Welcome to the Factory

2007-05-25T10:26:00.000-04:00

Today's Celebrity B-Days!

These stars were all born on May 25:

Actor Ian McKellen (Lord of the Rings ) is 68.

Actress Dixie Carter is 68.

Country singer Jessi Colter is 64.

Actress-singer Leslie Uggams is 64.

Director-Muppetteer Frank Oz is 63.

Actress Karen Valentine is 60. Singer Klaus Meine of Scorpions is 59.

Actress Patti D'Arbanville (New York Undercover ) is 56.

Actress Connie Sellecca is 52.

Singer-guitarist Paul Weller of The Jam is 49.

Actor-comedian Mike Myers is 44.

Actress Anne Heche is 38.

Actresses Sidney and Lindsay Greenbush (Little House on the Prairie ) are 37.

Actor Jamie Kennedy (Scream ) is 37.

Actor Justin Henry (Kramer Vs. Kramer ) is 36.

Singer Lauryn Hill is 32.

Actor Ethan Suplee (My Name Is Earl ) is 31.

Guitarist Todd Whitener of Tantric is 29.

2007-05-25T10:18:00.000-04:00

Madonna's Cake Break
Source & Pic Source: Just Jared

Madonna took some time out of filming and directing Filth and Wisdom recently to peruse a local market to purchase some cakes and pastries.

Filth and Wisdom is a short comedy based loosely on Madonna’s own life.

2007-05-25T10:13:00.001-04:00

Director 'M' on the set of Filth & Wisdom

Pic Source

2007-05-25T10:09:00.000-04:00

Paul McCartney's new video 'Dance Tonight'
Feat. Natalie Portman!

The official video for Paul McCartney's UK single 'Dance Tonight', taken from the album 'Memory Almost Full'.

2007-05-25T10:03:00.000-04:00

Is another kitten in the plans for TomKat?

Plus: Lindsay Lohan is a hotel owner's worst nightmare

By Jeannette Walls

MSNBC
Is TomKat looking to have another kitten?Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are moving into a Beverly Hills estate said to be worth $35 million in June, according to Life & Style, and are converting one of the seven bedrooms into a nursery, hoping for another child.

“He told her how much he loves their little girl [Suri] and how he wants to have another baby when Katie’s ready,” a “friend of the couple” told the mag, adding, “She told him she’s ready.” And, “in his typically enthusiastic fashion,” reports L&S, “Tom’s moving full steam ahead preparing for a new arrival.”

Lohan's a hotelier's worst nightmare
Lindsay Lohan threw such a hissy fit at a hotel where her boyfriend stayed with another woman that the “Mean Girls” star was reportedly asked to leave the hotel.

Calum Best checked into Manhattan’s trendy Soho Grand with a pretty young woman who was not Lohan, and the actress shortly checked in with another guy — some believe to make Best jealous. Lohan tried to telephone Calum, but didn’t get in touch with him, so she went out partying until 1:30 a.m., reports Star, then returned to the hotel and collapsed in the lobby.

“She was writhing on the floor and everyone could see that she wasn’t wearing any panties,” an insider told the tab. Lohan’s date and bodyguard seemed so appalled by the scene that they didn’t do a thing to help her, a staffer told Star, and so the hotel’s night manager carried Lohan to her room.

The drama didn’t stop there. Lohan repeatedly telephoned Best’s room, and at one point, went to his door and banged on it. He came to the door and opened it a bit, she peeked inside and saw the woman there. “She went cuckoo,” a source told the tab. “She yelled at him, slammed the door and banged on it some more.”

Lohan was reportedly escorted back to her room, but after various other escapades, at 5:30 a.m. she was asked to leave the hotel — and checked out at 6:30 a.m.

2007-05-25T09:58:00.000-04:00

Nicole Emerges Smiling Post-Rehab Rumors
Source
As suspected, rumors of rehab lured Nicole out of seclusion (or relaxation, as the case may be) to have a nice cheery little photo op out and about. Yesterday, we saw some pics of Nic upposedly taken within the past week, but with no specific date or time. These, however, are Nicole, full smile, out grabbing sushi and a manicure in LA with her assistant on Wednesday afternoon. So there, you have it, Nicole is out and about, continues to get therapy at the center where she received in-house treatment years ago, and may or may not have spent some nights there last week. Hmmm, something tells me we still haven't heard the last of this story.

2007-05-25T09:56:00.000-04:00

SJP Won't Bite at Bitten Launch, But Amy Sacco Warns Us About Ellen Barkin
Sarah Jessica Parker wasn't talking to the press at last night's press event for her new clothing line, called Bitten, for cheapie department store Steve and Barry's. ("Thank you for respecting our no-interviews request," her rep hissed. We heard a rumor that was because People had an exclusive, but the rep insisted it was merely because they'd rather we "write about the exciting new line of affordable clothing" than pay attention to the celebrity they were using to get attention for the line.) So instead we asked our bite-focused questions to the very svelte Amy Sacco, who reported that she has largely stopped biting. "I'm over food," she said. "I'm doing all fish and really light stuff like salads. I want to get into a bikini this summer and be brave." What about other kinds of biting? No doubt some kinky stuff happens late-night at Bungalow. "I've been bitten by Ellen Barkin," Sacco gamely reported. "Ellen Barkin gave me a hickey. You have to be careful. She is very fast and you don't see it coming." If only Ron Perelman had known.
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2007-05-25T09:51:00.000-04:00

Mary-Kate Branches out on 'Weeds'
The somewhat skinnier and very often slightly more heavily layered Olsen twin, Mary-Kate, will be gracing the small screen for the first time in five years. And she'll be doing it without her twin sister. The "Full House" star is set to appear on Showtime'scomedy series, "Weeds," which is premiering its third season August 13th. Her character will act as the love interest for the son of Mary-Louise Parker's

character, Nancy Botwin, Olsen signed on to appear in 10 out of 15 of the third season's episodes.

"'Weeds' isn't your 8 o'clock family fare," series creator and executive producer Jenji Kohan said. "It's an adult show with adult subject matter, and we're confident Mary-Kate is right for the role."

Source

2007-05-25T09:48:00.000-04:00

Lindsay's vodk-AA sponsor

Alcoholics Anonymous member Lindsay Lohan has lined up Svedka vodka to sponsor her 21st birthday blowout in Las Vegas, a rep for the brand confirmed to us yesterday.

It's part of a deal that could net the star up to seven figures for the July 2-3 celebration. That's even before the Wonderland rehab center she attended gives her a refund.

Other partners include Pure nightclub, Caesars Palace (which is providing a "specially designed" suite) and the Social House restaurant at Treasure Island.

In the pay-to-play world of celebrity events, Vegas nightclubs alone have been known to offer up to $400,000 to land a top name.

Lindsay's mother, Dina, has confirmed she is involved with AA. So, in view of the circumstances, is having a vodka maker sponsor the first birthday of legal drinking age a great idea?

Her rep said, "I am unaware of who is sponsoring Lindsay's birthday, as I am not the one planning it."

But Lohan's lawyer Mike Heller confirmed the vodka deal. "This should be one of the best parties ever," he told Us Weekly.

Source

2007-05-25T09:43:00.000-04:00

Kylie's dirty dance with Sharon Stone
They were a sight for sore eyes - a pop-princess and a Hollywood sex symbol, dirty-dancing in the name of charity in front of a star-studded audience in Cannes.

Sexy hostess Sharon Stone joined singer Kylie Minogue onstage for a sizzling duet coupled which brought the house down after cajoling the singer into an impromptu performance.

The pair sang a duet that may well go down as the most expensive in history.

Kylie agreed to sing two songs - with Stone providing the backing - after an audience in Cannes agreed to donate £200,000 a tune to an Aids charity.

The annual American Foundation for Aids Research party has established itself as one of the social highlights of the Cannes film festival and this year's event, held at Le Moulin de Mougins, did not disappoint.

Minogue, firmly back on the scene after her much publicised battle with cancer, agreed to sing Can't Get You Out Of My Head and The Locomotion - after £ 400,000 was raised. Stone, who hosted last night's event, could not resist the opportunity to sing along.

The guests, who had paid £2,500 each for their tickets, could not have been more delighted. They are reported to have whooped and hollered at the climax of each song.

This year's charity party attracted some of the biggest names in Hollywood, among them George Clooney, Matt Damon, Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, as well as supermodels Claudia Schiffer, Elle Macpherson and Naomi Campbell.

Campbell, who celebrated her 37th birthday two days ago, said: "I was roped into this by Sharon. I'll do anything for her."

Michelle Rodriguez, the Lost actress who has been linked to Minogue's ex Olivier Martinez, was also at the event but said of the Frenchman: "He's just a good friend."

Others performing included Julian Lennon and the burlesque artiste Dita Von Teese. She gave what one report described as a "trademark" dance, performing around a giant 9ft lipstick.

Kylie, 38, has been a busy lady of late, and it seems is plotting world domination. As the singer left her London home with her ever-present stylist William Baker, he held an envelope on which appeared to be scribbled evidence of her non-stop agenda.

It starts with the word "mugs", suggesting she needs to do some shopping for the kitchen.

Next comes the phrase "tour next year".

Her Showgirls world tour only ended a few months ago. Fans will be thrilled to learn she plans another so soon.

Next is a note to remind her about her deal with Coty perfume. The 37-year-old was signed up as the face of the scent this spring.

Then come the words "Songs to Parkinson" – perhaps a reference to tracks she plans to sing on the ITV chat show.

The next note appears to relate to Miss Minogue producing promotional material for a film project.

It is followed by the words "film festivals/release/downloads".

Then "Acting coach number" is followed by "When Dr Who script arriving?" and "Russell’s number" – which most likely refers to Miss Minogue’s wish to get the phone number of Russell T Davies, head writer of BBC’s most recent Doctor Who series.

She is soon to have a role in the sci-fi drama.

Source

2007-05-23T12:08:00.000-04:00

New Pics of Madonna on the set of 'Filth and Wisdom'
Pic Source

2007-05-23T06:40:00.000-04:00

Posh Visits the DMV
Posh Beckham visited the DMV today in Santa Monica and spent an hour taking her written test. She was accompanied by her own little camera crew.
Source

2007-05-23T06:35:00.000-04:00

Paris Hilton With The Bible :O

Image Source

2007-05-23T06:30:00.000-04:00

Angelina Jolie, Baring Her Soul On Behalf of 'A Mighty Heart'

CANNES, France, May 22 We're invited to what the publicists describe as "an intimate press conference" with Angelina Jolie. They don't have to ask twice. Jolie walks into the seaside bungalow at the Hotel du Cap looking very movie star, very glamorous, very "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," thin as a razor, a pair of golden aviator sunglasses perched on her head and bronze Christian Louboutin heels. Dressed to Cannes.

One of the dozen reporters begins by asking who she is wearing, then jokes that they never ask the guys that.

"Except for Brad," Jolie says, laughing, flashing the big teeth, and thereby signaling that she is not unhappy to be here. That this could be okay. That we are not here with the icy distant planet Jolie, that actress who recently has appeared through the lens to be inscrutable, so wrapped in wrapping that she is unwrappable, just physically recoiling from the media's need to feed on any bit of exposed flesh, the relationship with Brad Pitt, the serial international adoptions, the baby-birthing in Africa, the globe-trotting Hollywood do-gooderisms, etc., etc.

Jolie is at the Cannes Film Festival to promote "A Mighty Heart," a small-budget project produced by Pitt (also here, for "Ocean's Thirteen") about the life and death of Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter. The movie (a love story, a thriller, a police procedural) is told from the harrowing perspective of his wife, Mariane Pearl, whom Jolie portrays in the weeks between his disappearance in Karachi, Pakistan, in 2002 and his terrible end by beheading, which was captured on video. The film has been warmly received by the critics at Cannes, and they have praised Jolie and British director Michael Winterbottom for their restraint, for not turning the movie into a movie about Angelina Jolie. (Nor is the beheading shown; it is witnessed through the reactions of actors seeing the tape. Nor is Jolie's French accent a distraction.)

