Rihanna will be on “Good Morning America”
R&B singer Rihanna has been silent since the infamous incident with Chris Brown. Now, it appears she’s ready to tell her side of the story.
Rihanna will appear on “Good Morning America” on Thursday (Nov. 5) on ABC. Based on the previews, it looks like Rihanna will discuss the Chris Brown fiasco.
The short preview is posted in the clip below.
More diversity in late-night comedy
Wendy Williams interviews NFL player Terrell Owens on her late-night talk show (AP Photo by Anders Krusber)
George Lopez during a fundraiser in Beverly Hills (AP Photo by Matt Sayles)
The television late-night comedy talk show lineup has been more diverse this fall. There have been minority hosts popping up all over the late-night talk show scene.
“The Mo’Nique Show” premiered this fall on the BET network and “The Wendy Williams Show” premiered on the Fox and BET networks.
Mo’Nique began her career as a stand-up comedian. She eventually became an actress and has a major role in the upcoming film “Precious,” which was produced by Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey.
Mo’Nique’s late-night show caters to a hip hop audience, while Williams’ show has a broader appeal because her celebrity guests are from all walks of life.
Comedian Wanda Sykes’ new late-night talk show will premiere Nov. 7 on the Fox network, and George Lopez’s show “Lopez Tonight” will debut Nov. 9 on TBS.
This is the most diversity I’ve seen in late night comedy. Kudos to those networks for making an effort. However, I’m still waiting on NBC, ABC and CBS to diversify their late-night schedule.
Whether those shows listed above will see long term success is unknown. The last minority to have a successful late-night talk show was Arsenio Hall. His show ran from 1989 to 1994.
Whitney Houston peforms on X Factor
Pop singer Whitney Houston made a guest appearance on the UK show “X Factor” (which is the UK version of American Idol).
Houston, along with Clive Davis, served as mentors to the contestants while they tried to sing her songs. S
She also performed her new song “Million Dollar Bill.” The performance clip is posted below.
This wasn’t one of her greatest performances, but it’s presentable. (althought there were a few odd moments). She even had a wardrobe malfunction.
TLC network is suing Jon Gosselin
Jon Gosselin exited a courthouse (AP Photo by Matt Rourke)
More bad news for Jon Gosselin. The TLC network is suing him for breach of contract.
The Associated Press story is posted below via NewsOK.
ASSOCIATED PRESS BY FRAZIER MOORE
The TLC network has sued Jon Gosselin for allegedly breaching his contract as a star of the hit reality show “Jon & Kate Plus 8.”
The lawsuit, filed Friday in the Circuit Court of Montgomery County, Md., alleges that Gosselin has failed to meet his obligations as an exclusive employee of the network, while appearing on rival networks’ programs for pay and making unauthorized public disclosures about the show.
Gosselin has starred since 2007 on the weekly “Jon & Kate Plus 8,” a ratings hit for the network that has been rocked in recent months by marital turmoil as Gosselin and his wife, Kate, feuded, then filed for divorce.
Gosselin, like his estranged wife, became mainstays on tabloid TV shows and magazine covers as Jon Gosselin was seen in the company of other women.
The couple are the parents of young twins and sextuplets whose family home is in Wernersville, Penn.
The suit is seeking from Gosselin unspecified compensatory damages and demanding he return income gained as a result of his breaches of the agreement, as well as to refrain from future violations of his contractual agreement.
“The network has been trying privately and patiently for months to get Jon to honor the contract he signed and to comply with his obligations relating to public appearances and statements,” said TLC in a statement on Friday. “Those efforts have been unsuccessful.”
Gosselin’s lawyer, Mark Jay Heller, said he had not yet read the filing and had no immediate comment.
The lawsuit says that, last June, in recognition of “the Gosselins’ difficult personal circumstances, TLC asked both parents to refrain from making public statements about each other, the divorce, or the program, and negotiated an agreed ‘cooling off’ period with respect to media communications” for 45 days.
