December 29, 2008

Here's your Complete Box-Office Recap:

1. Marley & Me, $37 million
2. Bedtime Stories, $28.1 million
3. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, $27 million
4. Valkyrie, $21.5 million
5. Yes Man, $16.5 million
6. Seven Pounds, $13.4 million
7. The Tale of Despereaux, $9.4 million
8. The Day the Earth Stood Still, $7.9 million
9. The Spirit, $6.5 million
10. Doubt, $5.7 million

STAR Artist Taylor Swift’s new CD “Fearless” is still number one on the charts. It has sold nearly 2 million copies in just 6 weeks. That’s all fine and dandy but Taylor elicited quite a scare last week. She was photographed with bangs and her hair pulled back. She got quite a few messages from friends and so she had to announce, “Please don’t panic. I didn’t cut my hair.”

Tina Fey was definitely all over the place in 2008 and AFI has voted her among their “Moments of Significance” thanks to her Sarah Palin impression and her work on 30 Rock. Here's the rest of the list:

*The release of the movie Slumdog Millionaire about an orphan competing on India’s version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.

* "Age of Anxiety" as Business Models for the Arts Evolve, recognizing video website Hulu.com and Jay Leno's impending move to primetime on NBC.

* Dr. Horrible Operates in Explosion of Short Form, recognizing Joss Whedon's online musical starring Neil Patrick Harris.

* Film Critics Lose Voice, recognizing the decline of full-time film critics in the media.

* Television and New Technologies Provide a Global Oracle for America's Presidential Race

* NBC Coverage of Summer Olympics Brings the World Together

* Independent Film Artists Face Distribution Crisis

Another Hilton was hit by a burglar last week. Steve Hilton, philanthropist, heir, and uncle of Paris, called 911 reporting a break-in at his Malibu home. Unfortunately, while he made the call, the burglars got away. Fortunately they left empty handed.

Eartha Kitt, who played Catwoman in the TV version of Batman and sung the Christmas classic, “Santa Baby,” passed away on Christmas Day of colon cancer at the age of 81.

STAR Artist Ashlee Simpson and her husband, Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz, promised they wouldn’t sell pictures of their new baby boy, Bronx. And they stayed true to their word. They unveiled the first photo of Bronx over the weekend:


It’s rumored that American Idol finalist and Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson is planning a tribute to her late mother for the Grammy Awards in February. You remember Jennifer’s mother, brother and newphew were found murdered back in October – truly tragic. To honor them, a source tells me Jennifer will perform a new gospel song at the show.

She's a guru on screen, but Oprah is clueless on the road! She loves to drive her white Bentley convertible around California and has gone to the same 76 station for years. A friend tells me, "She usually tips the serviceman $100 to fill her up." But, one day, Oprah decided to try it out herself, but she couldn't find the tank! "She had to be shown how to use the pump too." At 54, she's still got a lot to learn!

STAR Artist OneRepublic plans to hit the studio in February to start working on their next album. The band tells me the three new songs they’ve written so far are more mature, “We're not so sad and desperate and frustrated about girls....we've grown up.”

STAR Artist Leona Lewis had an epic 2008 but what was the highlight for her? Performing in the closing ceremony for the 2008 Summer Olympics with Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page backing her up. “He's an absolute legend, and just the nicest, nicest guy...I was just in awe of him.”

December 23, 2008

STAR Artist Gavin Rossdale is one of the many artists performing on CBS’s Home for the Holidays tonight which raises awareness of the importance of foster care and adoption. Melissa Etheridge, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw and Jamie Foxx will also be making appearances. That’s tonight at 7 p.m. on CBS.

It’s official: STAR Artist Madonna’s “Sticky & Sweet Tour” is now the highest grossing tour ever by a solo artist. When her show wrapped on Sunday, the tour had pulled in $280 million in ticket sales over 58 concerts. And though Madonna and Guy Ritchie are officially splitsville, they’ll be spending Christmas together with their kids and to celebrate the holidays, Madonna has spent some of her mega-millions on some very expensive drinks. She bought 25 bottles of wine laced with 24-karat silver. The bill on that? $7,400. And yes, real silver in the wine. And you thought passing a kidney stone was bad?...