And her celebrity, it helps? "I would love to think it's a help, but sometimes it can be a distraction. With a subject matter and a character like Mariane, it has to be handled so carefully," Jolie says. "Because sometimes I'm so public in so many other ways, it could have hurt. I'm very conscious of that, more than feeling confident it would help. But now the film is made and we're very proud of it. I'm glad to do everything I can to bring attention to it."

Jolie recalls her three visits to Pakistan on humanitarian and refugee missions for the United Nations. The film depicts a complex Pakistan, beset by layers of intrigue, by anti-American jihadists, terrorists and their sympathizers, by corrupt officials, by double-dealers, but also people truly trying to help, including a Pakistani anti-terrorism captain who first appears to be a bad guy, then a good guy, who also tortures suspects to find Pearl.

"We'll see if I get my next visa to Pakistan," says Jolie, who continues: "It's a very balanced film," and "I have a love for that part of the world and I'm very sad how much every day it is breaking apart."

The film contains scenes of the actor playing Daniel Pearl, Dan Futterman (who was nominated for an Oscar for his "Capote" screenplay), that were shot in Karachi, portrayed as a chaotic megacity of great poverty and brutality, yet with moments of humanity and grace. Jolie did not work in Pakistan for the film (it was too dangerous, Winterbottom says), but shot her scenes in India, which serves as a stand-in for the site of the house-headquarters where Mariane Pearl and her colleagues gathered to await news of the reporter's fate. Pitt joined Jolie in India. "He's a really good producer," she says, "and he also spent most of the time at the hotel with our three kids, being an even better father."

What does Jolie hope for the film? "I think there is a bigger message. I think we're at a time in our lives where there is so much fear and there is so much anger and it's hard for people to calm down enough to have a dialogue about finding solutions, and I think she, Mariane, is a great example of that because she, under the most extraordinary circumstances, remained very focused on having sympathy for the other side, even after what they did to her husband." Jolie continues, "She said a few days after her husband was killed that she loved Pakistan."

Jolie met with Mariane Pearl many times and says they have become friends.

"This story and this time is something everybody remembers, even studio heads; they actually care about it. They care about Danny Pearl and they care about Mariane," Jolie says. "And even when we came to publicity, nobody asked for anything silly and nobody pushed."

And that is the atmosphere here at the Hotel du Cap for the minutes we spend with Jolie. Nobody asks about Brangelina. We ask if the Pakistani captain who ferreted out Pearl's killers had seen the film? "He saw it last night," Winterbottom says, "and said it was like reliving it." Jolie wonders whether we should put that in the newspaper and Winterbottom says it is fine. We like that Jolie is concerned about his safety.

She says she will finish up a film now shooting in Prague (the thriller "Wanted," with Morgan Freeman and James McAvoy), and that soon she and Pitt plan to take a year off. She will keep flying planes. She just got instrument-rated and Pitt now has a pilot's license. She says she takes precautions in her travels but will continue to see and experience the world. She might even learn how to cook. "I'll say to Brad I'd like to make us some eggs," Jolie says, "and he says don't."

Source

2007-05-23T06:25:00.000-04:00

Today's Celebrity Birthdays

These stars were all born on May 23:

Actress Barbara Barrie is 76.

Actress Joan Collins is 74.

Actor Charles Kimbrough (Murphy Brown ) is 71.

Singer General Johnson of Chairmen of the Board is 64.

Actress Lauren Chapin (Father Knows Best ) is 62.

Country singer Judy Rodman is 56.

Comedian Drew Carey is 49.

Country singer Shelly West is 49.

Actor Linden Ashby (Melrose Place ) is 47.

Actress-model Karen Duffy is 46.

Drummer Phil Selway of Radiohead is 40.

Drummer Matt Flynn of Maroon 5 is 37.

Singer Lorenzo is 35.

Country singer Brian McComas is 35.

Singer Maxwell is 34.

Singer Jewel is 33.

2007-05-23T06:20:00.000-04:00

Stars salute our national heroes
THE Queen was last night named the Greatest Living Briton at a star-studded live TV show backed by The Sun.

The Greatest Britons 2007 ceremony was the finale to weeks of voting by Sun readers.

Prince Edward accepted the award on her behalf by video link. He said: “I am just sorry that my mother can’t be here to receive this in person. She feels very honoured to receive this.”

And Helen Mirren, who played Her Majesty in movie The Queen, said: “She deserves to win. She has dedicated her life to Britain.”

Sun readers had whittled down a list of 50 brilliant Brits to a shortlist of five.

Then ITV viewers picked the Queen ahead of rival finalists Robbie Williams, Sir Paul McCartney, Dame Julie Andrews and Baroness Thatcher.

Dame Helen, 61, was also a winner — in the awards’ film category.

She said: “How great to be up there with fish and chips, bangers and mash and a good old cup of tea.”

David Beckham, 32, was named Britain’s greatest ambassador.

The Real Madrid and former England star jetted into London from Spain to collect the honour from Arsenal’s Thierry Henry.

He said: “This is an honour and a privilege.”

A celebrity panel decided eight other categories.

Comedian Ricky Gervais, 45, was Greatest Briton in the TV category.

Newlywed Brit singing sensation Amy Winehouse, 23, beat legend Sir Elton John in the music category. Judge Kelly Osbourne collected the award on Amy’s behalf.

Gordon Brown made his first big award ceremony appearance since becoming PM-in-waiting. He presented the best British business award to smoothie drinks firm Innocent.

British adventurer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, 63, beat off competition from Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton and boxer Joe Calzaghe — who arrived with stunning partner Jo-Emma Lavine — to become No 1 Brit in the sports category.

Sir Ranulph collected his award from 1966 England World Cup legend Sir Geoff Hurst.

Graffiti artist Banksy was named top Brit in the art category. Duncan Goose was best campaigner.

Celebs at the show, hosted by Kate Thornton, included Sir Bob Geldof, Geri Halliwell, Natasha Bedingfield and Sophie Ellis-Bextor.

Sir Bob had been rooting for Macca and called him a “copper bottomed genius.”

Other judges were former Olympic gold medallist Lord Coe, Marks and Spencer chairman Stuart Rose, BBC Dragons’ Den pundit Duncan Bannatyne, T4 presenter June Sarpong, Radio One film critic James King, DJ Trevor Nelson, Four Weddings And A Funeral writer Richard Curtis, designer Kelly Hoppen, hurdler Colin Jackson, ITV newsreader Andrea Catherwood, designer Zandra Rhodes and eco-campaigner Zac Goldsmith.

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2007-05-22T11:59:00.001-04:00

2007-05-22T11:53:00.000-04:00

I LOVE This!!!

2007-05-22T11:45:00.000-04:00

GEORGE'S ARTFUL SPREE
WHO knew George Michael - known more lately for his boozy arrests and trysts with prostitutes than his singing - was such an art collector? In the past month, the superstar has spent $20 million on pieces by controversial shark-pickler Damien Hirst, among others, boosting the value of his personal collection up to a whopping $80 million. A source close to the 43-year-old star, who opens the new Wembley Stadium with two dates next month, tells us: "George is hugely into his art. He made a lot of money from his 53-date tour last year and he thought this would be a good way to invest it. He's chosen pieces by Damien, photographer David LaChapelle and Tracey Emin. They wouldn't be to everyone's taste but they're hugely collectible and are certain to go up in value." Michael will exhibit some of the works in partner Kenny Goss' gallery in Dallas. Meanwhile, Michael was outbid Thursday during a heated auction at Christie's for a Hirst piece. A source said Michael dropped out after the price hit $6 million. His rep declined to comment.
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2007-05-22T11:37:00.000-04:00

CALUM: LINDSAY LOHAN IS MY BEST EVER!

PLAYBOY Calum Best has spoken for the first time about his wild nights of mind-blowing sex with Hollywood hellraiser Lindsay Lohan.

Calum, son of legendary ladies' man George Best, confessed: "She's dynamite between the sheets.

"Lindsay's so highly sexed she can make love all night in every position imaginable. No girl I've ever slept with comes close."

Reality TV Love Island star Calum, 26, who was at the Maxim Hot 100 party in New York with his lover this week, boasted of Lindsay's sexual prowess to pals during a night out at the Big Apple's trendy Stereo club.

Calum was in the States with the party-loving Parent Trap actress after a week in the Bahamas where Lindsay, 20, almost lost her bikini top when they frolicked in the surf.

A friend of Calum, nicknamed The Screw, said: "He told me Lindsay's really insatiable when it comes to sex.

"She loves to be in control in the bedroom and knows every trick which he thinks is incredible considering she's six years younger than him.

"Calum was knocked out by her body. He said she's got one of the best he's ever seen with all the curves in the right places. He joked Lindsay loved being on top during sex and controlling the pace but sometimes he felt he needed ear muffs because she screamed so much during sex.

"Calum explained that because Lindsay was so fit he would often find it hard to keep up with her demands.

"He joked their hotel room would often look like a whirlwind had run through it with sheets torn away from the mattress by the force of their bodies rolling across the bed."

The pair first got together last November after meeting in London nightclub Kabaret.

After doing a lap dance for him Lindsay lured Calum - whose past conquests include Rod Stewart's daughter Kimberly and Mick Jagger's daughter Lizzie - back to her hotel for a six-hour love-in. But when the romeo tried to leave her suite at the Sanderson Hotel in the early hours, jealous Lindsay - convinced he was going to meet another woman - called hotel security to stop him.

Earlier this month she invited Calvin Klein model Calum to the US premier of her latest film Georgia Rule before they flew to the Bahamas for more romps.

Calum's friend said: "Lindsay likes her sex rough and passionate and Calum says he has the bruises and bumps to prove it.

"She loves his bad-boy reputation but thinks ultimately she can tame him.

"But that fact that other girls throw themselves at him also drives her wild with jealousy.

"Calum treats her no different to any other conquest even though she is a big Hollywood star.

"Lindsay's used to men doing everything she asks and getting her own way but Calum is the exact opposite.

"Calum also revealed how Lindsay had told her pals he was one of the biggest lovers she had ever had.

"Calum's got this reputation for being well-hung and he said Lindsay had no complaints in that department."

Lindsay even introduced the son of late footie legend George to her mum after he amazingly admitted: "I'm fed up with one-night stands and meaningless relationships. I'd like to find the perfect wife."

Their relationship was rekindled in the States just days after a video was released of Lindsay allegedly snorting 20 lines of cocaine in one night.

The out-of-control actress was seen taking the drug and shoving it up a pal's nose while crammed into a nightclub toilet.

Lindsay is also addicted to sex and regularly boasts to pals how she has slept with stars including singer James Blunt and actors Joaquin Phoenix, Benicio Del Toro and James Franco. Calum is now back in England and did a nightclub promotion in Blackpool on Friday night.

His agent Dave Read said: "Calum and Lindsay get on well but we'll have to wait and see what happens.

"Although his love life is splashed all over the papers he never talks about his girlfriends."

Source

2007-05-22T11:33:00.000-04:00

'Penny-pinching' Liz Hurley fails to pay vicar for her wedding
Actress Liz Hurley has been accused of penny-pinching after failing to pay the vicar for her £2 million wedding.

The former Lancome model, 41, wed millionaire businessman Arun Nayar at lavish Sudeley Castle in Winchcombe, Gloucestershire, in February.

But despite a multi-million pound magazine deal with Hello! magazine, Reverend John Partington is still waiting for his £800 fee for conducting the ceremony.

The situation has infuriated locals in Winchcombe, who were already unhappy that the star-studded bash brought the village to a standstill.

Morris Davies, 69, a retired postman who has lived in the village all of his life said: "She is a celebrity, I am sure that they think they don't have to fork out for anything.

"But a lot of the locals are not very happy about her not paying the most important person in the ceremony - the vicar.

"We were all flabbergasted when she used caterers from London rather than local produce and then tried to close the road in and out of the village.

"It does herself no favours shunning the locals - John has kept very hush hush about it but the rest of the village have been chatting about the sheer cheek of it all."

The couple tied the knot on February 24 at a chapel in the grounds of Sudeley Castle, which is owned by Liz's friend Henry Dent-Brocklehurst.

Mary Hobbs, 67, a retired county councillor added: "It's very unfortunate if John hasn't been paid.

