HOLLYWOOD DIRT OVERFLOW (06-01-10)
SHOWBIZ OBITUARIES
GARY COLEMAN HAS DIED:
GARY COLEMAN died Friday afternoon, after suffering a brain hemorrhage at his Utah home on Wednesday. He was 42. --According to a statement from his management, Gary was, quote, "conscious and lucid" on Thursday morning . . . and on life support by Thursday afternoon. --The statement added, quote, "Family members and close friends were at his side when life support was terminated" on Friday. --The family will reveal the details surrounding Gary's death soon. In the meantime, some news outlets have reported that Gary suffered another seizure, fell and hit his head. (--Gary was hospitalized twice this past winter after suffering seizures. Doctors never determined what caused them.) --Gary was, of course, THE star of the sitcom "Diff'rent Strokes" from 1978 to 1986, and the highest-paid child actor of that era. By some estimates, he was banking $100,000 per episode. --I shouldn't have to remind you, but that show spawned Gary's signature catch phrase, "What'choo talkin' 'bout, Willis?" --But Gary had one of those typical former-child-star lives after the show ended. The acting gigs were sparse and the financial problems were huge. At one point, Gary even worked as a SECURITY GUARD to make ends meet. --Gary really struggled with his fame, and wanted desperately to escape the shadow of his "Diff'rent Strokes" character, Arnold Jackson. --In 1998, while working as a security guard, Gary was charged with assault for punching a woman who tried to get his autograph. --In 2008, Gary was arrested after an altercation that started when a man took his picture at a Utah bowling alley. Gary ended up backing his pickup truck into the guy in the parking lot, knocking him over and causing minor injuries. --In 1990, Gary sued his parents and his ex-manager for robbing him blind. In 1993, he was awarded $1.3 million . . . which wasn't nearly what he'd made as a kid. But just six years later he filed for bankruptcy. (--Gary has been estranged from his parents, Sue and Willie Coleman, since the lawsuit 20 years ago.) (--On Friday, they expressed their sadness over Gary's death and said they had been trying to reach out to Gary's wife to find out what happened.) --In 2003, Gary ran for governor of California, in the circus-like recall election that was eventually won by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Gary came in 8th, with over 14,000 votes. (--Which was actually kind of decent, considering that, like, 10,000 people were running . . . including porno skank Mary Carey.) --Gary also battled kidney disease, basically his entire life. That's part of the reason his growth was stunted. He was regularly on dialysis. --In 2007, a STILL VIRGINAL Gary Coleman married girlfriend Shannon Price. The marriage was troubled from the beginning. The two even went on "Divorce Court" in 2008. --While they seemed to have ironed out their differences, each of them was later arrested on domestic violence charges in separate incidents.
TODD BRIDGES IS THE ONLY ONE OF THE ORIGINAL "DIFF'RENT STROKES" KIDS STILL ALIVE:
TODD BRIDGES is, of course, devastated by the death of GARY COLEMAN. And also because he's the last of the three original "Diff'rent Strokes" kids left alive. --All three of them had their problems after the show went off the air. Todd struggled with drug addiction and got into numerous scrapes with the law before straightening his life out. --DANA PLATO, who played their adopted sister, also became addicted to drugs . . . but her story had no happy ending. She died of an intentional drug overdose in 1999. (--Earlier this month, Dana's 25-year-old son Tyler took his own life, just two days before the 11th anniversary of her death.) --On Friday, Todd said, quote, "It's unfortunate. It's a sad day . . . It's sad that I'm the last kid alive from the show." --On Twitter, he added, quote, "I don't know what to really think today, will have to really pray about this one." (--Todd may be the last of the ORIGINAL kids alive. But remember, there's also Danny Cooksey . . . He played Sam, the cute little redheaded kid they brought in for the last three seasons when Gary Coleman started getting older and less adorable.) (--Danny is still alive and well. He's 34 years old, and he does a lot of voice work for video games. And yeah, he's sad about Gary's death, too.)
GARY COLEMAN: THE TRIBUTES:
Here's what some of GARY COLEMAN'S friends and colleagues . . . along with celebrities who may or may not have known him, but have Twitter accounts . . . had to say about Gary's passing . . .
--CHARLOTTE RAE . . . (--She played Mrs. Garrett on "Diff'rent Strokes", and then on "The Facts of Life"): "I said a prayer for him [Friday] morning after hearing about his condition. Gary was so loving, so charming. --"He was the big star of the show. He was the reason the show was a hit."
--JANET JACKSON . . . (--She had a recurring role as Todd Bridges' girlfriend on "Diff'rent Strokes"): "I'm at a loss for words upon learning of Gary Coleman's passing. --"I want to remember him as the fun, playful, adorable and affectionate man he was. He has left a lasting legacy. I know he is finally at peace."
--VANILLA ICE . . . (--Met and worked with Gary on "The Surreal Life"): "I'll always remember the time he and I had. He was fun to be around for the most part. Just a good, funny guy. He's had such a bad luck life . . . I hope he's in a better place."
--HOLLY ROBINSON PEETE: "Rest With Angels Gary Coleman xoxo. RIP No more pain"
--JOHN STAMOS: "mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be actors. r.i.p. gary"
--BLINK-182'S MARK HOPPUS: "I hope that in heaven Gary Coleman finds the peace that eluded him on Earth, and finally discovers what Willis was talking about." (--Funny? Yes. Appropriate? Discuss.)
--RON JEREMY: "He was a sweet guy, but he hated being asked to repeat 'Whatchu talkin' 'bout Willis?' . . . He didn't want to live in the past. I've known Gary for years. He was always very nice to me, but he was tough to get along with."
--PAULA ABDUL: "I am so sorry to hear the sad news. My heartfelt condolences go out to his entire family."
--And finally, JAMIE KENNEDY says that when he was working on the 1999 movie "Bowfinger", he was shocked to see Gary on the set, working as a security guard. --But he adds, quote, "Gary was really cool about it. He was a sweetheart."
DENNIS HOPPER HAS LOST HIS BATTLE WITH PROSTATE CANCER:
DENNIS HOPPER died Saturday at his home in Venice, California, after a battle with prostate cancer. He was 74 --Dennis will probably always be known for the 1969 "counterculture" biker flick, "Easy Rider", co-starring PETER FONDA and JACK NICHOLSON . . . (--Along with a young Toni Basil. You know, the chick who sang "Mickey" in the '80s. She played a hooker.) --But Hopper's first movie role was alongside JAMES DEAN in "Rebel Without a Cause" in 1955. The following year, he worked with Dean again, in "Giant". --Amid rumors that he was difficult to work with and didn't take direction very well, Hopper ended up doing mostly TV guest appearances until "Easy Rider". --And even though "Easy Rider" earned Hopper an Oscar nomination . . . (--He, Fonda and Terry Southern were up for Best Screenplay) . . . Hopper failed to capitalize on the momentum. --Instead, he spent much of the '70s under the influence of drugs and alcohol. In 1970, he married MICHELLE PHILLIPS from the MAMAS AND THE PAPAS. But they divorced EIGHT DAYS LATER. --One of Hopper's brightest moments during that decade was his turn in "Apocalypse Now" in 1979. --After getting sober, Hopper revived his career with classic performances in "River's Edge", "Blue Velvet" and "Hoosiers" . . . for which he earned his second and final Oscar nomination. (--I would add "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2" to the list of AWESOME movies Dennis Hopper did in the 1980s. But that's just me.) (???) --After another brief lull, which saw him reduced to playing King Koopa in the "Super Mario Brothers" movie, Hopper roared back again in the '90s with "Speed", "True Romance", and Kevin Costner's "Waterworld" . . . which probably seemed like a good idea at the time. --Hopper's more recent credits have included the zombie flick "Land of the Dead", "24" and the Starz series "Crash". --Hopper also shocked a lot of people by outing himself as a Republican and a GEORGE W. BUSH supporter. Although, during the last election, he backed BARACK OBAMA. --Hopper's last public appearance was back in March, when he attended the unveiling of his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. --Hopper's longtime friend, Peter Fonda, released a statement saying, quote, "Dennis introduced me to the world of Pop Art and 'lost' films. We rode the highways of America and changed the way movies were made in Hollywood. --"I was blessed by his passion and friendship." --Dennis married five times. He divorced FOUR times. At the time of his death, he was TRYING to divorce his fifth wife, Victoria Duffy. Dennis and Victoria have a 7-year-old daughter named Galen. --Dennis also has three adult children from previous marriages.
WHAT WILL DENNIS HOPPER'S WIFE GET NOW THAT HE'S GONE???
We all know that DENNIS HOPPER was trying to divorce his wife, Victoria, at the time of his death. But the proceedings didn't move along as quickly as he was hoping, and he died a married man. --Which means that we're probably going to see a court battle over his estate. --According to TMZ, there's a prenup, and it states that Victoria gets 25% of Dennis' fortune, plus a $250,000 life insurance payout. But that's only if they were married and living together at the time of his death. --Well, Victoria was living on Dennis' PROPERTY . . . but not in the same house. And even though Dennis had started divorce proceedings, Victoria is expected to argue that she still deserves the cash. --Hopper's attorney, Joe Mannis, is expecting a fight . . . quote, "She said she would challenge it, and I fully expect her to do so."
CHECK OUT MILEY CYRUS AND HER LATEST INAPPROPRIATE OUTFIT:
MILEY CYRUS continued to push the boundaries of what a 17-year-old should do during a gig this weekend in Lisbon, Portugal . . . when she took the stage in a tiny, skin-tight leotard-type thing. --During the same show, Miley also made headlines by insinuating that she and NICK JONAS are, like, lovers forever or something. --While introducing the song "Full Circle", she said, quote, "It's about two people. They're always gonna come back together no matter what anyone says or the bad people that try to keep you apart. --"Surprise surprise, it's about a Jonas brother . . . you didn't hear that."
--As far as we know, Miley is still dating LIAM HEMSWORTH, her co-star in "The Last Song". (--Here's the video . . .)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OJQbiclvDM
--But here's another bit of news that popped up over the weekend: There's a rumor going around that Nick is actually dating NICOLE ANDERSON . . . one of the stars of the JONAS BROTHERS' Disney Channel series, "JONAS". (--She plays Macy, the cute brunette who's obsessed with all of the brothers.) --They were supposedly seen having dinner together recently.
HEIDI MONTAG KICKED SPENCER PRATT TO THE CURB:
HEIDI MONTAG has left her husband, SPENCER PRATT. --Her rep says, quote, "Heidi is looking to move out due to all the fake bad press that Spencer controls. She's tired of it and is looking for a place and wants to focus on her acting career." --But she added, quote, "I like to say separation for now. As you can imagine it is crazy right now. She's trying to lay low the next couple days. What I can say is that it's a separation for now, not divorce." --Apparently, this has been brewing for a while. And last Tuesday on Twitter, Heidi said, quote, "I am not Heidi Pratt, I am Heidi Montag." --But neither of them has Tweeted about the split since the news broke on Friday. --Sources say Heidi wanted out because Spencer was too controlling, and he isolated her from her family and friends. (--Jennifer Bunney . . . who used to be on "The Hills" . . . claims that Heidi is moving in with HER, and they're going to launch another reality show about their experiences. MTV says it's not involved in this one.)
CELINE DION IS PREGNANT WITH TWINS:
CELINE DION is pregnant with twins. They were conceived via in vitro fertilization. She's 14 weeks along, and she and husband Rene Angelil will find out the sex of the babies next month. --Celine and Rene already have a 9-year-old son named Rene-Charles, who was also born via in vitro. --They'd been trying to conceive again for a while. Last year, Celine did become pregnant, but she lost the child in November. (--Celine is 42 . . . Rene is 68.) --Celine says, quote, "I feel like I've been pregnant more than a year. I never gave up. But I can tell you that it was physically and emotionally exhausting." --Rene adds, quote, "Everyone knows that Céline has guts and is determined. These treatments were truly hard on my wife's body. It wasn't simple at all." --In addition to IVF treatments, Celine underwent ACUPUNCTURE to increase her chances of conceiving.
