Blog Posts For: June 2009

I have to tell you about this new band that is so amazing you won’t’ believe it. First though you need a second to get used to the strange name. The band is called “ChickenFoot” and is comprised of one of the world’s best guitarists, Joe Satriani and Sammy Haggar (formerly of Van Halen) is the lead singer. The rhythm section of the group is made up of bassist, Michael Anthony (also from Van Halen) and Chad Smith (formerly with the Red Hot Chili Peppers) as the drummer. The group kind of just came together by accident while the guys were jamming together at Sammy’s Cabo Wabo Cantina in Mexico. In fact several of the guys were not even looking for another great rock and roll band experience, but once they got together and saw how they all clicked as a band, they knew they had to continue. They made a great decision and have an album “Chickenfoot”, which is the kind of rock album that will just literally rock your world, and the guys are going on tour this summer. If you haven’t heard them, here is a sample of their music. These guys have chemistry together and that’s what makes it work.  All their stuff is new stuff that they have done together so you won’t find Chili Pepper or Van Halen tunes. Just pure Chickenfoot.
 

The BET Awards were last night and the theme for the night definitely centered on Michael Jackson. It was a fitting stage with all those performers there to share their thoughts, sing some Michael Jackson songs, and honor a man who helped shape, inspire, and define many of their careers. The 3 hour show was hosted by Jamie Foxx, and attended by Joe Jackson and Janet Jackson who were there to honor Michael. The show opened with New Edition performing a medley of Jackson 5 songs and wearing the garb from the 70’s. They did a great job and you just can’t help but sing along to those old songs, which were some of the best ever. Other performers also did their best to pay tribute to Michael. Ne-Yo sang his version of “The Lady in My Life” and Jamie Foxx did a re – enactment of the hit song “Beat It” when he opened the show. Jamie’s performance was upbeat and he told the audience, “No need to be sad. We want to celebrate this black man.” Ciara sang “Heal the World”. Beyonce also performed but she sang “Ave Maria” and “Angel” which were just beautiful. The whole show was basically revamped at the very last minute to include all these changes and tributes. There were plenty of Michael Jackson clips on the big video screen as well as most people receiving awards commented on the King of Pop and how he affected their lives.
 

Michael Jackson is still the main news headline but I do have some other happier news to share as well today. I found this interesting though, the former nanny of Michael’s three children is speaking out and what she has to say is not good. I think from watching Michael over the years and some of the choices he has made it is no surprise that he was a tortured soul. Whether it was from being in the fishbowl of the public eye at such an early age and not having a normal childhood as he has said or wherever his demons came from, I think we all always suspected it was there. Friday I shared what Lisa Marie Presley had to say and now the nanny is basically confirming his battle with prescription drugs. The nanny, Grace Rwaramba, who worked for Jackson for more than 10 years was just recently let go. She shares that she had to pump his stomach “many times after he’d take a dangerous combination of drugs.”  She also says that, “He always mixed so much of it. There was one period that it was so bad that I didn’t let the children see him. He always ate too little and mixed too much.”  Rwaramba says that she really wanted to help him and one time even attempted an intervention with his mothers help and his sister Janet’s help. But that upset him and caused Michael to fire her. She also talks about Michael’s debt and how he really had “no idea about money.” She tells how he was so broke he didn’t even have money to buy balloons for one of the children on their birthday. Really all you can say is that it is a sad story. So much talent yet so much pain.

