LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Adam Sandler has welcomed a new addition to his family - a baby girl.
The "Don't Mess With the Zohan" star confirmed his wife Jackie, 34, gave birth to the couple's second daughter, Sunny Madeline, on Sunday, November 2.
"Everyone is happy and healthy," read a message on Sandler's Web site.
Sandler, 42, first confirmed news that Jackie was expecting in May on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno."
"We're having another baby," Adam told Jay.
He also pointed out at the time how supportive he was as a husband.
"In the beginning, I would rub her back and go, 'It's worth it. We're going to have another beautiful baby, I love you, thanks for doing this,'" Adam said.
Sunny's older sister, Sadie Madison Sandler, was born in May 2006 in Los Angeles.
Sandler is due up next at the box office in the comedy "Bedtime Stories," due out later this year, and "Funny People," set for release in 2009.
LONDON - Kanye West is to music what Michael Jordan was to basketball at least that's what West thinks, in his humble estimation.
"I realize that my place and position in history is that I will go down as the voice of this generation, of this decade, I will be the loudest voice," he said in an interview on Wednesday. "It's me settling into that position of just really accepting that it's one thing to say you want to do it and it's another thing to really end up being like Michael Jordan."
The Grammy-winning rapper-producer said Justin Timberlake had a chance to be music's MVP, but hasn't put out enough material. (Timberlake's last album was in 2006, while West released a CD last year and is releasing his latest "808s and Heartbreak" on Nov. 24.)
"There were people who had the potential to do it but they went on vacation, so when Justin went on vacation I made albums," he said. "And it just came out to be that."
West, 31, said life has been difficult since his mother's death. Donda West died last November after having plastic surgery.
"I'm just going through balancing that. And I always used to have that support system, you know. My mom would be there; no matter what, she was there before everything," he said. "We were together for like 30 years. And you know now when I'm on that stage and I look out and I say, 'What am I going to do with the rest of my life?' Like when does a real life start?' Because I have sacrificed real life to be a celebrity and to give this art to people, which is great. It is great that I was able to do that, I'm not trying to shun that in any way, but it's definitely a Catch-22 and it's bittersweet."
Michael Vick lives in a prison in Kansas, making 12 cents an hour while plotting his return to the NFL. His houses and farms will soon be gone, the two yachts are history, and he’s down to his last couple of Range Rovers. A race horse he bought for $60,000 died of colic, the Atlanta Falcons are still trying to hit him up for millions they paid him, and the IRS and the state of Georgia want nearly $1 million in back taxes. In 2006 he made nearly $15 million. Recently he reported total income of $12.89 for an entire month. That’s $12.89 as in 12 dollars and 89 cents. This from someone who, before things went terribly bad, categorized a $1,000 check to his mother as “chump change.” The numbers are cold, but they have to warm the heart of any animal lover sickened by what once went on at Vick’s Bad Newz Kennels. To many, seeing Vick stripped of the material things he and his fellow millionaire athletes like to enjoy is almost as good as watching him go to prison in the first place.
Best of all, the dogs who survived the terror of Vick’s dogfighting ring are having the last laugh. They’re the stars of a recent National Geographic Channel television special. They live in comfort in a Utah ranch, thanks to $928,000 Vick agreed to contribute to finance their care. And now they have their own wine. Yes, there’s Meryl, looking anything but ferocious on a bottle of Syrah. And there’s Lewis, peeking out from the front of another Vicktory Dog bottle. Maybe Vick can pick up a $40 bottle when he gets out of prison next July, assuming things go as planned. If he’s careful about not spending his prison earnings in the commissary, he could be paroled with enough to buy a couple of them. He shouldn’t drink too much, though. Because he’s still got some football to play. Buried in the hundreds of pages of paper detailing Vick’s financial woes the other day in federal bankruptcy court was the declaration that not only does Vick expect to be reinstated in the NFL upon his release but also believes he will “be able to earn a substantial living” playing quarterback once again. Good luck with that. Just what team he believes will employ him to do so wasn’t mentioned, but the Falcons are surely out. They severed their ties with the quarterback they once were sure would lead them to a Super Bowl and are now being led by a quarterback who has been so good in his rookie season that he just might. Vick is supposed to be released July 20, so he could be out just in time for the opening of preseason camps. But how many teams are so desperate for a quarterback that they would risk the ire of PETA-types and other animal activists to sign an ex-con who admitted to doing some heinous things? The other question is how much would they risk for a quarterback who has a career passing rating of 75.7, fumbles the ball once every 10 times he carries it, and hasn’t played a down in two years. Quarterbacks who could run were once the rage in the NFL, but most teams today look for the traditional pocket passer. If a team did take a chance on Vick, it would likely be for little or no guaranteed money with incentives kicking in only if he produces—something that can never be certain in the NFL, where injuries and age can quickly take their toll. Even then, Vick won’t keep all his salary because under his bankruptcy plan he must pay part of any future earnings to creditors. Indeed, Vick’s financial mess is as much a cautionary tale to his fellow athletes as his criminal woes are. He has assets of $16 million but owes creditors $20.3 million. His attorneys had to hire forensic accountants to find out where the money went, $18 million of it over the last two years alone as Vick bounced from one business deal to another and seemed to hire financial advisers he met standing in line at the supermarket. Flush with bonus money from the Falcons, Vick bought houses by the handful, invested in a rental car franchise in Atlanta and poured money into a liquor store and restaurant. He hired friends, gave away money and cars, and could never say no to his mother, who got $700 for an Easter Egg hunt one year and $317,000 for a new church building the next. Now he sits in a prison in Kansas after a staggering and quick fall from the top. Once a favorite of fans who couldn’t buy enough of his No. 7 jerseys he’s now vilified and hated by millions who will never forgive the despicable things he and his buddies did to their dogs. A comeback is still possible, but my guess is that this story will not end well. Upon his release from prison, the odds are Vick will spend more time dodging creditors than defensive linemen. The dogs are a different story. Those that survived will live in comfort the rest of their lives. And for that, we should all raise a glass of Lewis red in celebration.