SHIRLEY MANSON FROM GARBAGE IS MARRIED:
SHIRLEY MANSON . . . the Scottish singer for the '90s band GARBAGE . . . got married secretly at the L.A. courthouse recently. -On "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" on Friday, Shirley said, quote, "I married an American, it's fantastic. He's not (a musician). I would never marry a musician."
TIKI BARBER'S WIFE HAD HER TWINS:
TIKI BARBER'S wife Ginny gave birth to twin girls last Monday. Her spokesman said they kept it quiet several days for, quote, "privacy reasons." There's no word on the girls' names. --Tiki and his wife are in the midst of a divorce . . . due to Tiki's affair with one Traci Lynn Johnson . . . a 23-year-old girl he met when she was an intern at NBC. (--Tiki is a correspondent for NBC's "Today" show.) --Tiki and Ginny have been married for 11 years, and have two sons, ages 6 and 7.
KRISTEN STEWART SAYS BEING A CELEBRITY IS LIKE BEING RAPED:
I don't know if you've noticed, but despite all her money and fame, KRISTEN STEWART isn't exactly the most upbeat person in the world. And in the new issue of Britain's "Elle" magazine, she whines about being a celebrity. --She says, quote, "Your little persona is made up of all the places that people have seen you and what has been said about you. And usually the places that I am are so overwhelming in the moment and fleeting for me. --"Like one second where I've said something stupid, that's me, forever. What you don't see are the cameras shoved in my face and the bizarre intrusive questions being asked, or the people falling over themselves, screaming and taunting to get a reaction. --"All you see is an actor or a celebrity lit up but a flash. It's so . . . The photos are so . . . I feel like I'm looking at someone being raped. A lot of the time I can't handle it. It's (effed). I never expected that this would be my life."
DID MADONNA GET A GAY COUPLE IN MALAWI RELEASED FROM PRISON???
It's time to recognize the facts: MADONNA is a really big deal in Malawi. --You probably didn't know this, but homosexuality is ILLEGAL there. And recently, a gay couple was sentenced to 14 years of hard labor for, quote, "gross indecency and unnatural acts." --Well, Madonna started speaking out against their sentence . . . and on Saturday, the president of Malawi pardoned them on humanitarian grounds. --Madonna took to her blog to praise the ruling. She said, quote, "I have always believed love conquers all [and] yesterday I got to see it in action . . . With incredible joy, I am writing to share with you that [Malawi's president] has ordered their release. --"Though they are free from prison, sadly their safety and future in Malawi is still unknown. I hope this is just the beginning of our work together."
SANDRA BULLOCK SPENT A DAY WITH JESSE JAMES' YOUNGEST DAUGHTER LAST WEEK:
SANDRA BULLOCK vowed to maintain her relationships with JESSE JAMES' kids . . . and it sounds like she's keeping her word. According to the "Star" tabloid, Sandra spent a day last week with Jesse's 7-year-old daughter Sunny. --They were spotted having dinner and dessert at the Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel. --The "Star" says, quote, "The gals, dressed alike in black-and-white outfits, laughed, hugged and played with a hot pink Etch A Sketch during the meal. At one point, Sunny even put her headband on her smiling stepmother."
HOW DOES CAMERON DIAZ STAY IN SHAPE???
Everybody always wants to know how celebrities stay in shape. Well, here are CAMERON DIAZ'S secrets . . . or NON-secrets, really. --She says, quote, "No fountain of youth . . . I guess it's just exercise, healthy diet, lots of water, lots of laughter, lots of sex . . . yes, sex, we need that as human beings. It's healthy it's natural, it's what we are here to do! --"I'm 37, I don't need to go out and party anymore. Those years are over for me. There are nights, sure, when you order more bottles of wine than you realize and then the bill comes and you go whoa! But I don't like waking up feeling gross. I don't like to lose my day."
LINDSAY LOHAN IS SHOWING OFF HER SCRAM BRACELET:
LINDSAY LOHAN is proudly showing off her latest accessory: Her alcohol-detecting SCRAM ankle bracelet. --She even jokingly hit up Twitter to ask for some help glamming the bracelet up. She said, quote, "Can CHANEL please help me out by getting me some stickers to put on my scram bracelet so that i can at least wear a chic dress?! maybe!?" --Meanwhile, TMZ says that Lindsay has been doing a great job avoiding the club scene. Instead, she's been spending time at the beach in Venice, California with a close friend. --She's also cutting ties with a lot of the people she used to run with . . . quote, "The people who hang around her are such moochers, and bad energy. --"She needs to cut them out and I think that's what she's starting to realize."
DR. CONRAD MURRAY MAY PAY A VISIT TO MICHAEL JACKSON'S GRAVE TO COMMEMORATE THE ANNIVERSARY OF HIS DEATH:
TMZ claims that DR. CONRAD MURRAY . . . the man who will eventually end up on trial for killing MICHAEL JACKSON . . . has something special planned to commemorate the first anniversary of Michael's death. --He'll visit Michael's grave. --A so-called "source" says that Murray actually visits Michael a lot . . . and he avoids attention by going during off-hours . . . either early in the morning or late at night. (--Michael died on June 25th, 2009.)
MICHAEL JACKSON'S KIDS DON'T GET ALL THEIR MONEY FROM HIS ESTATE UNTIL THEY'RE 40:
MICHAEL JACKSON'S three kids will probably never be short on cash. But they don't get ALL the money they're owed from his estate until they're 40 years old. A British tabloid got a copy of Michael's trust . . . and here's how the payouts shake down . . . --For now, the kids basically get an allowance . . . as determined by the trustees of the estate. When they turn 30, they get one-third of their share in a lump sum. When they turn 35, they get another half. And when they're 40, they get whatever's left. --Nobody knows how much cash that'll be, since it's years away, and the estate can keep on making money, if it's handled correctly.
GUILLERMO DEL TORO IS NO LONGER DIRECTING THE "HOBBIT" MOVIES:
GUILLERMO DEL TORO has decided to back out of directing the two "Hobbit" movies, due to the constant delays by the two studios involved in the production, MGM and New Line. --He issued the following statement on Sunday . . . quote, "In light of ongoing delays in the setting of a start date for filming 'The Hobbit', I am faced with the hardest decision of my life. --"After nearly two years of living, breathing and designing a world as rich as Tolkien's Middle Earth, I must, with great regret, take leave from helming these wonderful pictures. --"I wish the production nothing but the very best of luck and I will be first in line to see the finished product. I remain an ally to it and its makers, present and future, and fully support a smooth transition to a new director." --Del Toro had moved his family to New Zealand to prep the movies with "Lord of the Rings" director PETER JACKSON . . . who had decided to stick to writing and producing duties on the "Hobbit" films. --But the delays would have stretched his commitment to the movies to SIX YEARS, when he had only planned to spend THREE years on them. Del Toro will continue to co-write the screenplays with Jackson. --A lot of "Rings" fans are probably hoping Jackson will jump into the director's chair now. But what we're hearing so far is that the hunt is on for a NEW director.
EMMA ROBERTS *IS* THE STAR OF "SCREAM 4":
It's official: EMMA ROBERTS is indeed going to be the star of "Scream 4". That whole ASHLEY GREENE thing was apparently just a rumor . . . meaning she's not going to be in the movie at all. --A so-called "source" says, quote, "Emma was the first and only choice by the filmmakers to play the lead role."
PEOPLE WHO ILLEGALLY SHARED "THE HURT LOCKER" ONLINE ARE BEING SUED:
Voltage pictures, which produced this year's Best Picture Oscar winner, "The Hurt Locker", have filed a federal copyright lawsuit against 5,000 people who have shared the movie on peer-to-peer online networks. --The identities of the defendants haven't been revealed yet . . . because nobody knows who they are. Voltage now has to go through the process of learning their names from their Internet service providers. --Voltage wants everyone who downloaded the movie illegally to destroy any and all copies they have. They also want monetary damages, but they haven't specified an amount yet.
JAKE GYLLENHAAL'S ABS *DID* BEAT "SEX AND THE CITY":
JAKE GYLLENHAAL worked his abdominal magic to defeat the new "Sex and the City" movie over the holiday weekend. "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" made $37.8 million, which beat "Sex and the City 2" by a little over half a million. --That wasn't quite enough to compete with Shrek though. "Shrek Forever After" pulled in another $56 million to hold onto the top spot for a second week in a row.
Here are the Top 10 movies in the country . . .
1.) "Shrek: The Final Chapter", $55.7 million (--Up to $145 million in its 2nd week.)
2.) (NEW) "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time", $37.8 million
3.) (NEW) "Sex and the City 2", $37.1 million
IS BRET MICHAELS IN THE RUNNING TO REPLACE SIMON COWELL ON "AMERICAN IDOL"?
POISON singer BRET MICHAELS returned to the stage last Friday night in Biloxi, Mississippi . . . after a series of medical problems that included a nearly fatal brain hemorrhage. And at the show, he made an interesting comment. --Bret told the crowd, quote, "I can't say this is true yet, 'cause I don't know. Next year they asked me to possibly be the judge on 'American Idol'." --He didn't elaborate any further . . . but obviously, it's ignited speculation that he's a candidate to take over for SIMON COWELL next season. --And TMZ reports that a so-called "source" told them that Bret IS under consideration for the gig . . . but that nothing is close to being decided yet. (--There's video of Bret talking about the "America Idol" judge thing at the link below. The audio is pretty bad, but it begins at the 0:30 mark.)
http://www.tmz.com/videos?autoplay=true&mediaKey=875bc5e8-5c35-4bc7-b93b-ab671cb69e55
-A rep for Fox says the network won't be commenting on any rumors regarding Simon's replacement. --Bret made an appearance on the "Idol" season finale last week. He performed "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" with third-place finisher CASEY JAMES. (--He also just won the latest season of "Celebrity Apprentice", for what that's worth.) (--PHONE STARTER: Would you like to see Bret take Simon's seat on "Idol"? Personally, I don't really see how he makes much sense. (--With all due respect to Bret and everything he's been through this year . . . would ANYONE have been interested in the idea of Bret replacing Simon last year at this time? What about NEXT year at this time? I rest my case.)
LISTEN TO LEE DEWYZE COVERING MARILYN MANSON:
Last year, "American Idol" winner LEE DEWYZE recorded an acoustic cover of the MARILYN MANSON song, "Beautiful People" . . . and now it's found its way online. (--Listen to it at the link below. FYI: It includes BLEEPED PROFANITY.)
http://www.tmz.com/2010/05/28/lee-dewyze-marilyn-manson-beautiful-people-song-record-label-american-idol-champion/
THE BATTERY CHARGES AGAINST "SURVIVOR" RUNNER-UP RUSSELL HANTZ HAVE BEEN DROPPED:
RUSSELL HANTZ . . . who came in second on the last two seasons of "Survivor" . . . "Samoa" and "Heroes vs. Villains" . . . will not face battery charges. --He was arrested in Lafayette, Louisiana, back in April . . . after allegedly shoving a woman to the ground during an altercation. --Russell was initially charged with misdemeanor simple battery . . . but the local District Attorney has now decided not to pursue with the case. (--TMZ says the D.A. dropped the case at the victim's request, which isn't surprising. There were reports that a "witness" called the cops . . . but when they arrived, the victim told them that Russell didn't touch her.)
"CELEBRITY REHAB" HAS TWO MORE CAST MEMBERS:
VH1 is still trying to put together another season of "Celebrity Rehab" . . . and supposedly, they now have three "celebrities" willing to take part. --The new names are: BIZZY BONE, of the rap group BONE THUGS-N-HARMONY, and JASON WAHLER, who's appeared on "Laguna Beach" and "The Hills". Previously, we'd heard that TILA TEQUILA was also onboard.