The untimely death of Michael Jackson is still the top headline of the day. Everything else has pretty much come to a halt in terms of celebrity news. Now what is starting to come out are the concerns about his self destructive lifestyle and that perhaps his death was caused by an accidental drug overdose. Although nothing official has come yet from the autopsy people who loved him and respected him have spoken up about their concerns for him and his health over the years. Lisa Marie Presley was very candid on her MySpace blog today as she reflected on the death of Michael Jackson and the time she spent with him. She recalls a very eerie conversation with him when they talked about Elvis’s death. She writes, “At some point he paused, he stared at me very intensely and he stated with an almost calm certainty, ’I am afraid that I am going to end up like him, the way he did’. Lisa Marie goes on to talk about how during their relationship together, which she insists was not a “sham”, that she really tried to “save him from the inevitable, which is what just happened. His family and his loved ones also wanted to save him from this as well but didn’t know how and this was 14 years ago. We all worried that this would be the outcome.” Lisa Marie also says that she “became very ill and emotionally/spiritually exhausted in my quest to save him from certain self-destructive behavior and from the awful vampires and leeches he would always manage to magnetize around him. I was in over my head trying. The hardest decision I have ever had to make, which was to walk away and let his fate have him, even though I desperately loved him and tired to stop or reverse it somehow.”

I have been sitting here trying to figure out how to write about the sad events of the day. I was already so sad to hear that Farrah Fawcett had lost her battle with cancer. Even though we knew it was coming and she had been suffering so long, to actually hear about it was still so hard to believe. I have been sitting here reminiscing about when I was a kid me and my friends used to play “Charlie’s Angels” on the playground after lunch. We thought we were so cool, running around with our pretend guns, trying to get the bad guys. We all used to argue about who got to be Farrah and it was always the pretty blond girls. I always ended up being Kate Jackson. My mom had a t-shirt store and let me tell you I had so many Farrah Fawcett t-shirts and of course there was the famous swim suit poster and I even had the matching button that seriously I used to wear. And if only my hair had been straight instead of curly…I longed for feathered hair just like Farrah’s – weren’t the 80’s great?? So just like everyone still reeling from losing Farrah I was SHOCKED when my neighbor called to tell me about Michael Jackson. It was so hard to believe that at 50, he was gone, just on the verge of his comeback. And even though he was surrounded by controversy and really we haven’t heard much from him lately…he was still Michael Jackson, an amazing talent and the King of Pop. I have been sitting here watching the tributes and comments from all his Hollywood friends and it is just so hard to believe. Elton John was right in the middle of singing at his annual “White Tie and Tiara Ball” and he sang and dedicated the song “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” to Michael. Liz Taylor couldn’t even release a statement she was so upset and Madonna couldn’t stop crying. Lisa Marie Presley who was married to Michael for 20 months is “sad and confused with every emotion possible.” She also says she is “heartbroken for his children who I know were everything to him and for his family. “  You can imagine the twittering that was going on today. All the celebs have left their thoughts on the icon. Miley Cyrus tweets, “Michael Jackson was my inspiration.” MC Hammer, “I have no words…I loved Michael Jackson...RIP”. Ashton Kutcher “RIP Sending love and light to family and friend but especially his kids.”

Surprising break up news today. First up Nick Lachey, 35 and girlfriend Vanessa Minnillo have ended their 3 year relationship. I have to say I was surprised by this break up, they always seemed so happy together. Where does the love go, which I am sure is what Rachel Hunter is asking herself right about now. Her fiancée, Canadian hockey star, Jarett Stoll called off their engagement and Rachel was completely surprised. The wedding was just 7 weeks away and was expected to be quite a big event with superstars like Sharon Stone and Michelle Pfeiffer expected to attend. Not only did he call off the wedding he even let the guests know the news by sending them an email. A friend of Rachel’s says “She is absolutely devastated. Everything was in place for their wedding – she had the venue, the designer dress, the guest list. She has absolutely no idea why Jarret has done this. It sounds like it could be a classic case of cold feet. He is a fair bit younger than her.” Maybe that is the case, he is 27 and Rachel is 39. Rachel was previously married to Rod Stewart for 9 years. One more surprising break up this week is power couple Jane Kaczmarek and Bradley Whitford who have also filed for divorce. The two have been married for almost 17 years and have 3 children, 6, 9 and 11 years old. They just seemed like one of those unpretentious solid Hollywood couples that you really thought would last.

