|
It's time to grow up for Disney Channel sensation Miley Cyrus. The 15-year-old teen star of the hit show "Hannah Montana" is releasing a new album that she calls more mature. Titled "Breakout," Cyrus wrote all but two songs on the pop CD that's set for release today. She stresses songwriting is her passion in an interview with "Billboard" magazine, saying, quote, "I just hope this record showcases that, more than anything, I'm a writer." The teen star has come under the spotlight lately for actions some consider beyond her years, but a music analyst predicts the controversy won't hurt Cyrus' album sales. He says despite the occasional controversy surrounding the star, her new album will meet, if not exceed, the success of her last two albums.
Kanye West is teaming up with MTV to help some Iraqi War vets get settled back in the States. According to MTV.com, the rapper will appear in the special "Choose or Lose & Kanye West Present: Homecoming." The one-hour show, which is slated to air next week, features Kanye and MTV's Sway Calloway surprising vets as they return home from duty. And thanks to MTV and the Donda West Foundation -- named after Kanye's late mother -- the veterans are given gifts. That includes having their debts paid off or having their tuition or rent covered. Kanye says he got involved because, quote, "I know my music inspires and helps a lot of people, but you can always do more." "Choose or Lose & Kanye West Present: Homecoming" airs Monday, July 28th at 9:00 p.m. on MTV.
Rick Ross' recent denial that he once worked as a prison guard is being tested by a legal website. TheSmokingGun.com reports they've uncovered records from the Florida Department of Corrections that show the rapper was employed for one-and-a-half years. Personnel documents provided by the FDOC have the same Social Security number as Ross, whose real name is William Roberts. Last week, a photo appeared on MediaTakeOut.com that the website claimed was a young Ross when he worked for the FDOC. Ross later denied the allegation, saying the picture must have been Photoshopped. He added at the time, quote, "Fake pictures are created by the fake, meant to entertain the fake." Ross has yet to comment on the new report.
The Barenaked Ladies are officially out of the Disney Music Block Party. TMZ.com reports the band's decision to pull out came after lead singer Steven Page was arrested earlier this month for alleged cocaine possession. The Barenaked Ladies manager said on their website, quote, "members of the band completely support Steven Page, but we don't want to put Disney in an awkward position before issues involving Steven's arrest are resolved." The Disney concert is set for late August in Long Island.
Kevin Federline is to blame for the lows in Britney Spears' life. That's according to Dr. Drew Pinsky who says the troubled pop star's life began to unravel when she met her now ex-husband. "US Magazine" reports Pinsky will give his full analysis of her relationship with Federline on the new "E! True Hollywood Story" of Spears' life that will air on Friday, July 25th. During an interview on the documentary, Pinsky says, quote, "if you take Britney's life and put a moment in time where things started getting bad, it's the moment she got involved with Kevin Federline." Twenty-six-year-old Spears recently agreed to give full custody of her two children to Federline in exchange for increased visitation rights.
Kid Rock is heading to anger management. It's part of the sentence handed down to the rocker after pleading no contest to his role in an altercation at a Waffle House restaurant last year. TMZ.com says Kid Rock, whose real name is Robert Ritchie, entered the plea in DeKalb County, Georgia yesterday. He was fined one-thousand-dollars, sentenced to a year probation, six months of anger management classes and 80 hours of community service. Rock was arrested in last October after a dust-up involving members of his entourage and a fan at the restaurant. The dispute reportedly began over a woman.
New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez has become a high-profile client of the William Morris Agency. The "Wall Street Journal" reports the talent agency, which already represents Hollywood stars like Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe and sports talents like tennis champ Serena Williams and Vince Young of the Tennessee Titans will have the job of expanding Rodriguez's list of corporate endorsements. The job of turning him into an enduring brand name may not be easy in a business where public perception is everything. Rodriguez has led a rather colorful personal life that's landed him many times in the tabloids. This month his wife filed for divorce accusing her husband of having an affair. That was accompanied by media reports linking him to pop star Madonna -- a liaison denied by both.