ABC WILL NOT SAVE "GHOST WHISPERER":
"Ghost Whisperer" is officially over. --Two weeks ago, CBS cut ties with the show. Then, there were reports that ABC could be interested in picking it up . . . but that won't be happening. --The show's executive producers have released a statement announcing that "Ghost Whisperer" will not be coming back . . . anywhere . . . for a sixth season.
WILL SHARON OSBOURNE BE JOINING CBS' "VIEW" RIP-OFF?
Back in April, CBS announced that they were developing a new daytime talk show, which sounded like a rip-off of "The View" . . . except that it would be geared toward mothers. (--There's no title or premiere date yet.) --At the time, we heard that "Early Show" host JULIE CHEN and former "Roseanne" star SARA GILBERT are reportedly on board. --Well, now "New York" magazine says former "Celebrity Apprentice" stars SHARON OSBOURNE and HOLLY ROBINSON-PEETE will be joining the panel. (--We'll let you know if this becomes official.)
TUESDAY TV REMINDERS: (--Check your local listings.)
--"America's Got Talent" [5th Season Premiere] . . . 8:00 to 11:00 P.M. on NBC. (--Howie Mandel replaces David Hasselhoff as one of the panel judges.)
--"Wipeout" . . . 8:00 to 10:00 P.M. on ABC. (--A sneak preview of the new season has 12 blind date couples competing on an obstacle course for $100,000.) (--The third season premieres on June 22nd.)
--"Hell's Kitchen" [7th Season Premiere] . . . 8:00 to 9:00 P.M. on Fox.
--"One Big Happy Family" [2nd Season Premiere] . . . 9:00 to 10:00 P.M. on TLC.
--"20/20" . . . 10:00 to 11:00 P.M. on ABC. (--"Real Superhumans", including Dean Karnazes, who ran marathons on 50 consecutive days in 2006 . . . and a guy named Daniel Tammet, who learned Icelandic in seven days.)
--"Losing It with Jillian" [SERIES Premiere] . . . 10:00 to 11:00 P.M. on NBC. (--"Biggest Loser" trainer Jillian Michaels spends a week teaching five average families better life-coping skills for a healthier life.)
--"The Little Couple" [3rd Season Premiere] . . . 10:00 to 11:00 P.M. on TLC.
--"Downtown Girls" [SERIES Premiere] . . . 11:00 to 11:30 P.M. on MTV. (--A reality series about a group of young women who live in downtown Manhattan.)
NEW ON VIDEO TODAY
--Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" - with Johnny Depp as the heroic Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter as the emotionally unstable Red Queen, Anne Hathaway as her sister, the White Queen, and Australian minx Mia Wasikowska as Alice.
--"The Wolfman" - Benicio Del Toro's remake of the 1941 werewolf classic. Anthony Hopkins plays his father and Hugo Weaving from "The Matrix" and "Lord of the Rings" is a Scotland Yard inspector investigating the creature's murders.
--"The Stranger" - starring "Stone Cold" Steve Austin as an amnesiac being hunted by both the FBI and the Russian mob.)
--"Wild Things: Foursome" - starring "Making The Band's" Ashley Parker Angel has a raunchy night with three beautiful women on the night of his dad's murder. John Schneider plays a homicide detective investigating the case.
TV SERIES ON DVD:
--"Burn Notice: Season Three" . . . a four-disc DVD set.
--"Drop Dead Diva: The Complete First Season" . . . on a single-disc.
--"Ghost Hunters International: Season One, Part One" . . . a three-disc set.
(--Part 2 comes out in August.)
--"Rescue Me: The Complete Fifth Season" . . . a six-disc DVD set.
--"The Cleaner: The Final Season" . . . a four-disc set of Benjamin Bratt's A&E series. It only lasted two seasons.
--"Live Nude Comedy" . . . a two-disc set of the Showtime series hosted by Shannon Elizabeth. It includes comedians like Andy Dick, Whitney Cummings, and Sam Tripoli doing stand-up, while backed up by burlesque dancers.
NEW MUSIC OUT TODAY
--"Tried and True", Clay Aiken (--This is his fifth album. It features classics from the '50s and '60s . . . including "Unchained Melody" and "Mack the Knife", which he performed on "American Idol" back in the day.)
--"To The Sea", Jack Johnson (--Of the title, Jack says, quote, "It's a reference to a father leading his son to the sea, with the water representing the subconscious. So it's about trying to go beneath the surface and understand yourself.") (???) (--It includes the single, "You and Your Heart".)
--"Rokstarr", (British R&B singer) Taio Cruz (--It includes his hit "Break Your Heart", featuring Ludacris. Ke$ha also appears on a track called "Dirty Picture".)
SOME OLD GUY WANTS TO KILL JOE WALSH:
An elderly man has threatened to kill EAGLES guitarist JOE WALSH. --Joe has filed court documents claiming that his neighbor, Nassar Adhoot . . . who's described as being "in his 70s" . . . threatened his life. (--Joe is 62 years old.) --It began when Adhoot trespassed onto Joe's property earlier this month. Joe's personal assistant approached him, and Adhoot allegedly attacked him with a BLOCK OF WOOD. --Then, Adhoot shouted, quote, "You tell Joe Walsh I'm going to kill him. I'm going to shoot him." -Joe is asking for a restraining order . . . to keep Adhoot away from himself, his wife, his assistant, his maid and his gardener. It's unclear whether or not it's been granted. --Aside from the court documents, there's been no comment on the situation from either Joe or Adhoot. (--We'll let you know if we do hear anything.) --By the way, there's no word WHY Adhoot is so upset with Joe. (--There's only one thing that REALLY agitates old men in their 70s: Whippersnappers who won't get off their lawn! So I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that they're having some sort of property dispute.)
AEROSMITH HAS ANNOUNCED SOME U.S. TOUR DATES:
AEROSMITH has announced some North American tour dates, which will kick off on July 23rd in Oakland . . . and run through September 4th in Uncasville, Connecticut. (--You can check out all the dates at Aerosmith's website, here . . .) http://www.aerosmith.com/aero/tour.cfm
--SAMMY HAGAR will be the opening act for some of the dates, but there aren't any details on which ones yet. (--We also don't know if Sammy will be performing solo or if he'll be playing with his band, CHICKENFOOT.) (--Interesting Fact: Earlier this year . . . when it seemed like Aerosmith was splitting up . . . Sammy was one of the singers rumored to be taking over for STEVEN TYLER. Sammy always denied it.)
BEHOLD: THE JUSTIN BIEBER / JADEN SMITH DUET:
JUSTIN BIEBER and JADEN SMITH . . . the 11-year-old son of WILL and JADA PINKETT SMITH . . . have recorded a duet called "Never Say Never". It's the theme song from Jaden's upcoming "Karate Kid" remake, which comes out June 11th. --Justin sings most of the song . . . but Jaden does a rap two minutes into it. (--You can watch a video for the track, here . . .) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Z5-P9v3F8w
DETAILS ON SANTANA'S NEXT ALBUM:
SANTANA is working on an album of classic rock covers . . . and it'll include guest appearances by Chris Cornell, Joe Cocker, former DOORS keyboardist Ray Manzarek and NAS. Yes, the rapper. --Nas will perform the vocals on a cover AC/DC'S "Back in Black" . . . Cornell is singing LED ZEPPELIN'S "Whole Lotta Love", Cocker is doing JIMI HENDRIX'S "Little Wing" . . . and Manzarek will help out on the Doors' "Riders on the Storm". --That's all we know for now. There's no title or release date yet.
RIHANNA'S "TE AMO" VIDEO HAS LEAKED ONLINE:
A new RIHANNA video . . . for her single, "Te Amo" . . . has leaked online. Like all her recent videos, this one is pretty sexy. It co-stars French model Laetitia Casta. (--You can check it out, here . . .) http://twitvid.com/NRZ07
KANYE WEST PUTS "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE" ON BLAST IN A NEW TRACK THAT JUST LEAKED ONLINE:
It's been a while since we've heard from KANYE WEST, but that changed over the weekend when a new track called "Power" leaked online. It features a guest appearance by DWELE, and will probably be on his next album, "Good Ass Job". (--The album is tentatively set to drop in September.) --In the song's lyrics, Kanye attacks "Saturday Night Live" . . . (???) . . . rapping, quote, "(Eff) 'SNL' and the whole cast, tell them Yeezy said they can kiss my whole ass / More specifically, they can kiss my (A-)hole / I'm an (A-)hole? --"You (N-words) got jokes." (--Apparently, Kanye wasn't amused that "SNL" parodied his infamous TAYLOR SWIFT interruption at last year's MTV Video Music Awards. I hate to tell ya Kanye, but EVERYONE mocked that.) (--You can listen to "Power" at the link below. ***WARNING***: It's UNCENSORED, and contains a lot of words that aren't kid-friendly.) http://www.xxlmag.com/online/?p=80884
A NEW LIL WAYNE VIDEO IS OUT:
LIL WAYNE'S "Get a Life" video debuted on MTV over the weekend. (--Obviously, it's yet another video that Wayne shot BEFORE going to prison back in March.) --The track was on Wayne's "Rebirth" album. (--You can watch the video on MTV.com, here . . .)
http://www.mtv.com/videos/lil-wayne/522082/get-a-life.jhtml
NAZZY’S RANDOM STUFF
THE STATE WITH THE WORST DRIVERS IS NEW YORK:
Every year, GMAC Insurance conducts a study to find out which states have the best and worst drivers. According to the results of this year's study, the five states with the worst drivers are:
#1.) New York
#2.) New Jersey
#3.) Washington, D.C.
#4.) California
#5.) Rhode Island
--And the five states with the best drivers are:
#1.) Kansas
#2.) Oregon
#3.) South Dakota
#4.) Minnesota
#5.) Iowa
--Overall, the study found that if they took a written driving test today, ONE in FIVE licensed drivers wouldn't pass. (Wallet Pop)
(--You can link to the 20 questions used in this year's test here . . .)
http://www.walletpop.com/insurance/car-insurance/smart-driver-quiz
MORE CANADIANS WOULD RATHER GIVE UP SEX THAN DRIVING:
This week, the World Wildlife Fund is running a campaign in Canada aimed at getting people to drive less. The idea is to show people just how bad driving is for the environment, and how much they can help by cutting back. --Anyway, as part of the campaign, Canadian drivers were given a list of choices and asked . . . if they HAD to . . . which they'd rather go without for the rest of their lives. Here are some of their findings: --36% chose junk food.
--14% chose coffee.
--6% chose TV.
--2% chose SEX.
--And just 1% chose driving.
--In other words, twice as many Canadians would give up sex for the rest of their lives before they'd hang up their car keys for good. (???)
