On April 21, 2006 MP&S provided you with a story headlined "McCONAUGHEY RAPE CASE THROWN OUT OF COURT".
It transpires there were inaccuracies in the story and consequently, I have retracted the story in its entirety and encourage all readers to do the same if they have posted it.
I wish to express my sincerest apologies to Ms. Ashley Moyé for any inconvenience caused by the story which pertains to a civil lawsuit Ms.Moyé filed against actor Matthew McConaughey in August 2005.
--Salma Hayek and her businessman fiancé, François Henri Pinault, are the parents of a baby girl, Valentina Paloma Pinault. "Mother and daughter are doing well," Hayek's publicist Cari Ross, said in a statement. No further details were released. A source said that the 41-year-old Mexican-born actress entered the hospital on Thursday and that Pinault was present. The daughter is the first child for Hayek. Pinault, 45, has two children from a previous marriage which ended in divorce in 2004.
--Minnesota Twins player Rondell White, 35, and his wife, Zanovia, welcomed daughter Zaiya on Friday, September 21 at 11:40 p.m. The couple's first child weighed 7 pounds, 9 ounces. Zaiya was a few days past her due date of Monday, September 17.
--Voice of An Angel singer Charlotte Church has a little angel of her own. The 21-year-old has given birth to a baby girl, Ruby Megan Henson. A spokeswoman for Church said: "A baby girl was born sometime on Thursday evening or possibly Friday morning. Midwives were present at the home birth." Church shares a home in England with rugby player boyfriend Gavin Henson. Henson, 25, was present at the birth and the couple's daughter weighed just over 6 pounds.
--Boston Celtics center Kendrick Perkins, 22, and his girlfriend, Vanity, welcomed son Kendrick Perkins II on Monday, September 10. The couple's first child weighed 7 pounds, 9 ounces and was 20 inches long.
--It's a baby girl for E! News correspondent and Dancing with the Stars co-host Samantha Harris. Harris,33, and husband, financial wholesaler Michael Hess, welcomed daughter Josselyn Sydney Hess Sunday morning at 1:49 a.m. in Los Angeles, weighing in at 6 pounds, 12 ounces, reports E! News. She is the couple's first child.
--Emmy-award winning producer Dick Wolf, 60, creator of the Law and Order franchise, is a new father following the birth of his daughter, Zoe Amelia, on Friday, September 21. Dick's wife, Noelle, gave birth at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
--Matthew McConaughey will replace Owen Wilson in the film comedy Tropic Thunder, Variety reports. Wilson, 38, dropped out of the Ben Stiller-directed movie after he was hospitalized for what police called a suicide attempt last month. The role being taken by McConaughey, 37, is essentially a cameo in an ensemble cast that includes Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr. and Nick Nolte. The movie is a comedy about a group of actors shooting a war movie on a deserted island that comes under real attack.
--Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban are selling their luxury Nashville, Tennessee home. The Hollywood couple have put their four-bedroom mansion up for sale, with a listing price of $2.5 million. A pal of the pair tells New York gossip column PageSix, "It was Keith's house - they probably just want to find a home that is theirs." The 7,000-square-foot home boasts a gym, pool and spa.
--And, they haven't missed a beat. Here's the first Big-Carrie picture from the set of the Sex and the City movie. I can hardly contain myself.
--Justin Timberlake and Nelly Furtado are the worst behaved diners in showbiz, according to celebrity restaurateur Guy Rubino. Rubino claims Timberlake insisted on ordering off the menu and Furtado acted like a diva during visits to his Toronto, Canada eaterie Rain. The chef tells The New York Daily News, "Timberlake comes into Rain, doesn't even look at the menu and shouts for random food that we don't make. If he knew what he wanted, why come to an Asian restaurant in the first place? (Furtado) made a reservation for 10 guests. She showed up an hour late with five extra people in tow. For parties that size, we do a prix-fixe type of menu. Nelly objected and was really rude about it. She expected individual dishes to be prepared. Her manager even came into the kitchen and had the gall to say, 'Just f**king do it! I told her that she and her client could just f**king leave." In contrast, Rubino claims Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones were the best guests: "They're very polite. Every time they come in, they pop into the kitchen to say hello. I just love them."
