01.29.09

SHOW PREP JANUARY 29, 2009

 

HOLLYWOOD 411 . . .

 

How I Met Your Mother star Cobie Smulders is clearly ringing in the New Year in style: with a baby due this spring and some new hardware adorning her left hand.  Asked by PEOPLE if it is, in fact, an engagement ring, the actress, 26, flashed a smile as dazzling as her new sparkler and said, “Yes, it is.” Smulders, who plays the single Robin Scherbatsky on the hit CBS sitcom, says that her boyfriend, actor Taran Killam, popped the question over the holidays. Regarding wedding plans, “We’re focused on the baby right now,” Smulders said while attending the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences evening with HIMYM, “and when we actually have a second, then we’ll start thinking about that.” As for how Killam proposed, “That’s personal,” Smulders insisted, “but it was very romantic, I’ll tell you that much.” (People)

 

A quirky Austrian businessman says he’s taking “Desperate Housewives” star Nicollette Sheridan to Vienna’s flashy Opera Ball next month. Richard Lugner is a 76-year-old real estate and construction mogul who loves the limelight. Each year, he invites a different female celebrity to accompany him to the annual bash in the State Opera, which attracts both socialites and dignitaries. Sheridan, who was born in Britain, plays Edie Britt on the popular series set in suburban America. Lugner’s past guests include Dita Von Teese, Paris Hilton and Carmen Electra. This year’s Opera Ball will take place Feb. 19. Lugner announced his choice Wednesday amid much media attention. (Daily Record)

 

Jennifer Aniston might turn 40 alone on Feb. 11. Sources told Us that the actress has once again split with John Mayer, 31, because he “needed time to himself.” “She’s a control freak, and he can be very incommunicative,” a source told the magazine. “Plus, she feels he plays games with her head.” The couple already broke up/took a two-month hiatus once last August. Will this one stick? “I would not go so far as to call this a breakup,” said a source close to Mayer. “They have different needs, and it’s hard making it work.” (Scoop)

 

Hollywood star Catherine Zeta-Jones has revealed her home-grown beauty secrets. Catherine Zeta-Jones has revealed the secrets to her beauty. Although she’s the face of premium beauty brand Elizabeth Arden, the good news is copying her techniques won’t cost the earth, a quick trip to the supermarket will provide all you need. “I rub a mixture of honey and salt all over my body to moisturize and exfoliate,” she tells the Daily Mail. “You wash it off and your skin is gorgeous. Also, I love to eat an apple after a meal, just to cleanse my teeth – they always look polished afterwards.” And the tips don’t stop there. “The juice or pulp of strawberries contains malic acid which serves as an astringent and can lighten surface stains,” she reveals. “Pineapples work the same way. And I do condition my hair with honey and beer. I smell like the bottom of a beer barrel for days afterwards but it’s very good for the hair.” Before explaining that despite her home-grown regime she can’t look great every hour of the day.  “There are people who expect me to look the way I do on-screen, where I have a great director of photography and fantastic lighting,” she points out. “I’m sorry to disappoint people, but I don’t look like that all the time – no actress does.” (Handbag)

 

Celeb’s royal couple David and Victoria Beckham are said to be at odds over a permanent move to Milan. David and Victoria Beckham are arguing over a full-time move to Milan sources close to the couple claim. David, currently on loan at AC Milan from Los Angeles Galaxy, is keen to remain with the club to further his chances of representing England at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, but Posh is said to be not keen on a move to the Italian fashion capital. “David is loving his soccer again. He’s like a new man now he’s back with a top European side. He’s the happiest he’s been for ages and is very keen to make his loan permanent,” an insider told The Sun. “In many ways this will be the biggest test of David and Victoria’s relationship. Does the family make the sacrifice for David so he can end his career in real style? Or does he have to accept they’ve moved around enough to follow his career? The boys have lots of friends in Los Angeles and are happy at school. She was never really happy when he played for Real Madrid and fears Milan will be similar.” (Handbag)

 

As we mentioned earlier, Us Weekly is reporting in their new issue that Jennifer Aniston and John Mayer had broken up again.However, it seems they were misinformed. Star Magazine is squashing those reports with proof that the two lovebirds are still together. Mayer and his Man were spotted at Jen’s home in West Hollywood on Monday night, after Us Weekly went to print and closed its issue. His car and Jen’s were also spotted parked outside her home all night long. And, according to the mag, Jen will be taking Mayer as her guest to the upcoming Oscars. Let’s see if they’re still together by then! (Perez Hilton)

 

Jennifer Love Hewitt is a firm believer in the afterlife – the actress is convinced her grandmother has spoken to her from beyond the grave. The 29-year-old stars in spooky TV show Ghost Whisperer, in which she plays a woman who can see and communicate with ghosts. And it was a chance encounter with the show’s producer, James Van Praagh, who is also a psychic, that put Hewitt in touch with her late relative. She tells Britain’s Ok! magazine, “We had an evening with James where he kind of did this thing, and my grandmother came through. “She just wanted to say hello and tell me that she was looking out for me. It was really nice.” (Teen Hollywood)

 

Hollywood actor Billy Bob Thornton has talked of his desire to work with ex-wife Angelina Jolie again. Billy Bob Thornton has admitted he’d love to work with ex-wife Angelina Jolie again. The couple met and married while working on the 1999 film Pushing Tin but divorced in 2003 shortly after adopting Jolie’s son, since legally adopted by Brad Pitt, Maddox but Thornton insists they still get on famously. “Jessica Biel for one reason and Cate Blanchett for another. I’ve worked with Cate twice, and I’d say she’s probably the best actress out there. I’d like to do another movie with Angie, too, one of these days,” he told country music site theboot.com when asked which actresses he’d like to work with. “We talk all the time. She and I keep looking for something to do together; we just have to find the right thing.” (Handbag)

 

Lost star Josh Holloway has said he wouldn’t wish fame on anyone. Josh Holloway has become the latest celeb to moan about fame saying he wouldn’t wish his fame and sex symbol tag on anyone. “The whole sex symbol thing is really strange. I wouldn’t wish it on anybody. I appreciate the opportunity to work, the cash it gives you, and other things it provides are wonderful,” Josh, who TV Guide reported in 2006 was paid £65,000 per episode of Lost, told Company magazine. “But the celebrity thing… I don’t like attention. Like anybody, it’s impossible not to feel self-conscious if someone’s looking at you all the time, everywhere you go.” Boo hoo. (Handbag)

 

Pete Wentz finds fame so stressful, he’s often tempted to ditch his music career and disappear with his wife Ashlee Simpson and their baby son Bronx. The Fall Out Boy star admits he’d even consider following in the footsteps of Simpson’s sister Jessica – and sign up for a Newlyweds-style reality show, just so he could make enough money to retire. He tells Blender magazine, “Sometimes I think Ashlee and I should do Newlyweds 2, take that f**k-you money and move to an island somewhere. Just disappear.” But Wentz admits he could never disappear for real “partly because I’d be f**king over a lot of people (and) I’d probably miss the lights too much.” (Teen Hollywood)

 

Former Take That star Robbie Williams left the UK after fame made him ‘feel like a prisoner.’ Fame made Robbie Williams feel like a prisoner his sister Sally Symonds has told Hello magazine. “Last time he lived in England he was so high-profile he couldn’t get any peace. He was living in London and resorted to buying a flat on the 15th floor. It was like Alcatraz,” she explained of his move to the US before discussing his plans to return to living in the UK. “This time he hopes he can get some kind of private life. I’m not sure the house will be private enough but if he feels pressured he’ll be straight back on a plane. When you have an addictive nature, you need to nurture yourself. You have to put yourself in safe places. If you’re stressed, it’s easy to fall off. My hope is he can keep himself together.” (Handbag)

 

Singer Ashlee Simpson has leapt to the defence of her elder sister Jessica, branding reports criticizing her weight “embarrassing and belittling”. The Dukes Of Hazzard star has been pictured with a fuller figure of late, prompting some media outlets to speculate she is expecting a baby with American footballer boyfriend Tony Romo. But sister Ashlee has taken offence to the reports – because she is sick of celebrities’ weight dominating the news agenda while Americans celebrate their new President Barack Obama. She writes on her blog, “I am completely disgusted by the headlines concerning my sister’s weight. A week after the inauguration and with such a feeling of hope in the air for our country, I find it completely embarrassing and belittling to all women to read about a woman’s weight or figure as a headline on Fox News. “All women come in different shapes, sizes, and forms and just because you’re a celebrity, there shouldn’t be a different standard. Is this something you would say to your wife, daughter, mother, grandmother, or even a friend? I seriously doubt it. “How can we expect teenage girls to love and respect themselves in an environment where we criticize a size 2 figure? Now can we focus on the things that really matter.” (Teen Hollywood)

 

Gap-toothed Lauren Hutton seems to have taken a page out of Naomi Campbell’s book on dealing with the help. Yesterday morning, the actress/model was spotted yelling at a subordinate who was schlepping cases of Fiji Water back to her apartment on Lafayette Street. “She was standing there, red in the face, hands on hips, demanding that the woman carrying up tons of water ‘hurry up,’ ” snitches a source. “Not very nice.” (Page Six)

 

Hip-hop star 50 Cent‘s manager, Chris Lighty, has joined the red-faced ranks of Bernie Madoff victims. Lighty’s loss in the alleged $50 billion Ponzi scheme came to light as a rep for Fitty squelched false rumors that the rap star himself had lost millions of dollars. But Lighty wouldn’t say how much he’d lost himself. “Nothing to talk about. It’s not life-threaten ing,” Lighty, 36, told The Post’s Kati Cornell. “Not worth the ink you would waste.” Named on Crain’s “Forty under 40″ list for 2008, Lighty is the founder of Violator and has attracted a stable of hip-hop’s biggest stars, including Diddy and LL Cool J. (Page Six)

 

Oh poor Jessica Simpson! Things are simply not going her way these days! Rumor has it that her Sunday boyfriend, Tony Romo, cheated on the country singer…in her own bed! Star magazine is reporting that earlier this month, on the very night JSimpleson flew out of Los Angeles, Romo had himself a night out on the town, inviting everyone over to Jess’s house for an after party. And one lady even received the VIP treatment from Romo. Amid Jessica’s gold albums, the party raged on downstairs. But on the second floor, Tony was enjoying his own private party — with a long haired, olive-skinned cutie. “Everyone was talking about it downstairs,” dishes the source. “The girls were saying it was so wrong and shady of Tony to cheat on Jessica — especially in her place! I just can’t believe he would hook up with another woman at his own girlfriend’s house.” Maybe this has something to do with Tony’s wandering heart? Just sayin’! (Perez Hilton)

 

The scandals of Gossip Girl star Leighton Meester aren’t relegated to just the TV show! We told you before about Leighton’s ex-convict mother and family of drug dealers. Well, it seems like her brother is no angel as well! Leighton’s older brother, Douglas, was involved in a high profile sexual assault case while he was a sophomore in the Air Force. He was accused of raping and sodomizing (yikes!) a female, but their extreme intoxication at the time muddied the circumstances, with the victim even saying that she “knew for a fact that he probably thought what we were doing was consensual.” The rape charge was dropped in exchange for a guilty plea to “conduct unbecoming of an officer, dereliction of duty, and committing an indecent act.” He was fined $2000 and received a written reprimand. (Perez Hilton)

 

Guy Ritchie’s shit-talking father, John, tells the new issues of In Touch that he’s glad his son is no longer with Madonna, and that the divorce could not have proceeded anymore favorably. In fact, he even went so far as to say, “The worst thing would be if they reconciled” and is glad that Her Madgesty has “lots of boyfriends” because “she won’t be looking for him.” We think that John Ritchie sounds a little delusional because, honestly, it will be a cold day in hell when Madonna tries to get back together with Guy. Fortunately, according to Daddy Ritchie, “There are no big arguments between them. All they discuss is the children” and both parties are content with the custodial arrangement. (Perez Hilton)

 

The Office creator Ricky Gervais has said he’s perfectly happy with his “normal size” genitals. Ricky Gervais has insisted he’s happy with his “normal size” wedding tackle. “I’m not worried about it, if you saw me naked you wouldn’t go, ‘Jesus that’s the smallest penis I’ve ever seen’, you wouldn’t have to squint,” he told Inside The Actor’s Studio host James Lipton. “You’d say there’s a normal bloke, he’s 5ft 8ins and he’s got a normal size penis, everything in proportion. Testicles are on the large size though! I’d look weird with a foot long k**b wouldn’t I? It’d be ridiculous, also I’d faint if I got an erection as all the blood would be in there, its fine, its fine, really its average.” (Handbag)

 

Debbie Matenopoulos is denying her estranged husband’s claims that she “pays for nothing” while living in their multimillion-dollar Los Angeles home. Jay Faires, a music executive, is seeking spousal support from the E! host to help pay the mortgage. “I am incredibly offended by these gross accusations and false claims that have no merit,” Matenopoulos tells PEOPLE in an exclusive statement. “I am very proud to say, not only do I currently pay my own expenses, I also did so for the entire duration of our marriage.” Faires, 45, who filed for divorce from Matenopoulos on Nov. 12 after five years of marriage, also claimed in the Jan. 14 court papers that the former couple have “continuously lived beyond our means during our marriage.”  Matenopoulos added: “As far as living above our means goes, as my husband has stated, if Jay is anything at all he is a shrewd businessman and has started three companies from the ground up. He knows a thing or two about balancing a budget and would never be so irresponsible.”  As for their increasingly hostile split, Matenopoulos claims her ex’s actions “are an obvious attempt to hurt me. The fact that I am even having to discuss this stuff publicly is ludicrous.” The former couple face a hearing on Feb. 23. (People)

 

A keyboardist for the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd has died at his northeast Florida home. Orange Park Police Lt. Mark Cornett says 56-year-old keyboard player Billy Powell called 911 about 12:55 a.m. Wednesday saying he was having trouble breathing. Rescue crews performed CPR, but he was pronounced dead at 1:52 a.m. Cornett says no foul play is suspected and an autopsy will not be performed. He says Powell missed a Tuesday appointment with his doctor for a cardiac evaluation. A heart attack is suspected. Powell was one of two surviving band members who were with the group before a 1977 plane crash that killed three of its members. (Daily Record)

 

Kim Manners, the veteran TV producer-director who helmed dozens of episodes of The X-Files and Supermatural, died Sunday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles from lung cancer. He was 59. Hailing from a showbiz family, Manners first broke into the TV business in the 1970s as a production manager and director on Charlie’s Angels. He went on to work on such series as Star Trek: The Next Generation, 21 Jump Street and Baywatch until he got the call for The X-Files. It was on Chris Carter’s hit sci-fi mystery series where Manners made his mark, scoring four Emmy nominations for his work. All told he directed 52 episodes of The X-Files. (Eonline)

 

 

THE OTHER STUFF . . .

 

Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe is the latest celebrity to issue a special invitation to U.S President Barack Obama’s daughters – offering up a personal tour of the magical film set. Miley Cyrus and The Jonas Brothers have already offered entertainment to big fans Malia, 10, and Sasha, seven, as their dad prepared for his inauguration into office on 20 January. And the British-born star is keen to follow suit, telling the Daily Beast website: “(Obama) is a symbol of progress which is what we dig about this country. What you love about England is all the old buildings and such. The traditions. I love that, too. But this is what we want from you. “I’d like to take this opportunity to issue a public invitation to the Obamas that if their daughters would like a private tour of the Harry Potter set, I would be honoured to be their personal tour guide.” But the humble actor admits he’d understand if the first daughters would rather hang out with another teen idol, Twilight star Robert Pattinson. He adds, “(Pattinson) is much prettier and can be much more charming. And he can do that thing of being sultry and sexy.  “Rob can just sort of stand there and look at something and start to smoulder. And I just can’t do that. I’m a natural fidget.” (Teen Hollywood)

 

Bad news for Prince William: His girlfriend Kate Middleton is unlikely to be joining him in the saddle on his favorite ponies.  Middleton, 27, is allergic to horses, she revealed to a fellow polo fan. Australian author Kathy Lette, who says that she approached the royal girlfriend at a polo match last summer, told Readers Digest that she spotted Middleton alone in a tent, watching the game with keen interest. “I’ve got to pay attention to every second,” Middleton told Lette when asked why she didn’t come over and join the main party. “I’ll be discussing the game in minute detail later on.” Lette also inquired why she didn’t play polo herself. Middleton’s reply? ‘I’m allergic to horses.” William, 26, and Middleton have been dating since 2002, but are often separated by work commitments. The Prince is currently undergoing training to be a search and rescue pilot, while Middleton is working at her parents’ company, Party Pieces. Saturday, it was revealed that William’s brother Harry, 24, had split from his on-again girlfriend Chelsy Davy, 23. (People)

 

TV presenter Eamonn Holmes has said he’d slap Rihanna if she were his daughter. Eamonn Holmes said that he’d “slap” Rihanna if she were his daughter due to her diva demands. “I find the entourages that some people come with, especially the Americans, really pathetic,” Holmes told Star magazine. “Rihanna, for example, is a beautiful girl, but if she was your daughter, you’d give her a slap and tell her to wise up. She is surrounded by people who treat her like a little flower.” Before adding his dream interview would be Prince Williams’s girlfriend. “I’d love to interview Kate Middleton, I think that would be very interesting,” he said. “She’s a very attractive girl!” (Handbag)

 

We just obtained a copy of Michael Crichton’s will…and let’s put it this way…you wish you were a relative. The author of “Jurassic Park” and “ER” exec producer had a prenup with his wife, according to the doc. As for everything else Crichton had when he died last November, it remains in the John Michael Crichton Living Trust, which he created before he died. Now, the beneficiaries of that trust … we won’t mention their names, but they’re his brother, sister-in-law, sister, brother-in-law, niece, niece, friend, friend, friend, niece, nephew-in-law, grand-nephew, grand-nephew, friend, friend, friend, friend, friend, friend and John’s foundation. Crichton was a cash register during his lifetime, reportedly at one point earning $100 million a year. (TMZ)

 

Listen up wrestlin’ fans: actor Mickey Rourke says he’s ready to rumble with WWE superstar Chris Jericho at Wrestlemania 25 in Reliant Stadium on April 5. Rourke portrays professional wrestler Randy the Ram in the acclaimed movie “The Wrestler.” He’s signed to wrestle Jericho, for real. He made a surprise announcement Sunday night on the red carpet before the Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles. He said he was pleased by the acceptance of the movie by all the WWE wrestlers – except Jericho. Then Rourke said he was going to toss Jericho “around the ring like tossed salad.” Meanwhile, Jericho, appearing on WWE television, said, Rourke was out of line and that he was offended by Rourke’s comments. He said Rourke made “a mistake.” Stay tuned. (Daily Record)

 

Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe is always happy to meet his male admirers – because he feels “flattered” when gay fans have a crush on him. The actor has appeared naked onstage in both the West End and Broadway in the play Equus – a role he admits has won him a large following in the gay community. And he insists the male supporters are a welcome change from his hordes of screaming female fans. He tells the Daily Beast website: “For a lot of straight guys – and I know I’m guilty of it sometimes – when you know a gay guy has a crush on you, it is the most flattering thing.” But the 19-year-old has always been comfortable around homosexual men, crediting his showbusiness upbringing for teaching him tolerance towards other lifestyles. He adds: “My mum was a casting director and my dad was a literary agent and I was surrounded by gay men from a very young age. “And I was the only boy in my class at school who had that kind of relationship with gay men. Most of my friends had parents who had proper jobs in banks and law firms so none of them had been exposed to homosexuality in the way I had – as a normal course of things. So they had a rather different attitude toward it than I.” (Teen Hollywood)

 

After five years of dating, what caused Prince Harry and girlfriend Chelsy Davy to finally call it quits last week? Those close to the prince believe time and distance may have pulled the 24-year-old royal and the Zimbabwean-born beauty apart, PEOPLE reports in its upcoming issue, on sale Friday. Chelsy, 23, is set to graduate from Leeds University this spring and is homesick for Africa, while Harry seems more committed than ever to army life. When they split was announced, a royal source told PEOPLE the pair felt their relationship “had run its course.” Still, the news came as a shock to some of Harry’s friends. “I don’t see this as long-term,” a friend says of the couple, who broke up briefly in 2007.  Another pal, however, believes it’s for real. “It came right out of the blue,” he tells PEOPLE. “But I don’t think if he was madly in love with her, he would have knocked it on the head. I think it is a case of, ‘Let’s call it a day; we had some fun.’ “(People)

 

Bourne trilogy star Matt Damon has slammed his spy rival James Bond. Hollywood star Matt Damon, famous for his portrayal of CIA maverick Jason Bourne, has described his film spy rival James Bond as “repulsive”. The actor, who has appeared in several spy movies including three as discarded CIA super assassin Jason Bourne, poured scorn on comparisons between the two action heroes. “’They could never make a James Bond movie like any of the Bourne films,” Damon told the Miami Herald. “Because Bond is an imperialist, misogynist sociopath who goes around bedding women and swilling martinis and killing people. He’s repulsive. Steve [Soderbergh, who produced another of Damon's spy movies, Syriana] told me that years ago he was offered a Bond movie. He told them he’d do it if they gave him creative control. Absolutely not, they said. They have a formula, they stick to it, and it makes them a lot of money. They know what they’re doing, and they’re going to keep doing it.” Miaow! (Handbag)

 

Marla Bartiromo scored the first post-axing interview with booted Merrill Lynch chief John Thain Monday – but CNBC’s “Money Honey” kept viewers in the dark about the little business arrangement that may have helped it happen. Turns out she and Thain both pay public relations guru Ken Sunshine to represent them, and he apparently helped set up the exclusive. “It’s a huge conflict of interest. It’s incredible she didn’t disclose this over the air, but she thinks she’s above it all,” one broadcast insider told Page Six. “And she was really kissing Thain’s ass during the interview.” Sunshine admitted to us he represents both Bartiromo and Thain, the latter having hired him just recently. “The relationship between John and Maria long precedes our relationship with him,” Sunshine insisted. But he had no comment on whether he had a hand in lining up the interview. CNBC didn’t get back to us. (Page Six)

 

Olivia Palermo is using MTV’s “The City” to learn how to be a “serious actress.” The fauxcialite was at the opening of the new W Hotel in Atlanta, where, according to our spy, “Olivia was talking about how she wants to be a serious actress but that acting is so much harder than she thought it would be.” Palermo also confessed, “I’m shooting ‘The City’ to get used to being in front of the camera.” We hear she’ll have one more year of practice – the low-rated show has inexplicably been picked up by MTV for a second season. (Page Six)

 

Kevin Costner signed on to host a glitzy Super Bowl party this year, but the truth is he doesn’t really like parties all that much. Too much glad-handing, picture-taking and standing around. The 54-year-old Hollywood star would much rather be up on stage with his band, Modern West, grinding out original tunes in a dark club somewhere, showing people how serious he really is about the music. So if you really want to get Costner to appear somewhere, invite the band, too. Playing live in the middle of the biggest weekend in sports is why he’s coming to Tampa.

“It’s clearly not the need for attention. I’ve had enough of that for a lifetime,” Costner chuckles during a telephone interview. “It’s no fun being a celebrity. I’d rather be a performer. I’d rather sing for my supper.” But attention is clearly the point for many of the celebrities who stage one of the glitzy, see-and-be-seen happenings that have become as much a part of Super Bowl week as the game itself. The Hollywood types are here, along with the hip-hop guys, dozens of current and former NFL stars, plenty of scantily clad models, prize fighters and assorted Kardashian sisters. Ashton Kutcher and Lindsay Lohan are scheduled to be here. So is Snoop Dogg. Mike Ditka says he’s bringing 100 former NFL stars with him. The lousy economy this year led some regular party sponsors to cut back or pull out of the Super Bowl scene – Playboy and Sports Illustrated both bagged their annual affairs – but there’s still enough going on in Tampa to keep the paparazzi busy all weekend. Costner’s bash – he’s co-hosting with ex-New York Giant Michael Strahan – is going head-to-head on Saturday night with gigs by hip-hop artist T-Pain and rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, along with an affair crawling with Playboy hotties called “Models and Bottles,” and an event at a science museum hosted by boxer Antonio Tarver and rapper Nelly.

The night before is the Maxim magazine party, which has become one of the more exclusive celebrity bashes of Super Bowl weekend. Models from the lads magazine will be competing for attention that night with those over at a party thrown by ESPN the Magazine, another at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino hosted by Kevin Dillon of “Entourage” fame, and a get-together featuring the unlikely duo of NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson and pop-music star Nick Lachey. The annual “Leather and Laces” party is also Friday, hosted by Jenny McCarthy, Carmen Electra and Kim Kardashian. Promoters of all the parties are promising plenty of famous people and professional athletes. Electra, who hosted a party with McCarthy at the Super Bowl last year in Phoenix, says it’s a unique atmosphere, even for someone like her who doesn’t care who wins the game or, for that matter, even who’s playing. “I think sports fans are very enthusiastic, so during the Super Bowl there’s a lot of energy, a lot of people,” says the model and sometime actress. “It makes for a much more fun, lively party. …It’s going to be sexy and fun, and it’s always going to be crazy at the Super Bowl.” Some of the parties are so exclusive that regular folk don’t have a chance of getting inside. Sports agent Leigh Steinberg, for instance, is staging his annual invitation-only gig at the Tampa city zoo. Other events are benefiting charities and selling tickets to the public for a few hundred dollars or more. Some of the proceeds of Costner’s party are going to several good causes via a foundation set up by Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicker Matt Bryant to honor his 3-month-old son, who died suddenly in September. Costner says the charity aspect was part of the attraction. While between Hollywood projects, Costner is touring with his band, playing clubs and theaters in places like Omaha, Neb., Des Moines, Iowa, and Columbia, Mo. The roots rock/country outfit released its first CD last fall. He hopes people will come because he’s Kevin Costner and leave as new fans of Modern West. “We’re playing original music, so the difficulty in that is inherent with any performer playing songs that (people) can’t tap their toe to because they’ve never heard it,” he says. “I kind of like the challenge of everything that probably goes with being me, the curiosity factor and everything else, and doing songs that they’ve never heard and holding that audience.” Oh, and the game? Costner likes the Steelers. (Daily Record)

 

Jordan, aka Katie Price, will be taking part in a celebrity polo match at the British Open Show Jumping Championships in April. The model, a long-term fan of horse-riding, will captain a team of three, dubbed Team KP Equestrian, against another celebrity threesome. Katie said: “I’m really excited about being part of the British Open’s celebrity arena polo match this April. I’ve played polo before and really enjoyed it so I’m definitely looking forward to going head-to-head with another celebrity and hopefully scoring a few goals!” The star, who was famously refused entry to the Cartier International Polo last year, added: “Unlike some polo matches I could mention, this one is open to anyone who wants to buy a ticket!” (TMZ)

 

Bart Simpson is officially cheating on Reverend Lovejoy’s church — with the one created by L. Ron Hubbard. Nancy Cartwright — voice of Bart and a multi-million dollar donor to Scientology — has recorded a Scientology robocall in which she uses her famous character’s name and voice to push an upcoming L. Ron Hubbard hoedown in L.A. We called the phone number for the event that Nancy gives out, and the person who answered was surprised a non-Scientologist got the message — thanks, YouTube. (TMZ)

 

One woman’s trailer trash is another woman’s treasure. A source close to Pamela Anderson, 41, told Us magazine the star met her latest love interest in the Malibu trailer park where she’s been staying while work is done on her home. Scuba diver Jamie Padgett, 42, picked Anderson up — in his golf cart — and offered her a ride to the beach. “She is more in love than I have ever seen her before,” the source told Us. “He’s a totally moral, nice, normal guy.” (Scoop)

 

Michael Lohan’s alleged truce with daughter Lindsay is out the window! He took to his blog today, Wednesday, and wrote all about La Lohan’s troubling weight loss, which he totally, of course, blames on saMAN Ronson. We’re sure his daughter won’t be pleased with this latest rant! Here are Mikey’s newly penned words.  Enjoy! Like I said in the past, “if I see or hear of anyone or anything causing harm or is seen as a threat to my children,” I will speak about it, and do anything I can to try to intervene regardless of the repercussions on me. With that said, after seeing promise and thanking God for Lindsay’s freedom from SaMANtha’s bondage, I see now, that since SaMANtha has once again, weaseled her way back into Lindsay’s life, things have taken a dark turn.  While I was enthused that Ali was with Lindsay, rather than SaMANtha, I am torn to see that SaMANtha has once again manipulated Lindsay into leaving her little sister in LA, only to join SaMANtha on another DJ gig in Boston.  Was this again, a means for SaMANtha to earn more money through Lindsay’s presence? Did SaMANtha’s fee drop so much and so quickly when word got out that they parted ways? Are we so blind? Is Lindsay so blind? I know Dina and my kids aren’t because they tell me so. But then again, why does Dina tell me one thing and do another?! When a mother or father sees their child in turmoil (losing weight, not working, and purportedly cutting herself) are we supposed to stand by, remain silent and pretend it isn’t happening? Or are we suppose to step to the plate and not care what people think, and do something about it? Well, as you can see, I’m not going to sit back and let it slide. I am asking everyone out their to intervene in every way possible to help Lindsay, and quite possibly, save her life. Help this wonderful, good hearted and gifted young lady to see what SaMANtha is doing to her and how she is destroying her life. Help her to see that ever since SaMANtha came into her life, nothing good has come of it. As a matter of fact, Lindsay hasn’t used her gifts like she did before meeting SaMANtha. Just LOOK! The proof is there! These aren’t just words, but FACTS! PLEASE HELP! Come on, Sam. Fight back! U know that’s what he wants – and so do we! (Perez Hilton)

 

We previously mentioned how earlier this month actor turned “rapper” Joaquin Phoenix gave a shiteous performance at a nightclub in Las Vegas. We also mentioned how Phoenix had been acting like a total diva, bitching at people and even storming off while working on his documentary with Casey Affleck. Both times we thought, and hoped, he was joking. And, now, as expected, we find out it really might all be a hoax. Entertainment Weekly is reporting that two of Phoenix’s friends have come forward to explain the situation.  Says one source who recently worked with Joaquin, “He said, ‘It’s a put-on. I’m going to pretend to have a meltdown and change careers, and Casey is going to film it.” Though he won’t admit to any of it right now. Says a source, “It’s an art project for him. He’s going full out. He probably has told his reps that he’s quit acting. Joaquin is very smart. This is very conscious. He has a huge degree of control.” This art project sure is lame! (Perez Hilton)

 

Remember that Thriller musical we told you about yesterday? Seems Michael Jackson already has a sequel in the works. This one will be playing out not on Broadway, however, but in a Los Angeles courtroom. John Landis, the filmmaker whose credits include Animal House, The Blues Brothers and Trading Places, is suing over another of his best known hits—Jackson’s “Thriller” video. Landis says Jackson owes him big bucks in royalties for the classic 14-minute clip. Per the complaint, filed in L.A. Superior Court last week and obtained by E! News, the 58-year-old filmmaker accuses the 50-year-old Moonwalker of “fraudulent, malicious and oppressive conduct” for failing to fork over a check. Landis says he’s due 50 percent of the net profits from the groundbreaking video, which cowrote and directed, as well as an hourlong “making of” documentary. The suit doesn’t specify the exact amount Landis is owed but it’s thought to be around $1 million. In any case, the legal action comes at a fortuitous time considering Jackson just sold the rights to the “Thriller” video to theatrical wizards Nederlander Organization to stage a Broadway musical based on the horror spoof. Jackson’s rep, Dr. Tohme Tohme, was not immediately available for comment. Speaking to the entertainment site The Wrap, Landis attorney Martin Feldman said the lawsuit was a last resort. “I can’t understand what they are doing to John Landis’ company. It is such a straight ahead thing,” he said. “It makes no sense at all to me.” As if the life of Michael Jackson ever made sense to any of us. (Daily Record)

 

The former sales manager for the Philadelphia Soul arena football team is suing club owner Jon Bon Jovi and his partners for nearly $125,000 he says he’s owed. Joseph Krause of Jenkintown alleges that rock singer Bon Jovi and other team officials told employees they would receive two weeks of severance pay. The Arena Football League is canceling the 2009 season as it creates a better business model for tough economic times. Krause says he is owed commissions of more than $83,000 for the 2008 season and more than $41,000 for the canceled 2009 season. Interim general manager Paul Korzilius, when reached by KYW-AM, declined to comment because of the pending lawsuit. Bon Jovi and the others named in the suit didn’t respond to requests for comment. (Daily Record)

 

A former Bahamas senator was granted bail Wednesday on charges she conspired to help extort $25 million from actor John Travolta after his son died from a seizure at a family vacation home. Pleasant Bridgewater is accused of plotting with an ambulance driver to demand the money in exchange for suppressing a document related to the treatment of the celebrity’s son. She was not required to enter a plea at the arraignment. The document would have released emergency responders from liability if the family refused an ambulance, but it did not come into play in 16-year-old Jett Travolta’s case, according to Senior Assistant Police Commissioner Marvin Dames. Celebrity news Web site TMZ.com has reported that Travolta, an avid pilot, considered flying his chronically ill son to Florida before he was driven to the hospital on Grand Bahama island. It is unclear why the pair allegedly believed the Travolta’s would pay to keep the document from being released. Bail was set at $50,000 for Bridgewater, an attorney from Grand Bahama who resigned her Senate seat following her arrest last week on charges of abetment to extort and conspiracy to extort. Her next court date was set for Feb. 11. The other suspect, paramedic Tarino Lightbourne, was among those who tried to revive Jett after he collapsed Jan. 2. He has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempting to extort and conspiracy to extort from the movie star. The actor and his wife, Kelly Preston, returned home to Florida with the ashes of their son shortly after his death. (Daily Record)

 

Former Sen. Pleasant Bridgewater has just pled not guilty to two charges in the Jett Travolta extortion case. Bridgewater was officially charged in court yesterday with “abetment to extort and conspiracy to extort” — they’re the same charges EMT Tarino Lightbourne faces. Bridgewater, who resigned her seat after her arrest, was released on $40K bail. (TMZ)

 

 

MUSIC . . .