(Toronto Star / AutoBlog)
SOME LADY LOST CONTROL OF HER SUV AND CRASHED INTO A RIVER BECAUSE SHE WAS PUTTING SUGAR IN HER COFFEE:
Now it's time to recognize our Distracted Driver of the Day . . . 42-year-old Trena Fiels of Detroit, Oregon (--about 55 miles southeast of Portland). --On Saturday morning, Trena was driving down the highway when she suddenly lost control of her SUV, veered down a 40-foot embankment, and crashed into a river. --Rescue workers showed up a few minutes later, and Trena was rushed to the hospital where she was treated for minor injuries and released. --According to the police, the reason Trena lost control of her car was because she was trying to put sugar in her coffee while she was driving. (???) (KTVZ News 21 - Bend)
TWO IN THREE WOMEN WILL TELL A FRIEND SHE LOOKS GREAT . . . EVEN WHEN SHE DOESN'T . . . JUST SO THEY'LL LOOK BETTER IN COMPARISON:
And now, here's even more proof that in the Battle of the Sexes, men are the clear-cut winners. --According to a new survey, TWO in THREE women admit they'll tell a friend she looks great . . . even when she doesn't . . . just so they'll look better in comparison. --ONE in THREE admit they'll tell a friend she looks terrible in an outfit . . . even when she looks hot . . . just so she'll change. --ONE in FIVE admit they've neglected to tell a friend she's suffered a "fashion mishap," such as tucking her shirt into her underwear. --ONE in TEN have deliberately sabotaged a friend's outfit by purposely spilling a drink on her or ripping her clothes, just so they wouldn't be overshadowed. --And 38% of women say they lie to their friends about their appearance in order to boost their own self-confidence. --Overall, 36% of women say they know their girlfriends are so catty that they can't be trusted to give an honest opinion. (Daily Telegraph)
WOMEN TAKE FOUR TIMES LONGER TO GET READY ON MONDAY AS THEY DO ON FRIDAY:
This study took place in the UK, but we have no reason to think things would be any different here . . . --According to a new survey, the average British woman spends about 76 minutes getting ready on Monday morning. --But on Tuesday, she spends just 40 minutes getting ready. And by the time Friday rolls around, it takes her just 19 minutes to get ready. --And it's not just women who put less effort into their appearance as the week goes on . . . guys do it too. --According to the survey, the average guy takes 28 minutes to get ready on Monday morning. But that drops to 14 minutes by Tuesday. And the rest of the week, he only needs 11 minutes to get ready for work. --The survey was conducted by a British department store called Debenhams. --According to a store spokesman, quote, "It's clear that most men can only pay attention to their appearance for a maximum of two days before opting for an acceptable level of dishevelment. --"Women try to keep their dress standards higher for longer, but by the time Friday comes, they too have gone down a line of least resistance." (Yahoo News)
CAN A GUY REALLY BE "TOO NICE" TO PULL CHICKS?
I love how some guys who can't meet women explain it by saying they're just "too nice" to get girls. At least that's what my loser friends do. But it always sounds like a cop-out to me, and it seems I'm not the only one. --The people over at Wired.com came up with a list of reasons why so-called "nice guys" aren't that nice, they're just unpleasant. Check it out:
#1.) They have no sexual energy: Women don't fall for guys who act like they're friendly and harmless, they fall for guys who stimulate them.
--So when they go for a guy who flirts with them, it's not because he's an aggressive jerk, it's because he's actually treating her like a sexual being. Which she is.
#2.) They're focused on one girl: Guys sometimes say that they can't figure out what women want. What they really mean is, they're after one specific woman, and they can't figure out what SHE wants. And the truth is, she just doesn't want HIM.
#3.) They think all women are the same: Guys who say "All women are the same" probably don't know many women. And the few they DO know aren't interested them. -But instead of thinking there might be a problem with THEM, they assume all women are emotionally damaged.
#4.) They confuse chivalry with creepiness: They aren't the same thing, and if you confuse them, you'll you get rejected. But it's not because women don't like nice guys. They just don't like weirdos.
#5.) You're not actually nice: Ask yourself a question: Are you doing nice, thoughtful things for girls because you really like them as people, or just because you want to get in their pants? --If it's just because you want to see them naked, that's not being nice, it's a tactic to pull chicks. It's just not a very good one.
#6.) You're desperate: If there's one thing that's universally attractive, it's confidence. You really don't have to be a "nice guy" or a jerk to get dates. You just have to be confident in who you are. --If you're confident, you'll get girls . . . I guarantee it. But if you're not, women will sense it, and they won't find it attractive. (Wired)
GAYDAR ACTUALLY DOES EXIST:
I'm guessing you already know what "gaydar" is. If not, it's a mix of the words "gay" and "radar," and it refers to the ability some people have to pick other gay people out of a crowd. --Anyway, researchers Leiden University in the Netherlands wanted to find out if gaydar is actually real. So they conducted a study to find out how gay and straight people focus their attention when trying to solve a problem.--What they found is that while straight people tend to look at the big picture, gay people can see the small details as well as the big picture. Put another way, gay people see the trees AND the forest, while straight people just see the forest. -According to the researchers, the study proves that gay people are more analytical than heterosexuals, which allows them to pick up on subtle cues about a person's sexuality. --In other words, gaydar actually DOES exist. And homosexuals have it the most. --A guy named Dr. Lorenza Colzato led the study. He says, quote, "This is the first time that scientific proof has been found for the existence of a 'gaydar' mechanism amongst homosexuals." (Daily Mail)
A DRUNK GUY FELL FROM A THIRD STORY BALCONY, IMPALED HIS HEAD ON A SPIKED FENCE AND SURVIVED:
If you think you've got a headache from all the booze you drank over the long weekend, there's a guy in New York City who wants you to SHUT THE HELL UP! --He's 21-year-old Nicholas Blossom, and on Friday night he got totally wasted at a rooftop party in Manhattan. In fact, Nicholas was partying so hard that he was still going strong at about 4:00 A.M. the next morning. --According to the police, that's about the time Nicholas fell from a third-story window, landed head first on the second-story balcony of an adjoining building, and IMPALED HIS HEAD on a spiked steel fence. (!!!) -Officials say Nicholas was sitting on the ledge of the window, drunkenly ranting about how he, quote, "hated everyone." At some point, he lost his balance. --Rescue workers managed to cut Nicholas free using an electric saw, and he was rushed to the hospital with a piece of the fence still attached to his scalp. --Then on Sunday, Nicholas had surgery to remove the piece of fence. According to his mother Emily, he'll be in intensive care for at least a week, but he's expected to make a full recovery. --She says, quote, "He is out of surgery and making some jokes. The doctor tells us that he was very lucky . . . It's hard, but we have been really impressed with the care he's been getting in New York City." (New York Post / New York Daily News)
NOT-SO-SHOCKING NEWS OF THE DAY: COLLEGE KIDS ARE MORE SELF-CENTERED THAN THEY WERE 30 YEARS AGO:
I'm sure you already knew this, but just in case there was a shred of doubt in your mind, a new study from the University of Michigan has found that college kids today are more self-centered than they were 30 years ago. --According to researchers, college students score about 40% lower on empathy tests today than in the 1970s, with the biggest drop in empathy coming after the year 2000. --That means they're less likely to agree with statements like, quote, "I sometimes try to understand my friends better by imagining how things look from their perspective," and "I often have tender, concerned feelings for people less fortunate than me." --A woman named Sara Konrath led the study. She says there are three possible explanations for why young people have less empathy now than in the past:
#1.) Kids today are exposed to ridiculous amounts of violence in the media, which desensitizes them to the suffering of others.
#2.) Social networking sites allow people to tune out when they don't feel like responding to the problems of others, which could carry over to their daily lives.
#3.) And young people today are so focused on themselves that they deemphasize the value of others. In other words, they spend so much time thinking about their own "problems" that they can't be bothered by anyone else's. (Yahoo News)
(--You can take the empathy test used by the researchers here . . .)
http://umichisr.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_bCvraMmZBCcov52&SVID
NAZZY’S SILLY VIDEOS OF THE DAY
#1.) TOM CRUISE REPRISED HIS ROLE OF "LES GROSSMAN" FROM "TROPIC THUNDER": To promote this Sunday's "MTV Movie Awards", TOM CRUISE reprised his role of movie producer "Les Grossman" from "Tropic Thunder". --In one ad, he screams at ROBERT PATTINSON for saying he wants to try a more clean-cut look. And in a second ad, he yells at HIMSELF on the set of "Risky Business" in 1982. (--Search for "Les Grossman MTV Movie Awards ads.")
(--Warning: There's bleeped profanity in both clips . . .)
http://www.mtv.com/videos/misc/522184/2010-movie-awards-les-grossman-gives-robert-pattinson-style-tips.jhtml#id=1640303
http://www.mtv.com/videos/misc/522093/2010-movie-awards-risky-business-revisited.jhtml#id=1640303
#2.) TWO MEN STOLE A WOMAN'S PURSE . . . AND THEN GOT MOBBED BY A GROUP OF GOOD SAMARITANS:
Two guys on a motorcycle stole a woman's purse in Wenzhou, China (--on the country's southeast coast). But a group of good Samaritans chased them down and beat them with broomsticks and chairs, even though one of them had a huge knife. (--Search for "Wenzhou fight back purse snatchers." One of the thieves crashes the motorcycle into a car at :34, then the crowd swarms.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXwlTDqt_4Q
#3.) A BASEBALL PLAYER HIT A GAME-WINNING GRAND SLAM BUT BROKE HIS LEG WHILE CELEBRATING AT HOME PLATE:
An Anaheim Angels player named KENDRY MORALES hit a game-winning grand slam in the tenth inning to beat the Seattle Mariners on Saturday. But when he jumped on home plate, he got mobbed by his teammates, landed awkwardly, and broke his leg.
(--Search for "Kendry Morales broke leg grand slam celebration.")
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nHMDc2AJlY
#4.) A PEPSI TRUCK JUMPED THE MEDIAN ON A BUSY DALLAS FREEWAY:
A car cut off an 18-wheeler Pepsi truck on a highway in Dallas on Wednesday, causing the truck to jump the median and flip over. Six cars were involved in the crash, but no one was seriously injured. (--Search for "Pepsi truck crash Dallas video.")
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ExNMQL-hOE
SEVEN FACTS ABOUT SPEEDING . . . AND HOW NOT TO GET CAUGHT:
Congress repealed the national maximum speed limit in 1995. Until then the speed limit was 65 in rural areas, and 55 in urban areas.
--But now, 33 states have speed limits of 70 or higher, and Texas and Utah are the fastest states, with speed limits of 80 miles per hour in some areas. Here are seven other facts about speeding you probably didn't know . . .
#1.) YOUR SPEEDOMETER IS PROBABLY WRONG. Most speedometers read three to ten percent fast, depending on how fast you're driving. So if it says you're going 50 miles an hour, you might really be going 48. -The manufacturers do it on purpose because it lowers their insurance liability.
#2.) PEOPLE WHO DRIVE HUMMERS GET THE MOST EXPENSIVE TICKETS. In one study, people who drove the Hummer H2 got tickets that were 463% higher than average. --The cheapest tickets went to people driving Chevy Suburbans. They got tickets there were 16% lower than average.
#3.) THE MOST EXPENSIVE SPEEDING TICKET EVER GIVEN WAS FOR $290,000. In Switzerland, the amount you pay depends on how much money you have. The guy who got the $290,000 ticket was estimated to be worth $22 million.
#4.) RADAR DETECTORS ARE LEGAL ALMOST EVERYWHERE. Virginia is the only state in the U.S. where they're not.
#5.) WYOMING GIVES OUT MORE TICKETS PER CAPITA THAN ANY OTHER STATE. Just over 500,000 people live in Wyoming, and last year, police gave out 46,366 tickets . . . or about one ticket for every 11 people. --But if you count Washington DC, they win by a landslide. In 2009, there were just over 550,000 people living there, and over 434,000 tickets were given out. That's one ticket for every 1.25 residents.
#6.) SPEEDING IS A FACTOR IN NEARLY ONE-THIRD OF ALL FATAL CRASHES. 24% of MALE drivers involved in deadly crashes were speeding at the time of the crash, compared to 15% of FEMALE drivers.
#7.) MEN SPEED MORE THAN WOMEN. According to statistics, men under the age of 30 are most likely to speed.
AND HERE'S HOW YOU AVOID BEING PULLED OVER . . .
--Stay in the middle of the pack . . .
--Don't change lanes more than you need to, and don't drive aggressively . . .
--Avoid the left lane when you can. You're much more likely to get pulled over when you're driving in it . . .
--Find a car that's going the same speed or faster, then stay far enough behind it so THEY'LL get pulled over instead of you.
--And finally . . . don't speed!