--Quentin Tarantino is getting ready to switch to sex from violence. The quirky director, a devotee of '70s European nudie flicks, says he wants to make "a cool sex movie that would take place in Stockholm, with a couple of Americans visiting a couple of Swedish friends . . . just going out drinking, having a good time, hooking up." But, he tells London's Daily Telegraph, "If I actually do an erotic movie, I'm going to have to reveal what I find sexy, what turns me on . . . It's got to be kind of kinky, because that's what's cinematic, that's what's fun. Everything else is just - shagging."
--There will be more than 100 candles to blow out when the Plaza Hotel hits the century mark. The Oct. 1 celebration will include a pyrotechnic performance by the Grucci fireworks family featuring a cascade of thousands of flaming white lights that will turn the landmark into a huge birthday cake. At that point, Paul Anka will sing "Happy Birthday" in Grand Army Plaza. "This isn't about the reopening of the building," said a Plaza rep, referring to the ongoing gut renovation. "It's all about the 100th birthday celebration."
--Nick Carter: Backstreet's fat, alright!
--Mick Jagger has a reputation for being tight with a dollar, but he was a generous host Saturday night in Boston. The Rolling Stone - co-producer of "The Women," a remake of the 1939 George Cukor classic - threw a boisterous dinner party at Clink in the old Charles Street Jail, which has been converted into the Liberty Hotel. Jagger, who was with his girlfriend L'Wren Scott, toasted Meg Ryan and Eva Mendes and every other actress in the all-female flick. Debra Messing skipped the bash for the Emmys while Annette Bening chose the Yankees-Red Sox game. (His girlfriend is named L'Wren? Oh, I'm so going w/ that spelling. I mean, who really needs the "a" anyway?)
--I think she's hiding Osama in there.
Random Thought of the Day:
I stayed at an awesome hotel last weekend in Chicago. It's called The James. It's on Ontario, and only a couple blocks west of Michigan Ave. It was the best of both worlds: W style and savvy, with Drake customer service. I got a "Welcome back, Ms. Mills" when I'd return. I had mentioned on the phone that I was there for a bachelorette party, and they asked what I had planned. When I arrived, there was an envelope waiting for me that included: a confirmation of the reservations I made for dinner at Carnivale , front of the line privileges and waived cover at Martini Park (a hot, new martini bar), and maps to all of those places. The hotel room bathrooms were stocked with Kiehl's products! Can't beat that! The hotel also housed a new steakhouse that's getting rave reviews and a hot bar called J Bar, that turns more club-like in the evening. I'd HIGHLY recommend this place!)
Dumped by her lawyer. "I don't want anyone to perceive that we're dumping Britney," said Laura Wasser, her attorney. Guess K-Fed's surprise witness put her over the edge. Can't represent someone effectively who hides minor details like drug use.
Dumped by her manager. "...current circumstances have prevented us from properly doing our job," said her managing company. What? That she's batshit crazy?
Every day I think, "Surely, this can't get any worse for her." And, then it does.
I didn't have time to watch every minute, but of what I did see, I thought it was a decent show this year. I liked the new stage, and how some presenters came out of the audience, and some came out from under the stage.
Some highlights:
--Hooray for Jeremy Piven's win for Entourage. The boys looked cool and collected as they all strolled in.
--Dear Sally Field: 1) Shut your monumental pie hole. 2) Edie Falco was robbed. Love, Lawren
--Enough America Ferrara. Seriously.
--I usually find Katherine Heigl sweet and endearing, but last night I thought she had a chip on her shoulder--both in her acceptance speech and when she corrected the pronounciation of her name.