 

Britney Spears’s Circus topped the charts – with a lot of hard work – and now she’s promising to do the same in her upcoming world tour.  In an exclusive rehearsal photo posted to Spears’s Web site, Britney claps to the beat in simple, comfortable dance gear.  Jamie King, who choreographed her 2000 tour, is back on duty, and the singer, 27, looks svelte and toned in a tank top showing off her arms, and even the mom-of-two’s tummy!  The arena tour, her first in five years, kicks off in New Orleans March 3 with special guests The Pussycat Dolls. (People)

 

Kelly Clarkson will make history on this week’s Billboard Hot 100, to be posted tomorrow (Jan. 29) on Billboard.com, with the largest leap to No. 1 in the chart’s 50-year history. Her new single, “My Life Would Suck Without You,” is set to rocket 97-1 after selling 280,000 digital downloads in its first week of availability. The song is also faring well at radio, jumping 58-38 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart and 27-18 on the Mainstream Top 40 list. “My Life” introduces Clarkson’s March 17 RCA album “All I Ever Wanted.” This is the second time the artist has set the record for largest jump to No. 1. She took her “American Idol” victory song, “A Moment Like This,” 52-1 on the chart dated October 5, 2002. That mark lasted nearly five years until Maroon 5 soared 64-1 with “Makes Me Wonder” in May 2007 and had been broken four more times since, most recently by Britney Spears’ “Womanizer” (96-1). “My Life” is Clarkson’s first No. 1 since her debut single, though she has placed six other songs in the top 10 during this time, including the No. 2-peaking “Since U Been Gone” in April 2005 “Never Again”, the first single from her last set, the relatively poor performing “My December,” opened at No. 8 on the Hot 100 in the May 5, 2007, issue, starting with 107,000 downloads, and spending a total of two weeks in the top 10. (Billboard)

 

Taylor Swift continues her reign on The Billboard 200 as “Fearless” starts an eighth week at No. 1. The Big Machine effort moved 63,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, a mere 1% slip from sales last week. This is likely the album’s last week on top, however, as Bruce Springsteen’s “Working on a Dream” (Columbia) is projected to debut in the summit next week. Four other efforts in the top 10 hold are unmoved from last week: Beyonce’s “I Am… Sasha Fierce” (Music World/Columbia) at No. 2 with 51,000 (+3%); Nickelback’s “Dark Horse” (Roadrunner) at No. 3 with 45,000 (-3%); Britney Spears’ “Circus” (Jive) at No. 7 with 31,000 (-9%); and Jamie Foxx’s “Intuition” (Fox/Bad Boy) at No. 8 with 30,000 (-4%). On a 1% decrease to 39,000, Kanye West’s “808s and Heartbreak” (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam) ascends 5-4, while the Chop Shop/Atlantic soundtrack to “Twilight” takes an 8% hit to 33,000 and climbs 6-5. Keyshia Cole’s “A Different Me” (Geffen) leaps 9-6 with flat sales at 31,000. “Notorious,” the Bad Boy soundtrack to the film of the same name, falls 4-9 with a 32% decrease in sales to 29,000. Mariah Carey’s “Ballads” (Columbia/Legacy) compilation is the chart’s highest debut at No. 10 with 29,000. It’s the fourth best-of set that Carey has charted, following “#1’s” (No. 4 in 1998), “Greatest Hits” (No. 52 in 2001) and “The Remixes” (No. 26 in 2003). Andrew Bird notches his best sales and charting week ever with the Fat Possum album “Noble Beast,” which debuts at No. 12 with 26,000. Bird had never reached The Billboard 200 before 2007’s “Armchair Apocrypha,” which debuted and peaked at No. 76 with 11,000. Also scoring career-best numbers is Animal Collective with the Domino album “Merriweather Post Pavilion.” The project lands at No. 13 with 25,000; it debuted at No. 38 two weeks ago on the Top Independent Albums chart purely on vinyl sales. “Blood Bank,” an EP from Jagjaguwar artist Bon Iver, starts at No. 16 with 23,000, both career bests. The artist’s 2008 debut, “For Emma, Forever Ago,” was one of the most critically acclaimed albums of last year and has been on a sales roll for several weeks. It entered The Billboard 200 at No. 198 in December after 10 months of release and is No. 85 this week. Frank Sinatra’ “Seduction: Sinatra Sings of Love” (Rhino) climbs on at No. 23 with 17,000, just in time for the Feb. 14 Valentine’s Day holiday. At 6.43 million units, sales are up 9.1% compared to the same total last week and off by 12% compared to the same week in 2008. (Billboard)

 

David Archuleta is headed for the spring break of his life. The 17-year-old American Idol star, one of the more beloved runner-ups in the show’s history, has announced plans for his first solo tour. The 20-city road trip kicks off Feb. 24 in Virginia Beach, Va., and will keep Archuleta’s pipes engaged at theaters and other midsize venues such as the storied House of Blues until March 21. Jive Records labelmate Lesley Roy will open for him. In the meantime, fans who love Archuleta for more than his precocious voice can catch his guest appearance on Nickelodeon’s iCarly on Feb. 7. (Daily Record)

 

Kelly Rowland says she will always be a part of Beyonce’s family, but she no longer will be managed by the superstar’s father. Rowland and Matthew Knowles announced Wednesday that he is bowing out as her manager. He’s guided her career since she was kid, when he put her in Destiny’s Child along with Beyonce. He even helped raise her. Both Rowland and Knowles – who still manages daughter Beyonce – called the split amicable. Both say they will always be family. Rowland has sold millions of records as part of Destiny’s Child, but her solo career hasn’t matched that success. Rowland – who turns 27 next month – did not say who her new manager will be. (Daily Record)

 

Bogdan Roscic has been appointed president, Sony Music Classical by Sony CEO Rolf Scmidt-Holtz. Effective April 6, the newly created role gives Roscic responsibility for all of Sony’s Classical operations. He will report directly to Schmidt-Holtz. Sony could not confirm where he will be based at this stage; however it is expected to be in Europe. “Classical music not only remains a vital part of our company’s DNA but also this is a business we are determined to grow and promote again,” said Mr. Schmidt-Holtz. “While genres like classical remain under tremendous pressure in the marketplace, we believe it has enduring appeal with consumers and we plan to harness it with a renewed commitment to strong leadership, a rich catalog and a world-class roster.” Most recently, Roscic was managing director at Decca Music Group in London. Prior to this, he was VP of A&R for Deutsche Grammophon in Hamburg, managing director of Universal Music Austria and managing director of a nationwide radio program of the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation in Vienna. (Hollywood Reporter)

 

Harlem’s iconic Apollo Theater will celebrate its 75th anniversary season this year with a slew of activities, including the national launch of a new touring version of musical “Dreamgirls,” a fall TV special and a concert series featuring John Legend, among others. Also, a documentary to be directed by Stanley Nelson and co-produced by Charles Hobson of Vanguard Documentaries is scheduled to hit movie theaters nationwide in early 2011. The plans for the 75th anniversary of the theater and its signature “Amateur Night at the Apollo” show were unveiled Tuesday by Apollo Theater Foundation chairman Richard Parsons, the former Time Warner chairman who was recently named chairman of Citigroup, and president and CEO Jonelle Procope. The anniversary season will combine looks into the past — which helped launch the careers of such performers as Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Michael Jackson, Lauryn Hill and Alicia Keys — and into the future, organizers said. “We have and will continue to push the boundaries of new art forms in American popular culture,” said Parsons. “Amateur Night” will return under the leadership of new producer Marion Caffey. Its Wednesday season kickoff edition will feature rapper Ron Browz and surprise visits from alumni.  Besides stage shows, September will see a two-hour TV special, to be produced by Ron Weisner, about the Apollo. The foundation didn’t immediately say on which network it will air. And in November, the new touring version of Tony Award-winning “Dreamgirls” will start off at the Apollo.  The not-for-profit foundation that operates the venerable theater is in the midst of a $96 million capital campaign, more than half of which has already been raised. The funds will be used to upgrade and expand the theater’s facilities and support future programming. (Hollywood Reporter)

 

Slayer, Marilyn Manson and Bullet For My Valentine lead the bill for the second annual Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, which begins July 10 at the Sleep Train Amphitheater in Sacramento, Calif., and wraps Aug. 18 at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in San Antonio. Jagermeister is sponsoring one of two second stages, on which Trivium, All That Remains, God Forbid and the liquor company’s “battle of the bands” winner will perform. On the Hot Topic side stage, Cannibal Corpse, Job For A Cowboy, Behemoth, Black Dahlia Murder and Whitechapel will round out the bill. Tickets for the 27-date North American shed tour go on sale April 24 via mayhemfest.com and livenation.com. Last year’s inaugural Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival featured Slipknot, Disturbed, Airbourne, Five Finger Death Punch, 36 Crazyfists, Machine Head, Black Tide, Suicide Silence, the Red Chord and Wall Of Jericho. The trek attracted nearly 340,000 concertgoers, according to organizers. Rockstar Mayhem is produced by Warped founder Kevin Lyman, his partner on the Rockstar Taste Of Chaos tour John Reese, CAA’s Darryl Eaton, and Jason Garner, CEO of global music at Live Nation. Following a model of tapping sponsors in unique and interactive ways, Mayhem was a finalist for the 2008 Concert Marketing & Promotion Awards “After last year’s very successful package, we felt we needed to raise the bar higher and put together a package that hard music fans would love, and we feel like we have done that,” Reese tells Billboard.com. “It also looks like I will be picking up a second job this summer as the lead bartender at the absinthe-laced parties for Manson and Slayer.” (Billboard)

 

The Comedy Central TV channel says Paul McCartney is going to drop in on Stephen Colbert. McCartney will be a guest on Wednesday’s “The Colbert Report,” talking up his latest album, “Electric Arguments.” The work represents a collaboration between the former Beatle and producer-musician Youth, and was released under the band name the Fireman. “The Colbert Report” airs at 11:30 p.m. EST weeknights. (Launch)

 

It’s been 50 years since a single-engine plane crashed into a snow-covered Iowa field, instantly killing three men whose names would become enshrined in the history of rock ‘n’ roll. The passing decades haven’t diminished fascination with that night on Feb. 2, 1959, when 22-year-old Buddy Holly, 28-year-old J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson and 17-year-old Ritchie Valens performed in Clear Lake and then boarded the plane for a planned 300-mile flight that lasted only minutes. “It was really like the first rock ‘n’ roll landmark; the first death,” said rock historian Jim Dawson, who has written several books about music of that era. “They say these things come in threes. Well, all three happened at the same time.” Starting Wednesday, thousands of people are expected to gather in the small northern Iowa town where the rock pioneers gave their last performance. They’ll come to the Surf Ballroom for symposiums with the three musicians’ relatives, sold-out concerts and a ceremony as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame designates the building as its ninth national landmark. And they’ll discuss why after so many years, so many people still care about what songwriter Don McLean so famously called “the day the music died.” “It was the locus point for that last performance by these great artists,” said Terry Stewart, president and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. “It warrants being fixed in time.” Clear Lake is an unlikely spot for a rock ‘n’ roll pilgrimage — especially in winter. The resort town of about 8,000 borders its namesake lake, and on winter days the cold and wind make the community 100 miles north of Des Moines anything but a tourist destination. The crash site is on private property, a five-mile drive from Clear Lake and half-mile walk off the road. Corn grows high in adjacent fields during the summer, but in winter the fields are covered with snow and a path to the small memorial is often thick with ice. The memorial features a small cross and thin metal guitar and records, all of which are draped in flowers during the summer. “It’s a much nicer trip in the summer,” said Jeff Nicholas, a longtime Clear Lake resident who heads the Surf Ballroom’s board of directors. “But in the winter, you get more of a feel of what it was like.” No one tracks the number of visitors, but fans stop by throughout the year and on some summer days visitors to the crash site can create the oddity of a corn field traffic jam. Stewart said the deaths still resonate because they occurred at a time when rock ‘n’ roll was going through a transition, of sorts. The sound of Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis and Holly was making way for the British Invasion of the mid-1960s. “The music was shifting and changing at that point,” he said. “The crash put a punctuation point on the change.” All three musicians influenced rock and roll in their own way. Holly’s career was short, but his hiccup-vocal style, guitar play and songwriting talents had tremendous influence on later performers. The Beatles, who formed about the time of the crash, were among his early fans and fashioned their name after Holly’s band, The Crickets. Holly’s hit songs include “That’ll Be The Day,” “Peggy Sue” and “Maybe Baby.” Richardson, “The Big Bopper,” is often credited with creating the first music video with his recorded performance of “Chantilly Lace” in 1958, decades before MTV. And Valens was one of the first musicians to apply a Mexican influence to rock ‘n’ roll. He recorded his huge hit “La Bamba” only months before the accident. The plane left the airport in nearby Mason City about 1 a.m., headed for Moorhead, Minn., with the musicians looking for a break from a tiring, cold bus trip through the Upper Midwest. It wasn’t until hours later that the demolished plane was found, crumpled against a wire fence. Investigators believe the pilot, who also died, became confused amid the dark, snowy conditions and rammed the plane into the ground. The crash set off a wave of mourning among their passionate, mostly young fans across the country. Then 12 years later the crash was immortalized as “the day the music died” in McLean’s 1971 song, “American Pie.” Vonnie Amosson, who manages the Veterans of Foreign Wars hall in Clear Lake, said that ever since the plane crash, the community has embraced the tragedy. It’s a continues stream of tourism dollars, and the town’s chamber of commerce estimates that this year’s events, dubbed “50s in February,” will generate more than $4 million for Clear Lake’s economy. “It’s kind of sad that that is what we are known for,” Amosson said. “But on the other part of it, I think the whole ’50’s in February’ weekend is a huge memorial and it’s an honor to them.” In part because of its role in rock history, the Surf Ballroom has retained its vintage look, with a 6,000-square-foot dance floor, ceiling painted to resemble a sky, and original cloud machines on either side of the room. Ten Buddy Holly banners line the wall opposite the stage. The 2,100-capacity ballroom still hosts many national and regional performers, most of whom add their names to a backstage wall that is now crowded with drawings and signatures. “It’s quite a special place,” said Nicholas, the Surf board member. “This place looks just like it did in 1959.” (Launch)

 

A Slipknot fan has died after suffering a heart attack at one of the metal band’s gigs in Iowa. Corey Nickels, 29, collapsed on the concourse level of the Mid-America Center at 10:30pm (CST) on Sunday night (January 25) after watching the band, suffering cardiac arrest as rescue staff attended to him, reports Nonpareilonline.com.  (Daily Record)

 

 

MOVIE . . .

 

The ballots are in the mail for the 5,810 members of Hollywood’s elite who get to vote on the Academy Awards. Wednesday’s final ballots include nominees in 19 categories, among them best picture, director and the four acting prizes. Ballots in five other categories – feature-length and short documentaries, foreign-language film, animated shorts and live-action shorts – are available only after academy members verify that they attended screenings of the nominees. The deadline is Feb. 17 for Oscar voters to return ballots to the accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers. The big show itself comes five days later. (Daily Record)

 

Singer/actress Hilary Duff has landed her most challenging acting job to date – she is to take over the role made famous by Faye Dunaway in a new version of Bonnie And Clyde. Duff will take on the role of Bonnie in a new adaptation of the legendary story and will be starring opposite Air Bud actor Kevin Zegers. The new movie, titled The Story of Bonnie and Clyde, will be directed by Tonya S. Holly, who has stressed it will be an entirely new movie, rather than a remake of the 1967 classic, which also starred Warren Beatty. Duff shot to fame in Disney TV series Lizzie Maguire, which was taken to the big screen in 2003. Her most recent movie roles include last year’s War, Inc alongside John Cusack. The star has also landed the lead in upcoming sitcom Barely Legal. (Teen Hollywood)

 

Megan Fox is the replace Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft if media reports are anything to go by. The Jolie-look-alike and Transformers star is said to be a “strong candidate” for the gaming film which has starred Angelina Jolie in the last two installments. Last year, Angie hinted that she would be doing fewer movies so that she could concentrate on her expanding family and homelife. “Maybe it’ll be once a year and maybe it’ll be once every three years and just naturally – I like being home a lot these days,” the Oscar-nominated actress said. (British Glamour)

 

Universal has found its director for international thriller “The Sigma Protocol”: Berlin prize winner Jose Padilha. The studio is in negotiations with the helmer of “Elite Squad,” the action movie that won the Golden Bear at last year’s Berlin International Film Festival, to direct the Robert Ludlum vehicle. The studio is planning a summer shoot with European locations. Jeffrey Weiner of Ludlum Entertainment as well as Strike Entertainment are producing; Scott Bernstein and Franklin Leonard are overseeing for Universal. “Sigma” is based on Ludlum’s final completed novel, published after the prolific author’s death in 2001. Like the Jason Bourne franchise, another big Uni property, the story involves a man on the run in Europe from assassins and agents.  The two plots differ sharply, though, with the latter using a World War II conspiracy and Nazis as a plot hook. The movie will update the novel, use the current economic climate and make the protagonist a Wall Street type who specializes in the economy of catastrophic events, known as “black swan events.” “Iron Man” co-writers Matt Holloway and Art Marcum are penning the script. Paul Sandberg and Strike’s Marc Abraham and Eric Newman are producing.  “Elite,” which IFC released stateside, centers on a battle between police and drug dealers in the slums of Rio de Janeiro. The Gersh-repped director also is attached to direct the thriller “The Willing Patriot” for Warner Bros. and the drug tale “Marching Powder” for Plan B. (Hollywood Reporter)

 

Shine Pictures, the newly created joint venture between U.K. Film and TV production banner Shine Group’s Kudos Pictures and Arnon Milchan’s New Regency has hired William Nicholson (“Gladiator”) to write a big screen version of the epic, era-defining battle in 1066 between King Harold and William the Conqueror for the throne of England. The project, “1066” is being “fast tracked” at the company and is expected to go into production later this year marking the first under the new joint venture set up last July (HR 7/24). Shine’s Paul Webster will produce “1066″ with Stephen Garrett and will work closely with New Regency’s co-chairmen Bob Harper and Hutch Parker and Shine Group’s Elisabeth Murdoch on the project, the parties said. Nicholson said the script focuses on the fraught relationship between the two greatest warriors of the age King Harold of England and William The Conqueror. Starting as comrades, they became bitter enemies destined to fight to the death at the climactic Battle of Hastings. New Regency is 20% owned by Fox, with which it inked a 15-year distribution deal in 1998. Fox will have worldwide distribution on the picture through the deal. Webster said the movie would be “an intimate portrait of two men told on an epic scale.” No budget details are being disclosed but it has two massive battles, a naval exchange and is a full-scale costume drama and fits in with New Regency’s stated ambition to make big, commercial movies. (Hollywood Reporter)

 

Michael Fassbender, Dominic West and Olga Kurylenko have signed to star in Neil Marshall’s British-set sword-and-sandals thriller “Centurion,” for “Slumdog Millionaire” producer Christian Colson of Celador Films. The movie, billed as a thriller set during the Roman invasion of Britain in AD 117, tells the story of Quintus Dias, sole survivor of a Pictish raid on a Roman frontier fort, who marches north with General Virilus’ legendary Ninth Legion, under orders to wipe the Picts from the face of the Earth and destroy their leader, Gorlacon. Colson will produce for Pathe Distribution, the French-owned U.K.-based company, which is enjoying box-office success here with its rollout of “Slumdog.” Marshall, who also wrote “Centurion,” has a good relationship with Pathe and Celador having made “The Descent” for the pair. Pathe International will kick start sales at next month’s European Film Market, which runs during the Berlin International Film Festival. (Hollywood Reporter)

 

 

TV . . .

 

One visit to Beyonce’s dressing room was all it took for Justin Timberlake to ease her concerns about a “Saturday Night Live” skit featuring the two of them. When Beyonce told him she was having second thoughts about a sketch where Timberlake was to “audition” for a video, he showed up at her dressing room in a robe covering a leotard. He dropped the robe and stood there, staring into space. Beyonce’s reply: “I can’t look anywhere but your face right now,” Timberlake told CBS’ Katie Couric in an interview for next week’s pre-Grammy special. Timberlake also said another, more infamous “SNL” skit where he offered a piece of his anatomy as a gift got a thumbs up from his mom. She thought it was funny. “You gotta meet my mom,” he said. “She’s a pretty edgy chick!” (Daily Record)

 

The Comedy Central TV channel says Paul McCartney is going to drop in on Stephen Colbert. McCartney will be a guest on Wednesday’s “The Colbert Report,” talking up his latest album, “Electric Arguments.” The work represents a collaboration between the former Beatle and producer-musician Youth, and was released under the band name the Fireman. “The Colbert Report” airs at 11:30 p.m. EST weeknights. (Daily Record)

 

In the middle of winter, TV adventurer Leon Logothetis relied on the kindness of Sommer for the first leg of his unlikely trip to the Super Bowl. Logothetis, star of “Amazing Adventures of a Nobody” on the Fox Reality and National Geographic Adventure networks, is promoting his show by trying to travel from Atlanta to Tampa, Fla., site of the Super Bowl, in five days on $5 a day. He started Tuesday. Producers stripped him of his wallet, credit cards and mobile phone and left him in Atlanta’s Piedmont Park. Logothetis found a taxi driver willing to take him to Tampa, but the cabbie drove off after finding out that his rider only had $5 for a ride that would probably cost a few hundred. Logothetis struck up a conversation on a park bench with Sommer Williams, a laid-off interior decorator now working in a hotel. She bought him a pizza lunch and drove him to her family’s house in Macon, Ga., nearly 100 miles away. The family took him out for dinner at a Mexican restaurant and invited him to spend the night on a bed in their basement. He used his $5 to kick in for gas. His series is one of several action-adventure shows popular on cable, such as “Deadliest Catch” or “Man vs. Wild,” that appeal to a sense of wanderlust among people who usually don’t go further than their sofa. Logothetis was a broker in London until he read “The Motorcycle Diaries” and hit upon the idea of documenting low-cost travel. His first two seasons were about traveling in England and the United States. The season that premiered Sunday on Fox Reality has him trying to get from Paris to Moscow on 5 euros a day. “I have to rely entirely on the kindness of strangers,” said Logothetis on Wednesday, speaking from the Williams’ family phone in Macon. It’s not easy: More than a dozen people said they wouldn’t help him before he met Williams. Williams’ brother and his friends volunteered to drive Logothetis to Valdosta, Ga., on Wednesday on the next leg of his trip. Assuming he can make it to Tampa, he’ll face his biggest challenge in trying to get into the game. Ticket prices for the Super Bowl range from $500 to $1,000 a seat. Does he really think he has a chance? “That’s a very good question,” Logothetis said. “I just have faith that it will work out. If I don’t (get in), it’s the journey that’s the most important thing, the people I meet along the way.” (Daily Record)

 

As we previously mentioned, Fox is butchering making an American version of beloved British sitcom Absolutely Fabulous, the gay classic telling the sordid tales of Patsy and Edina. Well, now Variety is reporting that Kristen Johnston is close to signing on to star in the show. Is that a good thing or a bad thing???? The actress has won Emmys for her role on ’90s sitcom 3rd Rock From the Sun. Johnston table-read for the Fox execs on Friday. Shortly after they decided to pick up the American AbFab for a pilot. That doesn’t guarantee the show will make it to the air or that Kristen will be in it. Oh, yeah, and we buried the lead! Johnston would be playing the part of Edina (Jennifer Saunders’ character). Thoughts????? Whom would U like to see playing those iconic roles????? We vote for Megan Mulally (Edie) and Faye Dunaway (Pats)!!!!!!! (Perez Hilton)

 

Bonnie Sommerville has been tapped to co-star in NBC’s comedy pilot “Off Duty,” and Jesse Tyler Ferguson has joined ABC’s comedy pilot “An American Family.” “Off Duty,” from Universal Media Studios and Upright Citizens Brigade’s Jason Mantzoukas, centers on a once-legendary police detective (Bradley Whitford) on his way down who complicates the life of his new partner (Romany Malco) — a straight shooter on his way up — both on duty and off.  Sommerville will play Malco’s wife. Also cast in the pilot is Capethia Jenkins as the crusty police district chief. Sommerville, who recently starred on ABC’s “Cashmere Mafia,” will next be seen in the feature “The Ugly Truth.” She is repped by ICM and McKeon-Myones Management. Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd’s docu-style single-camera comedy “Family,” from 20th TV, revolves around three families: one comprised of a working dad, stay-at-home mom and two kids; another that includes a 60-year-old man who becomes a stepfather after marrying a Latina who is 30 years his junior; and the third, a gay couple who have just adopted a Vietnamese baby. Ferguson will play one of the gay dads. The actor, who co-starred on “The Class” and “Do Not Disturb,” is repped by Endeavor and Authentic. (Hollywood Reporter)

 

A packed Academy of Television Arts & Sciences theater brimmed with laughter Tuesday night as the cast of CBS’ “How I Met Your Mother” discussed the series’ inside jokes, upcoming story lines and the cast’s love affair with one another. Now in its fourth season, the multicamera comedy has found its footing in the ratings, averaging 9.7 million viewers and consistently ranking in the top 10 in the 18-49 demographic. “Kudos to CBS for keeping us on Monday and for sticking with us and not moving us to Friday night at 10,” said Neil Patrick Harris, who plays womanizer Barney Stinson. Added co-star Jason Segel (Marshall Eriksen): “In this world of reality TV, you need a real sense of stick-to-it-ness (from the network) for people to catch on.” Now with 80 episodes and a recent contract extension under its belt, the cast can reflect on the show’s early uncertainty and laugh. Harris recalled a conversation he and Alyson Hannigan (Lily Aldrin) had during filming the pilot. “When we filmed the pilot, Aly said, ‘This show is never going to go because we’re all having so much fun,’ ” he said.  Josh Radnor (Ted Mosby) agreed. “It did feel a little too good to be true,” he said. “The five of us sitting around the booth is just so fun and interesting.” Radnor said he sees evidence of the show’s quirkiness all the time, including on a trip to Ohio where a fan approached him and said he was doing “Naked Guy” that night — referring to an episode where Ted and Barney surprise their dates.  Co-creator/executive producer Carter Bays said the “Naked Guy” story line came out of the writers’ room and an experience that happened to someone involved with the show. “The stuff that comes out of writers sitting around that’s really happened is always the funniest,” he said. “We’ll mention something like the goat and then come back to it.” Bays and co-creator/exec producer Craig Thomas said they devote a lot of time to the show’s Web presence and what bloggers are saying about it and denied the intentional use of a prop that appears in a scene with Stella (Sarah Chalke) and Ted that also appears in the series’ opening flash forwards with Ted’s eventual kids. “It was a complete coincidence,” Bays said. “We try to adhere to continuity.” “It’s like an episode of ‘Lost’ sometimes,” Harris joked about fans’ speculation about who Ted will wind up with. “Will you stop posting that please,” a very pregnant Hannigan deadpanned. Cobie Smulders (Robin Scherbatsky), who joked that her Canadian character has slept with just about everyone on the show — “Lily is Season 7″ –, said there’s a lot to explore between Robin and Barney.  “I like the idea that we did it backward,” she said of Barney’s pursuit coming after they had sex. Bays said that pairing Robin and Barney was always a “break glass in case of emergency” situation, and after the writers’ strike, “it was an emergency.” Up next, Ted’s college girlfriend Karen (to be played by Laura Prepon, “That ’70s Show”) will surface and fans will get a taste of the woman who helped turn Ted into a “pretentious douche,” Radnor said.  Viewers also will get to meet Barney’s mother — to be played by Frances Conroy (“Six Feet Under”). “It’s a blessing and a curse to have such a deep bench of guest stars,” Bays said. One thing that isn’t in the series’ immediate future, however, are children for Marshall and Lily. “Jason and little babies don’t mix but toddlers love him,” Hannigan said. “There’s so many jokes there,” Segel shot back. As for if viewers will see more of ’80s child star Robin Sparkles making a musical return to the show, Bays said the challenge is “trying to figure out a way to have her hidden videos come out. It might be a prequel; how did Robin become a singer.” As for other returning characters, Thomas warned, “We’ve shot the season finale, and the goat does appear.” (Hollywood Reporter)

 

It’s official — British viewers are staying in and watching more television as the recession hits home — according to new figures published Wednesday. Research from marketing body Thinkbox and ratings agency BARB said record viewing figures for 2008 showed U.K. viewers watched more than 26 hours of TV per week, an average of 48 minutes more per week than in 2007 and viewed a record average of 42 advertisements. Top performers were the glossy variety competitions such as “Britain’s Got Talent” and “The X Factor.” Thinkbox, which represents commercial operators including ITV, Channel 4 and Five, said downloads were also popular, with 78% of online TV viewing — on the BBC’s iPlayer, the ITV Player and Channel 4’s 4oD — coming as viewers caught up with programs from the main terrestrial networks. “These figures show that people rely on channels and schedules to help them find the TV they want to watch,” said Thinkbox chief executive Tess Alps. “The broadcast audience may not always be watching the same program at the same time as it did when there were only a handful of channels… but viewers haven’t gone anywhere.” (Hollywood Reporter)

 

The chief U.N. nuclear inspector has canceled a BBC interview to protest the network’s refusal to air an appeal for Gaza. Mohamed ElBaradei’s office said Wednesday that not broadcasting it “violates the rules of basic human decency which are there to help vulnerable people irrespective of who is right or wrong.” The British Broadcasting Corp. and Sky News decided not to air the appeal from the Disasters Emergency Committee, an umbrella group of non-governmental humanitarian agencies. BBC officials have said carrying the appeal would have damaged the network’s impartiality in coverage of the conflict. The BBC says it regrets the decision by the Egyptian-born head of the International Atomic Energy Agency and hopes he will do an interview at another time. (Daily Record)

 

Cable television ratings for week of Jan. 19-25: Rankings for the top 15 programs on cable networks as compiled by Nielsen Media Research for the week of Jan. 19-25. Day and start time (EST) are in parentheses: (Daily Record)

1. “President Obama’s Inaugural Oath and Speech” (Tuesday, 12:05 p.m.), CNN, 5.7 million homes, 8.6 million viewers.

2. “Inauguration of Obama” (Tuesday, 12 p.m.), CNN, 5.15 million homes, 7.79 million viewers.