(OnlineSchools.org / Driverside.com)
GARY COLEMAN HAS DIED:
GARY COLEMAN died Friday afternoon, after suffering a brain hemorrhage at his Utah home on Wednesday. He was 42. --According to a statement from his management, Gary was, quote, "conscious and lucid" on Thursday morning . . . and on life support by Thursday afternoon. --The statement added, quote, "Family members and close friends were at his side when life support was terminated" on Friday. --The family will reveal the details surrounding Gary's death soon. In the meantime, some news outlets have reported that Gary suffered another seizure, fell and hit his head. (--Gary was hospitalized twice this past winter after suffering seizures. Doctors never determined what caused them.) --Gary was, of course, THE star of the sitcom "Diff'rent Strokes" from 1978 to 1986, and the highest-paid child actor of that era. By some estimates, he was banking $100,000 per episode. --I shouldn't have to remind you, but that show spawned Gary's signature catch phrase, "What'choo talkin' 'bout, Willis?" --But Gary had one of those typical former-child-star lives after the show ended. The acting gigs were sparse and the financial problems were huge. At one point, Gary even worked as a SECURITY GUARD to make ends meet. --Gary really struggled with his fame, and wanted desperately to escape the shadow of his "Diff'rent Strokes" character, Arnold Jackson. --In 1998, while working as a security guard, Gary was charged with assault for punching a woman who tried to get his autograph. --In 2008, Gary was arrested after an altercation that started when a man took his picture at a Utah bowling alley. Gary ended up backing his pickup truck into the guy in the parking lot, knocking him over and causing minor injuries. --In 1990, Gary sued his parents and his ex-manager for robbing him blind. In 1993, he was awarded $1.3 million . . . which wasn't nearly what he'd made as a kid. But just six years later he filed for bankruptcy. (--Gary has been estranged from his parents, Sue and Willie Coleman, since the lawsuit 20 years ago.) (--On Friday, they expressed their sadness over Gary's death and said they had been trying to reach out to Gary's wife to find out what happened.) --In 2003, Gary ran for governor of California, in the circus-like recall election that was eventually won by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Gary came in 8th, with over 14,000 votes. (--Which was actually kind of decent, considering that, like, 10,000 people were running . . . including porno skank Mary Carey.) --Gary also battled kidney disease, basically his entire life. That's part of the reason his growth was stunted. He was regularly on dialysis. --In 2007, a STILL VIRGINAL Gary Coleman married girlfriend Shannon Price. The marriage was troubled from the beginning. The two even went on "Divorce Court" in 2008. --While they seemed to have ironed out their differences, each of them was later arrested on domestic violence charges in separate incidents.
TODD BRIDGES IS THE ONLY ONE OF THE ORIGINAL "DIFF'RENT STROKES" KIDS STILL ALIVE:
TODD BRIDGES is, of course, devastated by the death of GARY COLEMAN. And also because he's the last of the three original "Diff'rent Strokes" kids left alive. --All three of them had their problems after the show went off the air. Todd struggled with drug addiction and got into numerous scrapes with the law before straightening his life out. --DANA PLATO, who played their adopted sister, also became addicted to drugs . . . but her story had no happy ending. She died of an intentional drug overdose in 1999. (--Earlier this month, Dana's 25-year-old son Tyler took his own life, just two days before the 11th anniversary of her death.) --On Friday, Todd said, quote, "It's unfortunate. It's a sad day . . . It's sad that I'm the last kid alive from the show." --On Twitter, he added, quote, "I don't know what to really think today, will have to really pray about this one." (--Todd may be the last of the ORIGINAL kids alive. But remember, there's also Danny Cooksey . . . He played Sam, the cute little redheaded kid they brought in for the last three seasons when Gary Coleman started getting older and less adorable.) (--Danny is still alive and well. He's 34 years old, and he does a lot of voice work for video games. And yeah, he's sad about Gary's death, too.)
GARY COLEMAN: THE TRIBUTES:
Here's what some of GARY COLEMAN'S friends and colleagues . . . along with celebrities who may or may not have known him, but have Twitter accounts . . . had to say about Gary's passing . . .
--CHARLOTTE RAE . . . (--She played Mrs. Garrett on "Diff'rent Strokes", and then on "The Facts of Life"): "I said a prayer for him [Friday] morning after hearing about his condition. Gary was so loving, so charming. --"He was the big star of the show. He was the reason the show was a hit."
--JANET JACKSON . . . (--She had a recurring role as Todd Bridges' girlfriend on "Diff'rent Strokes"): "I'm at a loss for words upon learning of Gary Coleman's passing. --"I want to remember him as the fun, playful, adorable and affectionate man he was. He has left a lasting legacy. I know he is finally at peace."
--VANILLA ICE . . . (--Met and worked with Gary on "The Surreal Life"): "I'll always remember the time he and I had. He was fun to be around for the most part. Just a good, funny guy. He's had such a bad luck life . . . I hope he's in a better place."
--HOLLY ROBINSON PEETE: "Rest With Angels Gary Coleman xoxo. RIP No more pain"
--JOHN STAMOS: "mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be actors. r.i.p. gary"
--BLINK-182'S MARK HOPPUS: "I hope that in heaven Gary Coleman finds the peace that eluded him on Earth, and finally discovers what Willis was talking about." (--Funny? Yes. Appropriate? Discuss.)
--RON JEREMY: "He was a sweet guy, but he hated being asked to repeat 'Whatchu talkin' 'bout Willis?' . . . He didn't want to live in the past. I've known Gary for years. He was always very nice to me, but he was tough to get along with."
--PAULA ABDUL: "I am so sorry to hear the sad news. My heartfelt condolences go out to his entire family."
--And finally, JAMIE KENNEDY says that when he was working on the 1999 movie "Bowfinger", he was shocked to see Gary on the set, working as a security guard. --But he adds, quote, "Gary was really cool about it. He was a sweetheart."
DENNIS HOPPER HAS LOST HIS BATTLE WITH PROSTATE CANCER:
DENNIS HOPPER died Saturday at his home in Venice, California, after a battle with prostate cancer. He was 74 --Dennis will probably always be known for the 1969 "counterculture" biker flick, "Easy Rider", co-starring PETER FONDA and JACK NICHOLSON . . . (--Along with a young Toni Basil. You know, the chick who sang "Mickey" in the '80s. She played a hooker.) --But Hopper's first movie role was alongside JAMES DEAN in "Rebel Without a Cause" in 1955. The following year, he worked with Dean again, in "Giant". --Amid rumors that he was difficult to work with and didn't take direction very well, Hopper ended up doing mostly TV guest appearances until "Easy Rider". --And even though "Easy Rider" earned Hopper an Oscar nomination . . . (--He, Fonda and Terry Southern were up for Best Screenplay) . . . Hopper failed to capitalize on the momentum. --Instead, he spent much of the '70s under the influence of drugs and alcohol. In 1970, he married MICHELLE PHILLIPS from the MAMAS AND THE PAPAS. But they divorced EIGHT DAYS LATER. --One of Hopper's brightest moments during that decade was his turn in "Apocalypse Now" in 1979. --After getting sober, Hopper revived his career with classic performances in "River's Edge", "Blue Velvet" and "Hoosiers" . . . for which he earned his second and final Oscar nomination. (--I would add "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2" to the list of AWESOME movies Dennis Hopper did in the 1980s. But that's just me.) (???) --After another brief lull, which saw him reduced to playing King Koopa in the "Super Mario Brothers" movie, Hopper roared back again in the '90s with "Speed", "True Romance", and Kevin Costner's "Waterworld" . . . which probably seemed like a good idea at the time. --Hopper's more recent credits have included the zombie flick "Land of the Dead", "24" and the Starz series "Crash". --Hopper also shocked a lot of people by outing himself as a Republican and a GEORGE W. BUSH supporter. Although, during the last election, he backed BARACK OBAMA. --Hopper's last public appearance was back in March, when he attended the unveiling of his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. --Hopper's longtime friend, Peter Fonda, released a statement saying, quote, "Dennis introduced me to the world of Pop Art and 'lost' films. We rode the highways of America and changed the way movies were made in Hollywood. --"I was blessed by his passion and friendship." --Dennis married five times. He divorced FOUR times. At the time of his death, he was TRYING to divorce his fifth wife, Victoria Duffy. Dennis and Victoria have a 7-year-old daughter named Galen. --Dennis also has three adult children from previous marriages.
WHAT WILL DENNIS HOPPER'S WIFE GET NOW THAT HE'S GONE???
We all know that DENNIS HOPPER was trying to divorce his wife, Victoria, at the time of his death. But the proceedings didn't move along as quickly as he was hoping, and he died a married man. --Which means that we're probably going to see a court battle over his estate. --According to TMZ, there's a prenup, and it states that Victoria gets 25% of Dennis' fortune, plus a $250,000 life insurance payout. But that's only if they were married and living together at the time of his death. --Well, Victoria was living on Dennis' PROPERTY . . . but not in the same house. And even though Dennis had started divorce proceedings, Victoria is expected to argue that she still deserves the cash. --Hopper's attorney, Joe Mannis, is expecting a fight . . . quote, "She said she would challenge it, and I fully expect her to do so."
CHECK OUT MILEY CYRUS AND HER LATEST INAPPROPRIATE OUTFIT:
MILEY CYRUS continued to push the boundaries of what a 17-year-old should do during a gig this weekend in Lisbon, Portugal . . . when she took the stage in a tiny, skin-tight leotard-type thing. --During the same show, Miley also made headlines by insinuating that she and NICK JONAS are, like, lovers forever or something. --While introducing the song "Full Circle", she said, quote, "It's about two people. They're always gonna come back together no matter what anyone says or the bad people that try to keep you apart. --"Surprise surprise, it's about a Jonas brother . . . you didn't hear that."
--As far as we know, Miley is still dating LIAM HEMSWORTH, her co-star in "The Last Song". (--Here's the video . . .)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OJQbiclvDM
--But here's another bit of news that popped up over the weekend: There's a rumor going around that Nick is actually dating NICOLE ANDERSON . . . one of the stars of the JONAS BROTHERS' Disney Channel series, "JONAS". (--She plays Macy, the cute brunette who's obsessed with all of the brothers.) --They were supposedly seen having dinner together recently.
HEIDI MONTAG KICKED SPENCER PRATT TO THE CURB:
HEIDI MONTAG has left her husband, SPENCER PRATT. --Her rep says, quote, "Heidi is looking to move out due to all the fake bad press that Spencer controls. She's tired of it and is looking for a place and wants to focus on her acting career." --But she added, quote, "I like to say separation for now. As you can imagine it is crazy right now. She's trying to lay low the next couple days. What I can say is that it's a separation for now, not divorce." --Apparently, this has been brewing for a while. And last Tuesday on Twitter, Heidi said, quote, "I am not Heidi Pratt, I am Heidi Montag." --But neither of them has Tweeted about the split since the news broke on Friday. --Sources say Heidi wanted out because Spencer was too controlling, and he isolated her from her family and friends. (--Jennifer Bunney . . . who used to be on "The Hills" . . . claims that Heidi is moving in with HER, and they're going to launch another reality show about their experiences. MTV says it's not involved in this one.)
CELINE DION IS PREGNANT WITH TWINS:
CELINE DION is pregnant with twins. They were conceived via in vitro fertilization. She's 14 weeks along, and she and husband Rene Angelil will find out the sex of the babies next month. --Celine and Rene already have a 9-year-old son named Rene-Charles, who was also born via in vitro. --They'd been trying to conceive again for a while. Last year, Celine did become pregnant, but she lost the child in November. (--Celine is 42 . . . Rene is 68.) --Celine says, quote, "I feel like I've been pregnant more than a year. I never gave up. But I can tell you that it was physically and emotionally exhausting." --Rene adds, quote, "Everyone knows that Céline has guts and is determined. These treatments were truly hard on my wife's body. It wasn't simple at all." --In addition to IVF treatments, Celine underwent ACUPUNCTURE to increase her chances of conceiving.