Mischa Barton is speaking out on her arrest last December on DUI charges. The star of the former Fox series "The O.C." says the arrest was low point for her, never thinking she would be in a situation that would lump her into the category of a number of troubled young Hollywood starlets. Barton tells "Nylon" magazine, quote, "I was disappointed because it associated me with a group of girls that I would rather not be associated with." She adds, "They made such a big deal out of it with these other young actress, that, for a little bit, I wanted to crawl into a hole and die." Barton was fined more than 16-hundred dollars, sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to attend an alcohol education program.
NBC has announced the date for Jay Leno's final hosting appearance on "The Tonight Show." May 29th, 2009 will mark the end of the show's Jay Leno era. Current NBC "Late Night" host Conan O'Brien will take up the hosting duties on the "Tonight Show," starting June 1st. O'Brien, in turn, will be replaced by "Saturday Night Live" veteran Jimmy Fallon who will host the "Late Night" show. NBC executives say the network is still talking to Leno about staying with the NBC family. Reports surfaced last week that ABC was courting Leno to join the network. The Fox network and Sony Pictures Television are also said to discreetly courting Leno. The 58-year-old funnyman made a surprise appearance at the Television Critics Association press tour in Beverly Hills, California on Monday. Disguised as a reporter, Leno peppered NBC executives with facetious questions about his future with the network, asking, quote, "Will Leno be paid for the rest of the year?" and "Is it true you offered Leno a fifth hour on the 'Today' show?" ABC's Jimmy Kimmel pulled a similar stunt during that network's presentation at the press tour last week.
That's a wrap. Film critics Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper are leaving the movie-review show bearing their names. Roeper was the first to make the announcement late Sunday, saying he would leave "At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper" when his contract expires next month. He said he and the show's owners, Disney-ABC, had been unable to come to terms on a new deal. Ebert followed with a statement on Monday. While he did not give an explanation for his departure, he said producers had decided to "take the program in a new direction." Ebert lost his voice to cancer two years ago, but had remained active behind the scenes despite the health setback. Richard Roeper co-hosted the program for eight years, replacing Ebert's longtime co-host Gene Siskel who died from complications related to a brain tumor. Roeper says he will proceed with a new show elsewhere, but details of that have not been announced. Disney-ABC has not commented on the future of the movie-review show.
Denise Richards' attempts to restrict ex-husband Charlie Sheen's access to their two children has fallen on deaf ears -- again. TMZ.com says a judge denied the actress' attempt to change the custodial arrangements between her and Sheen during a court hearing on Monday. Richards appeared in court last Thursday for the same reason, telling the judge that their daughters are having problems. And while Sheen's attorneys are calling the judge's ruling a victory in his favor, Richards' attorneys say Sheen's camp isn't telling everything that was said in court. Attorney Neal Hersh tells TMZ.com, quote, "What Charlie's reps are not telling you are the orders the judge made specifically directed toward Charlie." Hersh adds that Monday's order will, quote, "finally force Charlie to focus on his children." Richards first filed for divorce from Sheen in 2005. Although the split has been finalized, the former couple continue to exchange words over the custody of their children.
MTV lovebirds Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt are showing their love for U.S. troops with a planned trip to the Middle East. "The Hills" reality TV co-stars tell TV's "Extra" that they may get a little help in planning their overseas trip from Meghan McCain, the daughter of presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain. Pratt tells "Extra" that Meghan's dad "definitely has some pull with the military," which might help with their travel arrangements. In an interview in April, Montag stated that she is a Republican and plans to vote for John McCain in the upcoming presidential election. Montag, who is also pursuing a side career as a singer, says her late stepbrother Eric O'Hara inspired her to make the trip, noting his work as an airborne ranger in Afghanistan and Iraq. O'Hara died in an accident in March after falling from an icy roof while on leave from the military. He was 24.
