole has confirmed the pregnancy to Celebrity Babylon, adding that it is ex-boyfriend Joel Madden’s baby.
"Nicole is pregnant," says their snitch, "and it's definitely Joel's baby."
Joel ended his relationship with Nicole last month, reportedly because she was 'too clingy.'
June 3, 2007
Paris Hilton Heads to Jail
She's apologized and dropped any ideas for an appeal. But that won't erase the inevitable culture shock she's about to experience.
The professional celebrity, who has walked plenty of red carpets, will stroll down a concrete walkway into a Los Angeles county jail. There, she will be stripped, searched, issued a jumpsuit and locked in a cell.
Dining will be a little different for the champagne convict.
"In the morning, she'll have cold cereal, hard-boiled egg, some juice perhaps and a fruit," said Steve Whitmore of the L.A. County Sherriff's Department. "At lunch time, a sandwich of some kind, chips and a juice drink."
Normal privileges for any prisoner include a daily shower, weekend visitors and pay phone access only. No cell phones or blackberries are allowed.
It is possible that Hilton will get a single cell for her safety, but Harvey Levin of the Web site TMZ says the jail has already picked Hilton's roommate.
"She is on a reckless driving violation, similar to Paris, and they believe she is a person who would not spill her guts to the tabloids and embarrass law enforcement," he said.
The jail has cordoned off the walkway for Hilton's arrival and restricted parking in anticipation of the crush of reporters and photographers.
Hilton has kept a low profile in recent weeks. She's even been seen going to lunch with her mother and walking with a Bible in hand.
With only a high school education, she's about to enter the school of hard knocks.
"She is not only a girl of privilege, she is a celebrity of privilege," said David Patrick Columbia, of NewYorkSocialDairy.com "So she's always pretty much gotten a free ride, and open door, and red carpet, for herself. This will end when she goes into that cell."
Jailers will be guarding Hilton against the possibility of attack in jail and assault by snapshot.
"I am telling you that if somebody snuck a camera in, got a picture of her in jail, wearing her jail garb, it would go for seven figures," Levin said.
June 2, 2007
Heidi Montag gets $1M offer from Playboy
Why would they pay a million dollars for a 20 something no-name “actress”, when they can pay one thousand dollars to the first 5 corn fed, midwestern girls that get off the bus with fake tits, a heart of gold and a dream in her heart and call it an issue? I’ll tell you why. They wouldn’t dummy. There’s no need. Besides we’ll be seeing plenty of her new boobies by Christmas when the sex tape comes rolling out.
I have to say though, I’m a sucker for a big rack (fake or not) so I think she’s pretty hot. I’m also a sucker for public radio fundraisers. Those NPR Morning Edition mugs are the shit.
June 1, 2007
Jessica Alba doesn't think she's sexy enough to be a sex symbol!
Alba tells Parade magazine that though men's mag FHM named her the Sexiest Woman in the World this year, she doesn't really see herself as a sex symbol.
In fact, Alba feels that on most days, she looks less than ordinary.
"I don't really pay attention to all that. It's only when people start to treat me like one that it really freaks me out. Most days I wake up and look in the mirror and go, 'ugh.' I don't really think I look all that great," Us Weekly quoted her, as telling the mag.
Another thing that the star wishes she could be is anonymous. Alba confessed that she only time she willingly appears in the papers, is when she's promoting a new film.
And this is why Jessica Alba feels that tabloids often make up stories about her.
"I never want to be in the papers except when I'm promoting a movie, but if they have to, they'll make up lies about me just to have something newsworthy to say. The more controversial the story is, the more buzz it can get, and the more it'll sell," she says.
"I prefer to be a little more anonymous, under the radar. I like to be able to slide in and out of situations unnoticed," she added.
Alba, who reprised her role as the Invisible Woman in the Fantastic Four series, will now be seen on the big screen when the new movie 'Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer' hits theatres.