I am going to try and find something other than the impending divorce of Jon and Kate Gosselin to write about today. You would think they were Brad and Angelina the way they are talked about. They are just EVERYWHERE these days and it is just such a sad story. The 2 big points that are being discussed are the fact that on the filing papers Kate checked that the two have been living apart for 2 years (which kind of makes you feel like a bit of a chump if you have been watching the show and believing that they were a typical happy family over the last several seasons) and the fact that the show is going to be on hiatus until August. The network says it wants to give the family some time to adjust to the situation as well as TLC just doesn’t have new footage to put on the air. With all the turmoil going on recently the crew was shooting and making changes sometimes up until the day of the show. So far only 6 of the 40 episodes ordered for this season have been taped and have already aired. Kate says the “show must go on” and based on her new status, I am sure she hopes the show will go on. Maybe come August it will “Kate Plus 8” or  “Single Mom Single Handedly Raising 8”. The big show last night had a record number of viewers – 10.6 million which broke their last biggest record from the season premiere of 9.8 million viewers. Apparently we cannot get enough of this couple and all the drama. Well, so much for my attempt at not writing about them today….apparently I just can’t get enough of them either.

Here is a weekend update and let’s start with some happy baby news. First it is official supermodel Gisele Bundchen and New England Patriots quarterback, Tom Brady, are expecting their first baby together. Tom has a son with Bridget Moynahan also. The couple is very excited and the baby is due in the early part of next year. Rachel Griffiths, from the ABC show “Brothers and Sisters” just had baby #3, a girl. The new baby joins big brother Banjo, 5 years old, and sister Adelaide 3. She has her hands full that is for sure. Parenthood suits Matthew McConaughy and girlfriend Camila Alves, the two are expecting their second child. Levi is 11 months and will soon be a big brother; the couple is looking forward to this next baby. In other happy couple news it seems that David Duchovny and Tea Leoni are making progress on their relationship. The couple separated last fall due to David’s sex addiction struggles. He entered rehab for his problem and the couple is “still in love”, says a friend of Duchonvy. “They very much care for each other and whatever happens they are working it out for the kids.” The couple has 2 kids, Madeline 10 and Kyd,7.

It was a close call for “Twilight” heartthrob, Robert Pattison, who had a run in with a New York taxi while fleeing a mob of fans. Pattison has been in New York filming his latest movie “Remember Me” and since his arrival the fans have been going nuts following him everywhere. Luckily the 23 year old was not injured and walked away on his own. It seems that no matter where Pattison goes these days he is attracting a crowd and has even hired his own security guards in addition to the ones the production company has provided for him. His new movie “Remember Me” is a love story starring Emilie de Ravin from “Lost” and 007, Pierce Bronson.

You just never know where life will take you. Former broken hearted bachelorette, Melissa Rycroft has danced her way to a new job on ABC. Melissa will be a special contributor on “Good Morning America”. Melissa will appear on GMA 8 times throughout the summer “bringing lighthearted, uplifting  and fun stories to GMA”. That sounds just perfect for the girl next door who won America’s hearts even if she couldn’t win Jason Mesnick’s from “The Bachelor”.

So here is something I bet you didn’t know…there are 18 professional Britney Spears impersonators throughout the world. Who knew? One in particular is talking to the press…her name is Lorna Bliss and she basically is living Britney’s life as her own.  She has been doing this for the past 10 years and has spent over $220,000 to look like the real thing. Over the years she has spent thousands on costumes, makeup and hair extensions not to mention dance routines, choreographers and the agency she works full time for.  In the early days it was a lot harder but now she is constantly busy doing appearances and performances, even running from the media and signing autographs. She even gains weight and loses weight depending on what the pop princess is up too. Next on Lorna’s list to be even more like the real Brit Brit…she is going to get the exact same tattoos that Britney has and there are 9 of them. She says she is glad Britney has gotten her life back on track because even when things were not going good for her Lorna matched that part of her life as well. For example…she copied the whole shaving the head experience and even acted crazy like growling at the photographers and running after them. You have to admit it must not be easy trying to follow in those footsteps. Such an interesting career choice for someone to choose don’t you think?