All press is good press, the old adage goes. This does not apply to Paris Hilton. The celebutante's every move, from her club-hopping to her jail stint to her search for a new best friend has proved fodder for the flashbulbs and celebrity press. But what has the incessant coverage garnered her? Eye rolls -- and worse, audience disinterest.
In fact, 65% of the U.S. population would use the term "overexposed" to describe Hilton, according to Los Angeles-based E-Poll Market Research, which provides "appeal" rankings for nearly 4,500 celebrities. To put that in perspective, most celebrities average between 3% and 7% on the E-Poll celebrity index during the peak of their careers. But Hilton isn't the only star to have worn out her public welcome. Audiences have tired of Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, and Pamela Anderson, among others. And while overexposure may have less to do with the precise number of headlines than it does the public's perception, the 10 celebrities on our list have proved that familiarity can, and does, breed contempt. So who's to blame for the media onslaught and the fatigue that follows? "Is it the paparazzi's fault? They contribute," says Lori Levine, chief executive of talent brokering firm Flying Television. "Is it the insatiable appetite of the American public? That contributes. Is it the invention and obsession with YouTube? Yes, that contributes too." More galleries on Forbes.com
And don't forget the growing list of spotlight-seeking stars that chase the flashbulbs as much--if not more--than the flashbulbs chase them. Consider Lohan, third on our list, who seems to make a habit of migrating to paparazzi stalking grounds like Les Deux, Villa and trendy eatery Katsuya. Star Editor-in-Chief Candace Trunzo says that if celebrities don't want to line the pages of her magazine, they don't have to. "By and large, if you really want to be a private person and live a private life, you can do it," she says, citing Johnny Depp as an example. But many crave the limelight for good reason. Unlike Depp, they don't have a steady stream of projects keeping them in the public eye. Rather, they rely on media attention to keep them relevant -- and famous. Take "The Hills'" best friend-turned-best enemy Heidi Montag, who lands at No. 10 on our list. With both her music and fashion forays proving flops, she has managed to parlay her on-again-off-again relationships and outings with MTV co-star Lauren Conrad and bad boy beau Spencer Pratt into tabloid-worthy fodder. (Had we expanded our list, Pratt would have ranked No. 12). "Heidi and Spencer have turned overexposure into an art form," says In Touch Editor-in-Chief Richard Spencer, who marvels at the flashbulb-focused lovers' vast numbers of petty feuds and photo ops. Levine agrees. "Heidi and Spencer are the ones that really understand, more than anyone else, what it takes," she says. "They're unabashedly unashamed about being completely overexposed." And their reward for it: Still more exposure.
Jennifer Aniston doesn't want anyone's pity over her love life."This whole 'Poor lonely Jen' thing, this idea that I'm so unlucky in love?," she says in her buzzed-about December Vogue interview. "I actually feel I've been unbelievably lucky in love...I'm right where I'm supposed to be."Her marriage to Brad Pitt simply "didn't work out," she says.
"Whoever said everything has to be forever," she explains. "That's setting your hopes too high. It's too much pressure. And I think if you put that pressure on yourself that's unattainable."Post-Pitt, she says she has met many lovely guys.Vince Vaughn helped her bounce back."I call Vince my defibrillator," Aniston says. "He literally brought me back to life ... He was lovely and fun and perfect for the time we had together." Even with her on-again beau John Mayer, the actress says, "I deeply, deeply care about him; we talk, we adore one another. And that's where it is."
Still, she stresses, she refuses to live her life for a man."I never liked Sex and the City, the kind of thing where women only feel empowered once they find the Man," Aniston says. "It is just not up my alley. I don't believe in it."I'm going to have children," she declares. "I just know it."
NEW YORK – Comedian Katt Williams has been arrested on weapons charges in midtown Manhattan after police say they pulled him over for driving a car without license plates.
The 35-year-old performer was released on bail Thursday in time to make it for his show at Carnegie Hall. He told the audience that he "just got out of jail."