Nonetheless, the suit alleges that Gosselin “in violation of his contractual exclusivity” to his own show, “entered a lucrative arrangement to appear regularly on ‘Entertainment Tonight’ and its companion show, ‘The Insider,’ to discuss his family and the problems he was having with Mrs. Gosselin, and he routinely sold photographic rights to various media outlets �.”
The lawsuit also claims that on Sept. 18, TLC requested that Gosselin be present for filming six days hence. He didn’t respond to the request, and no filming took place on Sept. 24, the lawsuit says.
In light of Gosselin’s alleged “erratic public behavior, unprofessional conduct and serial disregard for his contractual obligations,” TLC on Sept. 29 announced the program would be relaunched in November as “Kate Plus Eight,” with Jon Gosselin taking a back seat role to single mother Kate and the eight kids.
The lawsuit claims that he responded with a request to be released from his exclusive arrangement to pursue other paying opportunities while continuing to be compensated by TLC.
When TLC declined to comply with such a release, Gosselin notified TLC that he would attempt to bar TLC’s access to the family property and filming of his children, the suit says, “on the grounds that it is purportedly detrimental to the children.”
A few days later, Gosselin told CNN’s “Larry King Live” that it’s “not healthy” for his kids to continue appearing on the TLC reality show. He said he had had “an epiphany one day” and realized his 5-year-old sextuplets and 9-year-old twins shouldn’t be filmed at the family’s Pennsylvania home while their parents are going through a divorce.
TLC has since granted a judge’s request that filming of the eight children be suspended.
TLC spokeswoman Laurie Goldberg said that, while both Kate and Jon Gosselin remain under exclusive contract to the network, the show’s longtime future remains in question.
Meanwhile, Gosselin was been embroiled in a separate legal matter. Earlier this week, he was ordered to return $180,000 in marital funds by Oct. 26, according to a lawyer for his estranged wife. Kate Gosselin, meanwhile, must provide an accounting of past expenses by the same date, lawyer Mark Momjian said. And an arbitrator will review another $55,000 she says she spent on household and child-related expenses.
Richard Hatch released from prison
The original “Survivor” winner Richard Hatch was released from prison Friday (Oct. 16) after serving a sentence for tax evasion.
Hatch was convicted in 2006 after he failed to pay taxes on the $1 million he won on the reality show “Survivor.”
Earlier this year, Hatch maintained the judge and prosecutor were discriminating against him because he’s gay.
Hatch was declared the champion on the first season of “Survivor” in 2000.
Taylor Swift to host Satuday Night Live
Taylor Swift is known for her catchy country songs, her songwriting and a innocent nice-girl persona.
But can she do comedy? The 19-year-old singer has been selected to host “Saturday Night Live” on Nov. 7.
Swift will be featured in a variety of comedy skits during the episode.
I’m willing to bet the writers will incorporate a skit about the Kanye West incident that occurred during the MTV Video Music Awards.
In fact, I think it would be great if Kanye made an appearance in the skit as himself.
Although “SNL” will be Swift’s first attempt at sketch comedy, she guest starred on “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” earlier this year.
She also has a role in the upcoming film “Valentine’s Day” starring Taylor Lautner, Julia Roberts and Queen Latifah. Click here for details about the movie.
Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield to appear on Oprah together
Mike Tyson, left, bit off a part of Evander Holyfield's ear during a boxing match in 1997 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas (AP photo by Jack Smith)
Mike Tyson is returning to the Oprah Winfrey Show for the second time this week. But this time, his rival Evander Holyfield will join him on the show.
Remember in 1997, when Tyson bit off part of Holyfield’s ear during a boxing match? The two boxing legends will discuss the ear-biting incident. It will be the first time they have spoken since that match.
Tyson also will take questions from the audience. The show will air Friday (Oct. 16) on ABC.
Info on TLC singer Chilli’s reality show
TLC singer Chilli during an MTV appearance in New York City (AP Photo by Paul Hawthorne)
Flavor Flav, Tiffany “New York” Pollard, Bret Michaels, Antonio Sabato Jr., Ray J and Tila Tequila have all tried to find their soul mates by participating in reality dating shows.
R&B singer Chilli from the group TLC will follow in their footsteps. Chili’s reality show will air sometime next year on VH1.