--Loved that the "Gay Witch Hunt" episode of "The Office" won for best writing for a comedy. It was pee-your-pants funny. Same goes for the "Sopranos" finale episode's win for best writing for a drama. It was writing at its finest.
--I was a little sad that Gandolfini didn't win, but you just can't beat James Spader as Alan Shore on "Boston Legal." Great acceptance speech, too.
Some of my fave fashions:
I have a few caveats regarding my best dressed choices. Heidi Klum and Ellen Pompeo must go in my "neck down only" category because I thought their hair and makeup looked like crapolah. Debra Messing looked great--but she wears black and white a lot (and, Ralph Lauren almost exclusively on the red carpet), so if she doesn't start being a little more creative, I am going to cut her out of my list. You can't see them very well, but Marcia Cross had these fabulous blue/turquoise earrings on w/ her dress, and it just looked fabulous up against her red hair.
Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott look to be heading to the Great White Way, to costar in Chicago.
The New York Post's Page Six column reports that the husband and wife are "are currently in talks" with show producers to strut their stuff in the high-stepping, vaudeville-style musical, Spelling's rep told the paper.
Spelling, 34, and McDermott, 40, starred together on their Oxygen network reality series, Tori & Dean: Inn Love, based on their antics running a California B&B. Among their adventures: having a baby boy, Liam Aaron McDermott, born March 13.
Spelling and McDermott would presumably – and respectively – play the roles of Roxie Hart, the murderous heroine of the story, and that of her crooked lawyer, Billy Flynn.
While married couples, including Amy Spanger and Michael C. Hall as well as Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin, have starred in this current incarnation of Chicago, perhaps the most famous guest star to land in the long-running revival of the 1975 Bob Fosse stage musical was Usher, who in summer 2006 played lawyer Flynn – the Richard Gere role in the 2002 Oscar-winning Best Picture adaptation of the show.
Leave my Broadway alone! Donna Martin should NOT grace the stage there! Why do they keep letting mediocre-at-best stars in shows? There is far too much undiscovered talent that's just waiting to be plucked out of obscurity! Grrr...
--Comedian Jon Stewart will return as host of the Oscars for the 80th awards show on Feb. 24, it was announced Wednesday. The host of TV's "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" will get his second shot at hosting Hollywood's premiere event, which will be held on Feb. 24 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. He hosted the 78th annual awards show in 2006. The statement did not say why the academy decided to go with Stewart after comedian Ellen DeGeneres hosted last year.
--Brad Pitt and Edward Norton will share the screen again in State of Play, a film adaptation of the British miniseries. Kevin MacDonald, who did a phenomenal job with Last King of Scotland, will direct. According to Variety, "Norton will play a congressman whose speedy political rise is threatened by an investigation into the death of his mistress. Pitt plays a politico-turned-journalist whose relationship with the solon is compromised when he oversees his newspaper's investigation into the murder and develops a relationship with the pol's estranged wife."
--A former contestant on Top Chef was beaten by a group of about 10 young people screaming anti-gay slurs, her attorney tells the Associated Press. Josie Smith-Malave, 32 according to her bio on the Web site of the Bravo reality show, was with a small group of women who were asked to leave a bar in Sea Cliff, N.Y., over Labor Day weekend, her lawyer Yetta Kurland said Tuesday. Kurland, who says Smith-Malave – a second-season contestant on Top Chef – is openly gay, said that about 10 people followed the women from the bar and started to shout anti-gay epithets and spit on them before beating them up.
--Eve celebrated the completion of 45 days of sobriety by hitting the bar. The songstress was freed from her alcohol-monitoring anklet on Saturday morning, and by cocktail hour was hitting the MTV Video Music Awards swag suites at Caesars Palace. "When a cocktail waitress walked over to her with a bottle of Svedka, her eyes lit up," said a Page Six spy. "She got kind of nervous when they wanted her to take a photo, and wouldn't pose with the bottle - but then her assistant asked a promoter to send a case to her house."