3. “Inauguration of Obama” (Tuesday, 11 a.m.), CNN, 4.69 million homes, 6.73 million viewers.

4. “Obama Inaugural Address” (Tuesday, 12:07 p.m.), Fox News Channel, 4.2 million homes, 5.57 million viewers.

5. “Inauguration 2009″ (Tuesday, 12 p.m.), Fox News Channel, 4.09 million homes, 5.29 million viewers.

6. “WWE Raw” (Monday, 10 p.m.), USA, 4.014 million homes, 6.16 million viewers.

7. “Inauguration of Obama” (Tuesday, 1 p.m.), CNN, 4.01 million homes, 6 million viewers.

8. “Situation Room” (Tuesday, 6 p.m.), CNN, 3.98 million homes, 5.67 million viewers.

9. “Situation Room” (Tuesday, 5 p.m.), CNN, 3.97 million homes, 5.72 million viewers.

10. “Burn Notice” (Thursday, 10 p.m.), USA, 3.828 million homes, 5.12 million viewers.

10. “Inauguration 2009″ (Tuesday, 12:28 p.m.), Fox News Channel, 3.82 million homes, 4.95 million viewers.

12. “Anderson Cooper 360″ (Tuesday, 9 p.m.), CNN, 3.71 million homes, 5.09 million viewers.

13. “Inauguration of Obama” (Tuesday, 3 p.m.), CNN, 3.589 million homes, 5.27 million viewers.

14. “WWE Raw” (Monday, 9 p.m.), USA, 3.587 million homes, 5.17 million viewers.

15. “Monk” (Friday, 9 p.m.), USA, 3.584 million homes, 4.96 million viewers.

 

 

TODAY’S IMPOSSIBLE QUESTION . . . (Mike Butts Creative)

 

Q.  The average one of THESE has wheels and travels about 8 miles a year?

            A.  Your office chair

 

 

TODAY’S QUOTE  (By James G. Huneker)

 

“ALL MEN OF ACTION ARE DREAMERS.”

 

 

MIND BOGGLERS . . . (QuickTrivia)

 

Q.  Before becoming Elvis Presley’s home, what was the primary use of the estate known as Graceland?

            A.  Church

 

Q.  Which of the following is the name of a popular snack food?

            A) Sand Dollars  ****

            B) Manatees

            C) Goldfish

            D) Seahorses

 

Q.  Which of these popular fast-food items has the same name as a term meaning “big lie”?

            A) Whopper  ****

            B) McNugget

            C) Chulupa

            D) Frosty

 

Q.  What is actor Tom Cruise’s original surname?

            A.  Mapother

 

Q.  Pablo Picasso and what other artist are widely considered to have led the movement known as “Cubism”?

            A.  Georges Braque

 

Q.  According to U.S. government rules, passengers are expressly prohibited from doing what on most U.S. domestic flights?

            A.  Smoking

 

 

BIRTHDAYS . . .

 

—1737  Statesman/Author Thomas Paine  (d. 6-8-1809)

—1843  25^th President William McKinley  (d. 9-14-1901)

—1860  Playwright/Author Anton Pvlovich Chekhov  (d. 7-15-1904))

—1915  Actor Victor Mature  (Samson & Delilah) (d.)

—1918  Actor John Forsythe  (Dynasty)

—1935  Actor Noel Harrison  (The Girl From UNCLE)

—1942  Actress Claudine Longet 

—1943  Actress Katharine Ross  (The Colbys)

—1943  Disc Jockey Tony Blackburn

—1945  Actor Tom Selleck  (Las Vegas)

—1947  Musician David Byron (Uriah Heep) (“Easy Livin”)

—1951  Actress Ann Jillian  (It’s A Living)

—1952  Musician Tommy Ramone (Thomas Erdelyi) (The Ramones)

—1954  Actress/TV Host Oprah Winfrey

—1954  Musician Handsome Dick Manitoba  (The Dictators)

—1958  Actress Judy Norton-Taylor  (The Waltons)

—1960  Baseball’s Steve Sax

¾1960  Actor/Olympic Gold Medal Diver Gregory Efthimios Louganis

—1961  Musician Eddie Jackson  (Queensryche)

¾1962  Actor Nick Turturro  (NYPD Blue)

—1962  Musician Marcus Vere  (Living In A Box)

—1964  Musician Roddy Frame  (Aztec Camera)

¾1967  Basketball’s Ronald Stacey King

¾1968  Actress Bobbie Phillips  (Red Shoe Diaries)

¾1968  Actor Ed Burns (The Brothers McMullen)

¾1970  Actress Heather Graham  (Lost in Space)

—1975  Actress Sara Gilbert  (“Darlene” Roseanne)

¾1979  Actor Andrew Keegan  (Independence Day)

 

 

THIS DAY IN HISTORY . . .

 

Today is FREETHINKER’S DAY. 

—1845  Edgar Alan Poe’s best-known poem “The Raven” was first published. (Quote the raven, “Nevermore…”)

—1861  Kansas became the 34^th state; It’s admission day in the Sunflower State.

—1900  The American Baseball League was organized.

—1919  The 18^th amendment to the Constitution was ratified; “Prohibition” went into effect the following January.

—1936  Fans established the Baseball Hall Of Fame at Cooperstown, New York.

—1958  The Champs release “Tequila,” later featured in “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure.”

—1962  Warner Bros. signs Peter, Paul, & Mary.

—1967  London’s Marquee Club is the site of a battle of the bands pitting Jimi Hendrix against the Who.  The event is part of a tribute to the late Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein.

—1971  George Harrison’s “All Things Must Pass” tops the British album chart, the first three Lp set to do so.

—1971  Allen Klein, former manager of the Rolling Stones and the Beatles, is convicted on ten charges of failing to file Federal Income Tax returns.

—1975  “Stardust”, the film that did for British rock what “Dreamgirls” did for Motown, has its US premiere in Boston. Despite the presence of Keith Moon, Dave Edmunds, David Essex, Adam Faith, Marty Wilde, and Larry Hagman in the genesis of his “Dallas” role, it disappears here as quickly as its 50s predecessor, “That’ll be the Day.”

—1978  Former Deep Purple singer David Coverdale announces he is forming Whitesnake, the title of his then current album.

—1979  San Diego teenager Brenda Spencer starts shooting schoolmates, later saying “I Don’t Like Mondays,” inspiring the Boomtown Rats song.

—1979  Emerson, Lake, & Palmer break up.

—1980  Canada’s Foreign Minister revealed that six American diplomats had been spirited out of Iran, where Canadian Ambassador Kenneth Taylor had hidden them in his embassy for six months.

—1981  37-year-old Barry Kramer, publisher of Creem Magazine, is found dead in his Birmingham, Michigan apartment.

—1983  Men At Work’s “Down Under” is the top single in Britain and the US, and the “Business As Usual” album tops both album charts.

—1983  Stevie Nicks weds Kim Anderson outside her LA home at sunset.

—1985  Two of Prince’s bodyguards are arrested for assault after attacking paparazzi outside L.A.’s Carlos & Charlie’s.

—1986  Brian Setzer (Stray Cats) releases his solo album, “The Knife Feels Like Justice.”

—1987  Sly Stone helps launch California’s “Fight For Literacy” Day.  Kurtis Blow tapes a federally funded anti-drug video in DC at the performing arts high school.

—1989  Paul McCartney tells the UK press he hopes to see several unreleased Beatles records unveiled from the Apple Records vault.  Included is John Lennon’s “Leave My Kitten Alone.”

¾2008  Margaret Truman the only child of former President Harry S. Truman died on this date in Chicago.  She was 83 years old.  Margaret was once quoted as saying, “the only thing I ever missed about the White House was having a car and driver.” She was a junior in college when her dad was elected.

 

 

RADIO ONLINE® DAILY SHOW PREP™ . . .

 

ON THIS DAY

On this date in 1904, the University of Chicago football team became the first athletes to receive letters. Until that time, no one knew what to call letterman’s jackets.

In 1920, Walt Disney started his first job as an artist. He learned quickly that it was pretty much a “Mickey Mouse” operation… and, the rest is history.

On this date in 1924, the first ice cream cone rolling machine was invented. Of course, eventually college students used it for something else.

In 1963 The Football Hall Of Fame opens in Canton, Ohio. Yes, it started out as a hall and then eventually, they added some rooms, but the name stuck.

TODAY IS

Heather Graham turns 39 today. What big eyes she has! She was in “Austin Powers, the Spy Who Shagged Me” and also starred in a season of “Scrubs.” She was also in “The Spy Who Scrubbed Me.”

Diver/Swimmer Gregory Louganis turns 49 today. Still not married… can’t figure that one out.

Tom Selleck turns 64 today. What a career — from Marlboro Man, to Monica’s boyfriend on “Friends.” Oh, that “Magnum PI” thing for a while. Nice when you can work in Hawaii.

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

·         Billy Powell, a keyboardist for Lynyrd Skynyrd, died at his northeast Florida home on Wednesday. He was 56. Powell was one of two surviving band members who were with the group before a 1977 plane crash that killed three of its members.

·         Author John Updike has passed away, after a short battle with cancer, at age 76. He gave us “Witches of Eastwick.”

·         David Archuleta will appear on Nickelodeon’s iCarly on February 7.

·         Director John Landis is suing Michael Jackson, saying he didn’t receive his share of the profits from the 1983 video, “Thriller.”

·         The postmaster general asked Congress on Wednesday to lift the requirement that USPS deliver mail six days a week. If the change happens, Tuesday or Saturdays are likely to be eliminated for delivery of mail.

·         Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will take the stage at the Super Bowl on Sunday, and then hit the road on a concert tour April 1.

·         What you won’t read in Candace Smith’s bio as a contestant in the latest round of “Survivor” is that she was once named in a sex tape scandal suit by Colin Farrell.

·         Next Monday will be the 50th anniversary of “The Day The Music Died.”

·         Penelope Cruz was staying at Selma Hayek’s house and was planning to sleep through the Oscar nominations… but her host woke her up and made sure she heard her nomination.

·         Jennifer Lopez is giving serious thought to starring in a Broadway musical.

·         Amy Winehouse says she’s going to visit her husband in jail to try and talk him out of filing for divorce.

·         The former sales manager for the Philadelphia Soul arena football team is suing club owner Jon Bon Jovi and his partners for nearly $125,000.

·         Argentina’s president had invited Elton John to get together… but when she postponed their meeting by 5 hours, Elton said, “Forget it” and flew out of the country.

·         Just back from their honeymoon, Fergie and new hubby Josh Duhamel say they plan to adopt a child as soon as possible.

·         In Denver, a woman gave birth to her baby in a public library.

·         Nancy Cartwright, the voice of Bart Simpson, has ticked off the creator of the Simpsons because she’s using Bart’s voice to promote a Scientology event with a pre-recorded, automated call.

·         American Idol Runner-up Katharine McPhee was dropped by her record label, but then resigned by another.

·         Wow, Meg Ryan’s latest movie, “The Deal”… is going direct to DVD. Ouch!

·         Now investigators says that Olivia Newton-John’s ex-boyfriend staged his own death four years ago and is living on a boat somewhere.

·         Sorry to say that a big craze in Hollywood is vandalizing the stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Taggers wrote “Old” and “Fur Hag” on Sharon Stone’s star the other night.

·         American Idol contestant Melinda Doolittle’s gospel album comes out next month.

CONVERSATION STARTERS

 

Men’s Health asked men about breaking up, here are the results:

·         Who ended your last relationship? The man, 39%; The woman, 61%

·         Have you ever lied about getting dumped? Yes, 25%; No, 75%

·         Do you find another girl before dumping one? Yes, 20%; No, 80%

·         Would you dump someone for lying to you? Yes, 55%; No, 45%

·         Would you dump someone for cheating on you? Yes, 96%; No, 4%

·         Would you dump someone for being bad in bed? Yes, 32%; No, 68%

·         Would you dump someone for not wanting sex often enough? Yes, 35%; No, 65%

·         Would you dump someone for someone better looking? Yes, 40%; No, 60%

·         Would you dump someone for someone younger? Yes, 20%; No, 80%

MensHealth.com and Glamour did a recent web survey of more than 5000 women to learn about what goes on when a woman breaks up with a man. Here are the reasons women gave for breaking up:

·         Too many arguments and conflicts, 26%

·         No chemistry, 18%

·         Found a better guy,14%

·         He cheated, 11%.

·         He couldn’t commit, 11%

·         Not husband material, 9%

·         I wouldn’t commit, 8%

·         Lousy sex, 3%

It’s that time of year when the Girl Scouts are asking you to buy Girl Scout cookies. But this year, if you order that box of Thin Mints, Do-Si-Dos, Tagalongs or Lemon Chalet Creme cookies, you may be in a for a big surprise. They’ve been downsized. AOL’s WalletPop.com reports that a representative for the Girl Scouts blames it on flour prices, which are up 30%, and cocoa prices, which have soared 20%.

 

Believe it or not, we spend 70% less time at work than our ancestors did a century ago, but our leisure time hasn’t increased at all, says a recent National Bureau of Economic Research study. As it turns out, we’re devoting more “free” time to education, and we’ve also upped our housework hours. You might think the advent of appliances and technology would make for fewer hours scrubbing and scouring, but it seems we’ve gone and raised our spick-and-span standards in reaction, say the study’s authors.

 

Prolonged use of your cell phone can render you unable to hear consonants like “s,” “f,” “t,” and “z.” A study of more than 100 cell phone addicts discovered that those who yak on the device for more than 60 minutes a day can expect to experience hearing loss and, perhaps, become unable to follow conversations. Signs to watch out for include ear warmth and fullness and ringing in the ears. Using ear phones, rather than holding the phone up to your ear, may provide some protection.

 

And if that’s not enough, Cosmopolitan reports dialing a handheld device while driving increase the risk of a crash or near crash by nearly three times.

 

PHONE TOPICS

·         How cold is TOO cold?

·         What cereal do you eat every morning?

·         Do you have a will? At what age should you have one?

·         Anyone have their credit card number stolen?

·         Strangest place you have a TV.

·         The farthest you’ve traveled in one day.

·         How many trophies do you still have from when you were a kid?

·         What did your parents throw away from your childhood that you still hold against them?

·         How many cell phones have you gone through already? We’re looking for the “best way I’ve trashed my cell phone” story.

·         What do you think that airports or airlines should change to make flying more convenient? Tell us your travel horror stories.

·         The hardest you’ve ever laughed?

·         Embarrassing moments caused by your children?

·         Do you live in a historic building?

·         Do you have a disaster kit? What’s in it?

·         Name some of the songs that were themes of your high school dances.

Have you ever given money to a panhandler? I always feel bad when I see someone on the corner with a sign that says, “Veteran needs food,” or something like that. Sometimes I’ve given. But should we give? I read an article about the city of Edmonton. In Edmonton there’s a guy who panhandles and he makes about $400 a day. Have we been suckered all these years?

 

Are you getting enough sleep? Do you take naps on a daily basis? I think anyone who gets up at 4am needs a nap. Usually I take mine around 1pm. If you do nap, it is supposed to boost your mood and your intelligence according to a new study. A nap of 60 minutes improves alertness for up to 10 hours according to the research. Naps also enhance work performance by 34% and overall alertness by 54%. Phoner: How long is your perfect nap?

 

In Rockport, Massachusetts, postal mail carriers are being harassed. And not by dogs, but by Turkeys. Nearly every day over the last five months, an average of 10 turkeys — led by a pair of male “ring leaders” — have been chasing and attempting to peck a postal worker on his route outside of Boston. We talked about this and then about our experiences with being attacked by a strange animal. My cohost was once attacked by a parrot, and a gorilla once rushed toward me at the zoo (luckily I had bars between me and the ape).

 

Who listening right now has given birth to the most kids? It’s probably not eight like the woman in California that just had octuplets, but see how close you get to the record!

 

As if Congress doesn’t have enough issues to deal with, one congressman is trying to pass a bill that would require cameraphones to make a sound “audible within a reasonable radius of the phone whenever a photograph is taken with the camera in such phone.” It’s to prevent peeping toms with cameras from hiding. Do you think this is a silly bill? Aren’t there more pressing issues facing the U.S.?

 

According to a recent survey, Young drivers (ages 18 to 24) reported having engaged most often in distracting activity while driving. Here’s what they’ve been up to while driving:

·         62% eating

·         71% cell phone calls

·         24% sending text messages

·         8% applying makeup

·         8% changing clothes

Changing clothes? That’s nuts. What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen someone do while driving?

 

How greedy are you? When faced with the question, “Which would you rather have: More sex or more money?,” Americans choose the money hands down. Two thirds of those polled picked the cash, according to a recent poll for The Rich Dad Company.

 

We took calls one morning about the weirdest way or place you met your significant other. There’s always some entertaining stories with that. Our best came from a woman who said her brother met his wife at a gay bar while playing in a dart league. He called a little while later to try and explain it and got all flustered when we teased him about the ‘ol “dart league excuse” for being in a gay bar.

 

Who is more likely to re-marry, men or woman? A recent study says 80% of divorced men can look forward to new nuptials, especially around 42. It seems men have fewer requirements than women, putting looks and compatibility at the top of the list. Also, men are miserable when single. Woman build a network of friends, men rely on their mate for fun.

 

According to Men’s Health, 55% of women, think that men lack fashion sense and the way they dress needs major help. The magazine says that most of men spend less than 2 minutes picking out what they’re going to wear. Phoner: Ladies, is your man a fashion nightmare? Does he care? Do you care?

 

How much will you be spending on your sweetheart this Valentine’s Day? Why not try to give each other the gift of good health? Yes, I know, it’s not as tasty as good old chocolate. Do you and your spouse want to lose weight? Recent research has shown that being a good role model can help make your spouse healthier, too. Has anyone gotten their spouse out of a bad habit just by changing theirs?

 

According to a recent study, a majority of U.S. high school students say they get bored in class every day. Yes, it’s true. Here’s what they said:

·         50% of the students surveyed said they had skipped school without a valid excuse at least once.

·         66% of high school students complain of boredom, usually because the subject matter was irrelevant or their teachers didn’t seem to care about them.

·         20% has considered dropping out of school.

Phoner: Does anyone feel “used” about the spin that’s put on everyone and everything just to make us buy or support the LIE that is someone’s life and persona? We are being jobbed by everyone and many say, every ad campaign! It’s just a clever phrase or false benefit to encourage you to buy a product you probably don’t really need or want.

 

Is it okay for a boyfriend/husband to go into a women’s purse? What if they needed to grab some cash and weren’t snooping? We had lots of phones, some women said absolutely no way would they let a man get into their purse.

 

Have you ever cried to get something you wanted? There were people who cried to get football tickets, to get a rental car, etc. We had lots of phones from both women and men crying.

 

A couple of female friends of mine (one with a big butt and one with a small one) kept bugging me to find out once and for all which type men prefer. We got a few good calls out of it, but pretty much agreed that it’s not so much whether it’s big or small but how it’s shaped. As one guy put it, a strong, confident woman with a big butt can be sexier than a small, mousey woman.

 

Would you ever lie about the number of partners you’ve had? My cohost says that she always cuts her number at least by half. Do all women do this? A new survey says that if you’re in your 30’s your more likely to lie about that number. The older you are, the less likely you are to lie about it.

 

WEIRD NEWS

 

We’ll Do Anything For Money!
Showbiz Promotions in Jacksonville, Florida must live by the motto: We’ll do anything for money! What else could possibly explain their decision to create and market the “Caylee Sunshine” doll — named for and modeled after that poor murdered little girl, Caylee Anthony. The Caylee Sunshine doll carried a price tag of $29.99 although company president Jaime Salcedo said he planned to donate some of the proceeds to a charity. But public outrage was overwhelming and the company’s web site has announced they are suspending sales of the doll. The story of Caylee Anthony has repeatedly made national headlines. Her body was found by a utility worker in December in the woods near Orlando where she lived with her mother and grandparents. She was reported missing in July. Her mother, Casey Anthony is being charged with her daughter’s murder. (Palm Beach Post)

 

The Nod Seen ’round the World?
This is just ridiculous. Firefighter John Coleman is also a Drum Major that led the Cleveland Firefighter’s Memorial Pipes & Drums band during the inaugural parade for President Barack Obama. Apparently Mr. Coleman was caught on video and broadcast on CNN giving a nod along with a fleeting wave to the president as they marched past him. This, it seems, is a big no-no and band leader, Pipe Major Mike Engle, said the firefighter from Cleveland Heights violated the proper decorum required in a military parade and that members were warned not to make such gestures. Coleman says Obama smiled and waved at him first, and that he was just acknowledging the president. Nevertheless, the pipe and drum band gave him a six-month suspension from his role as Drum Major over the offense. So Coleman he quit. He has been with the band for 17 years and first led the band in the 1993 St. Patrick’s Day Parade. This year’s will be the first in 17 years without him in the lead. Just insane. Just stupid. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

 

We Love You Boss. We’ll Work For Free!
Dave Barham must be the best boss in the world. The owner of Mr. B’s Pancake House in Muskegon, Michigan, has come on some challenging times as business has declined due to the economic recession. So to help out, lead server Mary VanDam asked co-workers if they might be willing to work one shift without pay to help Dave out. All 17 servers, cooks, busboys, dishwashers, cashiers and hostesses agreed and worked the day shift on January 18 for only tips from customers. VanDam said, “This is a wonderful business. We want to see it succeed.” When customers heard about the workers’ effort, they tipped a little more. The workers divided the tips equally and each took home $51. VanDam said Barham met his payroll more than once by dipping into his own pockets. (Muskegon Chronicle)

 

Got Any Good Books On Childbirth?
At the Denver Public Library, unfortunately there was no time to look up any good books on childbirth. A woman who had just gotten off a city bus and walked into the library was well into labor and ended up giving birth just inside the library entrance. Staffers and security guards helped until paramedics arrived and took the mother and her newborn baby girl to Denver Health Medical Center. Hospital spokeswoman Betty Rueda said the mother was in good condition but declined to release information on either, citing privacy rules. (myway.com)

 

3 Dog Bites and 2 Taser Zaps To Get This Guy!
In Elko, Nevada, a 19-year-old burglary suspect may not be the best criminal in the world, but he’s one tough cookie! Sheriff’s deputies said the teen had to be zapped with a Taser twice and bitten by a police dog three times before he finally stopped struggling with officers during his arrest. Police responded to a 911 call about a prowler at 3am when they spotted footprints in the snow by the home’s doors, windows and even on the top of an air conditioning unit. So they brought out Besmo, the police dog, who caught the scent and led them to the suspect who was sitting in his vehicle and appeared intoxicated. When the guy refused to remove his hands from his sweat shirt pocket and exit the vehicle, the dog was ordered to jump through an open window and help extract him. Deputies pulled him to the ground but he still wouldn’t comply so the dog was ordered to bite him again. Still unfazed, the suspect was zapped with a Taser but still wouldn’t give up. A third attack by the dog and another blast from the stun gun finally did the trick. He’s been charged with attempted burglary, obstructing an officer and destruction of private property. (myway.com)

 

Our Pathetic Lawsuit Happy World
Can our society become any more pathetic? Brittany Noffke was a cheerleader at Holmen High School in Madison, Wisconsin, when she fell and injured her head during warmups before a basketball game back in 2004. So she actually filed a lawsuit against the male teammate who dropped her along with the school district and their insurance company. But the Wisconsin Supreme Court has stepped in and said — no way! They say Noffke has no case because Wisconsin law prevents participants in contact sports, including cheerleading, from suing each other for unintentional injuries. That overturns a lower court’s decision. The court also upheld a decision that the school district can’t be sued for the coach’s lack of supervision. (The FDL Reporter)

 

Improve Your Eyesight: Get Out and Play!
Want to help your kids prevent the risk of developing nearsightedness? Then tell ‘em to get outside and play. A new study from Duke University’s Medical Center’s Department of Ophthalmology says the chance of kids developing Myopia, or nearsightedness, is greatly reduced for kids that spend at least 2 hours a day outside. The outside time doesn’t have to be sports. Both active and passive outdoor activities equally protected the child’s vision, according to the report. Duke professor Terri Young said Myopia is the worldwide leading eye disability, and a “significant global public health concern.” Donal Mutti, a guest editor for the study, said that a child’s chances of becoming nearsighted, if he or she has two nearsighted parents, are about 6 in 10 for children who spend 0-5 hours outside a week, but the risk drops to 2 in 10 when outdoor time exceeds 14 hours a week. The study can be found in the January issue of Optometry and Vision Science. (AHN News)

 

HOLE IN THE HEADLINE

·         “Mistrial After Defendant Smears ____s On Lawyer!” (Feces)

·         “Woman Denied Job As Bikini Barmaid ____s!” (Sues)

·         “Boy Pleads Innocent To Impersonating ____!” (Cop)

·         “Mexican Chefs Make World’s Biggest ____-cake!” (Cheese)

·         “Looking For ____, Workers Find $100,000!” (Trash)

·         “____ Recovers $78,000 Diamond Ring!” (Plumber)

·         “Turnout For Record ____ Fight Proves Tepid!” (Snowball)

·         “Landlord Fined For Taking Tenant’s ____!” (Toilet)

·         “Pet Groomer Charged With ____ing Kittens!” (Piercing)

·         “Too Much ____ing Makes Man, 83, Miss Bus!” (Dancing)

·         “Man Spared Jail For Abandoning 280 ____s!” (Rats)

·         “Man Considered Bank Error ‘Gift From ____’!” (God)

MAKING UP FOR THAT BAD SHOW

 

Having a bad show? Send stunt boy out to clean your listener’s houses. It’s your way of saying you’re sorry and asking forgiveness. You might even take it one step further the next time someone calls to complain about your show. Ask the complainer what it would take to win them back as a listener, then do it!

 

DRIVE-BY DOUGHNUTS

 

Very funny bit. Go out to a good size parking lot, get listeners to come by and give them a wireless mic, have them about 100 yards away and you on another mic. Get them to drive by you at about 15-20 mph, and as they drive by you throw a doughnut at the car. If it goes in the side window they win. You might want to have them roll down their window. Key is to not make

it in the car, but hit the car.

 

TOP FIVE SIGNS YOUR CO-WORKER IS FIGHTING A NASTY COLD

1.      Asks if it’s OK to sip your coffee

2.      What’s that cologne? Oh, yes Vicks!

3.      Trash can looks like box of Kleenex exploded

4.      Nose so red, Santa asked if he’d lead his sleigh tonight

5.      He’s reading a copy of Nasty Cold Magazine

HUNTER’S HUMOR by Tim Hunter

 

In Washington State, lawmakers are suggesting the idea of a 4-day school week. Where were these guys when I was growing up?

 

Rod Blagojevich says you can’t imagine what it is like to be Governor of Illinois these days… however, if you make an offer, he’ll see what he can do.

 

Director John Landis is suing Michael Jackson, saying he didn’t receive his share of the profits from the 1983 video, “Thriller.” Michael says he doesn’t know why John’s nose is so out of joint. John said, “Back at ya!”

 

Hidden in the Democratic drawn-up economic recovery bill: $335 million for sexually transmitted disease prevention. I guess this is to help hookers get off their feet and back on their backs again.

 

SLOGAN OFF

 

Classic Edition

·         “Only the best tomatoes grow up to be _____” (Hunts)

·         “Cats know the difference” (Whiskas)

·         “Let the good times roll” (Kawasaki)

·         “Fashion that ticks” (Swatch)

·         “The daily diary of the American dream” (Wall Street Journal)

Modern Edition

·         “High Definition: it’s in ________ DNA” (Sony)

·         “Das Auto” (Volkswagen)

·         “Hand-made, home-baked.” (Papa Murphy’s Pizza)

·         “Are you gellin’?” (Dr. Scholl’s)

·         “The world’s largest hotel chain” (Best Western)

WASH THE MICROPHONE

 

Go to a listener’s house with a wireless microphone encased in a waterproof bag. Put the microphone in the dishwasher and put it through the heaviest cycle possible. As an alternate bit, it might be fun to have someone put their cordless phone through the cycle. Have them put the phone in there (without encasing it in plastic or waterproofing it) and pay them $100 for every minute they stay on the line before the water short circuits the phone.

 

ELOPE ON THE SLOPE

 

Qualify like 10-20 brides. You get them on skis dressed in their wedding dresses and lift them to the top of the mountain. Then they race. First one down who plants a big one on her waiting groom wins a huge prize package that you’ve assembled. You’ll get TV big time for this one.

 

THINGS GUYS WISH WOMEN KNEW ABOUT MEN

 

Shaunti Feldhahn, a syndicated newspaper columnist and author of “For Women Only: What You Need to Know About the Inner Lives of Men,” offers these ten things guys wish women knew about men:

1.      Men would rather feel unloved than inadequate and disrespected

2.      A man’s anger is often a response to feeling disrespected by his wife

3.      Men are insecure

4.      Men feel the burden of being the provider for their family

5.      Men want more sex (duh!)

6.      Sex means more than sex

7.      Men struggle with visual temptation

8.      Men enjoy romance, but doubt their skills to be romantic

9.      Men care about their wife’s appearance

10.  Men want their wives to know how much they love them

JOKE HOLDOVER

 

The time delayed joke. You tell the joke at like 6:35 and tell them that you’ll give them the punchline at about 7:10. It hold them for a while.

 

SELL ME WHAT YOU GOT

 

Sell me what you got. Have listeners call and try to sell you stuff. Whatever they do for a living. They try to sell it to you.

 

TRIVIA

·         Why did President Barack Obama retake the oath of office the day after his inauguration? (Chief Justice John Roberts got the words to the oath a little off when he originally did it)

·         India’s film industry is celebrating the 10 Oscar nominations for “Slumdog Millionaire,” but some Indians have protested against the film. Some say the title is insulting and calls poor people this. (dogs)

·         Veteran quarterback Kurt Warner helped lead the Arizona Cardinals to a win over the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC championship game and into the Super Bowl. Which team did Warner twice help guide to the Super Bowl? (St. Louis Rams)

·         Why did a famed classical music quartet decide to use a previously recorded audiotape of themselves, rather than their live performance, for the broadcast of Barack Obama’s inaugural ceremonies? (The weather was too cold for their instruments to stay in tune)

·         More than 31 million pounds of this has been recalled in the United States due to salmonella contamination. (Peanut Butter)

·         George W. Bush’s twin daughters offered advice in a letter for Obama’s girls. However they did NOT advise to put this under their dad’s seat. (a whoopee cushion)

·         A woman was accused of trying to sell “gothic kittens” on eBay. What had she allegedly done to them? (gave them piercings)

·         Having this in your home will add five months to your life span. (air cleaner)

·         China is feeling the pinch of the economy as celebrations of the year of which animal are being toned down? (Ox)

·         Job seekers may be on the move as Forbes tells them that what U.S. city in the best place to find a job? (Madison, Wis.)

·         What is the mascot of the E.H.S. basketball team in “High School Musical”? (Wildcats)

·         What was the northernmost territory ever controlled by France? (Quebec Canada)

·         Journey, the rock band, was formed in what city/state? (San Francisco, CA)

·         What was the profession of Charlie Brown’s father? (barber)

·         What is the name of the poem that later became the “Star Spangled Banner”? (Defense of Fort McHenry)

·         Which is the only, year sign, in the Chinese Calendar which is not a real animal? (The Dragon)

·         Who is on the corner of the Beatles’ Penny Lane? (“a banker with a motorcar”)

·         Carrie Underwood was born in what city? (Muskogee, Oklahoma)

·         What does the military nickname “G.I.” stand for? (galvanized iron)

·         What was the name of Britain’s first adhesive stamp, which sold for one penny? (Penny Black)

SUPER BLOW

 

Have a listener take 2 eggs and label one the NFC, the other the AFC. Put both uncooked eggs in the microwave. Set timer and start microwave. The eggs will explode. The first egg to explode loses. The winner of the “Super Blow” is the remaining egg. Thus predicting the outcome of the game. (If the person has never put an uncooked egg in the micro before don’t tell them what to expect. They’re shocked screams turning to disgust make great radio!)

 

DVD BOWL

 

Give away football movie rentals. Here are some favorite football movies:

·         “The Longest Yard,” Burt Reynolds and the Mean Machine take it to the prison guards in this behind bars gridiron classic.