"I left the village when the wedding was being held because I knew it would be an absolute nightmare.

"But many of the other residents complained about the helicopters which must have been dropping off all the celebrities.

"It all seems very naughty to me. We are a close community here and don't like that sort of thing."

Rev Partington is maintaining a dignified silence on the issue. He said: "Any arrangements are a private matter and I'm perfectly happy with the arrangements made."

But one parishioner, who asked not to be named, said: "I'm quite annoyed about this - Liz Hurley really should have paid for this by now.

"She made so much money from the wedding it is only fair that she pays it. As you can imagine, it is difficult for the vicar to bring up the fact that he hasn't been paid."

Hurley - who caused a stir on the red carpet at the Cannes film festival last week by wearing a matching scarlet Valentino dress - has been plagued with problems since getting hitched.

The couple's second wedding in India was slammed by the actress' in-laws who claim the pair insulted Hinduism by drinking alcohol and wearing leather shoes by the fire.

Source

2007-05-22T11:31:00.000-04:00

John & Jessica Back Together?

REPORTS of John Mayer and Jessica Simpson’s “split” may be premature.

Although our spies saw Mayer flirting with other women on Thursday night - and overheard the shaggy-haired musician tell friends he was “happy being single” - a source at the Soho Grand Hotel said, “John came in Sunday, after Jessica had already checked into the penthouse. He met her up there and spent the night.”

Reps for both lovebirds had no comment.
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2007-05-22T11:21:00.001-04:00

Dancing With The Stars new 'Got Milk?' Ad....

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2007-05-22T11:17:00.000-04:00

Todays Celebrity Birthdays

These stars were all born on May 22:

Actor Michael Constantine (My Big Fat Greek Wedding,Room 222 ) is 80.

Actor-director Richard Benjamin is 69.

Actor Frank Converse is 69.

Actor Michael Sarrazin is 67.

Actress Barbara Parkins (Peyton Place,Valley of the Dolls ) is 65.

Songwriter Bernie Taupin is 57.

Singer Morrissey is 48.

Actress Ann Cusack (Jeff Foxworthy Show,A League of Their Own ) is 46.

Bassist Dana Williams of Diamond Rio is 46.

Guitarist Jesse Valenzuela of Gin Blossoms is 45

. Singer Johnny Gill is 41.

Bassist Dan Roberts of Crash Test Dummies is 40.

Model Naomi Campbell is 37.

Actress Anna Belknap (CSI: NY ) is 35. Singer Donell Jones is 34.

2007-05-22T11:09:00.000-04:00

Bikini Britney's midnight pool party
Britney Spears knows how to make a splash.

Dressed in a skimpy black bikini, the pop star and her pals couldn't resist stripping down for a pool party at their hotel to cool off from the Miami heat.

Wrapping up a night of performing, Spears slipped off for a quick dip just after midnight, but quickly rejoined her pals at the hotel's cabana to continue the fun.

With her entourage of back up dancers and security guards in tow, Spears then took the party up a gear at 2am and headed out for a night on the tiles at Miami's Set nightclub.

The star was celebrating the end of her Florida tour which was - of course - not drama free.

During a 14-minute set at the House of Blues in Orlando Spears encountered an embarrassing glitch: while lip-synching one of her hits, the backing track began to skip.

Spears made an attempt to hide the blunder by turning her head away from the crowd.

Later she showered the crowd with affection, saying: "I love you, Orlando. Thank you so much for being here. You're awesome. I love you!"

The next night, while perfoming to a sell-out crowd on stage at Miami's Mansion her beaded bra came apart during her dance routine.

She was wearing a second bra underneath, but Spears was still forced to run off stage for a quick costume change.

Despite the regular hiccups, her loyal fans said she didn't disappoint.

Well-known DJ Tracy Young, who performed at Madonna's wedding to Guy Ritchie, attended the show and told American magazine People: "Whether she lip-synchs or not, there was a line around the block. I'm looking forward to her comeback, I think she's going to be fierce."

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2007-05-21T10:24:00.000-04:00

Raphael's Medici Valued at Little More Than Warhol's `Marilyn'
Raphael's portrait of Florentine ruler Lorenzo de' Medici, almost five centuries old, has been priced by Christie's International at little more than a 1962 Andy Warhol image of Marilyn Monroe.

Christie's top estimate for the Raphael at a July 5 sale in London is 15 million pounds ($29.6 million). Warhol's ``Lemon Marilyn,'' showing a purple-faced Monroe on a yellow background, sold for $28 million in New York last week, including commission.

The Raphael valuation shows how art that has survived for hundreds of years is losing ground as new millionaires opt for contemporary pictures.

Works by Raffaello Sanzio, known as Raphael, are mostly in museums, so there are few opportunities to buy them. The portrait of Medici, ruler of Florence in the early 16th century, is being sold by collector Ira Spanierman, who bought it at a New York auction in 1968, Christie's said in a statement to be released this morning.

Raphael, who died in 1520, was commissioned by Pope Julius II to paint frescoes in a papal room in the Vatican. He also worked for the next pope, Leo X, who was the uncle of Lorenzo de' Medici, Christie's said.

Scholars in the late 19th century weren't convinced that Raphael was the painter of the portrait or Medici was the subject, wearing a fur-trimmed cape and tunic, Christie's said.

``All major scholars of the artist'' now accept the current attributions, influenced by an article published in 1971 by Konrad Oberhuber, the company said.

Christie's and Sotheby's hold sales of old master pictures in the U.K. capital in July. The biggest such auctions in recent years were in 2005, when they fetched more than 100 million pounds, after a Canaletto painting of Venice set a record of 18.6 million pounds on a day of terrorist bombings.

Source

2007-05-21T10:17:00.000-04:00

Ricky Gervais & David Bowie at the 2007 H&M Highline Festival...

Image Source

2007-05-21T10:12:00.000-04:00

"Straight Out of the Bottle!"
Lindsay Lohan and Calum Best were spotted at the Anchor Bar in NYC last week where witnesses say she "drank vodka straight out of the bottle." She dragged her boy toy to another bar before coming back to the Anchor Bar, partying until 3 and then jumping a jet to Los Angeles.
Source

2007-05-21T10:08:00.000-04:00

Britney's problem-ridden trip to Miami
Britney Spears took her randon House of Blues tour to Miami this weekend, but it wasn't without its fair share of glitches. First she had a bit of a breakdown on the flight to Florida, saying that she wanted off because immediately after take-off she realized the plane "hasn't got leather seats." Sounds logical.
When she finally arrived safely in FLA, aside from shopping in a bustier, there was a show to perform. As usual, Brit performed her brief show, lip syncing her way through the set. Unfortunately, halfway through her "backing" cd started to skip. Brit dealt with the mishap by dancing with her back to the crowd while the track fixed itself. Hey, at least it wasn't like the audience thought she was actually singing at any point. Just a little Ashlee Simpson on SNL-esque embarrassing moment. Lucky for Brit, she wasn't broadcast on TV!
Source

2007-05-21T10:04:00.000-04:00

Angelina does Cannes...

Pic Source: JustJared.com

2007-05-21T10:01:00.000-04:00

And even more Scissor Sisters on YouTube! :)

2007-05-21T09:57:00.000-04:00

'Scissor Sisters' on UK's Channel 4 transmission....

Source

2007-05-21T09:50:00.000-04:00

Madonna Confirms Directorial Debut.

Madonna Confirms Directorial Debut.... Pop superstar Madonna has confirmed she will make her directorial debut with a short film.

The Material Girl, following in the footsteps of her filmmaker husband Guy Ritchie, is to begin shooting low-budget comedy Filth And Wisdom in London this month (May07).

The movie is based in her own life experiences.

She says, "I am happy to confirm I am working hard on a new project, directing my first short
movie.

"While I cannot tell you more about it for now, I am happy to officially reveal its title: Filth And Wisdom.

"I will finish this in time to go back to the recording studio in July. I hate to be such a tease, but you know how I am."

Source

2007-05-21T09:46:00.000-04:00

Today's Celebrity Birthdays

These stars were all born on May 21:

Actress Jeanne Bates (Ben Casey ) is 89.

Actor David Groh (Rhoda ) is 66.

Singer Ron Isley of the Isley Brothers is 66.

Actor Richard Hatch (Battlestar Galactica ) is 62.

Keyboardist Bill Champlin of Chicago is 60.

Actress Carol Potter (Beverly Hills, 90210,Sunset Beach ) is 59.

Singer Leo Sayer is 59.

Comedian Al Franken is 56.

Actor Mr. T is 55.

Drummer Stan Lynch (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) is 52.

Actor Judge Reinhold is 50.

Actor Brent Briscoe (Mulholland Drive,A Simple Plan ) is 46.

Actress Lisa Edelstein (House ) of 39.

Actress Fairuza Balk (The Waterboy ) is 33.

Rapper Havoc of Mobb Deep is 33.

Actress Ashlie Brillault (Lizzie McGuire ) is 20.

Actress Sarah Ramos (American Dreams ) is 16.

2007-05-21T09:44:00.000-04:00

Moore blasts U.S. health-care system

Canada on right track, filmmaker tells festival
Sicko just caused a sensation at the 60th Cannes Film Festival last night. And George W. Bush just might be squirming in the White House this morning.

Sicko is Michael Moore's new agitprop documentary. Slick, funny and wildly entertaining, the film is highly critical of the Bush administration and Congress for turning the U.S. health-care system into a profit-making machine that may be killing people by denying them drugs and surgeries.

"There is something very barbaric about a system like that," a battling Moore told a Cannes press conference yesterday about the problem of people being refused care because they don't have the money and/or because their insurance companies find loopholes to deny them proper treatment.

BETTER ELSEWHERE

The avuncular filmmaker -- who made Bowling For Columbine and won the Palme d'Or here for his Bush-bashing film Fahrenheit 9/11 -- said in the film and at Cannes that countries such as Canada, Britain and France have vastly superior universal health-care systems that the U.S. should steal and implement.

The Canadian system has problems, Moore admitted, although he paints only a rosy picture in the film. "I hear a lot from Canadians about the long lines and whatever," Moore said. "All the studies have shown with emergencies that, if you need help, you get the help right away. But the Canadian system, beginning with (Brian) Mulroney, has been under-funded and that's the problem.

"There's not a problem, though, with the actual concept of universal health care in Canada. If you ask most Canadians: 'Would you be willing to trade your Canadian health insurance card for our health insurance card?' What would your answer be? No! That is correct.

"If I were a Canadian, I would probably complain more loudly than you just did. But I'm not. I'm an American saying that something is wrong with our system, something is right in Canada. You're in a longer line than we are because you get to live three years longer than we do. Why is it that you, the French, the Brits, have a longer life expectancy? A baby born in Toronto has a better chance of living to its first birthday than a baby born in Detroit.

"There is something that you are doing right. I know that it's difficult to hear me say these nice things about Canada. I hope that you are not a country that has a hard time accepting a compliment. If we aspired more to the way that you are doing it, we would be better off. I recognize that there are flaws in your system. But that is not for me to correct. That is for you to correct."

Moore told the press conference he has until Tuesday to respond to the U.S. treasury department's notice of intent to investigate him for a trip to Cuba that is depicted in the film. In a typical stunt, Moore took a group of Americans with health problems to the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay to try to get treatment from the military doctors there who provide services to detainees, including alleged al-Qaida terrorists.

GROUND ZERO

Among Moore's party were three 9/11 emergency workers who are suffering health problems from Ground Zero but have not been properly looked after in the U.S.

After being rebuffed from Gitmo, Moore takes them to a Cuban hospital where they get a warm reception, free treatment and cheap drugs.

"I have a lot of faith in the American people," Moore said. "The American people get it -- or they eventually get it. And I know they're smart enough to know that this film, at least in regards to Cuba, is about me taking 9/11 workers who have been abandoned by the U.S. government to go and get some help. I think, when Americans see this, they're not going to focus on Cuba or Fidel Castro or what other propaganda comes out of the White House. They are going to say to themselves: 'You're telling me the al-Qaida detainees are receiving better health care from us than those who went down to rescue those who suffered and died on 9/11?'