Police say a handgun was found in Williams' car after he was stopped for the alleged traffic violation.
His attorney, Charles Ross, did not immediately return a call requesting comment early Friday.
Williams is best known for his role in the movie "Friday After Next" and for his appearances in rap videos. He also voices "A Pimp Named Slickback" in "The Boondocks" animated television series.
NEW YORK – Last winter, Nobel laureate Toni Morrison received a phone call from Sen. Barack Obama, then the underdog to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Obama had contacted Morrison to ask for her support. But before they got into politics, the author and the candidate had a little chat about literature.
"He began to talk to me about one of the books I had written, `Song of Solomon,' and how it had meant a lot to him," Morrison said in a postelection interview from her office at Princeton University, where for years she has taught creative writing.
"And I had read his first book (`Dreams From My Father'). I was astonished by his ability to write, to think, to reflect, to learn and turn a good phrase. I was very impressed. This was not a normal political biography."
For Morrison and others, the election of Obama matters not because he will be the first black president or because the vast majority of writers usually vote for Democrats. Writers welcome Obama as a peer, a thinker, a man of words — his own words.
"When I was watching Obama's acceptance speech (Tuesday night), I was convinced that he had written it himself, and therefore that he was saying things that he actually believed and had considered," says Jane Smiley, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning "A Thousand Acres" and other fiction.
"I find that more convincing in a politician than the usual thing of speaking the words of a raft of hack speechwriters. If he were to lie to us, he would really be betraying his deepest self."
"Until now, my identity as a writer has never overlapped with my identity as an American — in the past eight years, my writing has often felt like an antidote or correction to my Americanism," says "Everything Is Illuminated" novelist Jonathan Safran Foer.
"But finally having a writer-president — and I don't mean a published author, but someone who knows the full value of the carefully chosen word — I suddenly feel, for the first time, not only like a writer who happens to be American, but an American writer."
"Dreams From My Father" and Obama's "The Audacity of Hope" have each sold millions of copies and have been praised as the rare works by politicians that can actually be read for pleasure. Obama's student poetry was even lauded — and compared to the work of Langston Hughes — by the most discerning of critics, Harold Bloom.
Morrison, whose novel "A Mercy" comes out next week, endorsed Obama in January, even though she was a friend and admirer of Hillary Rodham Clinton and had famously labeled Bill Clinton the country's first black president. As if reviewing a new book, Morrison released a statement citing Obama's "intelligence, integrity and rare authenticity," and his "creative imagination which coupled with brilliance equals wisdom."
Morrison finds herself wondering how some of her late friends would have reacted, like James Baldwin ("How I miss him now," she says), who in the 1960s had scorned as condescending Robert Kennedy's prediction that the United States would have a black president in 40 years. Were "Invisible Man" author Ralph Ellison still alive, he would have renamed his classic novel "Visible Man," Morrison joked.
Ayelet Waldman, whose novels include "Daughter's Keeper," is an Obama fan dating back to when both attended Harvard University. Her husband, novelist Michael Chabon, came to support him through "his writing, the quality of his prose," Waldman says. They in turn persuaded author and former Hillary Clinton supporter Rick Moody.
"I heard an Obama speech on NPR, sometime before the New York primary, and was moved to tears. At that point, I suppose I did start thinking of him as a writer, in the sense that he had, and has, a very good ear for le mot juste," says Moody, whose novels include "The Ice Storm" and "The Diviners."
"But I think the larger issue is cultural. There's a trickle down from the top in the way art exists inside and outside of the culture as a whole. Here in the USA, you could feel in the Bush years how little regard there was for it. People who disliked art, literature, dance, fine arts, they had a lot of cover for this antipathy. There's reason to believe that we are in for a much better period."
LOS ANGELES – One of Hugh Hefner's live-in girlfriends is trading the grotto for the gridiron.
The Playboy mogul said in a statement Thursday that "The Girls Next Door" co-star Kendra Wilkinson is engaged to Philadelphia Eagles receiver Hank Baskett. The 23-year-old model-actress has lived with Hefner since 2004 and currently co-stars as one of his three girlfriends in the E! reality series.
"I have given her my blessing and will be giving her away at a very special wedding ceremony at the Playboy Mansion this coming June," Hefner said.
The 82-year-old publisher's love life has been in flux. Last month, he and "No. 1" girlfriend Holly Madison called it quits. Twin 19-year-olds Karissa and Kristina Shannon are currently living with Hefner.
Los Angeles (E! Online) – If there's one thing we can count on from Madonna, it's the making of a little music history now and again.
Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake will be performing alongside the Material Girl Thursday when her Sticky & Sweet tour touches down at Dodger Stadium, E! News' Ryan Seacrest has learned.
"They are going to be onstage performing with Madonna," Seacrest said on KIIS-FM host DJ BoyToy Jesse's Wednesday afternoon show.
Of course, while Timberlake and Spears have both collaborated with Madge individually, the exes haven't been spending much quality time together in recent years.