·         “North Dallas Forty,” this was the movie that the NFL didn’t want anybody to see.

·         “Brian’s Song,” who says guys aren’t sensitive?

·         “Rudy,” this movie was for all those scrubs in football.

·         “The Program,” this was college football at it’s best portrayal.

·         “Jim Thorpe: All American Hero,” now you’ll know why he made Madden’s Millenium Team.

·         “The Waterboy,” Adam Sandler did football like Happy Gilmore did golf.

·         “Varsity Blues,” high school football at it’s best! One out of three high school players had a coach like Jon Voight.

·         “Lucas,” Corey Haim in a role that you actually felt sorry for him.

·         “48 Hours To Glory,” this TNT Documentry followed the Vikings, and the Cowboys in 1997 for one whole weekend. Great behind the scenes footage.

·         “Wildcats,” Goldie Hawn as a coach, Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson as hungry actors.

·         “Jerry Mcguire,” Drew Bledsoe was in this movie, and he did not throw one interception.

·         “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective,” “Laces Out!” Jim Carrey and Dan Marino search for the Dolphins missing mascot.

·         “Necessary Roughness,” Scott Bakula plays a middle aged college QB leading a team of misfits to glory.

·         “Little Giants,” every NFL team should have the Annexation of Puerto Rico in their playbooks.

·         “The Best Of Times,” Kurt Russell and Robin Williams provide many laughs in this story.

·         “All The Right Moves,” that Tom Cruise… Boy, the 80’s were good to him.

·         “Black Sunday,” Super Bowl Sunday! Terrorists! And a Goodyear blimp filled with machine gun rounds.

·         “Gus,” Disney’s Wonder Kicking Mule. I’ll send a special shout out to anyone who knows the secret password for Gus to kick.

·         “Heaven Can Wait,” Warren Beatty as a QB? What’s next, a chicken eatin, rapping, wannabe Senator?

·         “The Last Boy Scout,” “Tae Bo” Billy Blanks shows how a .45 can be a helpful assist when scoring a touchdown during the opening scene.

·         “Any Given Sunday,” Oliver Stone’s ‘reality version’ of the ‘game’.

TOP 5 WAYS THE SUPER BOWL WOULD BE MORE APPEALING TO WOMEN

1.      All cheerleaders required to have fat thighs and bad hair.

2.      Fewer split ends, more tight ends.

3.      15-yard penalty for crotch grabbing, spitting, or nose blowing during extreme closeup shots.

4.      Tear-away pants!

5.      One word… Showercam!

COSMO’S GUYS YOU THINK YOU SHOULD DATE… BUT SHOULDN’T

·         Adrenaline Junkie — This dude skydives, surfs, runs with the bulls anything for the rush. And he has the sick abs and chiseled arms to prove it. But to keep him happy, you need to be in perpetual motion, too. This guy does not like to sit on his ass and he doesn’t like for you to sit on yours either. And it isn’t just a phase. In his late 30s, he’ll get into marathons, and they’ll lead to triathlons and eventually to the Ironman competition. Yeah, that means a trip to Hawaii but instead of chilling on the beach, you’ll be cheering him on from the sidelines. Having fun yet?

·         Nice Guy With a Chip on His Shoulder — He’ll ridicule the “tools who are trying too hard” with bold clothing choices to seem down-to-earth, but here’s his dirty little secret: He spends just as much time picking out his outfit as his more fashion-conscious counterparts do. Under the casual exterior is a calculating killjoy with mom issues. He’ll stand at the bar, thinking ‘Why is that girl going for that dude over there? One day, she’ll come to her senses and get with a nice guy like me!’ The truth is, he’s so preoccupied with being overlooked that he’d be totally oblivious to your attention.

·         Smooth Operator — He’s the type that rolls up to the club in an Escalade and holds court in the VIP section, ordering bottle service all night. Though he got Ds in high school, he now scores A, B, and C cups with entertaining small talk and name-dropping. Yeah, he’s a Casanova in a skull cap, it replaced his trucker hat about a year ago. But this lid spells trouble. It takes confidence to pull it off with a straight face, too much confidence. There “is” such a thing. He’ll shower you with attention, but beware: You may not be the only chick in that shower.

·         Workaholic Hotshot — This guy is always dressed to the nines, because he’s loaded. Simmer down the cash flow comes at a price. He toils until the wee hours, then loosens his tie and parties like there’s no tomorrow. Unfortunately, there is tomorrow, and it starts in like three hours. What little time he has for you will be shared with his BlackBerry. The ugly truth: Money is the love of his life, and you’re just a mistress or second mistress, since he’s probably crunching more than numbers with his secretary. (Cosmopolitan)

SWEETHEART ATTACK PACKS

 

Next week, we’re going to give away “Sweetheart Attack Packs.” They include a dozen roses, a heart-shaped pizza, dinner for two, a love songs CD plus each winner qualifies for a trip for two to Las Vegas and jewelry. We’ve been getting stupid with cupid and come up with several sweetheart games, like “Name That Sweetheart.” We give you 1/2 of the team you give us the significant other.

·         Herman Munster (Lily)

·         Gomez Addams (Morticia)

·         Chandler Bing (Monica)

·         Tim Taylor (Jill)

·         Rob Petrie (Laura)

·         Fred G. Sanford (Elizabeth)

THE BITTER BALL

 

This is a great idea for Valentine’s Day. A dance for people who are bitter about the love thing. Divorced or recently broke up people who need to purge and have some fun. Have them bring old pictures and notes so that you can burn them or even shoot them with paint ball guns. There’s a lot of fun to be had with this.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

01.28.09

 SHOW PREP JANUARY 28, 2009

 

HOLLYWOOD 411 . . .

 

Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney is planning to marry his American girlfriend Nancy Shevell. Sir Paul and daughter MarySir Paul McCartney is to marry his American girlfriend Nancy Shevell sources have told the Mirror. McCartney met Shevell 30 years ago when the pair used to holiday with their respective families on America’s East Coast and now the couple are to marry insiders claim. “Nancy and Sir Paul are totally natural together and feel blessed to have found happiness,” a source explained before saying the former Beatle had also gained the blessing of his children. “Unlike Heather Mills, Nancy is a multi-millionaire in her own right and therefore could never be portrayed as being interested in Sir Paul for his money. She is calm, measured and mature, whereas Heather is fiery and impulsive. Getting Stella’s seal of approval was very important for Paul. All Paul’s children had massive reservations about Heather – but it was Stella who was the most vociferous.” (Handbag)

 

A rep for the former Beatle is smacking down a pair of newspaper stories that he is looking to get hitched with lady love Nancy Shevell now that her divorce has become official. “[There's] no truth to it,” says publicist Paul Freundlich. Both the Sunday Mirror and Sunday Telegraph reported that McCartney sought and received the all-clear from his four adult children, including fashion designer Stella, to marry the New York native. The newspapers claimed that the New York State Supreme Court had granted Shevell a divorce from Bruce Blakeman on Dec. 9, ending a 23-year union. However, neither publication cited any public legal documents, and none have surfaced so far. (Launch)

 

Former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell has confirmed her engagement to Italian shipping tycoon Fabrizio Politi. Geri Halliwell has confirmed she is engaged to her boyfriend of just over a month, Italian shipping tycoon, Fabrizio Politi. The pair met in December at the opening of the world’s first Cavalli club in Florence and have recently just returned from a romantic break in the Maldives. “We are delighted to announce the engagement of Geri Halliwell and Fabrizio Politi,” a statement from the former Spice Girls’ management read. “As a token of their commitment to each other Fabrizio presented Geri with an engagement ring over the festive season. There are no immediate plans for marriage as the couple are enjoying their engagement.” Friends have told the Daily Mail though they believe this is the real thing. “They spent as much time as possible with each other over Christmas and the New year,” a source claimed. “It’s definitely the real deal. Geri can’t believe how well they get on. Fabrizio is great with her daughter.” (Handbag)

 

Multi-award winner Kate Winslet has explained how she’s managed to look so great on the red carpet this award season. Kate Winslet has revealed how she’s managed to look great on the red carpets during this year’s awards season. The favorite for this year’s Best Actress Oscar told People magazine that nerves and no dieting have kept her looking her best. “To be honest with you, I’m more nervous through this award season than I have ever been before in my life,” she explained on the red carpet of the SAG awards, where she took home an award for her role in The Reader. “I’m still not used to it at all. I’m not exercising at all, and I’m eating whatever I like. Pressure? Gone! That’s how I’m going to get through it.” (Handbag)

 

Kate Winslet and Sam Mendes refuse to fly together because they are so worried of dying in an accident and leaving their two children orphaned. According to a friend the pair’s fear is founded on a number of aviation near-misses. Sam Mendes was originally booked on American Airlines flight 77 on September 11, 2001; the plane which was hijacked by terrorists and crashed into the Pentagon. Meanwhile, one month later, the Golden Globe actress was on a flight to Dallas when a passenger announced he was a terrorist, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing. “Where possible, Kate and Sam do prefer to travel in separate planes. It is not always possible but, for obvious reasons regarding the children, they do travel separately when they can,” a spokesperson for the pair explained. The pair have one son together, Joe, while Winslet has a daughter from her first marriage to Jim Threapleton. (British Glamour)

 

Madonna has resumed her “affair of the heart” with Alex Rodriguez. Madge spent last weekend with the Yankee slugger – and Joe Torre target – at the East Hampton home of Jerry and Jessica Seinfeld, sources said. But the downtime did little to calm the recently divorced pop star’s nerves. She’s fuming over unflattering photos from her album cover shoot that were leaked online. A snitch said, “Madonna called up the label screaming when the photos got out.” Madonna’s rep didn’t return e-mails. (Page Six)

 

Lindsay Lohan looks teeny-tiny in recent photos, but her rep insists she’s not heading back to her scary- skinny period. Responding to rumors we heard that Lohan is “surviving on candy and Red Bull” and “completely stressed out” by her rocky relationship with Samantha Ronson, her flack insisted she’s fine: “Lindsay is aware that she’s lost some weight due to stress, but we recently did a photo shoot and she ate two full meals.” (Page Six)

 

Could Jennifer Lopez be trying to restart her acting career by hitting Broadway? Insiders say Lopez is interested in starring in “In the Heights,” the musical about Washington Heights. She went to the show twice last week and accompanied the producer, Meryl Poster, to dinner Friday evening at Nobu 57, where they discussed roles. Another insider said Lopez might be more interested in a movie version, as Broadway shows are exhausting and time consuming, and Poster also produced the screen version of “Chicago.” A rep for Lopez said, “She loves the play but is not Broadway bound.” (Page Six)

 

The Jolie-Pitt clan has landed in Japan. Two days after walking the red carpet at Sunday’s Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were spotted — with all six of their kids — at Narita International Airport in Tokyo on Tuesday. Jolie was photographed carrying 6-month-old twin Viv, while Pitt held Knox. Maddox, 7, Zahara, 4, Pax, 5, Shiloh, 2 — who walked alongside their parents — don’t mind all the globetrotting, Jolie recently said. “Our kids are always packing,” she told Entertainment Tonight. “They like to pack; it’s a game in our house.” It can get very hard trying to find 20 minutes to close your eyes if you’ve been up since four in the morning,” Jolie said. “We travel so much, we never have to adjust. We change school time to four in the afternoon if we have to!” The family is expected to settle in New York’s Long Island in March as Jolie shoots the spy thriller Edwin A. Salt. (US Weekly)

 

Jennifer Aniston says just because she’s a celebrity doesn’t mean she necessarily has more luck in the love department. “I think it’s just hard to date,” said the actress, 39, who recently discussed dating with her He’s Just Not That Into You costars on Extra. “It’s not like we’re kids. We’re not dating.” Added actress Ginnifer Goodwin (who recently split with actor Chris Klein): “I love dates.” But Aniston said dating is better “once you’ve met someone” and have gone out a couple of times. Scarlett Johansson — who wed Ryan Reynolds last year — agreed. “Dating to me is like you’re with somebody and you’re committed to them. And you have date night, and it’s romantic,” she said.  Is the art of dating dying? “Not for me. I like dinner. I like to be asked on a date,” their costar Drew Barrymore said. “I like tradition.” Joked Aniston, “I’ll ask you on a date! I will take you to dinner, and I will call you on your phone.” He’s Just Not That Into You opens Feb. 6. (US Weekly)

 

17-year old Emma Roberts tells USA Today she is getting ready for college. “I just sent out all my applications,” says the Hotel for Dogs star, who is currently home-schooled. “I only applied to three schools because I figure if I don’t get into my top choice, I’ll defer and apply again. I want to study photography, literature and writing.” But she doesn’t want to give up acting. She’d even like to win an Oscar, but she has a few other things she wants to accomplish first. “I’d love to have a really nice boyfriend. I would love to have been to Paris. I’ve never been. I’d love to have my own photography coffee-table book,” she says. “And I’d love to get my license. It’s been a catastrophe,” she goes on. “I got my permit the first try and went to get my license and failed. Then my permit expired. I just got my permit again a couple of weeks ago, so hopefully I’ll get my license soon.” But don’t expect Emma — whose mom, Kelly Cunningham, split from her dad, Eric Roberts, shortly after Emma was born – to ask her Oscar-winning Aunt Julia for help. She says the most annoying question she gets about Julia is “probably what advice she gives me. “At the end of the day, she’s my aunt, not Julia Roberts,” Emma says. “I don’t go to her for advice about things. I’m seeing her after this, and I’m just going to go say hi and play with the kids and hang out. It’s so much fun.” (US Weekly)

 

Jessica Alba has taken to her blog to defend herself over accusations made by Bill O’Reilly and TMZ.com that she is “dumb.” When a TMZ.com reporter approached her at an inauguration event last week, she tried to turn the tables on him by asking him what Barack Obama’s greatest characteristic was. When the reporter said he felt uncomfortable answering because he is a journalist, Alba replied, “be neutral – be Sweden about it.” TMZ.com later called her a “ditz” and an “arrogant buffoon” for saying Sweden instead of Switzerland when referring to the neutral country during WWII. O’Reilly – whom Alba had called an “a-hole” at the same event – also called her “dumb” for mixing up the countries. But on her blog, Alba writes, “I find it depressing that, in the midst of perhaps the most salient time in our country’s history, individuals are taking it upon themselves to encourage negativity and stupidity. “Last week, Mr. Bill O’Reilly and some really classy sites (i.e. TMZ) insinuated I was dumb by claiming Sweden was a neutral country. I appreciate the fact that he is a news anchor and that gossip sites are inundated with intelligent reporting, but seriously people… it’s so sad to me that you think the only neutral country during WWII was Switzerland.” She then linked to a Wikipedia article to prove Sweden was also a neutral country. Added Alba, “I appreciate the name calling and the accurate reporting. Keep it up!!” Before signing off, she posted a video of her trip to the inauguration. (US Weekly)

 

Rapper-turned-actress Queen Latifah will share her tips for happiness in a new life-coaching book, aimed at inspiring her fans. The Chicago star, born Dana Owens, has signed a deal with Grand Central Publishing, which will see her release a tome next year. Jamie Raab, Grand Central’s Executive Vice President and Publisher, tells Aol’s BlackVoices.com, “We are delighted to be publishing Queen Latifah’s new book. “Throughout her career, she has consistently taken on new challenges, and, through her vision, hard work and great talent, has achieved success in so many arenas. What she has accomplished in every facet of her life is extraordinary, and makes for a book of life lessons that I know readers will find deeply inspirational.” Editor Karen Thomas adds, “We are delighted that Queen Latifah will share her powerful presence with readers from all walks of life. She is an incredible role model for young women and I look forward to working with her.” The book is Latifah’s second; she released her memoir Ladies First: Revelations of a Strong Woman in 1999. (Teen Hollywood)

 

Strictly Come Dancing winner Alesha Dixon has claimed men are too scared to chat her up. Alesha Dixon has said that men are ‘too scared’ to talk to her. The singer claims she’s now got a reputation for being demanding after moaning about lazy men on her last single The Boy Does Nothing. “I think it’s put men off me – they probably think that I expect them to wash up and clean up after me,” she told Digital Spy. “They probably think, ‘Oh God, I better stay away from her!’ It’s not really helping with my single status at the moment!” Alesha, who split with ex-husband MC Harvey over his alleged affair with fellow singer Javine Hylton, also added that she would never consider flirting with someone who already had a partner. “I don’t have the tendency to look at guys who have girlfriends. If I know someone’s in a relationship I just don’t look at them like that out of principle.” (Handbag)

 

Former X Factor judge Sharon Osbourne has revealed her daughter Kelly is back in rehab. Kelly Osbourne has gone back to into a rehab facility her mum Sharon has revealed. “Yeah, Kelly’s in rehab,” Sharon told radaronline.com. “What else can we say? She knew that it was the right thing to do at this point, and we’re proud that she did it. The family is all standing behind her. Kelly knew that she needed help, and she’s getting it. Kelly will tell you herself when she gets out. We just pray that everything’s going to be okay. This is one of the absolute worst things that a parent can face, for their child to go through rehab. And not once, but twice.” Kelly’s previous rehab stay was for a painkiller addiction in 2004. (Handbag)

 

As we’ve already mentioned, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame has been vandalized. Anti-fur activists scribbled “Fur Hags” on their star. Even Aretha Franklin’s star got vandalized as well. And, now we’ve found out that Sharon Stone’s star was also tagged up. How many other stars were targeted??? This isn’t the answer to get these celebs to stop wearing fur. Somehow we think PETA is smarter than this, so we wouldn’t be surprised if it were just some random vandals putting graffiti on the stars. Hopefully PETA will release a statement soon, discouraging these illegal acts. (Perez Hilton)

 

Olivia Newton-John’s onetime boyfriend, who disappeared in 2005 and was presumed to have drowned at sea, may be alive after having faked his own vanishing act, according to a private investigator hired by Dateline NBC. Former cameraman Patrick McDermott apparently slipped out of sight to escape debts and let his son cash in a $100,000 life-insurance policy, believes investigator Philip Klein.  Though devastated at the time, Newton-John did move on after McDermott was presumed to be permanently gone. In summer 2008 she married natural-health businessman John Easterling. But, Klein told the NBC news program, the singer regularly logs onto the PI’s Web site for updates on McDermott, who has been sighted nearly 20 times along the Mexican and South American coastline. (People)

 

Best-selling author John Updike has died at age 75 after battling lung cancer, his publicist said. (CNN)

 

 

THE OTHER STUFF . . .

 

George Clooney traded jokes with his father, veteran journalist Nick Clooney, before a screening Monday night of the actor’s 2005 film “Good Night and Good Luck.” The 47-year-old actor wrote and directed the film about legendary journalist Edward R. Murrow, which his father is now using to teach journalism students at American University. Both Clooneys appeared at a screening of the film for students, alumni and others at the Newseum, a museum about the news. Nick Clooney said it’s important to him that college students can learn from his son’s work. “I don’t care for that,” George snapped back. “Never cared for this kid! His sister’s great,” the elder Clooney quipped. “I always wanted to be adopted, couldn’t find anyone,” the son said, drawing laughs. The younger Clooney said he grew up hearing about Murrow, and their family took pride in how journalists held the government accountable during the paranoia of the 1950s communist threat. Clooney said he wanted to make a movie to let people hear some “really well-written words about the fourth estate again.” Clooney, a vocal critic of the Iraq war, said he felt pressure to get the movie right because of criticism at the time that Hollywood actors were becoming too politically active. “I realized if I was going to do a movie like this, I was going to have to get everything right,” he said. Part of Clooney’s film portrayed Murrow’s struggle to maintain support from CBS executives for critical reporting on Sen. Joseph McCarthy. “You will get precisely the news you deserve if you accept mediocrity,” Nick Clooney told his journalism students. The Clooneys are from Kentucky, where Nick Clooney worked as a TV news anchor before moving to stations in Cincinnati, Salt Lake City and Los Angeles. He also wrote a newspaper column in Cincinnati. Former TV news executive Bill Small, who was president of NBC News and a CBS Washington bureau chief, joined the Clooneys to critique the film. “It’s kind of nice to see these pleasant looking actors and actresses pretending to be the people I knew,” he said. (Daily Record)

 

And so the Michael Jackson comeback begins…on Broadway. Finally making good on years of promises about his showbiz return, the erstwhile King of Pop today announced that he is working on a stage musical based on his 1982 masterpiece, Thriller, with the theatrical overlords in the Nederlander Organization. “The Nederlanders and Michael Jackson represent live theater and musical excellence, so the let music begin,” said Jackson’s rep, Dr. Tohme Tohme. The Moonwalker plans to oversee “every aspect of the creative process,” and will provide songs from Thriller (including the title cut, “Billie Jean,” “Beat It” and “P.Y.T.”) as well as tracks from his 1979 multiplatinum solo smash, Off The Wall, which featured “Rock With You,” “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” and “She’s Out of My Life.” The plot will presumably follow that of his groundbreaking 14-minute “Thriller” video. Directed by John Landis (Animal House, An American Werewolf in London), the horror-spoofing story focused on Jackson and his date chased by some booty-shaking zombies. “I love the idea of making Thriller a musical. Girl meets boy, they fall in love, boy has big secret,” quipped producer James L. Nederlander, whose company runs nine Broadway theaters. Last month, Thome shot down reports that the 50-year-old entertainer was battling a life-threatening lung condition. Instead, the rep insisted, Jackson had all kinds of big plans for 2009. “Mr. Jackson is in fine health, and finalizing negotiations with a major entertainment company and television network for both a world tour and a series of specials and appearances,” said Tohme. No word yet when Thriller the Musical will make its debut on the Great White Way. (Launch)

 

The creator of “Star Trek” and his wife will spend eternity together in space. Celestis Inc., a company that specializes in “memorial spaceflights,” said Monday that it will ship the remains of Gene Roddenberry and Majel Barrett Roddenberry into space next year. The couple’s cremated remains will be sealed into specially made capsules designed to withstand the rigors of space travel. A rocket-launched spacecraft will carry the capsules, along with digitized tributes from fans. The Roddenberrys’ remains – and the spacecraft – will travel ever deeper into space and will not return to earth, company spokeswoman Susan Schonfeld said. After Gene Roddenberry died in 1991, his wife commissioned Celestis to launch a part of his remains into space in 1997. She died Dec. 18, 2008. (Daily Record)

 

Matt Damon campaigned aggressively for Barack Obama last year. So why wasn’t he in Washington D.C. last week for the historic inauguration? “[My wife] Luciana and I decided we wanted to go,” he tells the Miami Herald. “But when I called my contacts from the campaign, they just started laughing: ‘We worked on the campaign for 2 1/2 years, and we’re not going. Forget it.’ “But then they called me back the next day and said, ‘Hey, we’ve got two tickets for you, in the bleachers, and you’ll actually be able to see Obama take the oath. Just $25,000 apiece.’” It was then that Damon (who lives with his wife and three daughters in Miami Beach) knew, “I’m going to watch. From my couch.” Damon — whose latest Untitled Jason Bourne Project is now in production for a 2010 release — also spoke out about how his famous assassin character is nothing like James Bond. “They could never make a James Bond movie like any of the Bourne films,” Damon said. “Because Bond is an imperialist, misogynist sociopath who goes around bedding women and swilling martinis and killing people. He’s repulsive. “Steve [Soderbergh, who produced Damon's 2005 spy movie, Syriana] told me that years ago he was offered a Bond movie,” the actor went on. “He told them he’d do it if they gave him creative control. “‘Absolutely not,’ they said. They have a formula, they stick to it, and it makes them a lot of money. They know what they’re doing, and they’re going to keep doing it.” When he does a Bourne film, Damon later added, he never feels like he’s “slumming.” (US Weekly)

 

Gabriela Montero says she and the other members of the Obama inauguration quartet were not trying to fool anybody by having recorded music played in the biting cold. Shaken by comparisons to lip-syncers Milli Vanilli, the pianist insists she and fellow musicians Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman and Anthony McGill “did the right thing.” “What is upsetting me these days is the fact that we put so much love into this, with a very profound desire to make it so beautiful,” the Venezuelan-American pianist said Tuesday in a telephone interview from Boston. “My only regret is that, unfortunately, some people have chosen to focus on the wrong thing.” Just before Obama was sworn in on Jan. 20 with temperatures in the 20s, the quartet appeared to play “Air and Simple Gifts,” a short work composed for the occasion by John Williams. Montero said the quartet actually did play, but the music was drowned out by the amplified music. The group recorded the work two days earlier but still intended to play it live, she said. A day before the inauguration, about half a dozen keys on the Steinway were sticking, and the piano was not projecting enough sound, Montero said. “We decided that it would have been a disaster if we went out there with that cold, with the wind, and played our instruments out of tune,” she said. “Can you imagine what kind of tone it would have set? … It would absolutely have been a pathetic way to lead a president into his oath and the moment that this country was waiting for so eagerly.” Would she do anything different? “I thought, `Should there have been an announcement?’ But there wasn’t the right time to announce something like that,” Montero said. “We were so excited and so happy, and we still are,” she said. “We’re very sure we did the right thing as professional musicians.” (Daily Record)

 

AJ McLean is a recovering alcoholic — so it was heartbreaking to see the Backstreet Boy stumbling out of the Key Club last night, appearing to be wasted out of his mind. As McLean nearly falls into the street, one of his friends calls him out — right out in the middle of Hollywood — emotionally confronting the guy who went rehab for alcohol and cocaine abuse in 2001… and again 2002. Witnesses inside the Key Club say they saw McLean taking shots and drinking beers during the show. After the confrontation, McLean’s friends forced him into a cab and sent him home. McLean was reportedly six years sober in 2008. Calls to McLean’s rep have not yet been returned. (TMZ)

 

Depending on the way you look at it… if you buy Dylan McDermott’s home right now, you’ll either be saving $2 mil or losing $9 mil. McDermott has chopped off almost 20% of the $11 million price tag his Brentwood (L.A.) pad boasted back in August — it was listed last week at a smidgen under $9 mil, according to Realtor.com. We’re guessing that pesky divorce from wife Shiva Rose may have something to do with it. Fun Facts: The house — which is one block from where OJ’s infamous Brentwood home used to be — was sold to Dylan in ‘99 by Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas … who bought it in ‘97 from Michelle Pfeiffer. (TMZ)

 

Getting a reservation at one of Mario Batali’s eateries is now even more impossible if your name is Gordon Ramsay. The beefy “Iron Chef” has prohibited the star of Fox’s “Hell’s Kitchen,” who runs a fancy place at the London NYC Hotel, from entering any of Batali’s dining spots, including the Spotted Pig and Babbo, after Ramsay began calling him “Fanta Pants” to make fun of the orange shorts Batali sometimes wears. The effeminate moniker is a nod to the popular brand of orange soda. “I’ve banned him from my restaurants,” Batali sniffed to London’s Guardian. “Ramsay’s people call, trying to book tables, and I say no. I won’t have him in there.” The feud goes back 18 months to when loudmouth Batali labeled rival Ramsay’s culinary fare dull and outdated and said he didn’t get New York. Batali says Ramsay retaliated by making up the nickname, which he sneakily spread behind his back. “Gordon bugs me . . . Now he goes about town calling me Fanta Pants,” Batali fumed. He notes the ban could be lifted, “If [Gordon] called me himself and said, ‘Let’s sit down for a drink.’ I’m sure it would be fine. We’d be cool. But right now it’s not cool.” Ramsay’s rep tried to make light of the simmering dispute, telling Page Six the two egomaniacal chefs will “get together someday and have a good laugh about it all.”