"They're not going to listen to Bush any more. I think the American people get it now. I don't think they're going to be as snookered and hoodwinked as they were with Iraq and the other things that Bush did in his first years."

Source

2007-05-21T09:40:00.000-04:00

Lindsay Lohan's impromptu photoshoot at Coachella with photographer Andrew Haagen

Source

2007-05-20T08:10:00.000-04:00

Amy Fisher dating Joey Buttafuoco again, Mary Jo moves on

The teenaged Long Island lolita, Amy Fisher, shot Mary Jo Connery-Buttafuoco in the face 15 years ago trying to win her older man, Joey Buttafuoco. Friday, Mary Jo told Good Morning America that she is moving on, meanwhile Joey and Amy are evidently dating again.

When she was 17 years old, Amy Fisher was dating the much older Joey. While trippin' on Ecstasy Amy went to Joey's Long Island home and shot his then-wife, Mary Jo, in the face. When Mary Jo came 'round again, she and Joey went their separate ways. Joey went to jail for a few months, and Amy Fisher went to prison.

Until a few months ago, Joey and Amy had both restarted their lives and remarried new people. Today, they're both getting divorced and dating each other again. I'm told they are shopping around for a reality show, and since money talks -- I would guess that it is pretty easy to look like you're in love again.

On Good Morning America, Mary Jo says "good riddance to both." While Mary Jo seems to agree that Amy and Joey are in it for the money, Mary Jo has moved on. She is living in California where she runs a small business with her fiancé, Stu Tendler, called originalpartyposters.com, where they design party posters.
Source

2007-05-20T08:06:00.000-04:00

BRITNEY HAS TARMAC TANTRUM, STOPS FLIGHT
Flameout popster Britney Spears flipped again - ranting about the lack of leather seats on her United Airlines flight from L.A. to Miami Friday night, and demanding to be let off minutes before takeoff . "She just said, 'I don't want to fly on this plane. It hasn't got leather seats,' " passenger Tony Sanchez told Splash News. The captain accommodated, later apologizing to passengers. "He said a passenger wanted to get off so he had to respect their wishes. He didn't say it was Britney Spears." Sanchez said. "Some people were getting really annoyed." Spears' flacks didn't return calls. The star was due to perform at the House of Blues in Orlando last night, and in South Beach today.
Source

2007-05-20T08:00:00.001-04:00

The White Stripes on the cover of NYLON mag!

Image Source

2007-05-20T07:46:00.001-04:00

Lohan & Lagerfeld
Scary!

Pic Source

2007-05-20T07:38:00.000-04:00

Tori on AOL

2007-05-20T07:36:00.000-04:00

Amy Winehouse Weds in Miami
She won't go to rehab, but she'll sure as hell go to the altar.

Our most favorite lush in the whole wide world, Amy Winehouse wed her on-again, then off-again, then back-on-again boyfriend Blake Fielder-Civil this morning in Miami.

Spinner confirmed the news with Winehouse's rep. "The newlywed couple is very happy," she said.

The two were engaged last month when Civil popped the question at their London apartment.
Source

2007-05-20T07:20:00.000-04:00

Pete Burns 'Unspun'

2007-05-19T17:44:00.001-04:00

Celebrity Birthdays for May 19

Grace Jones (1952)

Pete Townshend (1945)

Nora Ephron (1941)

James Fox (1939)

2007-05-19T17:36:00.000-04:00

Spirits of Hollywood

Love it or hate it, the latest fashion trend is spiritual affiliation. When you turn on the radio, you hear Kanye West rapping about Jesus. When you turn on the TV you hear Mary J. Blige thanking God for her success. And when you flip through the movie channels, you’ll see shows like The Passion of Christ. It has been creeping up in pop culture since the turn of this millennium, and here at Celebrity Babylon we hate to break it to you, but like that little black dress, it’s not going to go out of style any time soon.

With celebrities on the front lines, you can bet that it’s only going to multiply from here.

JUDAISM
Madonna: “I've learned, from studying Kabbalah, that if your happiness is based on people approving of everything you do, you're doomed to fail ... It helped me stand up and take responsibility for everything to do with me. I think that Kabbahlah is very punk rock."

Demi More: “I think if you stay true to yourself and keep moving forward, things come around.”

CHRISTIANITY
Britney Spears: “I think I'm more grounded, you know, and I know what I want out of life and I'm, you know, my morals are really, you know, strong and I have major beliefs about certain things and I think that has helped me, you know, from being, you know, coming from a really small town.”

Mel Gibson: "There is no salvation for those outside the Church...I believe it. But that is a pronouncement from the chair. I go with it. I'm not a done deal. I'm a work in progress, and I'm still extremely flawed."

SCIENTOLOGY
Tom Cruise: "I believe in life. I know that life comes in at your heart and it doesn't matter if you're an actor, a filmmaker, or a gentleman on the street, it comes at you. What Scientology gives me is the tools to deal with that, to better enjoy my life and to be able to contribute more."

Will Smith: "I've probably read 95% of the words in the Bible. Probably 60% of the Torah. And 70% of the Koran. And the thing that is so amazing to me is how everybody, in essence, believes the same thing. I just can't understand how we get from such similar beliefs to murdering one another. My beliefs are that individuals have to create relationships with God. You can't listen to what the preacher says--you have to read the Bible yourself and make your interpretation. I just think a lot of the ideas in Scientology are brilliant and revolutionary and non-religious." - Will Smith

BUDDHISM
Richard Gere: “It completely changed my life the first time I was in the presence of His Holiness, the Dali Lama. No question about it. It wasn't like I felt, ‘Oh, I'm going to give away all my possessions and go to the monastery now,’ but it quite naturally felt that this was what I was supposed to do--work with these teachers, work within this lineage, learn whatever I could ... In spite of varying degrees of seriousness and commitment since then, I haven't really fallen out of that path.

Uma Thurman: I think we all exude essential truths about ourselves. There's your wit and your imagination, and what you can cook up from your experience and understanding of what makes a human being tick.

JEHOVAH'S WITNESS
Venus Williams: "We believe in good association, association with fellow Witnesses, not becoming too involved with people that don't have the same beliefs and same values that we do. We go to meetings three times a week. They encourage us. You learn there, just continue learning until you get a better understanding of things. I guess you are aware that we do house-to-house witnessing. I can't do that at all because I'm on the road."

SPIRITUAL
Angelina Jolie: "There doesn't need to be a God for me. There's something in people that's spiritual, that's godlike. I don't feel like doing things just because people say to, but I also don't really know if it's better to just not believe in anything, either."

Marilyn Manson: My interpretation of Satanism is a theory of evolution, self-preservation, individualism and what you believe in. But I'd rather speak about humanism. Satan represents rebellion since God incarnates the quo status. It’s not a religion as far as I'm concerned, it is a philosophy, an opinion. Satanism is something I'm fond of, it is the ultimate rebellion against order and God. Be your own god. Think by yourself."
Source

2007-05-19T17:35:00.000-04:00

Reese & Jake break up!!
Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhaal are no longer dating! According to a source very close to the Oscar-winning actress, "It was Reese who backed off from the relationship. It was too soon after [Ryan Phillippe], she wanted to move on, but she couldn't. He's younger than her, she has the kids to think about, it was a bit overwhelming."

Their relatively short romance, three months at best, never really took off to become public fodder. There were furtive take-out meals from West Los Angeles restaurants, and sightings of Witherspoon leaving Gyllenhaal's Hollywood Hills home, but they never had that public date the world was waiting for, the date that would mean they were officially giving it a go.

Witherspoon, 31, and Phillippe, 32, called it quits on their 7-year marriage in October of last year, and one month later, she was spotted by Celebrity Babylon on the set of her latest movie Rendition with her co-star Jake Gyllenhaal, 26. At the time, we noticed that Reese (who was wearing a prosthetic pregnancy belly) looked pretty happy for a woman who had just split from the father of her two children (Ava, 7, Deacon, 3). A source on the Rendition set told Celebrity Babylon at the time, "They flirted back and forth, but at that time I think that's all it was." Three months later is when the sightings, both in New York city, and in Los Angeles started surfacing. But now, it's back to the dating drawing board for both of them...
Source

2007-05-19T09:42:00.000-04:00

Loving this song and video!!
Teo & Tea by Electronica Pioneer Jean Michel Jarre

2007-05-19T09:39:00.000-04:00

Is The Price Wrong for Rosie O’Donnell?

Rosie O'Donnell wants Bob Barker to "come on down" to Miami and reconsider his opposition to her taking his job.

In a full page ad placed in Thursday's Variety, Rosie, 45, honors the retiring Barker's long television career and not-so-subtly reminds him and his employers that she loves the show, and, oh yeah, has her own life-sized Plinko Board at home. The controversial TV star has been angling for the game show hosting gig since December 2006, when she told Extra: “See, I want The Price is Right, but no one has offered me The Price is Right...They apparently don’t want me, which is sort of sad because I have visions for The Price is Right."

Word is, Barker, 83, is the one blocking her way.

With Rosie's time on The View coming to a close and no replacement lined up for The Price is Right, we suggest Rosie start going door-to-door distributing spay and neutering pamphlets, in order to win his favor.

Source

2007-05-19T09:32:00.000-04:00

Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen
at the 2007/8 Chanel Cruise Show presented by Karl Lagerfeld held at Hangar 8 on Friday at the Santa Monica Airport in Calif.
(Pic Source: Just Jared)

2007-05-19T09:27:00.000-04:00

A couple new Madonna Vid's on Youtube

2007-05-18T17:22:00.000-04:00

More Pics from Kylie's Homecoming Tour

2007-05-18T17:14:00.000-04:00

I hope its true......!
KYLIE BRING YOUR TOUR TO THE US!!!

2007-05-18T15:34:00.000-04:00

Paris & Nicole in the June issue of Harpers Bazaar
Im really loving these Pics!

2007-05-18T15:18:00.001-04:00

Sexy Adam Levine from Maroon 5

Image Source

2007-05-18T15:15:00.001-04:00

Tori Amos On AOL Music Sessions
Click the image to view the session

2007-05-18T15:06:00.000-04:00

The Bachelors Andy Baldwin shirtless in Central Park!
HOT!
Image Source

2007-05-18T14:54:00.000-04:00

'Office' Actress Fischer Falls, Fractures Back

Slips on Steps While Celebrating Show's Success

What started out as a party at one of New York City's hottest restaurants ended in a trip to the hospital for actress Jenna Fischer.
Fischer, who plays Pam the receptionist on NBC's 'The Office,' was celebrating the show's renewal at the hotspot eatery Buddakan on Monday when she slipped on the marble floors and fractured four bones in her back, the NY Post's Page Six is reporting.
Fischer had to cancel an appearance on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" thanks to the fall, and spent the night at St. Vincent's hospital.

The St. Louis native's publicist tells E! Online that Fisher will make a full recovery in four to six weeks and is not expected to miss any production time on the show, which does not tape in the summer.

Fischer, 33, has since been discharged from the hospital and is recovering in her hotel room. Her husband, actor-filmmaker James Gunn, flew in from Los Angeles when he heard the news.

Commenters have flooded Fischer's Myspace page with words of encouragement. One fan, Serenity, tells the actress: "You'll be back to walking across hot coals in no time!" -- referring to a segment in the May 10 episode of 'The Office.'
Source

2007-05-18T14:20:00.001-04:00

Bjork in the new edition of Entertainment Weekly (05/25/2007)

2007-05-18T11:58:00.000-04:00

Kylie Orders Hot Chip

Kylie Minogue adds UK electro-pop nerds Hot Chip to her string of collaborators.

Following the news of Scottish 'Acceptable In The '80s' producer and singer Calvin Harris writing for Minogue's first album back after treatment for cancer, electro wunderkinds Hot Chip have told NME that they've been asked to contribute.

Vocalist, keyboardist, percussionist and guitarist for the outfit, Alexis Taylor, told NME, "We've actually been asked to submit a song and we've not done it yet. We were thinking of palming off 'Ready For The Floor' on Kylie actually."