During the show, Chilli will go on several dates until she finds a suitable match.
Chilli has had a string of failed relationships with celebrity men including music producer Dallas Austin and R&B singer Usher. Hopefully, she’ll find better luck on this show.
Tracy Morgan slams Chris Kattan and Cheri Oteri
Comedian/actor Tracy Morgan during an appearance on MTV (AP Photo by Evan Agostini)
Chris Kattan during an appearance in Los Angeles (AP Photo by Branimir Kvartuc))
Former “Saturday Night Live” star Tracy Morgan spent 10 years on the popular sketch comedy show, but he didn’t always get along with his cast mates.
In his new autobiographytitled “I Am The New Black,” Morgan took a stab at his former SNL cast mates Cheri Oteri and Chris Kattan.
In an excerpt from the book’s audio version, Morgan said “I can remember being on “Saturday Night Live” and feeling like i was at the bottom of the totem pole. I can remember when people like Chris Kattan and Cheri Oteri probably looked down upon on me. I can remember especially those two treating me like I was the invisible guy. Now, look where they at now? Cheri Oteri, she can’t even get arrested. Where’s Chris Kattan now? They never going to host “Saturday Night Live.”
“That’s what happened to me over there. They never treated me well. There were people that treated me beautifully like Will Ferrell and Colin Quinn and Molly Shannon–I love them. But Cheri Oteri and Chris Kattan I never cared for them either (explicative).”
Morgan’s book will be in stores Oct. 20.
Mike Tyson to appear on Oprah
Boxing legend Mike Tyson during a fundraising even in Malibu, California (AP Photo by Dan Steinberg)
Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson’s appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show will air Monday (Oct. 12) on ABC.
Surprisingly, the boxing legend agreed to sit on Oprah’s couch and answer any questions she wanted to ask.
If I were interviewing Mike Tyson, there’s no way I could narrow my questions down to fit into one episode.
There would be so many questions I would ask, including his marriage to Robin Givens, his alleged abuse toward Robin Givens, his rape conviction, his face tattoo, why he bit off Evander Holyfield’s ear, the recent death of his daughter, his relationship with boxing promoter Don King and his outstanding boxing career.
Hopefully, Oprah will ask those above questions too.
Jimmy Fallon mentions OSU on late night show
Comedian Jimmy Fallon gave props to Oklahoma State University during his late night show Tuesday.
Fallon performed at OSU’s Orange Peel event in Stillwater on Saturday. He mentioned OSU in the late night clip posted below.
Madonna and Lady Gaga perform SNL skit
Ryan Reynolds hosted Saturday Night Live last night, and Lady Gaga was the musical guest. During a surprise appearance, the real Madonna performed a skit with Lady Gaga during the “Deep House Dish” sketch.
The skit is posted below in the video clip.
Kandi reacts to fiance’s death
Kandi Burruss, the star of “Real Housewives of Atlanta” reacted to the killing of her fiance Ashley “A.J.”Jewell.
Here is what she posted on her Twitter page.
“I could never n a million years imagine this happening. please pray for AJ’s children. that’s who im the most concerned 4″
“im bout 2 giv my swollen eyes sum rest now. i just wanted to say thanks 2 every1 for their prayers. i gotta get up & go 2 my uncle’s funeral.”
“im just in one of those moods where i dont wanna talk, i dont wanna b held & told its gonna b ok. i just wanna cry myself 2 sleep, alone.”
Kandi’s fiance A.J. died after he was involved in a fight at a strip club parking lot. A man named Fredrick Richardson was arrested on a complaint of voluntary manslaughter.
Fiance of “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star died after a brawl
The fiance of “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star has died.
Cast member Kandi Burruss’ fiance Ashley “A.J.” Jewell was injured during a fight at a strip club parking lot in Atlanta. He later died at a local hospital where he was being treated for head injuries, according to WSBTV-2 in Atlanta.
The cause of the fight is unknown, but an investigation is underway, police told the news station.
Jewell made recurring appearances on “Real Housewives of Atlanta.” Burruss was a member of the 1990s R&B group Xscape.
