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Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Ricky Gervais defends Globes gags; Kanye West blasts press for twisting Britney Spears comments; Howard Stern slams 'crook' Jay Leno
Ricky Gervais defends Globes gags
Funnyman Ricky Gervais has dismissed accusations he offended Tim Allen and Tom Hanks with his risque jokes at the Golden Globes on Sunday - he enjoyed a drink with the Hollywood actors after the ceremony.
The actor/comedian has come under fire for his humor at the event, with a number of stars, including Claire Danes, subsequently taking aim at him for making jokes at the expense of celebrity guests. Phillip Berk, president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), the group behind the Globes, called Gervais' jibes "totally unacceptable."
However, the Brit has defended his jokes, insisting he had "better gags" than when he hosted the show last year, and revealing two of the stars he poked fun at, Hanks and Allen, weren't offended by his comedy.
In a post on his blog, he writes, "I enjoyed the Globes more this year. I think I had better gags. More along the lines of the Mel Gibson one last year.
"All the same conspiracy theories as last year too... 'So and so was offended'... 'Hasn't been invited back yet'... Exactly the same as last time. 'Paul McCartney was furious'... No, he wasn't. And nor was Tim Allen and Tom Hanks. I was drinking with them after.
"Why do people have to embellish? They're allowed to say they hated it. They're allowed to say they didn't find it funny, that it was tasteless, over the top, or whatever. But why do they speculate and make stuff up? Don't worry, I know the answer. Because it's more interesting than 'It went fine and some people won some awards and then went to a party'. But that's all that happened."
Gervais has also denied reports he was taken off stage for an hour during the prize-giving, revealing he was allowed to choose the sections he hosted: "Obviously the rumor that the organizers stopped me going out on stage for an hour is rubbish. I did every link I was scheduled to do. The reason why the gaps were uneven is because when I got the rundown I was allowed to choose who I presented to. I obviously chose the spots that I had the best gags for. They couldn't move around the order but I could move around however I wanted."
Kanye West blasts press for twisting Britney Spears comments
Rap superstar Kanye West has hit out at the media for turning a light-hearted joke he made about Britney Spears on Twitter into a war of words, insisting his comments were made in "good fun."
The "Stronger" hitmaker took to the Internet on Friday after learning his collaboration with Jay-Z, "H.A.M.," had been beaten to the number one spot on the iTunes download chart by Spears' new single, "Hold It Against Me."
In a post on his Twitter page, in which West also lampooned his notorious Taylor Swift stage invasion at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, he wrote, "Yo Britney, I'm really happy for you and I'mma let you be #1, but me and Jay-Z's single is one of the best songs of all time (sic)! LOL."
He later added, "On a serious note I'm truly happy for... @BritneySpears...... No hate in 2011!"
But West was horrified to find himself at the center of fresh controversy after his friendly tweet was mistaken by some critics as jealousy and arrogance, suggesting he was trying to engage Spears in a Twitter war.
In a series of updates on the site, West insists he meant no harm by his comments and takes aim at the press for twisting his words.
He writes, "I thought LOL signified a joke... I didn't get the 2011 LOL doesn't signify a joke anymore memo...
"Just saw that MSNBC said I tried to start a twitter war with Brittany (sic). This s**t takes the air out my lungs sometimes from blogs to news reports... enough already!!! All I do is focus on my work... There's a new lie everyday... a new media spin...
"When I said the comment about Brittney (sic) I was giving her props for being #1 not dissing her at all! ...But stop making it seem that my aim is to hurt or down people! That's just not my style!"
Howard Stern slams 'crook' Jay Leno
Shock jock Howard Stern has launched a scathing verbal attack on TV host Jay Leno, calling the funnyman "a crook" and accusing him of stealing jokes.
The foul-mouthed radio personality launched into a rant about "The Tonight Show" host during an interview with British newsman Piers Morgan on his new CNN talk show.
Stern insists Leno is not as good as rival TV star David Letterman, and claims the comedian relies on others to provide his gags.