The cheeky Londoner continued, "It's probably our best shot at a catchy single, so we've been thinking of giving it to her and earning loads of money. Until she hears the song it's all talk really"

Hot Chip are the latest in a string of rumoured collaborators that includes Scissor Sisters on a dancefloor anthem titled 'White Diamonds and Boy George on a song called 'Ready'. She is also said to be working with '90s R&B producer Teddy Riley, who helped popularise the New Jack Swing sound with Bobby Brown, Blackstreet and Guy. He is also slated to work on the Backstreet Boys comeback album this year.

Source

2007-05-18T11:53:00.000-04:00

MINOGUE TURNS TO DEARIE FOR INSPIRATION

Pop superstar Kylie Minogue is turning to veteran jazz artist BLOSSOM DEARIE for inspiration for her new album. The Spinning Around hitmaker has been working on new tracks for the follow-up to her last studio album, 2003's Body Language, and revealed yesterday (17May07) she was looking to the jazz star for new ideas. She says, "I went to see Blossom Dearie today. She inspired some of the tracks on my last album. "I'm working on a new one now, and after Cannes I'm going to Stockholm to do some recording."
Source

2007-05-18T10:55:00.000-04:00

Ex-child star posts sex ad online
(Old news but I wanna post this anyway)
You would think that being a former sitcom star would make it easy to find love and sex in La-La-Land. You would be wrong. Danny Pintauro, who played adorable Jonathan Bower on Who’s The Boss for eight seasons, posted a personal ad on a gay Web site, describing himself as “sexy, passionate, fun, verbal, obedient (and) open to anything.” The ex-child star, now 30, didn’t use his real name on the hook-up site but displayed a photo of his face and one of his naked body in which his hand hides most of his penis (which was described in the personal ad as 7” and circumcised). There was a list of sex acts and fetishes he’s into and the profile indicates Pintauro doesn’t smoke but drinks alcohol and occasionally uses drugs. (When he was a teen, Pintauro supported Ben Vereen’s “Celebrities for a Drug-Free America” and helped raise funds for a teen drug abuse project.) The fact that Pintauro is gay is not a shock – he came out in 1997 – but fans of Who’s The Boss might be surprised to learn that the boy who was raised on TV by Tony Danza has tattoos on both shoulders and a wrist.
Click Here & Here for the XXX Pics
(Source)

2007-05-18T10:48:00.000-04:00

Anne Heche’s divorce fight escalated Thursday with her estranged husband calling her a poor parent with “bizarre and delusional behavior.” Heche says her ex “resorted to lies” to get more money from her.

Coley Laffoon, 33, who filed for divorce in February after a five-year marriage, is seeking at least $33,000 a month in support and primary custody of their 5-year-old son, Homer, according to a Los Angeles Superior Court filing.

“Clearly, [Heche’s] anger toward me has clouded her ability to think rationally about what is in Homer’s best interest,” says Laffoon’s papers, filed May 2 but released on Thursday.

Heche, 37, countered by releasing a statement saying Laffoon has “resorted to lies with the court because Anne would not cave in to his astronomical money demands” – including what Heche said was actually $45,000 in monthly support.

“For the past several years, the child’s father has refused to get a job in order to contribute financially to the child’s care,” says the statement.

Laffoon, who says he quit a $6,000-a-year career as a video photographer to raise Homer, claims Heche earns $81,000 an episode on Men in Trees, a show that films in Vancouver, leaving her with “little time available from her busy schedule to spend time with Homer.”

What’s more, “[Heche] has at times exhibited bizarre and delusional behavior for which she refuses to seek professional help,” the court papers say, citing as an example a time Heche called Laffoon from an airport sounding confused and not knowing where she was, then acting the next day as if nothing had happened.

Heche is now in a relationship with her co-star James Tupper, who has told PEOPLE their off-screen romance didn’t begin until they both were single. Tupper, 41, separated from his wife late last year.

Heche dated Ellen DeGeneres for several years before they broke up in 2000. In 2001, she published an autobiography, Call Me Crazy, in which she detailed her struggles with mental illness.

Source

2007-05-18T10:42:00.000-04:00

Courtney Love
Courtney at Mr. Chow's before attending a Chanel event in Beverly Hills.
(Pic Source)

2007-05-18T10:36:00.000-04:00

Todays Celebrity Birthdays

These stars were all born on May 18:

Actor Dwayne Hickman (The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis ) is 73.

Bluegrass singer-guitarist Rodney Dillard of The Dillards is 65.

Country singer Joe Bonsall of the Oak Ridge Boys is 59.

Keyboardist Rick Wakeman of Yes is 58.

Country singer George Strait is 55.

Singer Butch Tavares of Tavares is 54.

Actor Chow Yun-Fat (Anna and the King,The Replacement Killers ) is 52.

Singer-guitarist Page Hamilton of Helmet is 47.

Guitarist Barry Graul of MercyMe is 46.

Singer-actress Martika is 38.

Comedian Tina Fey (Saturday Night Live ) is 37.

Rapper Special Ed is 33.

Musician Jack Johnson is 32.

Singer Darryl Allen of Mista is 27.

Actor Matt Long is 27.

Actor Spencer Breslin is 15.

2007-05-18T10:33:00.000-04:00

Brits won't send Prince Harry to war

Prince Harry won't be heading to Iraq as originally planned.

The head of the British Army has decided not to send the British Prince to fight in the war there saying that he would be too much of a target for insurgents thus putting Harry and his fellow soldiers at risk.

"There have been a number of specific threats, some reported, and some not reported, which relate directly to Prince Harry as an individual. These threats place not only him but also those around him a degree of risk that I now deem unacceptable," General Staff, Gen. Sir Richard Dannatt, said in a statement.

On his 21st birthday, Harry was quoted as saying, "There's no way I'm going to put myself through Sandhurst [Military Academy] and then sit on my arse back home while my boys are out fighting for their country."

While Prince Harry seemed a bit excited about serving his country, but as the spare to the heir the risk is just too high.

"I know Prince Harry will be extremely disappointed and his soldiers will miss his presence in Iraq," Dannatt added.

Military service was something that Prince Harry had clearly felt ready for and was eager to face. Harry will still have a future in the British army, he just won't be heading to war.

Source

2007-05-18T10:30:00.000-04:00

Is a US tour on the horizon for Kylie Minogue?

international pop icon Kylie Minogue is in talks for a US tour, and it looks like it will actually happen!

Kylie's name and likeness is hugely popular in the UK and her homeland of Australia, and it looks like she is taking on America next.

Our source tells us that Kylie's US fans are about to see their dreams come true, because she's is headed here and elsewhere for a concert tour!!!!

"Kylie is in talks with plans for a US tour, which will commence in early 2008... I was also told [the tour] will move onto Japan and maybe some other areas, however it wont reach UK shores as we've had our fair share of Kylie Tours here, especially lately," our very reliable source said.

Kylie is actually in New York this week sporting a hot new blonde look Maybe Miz Minogue is here to put the final touches on her new tour!

We can't freakin' wait!!!

Source

2007-05-18T10:26:00.000-04:00

‘Tori Amos helped me get over my rape ordeal!’

Not happy with recreating the legend that was Judy - in New York and London - Rufus Wainwright comes back with an album that seems to be keeping everyone happy (if happy’s the right word). Here he talks exclusively about this thing he had for crystal meth, how he loved lip-synching to his own records at orgies and how Tori Amos made him face up to his rape ordeal…

Are your records getting happier or sadder, do you think?
I’m hoping for them to get happier and sadder at the same time until I’ve created some kind of parallel universe.

Are you a sad person?
No. I don’t think I’m a sad person. I definitely have touches of melancholy but most of my dark clouds have a silver lining to them.

Are you the sort of person to lay in bed and wallow?
Not unless there’s somebody in that bed with me. I tend to get the blues when I’m walking around - I walk around New York a lot - maybe when I see a happy couple or parents with their lovely children or someone in a wheelchair, I get a touch of grief [laughs].

Are you from New York?
I was born in New York but I was brought up in Canada. My father’s from New York.

They’re hippies aren’t they, your parents?
They were never really hippies, they were sort of beatnicks. There’s a very slight, discerning discretion there.

Did you realise growing up that this wasn’t normal apple-pie family stuff?
I grew up in a very odd environment, number one being it was in Montreal, so it was predominantly French, like I went to an all-French school and Celine Dion was a huge superstar when I was a child but only known in Quebec.

And was it always going to be music for you because of your parents [both musicians]? Did you never just think you wanted to be a stewardess?
I maybe dreamt of being heir to a great fortune but my parents were very, very well respected but they never raked it in.

You should have been born to Celine Dion.
But, I don’t know whether I would have had these stunning looks [laughs]. I met her once at the Canadian Grammies. Someone introduced us and said, ‘Celine, this is Rufus Wainwright; Rufus, this is Celine Dion’, and the only thing she said to me was, ‘That shirt looks yellow on TV,’ and then walked away. But she was right, it did look yellow. I don’t think it was a question of being a bitch or anything, she’s just such a mechanical showbusiness creature.

Last time we interviewed you, you were being quite funny about your experience of being raped in a London park as a teenager. Are you usually funny about things like that or is it your way of dealing with it?
Well, I’ve since realised that it was perhaps more serious than I perhaps cared to jest. The experience that I didn’t have was that I was touring with Tori Amos for about two months in America and she had her organisation called RAIV, which is ‘rape and incest victims’, and she would do this whole thing where after each show she would talk to people who had been abused as young people. And for about two or three weeks I really slagged her off; I just thought, ‘Who is this ridiculous person kind of profiteering from her experiences?’ I just had this viscerally really bad reaction to it and then about a month into the tour, I was like, ‘Hold on a minute: I have never been able to sustain a successful relationship and I was raped at a very young age - when I was 14 - and it has affected me to this day…’

Did you go to one of her meetings?
I never went to one of those meetings and talked to her about it. But it did open my eyes.

She’s so sorted, isn’t she?
Yeah, she is. She’s like a corporate witch! [Laughs]

So, have you been to therapy?
Yeah, I went to therapy. Well, I went to rehab for a while. I was into this horrible crystal meth nightmare.

It’s not been a big thing in the UK, crystal. What does it do?
My experience has been - and most gay men’s I know - that decades of fear about disease and frustration about sex and low-grade discrimination in our society are out the window and you just lose all your inhibitions and become the whore of the century. Go on Gaydar and go crazy.

Did they know who you were when you went round?
I kind of dug the whole thing of going to some sex thing and then all of a sudden in the middle of it throwing on my album and lip-synching for the orgy. It was fun for a while but unfortunately there’s a real price to pay.

What is the price?
Oh, just utter mental breakdown. And lots of visits to the clinic.

Do you come out unscathed?
I came out unscathed but it was a real miracle.

Have you ever thrown your own orgy?
I’ve never thrown one.

That’s crossing a line, isn’t it, putting out the nibbles? But it’s a shame that everyone has to find a downside to orgies…
I think they’re great but when you have them when there’s a lot of drugs involved, there’s always going to be some victims. Mentally anyway. And little purple penises.

Source

2007-05-18T10:22:00.000-04:00

Too Funny!

Source

2007-05-18T10:18:00.000-04:00

Andy Roddick this months 'Mens Fitness' cover boy
See More pics at Kenneth in the (212)

2007-05-18T10:10:00.000-04:00

New Pics of Jonathan Rhys Meyers shopping in LA

Image Source

2007-05-18T10:06:00.000-04:00

LA Sheriff's Dept.: 'Paris Will Serve Her Time
Paris Hilton will serve a significant portion of her jail sentence.

Access Hollywood has learned that the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department decided today that after evaluating the court’s order, Paris must serve her full time.

The least amount of time the heiress will spend in the jail is 23 days if she practices “good time / work time” at the start of her sentence.

Sheriff’s Department spokesman Steve Whitmore confirmed the LASD reviewed the judge’s order that Hilton serve 45 days for violating her DUI probation twice, for driving on a suspended license. Based on “the nature of the offense,” “the criminal history – or lack thereof” and a number of other factors, Whitmore said the LASD determined Hilton will do the time and not be released mere hours after she is booked into the jail, as reports have suggested.

“She will do fine if she follows the rules,” he added.
Source

2007-05-18T10:05:00.000-04:00

"Hey You," Madonna's Got a New Song

The Material Girl has released some new material.