More details to come when information becomes available.
David Letterman claims extortion plot
Late night comedian David Letterman claims he was the victim of an extortion plot. The Associated Press story is posted below.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
David Letterman acknowledged on Thursday’s show that he had sexual relationships with female employees and that someone tried to extort $2 million from him over the affairs.
During the taping of his CBS late-night show in New York, Letterman discussed receiving a threat to either pay the money or risk the relationships being made public.
In a release from the show’s production company, Letterman said he referred the matter to the Manhattan district attorney’s office and that an investigation ended in an arrest Thursday. Letterman did not identify the person he said was arrested.
As part of the investigation, Letterman said he issued a “phony” $2 million check to the individual and the arrest followed — along with testimony by Letterman.
“This morning, I did something I’ve never done in my life,” said Letterman. “I had to go downtown and testify before a grand jury.”
In his testimony, he said he acknowledged sexual relationships with members of his staff. It was not immediately clear when the relationships took place.
Letterman and longtime girlfriend Regina Lasko married in March. The couple began dating in 1986 and have a son, Harry, born in November 2003.
“My response to that is, yes I have,” Letterman said. “Would it be embarrassing if it were made public? Perhaps it would. I feel like I need to protect these people. I need to certainly protect my family.”
CBS spokesman Chris Ender said Thursday that “Letterman’s comments on the broadcast tonight speak for themselves.”
It’s the second set of embarrassing headlines for Letterman in four months. In June, he apologized to Sarah Palin for making a crude joke about the former Republican vice presidential candidate’s 14-year-old daughter. Although there was a small “fire Letterman” demonstration outside of his studio later, CBS stood by its late-night star.
After nearly 15 years in second place to NBC’s Jay Leno in the ratings, Letterman took over the top spot this summer after Conan O’Brien became “Tonight” show host.
Letterman’s CBS “Late Show” has been on the air since 1993 and before that, he had a late-night show on NBC.
Alicia Maxey Greene, a spokeswoman for the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, declined to comment.
Conan O’Brien injured during Tonight Show
Conan O’Brien tried to perform his own stunt for a segment of “Tonight Show,” but it didn’t mix well with his clumsiness.
Conan hit his head Friday night while performing a stunt, according to the Associated Press. He was taken to the hospital, and producers pulled the plug on the episode and aired a rerun instead.
Conan released a statement jokingly saying “Last thing I remember I was enjoying the play with Mrs. Lincoln, and the next thing I knew I was in bed being served cookies and juice.”
Maybe next time Conan should hire a stunt double.
Megan Fox, U2 to appear on Saturday Night Live
We all know Megan Fox is the one of the most attractive young actresses in the game. But is she funny?
Fox’s comedy skills will be put to the test when she hosts Saturday Night Live tonight (Sept. 26). She will be featured in a variety of skits.
Fox is promoting her new horror film “Jennifer’s Body,” which is in theaters now. The film earned $16 million at the box office since it was released Sept. 18.
The lengendary band U2 will be the SNL musical guest. U2 members are promoting their latest CD “No Line on the Horizon.” They’re also in the middle of a world tour.
Stepmom angry at Mackenzie Phillips
Michelle Phillips is furious with her former step-daughter Mackenzie Phillips.
Michelle Phillips during a Vanity Fair party (AP photo by Evan Agostini)
Mackenzie told Oprah Winfrey she had a sexual affair with her father singer John Phillips for 10 years while Michelle and John were married.
Michelle told Vanity Fair magazine, “I’m so embarrassed and mad. At Oprah, at the publisher, and at Mackenzie, who should be on a psychiatrist’s couch, not on TV.”
“Is this all true? We’ll never know, because she waited until John was dead. If you’re going to make these accusations and they don’t hurt anyone living, that’s one thing. But Mackenzie has affected the lives of all her nieces and nephews, who are not going to school today and are staying home sobbing instead.”
“And the book has come out just at the time that Chynna (former member of the group Wilson Phillips) has to go out on the road with her new album of Christian music.”