"If Justin and Britney end up on that stage with her...I don't know if I've ever seen anything quite like that before," Seacrest said. (And he's seen a lot—remember Céline Dion performing with hologram Elvis on American Idol?)
Seacrest said he should have more details on his KIIS morning show tomorrow: "Expect some real serious surprises."
Madonna has a history of sharing the stage with hot young thangs: It was the veteran diva who brought Spears and Christina Aguilera together at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards, when the popster duo teamed up for "Like a Virgin" and "Hollywood" and then took turns smooching the queen bee.
Now, if Madonna ends up working that kind of magic with Brit and J.T., watch out.
The Material Girl celebrated Barack Obama's victory Tuesday night with a glittering rally of her own, leading thousands of fans at her concert in San Diego with a rousing introduction to her song "Express Yourself."
In a video posted on YouTube, Madonna claps her hands and declares, "This is a historical evening! ... We are lucky to be sharing it with each other!"
Other celebrity supporters of Obama echo Madonna's good cheer.
Oprah Winfrey, who cried during the celebration in Chicago's Grant Park, told the TV show "The Insider": "I was so, so, so excited and then just sort of a calm came over me. It feels like it actually is kind of real, so it feels great."
Asked what this means for the country, she said, "It means democracy at its finest. It's just the best. We did this. America did this."
George Clooney said in a statement: "I congratulate President-elect Obama on his historic victory, and now it's time to begin unifying the country so we can take on the extraordinary challenges that this generation faces."
Actress Scarlett Johansson, who stumped for Obama throughout his campaign, said the "overwhelming hope that Obama inspires is infectious."
"I've always maintained a strong faith in the power of Obama's positive campaign and am so proud of every citizen who took a stand, participated in the political process and insisted their voices be heard," Johansson said in a statement.
Singer John Mellencamp reflected on the election on his Web site, saying he never thought he'd see the day when "a man of color could be president of the United States. But today I am so proud of America."
Singer Colbie Caillat, who cried when Obama won, said she thinks "our country is in safe hands."
Stars including Lindsay Lohan, Michael Moore and Kanye West posted messages online.
Reacting on her Myspace page, Lohan gushed, "OBAMA IS OUR PRESIDENT!" and said that everyone who voted, "no matter their choice ... should be proud for voting in the first place."
West, whose mother Donda died last November, posted a portrait of the president elect on his blog with the message: "HI MOM, OBAMA WON!"
Meanwhile, director-provocateur Moore responded on his Web site, saying, "Who among us is not at a loss for words? Tears pour out. Tears of joy. Tears of relief. A stunning, whopping landslide of hope in a time of deep despair."
Even more stunning: a concession from John McCain supporter Elisabeth Hasselbeck, who said Wednesday on TV's "The View" that she'll follow Obama's lead.
"I will jump in that line and support our president because that is what as an American I believe we should do," said Hasselbeck, who received a fist bump from co-host Whoopi Goldberg.
LOS ANGELES – Ellen DeGeneres says she is "saddened beyond belief" by the passage of a constitutional amendment in California banning gay marriage.
The talk show host said in a statement Wednesday to The Associated Press that she, "like millions of Americans, felt like we had taken a giant step toward equality" by electing Barack Obama as president.
DeGeneres says that with the passage of California's Proposition 8, "we took a giant step away."
DeGeneres wed actress Portia (POR'-shuh) de Rossi in August, following a May Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage in California.
She contributed $100,000 to fight the amendment on Tuesday's ballot.
DeGeneres asserts she will "continue to speak out for equality for all of us."
LOS ANGELES – It's a most excellent outcome for Keanu Reeves: The "Matrix" actor doesn't owe a dime to the paparazzo who sued him.
After deliberating for less than three hours, jurors unanimously rejected the civil lawsuit Monday, ruling that Reeves is not responsible for the photographer's alleged injuries. Alison Silva had asked the jury to award him $711,974, which includes medical bills, lost wages and punitive damages.
"I respect the jury's decision," Silva told reporters outside the Los Angeles County Superior Court after the verdict was read. "That's what we were here for since the beginning."
Silva said he would continue to work as a paparazzo despite the jury's decision. Would he ever attempt to snap Reeves' photo again?
"Why not? It's business," he responded. "I wish Keanu is happy in his life. I have nothing against Keanu."
Silva claimed that the star of "The Matrix," "Speed" and "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" struck him with his Porsche in March 2007, causing him to fall and injure his left wrist.
Jurors heard how Silva gave contradictory statements about what happened and even saw a video of the celeb shooter using his supposedly damaged hand to scale down a chain link fence after getting video of Britney Spears.
"We obviously felt from day one that Mr. Reeves was not negligent," said Reeves' attorney, Alfred Gerisch, after the verdict. "It's unfortunate that this lawsuit was brought and it's unfortunate that we had to go this far — a lot of time, a lot of effort and obviously a lot of money."
The actor waited for the verdict outside the courthouse's cafeteria on the roof but declined to comment after the decision.