--50 Cent may be getting hip-hop's equivalent of a gold watch next week. Early reports have Kanye West beating 50 in their much-hyped battle of album sales: West's "Graduation" is on pace to sell about 575,000 to 700,000 its first week out, while 50 Cent's "Curtis" is on track to do 550,000, according to Billboard magazine. As of day one, Kanye had sold 437,000 copies to 50's 310,000, according to Nielsen Soundscan. Both albums came out Tuesday, and a confident 50 Cent famously announced that he would retire if West outsold him in first-week sales.
--Beyonce Knowles, Jennifer Lopez and Gwen Stefani are among the stylish stars on People magazine's list of best dressed women of 2007. Katie Holmes, Penelope Cruz, Jessica Biel, Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Reese Witherspoon and Ali Larter are other sharp dressers singled out in the magazine's "Best & Worst Dressed" double issue, on newsstands Friday. Don't forget the men. David Beckham, Terrence Howard, Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt and George Clooney meet People's standards for always stepping out in style, whether they're wearing tuxedos or T-shirts. Pitt and his partner, Angelina Jolie, are among the year's best dressed couples. Other fashionable duos: Stefani and her husband, Gavin Rossdale; Halle Berry and boyfriend Gabriel Aubry; and newlyweds Tony Parker and Eva Longoria. Among the fashion moments the magazine would like to forget: Sienna Miller's black hot pants and tights and Avril Lavigne's pairing of a frilly dress and combat boots. Janet Jackson and Kirsten Dunst are cited for wearing the "worst red carpet dresses" of the year.
--The days of Britney Spears as a 'Toxic' trainwreck may finally be over. While the world is screaming "Gimme Less"— Simon, Paula and Randy want the "reformed" rehabber to "Gimme More." The judges announced to FOX that they have decided to take the Britster on board and have issued an open call to the pop princess to manage her crumbling career. "We have decided we can bring Britney back," the normally caustic Cowell confirmed. "We are serious. We plan to buy her underpants, get her bigger shorts to perform in and get her away from her stupid friends."
--Heath Ledger isn't letting any grass grow under his feet. Just a week after announcing his split from Michelle Williams, Ledger has been squiring Danish modelHelena Christensen all over town. Tuesday night, the two were at Wakiya "making out throughout the dinner," our spy said. Acting like a good boyfriend, Ledger even "held her bag for her as she did interviews." The two then went to the after-party for the movie "Eastern Promises" at the Soho Grand, and ended up at the Spotted Pig.
Random Thought of the Day:
Has anyone watched Tim Gunn's new show, "Tim Gunn's Guide to Style" on Bravo? I'm loving it! He's so awesome! Click here to check it out.
--Academy Award-winning actress Jennifer Hudson will join the cast of the film version of Sex And The City - as Carrie Bradshaw's assistant, it has been reported. The Dreamgirls star is in final negotiations to join Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon for the long-awaited movie version of the sassy, Emmy Award-winning HBO comedy, according to industry publication Variety. Filming for Sex and the City is due to begin next week. Fellow TV show star Chris Noth is slated to reprise his role as Mr. Big, though none of the other male love interests for the characters have been confirmed.
--"I'm really into the acting thing." --Kevin Federline
--Pianist Leon Fleisher, actor Steve Martin, singers Diana Ross and Brian Wilson and film director Martin Scorsesewill share the 30th annual honors of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in December.
--Move over, Jamie Oliver, Rachael Ray and Gordon Ramsay: Nick Lachey, Nicky Hilton and Wilmer Valderrama are also jumping into the kitchen. "We're doing a restaurant in [Las] Vegas, called The Company, in the Luxor hotel," Valderrama, 27, said at Monday's John Varvatos show for New York's Fashion Week. "It's a steak house," added the actor. "Really great. It's going to be really special for Vegas, a different flavor."