Meanwhile, in another kitchen drama, the divorce proceedings between London legend Marco Pierre White and his wife are getting expensive. Mati White has handed a $335,000 ring to her lawyers after running up nearly $1.4 million in legal bills, Britain’s Daily Mail reports. The ring is a flawless, 6-carat diamond set in an Art Deco platinum band. Friends said she turned down a lucrative settlement from the thrice-married, Michelin-starred chef before Christmas. Her lawyer, Marcus Dearle, didn’t get back to us but told the Mail he had no comment. (Page Six)

 

Trite as it might be, having Jennifer Aniston on the same red carpet and under the same roof as Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie the night of the Oscars would be good for ratings. That’s probably why Aniston’s name is surfacing as a possible Oscar presenter for the Feb. 22 ceremony. The presenters are being kept under wraps for now, but even just having Pitt’s ex-wife on the red carpet might give ratings a boost. It’s customary for actors currently promoting films to make a red-carpet appearance at the show anyway. Aniston’s next film, “He’s Just Not That Into You,” opens Feb. 6. (Scoop)

 

Let’s lift a leg in tribute to Leona Helmsley. The late hotel queen topped the annual Slate list of 60 largest charitable donors for bequeathing a whopping $5.2 billion to support the welfare of homeless dogs. Also on the list is Revlon czar Ron Perelman, who donated $63.5 million to the Weill Medical Center for cancer research, education and patient care, in memory of his ex-wife, former Page Six editor Claudia Cohen, who died in 2007. (Page Six)

 

We have a feeling this won’t sell well! Out-of-touch designer Tom Ford just put up $990 jeans for sale. You may be wondering, what makes them worth all that dough? Well, it’s made from Japanese selvedge denim that feels and looks raw but has been pre-washed and pre-shrunken so the indigo doesn’t rub off on your clothes. The button is plated with 18-karat gold, and the pockets are silk lined. Even rich people are broke these days, Tom. Good luck with selling your overpriced jeans! (Perez Hilton)

 

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences is on the warpath against scalpers charging an astronomical amount for tickets to the Oscars. In a lawsuit filed Monday in Federal District Court, the Academy claims McMurry Inc. and the individuals who run it are trying to sell packages to the Oscars at $175,000 a pop. The Academy says unsuspecting people may be buying the packages, not realizing the tickets are non-transferable and the guests would in fact be trespassers. And get this …the Academy claims the defendants are aware of the high security at the awards so the scalpers are doing their own screening for “celebrity stalkers and terrorists.” The packages — offered on the McMurry website and its magazine “6″ — include a seven-day stay in L.A., luxury hotel accommodations, a sightseeing trip and tickets to the Academy Awards. The Academy is asking a judge for an injunction to put the brakes on McMurry. It also wants compensatory and punitive damages. (TMZ)

 

Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe has hit out at the British monarchy, insisting the royal family epitomizes what is “wrong” with the U.K. The London-born star doesn’t understand his native country’s admiration for the reigning Queen Elizabeth II and her heirs because he doesn’t believe the upper classes should be celebrated. And though he recognizes he is above working class, he is adamant the royals should not be put on a pedestal. He tells the Daily Beast website, “I am not a royalist. Not at all… I just don’t see the use of the monarchy – though I’m (a) fierce patriot. I’m proud proud proud of being English, but I think the monarchy symbolizes a lot of what was wrong with the country. Not that they’re doing anything wrong – but that symbol of class division is not something I particularly like – and I am a very upper-middle-class kid.” And Radcliffe has weighed in on the Queen’s grandson Prince Harry’s recent race row, in which he was caught on camera referring to a Pakistani Army colleague as a “P*ki”. He adds: “I have nothing against the royals as people. I’ve never met them. But in terms of that particular comment about Pakistanis, Prince Harry said a very stupid thing. He was probably very young at the time. I hope he has learned since not to say such a thing or at least learned not to be filmed saying it. The big deal to me was his wearing a Nazi uniform at that costume party.” The young royal caused outrage last month in 2005 when he was photographed at a friend’s fancy dress party wearing a Nazi soldier uniform. (Teen Hollywood)

 

Comedian Russell Brand has claimed he sleeps with three women a day. Russell Brand has said that he sleeps with up to three women a day and claims to have bedded a 61-year-old in his youth. “Work out how many days and, here’s a simple rule, triple it,” he told GQ magazine when asked for his monthly average. “I love it. I’ve a very addictive personality, and it’s very easy for me to get compulsive about anything sensual. “Sometimes I think, ‘Come on, have a day off’.” Hands up who believes him. (Handbag)

 

Michael Kors will resort to stealing from the dead — according to a new lawsuit. TMZ has obtained a Federal lawsuit filed Monday by a famous designer’s company, claiming the “Project Runway” judge brazenly ripped off designs for a clothing line. Here’s what’s interesting — the company was owned by acclaimed designer Tony Duquette, who died in 1999. According to the suit, last year Kors unveiled his Resort Collection, which allegedly is a direct rip on Duquette’s work. Even worse, the suit claims Kors had the audacity to also publicly refer to the Collection as the “Duquette Collection.” The suit seeks all sorts of damages from Kors. (TMZ)

 

John Travolta has officially been named as a witness in the extortion case being prosecuted by the Bahamian attorney general, E! News has exclusively learned. The court docket filed by prosecutors late Monday at Magistrate’s Court in New Providence lists 14 witnesses, among them Travolta; his Bahamian lawyer, Allyson Maynard; and his U.S.-based lawyers, Michael Ossi and Michael McDermott. Because Gibson has been called as a witness she cannot represent Travolta. Instead, another lawyer from her firm, Damian Gomez, will represent the actor. “The matter is between the Crown and whoever is accused. Mr. Travolta has an interest in the process as virtual complainant and to the extent that he is interested in this litigation I will be acting on his behalf,” Gomez tells E! News. While he will not be assisting prosecutors, Gomez said he will be ensuring that the Travoltas are “protected.” “The Travoltas are merely protecting whatever privacy rights they have and we are advising them on how to do that,” he said, adding, “They have made a criminal complaint.” Paramedic Tarino Lightbourne pleaded not guilty earlier Monday to attempted extortion and conspiracy to extort. His lawyer, Sen. Pleasant Bridgewater, was charged with conspiracy to extort. She has resigned her political post and will be arraigned Wednesday. She has denied the charges. Travolta pal and M.P. Obie Wilchcombe, who was detained for questioning on Friday, is not currently listed as a witness. The witnesses “are expected to give evidence against Lightbourn and Bridgewater in court. They would not actually have to do anything until the trial starts,” a court insider tells E! News. “The presence of their names on the dockets just means the prosecution plans to call them as witnesses, and, barring any extenuating circumstances, they will be.” The Travolta camp announced a week ago that the grieving family had been targeted in a $25 million extortion scheme involving their late son, Jett. As E! News reported yesterday, the FBI has been brought in to assist local authorities with the evidence. (Eonline)

 

Fabolous went from “Nothin’ to Somethin’” on his last album, but at an Atlanta restaurant, his credit is back to nothing. The rapper showed up at the hot Eros World Tapas Bar on Saturday with an entourage of more than 20, a source said. They requested “the usual excess of champagne and alcohol, so the manager asked for a credit card to start a tab.” Unfortunately, Fabolous’ credit cards were all declined. “By the fifth credit card, the entourage member designated to take care of his tab goes outside,” our source said, “only to start a fight with the outside bouncer. He tripped and fell, hitting his head on the concrete and started bleeding. The manager called an ambulance. But as soon as the entourage member also saw the police, he began running away, blood oozing down his face.” Fabolous and his posse stayed and ordered champagne but paid cash. Reps for the restaurant and the rapper declined to comment. (Page Six)

 

Music producer Phil Spector’s second jury will tour his Alhambra mansion where actress Lana Clarkson died of a gunshot wound, just as the first jury did, despite prosecution objections. Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler rejected the objections Monday, but laid down strict rules. The final phases of Spector’s second murder trial will continue Tuesday. The judge said Spector’s young wife Rachelle can’t be present in sight of the jurors during the tour and a burbling fountain in the courtyard may have to be turned off. Prosecutors complained that during the first jury’s tour, Spector tried to manipulate the fountain to suggest a chauffeur could not have heard him clearly when he allegedly said, “I think I killed somebody.” Deputy district attorneys Alan Jackson and Truc Do gave the judge e-mail exchanges they obtained between Spector and his first defense team in which a jury consultant suggested “the fountain be on full bore.” During the first jury’s tour, the panelists asked to have the fountain turned on and off so they could hear the ambient noise from it. Fidler agreed to consider having the fountain on if it is found that there is only an on-off switch and no way to manipulate the sound. Defense attorney Doron Weinberg wants to duplicate the scene on Feb. 3, 2003, when Clarkson came there with Spector. A time for the tour was not immediately set but was expected to take place next week. The prosecutors also gave the judge an e-mail from Spector to the lawyers in his first trial threatening in expletive-punctuated statements to create a scene if prosecutors tried to stage manage the situation at his home. “You better take control of the situation or I will,” he wrote. “… I have a big mouth.” Spector, 68, the eccentric rock ‘n’ roll legend renowned for his “Wall of Sound” recording technique, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of Clarkson, 40, a blonde beauty who became a 1980s cult figure following her starring role in the film “Barbarian Queen.” The new jury must decide the same question that ultimately stumped the first: Did Spector, a man known for threatening people with guns, shoot Clarkson, or did the actress, down on her luck and despondent about her future, turn a gun on herself? The first jury heard five months of testimony and deadlocked 10-2 with the majority favoring conviction. The current trial has been under way for nine weeks. Weinberg opened his defense case with testimony from the Los Angeles County medical examiner. He questioned why a “psychological autopsy” was not performed on Clarkson, exploring her emotional condition to determine if she might have committed suicide. (Daily Record)

 

 

MUSIC . . .

 

Jane’s Addiction front man Perry Farrell gave patrons of the Rose Bar at the Gramercy Park Hotel a free show last weekend, declaring it “Open Mike Night,” whipping out his guitar and singing old hits while Moldy Peaches founder Adam Green, the Libertines’ Carl Barat, Bravery front man Sam Endicott and Mac Guy Justin Long joined in. (Page Six)

 

Oasis has been nominated in seven categories at the NME Awards, including rather bizarrely Best and Worst Band. Noel Gallagher has picked up a nod for Hero Of The Year and Best Dressed Man. “Seven nominations, you say? Is that all? I always knew my time would come in the best dressed man in the world category,” the singer said. Noel has Barack Obama to contend with in the Hero Of The Year category, while John McCain and Gordon Brown are both up for Villain Of The Year, won for the past four years by George Bush. The ceremony takes place on 25 February. (British Glamour)

 

Not too long ago, Chrissie Hynde was still touring behind the same hits that have made her husky, vibrato-steeped voice one of the most memorable in rock ‘n’ roll. Now the Pretenders’ frontwoman is revving up to launch a U.S. tour Thursday in support of “Break Up the Concrete,” the group’s first studio album in six years. While she may sing classics like “Brass in Pocket,” newer tunes will fill the bulk of her repertoire. “We’ll be doing about eight or nine songs from the album. There’s the chance of people going to the bar when you launch into a new song, but I can’t do that greatest hits stuff anymore. We can play practically the whole album, and some of the rockers,” Hynde, 57, said in a phone interview from London, her main home since the 1970s. The Pretenders’ new album, released last fall, is an Americana ode to love, loneliness and Hynde’s hometown of Akron, Ohio, where the longtime animal rights activist opened a vegan restaurant and bar in 2007. It was recorded for movie producer Steve Bing’s fledgling label Shangri-La Music. Bing swept in during a down time for the band, when the group was label-less. He and Hynde connected during a Pretenders tour with ZZ Top. “I said to Steve, ‘We don’t have a record deal and we don’t have a producer,’” said Hynde. “Steve said, ‘You’ve been doing this for 25 years, you don’t need a producer.’ No one had ever told me that before. I thought, ‘Let’s get this going!’” Later, he pulled in legendary session drummer Jim Keltner – whose credits include playing with John Lennon – to work on the record (regular drummer Martin Chambers returns for the tour). Though the album was recorded in 12 days in Los Angeles, much of it is informed by Akron. She acquired an apartment there to be closer to her aging parents and rediscovered the city after years away, from brisk autumn weather to local animal sanctuaries and her old record collection. The title song, a jumping rockabilly tune, refers to the “red brick road where I grew up on” in Akron being “gone gone gone.” Numbers such as “Don’t Lose Faith In Me” have a country-ballad twang, filled with vulnerability: “The artist on the cover/ Is a phony and a crook/ I’m looking for you lover/ Show me where to look.” “I’m referring to myself in that line,” Hynde said. “I get sometimes angry with myself. Sometimes I find myself saying, ‘You … phony.’ It goes like that until you crack it. It can be a torturous process.” Hynde said her songwriting process after decades of music is much the same. “It’s me alone with the guitar and a notebook. I don’t use too many gadgets. My methods haven’t changed,” she said. As for the future, Hynde remains thankful that “I’m doing what I want to do.” “Some people can get all their realizations in one place, being in the same town,” she said. “Some people have to move all the time. I feel more comfortable moving all the time. I wish I could stay still. But that’s how bands usually are.” (Daily Record)

 

As expected, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band will tour North America this spring in support of their new album, “Working on a Dream,” out today (Jan. 27) on Columbia. The trek begins April in San Jose, Calif. North American dates are set through May 23 in East Rutherford, N.J. A European tour then begins a week later at Holland’s Pink Pop festival and concludes June 10 in Bergen, Norway. That timing would line up with a long-rumored Springsteen appearance at the Bonnaroo festival in Manchester, Tenn., that weekend. After a break, the European leg resumes July 2 in Munich. Springsteen’s 2007-2008 tour in support of the album “Magic” was the most successful of his career, grossing about $232 million worldwide, according to Billboard Boxscore. The tour unofficially begins this Sunday (Feb. 1) when Springsteen and company will headline the Super Bowl XLIII halftime show in Tampa, Fla. Here are Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s tour dates:
April 1: San Jose, Calif. (HP Pavilion at San Jose)
April 3: Glendale, Calif. (Jobing.com Center)
April 5: Austin, Texas (Frank Erwin Center)
April 7: Tulsa, Okla. (BOK Center)
April 8: Houston, Texas (Toyota Center)
April 10: Denver (Pepsi Arena)
April 15: Los Angeles (LA Memorial Sports Arena)
April 21-22: Boston (TD Banknorth Garden)
April 24: Hartford, Conn. (XL Center)
April 26: Atlanta (Philips Arena)
April 28-29: Philadelphia (Wachovia Spectrum)
May 2: Greensboro, N.C. (Greensboro Coliseum)
May 4: Hempstead, N.Y. (Nassau Veterans Mem. Col.)
May 5: Charlottesville, Va. (John Paul Jones Arena)
May 7: Toronto (Air Canada Centre)
May 8: University Park, Pa. (Bryce Jordan Center)
May 11: St. Paul, Minn. (Xcel Energy Center)
May 12: Chicago (United Center)
May 14: Albany, N.Y. (Times Union Center)
May 15: Hershey, Pa. (Hersheypark Stadium)
May 18: Washington, D.C. (Verizon Center)
May 19: Pittsburgh (Mellon Arena)
May 21, 23: E. Rutherford, N.J. (Izod Center)
May 30: Landgraaf, Holland (Pink Pop Festival)
June 2: Tampere, Finland (Ratinan Stadion)
June 4-5, 7: Stockholm, Sweden (Stockholm Stadium)
June 9-10: Bergen, Norway (Koengen)
July 2: Munich, Germany (Olympiastadion)
July 3: Frankfurt, Germany (Commerzbank Arena)
July 5: Vienna (Ernst Happel Stadion)
July 8: Herning, Denmark (Herning MCH)
July 11: Dublin (RDS)
July 16: Carhaix, France (Festival des Vielles Charrues)
July 19: Rome, Italy (Stadio Olimpico)
July 21: Turino, Italy (Olimpico di Torino)
July 23: Udine, Italy (Stadio Friuli)
July 26: Bilbao, Spain (San Mames Stadium)
July 28: Benidorm, Spain (Estadio Municipal de Foietes)
July 30: Sevilla, Spain (La Cartuja Olympic Stadium)
Aug. 1: Valladolid, Spain (Estadio Jose Zorrilla)
Aug. 2: Santiago, Spain (Monte Del Gozo)  (Billboard)

 

Although Miami producers Infamous and Drew Correa got their first major placement as a collective when their track “Mr. Carter” appeared on Lil Wayne’s “Tha Carter III” album last year, the pair didn’t think they’d have the same luck when they presented Wayne with their latest collaborative effort, “Prom Queen.” “Wayne hit me up one night and wanted us to come through the studio to make some tracks with him live. When the track came together the next morning everyone thought it was the sh*t and [Wayne] told us it would be a single,” 24-year old Correa tells Billboard.com about “Queen,” which introduces Wayne’s April 7 rock-tinged album “Rebirth.” “We thought he was joking,” Correa adds. “We thought he was just saying that to be nice. But a couple of days later we were signing paperwork and it was actually happening.” Infamous admits he was wary about how “rock” the album would turn out to be. “There were rumors Wayne was working on a rock album, but I assumed it was just 808 drums with guitars on it. But that night when we worked on the track, [Wayne] said he wanted lots of drums, bass and guitars,” says Infamous, 28. “Drew started to add organs, and [Wayne] said no. That’s when I realized it was actually going to be a real rock album.” The duo wound up with three tracks on “Rebirth” and say Wayne deserves credit for shifting gears. “He’s done everything he can with hip-hop and has proven himself,” says Infamous. “Now he’s about to prove himself as a rocker and we’re excited to be a part of it.” Correa and Infamous got their start in music separately — Correa as an engineer for Lil Wayne in the early ’00s and Infamous as a DJ and as part of a now-defunct group once singed to Columbia. In 2007, they both quit their day jobs to pursue production full time. They later met through mutual friends. That year, Infamous worked on more than a dozen tracks for Wayne that were slated to appear on “Tha Carter III,” including “She’s A Ryda,” all of which leaked. “Ryda” eventually appeared on Wayne’s digital album, “The Leak.” It wasn’t until Correa put in a call to Infamous, after he’d “dreamt with the hook” to what was later released as “Mr. Carter,” that the two finally landed the major placement they were hoping for. In the future, Infamous and Correa plan to continue working together when the job calls for it as well as individually. Correa is currently working with Birdman and Lupe Fiasco, while Infamous is in the studio with Kid Cudi, Leona Lewis and Rihanna, among others. Together, they are scheduled to work with Kid Sister and Travis McCoy from Gym Class Heroes. In addition to Infamous and Correa, producers Cool and Dre and Develop also have tracks on “Rebirth.” (Billboard)

 

Former “American Idol” star Katharine McPhee has signed a new deal with Verve, Billboard.com can reveal. The artist is recording her label debut, due before the end of the year. McPhee released a lone self-titled album for RCA in late 2006, which has sold 375,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Since then she’s dabbled in acting, including a role in the 2008 comedy “The House Bunny.” “The album she is working on will show many new sides to her talents as an interpreter and a songwriter, and show everyone just how special she is,” Verve Music Group president/CEO Bruce Resnikoff says. (Billboard)

 

It’s been 50 years since a single-engine plane crashed into a snow-covered Iowa field, instantly killing three men whose names would become enshrined in the history of rock ‘n’ roll. The passing decades haven’t diminished fascination with that night on Feb. 2, 1959, when 22-year-old Buddy Holly, 28-year-old J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson and 17-year-old Ritchie Valens performed in Clear Lake and then boarded the plane for a planned 300-mile flight that lasted only minutes. “It was really like the first rock ‘n’ roll landmark; the first death,” said rock historian Jim Dawson, who has written several books about music of that era. “They say these things come in threes. Well, all three happened at the same time.” Starting Wednesday, thousands of people are expected to gather in the small northern Iowa town where the rock pioneers gave their last performance. They’ll come to the Surf Ballroom for symposiums with the three musicians’ relatives, sold-out concerts and a ceremony as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame designates the building as its ninth national landmark. And they’ll discuss why after so many years, so many people still care about what songwriter Don McLean so famously called “the day the music died.” “It was the locus point for that last performance by these great artists,” said Terry Stewart, president and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. “It warrants being fixed in time.” Clear Lake is an unlikely spot for a rock ‘n’ roll pilgrimage – especially in winter. The resort town of about 8,000 borders its namesake lake, and on winter days the cold and wind make the community 100 miles north of Des Moines anything but a tourist destination. The crash site is on private property, a five-mile drive from Clear Lake and half-mile walk off the road. Corn grows high in adjacent fields during the summer, but in winter the fields are covered with snow and a path to the small memorial is often thick with ice. The memorial features a small cross and thin metal guitar and records, all of which are draped in flowers during the summer. “It’s a much nicer trip in the summer,” said Jeff Nicholas, a longtime Clear Lake resident who heads the Surf Ballroom’s board of directors. “But in the winter, you get more of a feel of what it was like.” No one tracks the number of visitors, but fans stop by throughout the year and on some summer days visitors to the crash site can create the oddity of a corn field traffic jam. Stewart said the deaths still resonate because they occurred at a time when rock ‘n’ roll was going through a transition, of sorts. The sound of Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis and Holly was making way for the British Invasion of the mid-1960s. “The music was shifting and changing at that point,” he said. “The crash put a punctuation point on the change.” All three musicians influenced rock and roll in their own way. Holly’s career was short, but his hiccup-vocal style, guitar play and songwriting talents had tremendous influence on later performers. The Beatles, who formed about the time of the crash, were among his early fans and fashioned their name after Holly’s band, The Crickets. Holly’s hit songs include “That’ll Be The Day,” “Peggy Sue” and “Maybe Baby.” Richardson, “The Big Bopper,” is often credited with creating the first music video with his recorded performance of “Chantilly Lace” in 1958, decades before MTV. And Valens was one of the first musicians to apply a Mexican influence to rock ‘n’ roll. He recorded his huge hit “La Bamba” only months before the accident. The plane left the airport in nearby Mason City about 1 a.m., headed for Moorhead, Minn., with the musicians looking for a break from a tiring, cold bus trip through the Upper Midwest. It wasn’t until hours later that the demolished plane was found, crumpled against a wire fence. Investigators believe the pilot, who also died, became confused amid the dark, snowy conditions and rammed the plane into the ground. The crash set off a wave of mourning among their passionate, mostly young fans across the country. Then 12 years later the crash was immortalized as “the day the music died” in McLean’s 1971 song, “American Pie.” Vonnie Amosson, who manages the Veterans of Foreign Wars hall in Clear Lake, said that ever since the plane crash, the community has embraced the tragedy. It’s a continues stream of tourism dollars, and the town’s chamber of commerce estimates that this year’s events, dubbed “50s in February,” will generate more than $4 million for Clear Lake’s economy. “It’s kind of sad that that is what we are known for,” Amosson said. “But on the other part of it, I think the whole ’50’s in February’ weekend is a huge memorial and it’s an honor to them.” In part because of its role in rock history, the Surf Ballroom has retained its vintage look, with a 6,000-square-foot dance floor, ceiling painted to resemble a sky, and original cloud machines on either side of the room. Ten Buddy Holly banners line the wall opposite the stage. The 2,100-capacity ballroom still hosts many national and regional performers, most of whom add their names to a backstage wall that is now crowded with drawings and signatures. “It’s quite a special place,” said Nicholas, the Surf board member. “This place looks just like it did in 1959.” (Daily Record)

 

 

Music Review: The Bird & the Bee still buzz-worthy:  (Daily Record)

The Bird & The Bee, “Ray Guns are Not Just The Future” (Blue Note Records)

On the follow-up to their delightful, self-titled debut, the Bird & the Bee increase the funk quotient a bit, but otherwise pretty much stick to their musical blueprint, a psychedelic -sounding mixture of pop and jazz that has become their trademark.

And for that, we are thankful.

Because while the Bird & the Bee – the duo otherwise known as Inara George and Greg Kurstin – may have kept the same formula, there’s never been anything formulaic about the engaging group. George’s demure, syrupy-sweet vocals sound more playful than ever against an even more eclectic (if possible) musical backdrop by Kurstin. “Love Letter To Japan” sounds a bit more contemporary than the ’60s-style jazzy instrumental that he’s served up before. “Witch” has more of retro rock sound.

The music has always been only part of what makes the Bird & the Bee so appealing. Besides George’s pure-as-snow vocals and Kurstin’s music, the snarky-sweet lyrical combination makes them truly irresistible. Listeners will be hanging on every word: “Baby” is especially engaging with the oddly compelling opening line: “You broke some bones when we were young, I can remember how you moaned, so I carried you home, like a baby.”

The Bird & the Bee remain one of the most buzz-worthy acts around.

 

 

MOVIE . . .

 

He may routinely save the world as James Bond, but Daniel Craig is stepping into his bad-guy uniform, to play the evil seaman Red Rackham in the upcoming Steven Spielberg screen adaptation of The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn. The movie – in which Craig’s Defiance costar Jamie Bell (best known as Billy Elliot in the 2000 film of the same name) plays the fearless young reporter Tintin – is already in production, in 3-D, say reports. Due for release in 2011, this Tintin is expected to be the first in a screen trilogy. Lord of the Rings Oscar-winning director Peter Jackson is set to direct the sequel. (People)

 

The story of Bonnie and Clyde is getting a retelling, with Hilary Duff and Kevin Zegers in negotiations to play the infamous 1930s bank robbers. Tonya S. Holly is directing “The Story of Bonnie and Clyde” and producing the indie drama with Tom Rogers via her Cypress Moon Studios. Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were Depression-era lovers and outlaws whose exploits captured the public’s imagination. Their story has hit the big screen several times, with 1967’s “Bonnie and Clyde,” starring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway, considered a classic. The makers are stressing that the new film is not a remake and are promising to showcase times in the couple’s lives not seen onscreen before. Holly first became interested in the story of the fugitive lovers after finding old newspaper articles about their exploits in an abandoned house on her family’s property. Holly most recently wrote, produced and directed the family film “When I Find the Ocean,” which stars Lee Majors, Diane Ladd and Graham Greene.  “Bonnie” is scheduled to shoot in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.  Zegers’ credits include “The Stone Angel,” “The Jane Austen Book Club” and “Transamerica.” The actor, repped by CAA and Untitled Entertainment, most recently starred with Ben Kingsley and Jim Sturgess in “Fifty Dead Men Walking.” Duff, whose most recent feature role was “War Inc.,” is repped by WMA and Curtis Talent Management. She just signed to star in the NBC comedy “Barely Legal” under her development deal with the network. (Hollywood Reporter)

 

Thanks to a string of strong domestic releases India’s box-office appears off to fine start in 2009, two months on Tuesday since a three-day terrorist attack shut cinemas and shook all walks of life in India’s commercial and film capital Mumbai.  With all the attention being paid to “Slumdog Millionaire,” Indian film industry executives note, not without a hint of pride, that though British director Danny Boyle’s film set in the Mumbai slums has earned 10-Oscar nominations, the ongoing recovery at the Indian box-office began back in December and is standing on the shoulders of homegrown heroes. With cinemas shuttered, then reopening slowly after the Nov. 26-28 attacks, the shadow truly began to lift when superstar Shah Rukh Khan brightened screens in mid-December in the romantic comedy “Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi” (God Made This Couple) from veteran Bollywood banner Yash Raj Films.  Though there is no independent source for box-office figures in India, industry estimates show that since its release five weeks ago “Jodi” has grossed about 1 billion rupees ($22 million). “Jodi” was followed by an even bigger local hit in suspense caper “Ghajini,” starring Aamir Khan, which estimates show has grossed a over $32.6 million in the three weeks since its release in early January. Amitabh Vardhan, CEO of PVR Cinemas, India’s No. 2 theater chain with 108 screens nationwide, said business had bounced back “in about two weeks following the Mumbai attacks.” Amid the success of local fare, Warner Bros’ debut Bollywood offering “Chandni Chowk To China” has performed below expectations since its Jan. 16 release, despite advance buzz and a hefty budget.  Warner said “China” collected an opening weekend gross of $6.8 million in India but failed to pick up steam in the following weeks after mostly negative reviews of the caper starring comedian Akshay Kumar. “Had ‘China’ not bitten the dust, the industry would’ve continued its winning streak,” said Mumbai-based trade analyst Taran Adarsh. “We enjoyed the starters (‘Jodi’), we enjoyed the meal (‘Ghajini’) but the dessert (‘China’) left a bitter taste,” he said. Regardless, January has been special for Hollywood in India, with a rare three releases in a single month: “China,” then “Slumdog” on Jan. 22, then, the same weekend, the thriller “Raaz 2: The Mystery Continues,” a co-production from Sony BMG India and Bollywood banner Vishesh Films.  Mumbai-based Sony Pictures Releasing India had high hopes for “Raaz” over the weekend, given that Monday was a national holiday to celebrate India’s 60th Republic Day.  While the newly established Fox Star Studios has yet to issue official figures, industry estimates reckon that both the English and Hindi dubbed versions of “Slumdog” have collected about $ 1.9 million in ticket sales. Sony’s “Raaz,” meanwhile, is said to have collected about $2.6 million.  Vardhan said that there has been a “healthy response to both films which maintained average occupancy levels of between 60-65 percent over the weekend.”  The New Delhi-based said he feels that India’s 2009 box-office run “is on track to at least maintain the same levels as last year.” Next up, the coming weekend sees two major releases. First, for cricket-mad India, there’s the cricket caper “Victory,” featuring actor Harman Baweja with guest cricket stars from around the world. Next there’s “Luck By Chance,” starring Farhan Akhtar as a newcomer in Bollywood, co-produced by Big Pictures, a unit of Reliance Big Entertainment, Stephen Spielberg’s newest partner. (Hollywood Reporter)

 

Minnie Driver has joined Hilary Swank in “Betty Anne Waters,” a legal drama that Tony Goldwyn is directing for Omega Entertainment. The film is based on the true story of Waters (Swank), an unemployed single mother who saw her brother convicted for a murder-robbery in 1983 and sentenced to life in prison. Convinced of his innocence, she spent the next decade earning a law degree and working on her brother’s case, challenging the conviction with DNA evidence. Richard LaGravenese wrote the most recent draft; Pamela Gray penned the original script. Driver plays Abra, Swank’s law school friend with a wild-party past who helps her with the brother’s case.  Omega is financing. Andrew Sugerman, Andrew Karsch and Goldwyn are producing, and Swank is exec producing. The movie shoots next month.  Driver, repped by CAA and Untitled, most recently appeared in FX’s “The Riches,” for which she was Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated. She stars with Uma Thurman and Anthony Edwards in “Motherhood,” a comedy that premiered at Sundance. (Hollywood Reporter)

 

Movies by Iranian and Peruvian directors will compete for the Berlin film festival’s top prize this year alongside new offerings starring Renee Zellweger, Tommy Lee Jones, Michelle Pfeiffer, Judi Dench and others, organizers said Tuesday. The Berlin event, the first of the year’s major European film festivals, runs from Feb. 5-15. Eighteen films will compete for the main Golden Bear prize, while another eight will show out of competition, including the Oscar-nominated Holocaust-themed drama “The Reader,” starring Kate Winslet. Festival director Dieter Kosslick said many films this year reflect the impact of globalization on people’s lives. He argued that the global economic crisis has given new relevance to films such as Tom Tykwer’s “The International,” starring Clive Owen and Naomi Watts, which opens the festival next week and traces financial transactions that fuel war and terrorism. “Many films suddenly reflect reality better than anything else,” Kosslick said at a news conference. “Reality has caught up with fiction this year.” The festival program has a typically diverse geographical reach, including films by Iranian director Asghar Farhadi’s “About Elly,” “The Milk of Sorrow” by Peruvian-born Claudia Llosa, and Chinese director Chen Kaige’s “Forever Enthralled.” The latest movie by Stephen Frears, the British director of “The Queen,” is set to make its debut. “Cheri,” a romantic drama set in 1920s France, stars Pfeiffer and Kathy Bates. France’s Bertrand Tavernier is bringing a new U.S.-set drama, “In The Electric Mist,” starring Jones, to the festival. Another Frenchman, Francois Ozon, is competing with “Ricky” and veteran Polish director Andrzej Wajda contributes his latest film, “Tatarak.” Dench stars alongside Jude Law and Steve Buscemi in Sally Potter’s “Rage.” Zellweger plays a 1950s divorcee embarking on a road trip in search of a wealthy husband in Richard Loncraine’s “My One And Only.” Other U.S. entries in the competition come from Oren Moverman – “The Messenger,” starring Woody Harrelson – and Mitchell Lichtenstein. He contributes “Happy Tears,” starring Demi Moore. Director Kosslick said he did not expect the global economic crisis to have any direct effect on the festival, which has not seen any sponsors depart. The winner will be chosen by a seven-person international jury under British actress Tilda Swinton. Last year’s Golden Bear went to “Elite Squad” by Brazilian director Jose Padilha. (Daily Record)

 

Shareholders of an ill-fated Stan Lee venture are seeking more than $750 million in profits from films based on Marvel comic characters such as “Spider-Man,” “X-Men” and “Iron Man.” The lawsuit was filed Monday in a Manhattan federal court on behalf of four shareholders of Stan Lee Media, Inc. Defendants include Lee, his wife, New York-based Marvel Entertainment, Inc., and former Marvel CEO Avi Arad. The lawsuit claims profits from Lee’s comic creations belong to the company, which emerged from bankruptcy in 2006. The suit claims Lee and others ignored the company and shareholder’s interests. Lee could not immediately be reached for comment. Marvel said through a spokesman that the lawsuit is filled with “ridiculous claims.” (Daily Record)

 

 

TV . . .