In honor of the upcoming Live Earth concerts, Madonna has penned a new single, "Hey You," which she will perform at the July 7 event at London's Wembley Stadium, her record label said Thursday.

Fans can download the Pharrell Williams-produced track for free on liveearth.msn.com through May 24. For the first million downloads, Microsoft has pledged to donate 25 cents per download to the Alliance for Global Climate Change.

"The early release of 'Hey You' is an incredible boost to our efforts to get people engaged in the environmental cause," Live Earth founder Kevin Wall said in a statement. "We are thrilled that Madonna donated her art to Live Earth and is a part of this movement for us."

The song is a stripped-down folksy ballad, featuring lyrics like: "Hey you/ Don't you give up/ It's not so bad/ There's still a chance for us." Which is to say, it's unlikely to inspire listeners to hit the dance floor.

Initial response on various Madonna fansites was mixed, with some fans decrying the track's message as overly sentimental and the lyrics as weak, while others defended the song as "sweet" and "not that bad," while commending the singer's commitment to charity.

The charity single is not expected to be included on Madonna's next album, which is tentatively slated for a November release. In addition to Williams, Justin Timberlake and Timbaland have reportedly been collaborating with the singer on the project.

Meanwhile, in other Live Earth news, Warner Bros. Records has confirmed it will release a live CD/DVD of the July 7 concerts around the world.

Earlier this week, organizers announced that Istanbul would be the site of another Live Earth leg, in addition to the concerts taking place in London, New York, Sydney, Shanghai, Tokyo, Johannesburg, Rio de Janeiro and Hamburg.

So far, only the U.S., U.K. and Australian lineups have been revealed, with organizers promising to release additional artist rosters in the coming days.

Bon Jovi, Sheryl Crow and Kanye West are among the acts playing Giants Stadium, while the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Black Eyed Peas will join Madonna at Wembley Stadium. Crowded House, Jack Johnson and Wolfmother lead the lineup at Sydney's Aussie Stadium.

Source

2007-05-17T15:50:00.000-04:00

Tripnotica NYC!
TRIPNOTICA
SATURDAY, JUNE 2

Electronic, Downtempo, Trip Hop,
Chillout Music And Art

Performing Live:

Front Room:
10:30pm- Echostream
11:30pm - Puracane
12:30am - Virgo loves Cancer
1:30am- Amanda Ray

Back Room:
11pm- Apollo Heights
12am- Misty Roses
1am- DJ Slouch

Featuring a live art exhibition hosted by Art For Progress
www.artforprogress.org
with Aimee Hertog, William C Lindsay, Jason Covert & More

ASTRALWERKS RECORDS PROMOTION
Featuring DIGITALISM

with Promotional Giveaways!
http://astralwerks.com/

DJs Andy Slate,
Astrid Plaen
Ron Paizley spin...
+Massive Attack+Portishead+AphexTwin+
+FutureSoundOfLondon+Air+ DJShadow+
+PinkFloyd+Bjork+Coldcut+Glideascope+
+Gotan Project+Underworld+Zero7+
+Leftfield+Morcheeba+Tricky+NewOrder+
+Kruder&Dorfmeister+DepecheMode+
+ThieveryCorporation+CafeDelMar+Enigma+
+BoardsOfCanada+DJKrush+
+FilaBrazillia+Hooverphonic+Goldfrapp+
+SneakerPimps+Jem+Spook+Archive+
+Alpha+Esthero+Lamb+Mono+Ruby+
+SmokeCity+Terranova+MORE

At Galapagos Art Space
70 North 6th Street
between Kent and Wythe
Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
718 782-5188
http://www.galapagosartspace.com

Doors open 10pm

Complimentary Admission With This Invitation before 10:30pm,
$7 after, $10 without invitation

http://www.tripnotica.com

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ASSOCIATES...

Hypnotical Entertainment

Sison Entertainment

Art For Progress
http://www.www.artforprogress.org

TRIPNOTICA PROMOTIONAL PARTNERS ...

East Village Radio
http://www.eastvillageradio.com

Properly Chilled
http://www.properlychilled.com

The Deli Magazine
http://www.thedelimagazine.com

Filter Magazine
http://www.filter-mag.com

The Onion
http://www.theonion.com

Fusicology
http://www.fusicology.com

Deep Dance promotions
http://www.myspace.com/deepdance

Myriad Enterprises
http://www.myspace.com/ohadd

TRIPNOTICA has been created by a collaboration of artists,
to help you discover new art and
electronic, downtempo, trip hop and chillout vibes
with monthly underground shows and parties.

Support Electronica, Downtempo, Trip Hop, Chillout Music+Art in New York.

Spread the word!

2007-05-17T13:02:00.000-04:00

How Hot is this
Kylie Minogue/Slow from the 'Homecoming Tour'

2007-05-17T10:39:00.000-04:00

Warhol goes for $71m in record New York art sale
Sales records for post-war contemporary art continued to be smashed last night with works by Andy Warhol and Damien Hirst fetching prices wildly in excess of their estimates at a New York auction held by Christie's.

Christie's sale of contemporary and post-war art fetched a total sum of $385m (£195m) - fully $80m above the highest pre-sale estimates. Three quarters of the entries exceeded their high estimates, 65 lots sold for over $1m, and 26 artists broke their sales records.

The bewildering sums meant the Christie's sale became the second most lucrative auction of art in history, only capped by the auction last November by the same company and also in New York of impressionist and modern work, which fetched $492m.

The boom in interest in contemporary art, fuelled by new investment from Russian and far eastern collectors, was reflected in the lavish sums fetched by last night's star items. Green Car Crash (Green Burning Car I) had been projected by Christie's to go for between $25m and $35m, but in the end received a top bid of almost twice that amount - selling at an all-time high for any Warhol of $71.7m.

That put it just behind the new historic record price for post-war art that was set by Tuesday night's sale of Mark Rothko's 1950 White Center (Yellow, Pink and Lavender on Rose), a sumptuous canvas of blocks of pure colour, which fetched $73m. The painting was included in a Sotheby's auction in New York of contemporary and postwar art, which brought in total bids of $255m, obliterating records held by all previous sales of its kind.

At last night's rival auction, new records were also set by the British artist Damien Hirst whose rise to pre-eminence as one of the world's most profitable artists continued with the sale of Lullaby Winter for $7.4m. The work, a rainbow-like arrangement of pharmaceutical pills set in a frame against a metallic background, had been expected to sell for less than half that amount.

Warhol created Green Car Crash, a silkscreen print on linen, in 1963 as part of his seminal Death and Disaster series. It shows repeated images of a mangled and burning car that has transformed a mundane suburban streetscape, and was based on a news photograph of an accident that appeared in Newsweek that same year.

Two other Warhol's sold last night, Lemon Marilyn from his famous series of Marilyn Monroe paintings, this one depicting her with lurid yellow hair and purple face, which reached $28m, and a self-portrait that fetched $8.2m.

The blockbuster sums traded this week in New York confirms the explosion of demand for top contemporary art from collectors who now span the globe, with money pouring into the main art markets of New York, Paris, London, Miami and Basel - particularly from Korea and the new rich of China and India.

Source

2007-05-17T10:36:00.000-04:00

Andy Warhol Painting "Green Car Crash" Sells For $71.7 Million At NYC Auction

A 1963 painting by pop artist Andy Warhol sold for $71.7 million at Christie's in New York to an anonymous buyer on late Wednesday. With the sale, Warhol's "Green Car Crash" became the second most expensive post-war work to sell at an auction, beaten only by a Mark Rothko painting that sold for $72.8 million.

"Green Car Crash" is a part of Warhol's "Death And Disaster" series, which the artist based on photographs of fatal accidents. It is a painting of a Seattle car crash scene silkscreened over a green background.

The painting, which had a pre-sale estimate of $25-$35 million, has been in the same collection for 30 years.

Wednesday's auction of postwar and contemporary art at Christies brought in a total of close to $385 million. Other works sold at the at the auction on Wednesday were Jasper Johns' "Figure 4," Arshile Gorky's "Khorkom," and a Cindy Sherman photograph, "Untitled No. 92."

The auction will continue Thursday.

Source

2007-05-17T09:22:00.000-04:00

Today's Celebrity Birthdays

These stars were all born on May 17:

Actor-director Dennis Hopper is 71.

Singer Pervis Jackson of The Spinners is 69.

Singer Taj Mahal is 65.

Singer-songwriter Jesse Winchester is 63.

Drummer Bill Bruford of Yes and King Crimson is 58.

Singer-guitarist George Johnson of The Brothers Johnson is 54.

Actor Bill Paxton is 52.

Actor-comedian Bob Saget is 51.

Singer Enya is 46.

Actor Craig Ferguson (The Late Late Show,The Drew Carey Show ) is 45.

Guitarist O'Dell of Mint Condition is 42. Musician Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails is 42.

Actor Hill Harper (CSI: NY,He Got Game ) is 41.

TV personality-interior designer Thom Filicia (Queer Eye for the Straight Guy ) is 38.

Singer Jordan Knight (New Kids on the Block) is 37.

Singer Darnell Van Rensalier of Shai is 37.

Singer Andrea Corr of The Corrs is 33.

Singer Kandi Burruss (Xscape) is 31.

Actor Tahj Mowry is 21.

Actress Nikki Reed is 19.

Actress Samantha Browne-Walters is 16.

2007-05-17T09:18:00.000-04:00

MSN offers Madonna’s music for free

Hear track written especially for Live Earth concert

Hot on the heels of the news that Beatles songs are about to be licensed for digital download via iTunes comes news that Madonna fans can get their fans on a track for free.

Fans of Madonna’s music can grab themselves a free copy of her brand-new song, Hey You, nearly two months before the world’s most successful female pop star takes to the stage to sing it live. MSN today announced that it will allow music fans to download the track, written especially for the Live Earth charity via its portal.

Madonna is one of the headline acts at the Live Earth concert and will be performing at the event at Wembley Stadium on 7 July. Microsoft says it will make a donation to the Alliance for Climate Protection for the first million times the Madonna track is downloaded from its site in support of the Live Earth campaign.
Source

2007-05-17T09:14:00.000-04:00

Bjork, Star of Iceland, brings 'Volta' to Shorline

SINGER/SONGWRITER LOOKING FORWARD TO BAY AREA STOP

Leading-edge pop rarely translates into huge record or ticket sales, which is why the career of singer, songwriter and conceptualist Bjo(uml)rk has been so remarkable.

The 41-year-old Reykjavik native has been the exception that proves the rule. She first surfaced under her own name in 1993, a year after the breakup of the Icelandic avant-rock collective known as the Sugarcubes, for which she was one of two lead singers. She's one of the few artists to emerge during the last decade of the 20th century and one of the few admired by fans of nearly all musical tastes.

Now Bjo(uml)rk is on tour performing music from her sixth studio album, "Volta," which came out this month (see review Page 14). Her live show also features a keyboardist, drummer, a pair of electronics specialists and an Icelandic brass ensemble.

Her stop Saturday night at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View is one of only seven non-festival tour dates in North America. (The evening also features Ghostdigital, the latest project of former Sugarcubes band mate Einar O(uml)rn, and Joanna Newsom.) Here are excerpts from an interview conducted via e-mail:

Q How did you decide where you'll play on this tour?

A To be honest, some of the concert locations, because I don't have time to play all the places I'd love to, are decided because of the venues ... distances to (the) next concert and such - quite random. But I do have warm feelings for the Bay Area. It has always been good to me, and (it is) refreshing, after intense touring, to come where the ocean air and proper wind soar you up.

Q In Mountain View, Shoreline Amphitheatre is adjacent to the Google campus. Are you a consumer technology enthusiast?

AYes, but I do a lot of other things, too. I enjoy the outdoors intensely and singing and loving and eating and all sort of stuff which doesn't include buttons. So the techno minutes are not that many in my day, if you see what I mean, compared to other stuff.

Q For this show, Bay Area audiences are excited that Joanna Newsom is also on the bill. Are you familiar with her work?

AI adore Joanna Newsom. I think she is going to grow into a very special artist.

Q On "Volta," people were surprised that you worked with producer Timbaland. How did you meet?