By that, Valderrama says he is referring to the "architecture, the chef, the vibe of the restaurant. There's a lot of great restaurants in Vegas, but this is exciting because it's a different branding, kind of next generation type things."
--Before Kathy Griffin won a creative arts Emmy last weekend for her reality show, "My Life on the D-List," she joked that an award would move her to the C-list. She was right: "C" as in censored. The TV academy said her raucous acceptance speech will be edited when the event, which was taped, is shown Saturday on the E! channel. The main prime-time Emmy Awards air the next night on Fox. "Kathy Griffin's offensive remarks will not be part of the E! telecast on Saturday night," the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences said in a statement Monday. In her speech, Griffin said that "a lot of people come up here and thank Jesus for this award. I want you to know that no one had less to do with this award than Jesus." She went on to hold up her Emmy, make an off-color remark about Christ and proclaim, "This award is my god now!" (Am I off the reservation in thinking those comments, while not cool, aren't censor-worthy?)
--Simply Vera Vera Wang, has finally hit Kohl’s! Go to the store, or shop online!
--The TV commercial for Sean Combs' fragrance, Unforgivable, is too hot - even for cable. The spot shows Combs "going at it" with Jessica Gomez in a stairwell and a hotel room. But after MTV screened the ads, execs sent a list of edits Combs will need to make before censors will allow it to air. The offending footage includes Diddy "hiking up" Gomez's skirt, putting his hands under her dress, and a scene with another woman holding Gomez's breast and pulling down her underwear. Combs is refusing so far to edit his commercial. Last year, the print ads for Unforgivable were too hot for city bus stops.
Random Thought of the Day:
Check out this clip of an angry monologue by an anguished Britney fan. It was truly one of the funniest things I've seen in awhile! My favorite part is when he (she?) mentions that Brit's not well. Oh really? Thanks for pointing that out, Dr. Freud.
--Kanye West, never known for holding his tongue, is railing against MTV after leaving empty-handed from Sunday's Video Music Awards, charging that the network misled him – and also exploited Britney Spears.
"They exploited Britney in helping to end her career," West told deejay JJ at New York radio station Z100 on Monday. "When Britney was opening [the VMA telecast], near the end, I felt so bad for her. I said, 'Man, it's a dirty game. This game will chew you up and spit you out.'"
The rapper doesn't just take umbrage with the handling of Spears, whose performance has been maligned by critics and fans alike. West tells Z100 he felt misled and "betrayed" by the network, and has promised to never work with MTV again. The rapper says he's already cancelled planned appearances on TRL to promote his new album Graduation. Specifically, West takes issue with the way performances were set up – that he should have performed on the main stage and not from a private suite where many artists performed for small groups of fans throughout the telecast.
"I wasn't mad that I just didn't win any awards," West says. "For me, [MTV] made it seem like performing on the main stage was a bad thing, and the suites were just so great. It was my dream when I made 'Stronger' to open up the VMAs with a real power performance. "And I just feel like I got betrayed by them," the rapper continues. "I feel like they tried to make it seem like I was so into everything that was going on in the show."
Another sticking point: Pamela Anderson's racy introduction on the telecast. (Anderson appeared in a music video for West's single "Touch the Sky.") Before West performed "Good Life" from his suite, the former Baywatch star told viewers, "One of the best times I've ever had was making out with the next performer in the middle of the desert. I think I had my tongue so far down his throat I could taste his fiancée – and I might need a repeat performance later tonight." "I'm engaged, and I feel like it's disrespectful to my relationship," West says of Anderson's remarks, which he claims the network assured him would not happen.
When JJ pointed out that West was being pretty blunt by speaking out against MTV, the rapper responded in a characteristically unapologetic fashion: "I have a connection in the fans' heart that the press can't stop."