 

Donny Osmond has let slip that he is about to step into his sister Marie’s shoes – her dancing shoes. While next season’s stars have yet to be announced for the ABC hit Dancing with the Stars, Donny appeared with Marie for a Monday taping of the syndicated The Bonnie Hunt Show for an episode scheduled to air Tuesday. Asked by his TV hostess if, like his sister, he’d ever consider doing Dancing, the former teen idol, 51, flashed his trademark smile and said, “Well, I guess I am making an announcement. I’ll say I am seriously considering doing it, let’s put it that way.” Never one for a poker face, Osmond added with a laugh, “I guess I just let the cat out of the bag.” On Dancing’s fifth season, Marie, 49, was paired with pro dancer Jonathan Roberts. Not that hers was an easy contest. She passed out after a samba the fifth week, family patriarch George Osmond died the seventh week and her scores from the judges as the season wound down resembled a roller-coaster track. Won’t Be Upstaged Even so, her older sibling told Hunt, “I can’t let my sister upstage me. Besides, who do you think taught her how to dance?”  “That not fair!” snapped back Marie. “The men do half the work.” “That’s why I’m doing it, baby,” Donny teased. “It is going to be very difficult because I am going to be doing [the Osmonds' Las Vegas show] on top of doing Dancing with the Stars.” Like a referee, Hunt said, “I think it is going to be fabulous to watch you on the show, Donny. We’re gonna love it. You are a natural-born performer.” Interjected Marie: “I just want to see him in stretchy pants.” (People)

 

Zak George is a big dog in the world of dog trainers. And he could soon get even bigger, thanks to a TV series that cable’s Animal Planet has in the works. Tentatively titled “Fetch Me a Beer,” the new show will invite dog owners to propose tricks that George can help them teach their pets. Can a dog play baseball or pinball? Serve as “wingman” to help her dateless owner meet women? Square dance? Or, in the case of a bulldog named Rufus in the pilot episode, fetch a brew from the fridge for his master, Evan, who’s relaxing on the sofa? Almost any task or stunt seems possible when a pooch gets the right step-by-step instruction and encouragement. But at the moment of truth, will the dog-and-human duo be able to demonstrate the trick? A 30-year-old Atlanta native, George glimpsed the learning capacity of canines in his border collie Venus when she was a pup. “But I realized that if I was going to bring out her potential, I was going to need to dedicate a lot more time to her,” he recalls. That was five years ago. He ditched the job he had had since his teens – selling real estate – and switched to full-time dog training. “That was a step backward in many people’s eyes,” George acknowledges. “But it didn’t take long to bring them around.” Since then, George and Venus have won numerous competitions, made TV guest appearances (including “Late Show With David Letterman”), and won fans on a popular YouTube site. Now his show is in production, with initial casting calls seeking owners who have tricks in mind for their dogs in Boston and South Florida. The 20-episode series is scheduled to premiere in July. (Daily Record)

 

NBC pulled the plug on a PETA pro-veggie commercial planned for the Super Bowl because it “depicts a level of sexuality exceeding our standards,” according to NBC Universal’s advertising standards executive, Victoria Morgan. The ad, which carries the tagline, “Studies Show Vegetarians Have Better Sex,” shows lingerie-clad stunners getting “intimate” with vegetables. One shot depicts an actress “rubbing [her] pelvic region with pumpkin.” Says a PETA rep: “PETA’s veggie ads are locked out, while ads for fried chicken and burgers are allowed, even though these foods make Americans fat, sick and boring in bed.” (Page Six)

 

For the third year running, ABC leads nominees for awards from the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. The network earned six nominations for the 20th annual GLAAD Media Awards, with “Brothers & Sisters,” “Desperate Housewives” and “Ugly Betty” among its contenders. The awards recognize fair and inclusive portrayals of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community and issues affecting them. “How our lives are portrayed in the media doesn’t make a bit of difference, it makes all the difference,” said GLAAD president Neil G. Giuliano. The organization announced its 185 nominees in 41 categories Tuesday. CBS earned four nominations and NBC nabbed two. Nominees for feature film in wide release include “Brideshead Revisited,” “Milk,” “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist,” “RocknRolla” and “Vicky Cristina Barcelona.” “The nominees this year prove that the stories of LGBT Americans are interesting, compelling and will touch not only LGBT audiences, but broader audiences as well,” Giuliano said. Special prizes will be presented to Tyra Banks and Suze Orman. Banks will receive the Excellence in Media award, and Orman will receive the Vito Russo award. The GLAAD Media Awards – which also recognize magazine and newspaper content, theater performances, advertising and Spanish programming – will be presented at three separate ceremonies: in New York on March 28, in Los Angeles on April 19 and in San Francisco on May 9. (Daily Record)

 

ABC announced the creation of a new Thursday night comedy block and scheduling of two of its three remaining midseason comedies. Starting March 26, the network will plant single-mom comedy “In the Motherhood” into Thursdays at 8 p.m., while moving “Samantha Who?” from Mondays to Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. Usual time period occupant “Ugly Betty” will take a rare hiatus, then will return to the slot later in the season after “Motherhood” and “Who” finish their short-order runs. ABC also has scheduled the office sitcom “Better Off Ted,” airing Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. starting March 18, paired in the hour with “Scrubs.” The Thursday move puts ABC’s comedy block head-to-head against NBC’s “My Name Is Earl” and “Kath & Kim,” which have slipped in the ratings in recent months. ABC is not the first competitor to see an opportunity in the hour. Just last week Fox moved medical drama “Bones” into the same slot and won first place. The move also represents one of the first hints that ABC might be getting frustrated with the performance of “Betty,” which has served as a dependable, yet relatively modest, lead-in for top-rated “Grey’s Anatomy.” ABC will forgo airing “Betty” repeats in order to squeeze in the two comedies. Still not scheduled: Mike Judge’s animated comedy “The Goode Family,” which is considered a challenge because ABC does not have other animated shows to pair it with. (Hollywood Reporter)

 

China’s State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television (SARFT) vice minister Tian Jin will lead a high-powered Chinese industry delegation at a series of “Focus on China” events and private receptions to be held during this year’s MIPTV. Tian Jin said despite the global economic crisis, “China’s economy remains relatively vibrant.” He said the aim of attending MIPTV “is to develop television program exchanges and co-operation with other countries, to promote mutual understanding and friendship between China and the world.” SARFT said it plans to use MIPTV to encourage international players to embark on more and wider factual co-productions with Chinese organizations at a dedicated seminar entitled “Cooperation between China and Other Countries in Television Programs.” MIPTV runs March 30 through April 3 in Cannes, France. (Hollywood Reporter)

 

UTV Software Communications posted a 29% rise in quarterly net profit on Tuesday, led by gains in television content and gaming, but its broadcast division continued to make losses, pressuring margins. The company, with interests in broadcasting, television content, gaming and new media, reported net profit of 299 million rupees ($6.1 million) for the group, compared with $4.73 million a year ago while net sales rose by a tenth to $27.6 million. According to a poll of analysts, UTV Software’s profit was expected to more than halve to $2.1 million while net sales was projected at $30.3 million rupees. The gaming division grew by a fifth compared with the previous quarter, mainly on contribution from operations in India, a fast growing market for mobile gaming, UTV said. Broadcasting made a loss of $2.3 million while the television content division’s profit remained stable, it said in a press release. The firm had said in November its loss in broadcasting for the third and fourth quarters of 2008/09 will not exceed  $3.1 million. It hopes to break even in fiscal first quarter of 2010/11, the company said on Tuesday. UTV Software Communications in November also consolidated operations for four television channels – Bindass, Bindass Movies, UTV Movies and World Movies – by phasing out its Delhi operations. Its motion pictures division had two successful small budget film releases – “Oye Lucky Lucky Oye” and “Fashion” – in the quarter. “The growth as well as the success of our movies has not corresponded with the bottom line thus far, primarily because revenue exploitation has been back-ended and the cycle extended,” CEO Ronnie Screwvala said in the statement. However, the company, which has invested $84 million into motion pictures, expects the benefits of a strong movie library, including Hollywood ones, to accrue in coming quarters. (Hollywood Reporter)

 

Talentless rich kids from coast to coast! The New York version of Lauren Conrad, Whitney Port, just scored herself another few months of work. MTV has picked up WhitWhit’s ‘reality’ show, The City, for a second season. Are y’all really watching that shiz? MTV needs to change its name to R (‘Reality’) TV! (Perez Hilton)

 

 

TODAY’S IMPOSSIBLE QUESTION . . . (Mike Butts Creative)

 

Q.  On average if we are looking we will see eleven of them?

            A.  Rainbows

 

 

TODAY’S QUOTE (By John Updike)

 

“DREAMS COME TRUE; WITHOUT THAT POSSIBILITY, NATURE WOULD NOT INCITE US TO HAVE THEM.”

 

 

MIND BOGGLERS . . .

 

Q.  What was the name of Richard Nixon’s cocker spaniel that he mentioned in one of his most famous speeches?

            A.  Checkers

 

Q.  By tradition we can expect six more weeks of winter if on Groundhog Day, February 2, the groundhog:?

            A.  Sees its Shadow

 

Q.  Humphrey Bogart’s on- and off-screen costar, the smart and sultry actress born Betty Jane Perske, adopted what name for Hollywood?

            A.  Lauren Bacall

 

Q.  Which 20th-century actor, dancer, and singer, best known for her work in musical films, changed her given name of Frances Gumm?

            A.  Judy Garland

 

Q.  Who is the month of January named for?

            A.  Janus, the Roman god of doors and gateways

 

Q.  In which year did the National Weather Service first use male names as well as female names to identify hurricanes?

            A. 1979

 

 

BIRTHDAYS . . .

 

—1457  King Henry VII  (d.)

—1822  Former Canadian Prime Minister Alexander MacKenzie  (d. 4-17-1892)

—1884  Scientist/Explorer Auguste Piccard  (d. 3-24-1962)

—1884  Scientist/Explorer Jean Felix Piccard  (d. 1-28-1963)

—1929  Musician Aker Bilk (“Stranger On The Shore”)

—1935  Actor Nicholas Pryor  (Risky Business)

—1936  Actor Alan Alda  (Betsy’s Wedding)

—1943  Actress Susan Howard  (Dallas)

¾1943  Actor John Beck  (Nichols)

—1943  Singer Jean Knight

—1943  Drummer Brian Keenan (Chamber Brothers) (“Time Has Come Today”) (d. 10-5-1985)

—1950  Actress/Model Barbi Benton

¾1957  Actress Harley Jane Kozak  (When Harry Met Sally)

—1959  Musician Dave Sharp  (Alarm)

¾1968  Singer Sarah McLachlan

¾1969  Actress Kathryn Morris (Cold Case)

¾1977  Singer Joey Fatone  (N Sync)

¾1980  Singer Nick Carter (Backstreet Boys)

¾1981  Actor Elijah Wood  (The Good Son)

 

 

THIS DAY IN HISTORY . . .

 

—1547  Britain’s King Henry VII died.

¾1782  Congress resolved that the secretary of the Congress should “keep the public seal, and cause the same to be affixed to every act, ordinance or paper, which Congress shall direct.”  Although the seal did not exist yet, Congress recognized the need for it.

—1807  The world’s first street lamps — gas powered — lit up the night on London’s Pall Mall.

—1878  The world’s first commercial telephone exchange went into service in New Haven.

—1886  Engineer Karl Benz of Mannheim, Germany, patented his three-wheeled, gasoline-powered vehicle, the world’s first automobile.

—1915  Congress created the U.S. Coast Guard.

—1956  Elvis Presley makes his television debut singing “Heartbreak Hotel” on the “Dorsey Brothers Show.”

—1965  The Who’s first appearance on “Ready Steady Go!”

—1970  Jimi Hendrix headlines the Vietnam Moratorium Committee’s Winter Festival for Peace at Madison Square Garden.  Also on the bill are the Rascals, Peter, Paul and Mary, Harry Belafonte, Judy Collins and Dave Brubeck.

¾1973  “Barnaby Jones” premieres on CBS TV.  This drama about a private eye who comes out of retirement following his son’s murder starred Buddy Ebsen.

—1976  Gary Glitter announces his retirement from live performances at the age of 31. He begins performing again a few years later to pay off a tax debt.

—1977  Comedian Freddie Prinze commits suicide.

¾1978  “Fantasy Island” premieres on TV.

—1978  The Doobie Bros. appear as themselves in a two-part episode of “What’s Happening.”

—1984  “Thriller” by Michael Jackson is number one on the US and UK album charts. The Smiths’ first three singles are the top three records on the British independent chart.

—1985  A few dozen of the biggest rock stars in the world arrived at an L.A. studio to record the song “We Are The World.” A partial list of the performers included Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Bob Dylan, Dionne Warwick, Smokey Robinson, Willie Nelson, Paul Simon, Daryl Hall and John Oates, Harry Belafonte, Ray Charles, Huey Lewis, Stevie Wonder, and Michael Jackson. The taping went all night ’til 7 the next morning, when most of them went out for chicken and waffles and to reflect on Rock & Roll’s finest moment. The recording was to benefit famine relief efforts.

—1985  Simple Minds release “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” from the soundtrack to the “Breakfast Club.”  David Lee Roth releases his “Crazy From The Heat” EP.

—1986  Space Shuttle Challenger exploded at 11:39 a.m., 73 seconds after launch. Seven astronauts died: Christa McAuliffe, Frances Scobee, Michael Smith, Judith Resnik, Ellison Onizuka, Ronald McNair and Gregory Jarvis.

—1987  Jerry Lee Lewis III is born in Memphis.

—1988  Sammy Hagar announces that Van Halen, the Scorpions, Metallica, and Dokken will participate in a “Monsters Of Rock” summer tour of the US.

—1989  Ringo Starr’s children’s series, “Shining Time Station” begins airing on PBS.

¾2001  Baltimore Ravens beat the New York Giants 34-7 in Super Bowl XXXV

 

 

RADIO ONLINE® DAILY SHOW PREP™ . . .

 

ON THIS DAY

On this date in 1547, England’s King Henry VIII died and was succeeded by his 9-year-old son Edward VI. One of the new king’s first acts was to extend the royal bedtime past 8 o’clock.

In 1807, London lit its first street using gas. The annoying part was the guy on the street corner, constantly saying, “Pull my finger! Pull my finger!”

On this date in 1861, Kansas became a state. Up until then, Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz had no idea where she wasn’t.

In 1920, Walt Disney started working as an artist for $20 a week. Eventually, he quit that Mickey Mouse job and the rest is history.

TODAY IS

Couple of former “boy toys” have birthdays today. Joey Fatone 32, Nick Carter 29… and that score is a final.

Former baseball player Steve Sax turns 49 today. Every night before the game, his teammates would always avoid him. They said it was the manager’s rule: no Sax before a big game!

Oprah Winfrey celebrates #55 today. Oh, I’m sorry… Senator Oprah Winfrey. Alan Alda turns 73. One of the most famous “Hawkeyes” never to attend the University of Iowa.

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

·         A federal appeals court has ordered Taco Bell to pay $42 million to the creators of the little Chihuahua who made the phrase “!Yo quiero Taco Bell!” popular.

·         Matt Lauer will have the first sit-down interview with President Obama since he took office… and you’ll see that in the Super Bowl pre-game show.

·         To trim your waistline and tone your abs, just play with a hula hoop! Personal trainer Lorrie Henry of Phoenix, Arizona says the still-popular toy is becoming a staple in many fitness and exercise routines.

·         Notice how the TV stations have been yelling “February 17th is coming!” for a while now. Now it appears congress believes America is not ready to make the switch to digital TV quite yet… and are planning on delaying the deadline four months or so.

·         How about this new celebrity couple: Kirsten Dunst and Josh Hartnett?

·         Rapper Kanye West now wants to be known as Martin Louis the King, Jr., incorporating his love of the French designer Louis Vuittone with a tribute to U.S. civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.

·         Marie’s done it… now, Donny Osmond is said to be interested in “Dancing with the Stars.”

·         The ashes of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and his wife will both be shot into space some time next year.

·         Madonna tops Pollstar’s top 20 concert tours with $5.153,252 in receipts and an average ticket price of $142.38.

·         Hope you didn’t have your fingers crossed for any more “Fantastic Four” movies. That franchise appears to be dead.

·         Spice Girl Geri Halliwell is engaged to wed Italian yacht-company owner Fabrizio Politi.

CONVERSATION STARTERS

 

Men’s Health asked readers what they fear:

·         64% do not fear public speaking

·         63% do not fear growing older

·         65% do not fear death

·         88% do not fear air travel

·         57% do not fear a poor sexual performance

95% of women are most likely to pay attention to the vehicle’s cleanliness both inside and out on their date’s car, according to survey by Ford Motor Co. 58% said that the condition of their date’s vehicle would at least somewhat impact their attraction to the person.

 

Having a romantic relationship makes both men and women happier, and the stronger the relationship’s commitment, the greater the happiness and sense of well-being of its partners, according to a recent study from Cornell University and Pennsylvania State University. Interestingly, both husbands and wives have a far greater sense of well-being, compared to singles or co-habitators, even if the marriage is not a particularly happy one.

 

75% of teens online use Instant Messaging for about 40 minutes per day, compared with 42% of adults. Some 20% of teens have used IM to ask someone out and to break up as well. Almost a third of teens admit to saying something in an Instant Message that they wouldn’t have said in person.

 

Glamour reports about women and their living space:

·         36% say their biggest decorating splurge was their bed

·         The average young single woman pays $456 a month in rent

·         35% of women younger than 45 own their own home

·         85% say they clean their home once a week or more

·         67% tackle their own project around the house

·         37% would rather garden or paint their place than go shopping

·         45% say they most often eat dinner on their couch

·         47% of women ages 18-24 still live at home with their parents

·         9% of women age 25-34 still live at home with their parents

·         77% of women described their decorating style as cozy and casual

·         39% of people do not decorate for the holidays

If you love hip hop music, chances are you have fared better in the bedroom than your friends who prefer country music. Hip hop fans are likely to have had more sexual partners in the last five years than fans of other types of music, according to a study from Britain’s University of Leicester.

 

According to Women’s Health, the average person loses 49 minutes of sleep each night when they share a bed with a snorer. And the mag estimates that 30% of women snore with some regularity.

 

Couples who smooch just for the heck of it have eight times less stress and depression than those who pucker up only when they have sex, a Berman Center Study found.

 

Teenagers, texting, and driving: Three words you never want to hear in a sentence. These days text messaging has taken over a quick phone call and even a conversation that could take 15 minutes, especially with our teens. California is trying to pass a law that does not allow teenagers to text while driving. The argument could be: should anyone be texting while driving. Is this safe? Is it safe for a young teenager or young adult to drive and text, or better yet at any age? We did a poll on our web page and be of people said that all electronic devices should be banned, be the drivers kids or adults.

 

PHONE TOPICS

·         What’s the funniest Super Bowl commercials that you can remember seeing?

·         OK, who do YOU blame for our current economic situation?

·         What’s the #1 thing the government can do to make a difference in your life?

·         Favorite, “As seen on TV,” product.

·         How many dates before you can “hook up?”

·         What’s the largest number of kid your house has ever had for a sleepover?

·         What’s the perfect “first car” for a teen?

·         Ever OD’d on coffee?

·         What do you buy too much of?

·         Which conspiracy theories do you buy into, and why? Do you think that the government is hiding anything from the general public?

·         What unexpected bills did your parents get because of you? What bills have your kids given you?

·         If you could wake up one morning and be someone else, who would it be?

·         What one candy reminds you of being a kid?

·         Where’s the best tropical vacation spot?

·         What 1960s TV show should they remake?

What would you be willing to do for a ticket to the Super Bowl? One Pennsylvania woman says she’ll put advertisements on almost any part of her body to score Super Bowl tickets. If you decided to put an ad somewhere on your body, which sport tickets or concert tickets would you be willing to do it for?

 

Even though the economy is not doing well. Cosmetic surgeons are! Especially in Britain. More than 34,000 procedures were performed last year – a leap of more than five per cent over 2007. Just breast implant surgeries alone rose 30%. What are some luxuries in life that you’ll never cut back on, even if you’re down and out financially?

 

Are you a fan of William L. Peterson like I am? If so, you probably didn’t like the show without him. In fact, now that he’s off the show, viewership is down. “CSI: Crime Scene

Investigation,” last week scored big audiences for star Petersen’s finale after 8 1/2 seasons. But now with Laurence Fishburne as Petersen’s replacement, it tumbled 11% compared with its prior season average. Phoner: Which of your favorite TV shows couldn’t live without it’s top star?

 

Some people will never learn. Paul McCartney was seen recently on a Mexican beach with “gal pal” Nancy Shevell, who’s 49. Now British newspapers are saying they Paul has plans to make a third trip down the aisle now that Shevell is officially divorced. McCartney has been dating his new squeeze for more than a year. We asked our listeners, “how long you should wait before getting married again?” A few people called up and said that you shouldn’t be able to get married 3 times, just 2…max! Interesting viewpoints.

 

Have you ever almost fallen asleep at the wheel? I don’t think there’s a person with a license that hasn’t almost fell asleep, do you? Now Mercedes is coming out with a new anti-drowsy defense system. It’s the new Mercedes 2010 E-class. It will offer a feature that senses when the driver gets drowsy and alerts them with a chime and a flashing light. More safety systems will warn the driver about vehicles in the car’s blind spots when it begins to wander out of its lane.

 

What is something that no one tells you before marriage? We had lots of great calls from listeners. We primed them with this list from Redbook: “8 Things No One Tells You About Marriage”:

1.      You will look at the person lying next to you and wonder, Is this it? Forever?

2.      You’ll work harder than you ever imagined.

3.      You will sometimes go to bed mad (and maybe even wake up madder).

4.      You will go without sex — sometimes for a long time — and that’s okay.

5.      Getting your way is usually not as important as finding a way to work together.

6.      A great marriage doesn’t mean no conflict; it simply means a couple keeps trying to get it right.

7.      You’ll realize that you can only change yourself.

8.      As you face your fears and insecurities, you will find out what you’re really made of.

My wife has a friend who always complains. Usually at fast food places she’ll say no ketchup and when she gets her food she opens it up right there (no matter how many people are in line) and if they mess up she complains and always gets another for free next visit. She’ll call when she gets home to complain. Phoner: Tell us about your friend who’s always complaining?

 

Try this sometime. Ask your listeners if they know the address of the White House. Wow! We had just about every address you can imagine, except the right one. Funny stuff. Edit the calls together. Drives the right wing conservatives nuts! (It’s 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue by the way)

 

Was there something your parents made you learn, as a kid that you hated then, but boy aren’t you glad you know it now? If you could own your “dream car” what would it be?

 

We got calls talking about women wearing glasses and whether that’s sexy. I maintain it is, depending of course on the glasses and the woman, but my partner disagreed. A number of women called to say they’ve experienced it themselves, including one whose husband gets all sorts of frisky when she has hers on and another who said her waitressing tips go up about 30 percent when she’s wearing her glasses.

 

Have you noticed people don’t dress up when going out in public like they used to? For example: the movies, dinner date, airplane flights, and several other places. This opens up the discussion, are people getting too casual or is everyone just tired of dressing up?

 

10 funny flirting facts (from the book Man with Farm Seeks Woman with Tractor: The Best and Worst Personal Ads of All Time)

1.      Flirting is good for you. Studies show that people who flirt have higher white blood-cell counts, which boost their immunity and keep them healthy.

2.      Think it ends at a little eye batting? Hardly — all told, scientists say there are 52 “flirting signals” used by humans. Of these, the hair flip is the most common.

3.      In some places, flirting is illegal. In Little Rock, AR, an antiquated law is still on the books warning that engaging in playful banter may result in a 30-day jail term. In New York City, another outdated law mandates that men may be fined $25 for gazing lasciviously at a female; a second conviction stipulates the offender wear a pair of blinders whenever he goes out for a walk.

4.      Why wait for Happy Hour? Lots of people get their flirt on during their morning commute. A full 62 percent of drivers have flirted with someone in a different vehicle while on the go, and 31 percent of those flirtations, it turns out, resulted in a date.

5.      Flirting need not occur face to face. According to Pew Research, 40 percent of people who look for love online say they can easily flirt with someone via email or IM.

6.      In the Victorian era, fans were the ultimate playful prop that could communicate all sorts of messages. A fan placed near the heart meant, You have won my love. A half-opened fan pressed to the lips suggested, You may kiss me.

7.      These days, cell phones do the flirting. In one survey, half of all mobile phone users have texted suggestive messages to keep things interesting while away from their amour.

8.      Watch out, you can overdo it. According to the Social Issues Research Centre, the most common mistake people make when flirting is maintaining too much eye contact.

9.      Sometimes, flirty gestures aren’t what they seem. Research has shown that men tend to routinely mistake friendly behavior for flirting.

10.  Flirting is universal. A woman living in New York City and one in rural Cambodia may not have much in common, but when it comes to attracting a little attention, they both employ the very same move: smiling, arching their eyebrows, then averting their gaze and giggling.

What’s your best flirting “tactic”?

 

A recent study shows that people lie about 25% of the time in a social interaction that lasts more than 10 minutes. Another expert says people lie three to five times a day. Phoner: Are you a big fat liar?

 

I forget how we got on the subject, but we got a number of calls on the way people play little games with themselves to save money. For instance, a bartender friend of mine pockets any bills she gets for tips, but takes coin tips home. She says the loose change pays for her vacation each summer.

 

What was your favorite ethnic food when you traveled overseas? What would America’s favorite food be? Burgers? Pizza? See if you could come up with your area’s own top 5 list.

 

We asked listeners to call with their drivers license stories? One woman called to say that her picture makes her look like she has chest hair because her hair was sticking through her shirt.

Another lady called to say on her husband’s license, he’s listed as a female. We had some very funny calls.

 

Want to start a “recession-proof” business? You might want to start mailing out DVDs to your friends and family for a membership fee. I heard that Netflix fourth-quarter profit climbed 45 percent. I guess more and more people are staying at home more often and saving more of their money. What things are you doing to save a “buck or two” in today’s rough economic climate?

 

WEIRD NEWS

 

Careful What You Donate To Goodwill
Hey — careful what you donate to Goodwill — it might be worth more than you think! In Tennessee, someone turned in an old painting to Goodwill — a painting that turned out to be a 100-year-old Ellsworth Woodward work that Goodwill auctioned off for $8,100 bucks! Goodwill of Middle Tennessee spokeswoman Suzanne Kay-Pittman says a Boston bidder bought the painting on Goodwill’s online auction Web site. Goodwill worker Susan McCullen says she was sifting through the charity’s warehouse when she spotted its gold frame sticking out of a bin. The water color depicts a wooden ship at an Italian port. An attached letter says it was first bought for $75 at the San Francisco Fair. Woodward was a Massachusetts native born in 1861 who moved to New Orleans and became an important advocate for Southern arts and crafts. More importantly — who knew Goodwill had an auction site??? (myway.com)

 

No More Penguin Sandwiches in Antarctica!
Sorry Antarctica residents — there will be no more fresh seal brains, penguin eggs or grilled cormorant. Once considered “delicacies of the Antarctic,” these items are now off the menu at research bases where chefs rely on imported and often frozen food. This is all due to somebody finally deciding to enforce the 1959 Antarctic Treaty that sets aside the continent as a nature reserve devoted to peace and science and bases. Some researchers said young grilled penguins are actually quite tasty — kind of like a fishy version of fish. Yum! (Reuters)

 

Senator Oprah Winfrey?
Need more proof Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich needs a check up from the neck up? We have now learned that Blagojevich once considered offering the U.S. Senate seat formerly held by President Barack Obama to talk show star Oprah Winfrey. Blagojevich revealed all this on an interview with ABC’s “Good Morning America” and said, “She seemed to be someone who had helped Obama in a significant way become president. She was obviously someone with a much broader bully pulpit than other senators.” But he ultimately decided Oprah would probably turn the offer down. (Reuters)

 

I’m Proud of My 100–0 Victory!
Micah Grimes is now the former girl’s basketball coach of Covenant School in Texas — because he’s proud of his big victory over Dallas Academy. Under Coach Grimes, Covenant beat Dallas 100 to zero in a game that became a national controversy with many claiming the coach and the team were very un-sportsman like. To ease the aftermath school officials publicly apologized but then Coach Grimes posted a message on a youth basketball Web site saying he disagreed with school’s apology. In a statement posted on www.flightbasketball.com, Grimes said, “I respectfully disagree with the apology, especially the notion that the Covenant School girl’s basketball team should feel ‘embarrassed’ or ‘ashamed’. We played the game as it was meant to be played and would not intentionally run up the score on any opponent. Although a wide-margin victory is never evidence of compassion, my girls played with honor and integrity and showed respect to Dallas Academy.” Kyle Queal, Covenant’s head of school would not say whether the firing was a direct result of the posting and declined to answer any questions. Grimes was in his fourth season as girls basketball coach, having built the program from a 2-19 record his first season to a state championship contender last season. (Dallas Morning News)

That’s a Lot of Diapers
For only the second time in the U.S. a mother from Bellflower, California has given birth to Octuplets — six girls and two boys! Dr. Karen Maples of the Kaiser Permanante hospital in Bellflower did not identify the mother but said all the babies are in stable condition and are doing well. The babies weighed from 1.8 pounds to 3.4 pounds when they came out from 10:43 a.m. to 10:48am. Back in 1998, a Nigerian mother gave birth to octuplets in Texas, but one of the babies died a week later. The surviving octuplets, five girls and two boys, are now 10 years old. (AHN News)

 

Broke America Goes To the Library
It seems during these tough economic times, America has rediscovered the public library. Libraries across the country are reporting a surge in visitors due in part to unemployed folks taking advantage of free computer use and Internet at public libraries to job hunt. Others are enjoying borrowing books, CDs and DVDs that they currently might otherwise not be able to afford. In San Francisco alone, requests for library cards have risen 27% over the last year. (AHN News)

 

How Much Is That Doggie Wig in the Window?
As kids, sisters Jenny and Crissy Slaughter from Santa Barbara, California used to love to dress up their family pets. They’ve now turned that childhood passion into a business — Total Diva Pets — that offer wigs and a range of hairpieces especially designed for animals. This all came about after winning a 2007 doggy parade fashion show by dressing up their dog as a Playboy bunny. The crowd reaction was so positive they realized there might be a business idea in it. The company now offers eight pet wig designs, in five sizes, from Chihuahua to Great Dane. The $30 wigs have designs ranging from an Afro to a green spiky punk wig. (Ananova)

 

Let’s Make It a Fun Funeral
For those looking for something a little different when being laid to rest, Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life from Monty Python has been named the top alternative funeral song. The song got a fifth of the vote in a recent survey and beat off competition from The Jam’s Going Underground and The Animals’ We Gotta Get Out Of This Place. Another popular choice was Cabaret by Liza Minnelli which got 16% of the vote. Funeral director Lorraine Groves says, “Funerals have changed a lot in the past few years and more people are planning ahead to make their funerals personal and reflective of themselves.” (Daily Telegraph)

Phoner: What’s the strangest song you’ve heard at a funeral? Anybody else plan to have an unusual or fun song at their funeral?

 

MATCH THE MOUTH

 

“I appreciate the opportunity to work, the cash it gives you, and other things it provides are wonderful. But the celebrity thing … I don’t like attention.”

·         Harrison Ford

·         Josh Holloway (Sawyer on “Lost”) ***

·         Kevin James

·         Donny Osmond

·         Sting

“I think all awards are important, if they take themselves seriously”

·         Calista Flockhart

·         Rosie O’Donnell

·         Ellen DeGeneres

·         James Earl Jones ***

·         Robert Redford

“I sent the president and first lady a note and said, “Thank you for making me famous all over again.” I call them the black Rob and Laura.”

·         Jack Black

·         Brad Pitt

·         Dick Van Dyke (after hearing that one of Michelle Obama’s all-time favorite TV shows was the old “Dick Van Dyke Show”) ***

·         Rob Schneider

·         Bonnie Hunt

JUNK DROP

 

We sent street guy up to the top of our building (about 40 feet) and had him drop a selection of breakable items. Included were a watermelon, a old walkman radio, which was still operating at the time, until it met the pavement. The game involved the listener, they had to figure out what he was tossing out of the bucket. A different spin on the “Secret Sound” game.

 

TOP FIVE AWARDS MOST HOLLYWOOD CELEBRITIES DON’T WANT TO WIN

1.      The Herpes

2.      The Police Academy Awards

3.      The Emmy-Gration Awards

4.      The Oscar Mayers

5.      The “People were drunk when they made their choice” Awards

HUNTER’S HUMOR by Tim Hunter

 

Al Gore was supposed to testify in front of congress today about the dangers of global warming … but a huge snowstorm may keep him away. I believe that is called “global irony.”

 

Home Depot has joined the companies announcing layoffs. Now, you really can do it: they can’t help!

 

Oprah Winfrey says she has absolutely no interest in becoming a U.S. Senator. Think about it: why would she a pay cut?

 

Chefs in Mexico spent 60 hours and created a 2-ton strawberry cheesecake. You can almost feel your jeans get tighter just reading about it.

 

A woman in California has given birth to octuplets. Kids today are just too afraid to come out by themselves.

 

A WHOLE LOTTA SHAKIN’

 

Experts say the way you shake hands can make or break the kind of impression you project. check out the variety of handshakes below and choose the one that reflects your own personal style. Then read what your hand is telling people.

·         Lazy — A handshake with no oomph is considered a sign of weakness or insecurity. Your lack of enthusiasm indicates a total disinterest.

·         Two hands — Glad-handing can convey warmth and sincerity, but it may also put off strangers as assuming too much intimacy.

·         Bone crusher — You can be proud of your buff bod with-out hurting others. Lighten up before you put someone in the ER.

·         Pull — Pulling someone closer while you shake makes others think you’re bossy. Try not to come across as so overbearing.

·         Firm — Shaking with your full hand while maintaining eye contact is a winner. You’re making a statement of confidence and self-esteem.

·         Underhand — If you grip with an underhanded move that twists the other person’s wrist, you are a total control freak.

·         Finger snag — Shaking or squeezing the four fingers of your acquaintance denotes domination — and it’s creepy too.

WHO KNOWS THE BOSS BEST?

 

Time to play “Who Knows The Boss Best?” Pit a secretary against a spouse and see who can match the boss’s answers. The winner gets prizes and awards for knowing the boss best. It’s fun. We ask questions like “When was the boss was late for work the last time,” “Who the last person was the boss fired,” “What the boss wore to work the day before,” “What celebrity the boss thinks he/she looks like,” etc.

 

POP QUIZ

 

We came up with a new contest to reward loyal listeners. Too often, trivia buffs and fast fingers get away with the loot, but today we made sure you had to listen on a regular basis to win the race tickets. We called it “(Morning Show)’s Pop Quiz,” and asked the contestants a number of questions about ourselves (our pets’ names, favorite artists, etc.). Lots of fun! We decided to throw it in once a week at different times so everyone gets a chance to win.