It’s funny how Michelle is putting all the blame on Mackenzie, and she said she’s angry with Mackenzie and Oprah. But she never said she was angry with her ex-husband John Phillips even though he’s the one who initiated sex with his own daughter.
American Idol contestant is getting married
Justin Guarinia and Kelly Clarkson competing on "American Idol" during the first season in 2002. (AP photo by Lucy Nicholson)
The original “American Idol” runner-up is getting married this weekend. Justin Guarini will marry Reina Capodici on Saturday in Pennsylvania.
According to US Weekly magazine, the pair began dating since 2006, but they’ve known each other since high school.
Guarini was the early favorite to win the first season of “American Idol” 2002, but he was defeated by Kelly Clarkson for the title.
He eventually rebounded and became a television personality on the TV Guide Channel.
Saved by the Bell star wrote tell-all book
“Saved by the Bell” star Dustin Diamond, aka Screech, wrote a tell-all book about his sitcom cast mates.
The book titled Behind The Bell details what went on behind-the-scenes on the popular 1990s sitcom.
In the book, Diamond alleges there were backstage hook-ups among the cast members and drug use.
He also alleges Mark Paul Gosselaar, (known as Zach Morris) used steroids to make himself buff during “Saved by the Bell: The College Years.”
If you want to know the specifics, you’ll have to wait until the book hits shelves Sept. 29.
So what happened to the other “Saved by the Bell” cast?
Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Zach Morris) was a regular on the crime drama “NYPD Blue” from 2001 to 2005. He currently stars on the TNT drama “Raising the Bar.”
Lark Voorhies (Lisa Turtle) is in talks to portray Whitney Houston in an upcoming biography film. Since SBTB ended, Voorhies made appearances on various television shows including “The Parkers” “In The House,” “The Bold and the Beautiful” and “Days of our Lives.” Lark also tried her hand at singing. She became a member of the group Geneva with two of Michael Jackson’s nieces.
Mario Lopez (A.C. Slater) is the host of the MTV competition show “America’s Best Dance Crew.” He also hosted the Miss Teen USA and Miss America pageants and appeared on 69 episodes of “The Bold and the Beautiful.” He has also become a staple of celebrity magazines.
Elzabeth Berkley (Jesse Spano) raised eyebrows when she played a stripper in the film “Showgirls.” She has since appeared on nine episodes of “CSI: Miami” and made guest appearances on “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” and “Without a Trace.”
Tiffani Amber Thiessen (Kelly Kapowski) joined the cast of Beverly Hills 90210 from 1994 to 2000. She has made appearances on “Fastlane,” “Just Shoot Me” and “What About Brian.”
Dustin Diamond (Screech Powers) besides writing his tell-all book, Dustin released a sex tape with his female companion to make extra money. He also was contestant on “VH1 Celebrity Fit Club,” in which he caused plenty of drama.
Dennis Haskins (Mr. Belding) also made a string of television appearances including “JAG,” “The Practice” and ”The West Wing. He recently landed a role in the upcoming comedy “The Legend of Awesomest Maxium” alongside “Beverly Hills 90210″ actor Ian Ziering.
Jay-Z, Alicia Keys discuss Lil Mama crashing their performance
Jay-Z and Alicia Keys perform their new song titled "Empire State of Mind" during the MTV Video Music Awards (AP photo by Jason DeCrow)
Everyone was so focused on Kanye West crashing Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech during the MTV Video Music Awards, that everyone seems to overlook that Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’ performance was crashed too.
While Jay-Z and Alicia were performing their duet to the song “Empire State of Mind” during the awards finale, rapper Lil Mama appeared out of nowhere, walked on the stage and stood next to them.
Rapper Lil Mama apologizes for crashing Jay-Z and Alicia Keys' performance at the MTV Video Music Awards. Lil Mama is also a judge on "America's Best Dance Crew." (AP photo by Mark J. Terrill)
Radio personality Angie Martinez interviewed Jay-Z this week about the incident. Jay-Z said “Me, personally, I would never do that. I would never have the nerve to do that. It’s just like, someone’s up there performing, we went through rehearsals, we did run throughs and we worked really hard at the performance to put on a show for people and to interrupt that moment for us, you know, I don’t think that was the right thing to do. I actually thought it was the equivalent of what Kanye did to Taylor Swift. And I’m cool with her being excited and all that but you have to understand, people put in work to make that performance happen, that took weeks. I was a little angry to be honest, but what I’ma do, fight Lil Mama?”