--If you didn't catch Brit's big debut, it was, in a word...AWFUL!!! The one thing she always had going for her (because we all know she can't sing) was her dancing, and that was just gone. If you're gonna lip-sync, which she clearly did, then at LEAST kick some ass w/ your dancing! She wasn't on beat, she had no power behind her moves...she looked like a deer in the headlights. And, homegirl should have re-thought showing her mid-section. It was just all messy. Click here if you missed it. The true highlight is watching the faces of Diddy, Rihanna, Fiddy, etc. They just look shocked.
If you think I'm overreacting, one writer said: "Out-of-synch lip-synching. Lethargic movements that seemed choreographed by a dance instructor for a nursing home. The paunch in place of Spears' once-taut belly. At times she just stopped singing altogether, as if even she knew nothing could save her performance."
In other VMA news...
--Paris Hilton got on the microphone at a packed Las Vegas nightclub and lavished Christina Aguilera with praise – and in the process revealed a celebrity secret. "Congratulations to the most beautiful pregnant woman in the world. You're gorgeous," Hilton announced at about 2 a.m. Sunday at an Aguilera-hosted party at LAX Nightclub in the Luxor. Aguilera, who has never confirmed being pregnant despite a visible bump beneath her pink chiffon mini-dress, appeared temporarily shocked as she sat in her perch in the elevated VIP booth. She sank her head into the shoulder of husband Jordan Bratman as her friends looked stunned.
--Pamela Anderson's exes got into a slapfest during the MTV Video Music Awards last night, taking jabs at each other right after their siliconed siren introduced Alicia Keys. Kid Rock and Tommy Lee were sitting precariously close to each other - given their history of rowdy behavior - at the ceremony at the Palms Casino when Rock "sucker smacked" Lee, Sandra Guzman reports. The ensuing fight lasted 15 seconds and each man was escorted out separately by security. After the fracas, which wasn't caught by the network's cameras, MTV News correspondent Sway joked, "There was a fight tonight, and I'm glad to see it wasn't rappers."
Get your DVR's set for this Sunday night. The train wreck known as none other than THE Britney Spears WILL be opening act of the MTV Video Music Awards.
--Halle Berry is expecting her first child. "Yes, I am three months pregnant," the Oscar winner told Access Hollywood on Tuesday. "Gabriel and I are beyond excited and I've waited a long time for this moment in my life." (That is gonna be one hot kid).
--After 11 seasons of its show, "The Bachelor," ABC is looking for more men to fill the lonely loser spot. This time they're reaching out to college alumni associations at the University of Pennsylvania. One Penn alumnus received an e-mail that read, "I'm a casting producer for ABC's hit show 'The Bachelor,' and we're looking for our next amazing guy! When we look for our potential candidates, we keep certain traits in mind - academic background and career success are two major ones. The age group we're targeting is in the 27- to 36-year-old range." (Enough already. Cancel the damn show).
--Just one month ago, it looked like the wait was over — but a Chicago judge decided on Tuesday (September 4) that the child-pornography criminal case against R. Kelly, which has been pending for five years, will not be going to trial on September 17 after all. Judge Vincent Gaughan had previously scheduled the trial date at a hearing on August 1, but changed his mind at a status hearing Tuesday, after taking into consideration that the lead prosecutor, Shauna Boliker, who recently gave birth, would not be able to proceed per her doctor's orders. Boliker, the chief of Illinois' Cook County Sex Crimes Division, had previously gone right back to work after the births of her two other children. Kelly was charged with 21 counts of child pornography in 2002 (seven of which were later dropped) for allegedly videotaping himself having sex with a girl prosecutors said was 14 years old at the time; he pleaded not guilty. (When are we going to get some more installments of "Trapped in the Closet?")
--"As soon as she comes out I am sending her to plastic surgery!" --Scott Baio, on seeing an early image of his yet-to-be-born daughter, lamenting that she has the shape of his head.