Last week, Scarlett Johansson had a head cold when she was on with Jay Leno. She blew her nose into a Kleenex. They sold it on eBay…for $5,300! All the money went to charity. And I thought we were in a recession…

Paris Hilton tells me she's devastated about losing more than $2 million worth of jewelry after a break-in at her home I told you about yesterday. "I cannot believe someone broke into my home. They took items that had such sentimental value that no one will ever be able to replace. I'm just thankful that I wasn't there when it happened." An insider tells me the surveillance video shows a thief who appears to know where he was going, "like he's been there before." Paris has now increased her security team to three 24-hour bodyguards. Good luck finding the guy who broke into Paris' home. The thief looked "like he's been there before." Authorities need to trim the list of suspects down from the entire male population on Earth.

6 months from now, on a stage far, far away, George Lucas tried to milk the Star Wars franchise for another million and has given his approval for Star Wars: A Musical Journey. Producers in England are developing a stage production based on the Star Wars saga that will feature dancing storm troopers, singing wookies and the Royal Philharmonic. It debuts April 10th in England before heading to the rest of Europe. No word on any U.S. dates. Hey, I’m a hug Star Wars nerd and even here I say…God help us all.

What better way to celebrate your birthday than to dress up as a violent criminal? That's what STAR Artist Christina Aguilera did last Thursday night, when she threw a Clockwork Orange-themed party in Beverly Hills to mark her 28th birthday.

STAR Artist Jason Mraz has posted a hilarious video Christmas greet at his website where he also sings a deliberately-cheesy song called “Merry Holidays.” Check it out here!

December 22, 2008

Here's your Complete Box-Office Recap:

1. Yes Man, $18.2 million
2. Seven Pounds, $16 million
3. The Tale of Despereaux, $10.5 million
4. The Day the Earth Stood Still, $10.2 million
5. Four Christmases, $7.7 million
6. Twilight, $5.2 million
7. Bolt, $4.3 million
8. Slumdog Millionaire, $3.2 million
9. Australia, $2.3 million
10. Quantum of Solace, $2.2 million

Rumors abound that STAR Artist Janet Jackson is pregnant. Her boyfriend Jermaine Dupri tells me, no, that’s not true at all. He also told me Janet is just a very private person which is why she herself has not made a statement. Well good. Janet isn’t pregnant. Which is actually a relief because we don’t need any more Jacksons…ever.

Police in Los Angeles continue to investigate the robbery of Paris Hilton’s home after it was broken into on Friday. It left her bedroom in shambles, not like it usually is, and resulted in about $2 million in missing jewelry. Now, there were witnesses to the break-in. A man in a dark hooded sweatshirt and gloves went in the house through an unlocked door. Neighbors didn’t call the cops because they see a man leave Paris’ house every 2 hours.

Lord Richard Attenborough, the British filmmaker who won an Academy Award for directing Gandhi and starred as the entrepreneur who creates a dinosaur attraction in the movie Jurassic Park, has awakened from a coma following a fall at his home last week. He remains in stable condition at a London hospital.

The adoption of another child was reportedly a sore subject in Madonna and Guy Ritchie's marriage, but with their divorce comes news that she's ready to add another kid to her family. I’m hearing reports Madonna has already signed papers to adopt a little girl from Malawi and hopes to bring the child home "early next year." Hey! Alex Rodriguez! Get out while you still can!

STAR Artist Daughtry will be performing with fellow American Idol alum, STAR Artist David Cook on Fox’s New Year’s Eve Live special. They’ll be performing “Home” but it’ll most likely be pre-recorded but hey, so is David Cook’s performance.

These days, artists make as much money endorsing products as they do selling albums or touring, but STAR Artist Colbie Caillat is one star who has, so far, turned down big-bucks offers to shill for various products, including Neutrogena. She told me, "It's tempting, but I'm not sure what direction I want to go in. If you pick one product, you're stuck with that." So what product would she like to sell if she had to, "I love Steve Madden shoes." Colbie did her final show of 2008 on Friday. Next up for her is a trip to Hawaii, where she'll work on material for her next album.