Attorneys issued closing arguments Friday, the jury deliberated about five minutes before leaving for the weekend, and resumed their work Monday morning. All 12 decided to reject the case; civil trials in California only require nine jurors to be in agreement.
The panel of jurors — six men and six women — was a decidedly Hollywood bunch. One of the jurors said he is an animator for "The Simpsons," while another helps coordinate movie shoots in public parks. A pair of actresses and a former voice-over artist were eliminated from the jury pool.
Reeves, who stars in the upcoming remake of "The Day the Earth Stood Still," testified early on. He remained in the courtroom throughout the five-day trial, occasionally conferring with his lawyers and signing autographs in the hallway.
Los Angeles (E! Online) – Taylor Swift is dragging out all her Joe Jonas baggage this week. The pair, who were never officially dating until Taylor recently confirmed the split, broke up last month over the phone. "Yeah, it's not fun—it was a 27-second phone call, yeah!" the ringleted country singer tells E! News.
And we're not the only ones she's complaining to. In a MySpace video she points to one of those creepy Joe Jonas dolls and says, "See, this one even comes with a phone so he can break up with other dolls," and completes that with her best "Oh, snap!" face.
But failed relationships are all about learning and growing or whatever, and both parties did some of that...
Taylor told Ryan Seacrest on his KIIS-FM show Wednesday morning that she learned not to date people who are "not allowed to go out in public with me" or guys who "don't think my sense of humor is funny." Aww, that makes us think his 27-second phone went something like this: "I'm breaking up with you. You're not funny. All those times I laughed, I faked it. All. Of. Them. Oh, and I hated it that one time you danced in the fake rain. Peace!"
As for Joe, we're guessing he must have learned not to break up with girls who have new albums to promote.
And being an ex-JoBro groupie isn't all Taylor's got going for her—she also has a song about Joe! "I did a last-minute recording session, so there's a track on the record about it. It's called 'Forever & Always,' " she further revealed to Ryan.
So we have that to look forward to next week in addition to another five days of public Joe Jonas flogging. And yeah, we're kinda enjoying it—he deserves it for that a-hole move.
LOS ANGELES – Samuel L. Jackson doesn't feel normal promoting his latest film "Soul Men" without costar Bernie Mac.
In the movie, which opens Friday, Jackson and Mac play former bandmates who embark on a zany cross-country road trip to perform at the memorial concert for their deceased lead singer. Mac died of complications from pneumonia in August after production on the film ended.
"It's even weirder that he never saw the movie," Jackson said.
The "Lakeview Terrace" and "Snakes on a Plane" star called Mac a friend and said the "Ocean's 11" co-star would attend and perform comedy at Jackson's golf tournament in Bermuda. Outside of filming "Soul Men," Jackson said he didn't get to spend much time with Mac, who starred "The Bernie Mac Show," the Fox comedy series that aired from 2001 to 2006.
"We used to talk about blowing up and being famous and doing all this stuff and all of that," said Jackson. "Then, when he got famous, he was here in L.A., and I never saw him because he was too busy doing his TV show every day. I didn't go by and bother him, but I would run into him at functions, and we got to get together."
The end of "Soul Men" features a dedication to Mac and Isaac Hayes — "two real soul men." The singer, who died in August after suffering a stroke, appears in the film as himself. Among the footage is Mac cracking up extras with an impromptu standup routine and an interview with Mac discussing his career in which the comedian says he cherishes "each doggone moment" of his life.
"I haven't quite processed that Bernie is gone," said "Soul Men" director Malcolm D. Lee. "I see the movie. I know in my head that he is gone, but it will probably hit me most at the premiere when everyone is around. Right now, I have just been concentrating on making the best film possible on top of that paying homage to him and Isaac (Hayes) at the end of the movie. When it's all finished and said and done, and I get it out to the public, I think that's when I will realize he is gone."
Los Angeles (E! Online) – With record turnout expected in tomorrow's presidential election, Paris Hilton is ready to accept a big thank-you from the winner.
Speaking at the press day for her new organ-harvesting musical horror flick Repo! The Genetic Opera, Hilton told E! News that her Paris for President videos totally helped herd young folks in the booths.
"It's exciting to be involved in the biggest election in history," she said. "It encourages a lot of young voters to speak their voice and to vote."
Not only did she help mobilize the masses, but she managed to get, like, all kinds of important stuff and things into their heads.
"I was talking about issues and actually making sense but still playing with my image at the same time," she explained. "Doing it in a ditzy way, but actually saying things I think can really help it along."
Any advice, then, for tomorrow's winner?
"Whoever becomes the next president has a lot on their hands," she said. "It's going to be hard for anyone."
Los Angeles (E! Online) – A new headache for the Hulkster.
Hulk Hogan's soon-to-be ex-wife, Linda Hogan, has dropped a bombshell in the ever-acrimonious split, announcing she pulled the plug on their 24-year union because the former wrestler had an affair with their daughter's former BFF.