ATimbaland came up to me in a party 10 years ago and said he loved the bass line in "Venus as a Boy." And then later, he sampled the beginning of "Jo`ga." And there had been some talk about eventually working together at some point. So when I started this album, I was up for some action. And he was up for some.

Q An overall theme of your last album, "Medulla," seemed to be the voice, but rhythm is very prominent on "Volta." Do you have a specific concept in mind when you start thinking about an album, or does that evolve out of the songwriting?

A It sort of grows as I am working. I would love to say my main drive in making those decisions is something clever and conceptual, but it really isn't. It all goes by what bores me or not. I will start to work on a song, and, if it doesn't totally excite me, I will move on. Then afterward, I will listen to what I've got and notice a pattern. And by the time I do the interviews, the album is wrapped up and ready to go. So I can be David Attenborough about it and go, "This album is mostly about brass and ... plucked strings, blah blah blah." But the overview doesn't come until afterward.

QSince all your solo albums have featured diverse sonic textures, how do you choose which older songs to perform on each new tour?

A When I prepare for a tour, I mostly think which instrumentation will do the latest album the most justice. And then I go and figure out which old songs would such instruments suit, as well.

Bjo(uml)rk

With Ghostdigital

and Joanna Newsom

Mercury News

Where: Shoreline Amphitheatre, 1 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View

When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday

Tickets: Reserved $26.50, $51, $70.50; lawn four-pack $79

Call: (408)998-8497, or see www.ticketmaster.com

Source

2007-05-17T09:12:00.000-04:00

Cool Bjork

It's early in the current Red Rocks season, but the marvelous venue's most unusual 2007 show may have already taken place. The May 15 date featuring Icelandic sprite Björk and harpist Joanna Newsom offered the sort of challenging music that wouldn't be expected to draw a throng. Yet the rows along the Rocks were damn near full, and those who braved a misty, mildly chilly spring night were rewarded by performances that were filled with adventurous arrangements and artistic daring. While neither set was flawless, even the rough patches were intriguing.

Newsom's latest disc, Ys (co-produced by Van Dyke Parks), was among the finest and most singular recordings to emerge in 2006. The music, though, is so delicate, ornate and precise that it cries out for an intimate venue, where listeners can soak in every note while feeling as if they're an audience of one. Red Rocks doesn't qualify, and Newsom was clearly intimidated by its size and scope. Before her first pluck, she told those assembled that this was the biggest crowd she'd ever seen with "the pink side" facing her -- an odd but endearing turn of phrase.

Fortunately, nerves didn't impact her time on stage. Accompanied by a drummer, a violinist and a banjoist/string expert, she launched boldly into hugely ambitious works such as "Monkey & Bear" and "Sawdust," which each contain roughly the same number of words as a set of encyclopedias and move through multiple passages with an internal logic that's as unquantifiable as it is lovely to behold.

If Newsom's main influences are rooted in English folk, they're not her only ones. Portions of "Emily," a ten-minute-plus opus, kept threatening to resolve into Bruce Springsteen's "Spirit in the Night." But if the musical elements weren't wholly original, the way she combined them most certainly was. Granted, the affectations that are part and parcel of her vocal style were on display throughout. Yet she was pitch perfect despite the challenges of singing and playing such a mammoth and physically demanding instrument at the same time.

Not everyone was willing to absorb the results; there was plenty of talking throughout her portion of the show, which made it tough for those who wanted to stuff their ears with something other than random conversation. By the end, however, Newsom had won over a far bigger slice of the throng than anyone could have expected. Who knew there was such a big demand for first-rate harpistry?

Of course, Björk boosters are more willing than most to embrace the unusual -- and the headliner provided just as much of it as she did in her 1995 interview with Westword. The stage area was festooned with modified medieval standards that gave the backdrop a stark, ancient look that was brightened considerably by the presence of ten female horn players wearing bag-like duds in primary colors. Björk stayed away from earth tones, too, opting for a ruffled rainbow peasant dress that made her look like a gleeful child at a fiesta. She may be 41, but she's never lost touch with her inner kindergartener.

Her efforts opened as does her latest CD, Volta -- with "Earth Intruders," an environmental excursion whose tribal elements were even more emphasized live than they are on disc. The track was co-written and co-produced by Timbaland, who's remade the likes of Nelly Furtado. But because Björk is a much stronger artist, the song feels like a product of her vision, not someone else's -- and thank goodness.

That said, "Intruders" was less effective than it should have been due to a muddy mix that took until mid-set to improve. Usually, the opening act is stuck with lousy sound. This time, Newsom benefited for crystalline sonics, while the more rhythmic Björk excursions -- the ones dominated by traditional drumming supplemented by an array of electronic aids -- suffered from a lack of clarity that intermittently swallowed her reliably round, ripe vocals. The pacing was also a bit off, with the likes of "Venus as a Boy" (from her Debut album) slowing things down just when everyone wanted to amp them up.

In the end, fortunately, Björk found a balance between older material such as "Hyper-Ballad" (one of three tunes she plucked from 1995's Post) and Volta numbers that are just as impressive as their predecessors. "Wanderlust" was transformed into a sweeping travelogue, "The Dull Flame of Desire" worked just as well as a solo vehicle as it does as a duet between Björk and Antony (of Antony and the Johnsons), and "Innocence" electro-stomped with aplomb. Perhaps best of all was "Declare Independence," which served as a thematic link between the primitive pounding that began the proceedings and post-rave dance culture. The web of green laser beams that lit up the sky during this last aural celebration seemed to epitomize the preternatural connection between Björk and her fans.

If there are more shows this interesting at Red Rocks this year, it'll be a season to prize.
Source

2007-05-16T23:48:00.000-04:00

Click on the image to download Madonna's new song 'Hey You'

2007-05-16T14:27:00.000-04:00

Filth and Wisdom is Madge’s first short - at a planned 30 minutes long. It’s a low budget comedy insiders claim will be based on her own life experience.

Madonna has auditioned for actors over the last month and asked for a variety of characters to make her filming dates in London from May 14 - 29.

Among the parts she has created are that of an Indian chemist owner, a Jewish businessman and a failed ballet dancer who ends a up being a pole dancer.

source : the daily record

Pics on the set from allaboutmadonn.com

2007-05-16T08:53:00.000-04:00

Lindsay Lohan in the current issue of Radar magazine

Source

2007-05-16T08:30:00.000-04:00

Today's Celebrity Birthdays

These stars were all born on May 16:

Jazz musician Billy Cobham is 63.

Actor Bill Smitrovich is 60.

Actor Pierce Brosnan is 54.

Actress Debra Winger is 52.

Actress Mare Winningham is 48.

Violinist Boyd Tinsley of The Dave Matthews Band is 43.

Singer Janet Jackson is 41.

Actor Brian F. O'Byrne (Million Dollar Baby ) is 40.

Singer Ralph Tresvant is 39.

Actor David Boreanaz (Bones,Buffy the Vampire Slayer ) is 38.

Actress Tracey Gold is 38.

Country singer Rick Trevino is 36.

Actress Tori Spelling is 34.

Actress Melanie Lynskey (Two and a Half Men ) is 30.

Actress Megan Fox is 21.

Actor Marc John Jefferies is 17.

2007-05-16T07:36:00.000-04:00

Madonna on the set of 'Filth & Wisdom'

Pic Source

2007-05-16T07:27:00.000-04:00

Rare Vintage Madonna Pics...

2007-05-16T07:23:00.000-04:00

Maximum thrills in Bjork's minimalism

While any Bjork show is an exercise in minimalism, the Icelandic singer of few words always finds an extravagant and fresh way to present her material in a new fashion that manages to surprise even the die-hards.

Following the aesthetics and set list (to an extent) of her first North American show of this tour, a headlining slot at the recent Coachella Music Festival, Bjork's show Tuesday night at Red Rocks was an experiment in sonics, technology, emotion and, of course, off-the-wall fashion.

Wearing elfin slippers, a puffy, American Indianesque rainbow dress, black tights and warrior paint on her face, Bjork was sprightly as usual, skipping through the set-opening "Earth Intruders" and tip-toeing her way through a Japanese folk-inspired "Venus As a Boy."

She's a stunning live performer, as enigmatic as she is accessible. And her instrumental approach to this current tour lies in a 10-piece all-female brass section and multiple percussionists alternating between traditional drum kits and tabletop touch-screen interfaces called re-actables.

The brassy, beat-heavy approach worked better for some songs than it did others.

"All Is Full of Love" was a heady epic full of life and jubilance. The song - and her performance of it Tuesday - was a reminder of Bjork's epic arrangement skills, not to mention her keen ability to pick the right producers and collaborators.

Besides being one of her most emotionally sweeping songs, "Joga" is also one of her most solid compositions. The song, backed by her mammoth horn section, was the evening's defining moment.

The crowd obviously reacted more enthusiastically to Bjork's older material - explaining the massive freakout during her neo-industrial bomb blast, "Hyper-Ballad" - but her new material holds up pertly alongside her more recognized work.

She showed plenty of love to "Volta," her new record, out last week. The pretty yet disquieting "Wanderlust" was thrown down as a quiet rager, and "Earth Intruders," which was inspired by her visits to tsunami-ravaged Indonesia, was a gigantic celebration of rhythm.

It's fair to say that "Volta" is Bjork's rhythmic masterpiece. While she has set trends in trip-hop and future-pop - in melody, rhythm and presentation - this is her boldest move so far.

She showed her new record's subtler side, by singing solo a beautifully shortened version of "The Dull Flame of Desire." (On "Volta," it's a duet with Antony.) But she also flexed her muscle with "Earth Intruders," a perversely dark "Army Of Me," an unabashedly dancey "I Miss You" and a feedbacky, cutthroat "Declare Independence" that capped off the encore with a bright smack of a kiss.

Source

2007-05-15T16:52:00.000-04:00

STAR'S DIRECT APPROACH

Exclusive Madonna is delighted to step behind the cameras for her movie-making debut

QUEEN of pop Madonna started shooting on her new mini film in London yesterday.

And the Razz can exclusively reveal some details about her attempt at breaking into directing.

Filth and Wisdom is Madge's first short - at a planned 30 minutes long. It's a low budget comedy insiders claim will be based on her own life experience.

After getting a sneaky peak at some characters, I agree the storylines will undoubtedly reflect that. Madonna, who earlier in the year directed the TV ad for her M by Madonna campaign with H&M, said: "I am happy to confirm I am working hard on a new project, directing my first short movie.

"While I cannot tell you more about it for now, I am happy to officially reveal its title: Filth and Wisdom. I will finish this in time to go back to the recording studio in July. I hate to be such a tease, but you know how I am."

The shoot is seen as an attempt to prove to hubby Guy Ritchie that she can crack it in the film world as a force to be reckoned with behind the camera.

Madonna has auditioned for actors over the last month and asked for a variety of characters to make her filming dates in London from May 14 - 29.

Among the parts she has created are that of an Indian chemist owner, a Jewish businessman and a failed ballet dancer who ends a up being a pole dancer.

Madge, whose last film role was in the slated Swept Away, was already spotted visiting West London lap dancing club Secret, in a bid to pick up tips on dance technique and find the perfect actress for the part.

The film is expected include lots of raunchy scenes in a similar vein to an Irvine Welsh film and with Madonna's reputation and history of sexual awareness fans shouldn't be disappointed.

An insider said: "Shooting has just started and it's a chance for Madonna to showcase another of her talents.

"It is just a short film at the moment but it's expected to be a hit at film festivals."

Madonna has also just announced that she has recorded a song, Hey You, with Pharrell Williams.

She said: "I'll release it as a Live Earth charity track. I hope you'll support this project. It's very important to me."