SHIRLEY MANSON FROM GARBAGE IS MARRIED:
SHIRLEY MANSON . . . the Scottish singer for the '90s band GARBAGE . . . got married secretly at the L.A. courthouse recently. -On "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" on Friday, Shirley said, quote, "I married an American, it's fantastic. He's not (a musician). I would never marry a musician."
TIKI BARBER'S WIFE HAD HER TWINS:
TIKI BARBER'S wife Ginny gave birth to twin girls last Monday. Her spokesman said they kept it quiet several days for, quote, "privacy reasons." There's no word on the girls' names. --Tiki and his wife are in the midst of a divorce . . . due to Tiki's affair with one Traci Lynn Johnson . . . a 23-year-old girl he met when she was an intern at NBC. (--Tiki is a correspondent for NBC's "Today" show.) --Tiki and Ginny have been married for 11 years, and have two sons, ages 6 and 7.
KRISTEN STEWART SAYS BEING A CELEBRITY IS LIKE BEING RAPED:
I don't know if you've noticed, but despite all her money and fame, KRISTEN STEWART isn't exactly the most upbeat person in the world. And in the new issue of Britain's "Elle" magazine, she whines about being a celebrity. --She says, quote, "Your little persona is made up of all the places that people have seen you and what has been said about you. And usually the places that I am are so overwhelming in the moment and fleeting for me. --"Like one second where I've said something stupid, that's me, forever. What you don't see are the cameras shoved in my face and the bizarre intrusive questions being asked, or the people falling over themselves, screaming and taunting to get a reaction. --"All you see is an actor or a celebrity lit up but a flash. It's so . . . The photos are so . . . I feel like I'm looking at someone being raped. A lot of the time I can't handle it. It's (effed). I never expected that this would be my life."
DID MADONNA GET A GAY COUPLE IN MALAWI RELEASED FROM PRISON???
It's time to recognize the facts: MADONNA is a really big deal in Malawi. --You probably didn't know this, but homosexuality is ILLEGAL there. And recently, a gay couple was sentenced to 14 years of hard labor for, quote, "gross indecency and unnatural acts." --Well, Madonna started speaking out against their sentence . . . and on Saturday, the president of Malawi pardoned them on humanitarian grounds. --Madonna took to her blog to praise the ruling. She said, quote, "I have always believed love conquers all [and] yesterday I got to see it in action . . . With incredible joy, I am writing to share with you that [Malawi's president] has ordered their release. --"Though they are free from prison, sadly their safety and future in Malawi is still unknown. I hope this is just the beginning of our work together."
SANDRA BULLOCK SPENT A DAY WITH JESSE JAMES' YOUNGEST DAUGHTER LAST WEEK:
SANDRA BULLOCK vowed to maintain her relationships with JESSE JAMES' kids . . . and it sounds like she's keeping her word. According to the "Star" tabloid, Sandra spent a day last week with Jesse's 7-year-old daughter Sunny. --They were spotted having dinner and dessert at the Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel. --The "Star" says, quote, "The gals, dressed alike in black-and-white outfits, laughed, hugged and played with a hot pink Etch A Sketch during the meal. At one point, Sunny even put her headband on her smiling stepmother."
HOW DOES CAMERON DIAZ STAY IN SHAPE???
Everybody always wants to know how celebrities stay in shape. Well, here are CAMERON DIAZ'S secrets . . . or NON-secrets, really. --She says, quote, "No fountain of youth . . . I guess it's just exercise, healthy diet, lots of water, lots of laughter, lots of sex . . . yes, sex, we need that as human beings. It's healthy it's natural, it's what we are here to do! --"I'm 37, I don't need to go out and party anymore. Those years are over for me. There are nights, sure, when you order more bottles of wine than you realize and then the bill comes and you go whoa! But I don't like waking up feeling gross. I don't like to lose my day."
LINDSAY LOHAN IS SHOWING OFF HER SCRAM BRACELET:
LINDSAY LOHAN is proudly showing off her latest accessory: Her alcohol-detecting SCRAM ankle bracelet. --She even jokingly hit up Twitter to ask for some help glamming the bracelet up. She said, quote, "Can CHANEL please help me out by getting me some stickers to put on my scram bracelet so that i can at least wear a chic dress?! maybe!?" --Meanwhile, TMZ says that Lindsay has been doing a great job avoiding the club scene. Instead, she's been spending time at the beach in Venice, California with a close friend. --She's also cutting ties with a lot of the people she used to run with . . . quote, "The people who hang around her are such moochers, and bad energy. --"She needs to cut them out and I think that's what she's starting to realize."
DR. CONRAD MURRAY MAY PAY A VISIT TO MICHAEL JACKSON'S GRAVE TO COMMEMORATE THE ANNIVERSARY OF HIS DEATH:
TMZ claims that DR. CONRAD MURRAY . . . the man who will eventually end up on trial for killing MICHAEL JACKSON . . . has something special planned to commemorate the first anniversary of Michael's death. --He'll visit Michael's grave. --A so-called "source" says that Murray actually visits Michael a lot . . . and he avoids attention by going during off-hours . . . either early in the morning or late at night. (--Michael died on June 25th, 2009.)
MICHAEL JACKSON'S KIDS DON'T GET ALL THEIR MONEY FROM HIS ESTATE UNTIL THEY'RE 40:
MICHAEL JACKSON'S three kids will probably never be short on cash. But they don't get ALL the money they're owed from his estate until they're 40 years old. A British tabloid got a copy of Michael's trust . . . and here's how the payouts shake down . . . --For now, the kids basically get an allowance . . . as determined by the trustees of the estate. When they turn 30, they get one-third of their share in a lump sum. When they turn 35, they get another half. And when they're 40, they get whatever's left. --Nobody knows how much cash that'll be, since it's years away, and the estate can keep on making money, if it's handled correctly.
GUILLERMO DEL TORO IS NO LONGER DIRECTING THE "HOBBIT" MOVIES:
GUILLERMO DEL TORO has decided to back out of directing the two "Hobbit" movies, due to the constant delays by the two studios involved in the production, MGM and New Line. --He issued the following statement on Sunday . . . quote, "In light of ongoing delays in the setting of a start date for filming 'The Hobbit', I am faced with the hardest decision of my life. --"After nearly two years of living, breathing and designing a world as rich as Tolkien's Middle Earth, I must, with great regret, take leave from helming these wonderful pictures. --"I wish the production nothing but the very best of luck and I will be first in line to see the finished product. I remain an ally to it and its makers, present and future, and fully support a smooth transition to a new director." --Del Toro had moved his family to New Zealand to prep the movies with "Lord of the Rings" director PETER JACKSON . . . who had decided to stick to writing and producing duties on the "Hobbit" films. --But the delays would have stretched his commitment to the movies to SIX YEARS, when he had only planned to spend THREE years on them. Del Toro will continue to co-write the screenplays with Jackson. --A lot of "Rings" fans are probably hoping Jackson will jump into the director's chair now. But what we're hearing so far is that the hunt is on for a NEW director.
EMMA ROBERTS *IS* THE STAR OF "SCREAM 4":
It's official: EMMA ROBERTS is indeed going to be the star of "Scream 4". That whole ASHLEY GREENE thing was apparently just a rumor . . . meaning she's not going to be in the movie at all. --A so-called "source" says, quote, "Emma was the first and only choice by the filmmakers to play the lead role."
PEOPLE WHO ILLEGALLY SHARED "THE HURT LOCKER" ONLINE ARE BEING SUED:
Voltage pictures, which produced this year's Best Picture Oscar winner, "The Hurt Locker", have filed a federal copyright lawsuit against 5,000 people who have shared the movie on peer-to-peer online networks. --The identities of the defendants haven't been revealed yet . . . because nobody knows who they are. Voltage now has to go through the process of learning their names from their Internet service providers. --Voltage wants everyone who downloaded the movie illegally to destroy any and all copies they have. They also want monetary damages, but they haven't specified an amount yet.
JAKE GYLLENHAAL'S ABS *DID* BEAT "SEX AND THE CITY":
JAKE GYLLENHAAL worked his abdominal magic to defeat the new "Sex and the City" movie over the holiday weekend. "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" made $37.8 million, which beat "Sex and the City 2" by a little over half a million. --That wasn't quite enough to compete with Shrek though. "Shrek Forever After" pulled in another $56 million to hold onto the top spot for a second week in a row.
Here are the Top 10 movies in the country . . .
1.) "Shrek: The Final Chapter", $55.7 million (--Up to $145 million in its 2nd week.)
2.) (NEW) "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time", $37.8 million
3.) (NEW) "Sex and the City 2", $37.1 million
IS BRET MICHAELS IN THE RUNNING TO REPLACE SIMON COWELL ON "AMERICAN IDOL"?
POISON singer BRET MICHAELS returned to the stage last Friday night in Biloxi, Mississippi . . . after a series of medical problems that included a nearly fatal brain hemorrhage. And at the show, he made an interesting comment. --Bret told the crowd, quote, "I can't say this is true yet, 'cause I don't know. Next year they asked me to possibly be the judge on 'American Idol'." --He didn't elaborate any further . . . but obviously, it's ignited speculation that he's a candidate to take over for SIMON COWELL next season. --And TMZ reports that a so-called "source" told them that Bret IS under consideration for the gig . . . but that nothing is close to being decided yet. (--There's video of Bret talking about the "America Idol" judge thing at the link below. The audio is pretty bad, but it begins at the 0:30 mark.)
http://www.tmz.com/videos?autoplay=true&mediaKey=875bc5e8-5c35-4bc7-b93b-ab671cb69e55
-A rep for Fox says the network won't be commenting on any rumors regarding Simon's replacement. --Bret made an appearance on the "Idol" season finale last week. He performed "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" with third-place finisher CASEY JAMES. (--He also just won the latest season of "Celebrity Apprentice", for what that's worth.) (--PHONE STARTER: Would you like to see Bret take Simon's seat on "Idol"? Personally, I don't really see how he makes much sense. (--With all due respect to Bret and everything he's been through this year . . . would ANYONE have been interested in the idea of Bret replacing Simon last year at this time? What about NEXT year at this time? I rest my case.)
LISTEN TO LEE DEWYZE COVERING MARILYN MANSON:
Last year, "American Idol" winner LEE DEWYZE recorded an acoustic cover of the MARILYN MANSON song, "Beautiful People" . . . and now it's found its way online. (--Listen to it at the link below. FYI: It includes BLEEPED PROFANITY.)
http://www.tmz.com/2010/05/28/lee-dewyze-marilyn-manson-beautiful-people-song-record-label-american-idol-champion/
THE BATTERY CHARGES AGAINST "SURVIVOR" RUNNER-UP RUSSELL HANTZ HAVE BEEN DROPPED:
RUSSELL HANTZ . . . who came in second on the last two seasons of "Survivor" . . . "Samoa" and "Heroes vs. Villains" . . . will not face battery charges. --He was arrested in Lafayette, Louisiana, back in April . . . after allegedly shoving a woman to the ground during an altercation. --Russell was initially charged with misdemeanor simple battery . . . but the local District Attorney has now decided not to pursue with the case. (--TMZ says the D.A. dropped the case at the victim's request, which isn't surprising. There were reports that a "witness" called the cops . . . but when they arrived, the victim told them that Russell didn't touch her.)
"CELEBRITY REHAB" HAS TWO MORE CAST MEMBERS:
VH1 is still trying to put together another season of "Celebrity Rehab" . . . and supposedly, they now have three "celebrities" willing to take part. --The new names are: BIZZY BONE, of the rap group BONE THUGS-N-HARMONY, and JASON WAHLER, who's appeared on "Laguna Beach" and "The Hills". Previously, we'd heard that TILA TEQUILA was also onboard.