Alicia Keys appeared on NBC’s Today Show and discussed the incident. She said “I would rather not speak about it because the performance was so phenomenal it doesn’t even matter about anything else. Jay-Z and I are native New Yorkers. It’s kind of a classic New York song like new Frank Sinatra, Liza Minnelli. I can appreciate her being overwhelmed and inspired but we would have preferred she did it from her seat.”
Lil Mama later released a statement apologizing to the performers. She said
“I did not mean any disrespect towards Jay-Z or Alicia Keys. I admire them and look up to them as role models. ‘Empire State of Mind’ had my emotions running high. In that moment I came up onstage to celebrate my two icons singing about NY.”
It seems to me like Lil Mama just wanted some attention. She didn’t want to let Kanye West have all the attention for crashing the stage.
To watch the clip of Lil Mama crashing the stage during Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’ performance, the video clip is posted below. Fast forward the video to the five-minute mark.
Heather Locklear is returning to Melrose Place
Heather Locklear is returning to the apartment complex that turned her into sex symbol.
Locklear will reprise her vixen role as Amanda Woodward on the new version of “Melrose Place,” according to the Associated Press.
Locklear’s episodes will begin Nov. 17 on the CW network. Locklear was on the original series from 1993 to 1999.
The new version stars Nicholas Gonzalez, Katie Cassidy and Shaun Sipos.
Will Ferrell to host Saturday Night Live
Will Ferrell is returning to Saturday Night Live tonight (Sept. 19) to host the sketch comedy show.
Ferrell will be in a familiar setting because he was a regular cast member on the show for seven seasons from 1995 to 2002.
The rock group Green Day will be the musical guest. The group members are promoting their latest CD titled “21st Century Breakdown.
Jay-Z discusses Kanye West, Taylor Swift incident
Jay-Z is breaking his silence regarding his friend Kanye West’s outburst during Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech during the MTV Video Music Awards.
In an interview with BBC Radio, Jay-Z said Kanye has always been passionate, but he was still rude to Taylor.
Excerpts from the interview are posted below.
“He’s just a super-passionate person, and of course it was rude because it was Swift’s moment, but that’s the way he really felt. But he’s been that passionate from his first record.”
“He used to jump on tables. I was trying to make the first Blueprint, he’s jumping on tables, rapping, and I’m like, ‘Yo, not now.’ That was just him. He’s always been that passionate.”
“I told him I think it was rude, and that he has to watch his passion. At the end of the day, we’re going to celebrate him for his passion more than vilify him for it because his passion, which caused him to make Graduation and all these great records, is the same thing that causes him to step out of line sometimes. So as he grows, he has to learn how to balance that. And he’ll learn that in years to come. That passion right there, that wasn’t fake or staged. It was how he really felt, and it was just inappropriate. It wasn’t fair to Taylor.”
“I mean, it’s an awards show, really, and I think it’s a bit blown out. He’s on the cover of every paper, he didn’t kill anybody. Nobody got harmed. I don’t think he should lay low, I think he should go on tour and have a brilliant career. It’s an awards show.”
I agree with Jay-Z in paragraph above. Yes, it was rude and disrespecful, but no one was killed or physically harmed. He didn’t beat up anyone like Chris Brown did.
But, hopefully Kanye will listen to Jay-Z and learn to control his “passion.”
Meanwhile, Kanye is preparing to go on tour this fall and winter with pop singer Lady Gaga. The tour kicks off Nov. 10 in Phoenix. Click here for a list of the tour dates.
Paula Abdul does a parody of Ellen DeGeneres
Paula Abdul hosted the 2009 VH1 Divas Live concert Thursday night.
During her opening segment, Abdul dressed up as her American Idol replacement Ellen DeGeneres and began to parody the talk show host and her dance moves.
The video clip is posted below.