He tells Morgan, "Jay is insane. And Jay is a crook. And the world knows exactly what he's up to. He steals a tremendous amount of material. He's not fit to scrub David Letterman's feet. I don't know how he's beaten David Letterman in the ratings. It's beyond my comprehension. America must be filled with morons who at night lay in bed - the ones who are watching him, they must be in a coma...
"This guy's ripped off like 10 major things from my show."
"The Piers Morgan Tonight" show featuring Stern airs on Tuesday night.
Michael Lohan: 'Lindsay is a changed woman'
Lindsay Lohan's father is convinced his daughter has emerged from rehab a "changed" woman, insisting the actress is back "at her best."
The "Mean Girls" star endured a troubled 2010, which saw her in and out of jail and rehab, before she was ordered to complete a three-month treatment program for breaching her probation stemming from a 2007 DUI arrest.
She completed her court-ordered stay earlier this month and Michael Lohan reveals she has been keeping her addictions at bay by attending Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings.
And he's convinced the actress has successfully turned her life around.
He tells Hollyscoop.com, "We went to an AA meeting last night then went home and had a quiet night. She changed back to the girl she used to be. When she was at her best - literally. She's done a 180 and I'm very proud of her."
Elton John and David Furnish both 'contributed' to baby birth
Elton John and his partner David Furnish have no idea which one of them is the biological father of their son - because they both "contributed" to the fertilization process.
The couple welcomed baby Zachary on Christmas via a surrogate mother.
They used donated eggs, from an anonymous woman, which were combined with sperm samples from both fathers - so they don't know which of them is the baby's true dad.
Furnish tells Britain's OK! magazine, "We both contributed. For the time being, we don't have a clue. We look at him every day and at the moment he has Elton's nose... neither of us care. He's our child."
Sir Elton adds, "We have no clue, but in the end if he wants to know, we can do a DNA test."
Oprah Winfrey opens up about teen pregnancy, miscarriage
Oprah Winfrey has spoken candidly about her teenage miscarriage, revealing she had no connection to her baby.
The talk show queen was on the other end of searching questions when she agreed to be the first guest on British newsman Piers Morgan's new CNN show, which aired on Monday - and she agreed to talk openly about getting pregnant at 14 and then losing her child.
After confessing she has never regretted not having children, Winfrey told the host she knew that she only became pregnant because of "bad choices and not having boundaries and the abuse, sexual abuse, from the time I was nine," and she was relieved when she lost the child.
Oprah explained, "I knew then that when I lost that baby, for whom I had no connection to whatsoever... I was 14 years old and felt nothing but just, OK, relieved, because I thought before the baby was born, I'm gonna have to kill myself.
"My mother said you can't stay here, so I had to move to live with my father in Nashville."
But she told Morgan she kept her pregnancy from her traditionalist father, who never knew she was with child.
Winfrey recalled, "My father, as a part of his decree about what's gonna go on in this house... said to me... 'These are the rules of the house, you are gonna obey the rules; you have a 10 o'clock curfew and I would rather see a daughter of mine floating down the Cumberland River than to bring shame on this family and the indecency of an illegitimate child.
"He's saying that to me and I know that I am pregnant."
Oprah insisted she never really came close to taking her own life but revealed she once drank detergent "to try and get attention," but the whole experience has helped her relate to "young girls who are in that situation."
The talk show host she saw the miscarriage as her second chance to make something of her life.
She added, "I went back to school and nobody knew, because had anybody have known at that time I wouldn't have been able to be head of the student council... I wouldn't have been able to be Miss Fire Prevention, I wouldn't have been chosen as one of the two teenagers from the state of Tennessee to go to the White House conference on youth.
"None of those things would have happened and the whole trajectory of my life would have been different."
Charlie Sheen and Brooke Mueller reconciling?
Charlie Sheen and his estranged wife Brooke Mueller are attempting to put their differences aside and reconcile for the sake of their young sons, according to the actor's mother-in-law.
The couple's relationship unraveled after a Christmas day bust-up in 2009 which left the "Two And A Half Men" star facing criminal charges.
They subsequently split, and Sheen filed for divorce in November.