ABC WILL NOT SAVE "GHOST WHISPERER":
"Ghost Whisperer" is officially over. --Two weeks ago, CBS cut ties with the show. Then, there were reports that ABC could be interested in picking it up . . . but that won't be happening. --The show's executive producers have released a statement announcing that "Ghost Whisperer" will not be coming back . . . anywhere . . . for a sixth season.
WILL SHARON OSBOURNE BE JOINING CBS' "VIEW" RIP-OFF?
Back in April, CBS announced that they were developing a new daytime talk show, which sounded like a rip-off of "The View" . . . except that it would be geared toward mothers. (--There's no title or premiere date yet.) --At the time, we heard that "Early Show" host JULIE CHEN and former "Roseanne" star SARA GILBERT are reportedly on board. --Well, now "New York" magazine says former "Celebrity Apprentice" stars SHARON OSBOURNE and HOLLY ROBINSON-PEETE will be joining the panel. (--We'll let you know if this becomes official.)
TUESDAY TV REMINDERS: (--Check your local listings.)
--"America's Got Talent" [5th Season Premiere] . . . 8:00 to 11:00 P.M. on NBC. (--Howie Mandel replaces David Hasselhoff as one of the panel judges.)
--"Wipeout" . . . 8:00 to 10:00 P.M. on ABC. (--A sneak preview of the new season has 12 blind date couples competing on an obstacle course for $100,000.) (--The third season premieres on June 22nd.)
--"Hell's Kitchen" [7th Season Premiere] . . . 8:00 to 9:00 P.M. on Fox.
--"One Big Happy Family" [2nd Season Premiere] . . . 9:00 to 10:00 P.M. on TLC.
--"20/20" . . . 10:00 to 11:00 P.M. on ABC. (--"Real Superhumans", including Dean Karnazes, who ran marathons on 50 consecutive days in 2006 . . . and a guy named Daniel Tammet, who learned Icelandic in seven days.)
--"Losing It with Jillian" [SERIES Premiere] . . . 10:00 to 11:00 P.M. on NBC. (--"Biggest Loser" trainer Jillian Michaels spends a week teaching five average families better life-coping skills for a healthier life.)
--"The Little Couple" [3rd Season Premiere] . . . 10:00 to 11:00 P.M. on TLC.
--"Downtown Girls" [SERIES Premiere] . . . 11:00 to 11:30 P.M. on MTV. (--A reality series about a group of young women who live in downtown Manhattan.)
NEW ON VIDEO TODAY
--Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" - with Johnny Depp as the heroic Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter as the emotionally unstable Red Queen, Anne Hathaway as her sister, the White Queen, and Australian minx Mia Wasikowska as Alice.
--"The Wolfman" - Benicio Del Toro's remake of the 1941 werewolf classic. Anthony Hopkins plays his father and Hugo Weaving from "The Matrix" and "Lord of the Rings" is a Scotland Yard inspector investigating the creature's murders.
--"The Stranger" - starring "Stone Cold" Steve Austin as an amnesiac being hunted by both the FBI and the Russian mob.)
--"Wild Things: Foursome" - starring "Making The Band's" Ashley Parker Angel has a raunchy night with three beautiful women on the night of his dad's murder. John Schneider plays a homicide detective investigating the case.
TV SERIES ON DVD:
--"Burn Notice: Season Three" . . . a four-disc DVD set.
--"Drop Dead Diva: The Complete First Season" . . . on a single-disc.
--"Ghost Hunters International: Season One, Part One" . . . a three-disc set.
(--Part 2 comes out in August.)
--"Rescue Me: The Complete Fifth Season" . . . a six-disc DVD set.
--"The Cleaner: The Final Season" . . . a four-disc set of Benjamin Bratt's A&E series. It only lasted two seasons.
--"Live Nude Comedy" . . . a two-disc set of the Showtime series hosted by Shannon Elizabeth. It includes comedians like Andy Dick, Whitney Cummings, and Sam Tripoli doing stand-up, while backed up by burlesque dancers.
NEW MUSIC OUT TODAY
--"Tried and True", Clay Aiken (--This is his fifth album. It features classics from the '50s and '60s . . . including "Unchained Melody" and "Mack the Knife", which he performed on "American Idol" back in the day.)
--"To The Sea", Jack Johnson (--Of the title, Jack says, quote, "It's a reference to a father leading his son to the sea, with the water representing the subconscious. So it's about trying to go beneath the surface and understand yourself.") (???) (--It includes the single, "You and Your Heart".)
--"Rokstarr", (British R&B singer) Taio Cruz (--It includes his hit "Break Your Heart", featuring Ludacris. Ke$ha also appears on a track called "Dirty Picture".)
SOME OLD GUY WANTS TO KILL JOE WALSH:
An elderly man has threatened to kill EAGLES guitarist JOE WALSH. --Joe has filed court documents claiming that his neighbor, Nassar Adhoot . . . who's described as being "in his 70s" . . . threatened his life. (--Joe is 62 years old.) --It began when Adhoot trespassed onto Joe's property earlier this month. Joe's personal assistant approached him, and Adhoot allegedly attacked him with a BLOCK OF WOOD. --Then, Adhoot shouted, quote, "You tell Joe Walsh I'm going to kill him. I'm going to shoot him." -Joe is asking for a restraining order . . . to keep Adhoot away from himself, his wife, his assistant, his maid and his gardener. It's unclear whether or not it's been granted. --Aside from the court documents, there's been no comment on the situation from either Joe or Adhoot. (--We'll let you know if we do hear anything.) --By the way, there's no word WHY Adhoot is so upset with Joe. (--There's only one thing that REALLY agitates old men in their 70s: Whippersnappers who won't get off their lawn! So I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that they're having some sort of property dispute.)
AEROSMITH HAS ANNOUNCED SOME U.S. TOUR DATES:
AEROSMITH has announced some North American tour dates, which will kick off on July 23rd in Oakland . . . and run through September 4th in Uncasville, Connecticut. (--You can check out all the dates at Aerosmith's website, here . . .) http://www.aerosmith.com/aero/tour.cfm
--SAMMY HAGAR will be the opening act for some of the dates, but there aren't any details on which ones yet. (--We also don't know if Sammy will be performing solo or if he'll be playing with his band, CHICKENFOOT.) (--Interesting Fact: Earlier this year . . . when it seemed like Aerosmith was splitting up . . . Sammy was one of the singers rumored to be taking over for STEVEN TYLER. Sammy always denied it.)
BEHOLD: THE JUSTIN BIEBER / JADEN SMITH DUET:
JUSTIN BIEBER and JADEN SMITH . . . the 11-year-old son of WILL and JADA PINKETT SMITH . . . have recorded a duet called "Never Say Never". It's the theme song from Jaden's upcoming "Karate Kid" remake, which comes out June 11th. --Justin sings most of the song . . . but Jaden does a rap two minutes into it. (--You can watch a video for the track, here . . .) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Z5-P9v3F8w
DETAILS ON SANTANA'S NEXT ALBUM:
SANTANA is working on an album of classic rock covers . . . and it'll include guest appearances by Chris Cornell, Joe Cocker, former DOORS keyboardist Ray Manzarek and NAS. Yes, the rapper. --Nas will perform the vocals on a cover AC/DC'S "Back in Black" . . . Cornell is singing LED ZEPPELIN'S "Whole Lotta Love", Cocker is doing JIMI HENDRIX'S "Little Wing" . . . and Manzarek will help out on the Doors' "Riders on the Storm". --That's all we know for now. There's no title or release date yet.
RIHANNA'S "TE AMO" VIDEO HAS LEAKED ONLINE:
A new RIHANNA video . . . for her single, "Te Amo" . . . has leaked online. Like all her recent videos, this one is pretty sexy. It co-stars French model Laetitia Casta. (--You can check it out, here . . .) http://twitvid.com/NRZ07
KANYE WEST PUTS "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE" ON BLAST IN A NEW TRACK THAT JUST LEAKED ONLINE:
It's been a while since we've heard from KANYE WEST, but that changed over the weekend when a new track called "Power" leaked online. It features a guest appearance by DWELE, and will probably be on his next album, "Good Ass Job". (--The album is tentatively set to drop in September.) --In the song's lyrics, Kanye attacks "Saturday Night Live" . . . (???) . . . rapping, quote, "(Eff) 'SNL' and the whole cast, tell them Yeezy said they can kiss my whole ass / More specifically, they can kiss my (A-)hole / I'm an (A-)hole? --"You (N-words) got jokes." (--Apparently, Kanye wasn't amused that "SNL" parodied his infamous TAYLOR SWIFT interruption at last year's MTV Video Music Awards. I hate to tell ya Kanye, but EVERYONE mocked that.) (--You can listen to "Power" at the link below. ***WARNING***: It's UNCENSORED, and contains a lot of words that aren't kid-friendly.) http://www.xxlmag.com/online/?p=80884
A NEW LIL WAYNE VIDEO IS OUT:
LIL WAYNE'S "Get a Life" video debuted on MTV over the weekend. (--Obviously, it's yet another video that Wayne shot BEFORE going to prison back in March.) --The track was on Wayne's "Rebirth" album. (--You can watch the video on MTV.com, here . . .)
http://www.mtv.com/videos/lil-wayne/522082/get-a-life.jhtml
NAZZY’S RANDOM STUFF
THE STATE WITH THE WORST DRIVERS IS NEW YORK:
Every year, GMAC Insurance conducts a study to find out which states have the best and worst drivers. According to the results of this year's study, the five states with the worst drivers are:
#1.) New York
#2.) New Jersey
#3.) Washington, D.C.
#4.) California
#5.) Rhode Island
--And the five states with the best drivers are:
#1.) Kansas
#2.) Oregon
#3.) South Dakota
#4.) Minnesota
#5.) Iowa
--Overall, the study found that if they took a written driving test today, ONE in FIVE licensed drivers wouldn't pass. (Wallet Pop)
(--You can link to the 20 questions used in this year's test here . . .)
http://www.walletpop.com/insurance/car-insurance/smart-driver-quiz
MORE CANADIANS WOULD RATHER GIVE UP SEX THAN DRIVING:
This week, the World Wildlife Fund is running a campaign in Canada aimed at getting people to drive less. The idea is to show people just how bad driving is for the environment, and how much they can help by cutting back. --Anyway, as part of the campaign, Canadian drivers were given a list of choices and asked . . . if they HAD to . . . which they'd rather go without for the rest of their lives. Here are some of their findings: --36% chose junk food.
--14% chose coffee.
--6% chose TV.
--2% chose SEX.
--And just 1% chose driving.
--In other words, twice as many Canadians would give up sex for the rest of their lives before they'd hang up their car keys for good. (???)