--Tattooed rocker Tommy Lee will hook up just about anywhere and with anyone. Lee's raunchy bar behavior grossed out a room full of revelers at Dune in the Hamptons on Sunday night when the Motley Crue drummer and a blond party girl "were flat-out [bleep]ing" on a banquette, according to multiple witnesses. One told us, "When Tommy walked in, he asked, 'Is it cool to have sex in here?' The hostess thought he was kidding, but . . . then he just went to town with this girl. We were trying not to pay attention because it was so disgusting."
--After nearly five years of marriage and four children together, Shaquille O'Nealfiled for divorce from his wife Shaunie in Miami on Tuesday. "The marriage between the parties is irretrievably broken," reads the petition, which was filed by O'Neal's lawyer, Ira Elegant, in Miami-Dade Circuit Court on Tuesday. It is not known who is representing Shaunie, according to The Miami Herald. The petition reveals that the couple has a prenuptial agreement, according to the Herald, which also reports that should the court agree, a copy of the agreement "will be filed ... under seal." The agreement "contains extensive provisions providing for confidentiality and non-disclosure." O'Neal also says in the petition that Shaunie has been "secretive about her assets ... particularly with respect to certain properties owned or titled in either [her] name alone or in other entities" and requests that the court require Shaunie to give a "correct accounting of all money, funds, stocks, bonds, and other securities (including bearer securities)" acquired during the marriage. Shaq married his then-longtime girlfriend Shaunie Nelson on Dec. 26, 2002, in a lavish, top-secret ceremony at the Beverly Hills Hotel. The couple have four children together: Shareef, 7, Amirah, 5, Shaqir, 4, and Me'Arah, 1. Shaq, 35, also has a daughter, Taahirah, from an earlier relationship and Shaunie, 32, has a son, Myles.
Random Thought of the Day:
I got asked twice yesterday if I was on the news. Once at Starbucks and once at Penn Station picking up something to eat for dinner.
Pitt is Ready For More Babies; Not Ready For Crazy Fans
--Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams have split after three years together, a source confirmed. "It was rocky for awhile," says a source close to the couple. "They did what they could to make it work." The source says the split was amicable. The pair, who welcomed daughter Matilda in October 2005, met while they were filming Brokeback Mountain in 2004. (I predicted this the moment they got together. Their personalities did not fit AT ALL!)
--Hollywood stars Nicole Kidman, Jack Black and Jennifer Jason Leigh moved in together during filming for new movie Margot At The Wedding, because they wanted to perfect their roles as a dysfunctional family. The three actors lived in a house in the Hamptons area of New York while working on the Noah Baumbach-directed drama earlier this year, and Kidman has fond memories of their time together. She says, "We all lived in this house in the Hamptons. Jennifer would cook breakfast on Sunday, and we'd all go to work Monday to Friday, and hang out on the weekend. Jack (Black) would play guitar. (And) we'd lie around in the bed, rehearsing. You don't make films like that right now - it's more a seventies way of making films."
--Brad Pitt and his partner Angelina Jolie are ready for another child, the actor said Sunday as he was promoting his new film. Pitt and Jolie, with children in tow, were in Venice to talk about his film on Western outlaw Jesse James. The movie is competing for the top Golden Lion award at the city's film festival. Pitt and Jolie already have four children including a 15-month-old girl, Shiloh, born to the couple. Jolie has also adopted three children close in age from Cambodia, Ethiopia and Vietnam. Asked by Italian state TV whether they were ready for a fifth, Pitt replied: "Yeah we're ready."
--After a quiet civil ceremony, Usher and Tameka Foster at last pulled off their dream wedding in Atlanta on Saturday. "I'm thrilled that this is finally happening," said one guest, who watched the couple exchange vows in front of about 200 people at the luxurious Chateau Elan Winery & Resort, a 16th-century-style French chateau set on 3,500 acres of rolling hills outside Atlanta. "It was a long time coming, and I can't think of any two people who deserve happiness more than they do." Among the guests were Oprah Winfrey's pal Gayle King and music manager Benny Medina.