December 18, 2008

American Idol season eight is about to start up in January, but what does Simon Cowell think about what the previous season's stars, STAR Artists David Cook and David Archuleta, have been up to? Simon tells me he’s happy about both Davids' chart success. "The whole point of American Idol is that you're giving talented people an opportunity. So when you see these guys selling records, it makes the whole process worthwhile." Simon says he's "optimistic" about both guys' careers, saying they're smart and seem to know in what direction they'd like to go.

Did you see Jennifer Aniston on the cover of GQ magazine this month? Look at it... Yep, that got some people’s attention (and by people I may mean me). It definitely caught eye of naked-girl expert Hugh Heffner who said “This looks like the cover of Playboy. I’m much impressed by Jennifer. Is it me or is Jennifer getting hotter?” Is it me or is Hugh Heffner just a dirty old man? And here's Jennifer on The Late Show with David Letterman last night. She even had a special present for him!

Most bands arrive at their concerts by limo, or at least in their tour bus. But not STAR Artist Coldplay’s Chris Martin. Chris took the subway to Coldplay's gig on Monday night. "I like getting to Tube sometimes...you get charged up from the atmosphere. No one recognized me. I just bought a paper and kept my head down and got off with everyone else." Unfortunately, Chris' attempt at going incognito worked too well. He added that when he got to the venue, quote, "Security stopped me at the door and I had to explain who I was. That was a bit embarrassing."

This is why I’ll always like Will Smith, no matter what crappy movies he does (*cough*Hancock*cough*). Will’s recently released tax returns show he donated more than $1.3 million to various religious and civic organizations in the last year.

STAR Artist Taylor Swift just reclaimed the top spot on the Billboard charts. Her album “Fearless” has now sold more than a million and a half copies.

Evidently STAR Artist Katy Perry is NOT engaged. Oh really? Who said that? Oh, she did? Ok. Never mind then.

December 17, 2008

Last night, Tom Cruise took over the Top Ten list on The Late Show with David Letterman. The topic? The Top Ten Craziest Things Said About Tom Cruise on the Internet. Check out the video:

STAR Artist Madonna and Guy Ritchie have issued a joint-statement regarding the recently reported divorce settlement figures.

"We have tried to maintain a dignified silence regarding the details of our divorce for the last few months whilst accepting the obvious media interest. A misleading and inaccurate statement, specifically in relation to the sums of money involved, was wrongly issued this week. The financial details of the settlement will remain private, save to say that both of us are happy with our agreement. Our primary concern, like any co-parents, is the care and well-being of our children.”

The Muppets get into the Christmas spirit with a new special on NBC called A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa. In this one, Kermit and the gang set out for the North Pole to deliver misplaced letters to Santa. 30 Rock’s Jane Krakowski, Uma Thurman and Nathan Lane also star in what will be a great family must-watch. That’s tonight at 7 on NBC.

Is STAR Artist Katy Perry engaged? Rumor has it her boyfriend proposed to her in Paris by hiding a huge ring in his mouth. Wait…wha? Is that right?… Well, apparently so. When I asked her rep about it all I got was a “No comment,” so standby for a confirmation.

When you're a member of Hollywood's first family, you'd think Christmas would be a big spectacle, but you'd be wrong. Brad Pitt tells me the six kids he has with Angelina Jolie don't ask for fancy presents because they don't watch a lot of television and never get the chance to see commercials. Instead, Brad says, "We have gifts, but we try to keep the money spent to a minimum. The rule is that everyone's got to make something for someone else, you got to put time into it." Just wait ‘til the kids grow up and realize mommy and daddy make millions and all they got for Christmas was a hat made out of construction paper and glitter.

Well I’m super excited that STAR Artist No Doubt has decided to get back together for a new album and tour, but it looks like we’ll have to wait a while for that new CD. They’ll work on the new stuff while on tour in spring of 2009 and then it looks like the album won’t hit stores ‘til 2010.

STAR Artist Jason Mraz has found a good match. He’ll open for the Dave Matthews Band at their two shows in Las Vegas in May.