"When Linda discovered Hulk had [an affair] with Brooke's best friend, Christiane Plante, she made the decision to call it quits on the marriage," Linda's new publicist, Gary Smith, says in a statement to E! News.
A rep for the 55-year-old grappler, whose real name is Terry Bollea, declined to comment.
"Hulk Hogan is saying anything he can conjure up to make Linda look bad in the media. Hulk has even implied that the VH1 hit show, Hogan Knows Best, was the cause of split in his marriage," Smith continues.
"Almost every statement that comes out of Hulk's mouth is a diversionary tactic to deflect attention away from the real reason Linda filed for divorce, two words: HULK'S CHEATING!"
The broadside reflects an increased vitriol in their estrangement and is a marked departure from legal documents Linda filed in January, which blamed Hulk's "legal shenanigans" and "suspicious behavior" for triggering her filing for divorce a year ago.
The 33-year-old Plante, who worked with Brooke on her 2006 album, had been spotted on numerous occasions on the arm of Hulk Hogan. Earlier this year, she told the National Enquirer that the Hogans marriage was basically over and that she was just helping raise his, er, spirits.
Linda Hogan, meanwhile, has been getting in touch with her inner cougar, spending quality time with 19-year-old Charlie Hill, who went to the same high school as she and Hulk's children. She has also just hired Hill his very own flack.
"That's what a publicist is for," says Smith. "Charlie is now in the public eye and he needs a rep just like every other public person, nothing wrong with that."
Los Angeles (E! Online) – Julianne Hough would love to just get up and dance. Alas, she still has a bit of recovering to do, from a condition that she says was much more serious than anyone previously thought.
The two-time Dancing With the Stars winner, who underwent surgery last week for appendicitis and complications from endometriosis, tells E! News that she hopes her experience sends a message to women who might be too nervous or embarrassed to seek help if they feel something might be wrong with them.
"I've always been honest, and to be honest, I think it can help other girls who ignore pain," Hough says. "You don't have to ignore pain."
Already, DWTS newcomer Lacey Schwimmer was motivated to get checked out for similar symptoms and ended up being diagnosed with endometriosis, which she is currently managing with medication.
Hough, as it turns out, suffered in silence for five years before enough became enough.
"I didn't want this whole drama with, like, the cameras filming you," Hough said when asked why she didn't seek medical treatment sooner this season. "I kept going through the show and I was just kind of quiet, and through the show it just kept getting worse and worse."
The 20-year-old Utah native finally decided that a hospital visit was in order on Oct. 21, when she hightailed it to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center following that night's live-performance show.
"Right after the show, I came back and just curled up in a ball and I was just sobbing," Hough recalls. "And there were cameras, and I'm like, 'I love you guys, but I did not break my foot. This is something personal. Do not film this.'"
Although at first she attributed the drama to "a bad stomach," even returning to dance the following week, the fan favorite ultimately revealed that she had been diagnosed with endometriosis, which arises when uterine-lining (endometrial) tissue grows outside the uterus.
Hough initially told her doctors that she wanted to hold off on surgery until this season of Dancing With the Stars was over.
"I wanted to be there for Cody [Linley, her partner]," she says. But the doctors said, "'You know, Julianne, we really recommend you do this now.' It's actually a really good thing I did."
Doctors ended up removing cysts from her left ovary, her bladder and other areas in the pelvic region, and also took out her appendix after diagnosing a mild case of appendicitis.
"I actually didn't know I had endometriosis, but I've had it for a while," Hough says, calling her condition "definitely genetic and hereditary." Her mother and sister have it too, she adds.
But now she would really like to just get back to doing what she does best.
"I want to be back this week, but it may be another week just because we don¹t want anything to rupture or the stitches to fly out," she tells E! In the meantime, fellow pro Edyta Sliwinska has stepped in to dance with Linley. And whether she's dancing or not by then, Hough has signed up to sing her current single, "My Hallelujah Song," on DWTS' Nov. 18 elimination show.
Speaking of hallelujahs, Hough says that boyfriend Chuck Wicks has been by her side throughout the whole ordeal.
"When somebody can take care of you, and really care to take care of you, instead of someone taking care of you because you have to, you can tell they're a keeper," she says.
WASHINGTON (AFP) – Barack Obama's victory speech may have electrified the nation, but the dress worn by his wife, Michelle, has attracted almost as much feedback in Internet chatrooms and among fashion aficionados.
Michelle Obama appeared onstage at a huge Chicago rally late Tuesday wearing a black cardigan over a scoop-neck black sheath with splashes of red in the upper and lower half separated by a band of black at the hips.
The outfit was a slightly modified version of a dress presented by designer Narciso Rodriguez in September for the 2009 Spring season.
"I voted for Obama, but I didn't vote for that dress," homemaker and mother of three Jessica Bettencourt from Wisconsin told The New York Times.
"I don't know what was worse," Chicago lawyer Karla Wright told the paper, "that stupid criss-cross band around the middle or that black sort of border coming up from the hem."
Not all comments were negative.