(Toronto Star / AutoBlog)
SOME LADY LOST CONTROL OF HER SUV AND CRASHED INTO A RIVER BECAUSE SHE WAS PUTTING SUGAR IN HER COFFEE:
Now it's time to recognize our Distracted Driver of the Day . . . 42-year-old Trena Fiels of Detroit, Oregon (--about 55 miles southeast of Portland). --On Saturday morning, Trena was driving down the highway when she suddenly lost control of her SUV, veered down a 40-foot embankment, and crashed into a river. --Rescue workers showed up a few minutes later, and Trena was rushed to the hospital where she was treated for minor injuries and released. --According to the police, the reason Trena lost control of her car was because she was trying to put sugar in her coffee while she was driving. (???) (KTVZ News 21 - Bend)
TWO IN THREE WOMEN WILL TELL A FRIEND SHE LOOKS GREAT . . . EVEN WHEN SHE DOESN'T . . . JUST SO THEY'LL LOOK BETTER IN COMPARISON:
And now, here's even more proof that in the Battle of the Sexes, men are the clear-cut winners. --According to a new survey, TWO in THREE women admit they'll tell a friend she looks great . . . even when she doesn't . . . just so they'll look better in comparison. --ONE in THREE admit they'll tell a friend she looks terrible in an outfit . . . even when she looks hot . . . just so she'll change. --ONE in FIVE admit they've neglected to tell a friend she's suffered a "fashion mishap," such as tucking her shirt into her underwear. --ONE in TEN have deliberately sabotaged a friend's outfit by purposely spilling a drink on her or ripping her clothes, just so they wouldn't be overshadowed. --And 38% of women say they lie to their friends about their appearance in order to boost their own self-confidence. --Overall, 36% of women say they know their girlfriends are so catty that they can't be trusted to give an honest opinion. (Daily Telegraph)
WOMEN TAKE FOUR TIMES LONGER TO GET READY ON MONDAY AS THEY DO ON FRIDAY:
This study took place in the UK, but we have no reason to think things would be any different here . . . --According to a new survey, the average British woman spends about 76 minutes getting ready on Monday morning. --But on Tuesday, she spends just 40 minutes getting ready. And by the time Friday rolls around, it takes her just 19 minutes to get ready. --And it's not just women who put less effort into their appearance as the week goes on . . . guys do it too. --According to the survey, the average guy takes 28 minutes to get ready on Monday morning. But that drops to 14 minutes by Tuesday. And the rest of the week, he only needs 11 minutes to get ready for work. --The survey was conducted by a British department store called Debenhams. --According to a store spokesman, quote, "It's clear that most men can only pay attention to their appearance for a maximum of two days before opting for an acceptable level of dishevelment. --"Women try to keep their dress standards higher for longer, but by the time Friday comes, they too have gone down a line of least resistance." (Yahoo News)
CAN A GUY REALLY BE "TOO NICE" TO PULL CHICKS?
I love how some guys who can't meet women explain it by saying they're just "too nice" to get girls. At least that's what my loser friends do. But it always sounds like a cop-out to me, and it seems I'm not the only one. --The people over at Wired.com came up with a list of reasons why so-called "nice guys" aren't that nice, they're just unpleasant. Check it out:
#1.) They have no sexual energy: Women don't fall for guys who act like they're friendly and harmless, they fall for guys who stimulate them.
--So when they go for a guy who flirts with them, it's not because he's an aggressive jerk, it's because he's actually treating her like a sexual being. Which she is.
#2.) They're focused on one girl: Guys sometimes say that they can't figure out what women want. What they really mean is, they're after one specific woman, and they can't figure out what SHE wants. And the truth is, she just doesn't want HIM.
#3.) They think all women are the same: Guys who say "All women are the same" probably don't know many women. And the few they DO know aren't interested them. -But instead of thinking there might be a problem with THEM, they assume all women are emotionally damaged.
#4.) They confuse chivalry with creepiness: They aren't the same thing, and if you confuse them, you'll you get rejected. But it's not because women don't like nice guys. They just don't like weirdos.
#5.) You're not actually nice: Ask yourself a question: Are you doing nice, thoughtful things for girls because you really like them as people, or just because you want to get in their pants? --If it's just because you want to see them naked, that's not being nice, it's a tactic to pull chicks. It's just not a very good one.
#6.) You're desperate: If there's one thing that's universally attractive, it's confidence. You really don't have to be a "nice guy" or a jerk to get dates. You just have to be confident in who you are. --If you're confident, you'll get girls . . . I guarantee it. But if you're not, women will sense it, and they won't find it attractive. (Wired)
GAYDAR ACTUALLY DOES EXIST:
I'm guessing you already know what "gaydar" is. If not, it's a mix of the words "gay" and "radar," and it refers to the ability some people have to pick other gay people out of a crowd. --Anyway, researchers Leiden University in the Netherlands wanted to find out if gaydar is actually real. So they conducted a study to find out how gay and straight people focus their attention when trying to solve a problem.--What they found is that while straight people tend to look at the big picture, gay people can see the small details as well as the big picture. Put another way, gay people see the trees AND the forest, while straight people just see the forest. -According to the researchers, the study proves that gay people are more analytical than heterosexuals, which allows them to pick up on subtle cues about a person's sexuality. --In other words, gaydar actually DOES exist. And homosexuals have it the most. --A guy named Dr. Lorenza Colzato led the study. He says, quote, "This is the first time that scientific proof has been found for the existence of a 'gaydar' mechanism amongst homosexuals." (Daily Mail)
A DRUNK GUY FELL FROM A THIRD STORY BALCONY, IMPALED HIS HEAD ON A SPIKED FENCE AND SURVIVED:
If you think you've got a headache from all the booze you drank over the long weekend, there's a guy in New York City who wants you to SHUT THE HELL UP! --He's 21-year-old Nicholas Blossom, and on Friday night he got totally wasted at a rooftop party in Manhattan. In fact, Nicholas was partying so hard that he was still going strong at about 4:00 A.M. the next morning. --According to the police, that's about the time Nicholas fell from a third-story window, landed head first on the second-story balcony of an adjoining building, and IMPALED HIS HEAD on a spiked steel fence. (!!!) -Officials say Nicholas was sitting on the ledge of the window, drunkenly ranting about how he, quote, "hated everyone." At some point, he lost his balance. --Rescue workers managed to cut Nicholas free using an electric saw, and he was rushed to the hospital with a piece of the fence still attached to his scalp. --Then on Sunday, Nicholas had surgery to remove the piece of fence. According to his mother Emily, he'll be in intensive care for at least a week, but he's expected to make a full recovery. --She says, quote, "He is out of surgery and making some jokes. The doctor tells us that he was very lucky . . . It's hard, but we have been really impressed with the care he's been getting in New York City." (New York Post / New York Daily News)
NOT-SO-SHOCKING NEWS OF THE DAY: COLLEGE KIDS ARE MORE SELF-CENTERED THAN THEY WERE 30 YEARS AGO:
I'm sure you already knew this, but just in case there was a shred of doubt in your mind, a new study from the University of Michigan has found that college kids today are more self-centered than they were 30 years ago. --According to researchers, college students score about 40% lower on empathy tests today than in the 1970s, with the biggest drop in empathy coming after the year 2000. --That means they're less likely to agree with statements like, quote, "I sometimes try to understand my friends better by imagining how things look from their perspective," and "I often have tender, concerned feelings for people less fortunate than me." --A woman named Sara Konrath led the study. She says there are three possible explanations for why young people have less empathy now than in the past:
#1.) Kids today are exposed to ridiculous amounts of violence in the media, which desensitizes them to the suffering of others.
#2.) Social networking sites allow people to tune out when they don't feel like responding to the problems of others, which could carry over to their daily lives.
#3.) And young people today are so focused on themselves that they deemphasize the value of others. In other words, they spend so much time thinking about their own "problems" that they can't be bothered by anyone else's. (Yahoo News)
(--You can take the empathy test used by the researchers here . . .)
http://umichisr.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_bCvraMmZBCcov52&SVID
NAZZY’S SILLY VIDEOS OF THE DAY
#1.) TOM CRUISE REPRISED HIS ROLE OF "LES GROSSMAN" FROM "TROPIC THUNDER": To promote this Sunday's "MTV Movie Awards", TOM CRUISE reprised his role of movie producer "Les Grossman" from "Tropic Thunder". --In one ad, he screams at ROBERT PATTINSON for saying he wants to try a more clean-cut look. And in a second ad, he yells at HIMSELF on the set of "Risky Business" in 1982. (--Search for "Les Grossman MTV Movie Awards ads.")
(--Warning: There's bleeped profanity in both clips . . .)
http://www.mtv.com/videos/misc/522184/2010-movie-awards-les-grossman-gives-robert-pattinson-style-tips.jhtml#id=1640303
http://www.mtv.com/videos/misc/522093/2010-movie-awards-risky-business-revisited.jhtml#id=1640303
#2.) TWO MEN STOLE A WOMAN'S PURSE . . . AND THEN GOT MOBBED BY A GROUP OF GOOD SAMARITANS:
Two guys on a motorcycle stole a woman's purse in Wenzhou, China (--on the country's southeast coast). But a group of good Samaritans chased them down and beat them with broomsticks and chairs, even though one of them had a huge knife. (--Search for "Wenzhou fight back purse snatchers." One of the thieves crashes the motorcycle into a car at :34, then the crowd swarms.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXwlTDqt_4Q
#3.) A BASEBALL PLAYER HIT A GAME-WINNING GRAND SLAM BUT BROKE HIS LEG WHILE CELEBRATING AT HOME PLATE:
An Anaheim Angels player named KENDRY MORALES hit a game-winning grand slam in the tenth inning to beat the Seattle Mariners on Saturday. But when he jumped on home plate, he got mobbed by his teammates, landed awkwardly, and broke his leg.
(--Search for "Kendry Morales broke leg grand slam celebration.")
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nHMDc2AJlY
#4.) A PEPSI TRUCK JUMPED THE MEDIAN ON A BUSY DALLAS FREEWAY:
A car cut off an 18-wheeler Pepsi truck on a highway in Dallas on Wednesday, causing the truck to jump the median and flip over. Six cars were involved in the crash, but no one was seriously injured. (--Search for "Pepsi truck crash Dallas video.")
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ExNMQL-hOE
SEVEN FACTS ABOUT SPEEDING . . . AND HOW NOT TO GET CAUGHT:
Congress repealed the national maximum speed limit in 1995. Until then the speed limit was 65 in rural areas, and 55 in urban areas.
--But now, 33 states have speed limits of 70 or higher, and Texas and Utah are the fastest states, with speed limits of 80 miles per hour in some areas. Here are seven other facts about speeding you probably didn't know . . .
#1.) YOUR SPEEDOMETER IS PROBABLY WRONG. Most speedometers read three to ten percent fast, depending on how fast you're driving. So if it says you're going 50 miles an hour, you might really be going 48. -The manufacturers do it on purpose because it lowers their insurance liability.
#2.) PEOPLE WHO DRIVE HUMMERS GET THE MOST EXPENSIVE TICKETS. In one study, people who drove the Hummer H2 got tickets that were 463% higher than average. --The cheapest tickets went to people driving Chevy Suburbans. They got tickets there were 16% lower than average.
#3.) THE MOST EXPENSIVE SPEEDING TICKET EVER GIVEN WAS FOR $290,000. In Switzerland, the amount you pay depends on how much money you have. The guy who got the $290,000 ticket was estimated to be worth $22 million.
#4.) RADAR DETECTORS ARE LEGAL ALMOST EVERYWHERE. Virginia is the only state in the U.S. where they're not.
#5.) WYOMING GIVES OUT MORE TICKETS PER CAPITA THAN ANY OTHER STATE. Just over 500,000 people live in Wyoming, and last year, police gave out 46,366 tickets . . . or about one ticket for every 11 people. --But if you count Washington DC, they win by a landslide. In 2009, there were just over 550,000 people living there, and over 434,000 tickets were given out. That's one ticket for every 1.25 residents.
#6.) SPEEDING IS A FACTOR IN NEARLY ONE-THIRD OF ALL FATAL CRASHES. 24% of MALE drivers involved in deadly crashes were speeding at the time of the crash, compared to 15% of FEMALE drivers.
#7.) MEN SPEED MORE THAN WOMEN. According to statistics, men under the age of 30 are most likely to speed.
AND HERE'S HOW YOU AVOID BEING PULLED OVER . . .
--Stay in the middle of the pack . . .
--Don't change lanes more than you need to, and don't drive aggressively . . .
--Avoid the left lane when you can. You're much more likely to get pulled over when you're driving in it . . .
--Find a car that's going the same speed or faster, then stay far enough behind it so THEY'LL get pulled over instead of you.
--And finally . . . don't speed!
(OnlineSchools.org / Driverside.com)
posted by Nazzy @ 6:33 AM
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