--She played Roller Girl in "Boogie Nights," and now Heather Graham is playing a rocker girl in her upcoming movie, "Broken" - and she's rocking out in a music video for the indie release's title track. Graham, who plays a character named Hope, laid down her own vocals for "The Hanging Tree," which premieres Oct. 2, and even used the guitar skills she learned for the picture to shoot the video.
--Jeffrey Carter Albrecht, a keyboard player for the band Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, was shot to death early Monday while trying to kick in the door of his girlfriend's neighbor, police said. The neighbor, who was not immediately identified, was asleep in bed when he woke up around 4 a.m. to his wife screaming that someone was breaking into the house, according to a police report. The neighbor yelled through the door for Albrecht to leave and then fired his handgun through the door. Albrecht was shot in the head and died at the scene, police said. The neighbor believed a burglar was trying to break in and fired a shot through the door around 4 a.m., Dallas police spokesman Sgt. Gil Cerda said. The case is under investigation and no arrests have been made. News reports cited police saying Albrecht beat up his girlfriend and then tried to kick down the neighbor's door in a drunken rage. The couple had no history of domestic violence, but the girlfriend had bruises on her face, police said. She did not suffer serious injury. Albrecht apparently struck his girlfriend in the face several times and hit her in the back once she fell. She later managed to lock him out of the house, according to the reports. (If true, good riddance).
--No wonder CNN gets its clock cleaned by Fox News. Two weeks ago, Anderson Cooper shot a pretaped Hurricane Katrina special in New Orleans, but somehow the tapes got lost. According to a spy, "Anderson was on vacation in Europe last week when he got a call saying he had to fly back to the States and reshoot the entire special in New Orleans. The screw-up cost tens of thousands of dollars, and he was not happy. It was unbelievable." A rep for CNN said, "Yes, footage was lost, but he always had plans to be in New Orleans if needed . . . It was a great show."
--Less than a week after his suicide attempt, Owen Wilson is back at home – and being watched around the clock. "Owen is in bad mental shape but said he is thankful to be alive," says a source close to the actor, who had returned to his Santa Monica home on Saturday. "He knows he came close to ending his life, and he is happy that he was saved from himself. He is basically at home with people watching him 24/7."
--Heidi Montag went wedding dress shopping. I still can't believe she's gonna marry that d-bag. I can't believe she looks smart next to him. I can't believe I DVR "The Hills." :)
--White was the dress code at a star-saturated party thrown by Sean "Diddy" Combs at his Long Island home, and the dress code was strictly enforced. The hip-hop mogul's annual White Party, which he has held in St. Tropez in recent years, featured a white carpet to go along with the white dress code. "This party is up there with the top three that I've thrown," Combs said. "It's a party that has legendary status. It's hard to throw a party that lives up to its legend." Mariah Carey, Busta Rhymes, Donna Karan, Ashley Olsen, Star Jones and Tommy Lee were among the guests. But those who failed to abide by the dress code found themselves told to change, including the wife of Billy Joel, Katie Lee. She had gone to the party dressed in a shade of cream, but that did not win over Combs' fashion police. Turned away, she opted to go home. Combs wore white sneakers with silver detailing, a white shirt and pants and a gold medallion.
--Brad Pitt as you've never seen him - shaken up as a frenzied female fan makes a lustful lunge for the usually cool-as-ice star at the Venice Film Festival in Italy. "It was a scary moment," one witness said of the instant Pitt fall into the arms of the woman, who beamed (inset) even as the actor's security goons yanked her off him. "[Pitt's] security team must have been embarrassed that she was able to get that close to him," the onlooker told The Daily Mail of London. "She could have been anyone. Brad didn't look happy about it at all." Click here to watch the video.
Random Thought of the Day:
Which one is more childish?