But Mueller's mother, Moira Fiore, reveals they want to give their marriage another chance.
She tells The Palm Beach Post, "They're talking about it constantly, and Brooke has been saying she and Charlie are trying to get back together.
"She (Mueller ) seems ready to give it another try. Charlie's been telling her that things have not gone well for him (and it) is because they broke up. I think he's making her feel guilty and he wants to be with Brooke."
The estranged couple is parents to twin boys, Max and Bob, born in March, 2009.
Kristen Stewart wants to fund halfway houses
"Twilight" star Kristen Stewart is putting the millions she's earned from the hit vampire franchise to good use - she wants to set up a number of halfway houses.
The actress was reportedly paid $25 million to star in the vampire saga, and she has been trying to figure out how best to help those less fortunate with the money she's made.
She tells Vogue magazine, "It's funny when you are endowed not only with public recognition on a f**king seriously vast level, but also money. Like, funds.
"Anytime I hear that somebody's really rich, the first question is, 'Do you do anything with it? Or do you, like, chill? You just sit on it?'"
Stewart reveals she has big plans for her own cash and wants to use the money to aid the recovery of those struggling to get back on their feet after overcoming personal troubles.
She says, "That would be amazing. Right now it's the thing I feel most connected to."
Natalie Portman enjoys anonymity thanks to 'good-girl image'
Natalie Portman has no problem with her public perception as a Hollywood "good girl," because her reputation has allowed her to enjoy the benefits of her successful career while remaining "pretty anonymous."
The actress made her movie debut in 1994's "Leon" and shot to superstardom after landing the role of Queen Amidala in 1999's "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace."
However, she remained largely out of the public eye throughout the early 2000s as she studied for a psychology degree at the prestigious Harvard University in Massachusetts.
She has since returned to the limelight with high profile parts in films such as "The Other Boleyn Girl" and "V for Vendetta," but Portman insists she can still go shopping and visit movie theaters without being "harassed" by fans - and that's how she likes it.
She tells Britain's Telegraph magazine, "I'm not exactly a bad girl... it's not important that strangers know who I really am.
"I go to the mall at Christmas time. I go to the movie theater on Friday nights. I'm pretty anonymous. I sometimes get recognized, but not harassed. So I feel very left alone because of that good-girl image. Maybe people get bored by it - and that's great!"
Portman is expecting her first baby later this year with fiance Benjamin Millepied, who she met on the set of new movie "Black Swan."
Regis Philbin retires from daytime TV
Veteran TV presenter Regis Philbin is retiring from his daytime chat show "Live with Regis and Kelly" - after almost 28 years on air.
The beloved 79-year-old host announced his exit at the start of Tuesday's program, which he now co-hosts with actress Kelly Ripa.
Philbin will step down from the show at the end of this summer, although he did not specify a departure date.
The news comes a year after Philbin underwent an operation to remove a blood clot that formed following hip replacement surgery and forced him off the air for several weeks.
Philbin's daytime hosting duties began in 1983, with a local New York TV program called "The Morning Show" with Cyndy Garvey as his original co-host. In 1988, it was reincarnated with actress Kathie Lee Gifford, and became "Live with Regis and Kathie Lee" until 2000.
Ripa joined as Philbin's newest co-host in 2001 after Gifford's departure.
January Jones & Jason Sudeikis split
"Mad Men" star January Jones has split from her funnyman boyfriend Jason Sudeikis, according to reports.
The couple became a hot Hollywood item last summer but never spoke publicly about their romance.
A source tells People.com, "They've been on and off for a few months and then the long distance kind of ended it."
Jones lives and works in Los Angeles, while Sudeikis, a "Saturday Night Live" regular, is based in New York.
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6:09 PM ION, I think I have become Black Swan Kitty. Was putting lotion on my arms 2day & had 2 tweeze 1of Krustys hairs off me #notnormal #evolving (KatyPerry)
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- Regis Philbin says he's retiring from his show 01.18.2011
- 'Sister Wives' family moves from Utah to Nevada 01.18.2011
- Moore to get pudding pot from Harvard drama group 01.18.2011
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