 

YOUR CRAVINGS DECODED

 

(Glamour) Dying for Oreos or chips? Your body may be trying to tell you something about your diet, says Keri Glassman, R.D., a New York City nutritionist. Tune in and avoid packing on the pounds when you crave:

·         Salty or greasy food — It could mean you’re slightly dehydrated. “Salt holds water in,” says Glassman. “Your body may be trying to hang onto the fluids it’s got.” Aim for eight glasses of water a day.

·         Candy or chocolate — It could mean you need protein. Without its slow releasing energy, your body will try to get a quick fix to boost blood sugar. Try a cup of yogurt it has 24 percent of your daily protein total.

·         Bread or pasta — It could mean you don’t eat enough. Starches are already partially broken down, so your body knows carbs will give it energy fast. Be sure to eat at least 1,200 calories a day.

BIRTHDAY GAME

 

Get a listener on the phone and have them guess what year you were born. If the first person gets it correct they get double the prize. After the first person just a single prize. It will become a high/low after that. You can also do anniversaries, etc.

 

HEADLINE TRUTH OR TRASH

 

“Government Hires Witch To Haunt Debtors”
Truth! The government of Lithuania that is who has hired who has hired the country’s top witch, Vilija Lobaciuviene, to hunt down companies and individuals who have defaulted on their debts. Vilija, who calls herself “Lithuania’s leading witch,” is well known in the former Soviet republic for providing such magical services as predicting the future and casting spells. And apparently nobody wants to mess with her.

 

“Al Gore Catches Cold During Global Warming!”
Trash! Global warming had nothing to do with it. He blames Bush.

 

“Two Retirement Home Residents Fight To the Death!”
Truth! Sadly, in Fort Myers, Florida, 72-year-old Christano Beltran has died after getting into a fight with 87-year-old Kenneth Knauf — both residents of the Alzheimer’s wing of the Hidden Oaks Retirement Center. Hidden Oaks Executive Director Randy Reber said he’s not sure exactly what took place but did say he’s never seen anything like it in 30 years as an administrator.

 

“Unemployment Office Lays Off Employees!”
Trash! The ones laid off would just have to get in line, it would get too busy and they’d have to rehire them.

 

“Crook Run Over By Moving Van He Was Hiding Under”
Truth! The guy who ran away from a traffic stop in Phoenix made the huge mistake of ducking underneath a parked moving van. All was well until the moving van pulled away and ran over the guy. Police found him after hearing his moans of pain. Turns out he ran because he had a suspended driver’s license and outstanding warrants for DUI and leaving an accident scene.

 

“Kirstey Alley to Compete on Dancing with the Stars!”
Trash! But she tried to enter as her own couple.

 

“Infant Gets Dad Arrested By Dialing 911!”
Truth! In White Rock, British Columbia a 29-year old Canadian man was arrested by police after his 11-month old son accidentally pressed 911 on a mobile phone he gave his baby to play with. After hearing no one on the other end, 911 operators traced the call and sent police. When officers made a routine inspection of the house they found dad’s 500 marijuana plants inside.

 

“Beanie Baby Company to offer Refried Beanie Babies!”

Trash! That’s just dumb.

“Police Claim Man Turns Into Goat While Being Arrested”
Truth! At least according to the Daily Vanguard– one of Nigeria’s biggest daily newspapers. According to the report, police came upon two guys trying to steal a car. While one got away, the other allegedly transformed himself into a goat just as police caught up with him. Officers then paraded the goat before journalists, and published a picture of the animal.

 

DID SOMEONE SAY COMMITMENT?

 

According to our friends at Glamour:

·         35% of women had their first committed relationship before they turned 18

·         28 is the median age at which men marry today

·         26 is the median age at which women marry today

·         48% of women say they would not commit to a smoker

·         26% of women admit they’ve cheated while in a serious relationship

·         65% of single women say they aren’t looking for a serious relationship

·         80% of women think “emotional” cheating is worse than sexual infidelity

·         24% of women admit to “emotional” cheating while committed to someone else

·         More than 50% of women live with their first husbands before marriage

·         40% of couples break up within five years of moving in together

·         67% of women would commit to the right guy even if they didn’t like his friends.

·         22% of women say it’s OK to wait as long as it takes for a proposal

·         44% of woman admit saying “I love you” it’s the number one sign they’re in a serious relationship

·         33% of women say they wouldn’t want to commit to a man who isn’t good in bed

GORSEFEATHERS by Patrick Gorse

 

The stage manager for the cancelled NBC series “Lipstick Jungle” has been arrested for stealing $30, 000 worth of cosmetics and other designer items and selling them on eBay. This disproves the rumor that nothing on NBC is worth anything.

 

A man in Japan has been arrested for stealing 44 sticks of deodorant.. They said the guy looked nervous, but when they asked him to put up his hands, no perspiration stains!

 

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has emerged after a long public absence. Reporters at the scene said Kim came out of a hole at a weapons production facility, and saw his shadow melt against a wall as he predicted sixteen years of nuclear winter.

 

On “Meet the Press” Sunday, speaking of the economic stimulus package, moderator David Gregory quoted Obama adviser Lawrence Summers as saying, “doing too little poses a greater threat than doing too much.” To which Amy Winehouse replied, “That’s what I always say about crack!”

 

In an op-ed printed in Thursday’s New York Times, Libyan leader Muammar Qadaffi announced a plan for Mideast peace that would combine Israel and the Hamas-led Palestine into a single state called “Isratine.” That wasn’t his first choice, but his favorite, Ham-Srael, just wasn’t kosher.

 

President Barack Obama has appointed former Senator George Mitchell as his special peace envoy to the Mideast. People who don’t think Mitchell can handle a problem this big don’t remember the size of Barry Bonds’ head before Senator Mitchell got steroids out of baseball.

 

If the California State Legislature and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger don’t reach a budget compromise in the next five days, Gov. Schwarzenegger says he’ll be offering IOU’s to Californians expecting an income tax refund. Instead of, “I’ll be back,” Arnold will be saying, “I’ll be paying you back!” “I’ll be back-dating checks!”

 

President Obama met with Republicans today to try and sell his economic stimulus package, and they told him they don’t like his ideas. After the eight years of the GOP strategies that got us into this terrible mess, isn’t their disapproval a good thing? Obama must be on the right track.

 

Citigroup is under fire for ordering a $50 million dollar, ultra-luxury, corporate jet, after they received a $45 billion dollar taxpayer bailout. This jet is so high tech, it has protective bird shield covering the engines that converts geese into goose pate.

 

The government of Iceland collapsed on Monday. Sadly, George Bailey, who was visiting Iceland at the time, jumped in to save the government, and lost the hearing in his other ear.

Are you used to 2009 yet? Even Barack Obama is still writing “Secret Muslim” on his checks.

 

Al Qaeda is hurling a list of insults at President Barack Obama, calling him a “House Negro,” a “Hypocrite,” a “Killer of Innocents,” and an “Enemy of Muslims.” Sarah Palin said, “Put me down for A., B., and C.

 

Even though Rush Limbaugh has said about President Barack Obama, “I hope he fails,” sources are suggesting Obama is still willing to meet with the 230-pound talk-radio host. Although Obama did say, “I hope he showers.”

 

It’s sad, but Rush Limbaugh’s halcyon days are numbered. His 20 million-strong senior citizen-audience who think it’s funny to play the theme from “The Jefferson’s” every time a black man does well, won’t be around forever. Scoreboard: Obama, 62.98 million votes…Limbaugh, 20 million dinosaurs…

 

Speaking about the Obama administration’s decision to allow states to restrict greenhouse gas emissions, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was ecstatic saying “for too long Washington has been asleep at the wheel,” and then adding, “Let me again be clear.” Wait a minute…when has Arnold Schwarzenegger ever been clear? And what was that part about a sheep in his meal?

 

STUDIO BOWL

 

Have people e-mail and pick two contestants to come in the studio and play a video football game. The winner gets a party on Super Bowl Sunday at their home for 25 people, plus two recliners and a new television. Lots of fun too in the studio. They get to bring friends and family in to cheer them on while they play.

 

TOP FIVE SIGNS A SCALPER SOLD YOU PHONY SUPER BOWL TICKETS

1.      “Super” was spelled with two O’s

2.      They were on the 51-yard line

3.      They said the game is between the Mariners and Pirates

4.      They’re printed in crayon

5.      The tickets were made of bologna

HOW LONG IS THE SUPER BOWL!

 

A lot gets made each year about the ridiculous amount of time it takes to actually get through the Super Bowl with the pre-game and everything. Another Super Bowl promotion we’ve done in the past was having listeners guess exactly how long these guys spend playing football. That is running actual plays and doing work. Not walking back to the huddle, lining up, etc. You have to get someone to actually sit with a stop watch and time each play from the snap of the ball until the ref blew the whistle. In the past I just had the morning crew over to the house for a Super Bowl party and each member had to take a quarter. We got hundreds of e-mails and faxes.

 

TOP FIVE SIGNS YOU REALLY NEED TO CLEANUP BEFORE THE BIG SUPER BOWL PARTY

1.      People keep slipping on the pumpkin remnants on the porch

2.      There’s a dust bunny for every song on your iPod

3.      Something inside the refrigerator just growled

4.      Not one needle left on the Christmas tree

5.      “Kerry 2004″ is written in dust on your coffee table

INSANE SITUATIONS

 

Anyone listening who…

·         Has ever been in a situation where “the jaws of life” were used to save them?

·         Has ever been pulled from a burning building by a fireman?

·         Has ever been caught on a security camera doing something they shouldn’t be doing?

·         Has or had a family member pose nude in a magazine?

·         Has caught or injured someone breaking into their house?

·         Has breast implants but has not told their husband or boyfriend?

·         Feels like they’re overpaid for what they do at work?

JUMP INTO MARRIAGE

 

For Valentine’s Day, call a local skydiving company and get a couple to get married on the way up in the plane and jump with best man preacher best man right after they say I do. Kiss takes place on the way down. Mike everyone in the plane so it’s on the air. Should get good TV with this.

 

VALENTINE VIDEO

 

We played a little game we like to call “Valentine Video.” Callers had to identify a scene from a romantic film. Male callers had to identify scenes from chic flicks (“The English Patient,” “Hope Floats,” “Sleepless in Seattle,” etc.) while the female callers had to identify scenes from male-oriented romance movies (“Dirty Harry,” “Patton,” “Terminator,” “Die Hard,” etc.).

 

VALENTINE PROMOTION

 

We are gearing up for Valentine’s Day next week when we take a certain Valentine topic and find the three best stories from that day’s topic. The three stories that were qualified we posted them on our website so people could vote on their favorite story. The next day we announce the winner and then the winner is then qualified for the big prize pack staying 3 nights at a resort, with wine, gondola ride, and nice dinners.

The topics we chose each day were:

·         What is the most Romantic thing someone has done for you?

·         Are you in the dog house, how did you get there?

·         Who has the best proposal?

·         Give us your best love poem under 30 seconds.

·         What is the worst Valentine gift you gave someone or someone gave you?

This promotion was unbelievable and kept us so busy this week. Everyday the phones were unbelievable.OM)

Blogged with the Flock Browser

01.27.09

 SHOW PREP JANUARY 26, 2009

 

HOLLYWOOD 411 . . .

 

We’re assuming Molly Ringwald thinks blue is just as pretty as pink. The Breakfast Club princess is expecting twins—a boy and a girl—in August with hubby Panio Gianopoulos, People reports. The new additions will give the couple their first son and a second daughter. They’re also parents to 5-year-old Mathilda Ereni. According to a rep for ABC Family, Ringwald’s pregnancy will be written into the plot of The Secret Life of the American Teenager, in which the former Brat Packer plays the put-upon mom of an expectant teen. (Eonline)

 

No joke: Saturday Night Live’s Fred Armisen is getting married. He and Mad Men star Elisabeth Moss are engaged, her rep confirms to Usmagazine.com. “It happened just a few days ago,” Moss, 26, first told usaweekend.com on Thursday. “It’s private, so I don’t want to share the details of how it happened, but I will say it was perfect.” The two have been spotted together a lot recently. They hit a Vanity Fair party for Mad Men earlier this month at Hollywood’s Chateau Marmont. The New York Post reported that they “canoodled in a corner.” (US Weekly)

 

Actress Anne Hathaway has championed Scarlett Johansson and Beyonce Knowles for their curvy figures, praising the pair as good role models for youngsters. The Devil Wears Prada star has recently been lambasted for being too skinny, although the 27-year-old is adamant she is a “normal shape”. And Hathaway has hailed Johansson, Knowles, and fellow actress Reese Witherspoon for projecting healthy body images in a world where super-slim is often seen as an ideal. She says, “I don’t think it’s just Hollywood that gives out that message. As a society we put out these unrealistic body images to young women. “But I’m a normal shape and Scarlett Johansson is not a skinny, skinny girl. Beyonce Knowles looks after herself and has a beautiful body. Reese Witherspoon looks great.”  (Teen Hollywood)

 

Madonna is rumored to be dating a 21-year-old Brazilian model. Do you think this relationship is real? Because I’ve read reports that he’s just using her to gain fame and stardom.  —Abe from Yuma, Arizona How sad, manipulating a poor, press-shy lady who never ever dated anyone for publicity and who only takes her clothes off for art. It’s a crime, I tell you, a crime. I explain fully in the new podcast (above), wherein I obliterate your questions about how Hollywood works. Hit play to listen, and be sure to so you never miss an episode. (Eonline)

 

American Idol judge Paula Abdul is taking the credit for inspiring modern pop stars including Rihanna and Beyonce. The singer rose to fame in the 1980s, selling over 23 million records worldwide and topping the American charts six times before taking a musical hiatus in 2000. She subsequently relaunched her career as a judge on the hit TV talent show and returned to the pop charts in 2008. And Abdul is convinced her long running career and her forward thinking music videos have paved the way for the music stars of today. She says, “My videos stand the test of time. They are like the almanac for every performer. Even Rhianna has come up to me and said ‘I hope you don’t mind.’ And Beyonce. You can see the influence of what I’ve done. It’s really fun to see that I’ve left a mark. It was my idea to create an animated character. It takes a lot of focus, a lot time, and a lot of money.” (Teen Hollywood)

 

The maker of Beanie Babies can forget about getting a fist bump from the first lady. Michelle Obama has issued a statement about Ty’s newest dolls for their TyGirlz Collection, Sweet Sasha and Marvelous Malia. The plush pair are named after her and President Barack Obama’s daughters, Sasha, 7, and Malia, 10. “We believe it is inappropriate to use young, private citizens for marketing purposes,” said Michelle’s spokeswoman in a statement. Guess that’s one purchase the trendsetting first family won’t be making… (Eonline)

 

Celeb designer Lisa Kline’s husband died in a freak accident early Friday morning — and sources say it may have been due to a sleepwalking incident. Sources close to the situation tell TMZ Lisa was woken up around 1:30 AM when she heard a loud crashing sound outside of her house. When she got up to investigate, it appeared her husband, Robert Bryson, had fallen off the upper level balcony and struck a fence. Kline rushed down and tried to resuscitate him, but attempts were unsuccessful. We’re told the couple had gone to sleep in the same bed together several hours before the tragedy. Kline’s rep released the following statement: “Lisa Kline and her family suffered a tremendous tragedy when her husband, Robert Bryson, accidentally fell to his death at the family’s home on Thursday. Lisa and her family are thankful for the outpouring of support they have received, and ask for privacy at this difficult time.”(TMZ)

 

 

THE OTHER STUFF . . .

 

Katie Stam of Indiana was crowned Miss America on Saturday night, fighting off a throat infection, laryngitis and 51 other contestants to win the 88-year-old pageant. The 22-year-old University of Indianapolis student became the first Miss America winner from the Hoosier State. She drew loud applause for her rendition of “Via Dolorosa” during the talent portion of the beauty pageant at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. Stam said she had trouble sleeping one night this week while she took prescription medicine to fight the infection, but got her voice back by Thursday. “I was feeling like myself again – I will never take my health for granted,” she said. The Seymour native also strutted onstage in a black bikini and an off-the-shoulder, white lace evening gown. During the interview portion of the competition she decried the use of performance-enhancing drugs among professional athletes and discussed the definition of glamour. “That beauty that you feel on the inside, it’s that confidence, that radiance inside of you, that’s what glamour is,” Stam said. Stam won a $50,000 scholarship and hopes to obtain a bachelor’s degree in communications and become a television news anchor. She began competing in pageants at age 15. Stam was crowned by reigning Miss America Kirsten Haglund of Michigan and will soon embark on a year of travel and public appearances. She said she had one semester left in school – but didn’t know when she would finish – and already was graduating debt-free without the $50,000 prize. Stam said she might use the money for graduate school. The first runner-up was Miss Georgia Chasity Hardman, who took home a $25,000 scholarship.

The 52 young women took to the stage in blue jeans, bikinis and ballgowns following a mini-reality series on pageant prep work and a week of preliminary competition. After an opening dance number and the traditional parade of states, judges and fans immediately trimmed the field to 15 finalists. Five more were trimmed based on swimsuit and evening gown competitions, while the remaining 10 went on to showcase their dancing, singing and other skills during the talent portion. “This gown nearly blinds people,” Miss Arkansas Ashlen Batson said in a video clip played as she walked onstage in a silver dress with beading. Batson was eliminated before she could play her flute in the talent competition. Miss Hawaii Nicole Fox drew cheers as she performed a traditional Tahitian dance, wearing a huge white feathered headdress and skirt to match. After she exited, part of her skirt remained on the stage. In a new twist, viewers of a lead-in reality show, “Miss America: Countdown to the Crown” voted in four of the 15 finalists, while the judges announced the other 11 during a live TLC television broadcast. The four finalists chosen by viewers were Stam, the eventual winner, and Hardman, the first runner-up, as well as Miss South Dakota Alexandra Hoffman and Miss Alabama Amanda Tapley. The other 11 women remaining after the opening number were: Batson, Fox, Miss Michigan Ashlee Baracy, Miss Delaware Galen Giaccone, Miss District of Columbia Kate Marie Grinold, Miss Iowa Olivia Myers, Miss New York Leigh-Taylor Smith, Miss California Jackie Geist, Miss Florida Sierra Minott, Miss Kentucky Emily Cox and Miss Tennessee Ellen Carrington. The viewer interaction to name four contestants as “America’s choice” was Discovery-owned TLC’s attempt to stoke interest in this year’s contestants. Once an American icon, the shine on Miss America’s crown has been dimmed by slipping ratings and the popularity of more salacious reality shows. The pageant was dropped from network television after the 2004 pageant drew a record low viewership. It found a home in Las Vegas after moving from its longtime location in Atlantic City, N.J., but it has struggled to get its footing on cable. In its second year on TLC, Mario Lopez, of “Extra,” hosted with an assist from Clinton Kelly of TLC’s “What Not to Wear.” Judges include actress Laura Bell Bundy, Miss America 1999 Nicole Johnson, hairstylist Ken Paves and Olympic swimmer Cullen Jones. As always, the women competed in swimsuit, evening gown and talent competitions, as well as a short “interview,” in which they were asked their thoughts on a current event or hot topic. TLC has tried to dash the days of answers that declared that “children are the future.” Questions came from average people and were intended to put the contestants on the spot. TLC also had some fun with the clichés of pageants past. For example, in its scorecard for home viewers posted online, it asked viewers to count the number of mentions of world peace and to name the contestant with best spray tan. (Daily Record)

 

Katie Stam always dreamed of becoming Miss America, but she bypassed the kiddie pageants and waited until she was more mature and sure of herself. Her view of Miss America changed in that time too, and made her want her new title even more. A day after Stam was crowned Miss America 2009, she told The Associated Press that as a little girl, she considered Miss America more of a figure than a full-fledged job. “I literally saw this girl who’s living out her wildest dream,” Stam said, but that view changed as she aged. “As soon as I found out the job description of Miss America, it only attracted me further.” The platform for the 22-year-old University of Indiana student is community service, and she says she’s eager to start in that role. She planned to fly to New York later Sunday for a series of media interviews about her win. “It starts right away,” Stam said. “Miss America – being the goodwill ambassador for the Children’s Miracle Network – that job, that position was laid in my hands the moment they put the crown on my head.” Reigning Miss Americas become a spokeswoman for various causes and charities, including the Children’s Miracle Network, a partner to the pageant. Of those responsibilities, Stam said, “I can’t wait to get started.” Stam overcame 51 other contestants, a throat infection and laryngitis Saturday night to win the crown. She’s the first winner from Indiana in the 88-year pageant. “My state deserves it,” said Stam, whose hometown is Seymour. She said she wasn’t a lifelong pageant contestant, entering her first at age 15. “I wanted to make sure that I knew who I was and knew what I had to offer, so I was a freshman in high school,” Stam said. “I didn’t do any of the kiddie pageants because, like I said, I wanted to wait.” Stam rose to the top of the field after strutting in a black bikini and an off-the-shoulder, white lace evening gown, then singing “Via Dolorosa” and denouncing the use of performance-enhancing drugs among professional athletes. Along with the title, Stam won a $50,000 scholarship. First runner-up Miss Georgia Chasity Hardman took home a $25,000 scholarship. Stam said she still hopes to pursue another childhood dream – becoming a television news anchor – after her one-year reign as Miss America ends. She was one semester away from finishing her bachelor’s degree in communications, but didn’t know exactly when she would graduate because of her new duties, she said.

“Who knows what kind of opportunities will be ahead of me after my year as Miss America, but I can’t wait,” Stam said. “It’s a dream and a goal of mine that I’ve had for a long time, and I can’t wait to pursue that.” (Daily Record)

 

To paraphrase Ronald Reagan, here we go again. The revelation that millions of people who saw the inauguration of President Barack Obama were actually listening to recorded music instead of the actual performance of the Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman-led quartet has led to comparisons of lip-synching (though, in this case, might the correct term be hand-synching?) and drawn comparisons to other infamous cases, including Ashlee Simpson’s “Saturday Night Live” debacle and perhaps music’s most famous pantomimes, Milli Vanilli. But Carole Florman, a spokeswoman for the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, says she doesn’t understand what the fuss is all about. “I think this is a whole lot of nothin’,” she said on Friday. “These are world-class performers who are playing in 19 degree weather and the technical requirements of their instruments made it impossible for them to have their music amplified and know that it would be in tune. So they made, what I think, was probably a difficult decision to play to tape.” A representative for Perlman echoed her comments Friday with the following statement: “Mr. Perlman was deeply honored to be a part of the inauguration ceremony. The brutal cold created the distinct possibility of broken or out of tune instruments and, in order to avoid a weather related issue detracting from the majesty of the day, a decision was reached to play along to the recording that the quartet had made earlier in the week.” Cellist Ma, violinist Perlman, pianist Gabriela Montero and Metropolitan Opera clarinet player Anthony McGill performed “Air and Simple Gifts,” a piece arranged by Oscar-winning composer John Williams. Montero was wearing gloves, but the rest of the quartet played their instruments barehanded in the frigid 28-degree weather. Florman said they were indeed playing their instruments and not miming their moves. But those who saw the event did not hear that, but the recorded track. Don Mischer of Don Mischer Productions, which produced the pre-Inauguration “We Are One” concert, the last few Super Bowl halftime  performances as well as two Olympics, says some kind of recorded music is often used at major events, especially when there are poor weather conditions. “The main thing is that you want the music to sound good, and there are some conditions in which the music will not sound good,” he said. Florman said everyone performing at the inauguration, from Aretha Franklin to the U.S. Marine Band, recorded a version of their performance as a precautionary measure, typical for such events. But Franklin sang “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” live, and the band also performed live. Florman said when Obama made his request for the quartet, because of the delicacy of the instruments and the size of the grand piano, there was some consideration given to having the quartet play at the Capitol and have their performance beamed to the world. “Everyone agreed that they needed to perform someplace so (Obama) could actually watch the performance,” she said. “But obviously the drawback is that they’re out in the elements.” Kent Webb, manager of technical services and support for the famous Steinway & Sons piano maker, said its instruments are extremely sensitive to changes in temperature and the extreme cold would not only have made the instrument out of tune, but would have made the keys susceptible to sticking. “The playability and the amount of finesse that one can extract from a performance are very compromised,” Kent said. The idea that the quartet’s music was not heard live may be heresy to some in classical music – the late Luciano Pavarotti caused a stir when it was discovered he lip-synched on one occasion. But while it may not be as widely publicized as when a pop star lip-synchs, it does happen, says Mischer (though he added the hope is to “always go live.”) He produced the opening ceremonies at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, in which the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra performed. He said the ensemble did so to recorded music. “There was no way that we could in fact mike the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and make them sound good on a show that was going to be seen by 80 percent of the planet,” he said. He also recalled his production of the opening ceremonies at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, which featured Ma in a performance with Sting. While Sting’s vocals were live, what viewers heard was a recorded performance by the cellist. “Yo-Yo has got a Stradivarius cello that’s worth … $2 million or $3 million,” he said. “We had snow falling that night, we had 17 degree temperature, we had the wind blowing as high as 20 mph, and that’s a very very risky environment in which to play an instrument like that and expect it to sound good. And it’s not like someone else played the music, Yo-Yo played the music.” Mischer said during the torrential downpour during Prince’s 2007 Super Bowl performance, the rocker sang live and even played his wireless guitars live, but the percussion was piped in because of the rain. But even in good conditions, getting good sound in an open-air stadium, or sometimes even a domed arena, is difficult. Some artists choose to lip-synch – Whitney Houston’s memorable performance of the national anthem in 1991 at the Super Bowl was sung to a track. “There are artists who absolutely want to go with prerecorded tracks because they worked hard to create a sound, and they want it to sound good,” said Mischer. But for this year’s Super Bowl, which features Bruce Springsteen as the halftime performer, don’t expect any lip-synching from the Boss. “Bruce Springsteen is going to go 100 percent live,” he said. “That’s the way Bruce wants it.” (Daily Record)

 

The classical music played for millions of people watching President Barack Obama’s inauguration was not the live performance it appeared to be. Unless you were one of the fortunate few sitting within earshot of the celebrated performers, what you heard was a recording made two days earlier. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinist Itzhak Perlman, pianist Gabriella Montero and clarinetist Anthony McGill made the decision a day before Tuesday’s inauguration to use a previously recorded audio tape for the broadcast of the ceremonies. Carole Florman, a spokeswoman for the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, said the weather was too cold for the instruments to stay in tune. “They were very insistent on playing live until it became clear that it would be too cold,” said Florman in a telephone interview Thursday night. People sitting nearby could hear the musicians play “Air and Simple Gifts”, written for the inauguration by John Williams, but their instruments were not amplified. “It would have been a disaster if we had done it any other way,” Perlman told The New York Times, which first reported that the music was taped on its Web site Thursday. “This occasion’s got to be perfect. You can’t have any slip-ups.” The Marine Band, the youth choruses and the Navy Band Sea Chanters performed live, Florman said, although Aretha Franklin was accompanied by taped music and voices. Florman said all the acts “laid down tape” before Tuesday’s inauguration. When they did their sound checks on Monday, all but the quartet made the decision to have their live performances broadcast. The temperature hovered around 30 for the ceremony on the Capitol steps, too cold for McGill’s clarinet, Ma’s cello or Perlman’s violin to offer true pitch. But the cold played havoc with the piano, which can’t hold tune below 55 degrees for more than two hours, Florman said. The group played at 11:43 a.m., and guests seated near them could hear them as well as the tape made two days earlier. Guests seated farther away, the crowds that thronged the National Mall, and the millions who watched around the world heard the taped version of Williams’ piece. “This isn’t Milli Vanilli,” Florman insisted, referring to the late 1980s group stripped of a Grammy for lip-syncing. “They had to perform in such cold weather, the instruments couldn’t possibly be in tune. They were able to play in sync with the tape. It’s not unusual.” (Daily Record)

 

Some of the Britain’s brightest minds have resolved one of the country’s biggest cinematic cliffhangers: How the robbers could have got away with the gold at the end of “The Italian Job.” The 1969 heist film ends with the robbers’ gold-laden bus teetering over the edge of an Alpine road, with their loot – and their lives – in doubt. On Friday the Royal Society of Chemistry offered fans a little closure, announcing the winner of a competition to find a scientific solution to their predicament. “Like many people, I watched the film from when I was a young boy,” said John Godwin, the winner. “It’s one of those classic British films, with great actors – Michael Caine, Noel Coward, Benny Hill – and a great car chase, and at the end of the day they’ve done all the hard work and it seemed a waste to leave them hanging on that mountainside.” “The Italian Job” follows Charlie Croker, played by Caine, as he assembles a crack team of likable crooks to pull off a complex plan to steal a stash of gold in the Italian city of Turin. The ensuing car chase – which cuts across the rooftop test track of Fiat’s Lingotto building and down the steps of Turin’s Gran Madre di Dio church – ranks among the most gripping in movie history. But things end badly when the gang’s getaway bus slides halfway off a mountain road on its way to Switzerland. The bus seesaws precariously, with the men gathered at the front and the gold weighing down the back, which is hanging over the cliff. A wrong move could send the bus tumbling into the chasm below, but Croker says: “Hang on a minute lads – I’ve got a great idea.” Then the credits roll. Royal Society of Chemistry Chief Executive Richard Pike said the competition to find an ending to the movie that preserves both the gold and the men was aimed at “promoting science and chemistry to a wider audience in an entertaining way,” adding that some 2,000 people had tried their hand at extricating Croker’s gang. Some of the more novel solutions including burning the asphalt to glue the bus to the road or dissolving the gold with acid, he said. Godwin said his fix took him an afternoon to work out: -Break the windows at the back to reduce weight. -Break two windows at the front, hold one gang member upside down out of the window to deflate the front tires and stabilize the vehicle. -Drain the rear fuel tank through an access panel at the bottom of the bus. -Gang members leave one by one from the front, collecting stones to replace their weight. -Keep adding stones until someone can safely go to the rear to retrieve the gold. Godwin said gathering the data he needed for his equations, like the fuel efficiency of a 1964 Bedford VAL14, the weight of a window or the price of gold in 1968 – needed to establish the weight of the haul – was fairly easy. “The Internet’s a great place,” he said. He isn’t the first to suggest a solution. Caine himself proposed a much simpler idea in a British Broadcasting Corp. documentary six years ago – albeit one that leaves the hapless gang short of their precious haul. “The next thing that happens is you turn the engine on,” Caine said. “You all sit exactly where you are till all the petrol has run out, which changes the equilibrium. We all jump out and the gold goes over the cliff.” (Daily Record)

 

A judge says Slash and his wife can pursue a lawsuit against the brokers who sold them what they thought was a party-worthy Hollywood Hills home. The former Guns N’ Roses guitarist claims real estate agent Gregory Holcomb and Sotheby’s International Realty misrepresented the house they bought in 2006 and later sold. They wanted enough size and parking for parties, but say the home was smaller than advertised and on a public street with parking restrictions. They seek more than $1 million and punitive damages. A judge refused to dismiss the 2007 claims Friday, but will allow Sotheby’s to dispute punitive damages. Defendants’ attorney Fredric Trester says he’s confident they’ll win at trial. Slash did not speak at Friday’s hearing. (Daily Record)

 

A gang member has been convicted of murdering a teen actress and a man during a two-day shooting spree in 2005. Damien Watts was found guilty Friday on two counts of first-degree murder and six counts of attempted murder in Los Angeles Superior Court. The 23-year-old was arrested after he fired at a group of people outside an Inglewood apartment complex on Oct. 21, 2005. Sixteen-year-old Tara Correa-McMullen was killed and two men were injured. Correa-McMullen appeared in the movie “Rebound” and had a role on the TV show “Judging Amy.” Her real name was Shalvah McMullen. Watts also was convicted of killing 31-year-old Thomas Sanders, who was shot as he loaded laundry into a car. He faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. (Daily Record)

 

A man suspected of involvement in a jewellery raid on Paris Hilton’s home has been arrested and charged with two burglaries. Troy Thomas, 45, is alleged to have masterminded more than 150 thefts in three years in the Los Angeles area, targeting celebrities including Hilton, Duran Duran guitarist John Taylor, and several movie studio bosses. The Simple Life star’s Sherwood Oaks home was hit last month and an intruder made off with an estimated $2 million worth of gems. Rocker Taylor’s L.A. property was raided in April 2007 and a safe was taken from the home. Thomas denies two charges of burglary.  (Teen Hollywood)