Source

2007-05-15T15:09:00.000-04:00

Cant Wait to get my hands on this mag.!
hey kids! there's more UK 'glossy' tabloid covers this week including the latest issue of Heat which features the most embarassing beach moments - ever! i'm not sure who that chick billie is but i'd like to find out who gavin is - he has 'something' trapped in his bathing suit that looks like a banana! i'm surprised they can put a shot like that right up front plus there is someone's naked 'bum' in the water! (if anyone knows who they are please leave a comment below) there's also a story on peter andre who is finally out of the hospital but apparently looking 'sad, weak, and very ill' - if i had to deal with katie price all the time i'd be weak too - oh that gal is a total handful! (literally) plus they've got a bit on 'guilty' paris hilton - i'm sure everyone over there wants to see the heiress behind bars too -
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2007-05-15T15:04:00.000-04:00

Kylie's makeover a sensational step back in time

Kylie Minogue may be attracting attention with the male company she keeps, but all eyes were on her new hair do as she stepped out in New York.

Her ultra fair locks channelled 70s icon Blondie, while her outfit was also a nod to retro style - a figure hugging psychedelic print dress.

Oversized black shades and trademark megawatt smile completed the singer's head-turning look.

Minogue, who was treated for breast cancer last year, was leaving the ritzy Waverly restaurant in SoHo and is clearly making the most of her time in the Big Apple.

The following night she attended a Dior fashion show, opting for a more demure black dress and stylish fan accessory, where she joined a list of A-list stars, including Charlize Theron, Penelope Cruz and Dita Von Teese.

Minogue put on a brave face at the event in light of recent controversy surrounding her relationship with married director Alexander Dahm.

Last week, the 38-year-old hit back at claims she was having an affair with him, saying: "I have never been unfaithful to a partner and would find it completely immoral to be involved with a married man."

Dahm's wife Laura, a high-powered lawyer, has defended Minogue in the face of affair rumours, saying: "This can't be easy for Kylie. She's recently ended a relationship."

Minogue, who split with Olivier Martinez earlier this year, has continued to hit headlines by stepping out with another mystery man while in New York.

Meanwhile, the pop princess is reportedly looking to put her troubled romantic life behind her with a sea change - rumours are swirling that she is set to buy a four-bedroom £3.5million mansion in Brighton.

Source

2007-05-15T15:02:00.001-04:00

Celebrity birthdays

These stars were all born on May 15:

Country singer Eddy Arnold is 89.

Counterculture icon Wavy Gravy is 71.

Singer Trini Lopez is 70.

Singer Lenny Welch is 69.

Actress-singer Lainie Kazan is 67.

Country singer K.T. Oslin is 65.

Musician Brian Eno is 59.

Actor Chazz Palminteri is 56.

Musician Mike Oldfield is 54.

Actor Lee Horsley is 52.

Singer Prince Be of PM Dawn is 37.

Actor David Charvet (Melrose Place ) is 35.

Rock musician Ahmet Zappa is 33.

Actor David Krumholtz (Numb3rs ) is 29.

Actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler (The Sopranos ) is 26.

2007-05-15T14:59:00.000-04:00

Paparazzo Sues Lindsay on Bended Knee
Some people butt heads with the paparazzi. Lindsay Lohansupposedly knocks knees.

New York photographer Giovanni Arnold sued Lohan and her mom, Dina, Thursday in New York State Supreme Court, apparently still steaming from their allegedly literal run-in Mar. 13 outside of a Manhattan hotel.

The paparazzo alleges that the ladies were "negligent, careless and reckless" when Lohan hit him with her BMW while motoring away from him and his fellow shutterbugs after they had trailed her to the Hotel Gansevort in SoHo from the nighttime hot spot Butter.

According to Arnold's complaint, the Mean Girls star's actions left him with "sustained severe and permanent personal injuries" that resulted in economic losses. Arnold is seeking unspecified damages to compensate for his recently acquired inability to chase after celebs. Dina Lohan owns the Beemer, hence her inclusion in the lawsuit.

Lohan, 20, told the New York Post in March that, while trying to drive her way through the usual gaggle of paparazzi, an overzealous member of the pack jumped on the hood of her car, and Arnold, who was standing nearby, was accidentally knocked down in the process.

Witness accounts had Lohan jumping out of the car to check on him and then talking briefly to a police officer, who allowed her to leave the scene—which she did, in her bodyguard's SUV. She returned to the hotel about an hour later.

Arnold's agency, INF Photo, told the Post he was treated for a bruised knee at a nearby hospital.

It just so happens that, during an appearance on Late Night with David Letterman Wednesday, Lohan's interview featured a series of true-or-false questions that included one about whether she once drove over a paparazzo's foot.

"I should have," Lohan joked, denying that she actually did. "The guy completely faked it. Amazing."

Lohan has been on the publicity trail all week promoting her latest film, Georgia Rule, which opens today. Last night, she put in an appearance on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, telling the host that she and her friends were planning a big Las Vegas shindig for her 21st birthday next month, and today she helped whip up some profiteroles on The Martha Stewart Show.

Source

2007-05-15T14:56:00.000-04:00

Anna Nicole Will Revealed

He wasn't the husband. He wasn't the baby daddy. But as long as there are court documents to be filed, Howard K. Stern is still in the picture.

Stern has put in a request to be the special administrator of Anna Nicole Smith's estate, according to a will and probate petition filed Monday on Stern's behalf in Los Angeles Superior Court and obtained by E! News. The 14-page filing values Smith's Studio City, California, home at $1.8 million and lists her personal property in the amount of $10,000. However, the former Playboy Playmate still owed $1.1 million in mortgage on the property, per the petition, reducing her total assets to $710,000.

Smith's daughter, eight-month-old Dannielynn Hope Marshall Birkhead; the baby's biological father, Larry Birkhead; Stern; and attorneys Ron Rale and Eric Lund (included as first and second successor executors) are the individuals listed as having an interest in Smith's estate. Wells Fargo Bank was listed as successor executor.

Missing was the reality-TV star's estranged mother, Virgie Arthur, who is currently fighting Birkhead for at least partial custody or visitation rights with Dannielynn. The opposing parties are due back in court in the Bahamas June 8 for a final custody hearing.

Arthur also battled Stern for custody over Smith's remains, wanting her to be buried in Houston, despite Stern's insistence that his longtime client turned companion would have wanted to be laid to rest in the Bahamas, next to her son Daniel. The prerogative was eventually turned over to Dannielynn's guardian ad litem, who helped secure a Bahamian burial.

Smith died Feb. 8 of an accidental overdose of prescription medication.

Stern's attorney, Vivian Thoreen, requested that her client, who's currently still in the Bahamas and has waived any right to compensation for acting as executor, be appointed special administrator "to immediately marshal and preserve the assets of the estate." She stated that there's currently no one else available to step up, a job that will include, among other things, dealing with any pending litigation that could affect Smith's assets.

A probate hearing has been scheduled for June 19.

In an attached filing, Birkhead asked to be named Dannielynn's legal guardian during the probate process, declaring he "is in the best position to protect and safeguard the interests of his child as guardian of her estate, including her intests in the estate of her late mother."

When she died, Smith had been sparring with the family of her late octogenarian oil-tycoon husband, J. Howard Marshall II—who died in August 1995, just a little more than a year after they tied the knot—for more than a decade over what she viewed as her rightful inheritance, which at one time totaled as much as $474 million.

The case is currently standing by in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. If Smith's estate succeeds in securing even a morsel of that inheritance, Dannielynn—as Smith's only heir—stands to inherit millions.

Source

2007-05-15T14:52:00.000-04:00

Madonna directs her own film called Filth and Wisdom
- Guy Ritchie also to make new movie

Madonna made her film directing debut yesterday (14.05.07) - as she started shooting her new mini-movie in London.

The pop superstar is making a 30-minute film entitled Filth and Wisdom, believed to be a comedy based on the star's own experiences.

A source said: "Shooting has just started and it's a chance for Madonna to showcase another of her talents. It's just a short film at the moment but it's expected to be a hit at film festivals."

Madonna, 48, hopes filming will wrap by July when she is due back in the recording studio.

She said: "I hate to be such a tease, but you know how I am."

The mother-of-three - who directed the TV advert for her M by Madonna clothing line with high street chain H+M - held acting auditions for the project last month.

Characters reportedly include an Indian chemist owner, a Jewish businessman, and a failed ballet dancer who becomes a pole dancer.

Meanwhile, Madonna's husband Guy Ritchie is also set to return to filmmaking this summer. Guy, 38, will write, produce and direct low-budget gangster flick
RocknRolla.

The British director is hoping the movie will be better received than his last two films, Swept Away and Revolver. Swept Away, which starred Madonna, was panned by critics and went straight to rental.

Source

2007-05-15T14:50:00.000-04:00

Bjork knows how to put on a show

Whatever you think of Björk — whether you mock her for wearing swans or worship her oddball genius — it’s undeniable that she has a great instinct for showmanship.

The Icelandic star played her first song Saturday night completely hidden behind the Auditorium Theatre’s stage curtains. As that singular voice of hers emerged and fans anxiously waited for the curtains to part, the sense of anticipation was palpable.

And then finally, as she finished a quiet version of an old song, “Cover Me,” the stage was quickly unveiled. Bursts of flames, so bright that they almost hurt the eyes, cast a hellish red glow as Björk and her band broke into the herky-jerky rhythms of “Earth Invaders,” the opening track off her new record, “Volta.”

Wearing a crinkly gold dress, Björk stomped and swayed in front of a strange tableau -- colorful banners with images of fish, flags, Icelandic women playing horns and dressed in pastel outfits. After those flames made their brief appearance, the stage seemed less ominous and more like the setting for an international peace conference.

The theatrical flourishes prompted applause but the loudest bursts of clapping came whenever Björk released the full force of her remarkable voice, holding the microphone away from her mouth as she belted out notes from deep in her throat.

Surprisingly, Björk played only four songs from her new album. Instead of focusing on “Volta,” she treated the concert more like chance to offer a sample of music from throughout her career. Though she left out a few of her most popular songs (no “Human Behavior”), it was almost a greatest-hits show.

These weren’t note-for-note simulations of the studio recordings, though. Backed by a drummer, three musicians on keyboards and computers, and 10 women doubling as brass players and backup vocalists, Björk deconstructed some of her tunes, turning them into brass chamber music or harpsichord ballads.

The brass arrangements were beautiful, taking the place of the orchestral strings on songs such as “Bachelorette” or adding grandeur to the more techno tunes. They were a perfect complement to Björk’s voice, which is something of a brass instrument itself.

On some of the more upbeat dance numbers, such as “Hyper-Ballad,” lasers flashed, Björk wheeled around in her regal outfit, and the music hewed fairly close to the spirit of the original recordings.

Comments overheard in the audience made it clear that many fans liked Björk’s selections for the night’s set list. As the crowd filed out, one young woman remarked, “Now I can die happy.”

2007-05-14T15:22:00.000-04:00

Ricki Lake :O

Always one to capitalize on her own weight loss, Ricki Lake (who apparently is gracing the cover of Us Weekly this month) has done it again, and there she is on the red carpet! Maybe they'll give her a talk show again! I once sat in the studio audience for the taping of her episode on "teen deadbeat dads" and it helped me to put my life back on track.
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2007-05-14T12:03:00.000-04:00

Today's Celebrity birthdays

(a new daily topic I will be posting!)

These stars were all born on May 14:

Singer-bassist Jack Bruce of Cream is 64.

Movie producer George Lucas is 63.

Musician David Byrne (Talking Heads) is 55.

Director Robert Zemeckis is 55.

Actor Tim Roth is 46.

Guitarist C.C. DeVille of Poison is 45.

Singer Ian Astbury of The Cult is 45.

Fabrice Morvan of Milli Vanilli is 41.

Bassist Mike Inez of Alice in Chains is 41.

Singer Raphael Saadiq (Tony! Toni! Tone!) is 41.

Actress Cate Blanchett is 38.

Singer Danny Wood of New Kids on the Block is 38.

Director Sofia Coppola (Lost in Translation ) is 36.

Singer Natalie Appleton of All Saints is 34.

Singer Shanice is 34.

Guitarist Henry Garza of Los Lonely Boys is 29.

Actress Amber Tamblyn (Joan of Arcadia ) is 24.

Actress Miranda Cosgrove is 14.

2007-05-14T11:12:00.000-04:00

Cazwell-All Over Your Face (Dirty Version)

2007-05-14T11:03:00.000-04:00

Princess Superstar-Perfect

2007-05-14T10:58:00.000-04:00

Love this song & video 'Ocean Drive' Tiga