"That dress was unpretentious," Julie Gilhart, fashion director of New York's top-price Barneys clothing store, told the Times. "It said, Be who you are -- don't let someone else tell you how to be.'"
The Italian daily La Stampa dubbed the dress "the look of victory" and said the black symbolised mourning for Obama's grandmother, who died on the eve of the election, while the red was for passion.
A contributor to the website of the German newsweekly Focus also suggested there was hidden meaning in the colours, perhaps red for the political left and black for the first African-American to win the US presidency.
"It is more about the symbolic effect of the colour combination red/black. Because the daughters were also in red or black. Very unusual and surely no accident," the reader said.
Others were dismissive, describing the subject as superficial besides the historic importance of Barack Obama's election win.
"The USA must be doing pretty well if it is worrying about the First Lady's dress!" one typical Focus posting said.
One fashion expert described the interest attracted by the frock as "depressingly trivial... and yet fascinating" because of what it told us all about Obama.
"You may like or dislike Michelle Obama's dress, but that's not as interesting as the agenda behind it, because you can be sure there was one," wrote fashion editor of the London Times Lisa Armstrong.
"This was one of the most choreographed First Family Elect Appearances in history," she said, adding that "even seven-year-old Sasha Obama had been dragooned into that monochromatic colour scheme."
Carola Long of the London-based Independent said Michelle Obama's fashion sense was a far cry from the traditional first lady look "reminiscent of the uptight Bree from Desperate Housewives," a reference to a popular television series.
"The presidential race may only just have come to an end, but the battle for fashion supremacy was sewn up months ago," she wrote.
Whatever the significance of the dress, one thing is certain -- the world is going to hear much more on the subject over the next four years.
"At the least, it promises four lively years of fashion-watching at the White House," added the New York Times.
Los Angeles (E! Online) – A day after skipping yesterday's public memorial, Jennifer Hudson joined family members and celebrity friends—invites went out to the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Queen Latifah and Fantasia Barrino—this morning in Chicago for a private service for the Oscar winner's slain mother, brother and nephew.
Roughly 200 people attended the invite-only closed-casket service, which took place at the Apostolic Church of God on the city's South Side at 9 a.m.
Police were on hand from the early morning hours to direct traffic away from the building and keep spectators at bay while a procession that included a school bus, three hearses and several limos arrived at the church.
Several precautionary measures were taken to ensure the Hudson family's mourning could take place in private, including plastic partitions around the rear of the church to block looky-loos and video crews, as well as the closure of surrounding side streets.
Mourners gathered to celebrate the three victims of last month's tragedy, 57-year-old Darnell Donerson, 29-year-old Jason Hudson and 7-year-old Julian King. All died of multiple gunshot wounds.
Though it remains unclear who, besides Hudson and her sister, Julia (Julian's mother), attended the service, the Chicago Sun-Times reports that it may have been a star-studded memorial.
According to the newspaper, Hudson's fellow American Idol alum Barrino was expected to sing at the service, while Winfrey, Latifah, Clive Davis, Patti LaBelle, Missy Elliott, Ciara and Usher were among those scheduled to attend.
The investigation into the trio's deaths is ongoing, and while no arrests have yet been made, William Balfour, the estranged husband of Julia Hudson, remains in custody and has been named as a person of interest. ................................................................................. Police Identify Body of Hudson's Nephew Mon., Oct. 27, 2008 4:24 PM PDT by Natalie Finn
Chicago police have confirmed the harrowing news. The body of a young boy found in an abandoned SUV is in fact that of Jennifer Hudson's 7-year-old nephew, Julian King.
"Tragically, search efforts ended shortly after 7 a.m.," Police Superintendent Jody Weis said at a press conference this afternoon in Chicago.
"At this time, we can confirm that the body located inside the vehicle was the body of 7-year-old Julian King. The vehicle was towed and taken in...for forensic processing."
The announcement came shortly after Jennifer Hudson, accompanied by family members, viewed the remains—the second time in three days the Oscar winner has had to make the grim trip to the morgue, having previously identified her slain mother and brother.
An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday. A police spokeswoman said that Julian was shot multiple times, but Weis said those details were being left to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office to report.
"Today a family and a community are grieving, but we want them to take comfort in knowing that Chicago police and detectives will continue to work around the clock to ensure that justice is served," Weis said, also thanking the Illinois State Police and FBI for their time and efforts.
"The Hudson family members are also a key partner in this investigation, cooperating with detectives every step of the way under stressful and very painful circumstances."
Julian, the son of Hudson's sister Julia, was reported missing shortly after a relative discovered the bodies of the actress' mother, 57-year-old Darnell Donerson, and her older brother, 29-year-old Jason Hudson, Friday afternoon in Donerson's Englewood home. Each had been shot to death.
FBI agents this morning located the white 1994 Chevrolet Suburban that Julian was believed to have been taken away in after receiving a call at 7:06 a.m. about a suspicious parked vehicle in the 1300 block of South Kolin Avenue on Chicago's West Side.
A body was discovered in the backseat.