 

 

LAST WEEK:

 

Just a few months after giving birth, Jaime Pressly gave herself a 30th birthday present that she’s quite proud of – a fit body and some toned abs. “Lately I love my stomach,” says the actress, who debuts her post-baby body on the March cover of Shape. “After growing a human being inside me, there is nothing more incredible or sexy!” Pressly joins Madonna, Halle Berry and Cameron Diaz on Shape’s list of Sexiest Bodies in Hollywood. To get the figure she wanted, Pressly focused on eating a healthy diet and following a workout regimen that included running on the treadmill and lifting weights. Pressly, who welcomed son Dezi James in May 2007, had set a goal to shed the 42 lbs. she gained during the pregnancy. “That’s a lot of weight for mama!” says the My Name Is Earl star, 31. “Sure, I wanted to lose my baby weight, but I didn’t want to lose my butt! I think it’s sexy when women have shapely bodies.” As for her relationship with ex-fiancé Eric Cubiche, “We’re going through a rough patch,” says Pressly, who announced they were separating in November. “There are no bad feelings there.” “We didn’t plan a wedding, we planned a child,” she adds. “[Dezi James] is the greatest thing that’s happened to either one of us.” (People)

 

Patrick Swayze is planning to write a memoir with his wife Lisa, according to a source close to the actor. Despite reports, the source says that Swayze, who is battling pancreatic cancer, will not write an inspirational book. Instead, The Beast star will focus on his life’s journey, including his current fight against cancer. No word yet on when the book will be published. Swayze, 56, and Lisa, 52, have an incredibly strong bond and are “each other’s rocks,” Beast co-creator Bill Rotko, told PEOPLE last week. (People)

 

Kelly Osbourne has entered rehab, PEOPLE has confirmed. The 24-year-old daughter of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne is reported to have checked into an unnamed center in Los Angeles for 30 days. Her rep in London says in a statement to PEOPLE, “Kelly Osbourne has voluntarily entered a medical facility to address some personal issues. Her family stands by and supports her.” No further details were provided. Late Thursday, Osbourne’s mother Sharon was quoted on RadarOnline.com as saying, “Yeah, Kelly’s in rehab. What else can we say? She knew that it was the right thing to do at this point and we’re proud that she did it. The family is all standing behind her. Kelly knew that she needed help and she’s getting it.” The matriarch added, “We just pray that everything’s going to be okay.” Previous Treatment Nearly five years ago, at the time of her family’s reality series The Osbournes, Kelly Osbourne checked into a treatment facility in order to deal with a painkiller addiction. This week, on Monday it was reported that Osbourne had been arrested for allegedly slapping a gossip columnist last summer. She is scheduled to return to see authorities in March. (People)

 

The calls began to flood Luke Song’s hat shop not long after Aretha Franklin finished belting out “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” at President Barack Obama’s inauguration. Franklin, who wore a gray felt custom-designed hat from Mr. Song Millinery, has inadvertently caused an economic boom for the South Korean immigrant’s store. Song said he wasn’t prepared for the hundreds of calls requesting the hat with a Swarovski rhinestone-bordered bow. “We even have a lot of men calling to get it for their wives, mothers and grandmothers,” Song said. The hat worn by the “Queen of Soul” was hand-molded and would cost upward of $500 – if it were for sale, the 36-year-old designer said. Customers instead were offered a satin ribbon version for $179. “They want the same hat, but they understand it’s for the ‘Queen’ only,” he said. “Ninety-nine percent said, ‘That’s fine. I’ll get the next best thing.’” The family millinery has been in Detroit for about 25 years, and Franklin has been a customer for about 20 of those years. The store also sells to about 500 boutiques across the country. “We always make hats for her for high-profile events, so for us, the inauguration really was no big deal,” Song told The Associated Press on Thursday. The design for Franklin’s hat came from two different hats at the store. “She walked through the shop and said ‘I want that bow (put) on that hat,’” he said. “She had the coat already, but she needed the hat to set it off.” (Daily Record)

 

Heath Ledger’s family gathered at an Australian beach to remember the actor, who died a year ago and is now being honored with an Oscar nomination for The Dark Knight. “We are still all nursing broken hearts,” older sister Kate Ledger said Friday in Perth. “Like anyone who loses a family member, it has opened our eyes to the intense suffering and painful journey that is death.” Kate and two half-sisters, Ashleigh Bell and Olivia Ledger, stood under clear blue skies at the Indiana Tea Room on Cottesloe Beach, one of Ledger’s favorite spots and the site of his wake after his funeral. Ledger’s father, Kim, and mother, Sally Bell, were also in attendance but did not speak to the media. Ledger, 28, died of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs. He left behind his 3-year-old daughter, Matilda, with actress Michelle Williams. “Michelle is doing an amazing job with ‘our girl’ and together we will cherish every moment of her steps through life,” Kate Ledger said. The actor’s younger sister, Ashleigh, acknowledged his Oscar nomination Thursday for his wicked portrayal of the Joker in The Dark Knight, noting that “in Heath’s words, he had ‘the time of his life.’” “Although we would love to have him here with us, we are so proud and so excited on his behalf,” Ashleigh said. “We will take this opportunity today to honor his wonderful life and take comfort in knowing Heath will continue to touch future generations through this amazing art form.” She added: “What an unbelievable legacy he has left for Matilda and our family.” The family enjoyed a commemorative lunch in the Indiana Tea Room after speaking with the media. (People)

 

Hollywood star Angelina Jolie has called her Oscar nomination “a priviledge”. Oscar winner Angelina Jolie has called her most recent Academy Awards nomination “a privilege beyond any expectation.” Angelina is nominated in the Best Actress category for her role in Clint Eastwood’s Changeling, going up against Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married); Melissa Leo (Frozen River); Meryl Streep (Doubt); and Kate Winslet (The Reader). “Working with Clint Eastwood was a reward in itself that will last me a lifetime,” she told the Huffington Post. “It has been an exceptional year for acting, and I am honored to be in the company of these talented actors whose performances all deserve this recognition. I am also happy that Kung Fu Panda was noticed by the Academy and proud to be a part of a film my entire family loves so much.” (Handbag)

 

Rapper Kanye West has said he’s “open” to appearing in a bisexual pornography scene. Kanye West has admitted he’s up for appearing in a bisexual porno film. “I know people will find that as another thing to hate me on, but f**k it. I’m open to doing porn,” He told King magazine. “Hell, I’ll even do bisexual scenes – myself, another man and a woman, or just me and two women. I know people will find that as some weird S**t, but I am who I am. I’m an artist. Artist expand; they don’t contract. What do I look like staying confined in one space with all my talent? I’m an icon.” (Handbag)

 

Transient super couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are schlepping their armies of children, nannies and assorted minions to Malibu Namibia New Orleans France Long Island and temporarily settling down in this $60 million 48-acre mansion. Located on Suffolk County’s North Shore, the estate features two helipads, a private dock and an ELEVEN bedroom staff house. The Oscar nominated lovebirds are renting the property while Angie shoots her latest film in the area. No word if local schools will be able to handle the overcrowding. (TMZ)

 

She may be back in Alaska, but Sarah Palin has a high-powered connection in Washington: the same lawyer who represented Barack Obama and both the Clintons when it came to their book deals. D.C. attorney Robert Barnett has been retained by the former GOP vice-presidential candidate, 44, to represent her as she tries to sell her own book, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Some news sources say Palin is seeking an $11 million advance. By comparison, Laura Bush reportedly received $2 million for her highly anticipated White House memoir. Hillary Clinton’s 2003 bestseller, Living History, generated an $8 million advance. TV Deal in the Works? Barnett – who has also brokered TV deals for Brian Williams, Lesley Stahl, Neil Cavuto, Christiane Amanpour and Dr. Sanjay Gupta – had no comment. Immediately after the election, stories swirled that the telegenic Palin might be considering a TV career. In the meantime, Palin, who is halfway through her first term as Alaska’s governor, kicked off her State of the State Address Thursday night in Juneau by congratulating President Obama and saying that he is in her prayers. Noting that the newly inaugurated chief executive has his work cut out for him, Palin said that if he “governs with the skill, grace and greatness of which he is capable, Alaska’s going to be just fine.” (People)

 

Angelina Jolie’s former bodyguard is reportedly planning a tell-all book about the actress and her partner Brad Pitt. Mickey Brett’s tome is thought to expose how the actress got together with Pitt while he was still married to Jennifer Aniston and include details of the couple’s sex life. “He (Brett) knows everything about Angelina. It’s going to be one of the most explosive books ever written,” a publishing insider told In Touch magazine. Brett headed up the couple’s security when the couple went into hiding in Namibia before the birth of their daughter Shiloh in 2006, but was allegedly fired by Pitt last year. The source said that Brett never signed a confidentiality agreement with the couple and that “It (the book) will include all the sordid details of how they (Pitt and Jolie) got together while Brad was still married to Jennifer Aniston.” The pair have always claimed that they only started a relationship once Pitt split from the Friends star. (British Glamour)

 

Gwyneth Paltrow will give her fans a rare flash of her boob in her latest film, Two Lovers. The actress is seen tenderly fondling her nibble as she tries to seduce Joaquin Phoenix’s character in the movie. Gwyneth has stripped before, including in Shakespeare in Love which won her an Oscar for her performance as Viola. (British Glamour)

 

Her inadvertent stardom in a John McCain ad and subsequent rebuttal spoof may have been Paris Hilton’s biggest moments of 2008, but the heiress spent inauguration weekend getting into trouble at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. An insider told Us Weekly that Hilton was slapped with a $1,000 fine on Jan. 16 when hotel employees detected pungent smoke wafting from her room. A source close to Hilton made the unlikely claim, “The hotel is just using her to get press.” After watching Hilton’s friendship with Nicole Richie run its natural, unedited course on “The Simple Life,” it’s disheartening to learn that aspiring rocker Brittany Flickinger was recently crowned the heiress’s BFF on MTV in name only. “Paris told friends she only hung with Brittany because she was obligated to,” a source told Us. Come next season, “she said they’re going to have a fight that ends the ‘friendship.’” (Scoop)

 

Sarah Jessica Parker’s marriage to Matthew Broderick is doing just fine (according to the actress, of course). Following reports of a marital rift along with months of stepping out separately, the couple hit the opening night of The American Plan on Broadway last night. “We don’t even bother to address them,” SJP said of the split rumors. But when asked what the best part of being married was, all she offered was “being married.” Couldn’t she come up with a better answer? As for the Sex and the City sequel that all the girls have supposedly signed on for, Sarah also played coy, telling People, “I wouldn’t say that is the most official thing you’ll ever read.” (Eonline)

 

A judge just ruled Kelly Rutherford can take her kid to NYC while she films “Gossip Girl.” The judge said Kelly can go on Sunday and her estranged hubby Daniel Giersch is free to travel there as well. He had argued he needed to stay in L.A. to do his business, but the judge begged to differ. Daniel told the court he will travel to New York. Rutherford filed for divorce on December 30. She is also pregnant. Giersch was awarded two overnight visits per week for the month of February and three per week for March. They all need to come back to L.A. for a minimum of four days, at least twice. During the L.A. stays, Hermes will alternate between the two parents. The judge also ruled 2-year-old Hermes will bounce between NYC and L.A. for the next two months while the feuding couple tries to hash out a long-term custody arrangement. Good luck. (TMZ)

 

Demi Moore has just shown up at the Santa Monica Courthouse with one of her daughters. Demi and one of the girls are in line at Juvenile Traffic Court — yes, there is such a thing. Someone in line is cackling, “Hey, there’s G.I. Jane!” In this court, a parent must accompany a minor child. Demi looks hot with sunglasses on her head. She’s wearing a black top and showing some cleavage — which should help the case. Fun Fact — If Demi thought this was a good day to slip into court, she didn’t know there’s an epic custody case going on there today involving Kelly Rutherford.  UPDATE: Court is now in session and everyone inside — including Demi — is being forced to watch a 30-minute video on reckless driving — which is still better than watching “Striptease.” UPDATE: Demi and her daughter have just left the courthouse and gotten into a Mercedes. We’re told they left in the middle of the video. We don’t know the dispo of the case. (TMZ)

 

There are stories floating out there that someone has been busted for the Paris Hilton break-in, but cops tell us it’s not true — the thief is still on the loose. According to the reports, Troy Thomas is a suspect in the $2 mil jewelry heist at Paris’ pad. He’s the guy who was busted for a string of other burglaries, including the homes of Faith Hill and Tim McGraw. But people in the LAPD Special Burglary Unit tell us Thomas is not a suspect and they’re still very much on the hunt. (TMZ)

 

Add Larry King to the ever-lengthening list of people who lost money with Ponz scum Bernie Madoff. A perfectly placed source said the host of CNN’s “Larry King Live” lost “over $1 million with Madoff. It was a lot of money.” King’s spokesman, Howard Rubenstein, declined to comment. The personal loss would explain why the usually garrulous King, 75, has been so quiet about the Madoff scandal – even when it was announced that celebrities like Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick were among those who lost their life savings with the Ponzi-scheme mastermind. It wouldn’t be the first time King has faced financial fallout. In 1978, he declared bankruptcy. Page Six reported two years ago that King owed money to creditors in Miami Beach. Joann Biondi, author of “Miami Beach Memories,” said, “Some locals snarl at just the mention of his name.” In 2006, King sued the Maryland-based Meltzer Group, claiming the insurance brokerage cheated him in connection with $15 million in personal life-insurance policies. While losing a million bucks to Madoff is “severe,” our source said, King makes $7 million a year from CNN under a contract through 2010. He just has to stay healthy enough to keep working. He has suffered a heart attack and in 2007 underwent heart surgery for a carotid endarterectomy. And his wife, Shawn, mother of their sons, Chase and Cannon, recently went through rehab for addiction to painkillers. Meanwhile, King’s not the only one in queasy health. Several sources have told Page Six that Madoff himself has serious health issues. Some have even said the former money manager has pancreatic cancer. Madoff’s lawyers declined to comment. (Page Six)

 

Aretha Franklin did more than sing “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” at President Barack Obama’s inauguration. She also came bearing gifts. Her spokeswoman, Gwendolyn Quinn, says Franklin gave Obama a collection of 17 sermons by her late father, prominent Detroit minister the Rev. C.L. Franklin. Quinn says the 66-year-old singer also gave Obama a biography of her father and a Bible “engraved with a personal message.” Franklin gave first lady Michelle Obama a gold brooch with diamonds. Franklin’s 15-year-old grandson, Jordan Franklin, gave Obama daughters Malia and Sasha a collection of gospel/Christian hip-hop music. (Daily Record)

 

Heather Mills, who lives in the West Village, says Manhattan men are always chasing her. “I’ve got so many stunning girlfriends who can’t get a boyfriend,” the one-legged ex-wife of Paul McCartney tells Page Six Magazine in this Sunday’s Post. “But when I go out here, I get asked out all the time, and my girlfriends – who are better looking than me – say, ‘How the hell does that happen?!’ Maybe it’s because I’m comfortable with myself.” Her $50 million divorce settlement probably doesn’t hurt, either. (Page Six)

 

Lizzie Grubman gave birth Thursday to a son, Jack Alexander Stern, two months early. Mother and child are doing well and expected home with dad Chris Stern and brother Harry by Monday. (Page Six)

 

Trudie Styler drew a stellar crowd at the Sundance Film Festival to the dinner celebrating her documentary “Crude” (as in oil) thrown by Self magazine editrix Lucy Danziger. Such guests as Sting, Pierce Brosnan, Kevin Bacon, Tessa Benson and Emma Roberts were surprised by “Access Hollywood” host Billy Bush, who tried to crash the bash but was escorted across the street by his pal, NBC Entertainment chief Ben Silverman. Sting stayed close to the deejay booth and danced until the wee hours. (Page Six)

 

Maybe the NY Giants should consider a little Kevlar in their units: Plaxico Burress’ backup just got shot. Yes, in the leg. No, not by his own gun. Cops in Decatur, Ga. say Taye Biddle, who joined the Jints from the practice squad when Plax was suspended, was outside a house in Decatur, Ga. when he was shot twice, in the leg and in the hand. A friend tells the Decatur Daily, “He ought to be fine.” No arrests have been made, and cops don’t think Biddle caused or provoked the shooting. (TMZ)

 

Newsweek gathered up some nominees for their 13th annual Oscar roundtable. The group therapy session included Best Actor nominees Brad Pitt, Frank Langella, Mickey Rourke, Best Supporting Actor nom Robert Downey Jr., Anne Hathaway, who is up for Best Actress, and Golden Globe winner Sally Hawkins from Happy-Go-Lucky, who was just there to chill. One of our favorite questions posed to the actors: “Do any of you guys ever Google yourself?” Brad Pitt immediately replied, “Dear God. No. Never. First of all, I don’t really know how to operate a computer.” We’re inclined to believe him—it’s probably impossible to get any computer time with Maddox on there Googling weapons all the time. Almost everyone else—Hathaway, Hawkins, Langella—also chimed in with their own no ways. Rourke said nothing. But leave it to RDJ to fess up to the truth: “Oh, I love all that s–t, personally. Sorry. I love just it. Because it’s a hoot. Some people overstate their support, like they know you. Other people are busy doing something else and just want to go on this chat site and say some despicable character assassination, which I honestly think they kind of nailed it. I do have that shortcoming. It’s really fun.” This inspired Anne to stop pretending she was above a little self-Googling and admit: “OK, I have a confession. I lied before when you asked if I Googled myself. I do. I’m embarrassed by it because I know how terrible it is…For a while, it cracked me up. I found a ton of humor in it. But recently it’s changed. There’s a big difference now where information is being reported as news. And I’m very uncomfortable with that. And what you were saying, Brad—and God knows you deal with it worse than anyone—the idea that you blink your eyes and it’s all over the Internet? It’s a strange thing to be part of.” From there, the discussion went on to the publicity machine that Hollywood has become and how annoying it is to deal with. But since this really is Obama’s week, let’s see what the gang had to say about that… (Eonline)

 

Sorry, Brittany Flickinger, but you won’t be Paris Hilton’s best friend much longer. The attention hound is being welcomed back to MTV for round two of “Paris Hilton’s My New BFF,” which is holding a casting call for desperate fame seekers all week. Good luck to the winner. One source recently told Page Six that “Paris treats her BFF like an unpaid assistant.” (Page Six)

 

Some divas cling to their high-maintenance ways even at moments of historic national import. Mariah Carey, who performed at the Neighborhood Ball for President and Michelle Obama, was “furious” when she found out where she’d be seated for the inauguration. A spy said, “Mariah was in the VIP area, where every celebrity, like Jon Bon Jovi, Mary J. Blige, Alicia Keys and Bruce Springsteen, was seated. But somehow she thought she’d be up with the Obama family. When she realized she wasn’t, she bailed.” Meanwhile, Carey ex Sean Combs is said to be upset that he wasn’t invited to perform at official events and disappointed that Jay-Z had a bigger presence. A rep for Carey declined to comment. Combs’ rep said, “It was one of the greatest moments of his life. Sean was invited to the inauguration and was seated third row, with Jay-Z, at the ceremony.” (Page Six)

 

Marisa Tomei might have an unusual thank-you to make if she ends up winning the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her work as an aging stripper in “The Wrestler.” “I didn’t know how to do any pole work, and I had one month to figure it out,” she tells V magazine. Thankfully, Misty, an exotic dancer she met while doing research at clubs, showed her some moves. “I ended up not using all of them,” Tomei says. “I guess you can say I still have some tricks up my sleeve.” (Page Six)

 

All is well in splitsville for Madonna and Guy Ritchie. Divorce proceedings between the two were said to be amicable and all was going well with splitting up the time between the kids. Lourdes is said to live with Madonna in the US and 3-year-old David will be dividing his time between the US and Britain. However, when it comes down to their 8-year-old son Rocco, Madonna and Guy’s only biological child, the couple can’t come to agreements on which parent he should live with. Obviously, Madge wants him in the US with her, and Ritchie wants him to live and go to school in England. Madonna and Ritchie have each hired some of the top rated family lawyers to settle the child custody issue.  Whatever happens, let’s hope it’s in the best interest of the kids. (Perez Hilton)

 

John Travolta has become involved in an extortion plot over a photograph taken of his dying son Jett sources have told the Daily Mail. John’s 16-year-old son died at the Travolta’s Bahamas home on 2 January after suffering a seizure. Sources claim the actor was contacted by two men who demanded “millions of dollars” in exchange for not selling the photograph to the media. Local police have confirmed they are investigating the plot, with a spokesman saying: “The investigation is at an early stage. Mr. Travolta is co-operating fully.” John Travolta’s legal team refused to give the Mail details of the plot but said, “Regrettably in a time of such terrible grief there are often a few individuals who attempt to make false claims in hopes of making millions of dollars.” Before adding, “We will never let that happen.” (Handbag)

 

Pop sensation Miley Cyrus has blasted critics who branded her a “poser” for wearing heavy metal T-shirts, insisting she is a true Iron Maiden fan. The Hannah Montana star has been spotted donning an assortment of rock shirts in recent months, including an Iron Maiden tee on Saturday. But the star is adamant she is actually a follower of the British metal band – and isn’t just wearing the garment to look cool. In a video posted on clip-sharing website YouTube.com, Cyrus says, “I’m sure you all have seen me rocking an Iron Maiden shirt lately and I know there’s been some people saying, ‘Oh, she’s a poser,’ and ‘The only reason she’s wearing Iron Maiden is because she wants to be a rock star.’ “So, Iron Maiden – Run To The Hills, Fear of the Dark, Running Free, (all) good song(s), check it out. So thank you, guys. I actually do like Iron Maiden.” (Teen Hollywood)

 

Singer Lily Allen’s dad Keith has advised his daughter to “shut up”. Actor Keith Allen has advised his daughter Lily to “shut up” “I don’t mind saying this, because I’ve told her already: she needs to know when to f*****g shut up,” he told Spin magazine. “As a man, I could drink, snort [drugs], and f**k to my heart’s content without any detriment to my career. A girl cannot do that. The tabloids are shameless in trying to create a race-to-rehab between any girl and out there who has a drink. Lily’s learning what daddy learned long ago: fame is a pain in the f*****g arse.” (Handbag)

 

The world is getting a musical present for Felix Mendelssohn’s 200th birthday – the first performances of 13 long-lost works of the German composer. The compositions were among 270 Mendelssohn pieces hidden in libraries or in private collections around the world, according to Stephen Somary, a conductor and musical sleuth who spent more than a decade hunting the composer’s forgotten works. The 13 compositions – for voice, string quartet, piano and violin – are being performed at New York’s Museum of Jewish Heritage on Wednesday, six days before Mendelssohn’s birthday on Feb. 3. “This concert to me is an extraordinary event at putting together works that really cross his entire lifetime,” Somary said. “It’s unprecedented.” The performance comes seven years after Somary’s Mendelssohn Project premiered the composer’s revised version of the beloved “Italian” symphony. It’s about eight minutes longer than the well-known one given to the publisher by Mendelssohn’s wife after his death. “There are so many examples like that, where incorrect versions were published or only half-finished,” Somary said. Not everybody thinks these newly found works deserve much attention. Leon Botstein, music director of the American Symphony Orchestra and president of Bard College, said Mendelssohn was among the most self-critical of composers. “I would be very, very skeptical,” Botstein said. “If the composer leaves it unfinished or kept it out from publication, you have to respect the composer’s wishes. What needs to be honored in Mendelssohn is the music that has been known for (more than) 100 years, much of it published shortly after his death, that isn’t played.” The composer was the grandson of the German-Jewish philosopher Moses Mendelssohn. When Felix was a child, his parents converted the family to Christianity and adopted the last name Bartholdy. Some of his greatest works – the string Octet and incidental music to “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” – were written before he turned 18. His string quartets, last three symphonies, E Major violin concerto, oratorio “Elijah” and what became the Christmas carol “Hark! The Herald Angel Sings” are also among his masterpieces. Somary, a New Yorker who worked in Germany in the 1990s, had such a love for Mendelssohn that he set out to record the composer’s entire catalog – then believed to number 350 to 400 works. “I had no idea what I was walking into when I started this,” said Somary, a former aide to Leonard Bernstein. Because of the composer’s Jewish background, his works were banned in Germany by the Nazis. During the Hitler era, hundreds of compositions, manuscripts, letters and even artworks Mendelssohn painted were smuggled to Warsaw and Krakow, then dispersed around the world after Germany occupied Poland. Consulting with musicologists and poring through 9,000 unpublished letters, Somary was able to track down the lost pieces. Wednesday’s program – to be performed by the Shanghai Quartet and others – includes works recovered in Poland, Hungary, Germany, Russia, France and England. “Once I first went to the Prussian State Library in the former East Berlin and started reading some of the letters that had never been published and started seeing references to four or five different operas that no one had ever heard about,” Somary said. “Another symphony, a children’s symphony, chamber music lieder, artworks. An entire world opened up for me. … It was so stunning.” Mendelssohn died at 38 in 1847, just before nationalist revolutions swept Europe. Among the German nationalists was the anti-Semitic composer Richard Wagner, who wrote the screed “Judaism in Music” in 1850, condemning works by Jews. “What issues from the Jews’ attempts at making art must necessarily therefore bear attributes of coldness and indifference, even to triviality and absurdity,” Wagner wrote. Somary said that within six years of that publication, Mendelssohn’s music went from by far the most performed in Central Europe to not performed at all. Wagner and his sympathizers plotted “to posthumously assassinate” Mendelssohn, Somary said. He hopes the concert and the project will elevate Mendelssohn’s stature. “There was something incomplete about him, something incomplete about the public’s perception,” Somary said. “His music was so extraordinary but yet it was never given the same attention as others of the same quality.” (Daily Record)

 

Kelly Rutherford and her estranged husband Daniel Giersch sparred over the actress’s work demands as they both testified Thursday in a bitter custody dispute over 2-year-old son, Hermes. The pregnant Gossip Girl star, 40, who has filed for divorce from Giersch, 34, is seeking to take Hermes to New York, where the show is filmed, until the end of March. Giersch strongly objects, calling her job detrimental to their son. After almost two hours of testimony, no ruling was made and the hearing will resume Friday morning. Giersh, a German entrepreneur, testified that Rutherford’s “being on call in New York, working 20-hour days, her being told to go here, go there, jump into this car, go to this event,” contributed to their failed marriage. “Hermes doesn’t feel comfortable in New York,” he said. “He’s in constant fear, not knowing what’s going on. It’s not easy there, it’s not safe, and it’s noisy. As a father you see whether a child is comfortable or not.” Giersch described how he’s been physically with his son “90 percent of the time,” taking him to the playground, zoo, museums, and more, while Rutherford was working on Gossip Girl. “I don’t see any reason to give a child to a caretaker when there’s a better option, and that’s the parent,” he said. Giersch added that Rutherford “has never allowed me to have overnights alone with Hermes. There are certain issues that she needs to [have] control.” Choosing Her Career or Her Son Rutherford, wearing a black sweater, matching pants and gold earrings with her hair pulled back, took the stand next. “If I’m being asked to choose my career over my son, I choose my son,” she said. “[But] I need this job to pay my bills, legal bills, and Daniel has offered no support.” She denied that she was against overnights for Giersch, as long as a schedule was worked out first. “We can continue to co-parent as we have,” she said. Rutherford also took issue with Giersch pointing out her preoccupation with shopping, manicures and pedicures, saying, “It’s not just me, I mean, he gets his eyebrows waxed.” Her testimony was cut short and the hearing will resume at 9 a.m. The Best for the Family Outside of court, a smiling Rutherford said, “Ultimately I want the best for Daniel, and I want the best for our family.”  Asked what keeps her going through an acrimonious divorce while carrying their daughter, she replied, “I think about the great love I have for this child. I try to not think [about the divorce] and instead think about my kids and my future … and how lucky I am to be a mother at 40.” Giersch made no comment following the hearing. (People)

 

The daughter of late gospel singer-songwriter Joyce “Dottie” Rambo, who was killed in a bus crash in May, has sued the driver of the bus and the company that leased it to the entertainer. The lawsuit was filed Thursday in circuit court in Nashville on behalf of Reba Rambo-McGuire. It asks for a jury trial and compensatory damages as determined by the jury, but in excess of $25,000. The lawsuit names the bus driver, James Meadows; Nashville-based Pyramid Coach Inc., which the suit says was dissolved about a month after the accident; and DC Investments Leasing, a Vicksburg, Miss.-based subsidiary of Pyramid Coach. No phone number was listed for DC Investments Leasing, and the number for Pyramid Coach Inc. was disconnected. Meadow’s phone number wasn’t immediately available. Dottie Rambo died May 11 when the bus she was in ran off a road in southwest Missouri and struck an embankment. She was 74. Seven other people were injured in the accident, which happened about 2:20 a.m. while Rambo was on her way to a Mother’s Day performance in Texas. The lawsuit contends that Meadows was speeding and negligent and that Pyramid/DC Investments Leasing are liable for his negligence. Rambo was inducted to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2007. She has had more than 2,500 published songs, including gospel classics such as “He Looked Beyond My Fault and Saw My Need” and the 1982 Gospel Music Association Song of the Year, “We Shall Behold Him.” Her songs have been recorded by Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton, Whitney Houston, Crystal Gale and the Oak Ridge Boys. (Daily Record)

 

News organizations that cover the White House sparred with the Obama administration on Thursday over access issues for photographers and rules for briefings. Representatives from Obama’s press office held a conference call with photo editors, who are concerned that the administration prefers distributing photos taken by a White House photographer in cases where photojournalists have been permitted access in the past. It was unclear whether the two sides had reached any accommodation. The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse refused to distribute photos taken by the White House of the new president on his first day in the Oval Office because of the dispute. Still photographers were also not given access to Obama’s do-over oath of office administered Wednesday night by Chief Justice John Roberts and an economics meeting on Thursday. Television network bureau chiefs also protested the exclusion of video cameras from the second oath of office. “We’re in an awkward phase and there will be bumps in the road,” said Christopher Isham, CBS News Washington bureau chief. “Hopefully they will be speed bumps rather than obstacles.” Four reporters witnessed the oath of office and shared their observations with others, and a White House photo was released. “We think it was done in a way that was upfront and transparent,” White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said in a briefing when questioned why video cameras were not present. Pressed on the matter, Gibbs said, “we would have had to get a bigger room.” The Associated Press also questioned on Thursday why reporters were not allowed to use the names of administration officials giving a background briefing on issues regarding the Guantanamo Bay detention center in Cuba. Background briefings are hardly new in Washington, and were frequently conducted during the Bush and Clinton administrations. But the AP wanted to establish early with the administration that it’s important to get information on the record as often as possible, said Michael Oreskes, managing editor for U.S. news. “Information is a lot more valuable to the public if you know where it’s coming from,” Oreskes said. “So we try very hard in all source situations to identify sources as fully as we can.” Gibbs did not directly address the issue when asked about it later, saying that “I hope that you all found the exercise that we did the morning helpful.” (Daily Record)

 

The Screen Actors Guild has lost the support of a majority of its board to proceed with a strike vote after a hardline faction within the union and the guild’s president on Thursday backed a plan to suspend the vote. A group of Hollywood actors, led by guild president Alan Rosenberg, said Thursday it is also recommending sending the movie studios’ final three-year contract offer directly to its 120,000 members for a vote. The group’s statement follows months of preparations for a strike vote that would have given the guild the power to shut down production of major-studio movies and prime-time TV shows. The last contract expired in June. Although the guild has not acted officially to revoke its Oct. 19 plan to call a strike vote if mediation failed, the Hollywood group known as Membership First was the last major bloc still supporting that plan. Its reversal now means chances of a walkout are extremely slim. Along with the 25 national board members who backed Thursday’s statement and the 14 board members from the New York division who came out last month against the strike vote, more than half of the 71 board members have now come out publicly in support of suspending or scrapping plans for a strike vote. Thursday’s statement came after a contentious 30-hour meeting last week at which Membership First filibustered and fended off a motion by upset board members to fire the guild’s lead negotiator, National Executive Director Doug Allen. Allen later backtracked on calls for a strike vote and suggested instead sending the producers’ offer to actors for a vote. “Reaching