It has been a very slow gossip day and I have to say that the big news today was more unbelievable crazy stuff about Heidi and Spencer Pratt. I am only going to subject you to this because hey it will give you a good laugh and who couldn’t use a good laugh. Oh these two are quite the pair; in fact they are actually quite perfect for each other. When you listen to them you really wonder if they can be for real. Although they say they are not “actors” if this is who they really are….between the talk of the devil and Jesus and the syrupy sweetness of Heidi, it is truly more than a person can take. So here is the newest issue. Heidi and Spencer feel that while being interviewed this morning by NBC weatherman Al Roker on the “Today Show” that he personally attacked Heidi and made her cry. The duo was incensed by the interview and Heidi went so far as to warn other women to be careful of him because of his aggressive and disrespectful nature. Now honestly, I saw the interview and Al did needle the couple a bit, but hey it’s Speidi and they did kind of warrant that line of questioning but honestly Al Roker did not come across all that aggressive and I hardly think he is someone to watch out for for his behavior towards women. Now that being said it was not the nicest interview I have ever seen but again Heidi and Spencer Pratt are known for blowing things out of proportion and you can bet they were all over the media today, trashing Al Roker, who they claim they didn’t even know. It was quite comical to watch and I have included the “Today show” interview for you to see as well as the short interview that Heidi and Spencer gave forgiving Al for his rude behavior. They are a forgiving pair aren't they?
 

It now less than a month until the All Star teams are announced, something I realized this weekend when I received a ballot at my baseball game of the season. I looked at the ballot and realized that I really did not have a clue who to vote for (even though I get to vote 25 times according to the MLB website). My attention has been waning as my favorite team has been busy dashing all my delusional spring training hopes. The only stats I really know are those for the players on my fantasy team, so I took about an hour and looked at the list of names and decided who actually deserves to make an appearance at the game and contemplated who many players will get voted on just because of rabid fans and name recognition.

Keith Urban speaks out about the baby adoption rumors that have been swirling around.  During a radio interview for a Tampa Bay station, Keith says that the rumors about him and wife Nicole Kidman adopting a baby from Vietnam are completely untrue, and he has no idea how stories like this even get started. He also goes on to say that Nicole is not pregnant either. Keith does talk about how his concert tour which has an element of reality TV added to it. Cameras are following the country star around at all times and then the footage is being shown during his concerts on the jumbo screen. That is a nice touch; I think it would be interesting to see a day in the life of Keith Urban.
 

Chastity Bono, Cher’s lesbian daughter, is going to undergo a sex change operation!! This is a huge decision and not one that Chastity has taken lightly, it has something she has wanted to do for years and she has her mother’s support. She actually started the process back in March when she turned 40. One of the first changes is the name change; Chastity now goes by the name Chaz. He says that “He is proud of his decision and grateful for the support and respect that has already been shown by his loved ones. It is Chaz’s hope that his choice to transition will open the hearts and minds of the public regarding this issue, just as his coming out did nearly 20 years ago.” That has to be one of the most courageous things for someone to do in order to be true to one’s self. I for one wish Chaz the best of luck and that this transition will bring him the peace and happiness he is looking for.

I will admit this is not exactly gossip but why not start your morning out with a bit of almost naked David Beckham in his new Emporio Armani Underwear ad? In the photos I have included you can check out the before and after or rather dressed and undressed picture of the guy. I mean really…is that body for real??? You can catch the real thing hanging at the Selfridges department store on Oxford Street in London. You can also catch Beckham and other stars in the new controversial Addidas TV commercial. David, along with Katy Perry and Missy Elliot are in this commercial that people feel is “condoning antisocial behavior”. Some parts are a man inhaling on the nozzle of a leaf blower, painting graffiti, riding a scooter in a crazy manner and someone smashing a light. Adiddas says the ad promoted “social activities and inclusion and that the celebrities’ and ordinary people were celebrating together throughout the ad in a safe, respectful and inspirational way.” You can watch it and judge for yourself. For now the commercial has been cleared to air although it will stay away from children’s programs.