"I didn't look in there. I didn't touch it. I knew it was a strange vehicle," area resident John Loudon, whose wife reported the vehicle to police after he saw that its license-plate number matched reports of the SUV police were looking for, told the Chicago Tribune.
"I feel bad about that baby," he added.
Hudson had offered a $100,000 reward for Julian's safe return. "Thank you all for your prayers and your calls. Please keep praying for our family and that we get Julian King back home safely. If anyone has any information about his whereabouts, please contact the authorities immediately," Hudson wrote on her MySpace blog.
William Balfour, Julia Hudson's estranged husband, has been in police custody since Friday night as a "person of interest." He has denied involvement in the crime but has since reportedly stopped responding to authorities' questions. No charges have been filed.
The 27-year-old man was transferred to a state lockup Sunday night for violating his parole. Released in 2006, Balfour spent seven years in prison after pleading guilty to attempted murder and vehicular hijacking. His latest arrest qualifies as a parole violation.
"I think they're pretty optimistic," Superintendent Weis said when asked whether authorities expect to solve the crime.
"You've got two crime scenes...I'm very confident that our forensic technicians will go through both areas with a fine-toothed comb, and I suspect that we'll have some evidence that will link us to the killer."
"We're following any lead we can get right now," Weis added. "[Balfour] is a person of interest, but that's not to say that there is not other individuals that may turn up. Right now, we're just following the facts we have, we're following the evidence that we have."
Los Angeles (E! Online) – Hugh Hefner may be many things, but he's not bitter. Following our exclusive item yesterday about Kendra Wilkinson's touching marriage proposal from BF Hank Baskett, Hugh Hefner issued this exclusive sweet show of support to his former Girl Next Door:
"Kendra Wilkinson has met someone who she would like to spend the rest of her life with. His name is Hank Baskett, a wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles, and he popped the question last Saturday. I have given her my blessing and will be giving her away at a very special wedding ceremony at the Playboy Mansion this coming June."
The happy couple better book the Mansion now—we know how they love throwing parties. And we hope Hugh gets a plus-two to the wedding, especially if he's still with twin sisters Kristina and Karissa Shannon by June.
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Best-selling U.S. author Michael Crichton, who wrote such novels as "The Andromeda Strain" and "Jurassic Park" and created the popular TV drama "ER," has died unexpectedly of cancer at age 66, his family said on Wednesday.
Crichton, a medical doctor turned novelist and filmmaker whose books have sold more than 150 million copies worldwide, died on Tuesday in Los Angeles after what his family described as a "courageous and private battle against cancer."
"Michael's talent out-scaled even his own dinosaurs of 'Jurassic Park,'" filmmaker Steven Spielberg, who directed the blockbuster movie version of that novel and its sequel, "The Lost World," said in a statement. "He was the greatest at blending science with big theatrical concepts, which is what gave credibility to dinosaurs again walking the Earth."
Spielberg added: "Michael was a gentle soul who reserved his flamboyant side for his novels. There is no one in the wings that will ever take his place."
The family statement, which was released through a publicist, called Crichton's death "unexpected" but released few other details about his passing and requested privacy.
Born in Chicago on October 23, 1942, Crichton wrote his first novels while attending Harvard Medical School. He was awarded his medical degree in 1969, the same year his first major best seller, "The Andromeda Strain," was published.
KILLER ORGANISMS, ROBOT GUNSLINGERS
A global warming skeptic, he stirred controversy with his 2004 best-seller on the subject, "State of Fear," in which the main villains are eco-terrorists.
Most of his work reflected his medical training, including "The Andromeda Strain," a techno-thriller about scientists battling a space-borne killer microorganism.
"Andromeda" also was the first novel by Crichton to be made into a Hollywood film. He followed that success with "The Terminal Man," "The Great Train Robbery" and "Congo."
He wrote and directed the 1973 film "Westworld," starring Yul Brynner as a robot gunslinger run amok in a futuristic theme park. It was the first major Hollywood film to use computer digitized images and spawned a short-lived TV series.
But Crichton remains best known for "Jurassic Park" and "The Lost World," which became two of the top-grossing films of the 1990s. He co-wrote the screenplay for "Jurassic Park" and for the 1996 tornado thriller "Twister."
Also during the 1990s he published such popular novels as "Rising Sun," "Disclosure," and "Timeline." He followed in this decade with "Prey," "State of Fear" and "Next."
His 1976 novel "Eaters of the Dead" was made into the 1999 film "The 13th Warrior."
Crichton won a number of writing and film awards and an Emmy for his work on "ER," the popular and long-running NBC television hospital drama currently in its final season.
"While the world knew him as a great storyteller that challenged our preconceived notions about the world around us -- and entertained us all while doing so -- his wife Sherri, daughter Taylor, family and friends knew Michael Crichton as a devoted husband, loving father and generous friend who inspired each of us to strive to see the wonders of our world through new eyes," his family said in the statement.
"He did this with a wry sense of humor that those who were privileged to know him personally will never forget."
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