He's a miracle man. Patrick Swayze is saying so himself. On Sunday, the actor gave photographers and fans an update on his battle with pancreatic cancer while walking through Los Angeles Airport. People.com quotes Swayze as saying, "I'm a miracle dude -- I don't know why." The 55-year-old actor has been undergoing chemotherapy since his diagnosis with successful results. In April, he and his wife released a statement saying they were "thrilled" with his response to treatment. Swayze is also back at work. On Sunday he flew to Chicago where he is filming his new TV series "The Beast," for A&E.
CBS won't have to pay for Janet Jackson's infamous Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction. A federal appeals court has sided with the network and overturned an indecency fine levied by the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC fined CBS more than a half-million dollars for airing the incident that exposed Jackson's breast during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show. The court ruled the FCC, quote, "arbitrarily and capriciously departed from its prior policy" which exempted from decency rules what is described as fleeting broadcast material.
The husband of troubled singer Amy Winehouse will remain in the can until Christmas. "People" reports a judge made the ruling for Blake Fielder-Civil who pleaded guilty to charges of assault and perverting the court of justice back in June. He has already served about nine months of what was originally a 27-month sentence. Fielder-Civil's lawyer Kate Anderson said, quote, "we are disappointed with the length of the sentence and are giving serious consideration to an appeal." Winehouse did not show up to the London courthouse to hear her husband's ruling. Another lawyer stressed that when he does leave jail, the couple will reunite and work together to move away from their life of hard drugs.
With rumors flying that Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson are more than just good friends, the pair were spotted making pinky-finger grabs over the weekend. The "New York Daily News" reports witnesses eyed the two playing hand games and laughing together while Ronson deejayed at Sephora's 10th anniversary party the Angel Orensanz Foundation. Twenty-two-year-old actress and singer Lohan was also glimpsed wearing a diamond ring that was a gift to her from Ronson. The two have not confirmed any reports about their relationship being more than friendly but it was rumored recently that Ronson's facebook.com status was changed to "in a relationship with Lindsay Lohan."
The Sun reports Christian Bale's mother, Jenny, 61, and sister Sharon, 40, accused him of assault before the London premiere of The Dark Knight. A source says, “It was a very difficult situation but it would have been wrong to have wrecked the premiere over a complaint which we don’t yet know is founded in truth. But Mr Bale will be contacted at the earliest opportunity and be asked to provide an account of anything that happened.”
The NY Daily News reports Kim Kardashian is the latest celeb to join Dancing With the Stars.
The Daily Sport reports that a Jessica Simpson sex tape may have surfaced. A source says it shows her and Nick Lachey and may be in the hands of the men, who distributed the Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson tape. "Jessica is horrified her name and sex tape are being mentioned in the same sentence. She's always been a girl of high morals and principles."
Nicole Richie has banned Joel Madden from getting any more tattoos. A source says he wanted to get a picture of ther daughter inked on one of his teeth. “Joel promised Nicole the he wouldn’t get anymore tattoos,. When Joel told Nicole he wanted to get their daughter Harlow’s face tattooed on one of his front teeth, she shrieked, ‘Absolutely not.’”
According to a net report, Christian Bale agreed to star in the next Terminator film because he was guaranteed Arnold Schwarzenegger would not be apart of it. "Christian only took the role of John Conner on the understanding this would be treated as a serious role and not just some cheap attempt to pay homage to Arnie or the old Terminator movies. There was some early talk of Arnie being involved but Christian's casting was the nail in the coffin for that idea. This is a new movie, a new direction with a new cast."
Billy Bob Thornton says he and Angelina Jolie want to do a comedy together. "We want to be really careful that we pick the right one. Maybe a comedy. In other words, we wouldn't want to do another movie about a husband-wife relationship. That probably wouldn't be very good."
|