I found this to be surprising news so early in the morning….Kendra Wilkinson, 23, from the hit reality show “Girls Next Door” is PREGNANT!! Funny after finally getting out of the Playboy mansion and out on her this was the last thing I would have expected from her. Her fiancé, Hank Baskett, who is a wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles and Kendra are very excited about the impending birth and seem to be utterly in love with each other. Best of luck to both of them. Kendra currently has her own reality show that just started on E! She has a beautiful new house that seems kind of lonely without gal pals Holly Madison and Bridget Marquardt. After watching the premiere which was the second highest debut for an E! show, I have to say I am concerned about her being a mom. I mean the poor girl didn’t even know how to shop for groceries, and her big focus is her new stripper pole in her living room. Well should be interesting, who knows, we will probably get to see the whole event as a reality series anyway.

The Orlando Magic are down 0-2 in the NBA Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers. Sports sites and basketball experts are busy decoding every game and pinpointing the Magic’s struggle and one of the arguments you and I are sure to hear is that the Magic take too many threes.

Thanks to a little help from his friends, an ugly green ogre, Shrek and pal Donkey, from “Shrek the Musical”, Brett Michaels, from Poison, is doing ok after getting banged up during Sunday nights Tony Awards. After visiting the ER, Michaels received 3 stitches to his lip, and x-rays confirmed a fractured nose. That was quite a finish to his song “Nothin’ But a Good Time” that he sang with the cast of “Rock of Ages”.  Brett was a good sport and wasn’t angry about the incident but his reps are denying the fact the Brett “missed his mark” as was being said for the reason of the mishap. Luckily all is fine. Michaels may have to cancel his next performance, but they will just have to wait and see. He is on a solo tour right now.
 

The Tony Awards were last night and in addition to the excitement of the awards there was also unexpected excitement involving “Rock of Love Star” and Poison band mate, Brett Michaels. He was performing with the cast of “Rock of Ages”, when he missed his mark, and he was hit in the head while some scenery was being moved down from the ceiling area. At first it was thought the hit may have broken his nose but that was not the case. He did make a trip to the ER just to make sure he was fine and thankfully he was; now that was reality TV. It was a big night though for many of the great shows and plays. “Billy Elliot” came out on top as a true shining star winning 10 awards for the night which included, Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Performance by a Leading Actor, Best Choreography, Best Scenic Design of a Musical, Best Direction of a Musical, plus Best Lighting Design of a Musical and a few other categories. “Hair” won Best Revival of a Musical and “God of Carnage” won Best Play.  Marcia Gay Harden won Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play for her performance in “God of Carnage “and Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush won Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play for “Exit the King”. “Shrek the Musical” won for Best Costume Design of a Musical. The amazing Angela Lansbury, who is 83 years old, won a Tony for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play for “Blithe Spirit”. This was her 5th Tony Award. It was a fun show with some great musical performances and host Neil Patrick Harris from the show “How I Met Your Mother” did a fine job.
 

More Speidi drama ensued this weekend. “The Hills” star, Heidi Montag, is in a Costa Rican hospital. After her and husband Spencer Pratt spent some time alone in the Lost Chamber as punishment for their “behavior” upon quitting and returning to the NBC show “I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here”, Heidi got sick. Sources are saying that after only receiving rice, beans and water that Heidi started vomiting and has been “diagnosed with a gastric ulcer.” Spencer is currently by her side in the hospital and her family is en route to be with her in Costa Rica. Her sister in law is speaking out and is very upset with NBC and the treatment of Heidi and Spencer. On Twitter Stephanie Pratt says, “I’m really saddened to hear that NBC felt it was OK to punish Speidi so harshly – torture them as if there were criminals – that Heidi was rushed to the hospital and has an IV in her arm after being locked in a dark room for 3 days with no food or water. [Please] pray she will be OK.” I cannot say for sure but 3 days with no food or water – I am thinking she is exaggerating a bit. Most reports say it was just overnight. So does this mean the pair really won’t be back on the show this time??
 

Summer time fun has begun and the top twenty concert tours have been released based on top grosses per city here in the states. There are really no surprises especially with some of the big names touring this summer. Find your favorite and check them out this summer because more than likely they will be coming to your city. I will just rank them real quick for you to give you an idea.

1. Elton John and Billy Joel   6.Fleetwood Mac      11. Neil Young          16.Yanni Voices
2. Britney Spears                    7.Kenny Chesney     12.Lil' Wayne             17.Celtic Woman  
3. Eagles                                  8.Nickelback              13.Motley Crue          18.Slipknot
4. Bruce Springsteen             9. Leonard Cohen     14. Jeff Dunham       19.New Kids
5. The Greatful Dead             10. Il Divo                     15.Kings of Leon       20.James Taylor
                     
 

I do not know if anyone noticed between news of Randy Johnson reaching 300 wins and the Braves dishonoring Tom Glavine, but this weekend the only two teams with winning percentages above .600 are playing. The Los Angeles Dodgers, who have continued to play incredible baseball in the absence of Manny Ramirez, host the Philadelphia Phillies in a rematch of last season’s NLCS.

What is it about Beyonce and her song, “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on it)” and video that the famous boy celebrities just can’t stop spoofing it? First it was Justin Timberlake on SNL, and now Joe Jonas shows his fully uni-tard clad figure along with a pair if stilettos, spoofing the song. The Jonas Brothers are getting the fans all hyped up for the release of their newest album, which drops June 16th, “Lines Vines and Trying Times”. The video is pretty cute, starting out with a very shy Joe hiding behind his brother but then look out, he goes for it. Beyonce just can’t help getting everyone going. Check out the video on YouTube.
 

Season 6 of the hit HBO show “Entourage” returns on July 12th and has some big guest stars. “High School Musical” hottie Zac Efron joined the show and actually shot some scenes at the Niketown store in Beverly Hills today. None of the other cast members were there but a Niketown employee said Efron shot a scene talking on a cell phone and that he was really nice. Also joining Jeremy Piven and Adrian Grenier this season will be Tom Brady, LeBron James and Lil Wayne and they will all appear as themselves. I don’t know about you but I am ready for some good summer shows to start back up!!
 

Just as I predicted, there was definitely a bit of excitement when it came to Eminem and the “MTV Movie Awards” last night. Eminem actually walked out of the awards show after a run in with Bruno, the gay Australian fashion reporter (a.k.a. Sacha Baron Cohen) who after flying through the air landed right on Eminem with his backside wrapped around Eminem’s face. Well, you can imagine that did not go over very well and Eminem had a few choice words to say and stormed out. Somehow controversy just seems to surround those two. Before the incident Eminem did a very good medley of two songs from his new album “Relapse” which was quite entertaining. Besides Eminem, “Twilight” really rocked the house with the most awards. It won “Best Movie”, Kristen Stewart won “Best Female Performance”, Robert Pattinson won for “Breakthrough Performance for a Male” and “Best Kiss” also went to the pair Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson.  In addition “Twilight” also won for “Best Fight” between Robert Pattinson and Cam Gigandet. There were even a few other winners for the night. My favorite MTV award nights are when Jim Carrey wins and give his always amusing acceptance speech and this year he won for “Best Comedic Performance” – of course. Heath Ledger won for “Best Villain” and funny girl Amy Poehler won for “Best WTF Moment” for Peeing in the Sink in her movie, “Baby Mama”. And no award show seems to be complete these days without Miss Miley Cyrus and she won “Best Song” for “The Climb” from “Hannah Montana: The Movie”. Funny man Ben Stiller won the “Generation Award” for the evening and he so deserves it, he is pretty great!! So as always MTV delivered a funny and entertaining and never quite know what to expect kind of evening.